True Worshippers
ICS Daily Devotions
John 4:20-24 (NKJV) Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
This passage shows us what God wants when it comes to worshipping Him—He is seeking worshippers. Therefore, it is dishonouring to God when we come late to church and skip the praise and worship segment because the very purpose of coming to church is to worship Him. Therefore, the most important portion of the service is the worship segment because it is all about God. It takes time for us to enter into His presence because we are easily distracted and so used to being dictated by our flesh and our emotions that some of us may even find ourselves uncomfortable with loud praise and worship.
The Word segment is necessary to build up our faith and to equip us to live out the lifestyle in Christ, and there are people who will queue up for hours to listen to a gifted speaker, but we’ve forgotten the reason we go to church is to worship God while also desiring to walk in His Word.
Luke 23:45-46 (NKJV) Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.
What privileges we have as compared to the Old Testament saints! There was a veil to enter the Holy of Holies, which only the High Priest could pass through after he had cleansed himself ceremonially, but this veil has been torn from the top to the bottom because Jesus’ death has satisfied the wrath of God towards the sin of mankind. Jesus has taken all our sins upon Himself and was judged on the cross of Calvary. In return, He has given us His righteousness so that we can approach God based on His holiness and righteousness. It no longer matters whether it is in Jerusalem or the mountains because God accepts us based on who we are in Christ, whether we are Jews or Gentiles.
Though we are imperfect, God chose to see us in Christ so that we are always welcomed into His presence. We worship in truth through the revelations that He has given us through His Word, and because He has made us into new creations when we were born again, we can also worship Him in spirit.
Sermon Series: ICS Worship Culture
