And we're just going to review for a few moments this morning before we thrust into that which is before us in this portion. We shall begin our reading at verse nineteen, and then later we're going to move back and read a few of the previous verses which form an introduction in our Lord's conversation with this woman of Samaria. thereby the well at Sychar. Verse nineteen. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our father is worshipped in this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is a place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, thee art 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. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiahs cometh, which is called Christ. When he has come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee, am he. Now may the Lord bless the reading of his word. Let us pray. Our loving Father, we thank you again that you are more interested in us than we are in ourselves. We thank thee that thou art the God of all grace and the God of all comfort, and you are the only Savior, and you are the object of our worship. Help us to learn what it means to worship thee in order that you will rejoice with us as together we fellowship in that intimate communion which is called worship. For this is what you're seeking. This is why Christ died. And this is the desire of the hearts of thy redeemed. So, Father, reveal these truths to us. With a fragrance of worship as it ascends to thee. From hearts that are filled to overflowing. So we would say to thee like Samuel of old. Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. And in speaking to my heart, speak to all who are gathered, and we'll praise you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. This is the fifth time that we're looking together at this great subject of worship. Worship is our greatest occupation as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the purpose for which Christ came. Luke chapter nineteen and verse ten we read that the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost and God's coming in seeking and in saving is to change us from being none worshippers into worshippers. Now when Adam was created he was created in the image and likeness of God. He was God-like. But man fell into sin by believing the lie of Satan that he would be like God, which he already was. You see, this is a tricky part of the activity of Satan. By grasping, you're going to get something. And Adam believed Satan's lie. And instead of rejoicing in the fact that he was like God, for he was created in his image and likeness, when he believed the lie of Satan, he became unlike God. He became like a person that he believed. He became like the enemy, Satan himself. And therefore, man fell into sin in Adam, and all of Adam's posterity are in sin. So the natural man, man without God, man who has never been born again, cannot worship God. This is what our Lord Jesus is saying to the sinful woman at Psyker as well. So if you'll turn back for just a moment to verse ten of this fourth chapter, verse ten of this fourth chapter is one of the sweetest verses in the Bible. It's one of those verses that I like to think about often, and I enjoy using and preaching the gospel. Notice what our Lord said to this sinful woman. He said to her in verse ten, "'If thou knewest the gift of God.'" We can meditate all morning in this passage. He speaks of the gift of God and her knowledge of that gift. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me the drink. Now wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. This is how we're saved. We realize that we have a tremendous thirst. As Isaiah the prophet says, Oh, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. The Lord Jesus here said, I'm the one who provides the well. I'm the one. And if you just knew who was talking to you, you'd ask him, and he'd give you. And what he gives is living water. And the living water that he gives is the water that saves and satisfies for time and for all eternity. And then our woman of the passage here begins to speak of physical water. Verses eleven and twelve. And then our Lord said to her in verse thirteen, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. It reminds me of that hymn that we sing occasionally in worship. Ever think about it? It's hymn number one oh five in our worship hymn books. Oh Christ, he is the fountain that deep sweet well of love. The streams of earth I've tasted. but more deep I'll drink above. There to an ocean fullness, his mercy doth expand, and glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's land. What our Lord is saying to this woman is, Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, and, beloved, the streams of earth never satisfy. But the one who's speaking to this wicked Thereby Sikar's well is the one who can satisfy, and not for all eternity. Whoso drinketh of this water shall thirst again, he says in verse thirteen. But notice verse fourteen. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in the well of water springing up into everlasting life. And the woman saith unto him, Sir, that's what I want. That's what I want. Give me this water. I never want to come here again to draw water. You see, she was still dwelling on the physical. There are a lot of people are so involved in the physical that they can never see beyond the physical to the spiritual. And our Lord wants us to see that there's something that satisfies the spirit and the soul of man. And there isn't a thing on this world that will satisfy it. Other than God himself. That is why he says, God is spirit. And they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. So when she said, give me this water. Our Lord used it as an occasion to reveal himself. He says to her in verse sixteen, go call your husband and come here. Now the Lord puts a finger on the problem in our life. The problem in your life and mine is sin. And sin has to be dealt with. God must deal with us and he does deal with us. in righteousness he puts his finger on the problem and he says to her go call your husband and then she says to him in verse seventeen or in verse sixteen the woman answered and said I have no husband Jesus saith unto her thou hast no said I have no husband for you've had five of them and he whom thou hast is not thy husband in that you said truly And when our Lord revealed to this woman that he knew all about her, he knew all about her, but yet he was willing to drink out of her cup. For that's where he began with her. He said, give me a drink. She looked at him. First of all, she saw he was a Jew. And the very fact that he spoke with her was amazing for the Jews of no dealings with the Samaritans. And then he said to her, I'm willing to think out of your cup. And now she learns that he's the one person who knows everything about her. He knew all about her past. In fact, he knew all about her present. And she turns and she says, I perceive that you're more than a man. You're a prophet. And it was at this point that our Lord speaks to her about worship. It is here that the subject of worship is introduced into the story of John chapter four. You see, man is a sinner by nature. And man who is a sinner by nature, he must deal with God. Now, the Lord Jesus who said to this woman, I'm willing to drink out of your cup, the Lord Jesus who said to this woman, I know all about you is the one who redeemed man. The sixty-ninth Psalm is a messianic Psalm. It is the Psalm of Calvary. It begins with the words, Save me, O God. for the waters are coming unto my soul. I sink in deep mire where there is no standing. I'm come to the water floods where the waters overflow me. And then he says in the end of verse four, when he's in that condition and it's a psalm of the cross, then restored I that which I took not away. It was when our Lord was on the cross, when our Lord was in the midst of his awful agony of suffering as a sin-bearer, the one who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquity, in the midst of that, he said, Then restored I that which I took not away. There is hope for man, and that hope is in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. So through the redemption that God has provided in Christ, we who once were far off, we who once were outsiders, are made insiders by faith so that we can worship in spirit and in truth. So we learn in previous studies that the basis for worship is redemption. Only a redeemed soul can worship. No one else can. And then we saw that the scope of worship is throughout the unending ages of eternity. When all things are gathered together in one, even in Christ, the object is going to be to worship God. Furthermore, we also learned that in the first commandment that God gave to Israel, it was a call. to worship and that Israel's failure to worship God a right led to their exile into Babylon and finally their exile worldwide. Worship is a very important matter. You cannot shrug it off. In fact, it is the most important matter regarding God's relationship to men. And it's important because of our relationship to God. This morning, what we want to do is key in on the expression, God is spirit. In verse twenty four, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. There is a negative side to worship. There is a positive side to worship. And what we want to do this morning, first of all, is go through the Scriptures and examine God's attitude toward men negatively who do not worship a right. And we're speaking about those to whom was revealed the principles of worship and the ability to draw near unto him. returning first of all to second Samuel chapter six in second Samuel chapter six we have a man by the name of Azza second Samuel six David is bringing back to Jerusalem the ark of the covenant the ark that had been away from the people of God the ark which was a symbol of the presence of God the ark upon which was the mercy seat, and upon the mercy seat, one with a mercy seat, with a cherubim of glory, overshadowing it. And God communicated his mind to the nation from above the mercy seat, from between the cherubim, which were on each end of the ark. But the ark had been taken captive by the Philistines, Because Israel mistreated the ark, they thought it would save them from their enemies, and it was you became a judgment to them. David, on the other hand, had a great desire for the ark of God. All his life, he had a desire for the ark of God. And one of the first things he does on becoming king, he brings up the ark of God to Jerusalem with gladness. Now here we have the first part of it. In First Samuel chapter six, we'll begin reading at verse three. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart. And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, grave the new cart. and they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was at Givi, accompanying the Ark of God, and Ahio went before the Ark. And David and all of Israel played before the Lord, and all manner of instruments made of firwood, even on harps and on sultries and on timbrels, and on cornets and on symbols. And when they came to Neshon's threshing floor, Azza, put forth his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen shook it, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error, and there he died by the ark of God." Here was one of the greatest things that David did, bringing back the ark of God to Jerusalem. Who is this man, Uzzah? Uzzah was a coethite, and the work of the coethites in Israel was to take care of the Ark of God, to carry the Ark of God. The Ark of God was not to be put on a cart. My friend, if you're saved, you cannot do what the world does. God expects something from you. He does not expect from the world. God expects nothing from the world. But if you're saved by divine grace, He expects something from you. He expects you to walk in accord with His word. God gave instructions in the word of God as to how the ark of God was to be transported. There were staves to be put into the wings on the sides of the ark, and it was to be carried by men. Now, when it was taken captive by the Philistines, The Philistines didn't know the word of God. They made a new cart for it. And they had two oxen pull the cart. That was all right for the Philistines. But it wasn't all right for the people of God. They knew better. And the Chorthites, from whose family other came, they knew that the ark of God was to be carried. And when the oxen shook it because of a pothole in the way, and the ark of God was almost ready to tumble off the cart, other reached out to grab it. And when he touched the ark, God killed him. Disregard for God in worship. Worship is serious. In Exodus chapter thirty-two, we have this story of the golden calf. Moses is on the mountain with God, and as he's on the mountain with God receiving the law, the children of Israel said, we don't know what happened to Moses. We don't, Aaron, we want you to make us a God. And so they made, they reduced God who brought them out of Egypt. to a golden calf. And when they worshiped the golden calf, the anger of the Lord was kindled against them. And the Scripture tells us in one day God killed three thousand. There in Israel who worshiped the golden calf. And the whole nation was spared because of the intercession of Moses. For in the next chapter Chapter thirty-three, verse eleven, where Moses intercedes for the nation. It says, And Moses spoke with God face to face as a man speaketh with his friend. Beloved, I don't know of a sweeter verse in the Bible. I often look at that verse and rejoice in it. Moses spoke with God face to face as a man speaks with his friends. And it was here that through the intercession of Moses that the whole of the nation was spared. Other when he put forth his hand, the nation when they made a golden calf. Look at Leviticus chapter ten for a moment. Leviticus chapter ten. In chapter ten we read of two men, it opens with their names, and Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron. took either of them his censer and put fire thereon and put incense thereon and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And God killed them in the very sanctuary where they offered the strange fire. God killed them. Who were they? They were two sons of Aaron. They were anointed. They were clothed, they were cleansed, and they were consecrated. On the same day that Aaron the high priest was, the holy anointing oil was upon their heads, but they had little respect. And I, if you want to know the truth, I believe they had a little too much wine. If you read the remainder of the chapter and you read some other, the other portion here with it, I believe that they had little respect for the fire of God that had been kindled upon the altar and God killed them. You see, this idea of worship of coming into the presence of God I'm drawing near to him. Here we have an insight into what God does when he is disregarded in worship. Turn with me to the book of Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament. Chapter one. Malachi chapter one. God is speaking to the nation through the prophet Malachi, and he speaks very directly unto them. In chapter one and verse seven, he says to these people, he said, ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. This is what God is charging them with. He says, you're offering polluted bread on mine altar. And then they say, we're in that we polluted thee. And he says, in that ye say, the table of the Lord is contemptible. The table of the Lord is contemptible. And then he turns in verse eight and he said, and if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? In other words, the blind, the blind animal that's going to die anyway because it can't find a food. It's going to die. So we might as well give it to the Lord. It's going to die anyway. God is not in business, beloved, to take your leftovers. I don't care who you are. The Lord of the Bible is a Lord Jehovah of hosts. And he expects us to recognize who he is. God saw what they were doing. You know, beloved, when I listened, many times to what he said one way or another, we need to examine ourselves. What do we really give to God? Do we truly give to him out of the heart that's really hot, that the vapors ascend to him from a hot heart in worship in all that we do? How about your giving? How about your giving? Do you give in order that Well, it gives you a better break on your income tax. Or do you give out of a heart that overflows because I want to? Not because I get a break from Uncle Sam. But because God has saved me by divine grace. And out of worship to him. Out of loving kindness. Out of a heart. That's overflowing. I give to him. Throughout the prophecy of Malachi, God indicts the nation. The first thing wrong with them, they had lost their love for God. He begins in this chapter, he says, In verse two, I have loved you, saith the Lord. But then they said, But where in have you loved us? Here's a people, beloved. who sang the hymns of redemption. They're the people who went through the motions, but their heart wasn't in it. So in verse ten, our God has something else to say to them. He says, Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for naught? Neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for naught. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts. Neither will I accept an offering at your hand. There isn't anything that the people of Israel could do that God would accept because the heart wasn't right is what he's really saying. Worship, beloved, flows from a heart that's in tune with God. And in giving to the Lord, whether it's your money, whether it's your praise, whether it's your adoration, if the heart isn't right, God doesn't accept it. Turn back, if you will, to the prophecy of Amos. Amos chapter five, verses twenty-one and twenty-two of Amos chapter five. He says, God is speaking to his people, and he says to Amos the prophet, God said, I hate, I despise your feast days. and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them. Neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. What is God really saying? God is saying to them, I'm not interested in your music. I'm not interested in your sacrifices. Your heart isn't right. There isn't anything that you can give me that I'll accept. How sad. This is a negative side of worship, beloved. We don't play games with God. God's redeemed people cannot play games and get away with them. Turn back to Hosea. Hosea chapter six, verses four through six. You know, there are three great love stories in the Old Testament. Three books that are great love stories. I'm not going to get in the Song of Solomon, but the first of these great love stories is a book of Ruth. The book of Ruth is God's love for the church. Oh, what it teaches us concerning his love for the church. The book of Hosea is God's love for the nation of Israel. Oh, what a love story it is. And then the book of Jonah is a love story of God's love for the world. But here in his love for Israel, he says in chapter six of Hosea, verse four, O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud. And as the early dew, it goeth away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets. I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and thy judgments are as a light that go forth. For I desired mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. What does God want us to have? A heart that is rejoicing in his mercy, that's overflowing with his praise because of who he is and what he has done. And where the love of God is dwelling in the heart, and the heart is in fellowship with God, this overflow of praise is going to be evident. It is going to be there. The negative side of worship, it's scary. Our God is holy. Our God is righteous. He's not that. person that you think about, some old gray-haired person sitting on a rocking chair and smiling at his grandchildren, thinking they can never do anything wrong. That's not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is the active God who is all about us, who knows everything about us, and who wants us to come into his presence, and who has made full provision for it. So the question is, am I taking advantage of that which God has provided by divine grace? Now, on the positive side of worship, I'd like to take you through the whole of the book of the Revelation this morning, but the clock says I can't. So I'm only going to take you to one passage. It's Revelation chapter twenty-two, the last chapter in the book. Let me mention quickly on the positive side of worship. In chapter four, verse ten, you have the four and twenty elders falling down and worshiping God, worshiping Him as the creator. In chapter five, verse fourteen, you find the redeemed host worshiping before God. They worship Him as the redeemer. In chapter eleven and verse sixteen, there is a worship of God in heaven because of His righteous judgments. In chapter fourteen and verse seven, you have the angel flying through the midst of heaven during the tribulation period with the everlasting gospel. And the message of the everlasting gospel is worship God. In chapter nineteen and verse four, in the book of the Revelation, when that wicked woman Babylon is finally judged, the alleluians in heaven are resounding. And the cry goes out to worship God. Now, when you come to chapter twenty-two in verse eight, John is just about finished with writing the book. And as he explains his own activity, we find, and I, John, saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel, which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren of prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book. Worship God. Do you notice some mistake that John made? He was so occupied with the angel that he forgot God. He was so occupied with everything that he'd been seeing, he bowed down to worship the angel. And the angel forbade it. He said, you worship God. This happens on more than one occasion in the Word of God. But here is a good illustration. It is God who is to be worshipped. Not a fellow creature. No matter how great they were. No matter how great they are. No matter how moved you are over them. They are not to receive your worship. It is God who is to be worshipped. Now that brings us to the heart of John chapter four. The negative side of worship tells us and reveals God's attitude when he's not worshipped properly. The positive side of worship, it is that which we're to be doing constantly. The inward side of worship is verse twenty four. God is spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Here we have the object of worship. The object of worship is the Father. In verse twenty-one and two times in verse twenty-three, we read that we worship the Father. In verse twenty-three, we worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Then again, the Father seeketh worshipers. In verse twenty-one, he says, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. So we find that the object of worship is the Father. He's the object. So when we speak of God as a Father, this is speaking of God's essential relationship. His essential relationship with us. But then in verse twenty four, he says, God is spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. And when we speak of God as spirit, we're talking about his essential nature. Our Lord Jesus on resurrection morning, he said to his own a spirit. They thought they had seen a vision or a spirit. He said a spirit does not have flesh and bones. as you see me have. When we're talking about God, the God of the Bible, when we talk about Him in His essential nature, we're talking about Him as revealed in First Timothy one, seventeen. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, the honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. God is immortal. That means he never dies. God is invisible. That means he cannot be seen. God is omnipresent. He is everywhere at all times. Why? God is spirit. And this is the essential message of this passage. God is spirit. He is the eternal living spirit. God is everywhere at all times, and He is not limited to any one location. Now this is consonant with what our blessed Lord had revealed to this woman. Our Lord said to her, give me a drink. And when she was amazed at the fact that He would drink out of her cup, for He had none of His own, And he was a Jew and would receive from her. And then when she heard of the gift of God, and then when she heard of the living water, she wanted it. It was then that our Lord revealed that he knew all about her. Why, God is spirit, he is omnipresent. And Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh. First Timothy three, sixteen says, Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. If there's anything I enjoy about the Christmas season, it is Wesley's great hymn. Hark the herald angels sing. And the second half, of the middle stanza. For it reveals such great truth. I thrill to sing it. The only thing is set so high. The key is so high. I just mumble. But I cannot keep silent when that song is sung. For Wesley wrote the word, Veiled in flesh, the Godhead sees. Hail the incarnate. deity pleased as man among men to appear. Jesus, our Emmanuel, here. Oh, what an expression of praise, beloved. What truth, what revelation of truth concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. And this woman, who is going to be taught that God wants worshipers, he is the one who is spirit. God is everywhere present at all times. Now, someone may say, what about the tabernacle? What about the temple? Didn't God dwell in the tabernacle? Didn't God dwell in the temple? Yes, he did. But his dwelling there were but reminders to the people of the presence of the Lord. Remember what Solomon said when he dedicated the temple? In I Kings chapter eight, verse twenty seven, he in his prayer says, Lord, the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, much less this house that I built. And Stephen in his great address in Acts chapter seven and verse forty eight, he said, God dwelleth not in temples made with hands. The tabernacle, the temple were simply Memory joggers. Reminders of the people of God. And to the people of God. That God was in their midst. And beloved. That's why the Lord instituted the supper. The Lord's supper. He instituted it as a means of our remembrance of him. That he is at all places at all times. But he's done it in order that we might come together around him and fellowship with him. But there's never a time that I'm out of his presence. And we're going to deal with this tonight. I wish we had another three quarters of an hour this morning to deal with what it means that God is spirit in a very intimate way. This woman realized it. She realized that her whole past is known by God, for God is everywhere present. I'm never out of His presence. So men, if you're trying to hide anything, God knows all about it. Women, if you're trying to hide something, God knows all about you. He knows every detail. He knows every detail. He knows your thoughts before you think them. He knows your thoughts before you think them. He not only knows your thoughts, but he knows why you think them. He not only sees your actions, but he knows why you do it. And this woman realized it. And in the presence of one who knows all about us, he says, I demand your worship. but to worship me you have to know me as father you have to have a right relationship and to have a right relationship you must understand my essential nature and my essential nature is I am invisible I am immortal I am omnipresent I am everywhere at all times all beloved tonight in the will of the Lord We're going to gather for the Lord's Supper. That's a worship service. In a very real way, this is worship. As we gather at the Lord's Supper, this is a corporate worship of the Lord's people. And may I say to you that the corporate worship of the Lord's people on the Lord's day is simply the overflow of a heart that realizes that they've been in the presence of God all week. For I can never leave His presence. That's the thrust of the hundred thirty-nine psalm. He says, Will or shall I flee from my presence? If I go into heaven, thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, you're there. If I take the wings of the morning and fly to the othermost parts of the earth, thou art there. There is the time I'm out of your presence. You know all about me. You know me at every instant of life. I can't hide from you. And to know that I can't hide from God, this is a God who wants to meet with me. This is the one who revealed himself to the woman there at Cyprus well. He is the one who says to us, this do in remembrance of me. Have you been consciously in the presence of God this week? Let your heart overflow in the corporate worship of the people of God. You see, the presence of Jehovah enters into all our words, all our thoughts, and all our activities. Why? Well, we learned last week who we were. We are the circumcision. We have a badge. We worship God in the Spirit. And we rejoice in Christ Jesus. And we put no confidence in flesh. My friend, are you able to worship? Have you received the gift of God? Apart from this, you cannot worship. It's only as you receive the gift that you're able to worship in spirit and in truth. Let us pray. Our loving Heavenly Father... we ask you now that you will take the word and with it convict our souls as we stand in thy presence we would ask thee to work in us that which is well pleasing in thy sight reveal thyself to every heart as you revealed yourself to that woman there by jacob's well dismiss us with our blessing and with a new sense Of the knowledge that you are everywhere present. You know all about us. We cannot escape thee. You're the one with whom we have to do. And yet dismiss us also with a sense. That in the redemption that is in Christ. You restore that which you took not away. And we'll thank you in his worthy name. Even our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.