Joh 4:20 "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."
The Samaritans had their
place to worship, the Jews had their place to worship, but Jesus reminds us
here that worship is not about being in some physical place. True worship is
about being in a specified spiritual place!
The word “true” here is
worth looking at. It comes from a root word meaning, “not concealing.” You can
see how relevant this is when you consider the attempt the Samaritan woman made
to conceal her sin of fornication. Jesus is gently telling this woman that the
Father isn’t looking for hypocrites. He isn’t looking for actors!
True worshipers are
worshipers who come to the Father “unconcealed.” They are laid open by the
convicting power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. One opened up,
once laid bare, we sinners or hypocrites see our need for a Savior and respond
the only way we can. We beg for God’s mercy because we know there is nothing good
in our flesh, and we receive God’s provision for our forgiveness and our
salvation, namely the Lord Jesus Christ, with a thankful, true, and unconcealed
heart!
Now we can begin to
worship God in spirit and unconcealed truth. These are the true worshipers that
God is looking for, and He sent His Son to find them. He went to a well in
Samaria to find one lost sinner and convert her to a true worshiper, and He
still sends His Spirit today, laying open the souls of those He calls through
His Word to become true unconcealed worshipers!
The Apostle Paul writing
in Php 3:3 says, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the
Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
To be a true worshiper,
we must have no confidence in our flesh. We truest and rejoice in Christ alone
for our deliverance from sin!
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