BORN AGAIN TO WORSHIP HIM!

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 4:21-24 KJV

The hour of worship!

There was an hour coming! An hour that was making its appearance! An hour even now present! In that hour the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth! The Father is seeking true worshippers! God is a Spirit! If you will worship Him you must worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Worship is more than an outward demonstration! It is an inward attitude! It is more than mouthing meaningless words and phrases. It is out of a genuine recognition of who God is and what is His place in your life. 

So there is a true worshipper implying that there is also a false worshipper!

Beware of empty worship!

Following men's perceived notion of rote, ritual, and religion is vain worship. As we examine expressions or acts of worship vs. worship we recognize that worship is more than lip service and going through the motion. It comes from the heart! Otherwise we are simply the sounding brass or tinkling cymbal of loveless tongue speakers. Jesus said to the leaders of the day: Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:7-9 KJV

So how's our heart doing today? As people interested and enthusiastic about worshipping God, how do we shape up? How's our worship leading and service leading? Are we leaders, drivers or are we even there? Let us note some vital points about leading.

I can't lead to where I'm not going or don't know. Leading implies that I am up front, with others following. If I am leading into worship, then I must also be into worship. Where am I leading the people? I must also be into worship. Leading in worship means I am worshipping too. Where I am, that's where I'll lead. We lead, not drive. God's people should be drawn into worship, not driven. We lead by enticing into God's sweetness. We dangle His sweetness before the people. We lead by promoting His goodness, mercy, love, compassion. Draw them to Him.

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13

Pursuing after God!

If we would pursue after God as ardently as after a physical lover, we would begin to understand and express the true meaning of worship!

True worship erupts in a spontaneity of feelings. When confronted with unexpected greatness we do not pause to decide whether to feel good and happy. We spontaneously respond in good and happy feelings. We spontaneously cheer for our favorite players when they score! When we hear bad news about loved and dear ones we do not make a educated decision on whether to feel sad and sorrowful about it. Sad and sorrowful feelings spring up in us unbidden. Feelings cannot be separated from true worship! There's no such thing as dry worship! We're either worshipping or not! If there is no feeling the worship is dead, for in genuine worship feelings come alive! The anticipation and expectation of coming into His presence will produce an overwhelming feeling in us! The pure delight of spending a single hour before His throne is exhilarating! Our enthusiasm creates an environment, inviting His beautiful, beautiful presence!

Meditation on the Awesome God we serve, Who is gracious to adopt us, brings forth unbidden feelings of praise, worship, reverence and adoration! We do not pump it up! It simply springs up! It is no coincidence that Jesus speaks of the rivers of living waters springing up in the believer when referencing the Holy Spirit in John 7, and speaking about living waters to the Samaritan woman by a well in John 4! One of the greatest statements concerning worship was given to a woman of doubtful reputation, not to a religious theologian! God does not discriminate but in every nation and every culture those who seek after Him find Him! 

Shocking truth about worship!

When Jesus told the woman to go call her husband, He was prepared to wait for her knowing the truth about her! Her prompt response opened her for His revelation! 

Jesus told the woman, "The man you're with is not your husband!" Scandalous! Shocking! How dare you? But sometimes people have to be shocked out of their dogged religious routine, and stubborn short circuited way, to be better prepared for the truth!

Jesus goes straight for the jugular!

"Talk to me woman without cover up, or deception! I know all about you! Let's drop the presence, the pose, and get to the truth!"

We all feel we're experts when it comes to religion, the Bible and worship! We're content to stick in our traditions and insist on doing it our way!

"But believe me woman this is not about doing it your way! This is not about the traditions you were brought up in! This is not about your formula or your father's formula! This is not about your mountain or Jerusalem's temple! Worship is not restricted to a geographical place. It does not require a physical orientation towards any geographical point of the compass. Worship is in spirit and in truth. This thing is bigger that you can conceive in your imagination! This is more than earthly rules and religious ego! This is spirit and truth! This is connecting to heaven, and heaven connecting to you in spirit and in truth!"

It's about abandoning canned, borrowed phrases, repeated mechanically with great enthusiasm, in exchange for singing and making melody in our hearts unto The Lord! It's true worship that causes every church to produce inspired praise and songs out of their own hearts! It's why our cold repetition of words and phrases, one after another leaves us feeling untouched, and uninspired! Worship does not flow from a schedule and an agenda, regardless of how much practice there has been. Worship is not practiced or rehearsed! We practice and rehearse our songs, choruses, chords and beats, but to translate that into worship, it must flow from the heart!  It flows from a heart that is in awe of God, and full of reverence for Him. 

When we become offended at someone's criticism of our manner of worship, then we have not really been worshipping, simply performing. We are hypocritically honoring God with our lips, while our hearts are on our next meal, trip recreation or meeting with a someone! When our whole attitude broadcasts "Get me out of here!", or "I'd rather be somewhere else", we are definitely not into worship! 

Long before Jubal made his first harp or organ, God had created a living music synthesizer now called satan. The anointed cherub that covered was the worship and music leader in heaven. God loves music, and surrounded Himself with living, live music. Lucifer literally oozed music, for God made him so. Maybe the angels that he drew away, when he rebelled against God, consisted of his music team! Who knows?

It is sobering to note that music and worship leaders today, generally wield great authority and influence, and usually have the power to hold pastors to ransom, or split churches when they are not seeing things going their way. Music has the power to produce arrogance and conceit in those who think they know it all. It takes much grace to enable a musician to remain humble before God. While the arrogance and conceit of some is on public display, there are some who by a simply deprecating and deceptively humble approach, sound a silently loud rebellion!

Restoration of worship!

If there's anybody who knew how to worship God, it was David, the shepherd, soldier, songwriter, singer, statesman and sovereign of Israel! If there was anybody whose soul panted and pursued after God, it was David! His heart beat with longing and devotion to God. And David was strangely silent after sinning.  Listen again to his pitiful prayer to God after his sin was exposed:

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. Psalms 51:1-19 KJV

David prayed for deliverance so that his tongue, lips and mouth could praise God from a pure heart! He noted that God desired truth in the inward parts, before expressions of praise and worship becomes acceptable before His throne. When we brazenly sin, then continue to praise Him, we are not heard. It's just a clamorous noise, unpleasant to the atmosphere of heaven. God's angels shut the windows and doors, just as we sometimes do, to shut out the unpleasant noise of the neighbor! When we pretend that we will be sincere, and decide not to praise God in compromise, we have declared our preference to remain in sin, estranged from Him, rather than give up on our fleshly pursuits. We dishonor God in our action and words. We end up running around to find a place where our compromise and sin will be overlooked, ignored and even accepted! We fall prey to the spirit of this age, where anything goes, and succumb to the defeat dealt to us by the enemy. David, however, fasted and humbled himself before God until the baby died, then rose, dressed himself, and went into the house of The Lord to worship Him! That was an expression of what worship really is! Submission, prostration and yielding to God's will, and thanking Him for it! 

David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 2 Samuel 12:16-23 KJV

David's worship was not to manipulate God! It acknowledged God as Sovereign and accepted God's will as his own! 

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.  Psalms 29:2 KJV