Connect Church
What is Worship Really?
  • You Are In Control
  • Great I Am
  • What A Beautiful Name
  • Gratitude
  • The Heart Of Worship
  • Today we begin a new series called WORSHIP: Living a Life That Responds to God.
    For many of us, the word “worship” immediately brings music to mind—songs we love, songs we do not love, instruments, volume, tradition, style, and preference. In fact, churches have spent decades navigating what people often call “the worship wars.” Should worship be traditional or contemporary? Hymns or choruses? Choir or band? Organ or guitar? Loud or quiet?
    Those conversations matter, but they can also distract us from the bigger question: What is worship really? Worship is not primarily a style we prefer or a service we attend. Worship is our response to the worth of God. When we see God clearly, we respond with reverence, gratitude, surrender, obedience, and praise—not merely with our voices, but with our lives.
    That is where this series will take us. We want to become people whose worship is not confined to a song set on Sunday, but whose whole lives say, “God, You are worthy.”
    And that brings us to a conversation Jesus had with a woman at a well. She was a Samaritan, and there was a long, painful history between Jews and Samaritans. They agreed that God should be worshiped, but they fiercely disagreed about where. Jews worshiped in Jerusalem; Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim. For generations, worship had become connected to a place, a tradition, and a religious argument.
    So when this woman speaks to Jesus about worship, she is really asking a question people are still asking today: “What does real worship look like?” Jesus does not simply choose a mountain. He lifts her eyes beyond locations, rituals, and preferences—and reveals the kind of worshiper the Father is seeking.
    Let’s read John 4:19–24
    John 4:19–24 NIV
    19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
    When we as believers complain about worship, our complaints usually exist around what type of song we sing or the style of music we prefer. Our complaints are not about worship at all but rather about preference.

    1. Worship is Bigger than a Place, Service, or Song

    In our text, the Samaritan woman talks about worship in reference to a place.
    The woman frames worship around competing locations: Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem.
    When the woman says, “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain,” she is pointing to Mount Gerizim, the mountain near where she and Jesus are speaking. Samaritans believed this was the place God had chosen for worship. Jews, however, believed worship belonged at the temple in Jerusalem.
    So this is more than a question about geography. It represents centuries of religious division: two peoples, two worship traditions, and two competing claims about where people could rightly come before God.
    The woman is essentially asking Jesus, “Which side is right? Where is the real place to worship?” And Jesus’ answer is striking. He says, “the day is coming when true worship will not be defined by Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem, but by worshiping the Father in spirit and in truth.”
    Notice Jesus speaks in future tense and then in verse 23 He says, “and has now come”. Jesus is not telling this woman, “Don’t worship until later.” He is saying, “A new day is breaking because I have come.”
    For centuries, worship had been centered at a specific place—the temple in Jerusalem. But Jesus is about to fulfill the purpose of the temple through His death and resurrection.
    So the hour is “coming” because the cross is still ahead, but it is also “now here” because Jesus is already present. The true way to the Father is standing right in front of her. From this point forward, worship will not be confined to a mountain or a building; through Jesus, people everywhere can come to the Father in spirit and truth.
    Where we worship matters, but it is not the full extent of worship.
    What we sing and the music we use can express worship, but music is not the definition of worship.
    Worship is way more than these things. Worship is the whole-life response of a person who recognizes God’s worth.
    The sad part is we reduce worship to what happens in the first 20 minutes of a service. This is not the only time or place that worship should take place.
    Think about what God is worth to you. Ask yourself, how does my work, my speech, my money, my relationships, and my obedience respond to God’s worth?
    When we get our minds off of a style of music, which songs to sing, or what our preferences may be and focus on who we are worshipping and how much He is worth to us, that is when we truly worship in Spirit and in Truth.

    2. Worship Must Be Rooted in Truth

    Jesus said…
    John 4:22 NIV
    22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
    To worship in truth means that our worship is anchored in the truth of God’s Word and centered on Jesus Christ. We do not worship God according to our preferences, assumptions, or a version of Him we have created in our own minds. We worship Him as He has revealed Himself to be.
    Truth gives worship its foundation. It reminds us that God is holy, gracious, righteous, merciful, sovereign, and near. It tells us that we come to the Father through Jesus, who is Himself “the way, the truth, and the life.”
    So worship in truth is not simply singing the right words. It is bringing our hearts into agreement with the truth about God.
    In Exodus 32, the people of Israel made a golden calf and treated it as an object of worship. What is striking is that Aaron called it “a feast to the LORD.” In other words, they were using the name of the true God, but they were worshiping Him according to their own imagination rather than according to His revelation.
    That is the danger for all of us. We can be passionate, emotional, and sincere—and still be responding to a version of God we have created for ourselves.
    Worship in truth means we do not reshape God to fit our preferences. We let God reveal Himself through His Word, and then we respond to Him as He truly is.
    How big is your view of God?
    That is the great thing about scripture. It gives us a view of just how big God really is. We see the truth of who He is and we keep Him out of a box.
    Don’t get the picture of God for yourself, read the Word of God and let that shape the image of who God is for you.
    When we have a shallow view of God, that creates shallow worship. But when we let the scriptures show us who God really is, we begin to see that God truly is holy, gracious, sovereign, near, righteous, merciful, worthy and I could go on and on.

    3. Worship Must Flow From the Spirit

    Jesus made a declaration.
    John 4:23 NIV
    23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
    It is because of Jesus that the hour has now come.
    Before Jesus came, God spoke to His people through prophets. He revealed His will through Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and many others. Again and again, the prophets confronted people whose worship looked active on the outside but whose hearts were far from God.
    But the prophets also pointed forward to a day when God would do something new: He would not merely speak His word to His people; He would put His Spirit within His people.
    Ezekiel 36:26–27 NIV
    26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
    Then Jesus came. Hebrews says…
    Hebrews 1:1–2 NIV
    1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
    Jesus is not simply another messenger from God—He is the clearest and fullest revelation of God.
    John 7:37–39 NIV
    37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
    So when Jesus says true worshipers will worship “in spirit,” He is announcing that worship is no longer merely external or confined to a place. Through Christ, and by the Holy Spirit, God changes and fills the hearts of His people. True worship comes from within—a heart awakened by the Spirit and surrendered to the Son.
    To worship “in spirit” means worship that comes from the heart and is enlivened by God’s Spirit—not merely external activity, like singing and playing music. It includes sincerity, affection, surrender, and dependence.
    God is not impressed by polished appearances without yielded hearts. You can have the best singers, musicians, and light shows you can find, but God is not impressed your heart is not yielded to Him.
    He is not looking for performers who a the best at managing an image.
    God is seeking pursuers who come honestly and respond wholeheartedly.
    Verse 24 says…
    John 4:24 NIV
    24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
    Before we ask whether worship was powerful, we should ask whether our hearts were present before God. We can enjoy the music, feel the emotion, and participate outwardly while our minds and hearts remain distant. God is not looking merely for a powerful moment; He is looking for hearts that are attentive, surrendered, and responding to who He is.
    My final point this morning, I want you to listen carefully.

    4. The Father is Seeking Worshipers

    John 4:23 NIV
    23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
    This is the tender center of the story: the Father seeks true worshipers. Notice how personal this moment is. Jesus does not wait for this woman to find Him. He goes through Samaria, sits beside the well, and begins a conversation with someone others would likely have avoided. She comes looking for water; Jesus meets her with grace.
    And Jesus knows her completely. He knows her past, her pain, and the places she has tried to find life. Yet He does not shame her or push her away. He speaks truthfully, but tenderly. Then, in this private conversation at a well, He reveals Himself to her as the Messiah.
    That is what makes worship possible. Worship does not begin with us impressing God, cleaning ourselves up, or searching hard enough to find Him. It begins with a gracious God who comes near, tells us the truth about ourselves, reveals the truth about Himself, and invites us into relationship with Him.
    The woman came to draw water, but she encountered the One who could satisfy her soul. And when we truly see the God who has sought us, our natural response is worship.
    The Father is seeking worshipers that will worship in spirit and in truth.
    This morning, come to God honestly. You do not need to perform for Him. Worship is not about performance. It is not how well you can play an instrument or how well you sin. God is not looking for a performance.
    Here is an amazing thing, God has already pursued you. So now, you are invited to pursue the Father who has already pursued you.
    Today, Jesus has reminded us that worship is not about a mountain, a building, a style of music, or a performance we offer to God. Worship is our response to the worth of God. It is a heart awakened by His Spirit, anchored in His truth, and drawn to the Father who has already come looking for us.
    So here is the challenge: What has your worship been responding to? Have you been worshiping God as He truly is, or a smaller version of Him shaped by your preferences and comfort? Have you been present before God, or simply going through the motions? If our view of God is small, our worship will be shallow. But when we see His holiness, His grace, His mercy, and His love revealed in Jesus, worship becomes more than a song—it becomes a life surrendered to Him.
    In just a moment, the altar will be open. This is not a place for performers; it is a place for pursuers. Maybe you need to come and ask God to enlarge your view of Him. Maybe you need to confess that your heart has been distant even while your lips have sung. Maybe you are weary from trying to satisfy your soul with things that cannot hold water, and today you need to come to Jesus, the One who offers living water.
    The Father is still seeking true worshipers. He already knows your story. He sees your heart. And He is inviting you to come near—not because you have earned it, but because Jesus has made a way.

      • John 4:19–24NIV2011

      • John 4:22NIV2011

      • John 4:23NIV2011

      • Ezekiel 36:26–27NIV2011

      • Hebrews 1:1–2NIV2011

      • John 7:37–39NIV2011

      • John 4:24NIV2011

      • John 4:23NIV2011

  • The Heart Of Worship

      • John 4:24NIV2011

Connect Church
connectchurchfs@gmail.com
4794525734
https://www.connectchurchfs.com
31 members • 3 followers