Spirit and Flesh -- 9/23/12

Sunday, September 23, 2012                     

SPIRIT OR FLESH?

Gal. 3:1-14

            Tim Williams is 60 years old.  He professed his faith in Christ when he was 13, was baptized, and has been a part of a local church ever since.  Tim and his wife Julie have been married for 40 years.  Their marriage hasn’t been perfect, but they wouldn’t trade it.  Tim has worked hard all of his life, but he has always given a signification percentage of his earnings to the Lord’s work.  Down through the years, Tim has served in the church, prayed for missions, and learned more and more of God’s Word.  In the midst of all of it, he and Julie have raised three children and are now blessed with eight grandchildren.  That pretty well sums up his life.

            So what would you say about Tim?  Would you call him a fine Christian?  I sense that some of you want still more information about Tim.   Could there be sinful things in his life that I’m not telling you about?  No, not really.  Nevertheless, you are right to desire more information before deciding what you think about Tim.  If there was one question we could ask, it might be, “Why has Tim done the things he has done?”

            That brings up another question:  Is it possible for a person to live the life Tim has lived without being a fine Christian?  Yes, it is.  Down through the centuries there have been men and women who have lived exemplary lives with respect to morality and humanitarianism apart from the power of Christ.  How did they do it?  They did it by applying themselves and relying upon their own strength. 

            If a man professes that he has been saved by the blood of Christ and then lives the rest of his life by his own strength and resources, what can we say about him?  We might say that he is missing out on the blessing of the Christian life.  We might say that he is deceived.  Some might say, “What’s wrong with that?  After all we know that we are saved by grace through faith, but after that God has laid out good words for us to do.  What’s wrong with doing them?”  Would anyone say that such a man is under a curse?  Would such a statement be too strong?  Perhaps it depends on what we mean by “curse.” 

            Let me pause now.  This morning I am attempting to do something which I am not capable of doing.  Yes, I have bit off more than I can chew.  So why am I attempting it?  Because it is vital that we think about these crucial issues of eternal significance.  In looking at these issues, I am facing two great dangers.  On the one hand, I fear that I will cause some believers to doubt their salvation, and that is a serious thing.  On the other hand, I fear that I will not speak boldly enough to those who have a form of religion but who do not have the Spirit of God.  I confess to you ahead of time that I am not up to the task.  If the Spirit of God does not work in me, I will certainly fall off on one side or the other.  So this morning I can do nothing else but trust the Spirit of God to do more than I could ever think about doing. 

Pray

            Let’s read Gal. 3:1-14...

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain? 5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?-- 6 just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them." 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

            So we have here a rather lengthy passage right out of the middle of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.  This is a fascinating letter.  I encourage you to read all of it this week.  Because it is fairly short, you can read it in a few minutes.  But as you read it, realize that this little letter is very important and has a strong message for us today.  Lord willing, you will catch enough of its flavor this morning to whet your appetite for the rest of the letter.  Rather than setting forth the context now, we will just dive in and examine the context as we go.

I.  The Flesh Cannot Bring to Completion What the Spirit Began

            Let’s read again 3:1-5…

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain? 5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

            In verse 1 Paul pictures his readers as being foolish for departing from the truth, especially the truth that Christ was crucified on their behalf.  He then immediately begins to speak about the Spirit.  He has not changed directions, for he is talking about the Spirit of Christ.  After Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended back to heaven, He then sent His Holy Spirit to live within every man or woman who trusts Him.

            In verse 2 Paul gets more specific about their foolishness by asking them a simple question:  “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”  I might ask you the same question this morning.  Think back.  Did you receive the Spirit by obedience to the law or by believing what you heard about Christ?  The question is so elementary, I don’t need to wait for your answer, nor did Paul need to wait for theirs.  In Acts 2:38 Peter told his hearers to repent for the forgiveness of sins and they would receive the gift of the Spirit.  You can’t earn that which is a gift.  They simply trusted the promise of God.  Most of us would say, “I have experienced that forgiveness and have received the Spirit.”

            Verse 3 confirms that they were aware that they had received the Spirit as a result of trusting what they heard.  “Are you so foolish to believe that once you began in the Spirit, but now you can be made perfect by the flesh?”  In verse 2 he speaks of the beginning of the Christian life (receiving the Spirit); in verse 3 he focuses on the completion of the Christian life (being made perfect).  Concerning how these are accomplished, Paul speaks of the same things in these two verses, but he uses different terms.  In verse 2 it is works and faith; in verse 3 it is Spirit and flesh.  Throughout the letter to the Galatians, Paul links works with flesh, just as he connects faith with Spirit.  Works and flesh are the opposite of faith and Spirit.  He accuses them of being foolish for thinking they can begin by doing one thing and then finish by doing the exact opposite.  That is utter foolishness.  In verse 5 Paul addresses what has happened after conversion.  “He who supplies you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, does He do it by your works or as you trust what you hear?”

            If there is any question whatsoever concerning the right answer to his questions, it is removed by the words of verses 6-7,   “just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.”  The key is faith, as seen in Gen. 15:6 by God’s affirmation of Abraham’s faith.

            So what is this thing about being sons of Abraham, children of Abraham?  In the first place, I am not Jewish.  And besides, who cares about being a child of Abraham?  We must understand something of the background of Paul’s argument in Galatians.  Back in 1:6-9 Paul makes a very strong statement: 

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Who were these who wanted to twist the good news of Christ?  Though the word is not found in scripture, they are often referred to as the Judaizers.  In short, they were professing Jewish Christians from Jerusalem who claimed that it was a good thing to trust in Christ, that wasn’t enough.  Though a person began by trusting Christ, he must then be circumcised, keep the dietary laws, and obey other rules that would put him or keep him in right standing with God.  After Paul left the area of the Galatian churches, the Judaizers came in and did all they could to undermine the teaching of Paul.  In order to do that, they had to destroy the credibility of Paul, and that is exactly what they attempted, questioning the authority of this man who was not one of the original apostles.  In that context, Paul used their scriptures as a reminder that Abraham was justified by faith, and they are his true sons who also live by faith.

            So are you a child of Abraham?  If you are living by faith, you are indeed a son of Abraham.  As in Romans 4 and Romans 9, Paul teaches that this sonship is not dependent upon physical descent.  In other words, you don’t have to be a Jew to be a son of Abraham, and conversely, every physical Jew is not a genuine son of Abraham.  The key to everything is faith.

            So what does all that have to do with us?  God promised Abraham great blessings, did He not?  Let’s read it in Gen. 12:1-3…

Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

In chapter 18, speaking to one of the heavenly visitors to Abraham, the Lord said:  “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” (Gen. 18:17-18).  Note now that instead of “families,” it is “nations,” or “Gentiles.”  We as Gentiles are blessed in Abraham, when we come to Abraham’s seed, who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (see  Gal. 3:16).  So faith is the door to ultimate blessing, a relationship with the Lord Jesus.  That is what Paul says here in Gal. 3:9, “And so those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”  

II.  Dependence upon the Flesh Brings Us Under a Curse

            Let’s review quickly.   Life with Christ begins when the Spirit supernaturally connects with Jesus.  That reception of the Spirit is not due to what we can do, but we simply believe the truth we hear from God (the gospel).  It is absolutely foolish to begin by trusting the work of the Spirit and then think we can bring God’s salvation to completion by our own effort.  Paul uses the term “flesh” here to speak of our own efforts, who we are apart from Christ.   Since we came to Christ through faith, is it not foolish to think that we can continue in Christ by turning to our own resources?

            The great Old Testament example of faith is the great Jewish father Abraham.  He believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6).  By the way, in Romans 4 Paul elaborates on this truth, putting great emphasis on the fact that Abraham believed and was justified before he was circumcised, proving that he was not justified by works.  As the key for Abraham was faith, so it is for the Galatians and for us.  As we trust God, we demonstrate that even we Gentiles are children of Abraham.  As Abraham was justified with God through faith, so are we Gentiles.  And as we live by faith, we are blessed with Abraham, who believed God.

            That brings us to verse 10.  As we read this verse, we must put it in the context of what we have just seen in the first 9 verses.  “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’"  Paul speaks of those who “are of the works of the law.”  That is, those who rely upon the works of the law.  Now you can take that in a couple of different ways.  Paul could be saying that if a person bases his hope on doing the deeds that the law requires, then he is under a curse, because he can never do them perfectly.  However, every time Paul uses this phrase “works of the law” it is in a negative context (seven occurrences -- Rom. 9:32; Gal. 2:16; 3:2,5,10).  Paul may be saying something more like this:  “The one who relies upon his own effort to make himself right with God is under the curse, because it is written that the person who treats the law as list of rules and neglects the weightier matters is under a curse.”  If Paul intends it in this sense, then he would be getting his cue from Jesus, who condemned the Pharisees for outwardly keeping the rules, while neglecting the weightier matters such as judgment, mercy, and faith.

            What is absolutely clear is this -- the person who relies upon himself and his own resources to earn favor with God is under a curse.  This is a very serious verdict.  We see it clearly when we look at conversion and justification.  Before we come to Christ, we have no other resources than our own.  If we have made any effort at all to gain God’s favor, it is by our own efforts.  But praise God that He opened to the gospel to our eyes and as we heard, faith was stirred in our hearts.  We gave up on our own efforts and trusted what Jesus did through His death and resurrection.  That is, through the hearing of faith we received the Spirit.  We were justified, declared right in God’s sight through faith.  Certainly we were under the curse before we came to Christ.  Indeed, we were under the wrath of God, in danger of standing before the judgment with no Savior to plead our cause.  We know this.

            Now please hear me.  When Paul talks about those who rely on their own efforts being under a curse, of whom is he speaking?  Immediately we want to say, “Non-Christians, those who have not put their faith in Christ.”  But we must see this in context.  Go back to verse 3, “Are you so foolish?  Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”  Notice that Paul is speaking to those who can look back to their conversion.  In the larger context of the letter, he is speaking to the professing Christians of the churches in Galatia (see Gal. 1:2).  His argument here in chapter 3 has nothing to do with coming to initial faith in Christ.  All of his readers already made that claim.  Rather, he is talking to the Galatians about how they were living in the present.  He is not condemning those who rely upon the Lord to be justified initially before God, but he is warning those who are in danger of forsaking faith and reliance upon the Spirit for a form of legalism that trusts in self-effort.  The Judaizers did not urge people to renounce their pro-fession; they tempted them to add to their faith certain rules that would assure them of ultimate salvation. 

            So put verse 10 in the immediate context of verses 6-9, which focus on the blessings that are ours when we live by faith, even as Abraham did.  Being “of the works of the law” is exactly opposite of Abraham’s example.  And being under the curse is in direct opposition to be being blessed with believing Abraham.  Instead of being blessed with the same justification that Abraham received, those who are of the works of the law are under the curse of destruction and hell.          

            This is where many of us have a hard time shedding some of the baggage that has hindered us.  We want to say, “But if I once put my trust in Christ, that means that I am bound for heaven and have no reason to fear any destruction.  Doesn’t the Word say that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ?”  Yes, that is exactly what the Word says, but the question is, “Who is in Christ?”  That question is answered far better by the kind of life we are living than by the outward profession of years ago. 

            Let me come straight to the point.  For many of us, we were either taught or we caught the kind of thinking that says this:  “Yes, we were saved through faith, but once we are saved, it is important that we get busy and do the works that God has laid out for us to do.  Doesn’t Eph. 2:10 say that we were created in Christ for good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them?”  Yes, that’s what the Word says, but the question is:  “How do we walk in them?  How do we accomplish these good works that the Lord has planned for us?”  Too often we have the idea:  “We trust in Christ for salvation, but we must work for our sanctification.  That is, we must work to get closer to God and be used in His service.”

            Can we see that the scriptures do not teach this concept.  Paul tells us that such thinking is foolish, because it believes that we begin through faith but then bring our salvation to completion through works.  It teaches that the Spirit gives us life in the beginning, but now God expects us to take hold and use our own strength to grow in Christ.  Not only does Paul say this kind of thinking is foolish, but he called down a curse upon those who taught it (back to 1:6-9).  Nowhere is the Judaizing heresy rebuked more bluntly than in Col. 2:6-7, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”   How did we receive Christ?  Through faith.  How do we now walk in Him, live in Him, grow in Him?  Through faith.  That is exactly what Paul is saying here in Galatians 3, but he is doing it in the context of refuting the dangerous false teaching of the Judaizers.

            Please do not misunderstand.  I am not saying, nor is Paul saying, that we can lose our salvation, if we begin to rely upon our own works rather than trusting God’s promises.  But we are in great danger of understanding our security in Christ in such a way that we can totally disregard or re-interpret clear passages like this one.  Someone will come along and say, “Well, we certainly shouldn’t forsake faith for self-effort, but it’s not as serious as you make it out to be.  It might mean losing some rewards, but it certainly doesn’t mean that we won’t go to heaven.”  Brothers and sisters, we must take our cues from the words of scripture, not from popular theology.  No, we won’t lose our salvation, but the way we live is an indicator of whether nor not our “salvation” is genuine. 

            So I am not saying we can lose true salvation, nor am I saying that living by faith is a life of doing little or nothing.  The same Paul who wrote to the Galatians also wrote to the Corinthians and said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (I Cor. 15:10).  When we trust the Lord to work in us through His Spirit, the result will be good works done by His power and for His glory.  But we will know that it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life which I live is by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal. 2:20).  We can never take credit for what we know is His work.

III.  The Blessing Is Summed Up in the Gift of the Spirit

            Praise God that when we are not relying upon our own works, we are not under a curse.  Rather, a life of faith is blessed, just as Abraham was blessed.  That blessing begins with justification, but it is summed up in the gift of the Spirit.  Let’s read again Gal. 3:13-14, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”  Do you see it?  To receive the blessing of Abraham is to receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.  Abraham did not have the Spirit in the same way that New Testament believers have Him, but his faith looked forward to that great promise.  Praise God that we who are in Christ have indeed received the promise of the Spirit.

            Please notice two things about the promise of the Spirit.  First of all, it comes through Christ, who has redeemed us from the curse of the law.  The law itself is not a curse, but the curse is on those who try to live up to its standard in their own strength.  Praise God that the law makes it clear that our own efforts can never reach God.  But Christ redeemed us from that curse by becoming a curse for us, fulfilling the words of Dt. 21:23, which states that a man who is hanged is cursed by God.  Don’t take those words lightly -- Jesus was cursed by God His Father.  How could that be?  Because He became sin for us, and the curse of God is upon sin.  Brothers and sisters, that is the grace of God.

            But notice that not only does the promise of the Spirit come through Christ, but we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.  It is God who imparts the Spirit to us, but we must never divorce the coming of the Spirit from faith.  Where the Spirit is present, there is faith.  Where there is genuine saving faith, the Spirit is there.  Don’t restrict this truth to our initial conversion, because that is not where Paul’s emphasis lies.  The Spirit who gave us life now lives in us to conform us to the image of God’s Son.  This is what life is all about.  Yes, it is a life of love, joy, and peace.

Conclusion

            In this letter Paul is warning the Galatians not to be sucked in by the subtle but false teaching of the Judaizers.  These false teachers were convinced that believing in Jesus was good, but it wasn’t enough to bring full salvation.  In addition to believing in Jesus, they believed and taught that one was obligated to follow certain laws.  The one law that summed them all up was circumcision. 

            So what was wrong with a man being circumcised?  After all, that is what God had required of all Jewish males.  But now that God had sent His Son, that which was pictured by circumcision had been fulfilled.  Through believing in the Christ who died and rose, the Christian has been circumcised in heart.  The heart of stone has been replaced by a heart of flesh, and the Spirit has come.  Understand that the circumcision legislated by the Judaizers was not for health reasons; it was a work that a man must do in order to be right with God.  To be circumcised was to take upon one’s self the obligation of fulfilling the law.  It was to try to bring salvation to completion by one’s own effort.  Paul sums it all up in Gal. 5:1-5…

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

            Paul clearly says that Christ is of no advantage to the one who resorts to a life of law rather than a life of faith.  While the NKJV says of those who are trying to be justified by their own efforts that they are estranged from Christ, other translations say they are cut off from Christ, severed from Christ, alienated from Christ.  Such people have fallen from grace.  That is, they demonstrate that they have not truly received the grace of God in Christ.

            Now please hear me.  This is what is so difficult for us.  Does this mean that if you struggle with living by faith rather than trusting your own strength that you are not a Christian?  NO.  Understand that if you are fighting this battle, you are in good company.  Every Christian is engaged in this battle.  The Galatians were fighting the same battle; that is why Paul was urging them to reject the false teaching of the Judaizers. 

            But why does Paul speak in such absolute terms?  Why does he say that Christ will mean nothing to them, if they add to justication through faith a life of works?  Because that is the truth.  It is by speaking this truth in such strong terms that Paul hopes to persuade these vulnerable Galatians to turn away from the false teachers and cling to the truth of the gospel.  This is the same tension we find in I John 3:7, “Little children, let no one deceive you.  He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He (Jesus) is righteous.”  Or what about Matthew 25, where Jesus commends those who feed the hungry and clothe the naked, while condemning those who don’t?  “Then He (Jesus) will answer them, saying, Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did no do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt .25:45-46).  These passages are strong, and praise God they are.  If they were not, we would be able to just shrug them off, as we attempt to do anyway.  But when Paul says that Christ will give no advantage to the one who adds good works to faith as a means of being right with God, our attention is aroused.

            Where we are with Christ is largely demonstrated by how we respond to these strong teachings.  If we shrug our shoulders and say, “I know I’m going to heaven; I’m not concerned about these things,” then there is great reason for concern.  On the other hand, if the Spirit speaks to our tender hearts and we long to trust in Christ alone and rely upon His Spirit in faith, then we can receive great assurance from our Lord.

            So I ask you this morning:  Where are you?  Do you see the danger of trying to complete God’s work by your own effort?  Why do you read the Bible?  Do you read it because you long to know God’s ways?  Or is to relieve the guilt that comes if you don’t read it?  Why do you pray?  Do you pray in order to fellowship with your loving Father?  Or do you pray out of a sense of obligation?  Do you come to church services because it’s the right thing to do?  Or because you like the social aspect?  Or do you delight in gathering with His people for the purpose of honoring Him through worship?  We have been looking at giving on Sunday evening.  Do you give your money to God because you know you should?  Or because of the joy of laying up treasures in heaven?  It is the difference between living a life of faith by the power of the Spirit, and working in your own strength to try to earn God’s favor.

            Let’s go back to our friend Tim.  The life he is living may be a great example of faith.  On the other hand, Tim could be marshaling his own strength and checking all the boxes.  We can’t know for sure, because we are looking at the outside from a distance, but the Lord knows, because He looks on the heart.  Yes, our Lord knows the “why” behind everything we are doing.  We knows who we really are.  For those who long to live this Spirit-empowered life of faith, there is great comfort in the fact that our Father knows us.  Though we fail, we continue to rejoice in Him who is our Father, thanking Him that He patiently continues to mold our lives.  For those who find themselves shouldering the heavy load of religious performance, know that God sees through it all, and He still loves you.  If you are rendering Him outward service but fear that your heart is far from Him, don’t turn away from Him.  Fall at the feet of Him who said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).  But understand that being satisfied with a life of self-effort, even in doing good things, is an extremely dangerous place to be.

           

           

Worship the Father -- 9/16/12

Sunday, September 16, 2012

WORSHIP THE FATHER

John 4:23-24

            What is the Lord looking for in the people He has created?  Is He searching for servants, for a man who will serve Him as faithfully as Moses did?  Is He looking for workers, for one who will accomplish as much as the apostle Paul?  Is He after martyrs, people who will lay down their lives, even as Stephen did?  You might be thinking, “Well, that leaves me out.  I can’t stand with people like Moses, Paul, and Stephen.”  I have good news for you.  You can be among those for whom God is searching.  For whom is God seeking?  That’s right, He is seeking worshipers.

            This morning we have come together to worship the Lord.  Maybe we should turn the lights down a bit, just to make the atmosphere more conducive for worship.  Perhaps we should have you parents talk to your kids, just to remind them to be really quite during this time we have on Sunday morning.  And what about those who are leading the worship?  Have they put in sufficient time to make sure they can properly lead the songs we sing?  I should make sure the phone is unplugged, and let me remind you to turn off your cell phones.  Can you think of anything else?  Is this the way to approach worship?

            When we come to God’s Word, in the second book (Exodus) we come to the construction of the tabernacle.  The tabernacle was certainly a place of worship, for the Lord Himself said to Moses, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8).  God chose to set His presence in the tabernacle in a special way.  His people came there, and later to the temple, in order to worship God.  Listen to David’s words in Ps. 5:7, “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy, and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.”  The Lord designated a special place for worship.  That is why, when Solomon completed the temple, we read these words in II Chron. 5:13-14…

It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; 14  So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

            But now let’s move forward a few hundred years and see what Jesus has to say about worship.  Let me describe the scene for you.  The main character is hot, sweaty, and thirsty.  The supporting character is an adulteress five times over.  These two main characters are at odds with one another with respect to race, religion, culture, and gender.  They are members of two opposing groups which despise one another.  And the story doesn’t take place on the Sabbath.  Nevertheless, in the midst of this real-life scene we encounter the most precious explanation of worship to be found anywhere in the New Testament.  Can someone direct us to the scripture which tells this story?  Yes, it is John 4.  We know it as the story of the Samaritan woman, or the woman at the well.

            Let’s read the story again from John 4:1-42…

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" 13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." 15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." 17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." 19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 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. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." 26Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." 27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?" 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30Then they went out of the city and came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." 33Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.

            I have far more I would like to say than I can fit in this morning.  So I am praying that the Lord will give me grace to share what He would have us hear.  I encourage you to keep this passage before you and ask the Lord to reveal more than what we can discover this morning.

I.  The How and the Whom Above the When and Where

            You have heard brothers here quote John 4:23-24, “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. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  Jesus’ words are worthy of quotation, study, and application.  God the Father is seeking people to worship Him.  So does He want people to serve Him, to be involved in His work, to lay down their lives for Him?  Yes, but He is first of all looking for people to worship Him.  The truth is that what we think is effective work and service means nothing, if we are not worshipping the Father in Spirit and in truth.  Paul said that it is possible to give our bodies to be burned and it mean nothing (I Cor. 13:3).  As we saw when we looked at Mary, true and effective service for the Lord flows out of worship.

            So how do we worship God the Father?  In our world great emphasis is placed upon the when and the where of worship.  We are going to see that Jesus focuses on the how the whom of worship.  Jesus said that all those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.  His words imply that there are many who claim to worship Him, but it is not really worship unless it is in spirit and truth.  We see this all through the Old Testament.  Jesus Himself quoted from the Old Testament:  “Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me’” (Matt. 15:7-8).  We don’t want to be like those hypocrites, and we don’t have to be.  Jesus tells us how to worship the Father in reality.

            We must worship the Father in spirit.  Basically, that can be taken in one of two ways.  First of all, it can be taken in contrast to outward, heartless worship.  It is that outward worship Isaiah and Jesus were condemning.  The same prophet Isaiah condemned that kind of worship in many other places.  Isaiah describes the spiritual state of God’s people in Is. 1:4-6...

Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. 5 Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment.      

We might think that means the people were shaking their fist at God and refusing to have anything to do with Him.  But now listen to Is. 1:10-15…

Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: 11 "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. 12 "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

            Do you understand?  This “brood of evildoers,” as Isaiah called them, were continuing to assemble for worship.  They were bringing their sacrifices, outwardly observing the Sabbath, and praying.  But we know something was desperately wrong, because God was fed up with their so-called worship.  They were going through all the motions of worship, but they were not worshiping Him in spirit. 

            Surely no one has to tell us that this is a great danger for us as well.  Not only do we see this pattern all around us, but it threatens to swallow us up as well.  Everyone of us is in danger of going to the right place at the right time, but not truly worshiping the Father.  But praise God that in the midst of the danger, we have the knowledge that our Father is seeking people to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  He is not looking for us to do something; He longs for us to be something -- worshipers of Him.

            If we are to worship the Father, we must worship Him not only in Spirit, but also in truth.  While “in spirit” describes how we are to worship, “in truth” emphasizes whom we must worship.  There are people all over this world who are offering worship, but whom are they worshiping?  The people of some primitive tribe in the jungles of Africa worship idols that they can hold in their hands.  The Muslims worship Allah, who is not the true and living God.  The majority of Americans worship man, who is the creation of God.  When the Father calls us to worship Him in truth, He is inviting us to declare His worth, the worth of Him who is the Lord God Almighty, who created this entire universe and everything in it.  When we worship the Father in truth, there is no mixture in our worship.  We bow before Him as the only God.  “There is none holy as the Lord; for there is none beside Thee; neither is there any rock like our God” (I Sam. 2:2).  He and He alone is the true God, and worship in truth looks only to Him!

            So we see that Jesus emphasis how we are to worship and whom we are to worship.  We must worship in spirit -- not with heartless outward forms, but with sincerity of heart.  We must also worship in truth, letting the revelation of God convict us that He and He alone is worthy of our worship.

II.  So Who Can Be a True Worshiper of the Father?  

            We cannot ask that question without being reminded of the great gulf between God and man.  We sing it quite often:  “For thou, O Lord, art high above all the earth; thou art exalted far above all gods.”  Those are not  just the words of the song; they are part of the Word of God, for they form an exact quote from Psalm 97:9.  Is it any wonder that when Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up in His glory, he said, “Woe is me, for I am undone”?  No wonder John, when he looked upon the exalted Christ, fell at His feet as a dead man.  God is the potter; we are the clay.  Not only is God the Creator while we are the creature, but then we have the problem of sin.  “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Is. 59:2).  God can have nothing to do with sin, because His eyes are too pure to look on evil (Hab. 1:13).  In light of this great gulf between God and man, how can a mortal man worship such a righteous and holy God?  How can we even get close enough to worship a God who is so mighty and majestic?

            Here in John 4 we find good news!  To whom is Jesus speaking these words about worshipping the Father in spirit and in truth?  Yes, He is speaking to the Samaritan woman.  On the surface, we might conclude that this woman had too many strikes against her to become a worshiper of the true and living God.  After all, she was a Samaritan.  Israel (Palestine) was divided into three provinces -- Judaea, Galilee, and Samaria (show on “arm map”).  When the Assyrians conquered Israel, the northern kingdom, they carried away the nobles into captivity.  The remnant that was left intermarried with the pagan people around them.  The Samaritans were the descendants of those mixed marriages.  As a result, the Jews hated these half breeds, and the hatred was returned.  Not  only was she a Samaritan, but she was also a woman.  Notice how she responded, when Jesus asked her for a drink:  “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, a Samaritan woman?” (4:9).  In that culture men did not openly speak with women out in public, especially when the woman was a perfect stranger. 

            The problem doesn’t end with the fact that she was a woman of Samaria.  After her likely sarcastic reply to his request for a drink, Jesus began to tell her about the living water He could give her.  Of course, Jesus wasn’t talking about the water that came from that well, but the woman couldn’t elevate her thoughts above the physical.  That is when Jesus made a very penetrating little statement:  “Go, call your husband” (16).  When she answered by saying that she didn’t have a husband, Jesus then revealed that He knew all about her sinful life:  “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband” (17-18).   No wonder this woman had to come draw water at noon, in the heat of the day.  She was an outcast, for all practical purposes being a prostitute. 

            Why on earth would Jesus waste His time on a woman like that?  Wasn’t He looking for worshipers?  That’s why this story is such good news.  That woman would become one who worshiped Him in spirit and in truth.  If such a woman as this could worship the Father in spirit and truth, is there not hope for every one of us?  Do you feel like there is some sin that keeps you from worshiping the Father in spirit and truth?   This woman’s sin did not disqualify her.  But maybe the problem isn’t how big your sin is, but how often you have repeated it?  Look at this woman; she was guilty of long-term sexual immorality, but Jesus told her that the Father was seeking worshipers.

            Of course, there is a key.  No one can worship the Father in spirit and truth until He is indeed your Father.  That is the key.  When Jesus began to speak to this woman about the living water, she could only think about having physical water that would relieve her from the toil and shame of coming out to the well.  Then when Jesus exposed her sin, she resorted to the religious diversion.  “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet” (19).  That seems well and good, but she didn’t stop there.  She went on to say, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship”  (20).  She was much more comfortable talking to Jesus about the religious controversy between Jews and Samaritans than the controversy between her and God.  Jesus used her comment about worship to reveal the truth to her.  And believe it or not, Jesus went on to tell this woman straight out that He was indeed the Messiah (25-26).  Such a revelation was very uncommon, but He openly told her who He was.

Judging from the fact that she went into the city and began to say to the people, “Could this be the Christ,” we gather that she believed Jesus.  Wouldn’t it be something to know how her life changed from that day forward?  We will know some day.

            Listen to me.  The key to worshiping the Father in spirit and in truth is not what we do, but who we are.  Are you His child?  Is He your Father?  If you have drunk the living water from Jesus, you can worship the Father in spirit and truth.  You can open your heart to the Lord God Almighty, who has become your Father through the redemption of His Son.  Your past is no barrier whatsoever, if it is under the blood of Jesus.  Your present is not a problem either, if you simply open your heart to Him who gave His Son to be the propitiation for your sins. 

            I know some of us pretty well.  Perhaps you are thinking, “I don’t identify with the woman at the well, but I still have trouble worshiping the Father in spirit and in truth.”  I have good news for you this morning.  Consider the disciples of Jesus, the twelve apostles.  They were in town getting some lunch, as Jesus was talking to the woman.  Though they were the chosen apostles, we don’t hear about them worshiping the Father in spirit and truth.  As a matter of fact, when they came back from town and saw Jesus talking to the woman, they were amazed.  They had to choke back the urge to say, “Why are you talking with this Samaritan woman?”  They certainly didn’t understand the kind of worshipers the Father was seeking.  When Jesus refused lunch and told them He had food to eat that they knew nothing about, they responded just like the woman had first responded; they couldn’t get beyond the physical.  They just didn’t get it.

            Outwardly the apostles were not like the Samaritan woman.  I doubt that any one of them was guilty of open adultery.  None of them had a mistress on the side.  After all, they spent their time with Jesus.  But though they walked with the Master, they didn’t understand this kind of worship.  You can’t identify with the woman, but can you identify with the Twelve?  You are consistently around the things of God.  You read His Word; you pray; you come to services.  But are you worshiping in spirit and in truth?  Good news, brothers and sisters.  Though the disciples didn’t get it at this point, they would.  The time would come when they too would worship the Father in spirit and in truth.  Like the woman, they would become his sons and would know Him as Father through the redemption of His Son Jesus.

            So what is the key for fine upstanding people whose hearts have a tendency to become cold and dry?  He is our Father.  That’s it.  Jesus didn’t say, “God, the Almighty, is looking for worshipers.”  No, He said, “The Father is seeking such to worship Him.”  It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, as long as He is your Father. 

            Earlier I said that there are two basic ways of taking the words “in spirit.”  First, we can take it to mean that worship is from the heart and not just outward.  You may have noticed that I didn’t mention the second possibility.  Let’s consider it now.  Some would capitalize the “S” in “Spirit,” making it refer to the Holy Spirit.  That would mean that a person cannot truly worship the Father apart from the Holy Spirit.  Whether or not Jesus had that in mind, it is certainly true, isn’t it?  Back in John 3:6 we see a connection between our spirit and the Spirit of God.  “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”  Until the Holy Spirit gives us life, we are spiritually dead, cut off from God by our sins.  But when the Spirit works in us the new birth, we then have spiritual life and are fully capable of worshiping the Father who is spirit.  The Spirit who ushered us into life can usher us into true spiritual worship.  In reality, He is the only One who can lead us to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. 

Conclusion

            I told you that there is far more here than we can even begin to explore this morning.  Isn’t it a blessing that we all have access to God’s Word.  Many believers in the world come and listen to the Word read and preached, and then go home without it.  Oh yes, they have it in their hearts, and the Spirit will help them remember, but they don’t have the privilege of reading it in their own Bibles.  You have that privilege.  May the Lord give us grace to avail ourselves of that privilege and go back through this precious passage.

            John Piper says that we must worship the Father with heart and head.  Our worship must be spiritual in nature, coming from the heart rather than outward forms.  At the same time, our worship must be informed by the mind, understanding whom it is that we are worshiping.  He is the Almighty, but He is our Father.

            Here is what I want to send you home with today:  The Father is actively seeking people to worship Him in spirit and truth.  You can be one of those people.  That’s simple, but it is the absolute truth.  There is nothing that prevents the child of God from worshiping the Father in spirit and truth.  Let’s remember these simple things…

     … Focus on the Father, not on yourself  (worship Him in truth)

     … Rely upon the Spirit, not your own resources

     … Don’t let the outward forms consume you, but open your heart to Him completely

            Have you heard that little statement:  “That boy worships the ground he walks on.”  It is used in different contexts, but I have heard it used of a son and a father.  The father isn’t much of a dad at all.  Really, he’s not much of a man.  He’s drunk a good part of the time and is often in trouble with the law.  Nevertheless, his young son worships the ground he walks on.  Though his dad isn’t much, he’s still his dad, and he longs to be like him.  If the natural desires of man can inspire such reverence, surely it should be easy for us to worship our Father.  We make it difficult when we focus on ourselves, but when we humble ourselves as little children and open our hearts to our Father, how can we do anything else but worship Him?

            Earlier we read those familiar passages from Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4-5.  Why?  So that we can be reminded of one great truth -- when we truly see God for who He is, we will forget about ourselves and worship will flow from our hearts.  May we long to see Him as He is.