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Worship in Spirit and Truth
John 4:19-26 19The 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.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
Luke 4:17-22 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
Psalm 150:1-6 6Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! 2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! 4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! 5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Notes from “New Spirit Filled Life Bible” Nelson 2555 NKJV
Isaiah 61:3 The Glorious Garment of Praise.
The Hebrew root for “garment” (‘atah) shows praise as more than a piece of clothing casually thrown over our shouldrs. It literally teaches us “to wrap” or “cover” ourselves-that the garment of praise is to leave no openings through which hostile elements can penetrate. This garment of praise repels and replaces the heavy spirit. This special message of instruction and hope is for those oppressed by fear or boubt. “Put on” this garment. A warm coat from our closet only resists the wing when it is “put on.” When distressed, be dressed-with praise! Act according to God’s Word!
John 4:23, 24 Honest Worship
It is the believer’s responsibility to discover how the Lord wants to be worshiped and to explore and cultivate a relationshipw with Him out of which sincere, Holy Spirit-enabled worship will flow. Jesus instructs it; worship in “spirit”- that is, alive through new birth and aglow with Holy Spirit enablement. This is not mechanical, rote, or merely human activity but dynamically capacitated spiritual action. “In truth” emphasizes biblical integrity joined to personal honesty, manifest in a heart of sincerity, a humble manner of transparency, and a relational integrity. Meaning and being what we say, as well as being spiritually energized in our worship, opens the way to that worship the Father seeks.
Philippians 3:3 Spiritual Worship
Paul emphasizes theworship of those who have identified with Christ (having their heart circumcised, paring away carnal reserve in worhsip as well as removing all dependence on the works of the flesh for their salvation) is to be “in” or “by” the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is to be invited into and involved in our worship-enlarging, equipping and expanding us in praise-filled, Christ-exalting, God-honoring ways that bring the spirtual impetus required for true worship.
Footnotes from “New Spirit Filled Life Bible” Nelson 2555 NKJV
John 4:21-24 What matters is not where one worships but the attitude of heart and mind. True worship is not mere form and ceremony but spiritual reality, which is in harmony with the nature of God, who is Spirit. Worship must also be in truth, that is, transparent, sincere, and according to biblical mandates.
Psalm 150 footnotes Why we are to worship: because of God’s might deeds and His excellent character. 3-5 in form us on how to worship with variety in symphonic rhapsody. 150:6 We are first told in this verse who is to worship: everyting that has breath (the Spirit)
Up Late
I am up late. It’s 4:15 am and I have not been to bed yet. I have been up all night, praying and studying for a sermon that I have to deliver on March 28th at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.
I can’t seem to come to a clear place in regards to what the Lord wants me to say and I seem to have four central messages running through my head:
- Live Like You Are Dying
- Being A VisionMaker
- Redemption Unto Salvation
- Who Are You
These four biblical themes have been recurring messages that I have taught on over the course of my preaching life in ministry and because I am new to the blog-o-sphere, I think that the best thing to do is work this out over the next few weeks by using this forum as a place to get my thoughts together and to do it in a somewhat public forum.
I am thrilled that a door has opened for me to take the next step in teaching which is to teach outside of our ministry doors. It is a challenge to move into a venue where there we do not know what to expect and where there is not a common language and understanding of doctrine of the Word. I know that I purpose to teach always, Christ and Him crucified. That is the challenge of the Great Commission: to to be able to deliver that message, the message of the Gospel outside of our comfort zone.
Pray for me as we go on this journey together.
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