“God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24
God alone set the tone for worship.
Worship is about acknowledging God’s worthiness and sovereignty, and honoring Him. It is submission unto His will and reverence for him. Worship is about God and for God. It brings us into His presence. It is communion with God. There can be no real worship without relationship.
In the book of St. John 4, the account of Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well presents us with a clear picture of God's will regarding worship.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:20-24)
God is looking for true worshippers. The Samaritans worshipped, but they did not know what they worshipped, for they had created their own god. The Jews retained Moses’ laws as a guide for worship, but their hearts were far removed from God. Their worship was a form of godliness. The worship may be true, yet not pure.
Remember Cain? In Genesis chapter 4, the story is told of Adam and Eve’s first children, Cain and Abel. Cain was a tiller of the ground; he was a farmer. Abel was a keeper of the sheep; he was a shepherd.
The Bible tells us that in the process of time, offerings were presented unto the Lord. Cain gave out of that which he had, which was the fruit of the earth. Abel gave from that which he had, which was an animal from his flock. However, God showed no respect for Cain’s offering, but He did respect Abel’s offering. Abel’s offering was acceptable, whereas Cain’s offering was not.
This reveals that God’s focus is not on the gift, but the heart of the giver. The attitude in which an offering is made determines the value of the offering.
The Bible states that, “Cain was wroth…” meaning he was extremely angry. Cain was infuriated with God because God valued Abel’s offering above his offering.
God saw that Cain harbored jealously in his heart, and jealousy is sister to pride. When God sees a character flaw in His children, He moves with surgical precision to sever us from the sin that so easily besets us. God warned Cain that sin was crouching at his door; waiting to ambush him when he opened the door. God wanted Cain to avoid the effect of this dormant (or hidden) sin. See Genesis 4:6-7.
God rejected Cain’s offering because He saw the condition of Cain’s heart. It was Cain’s attitude in giving that caused God to reject his offering.
Real worship begins in the heart. It is the surrendering of self. The stress should not be laid upon the place where we worship God; nor upon what we give God, but upon the state of mind in which we worship Him.
Excerpts from Exposure: Revealing God's Will to His People
God alone set the tone for worship.
Worship is about acknowledging God’s worthiness and sovereignty, and honoring Him. It is submission unto His will and reverence for him. Worship is about God and for God. It brings us into His presence. It is communion with God. There can be no real worship without relationship.
In the book of St. John 4, the account of Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well presents us with a clear picture of God's will regarding worship.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:20-24)
God is looking for true worshippers. The Samaritans worshipped, but they did not know what they worshipped, for they had created their own god. The Jews retained Moses’ laws as a guide for worship, but their hearts were far removed from God. Their worship was a form of godliness. The worship may be true, yet not pure.
Remember Cain? In Genesis chapter 4, the story is told of Adam and Eve’s first children, Cain and Abel. Cain was a tiller of the ground; he was a farmer. Abel was a keeper of the sheep; he was a shepherd.
The Bible tells us that in the process of time, offerings were presented unto the Lord. Cain gave out of that which he had, which was the fruit of the earth. Abel gave from that which he had, which was an animal from his flock. However, God showed no respect for Cain’s offering, but He did respect Abel’s offering. Abel’s offering was acceptable, whereas Cain’s offering was not.
This reveals that God’s focus is not on the gift, but the heart of the giver. The attitude in which an offering is made determines the value of the offering.
The Bible states that, “Cain was wroth…” meaning he was extremely angry. Cain was infuriated with God because God valued Abel’s offering above his offering.
God saw that Cain harbored jealously in his heart, and jealousy is sister to pride. When God sees a character flaw in His children, He moves with surgical precision to sever us from the sin that so easily besets us. God warned Cain that sin was crouching at his door; waiting to ambush him when he opened the door. God wanted Cain to avoid the effect of this dormant (or hidden) sin. See Genesis 4:6-7.
God rejected Cain’s offering because He saw the condition of Cain’s heart. It was Cain’s attitude in giving that caused God to reject his offering.
Real worship begins in the heart. It is the surrendering of self. The stress should not be laid upon the place where we worship God; nor upon what we give God, but upon the state of mind in which we worship Him.
Excerpts from Exposure: Revealing God's Will to His People