In a sermon filled with depth and insight, Adrian Rogers invites us to delve into the true essence of worship. We learn through the story of Doug and Sylvia that there is often more than meets the eye, just as there is more to our spiritual lives than mere salvation. This episode provides a profound understanding of why worship is the ultimate purpose of our existence and the privilege it affords us in our relationship with God.
ADRIAN ROGERS WAS A MOTIVATOR, AN ENCOURAGER, AND A LEADER OF THE FAITH. HE WAS ALSO PASSIONATE ABOUT PRESENTING SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION TO EVERYDAY LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND YOU’LL HEAR THAT IN TODAY’S MESSAGE. NOW, LET’S JOIN ADRIAN ROGERS.
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I WANT TO TELL YOU AN INTERESTING STORY ABOUT A YOUNG COUPLE. Doug and his bride, Sylvia. They had arranged for the honeymoon night and they wanted it to be perfect, so they found a great hotel, found a very classic, quite expensive room, reserved it for their wedding night. When they opened the door, the room was beautiful, except there was an exception. They didn’t see a bed in there. They looked, there was a couch. And so they fooled with the couch and it was a bed folded there. They really expected more, but the rest of the room was beautiful. And so they spent the night, woke up the next day with a back pain, a hard, lumpy mattress, never quite right. You know how they are when they fold into those couches. And they got to talking about it. And Doug said, I hate to complain, but I expected more. I thought we deserved more for what we paid. So he mentioned it to the desk clerk. The clerk said, well, didn’t you open the other door? He said, what door? He said, the door. He said, I thought that was a closet. WENT UP THERE AND OPENED THE DOOR AND HERE’S THIS GORGEOUS, SPACIOUS ROOM WITH THIS INCREDIBLE BIG BED, CHOCOLATES AND FLOWERS AND EVERYTHING. AND THEY JUST FAILED TO OPEN THE DOOR. NOW YOU KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE THAT WAY WHEN THEY GET SAVED. ALL THEY KNOW IS, THANK GOD I’M NO LONGER GOING TO HELL. THANK GOD I AM SAVED. MY SIN IS FORGIVEN. I’M HEAVEN BORN. I’M HEAVEN BOUND. FRIEND, THERE’S ANOTHER DOOR THAT NEEDS TO BE OPENED. THERE IS MORE, AND SO MANY NEVER FIND IT. AND THAT IS THE DOOR OF WORSHIP THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FROM THE MONOTONOUS TO THE MOMENTOUS. IT IS LIFE’S GREATEST PRIVILEGE. IT IS LIFE’S HIGHEST DUTY. IT IS LIFE’S BEST GOOD. IT IS THE MAXIMUM PRIVILEGE THAT WE HAVE. IT IS THE BOTTOM, BOTTOM LINE. NOW YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD THAT, OR YOU MAY THINK THAT’S RHETORIC, BUT LISTEN TO ME AGAIN. IT IS THE HIGHEST GOOD, IT IS THE GREATEST DUTY, IT IS THE MAXIMUM PRIVILEGE, IT IS THE BOTTOM LINE OF EVERYTHING. YOU WERE SAVED TO WORSHIP GOD. THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. I MEAN, WHY? WHY DID HE CREATE US TO BEGIN WITH? TO GIVE HIM PLEASURE. AND HOW DO WE DO THAT? WHEN WE WORSHIP HIM. ANYTHING THAT DOESN’T DO WHAT IT WAS MADE TO DO, AS I’VE TOLD YOU BEFORE, IS A FAILURE. THE PEN IS MADE TO WRITE. A PEN THAT DOESN’T WRITE, NO MATTER HOW VALUABLE IT MAY SEEM, IF IT DOESN’T WRITE, IS A FAILURE. A DOLLAR AND A HALF FLARE PEN THAT WRITES IS BETTER THAN A ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR SHAFER THAT DOESN’T, AS FAR AS PURPOSE IS CONCERNED. NOW, NO MATTER WHAT ELSE YOU MAY DO, IF YOU DON’T WORSHIP THE LORD, YOU ARE, EXCUSE ME, A FAILURE? A FAILURE. WHY? BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT DOING WHAT YOU WERE MADE TO DO. NOW, THE PASSAGE THAT WE’RE GOING TO STUDY TODAY FROM JOHN CHAPTER FOUR IS A CLASSIC PASSAGE ON WORSHIP. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE WORD WORSHIP IS USED IN SOME FORM AT LEAST TEN TIMES IN THESE VERSES. NOW I DON’T HAVE TIME, UH, TO READ ALL OF THE VERSES THIS MORNING, BUT WE WILL TAKE SOME SELECTED VERSES. BUT LET ME JUST GIVE YOU THE BACKGROUND OF THE STORY. JESUS IS ON A JOURNEY. HE CHOOSES TO GO THROUGH A CITY CALLED SAMARIA, AND IT WAS HOSTILE TERRITORY. THE SAMARITANS DID NOT LIKE THE JEWS. JESUS IS A JEW. THE JEWS RETURNED THE FAVOR AND DID NOT LIKE THE SAMARITANS. OF COURSE JESUS WAS DIFFERENT. HE HAD A DIVINE APPOINTMENT. AND THERE AT A WELL AT NOONTIME HE MET A WOMAN WHO’D COME OUT TO DRAW WATER. THIS WOMAN WAS NOT A GOOD CHARACTER. SHE WAS A SHADY LADY OF SAMARIA. SHE’D BEEN MARRIED FIVE TIMES AND NOW SHE’S LIVING WITH A MAN WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF MARRIAGE. NOW OF COURSE TODAY SHE’D GET AN ACADEMY AWARD. BUT THAT’S DIFFERENT. REGARDLESS, SHE WAS NOT A GOOD WOMAN, BUT SHE WAS A THIRSTY WOMAN. AND SHE HAD A BROKEN HEART. SHE WAS BOUND BY SIN. SHE WAS BLINDED BY SATAN. SHE WAS BROKEN BY SORROW, DISILLUSIONED, THIRSTY. SHE HAD GONE FROM HUSBAND TO HUSBAND. FROM AFFAIR TO AFFAIR. SHE HAD BECOME THE DIRTY PLAYTHING OF DIRTIER MEN. NOW SHE’S SORT OF A BURNED OUT SINNER WITH A DRY, SHRIVELED UP SOUL. AND SHE MET JESUS THERE BY THE WELL. SO JESUS USES, AS THE MASTER TEACHER, WHATEVER’S AT HAND TO TEACH A GREAT LESSON. THIS TIME IT WAS WATER. AND JESUS BEGAN TO TALK TO HER ABOUT THE WATER OF LIFE AND A DRINK THAT SATISFIES, WATER THAT SPRINGS UP INTO EVERLASTING LIFE. WATER, IF YOU DRINK IT, YOU WILL NEVER THIRST AGAIN. OF COURSE, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT HIMSELF, THE WATER OF LIFE. AND, UH, THIS WOMAN SAID, OH, SIR, I WANT THAT WATER. Give me. THAT WATER. NOW LET’S BREAK INTO THE STORY HERE A LITTLE BIT. TAKE YOUR BIBLES NOW AND LOOK DOWN IF YOU WILL. AND LOOK IN JOHN CHAPTER FOUR, LET’S BEGIN IN VERSE 16. JESUS SAYS SOMETHING TO HER TO HELP HER TO UNDERSTAND HER DEEP NEED GREATER THAN SHE HADN’T YET UNDERSTOOD IT. AND HE SAID THIS WITH A PURPOSE IN VERSE 16. HE SAYS, GO GET YOUR HUSBAND. LOOK AT IT. JESUS SAITH UNTO HER, GO CALL THY HUSBAND AND COME HITHER. NOW YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW SHE FELT. I MEAN, SHE LIVED WITH A MAN SHE’S NOT EVEN MARRIED TO. HEY, HEY, GO GET YOUR HUSBAND AND COME OVER HERE. THE WOMAN ANSWERED AND SAID, I HAVE NO HUSBAND. JESUS SAID UNTO HER, THOU HAST WELL SAID, I HAVE NO HUSBAND, FOR THOU HAST HAD FIVE HUSBANDS, AND HE WHOM THOU NOW HAST IS NOT THY HUSBAND, AND THAT THOU SAIDEST TRULY. THIS WOMAN IS AMAZED. SHE IS DUMBFOUNDED. HOW DID HE KNOW ALL OF THAT? I MEAN, HE’S JUST A STRANGER JUST PASSING THROUGH, AND HERE HE’S GIVING ME MY BIOGRAPHY. AND LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSE 19, AND THE WOMAN SAITH UNTO HIM, SIR, I PERCEIVE THAT THOU ART A PROPHET. NOW YOU WOULD THINK, YOU WOULD THINK AT THIS POINT THAT SHE WOULD WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT LIVING WATER, BUT SHE WANTS TO GET INTO A THEOLOGICAL AND RELIGIOUS ARGUMENT. HERE’S WHAT SHE SAID, OUR FATHERS WORSHIPPED IN THIS MOUNTAIN. THAT’S THE MOUNTAIN THAT WAS RIGHT NEAR THAT PLACE OF SAMARIA. I’VE BEEN THERE MANY TIMES, AND THE SAMARITANS HAD A SYNAGOGUE THERE. AND SHE SAID, OUR FATHERS WORSHIPPED IN THIS MOUNTAIN, AND YE SAY IN JERUSALEM IS THE PLACE WHERE WE OUGHT TO WORSHIP. NOW WHAT SHE’S TRYING TO SAY IS, NOW WHICH IS THE PROPER PLACE? SAMARIA OR JERUSALEM? THIS MOUNTAIN OR MOUNT ZION? NOW, THE POINT OF THE WHOLE MATTER IS THIS, THAT RELIGION FOR HER WAS A BASIS OF ARGUMENT, NOT A PLACE OF BLESSING. RELIGION HAD BECOME A WASHOUT TO THIS WOMAN. SHE TRIED RELIGION, BUT IT’S OBVIOUS THAT RELIGION HAD NOT DONE HER ANY GOOD. MAY I TELL YOU SOMETHING? RELIGION HASN’T DONE ANYBODY ANY GOOD. THAT MAY SURPRISE YOU COMING FROM A PULPIT. CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A RELIGION. IT IS A VITAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH CHRIST. IT’LL BE A GREAT DAY IN AMERICA WHEN PEOPLE STOP ENDURING RELIGION AND START ENJOYING SALVATION. HERE THIS WOMAN WANTED TO HAVE AN ARGUMENT. NOW HERE WAS THE ARGUMENT. UH, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAMARIA AND JERUSALEM. NOW, LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE SAMARITANS. THE SAMARITANS WERE VERY SUPERSTITIOUS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THEY HAD REJECTED ALL OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, ALL OF IT, AND THAT WAS THE BIBLE THAT WAS EXTENT IN THAT DAY. THEY’D REJECTED ALL OF IT, EXCEPT FOR FIVE BOOKS. THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS, GENESIS, EXODUS, LEVITICUS, NUMBERS, AND DEUTERONOMY. STILL TO THIS DAY. I HAVE BEEN TO SAMARIA. I HAVE GONE UP THERE ON THE MOUNTAIN AND SEEN SOME SAMARITANS. THEY STILL HAVE AN OLD ANCIENT PENTATEUCH, UH, SCROLL OF THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. NOW, THEY WERE IN ABJECT IGNORANCE, BUT THEY WORSHIPPED WITH FIERY ZEAL. WHAT ABOUT THE JEWS? WELL, THE JEWS WERE NOT IGNORANT. THEY HAD THE LAW, THEY HAD THE WORD OF GOD, BUT THEY HAD NO ZEAL. NOW NOTICE HOW JESUS DESCRIBED IT IN JOHN CHAPTER FOUR VERSE 22, YOU, THE SAMARITANS, WORSHIP, YOU KNOW NOT WHAT. IT WAS IGNORANT WORSHIP. WE KNOW WHAT WE WORSHIP FOR SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS. NOW, BUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE JEWS? THE JEWS HAD DEAD ORTHODOXY. JESUS SAID, WELL HATH ISAIAH PROPHESIED OF YOU HYPOCRITES, AS IT IS WRITTEN, THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME. SO HERE’S ONLY TWO THINGS THIS WOMAN HAD SEEN, RELIGIOUS FANATICISM, ZEAL AND IGNORANCE, OR ELSE ORTHODOXY, DEAD AS A WEDGE, DRY AS OLD KING TUT. NOW THAT’S THE CHOICE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE TODAY. I MEAN IN THE WORLD TODAY THAT’S JUST ABOUT YOUR TWO OPTIONS IF YOU LEAVE TRUE WORSHIP OUT OF IT. THAT PEOPLE EITHER WANT TO FRY IN FANATICISM OR FREEZE IN FORMALISM. EITHER THEY HAVE HEAT WITH NO LIGHT OR THEY HAVE LIGHT WITH NO HEAT. THAT’S WHAT THE ARGUMENT WAS ABOUT IN THIS DAY. AND THEY MISSED THE POINT OF TRUE WORSHIP, WORSHIPPING GOD IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH. NOW, LET’S NOTICE SOME THINGS ABOUT TRUE WORSHIP. ARE YOU READY? FIRST OF ALL, LISTEN, LET’S THINK ABOUT THE WHAT, W-H-A-T, OF TRUE WORSHIP. NOTICE WHAT JESUS SAID NOW IN VERSE 23, BUT THE HOUR COMETH, AND NOW IS, WHEN THE TRUE WORSHIPERS, UNDERSCORE THAT, THE TRUE WORSHIPPERS, NOT ALL WORSHIP IS TRUE WORSHIP. THE TRUE WORSHIPERS SHALL WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.” NOW, WHAT IS WORSHIP? WHAT IS WORSHIP? LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I THINK WORSHIP IS. WORSHIP IS ALL THAT I AM RESPONDING TO ALL THAT HE IS IN GRATITUDE AND PRAISE. ALL THAT I AM. Responding to all that he is in gratitude and praise. It is a church service, yes. It is music, yes. It is prayer, yes. But it goes beyond that. All that I am, responding to all that he is. And brothers and sisters, it includes all of life. NOW LET’S MOVE FROM THE WHAT, AND LET’S THINK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WHO OF WORSHIP. WHO DO WE WORSHIP? WELL, LOOK AGAIN IN VERSE 23, BUT THE HOUR COMETH, AND NOW IS, WHEN THE TRUE WORSHIPERS SHALL WORSHIP THE FATHER. WORSHIP THE FATHER, NOT A FATHER, OR NOT SOMETHING, BUT THE FATHER. NOW, FATHER’S NOT WHAT GOD IS LIKE. FATHER’S WHAT GOD IS. IT WAS JESUS’ FAVORITE TERM FOR THE ALMIGHTY. JESUS CALLED HIM FATHER OVER 70 TIMES IN THE BIBLE. NOW, MAN IS INCURABLY RELIGIOUS. ALL ANTHROPOLOGISTS WILL TELL YOU THIS. PEOPLE EVERYWHERE WORSHIP. AND IF YOU DON’T WORSHIP THE FATHERS, NOT THAT YOU WILL NOT WORSHIP, YOU’LL WORSHIP SOMETHING ELSE. WHEN A MAN CEASES TO BELIEVE IN A TRUE GOD, IT’S NOT THAT HE BELIEVES IN NOTHING, IT IS THAT HE WILL BELIEVE IN ANYTHING. NATURE ABHORS A VACUUM. THEREFORE, ALL PEOPLE ARE INCURABLY RELIGIOUS. MANY OF THEM WANT TO WORSHIP IDOLS, STICKS AND STONES, AND WE STILL SEE THAT IN VARIOUS PLACES OF THE WORLD, TRAVEL TO INDIA AND OTHER PLACES. YOUR HEART WILL BE BROKEN WITH SHEER IDOLATRY. BUT EVEN IN AMERICAN RELIGION YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO WILL SET UP IMAGES IN THEIR CHURCHES, FIGURES OF SAINTS OR WHATEVER, AND THEY BOW DOWN BEFORE THEM AND LIGHT CANDLES TO THEM AND SAY PRAYERS TO THEM. AND YOU SAY, YOU SHOULDN’T DO THAT. OH, THEY SAY, NOW LOOK, WE’RE REALLY WORSHIPPING GOD. THIS IS A MEANS TO HELP US TO WORSHIP GOD. WE’RE THINKING ABOUT GOD THE FATHER WHEN WE DO THIS. WELL, SUPPOSE, UH, SIR, YOU HAVE ANOTHER WOMAN IN YOUR ARMS WHO’S NOT YOUR WIFE, AND YOU ARE EMBRACING A WOMAN, AND YOUR WIFE COMES IN. AND YOU SAY, NOW, SWEETHEART, IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK. SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL SHE REMINDS ME OF YOU. I DON’T THINK MANY WOMEN WILL BUY THAT. And friend, I’m telling you, there is no image that substitutes for Almighty God. You are to worship Him in spirit and in truth. We worship the Father. He is the Father. Now, let’s move to the third thing. Why do we worship? Why do we worship? Look again in John chapter 4, verse 23, the last part, the Father seeketh such. TO WORSHIP HIM. NOW WHY DOES GOD SEEK WORSHIPERS? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, GOD SEEKS WORSHIPERS FOR WHAT WORSHIP DOES FOR US. WE BECOME LIKE WHAT WE WORSHIP. THAT’S THE REASON THAT IDOLATRY IS SO HIDEOUS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT AN IDOL IS? AN IDOL IS A MAGNIFIED SINNER. UH, LOOK AT THE CARVED IDOLS THAT THE PAGANS WORSHIP. THEY’RE GROTESQUE. THEY ARE FEROCIOUS, THEY ARE CRUEL, OR THEY’RE INDOLENT OR LAZY. COULD BE A FAT BUDDHA. A POT-BELLYED GOD, THE GOD OF BACCHUS, WHICH IS THE GOD OF WINE OR DRINK. OR WE GET THE WORD A BACCHANALIAN ORGY. COULD BE APHRODITE OR VENUS, THE GODdess OF SEX. WHAT MAN DOES, ANCIENT MAN, HE TAKES HIS WORST VICES AND WORSHIPS THEM. IT’S A PRETTY NEAT TRICK. IF YOU MAKE A GOD OUT OF SEX, THEN YOU WORSHIP YOUR GOD BY ILLICIT SEX. IF YOU MAKE A GOD OUT OF ALCOHOL, THEN YOU WORSHIP YOUR GOD THROUGH ALCOHOL. THE PAGANS DID THAT. SO, UH, THEY WENT DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO SIN AND DEGRADATION BECAUSE THEY HAD, UH, TAKEN THEIR VICES, MADE GODS OUT OF THEM, AND THEN MAGNIFIED THAT GOD AND GOING DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO SIN. WELL, YOU SAY, WE DON’T HAVE THOSE KIND OF IMAGES TODAY. WELL, ANYTHING THAT A MAN LOVES MORE, FEARS MORE, SERVES MORE, HONORS MORE THAN JEHOVAH IS AN IDOL. WE HAVE IDOLS OF SPORTS AND PLEASURE. AND MONEY AND SEX AND HEDONISM AND PLEASURE. AND THE MORE YOU PARTICIPATE IN THESE THINGS, THE MORE YOU BECOME LIKE THEM. BUT THE SAME IS TRUE OF TRUE WORSHIP. THE MORE YOU WORSHIP GOD, THE MORE GOD-LIKE YOU BECOME. PAUL SAYS, WE’RE CHANGED AS WE BEHOLD HIS FACE INTO THE SAME IMAGE FROM GLORY INTO GLORY. WHEN YOU’VE SEEN A PERSON WHO’S WALKED WITH THE LORD FOR A LONG TIME, YOU WILL SEE JESUS CHRIST IN THAT PERSON. ANYTIME YOU SPEND TIME WITH PEOPLE FOR A LONG TIME, YOU BECOME LIKE THEM. AS A MATTER OF FACT, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HUSBANDS AND WIVES WHO’VE BEEN MARRIED FOR A LONG TIME BEGIN TO LOOK ALIKE? HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT? I CAN TELL YOU, JOYCE IS GETTING WORRIED. We become like what we worship and who we spend time with. God wants us to worship for what worship will do for us. I’ll tell you another reason God wants us to worship, for what worship does for God. YOU SAY, CAN I DO ANYTHING FOR GOD? YES, YOU CAN. YOU CAN GIVE GOD PLEASURE. WHAT IS THE NATURE OF GOD? I REFER BACK TO IT AGAIN. THE FATHER SEEKETH SUCH TO WORSHIP HIM. NOW THINK OF GOD AS A FATHER. THAT’S THE WAY GOD WANTS US TO THINK OF HIM. YOU KNOW, I LOVED MY DAD SO MUCH. I RESPECTED AND HONORED MY DAD. MY DAD WAS A GREAT MAN. HE REALLY WAS. Great in my eyes. I don’t mean that he ever achieved God honors or awards or anything like that. In many ways, very nondescript man. But my dad, when I was a little boy, sold automobiles. He sold Buick automobiles for East Coast Motors there in West Palm Beach, Florida. And my dad would go off to work. I was a little guy. I hadn’t even started school yet. But I remember my dad had a black valise or something that he folded over. It was made of leather. He carried it with him. He had a big rubber band that went around it. He kept his papers, his prospects and things in there for automobiles. Often my dad, when he’d go off to work, he’d say to my mother, I’m going to see a party today. I used to think, he gets to go to so many parties. I’m going to see a party today about this. A party, that was one of his terms that he used. But really, I didn’t have any, not a notion about what my father did. But when he came home, he was my dad. I loved him. I DID NOT KNOW HIM AS A SALESMAN OR AS A MANAGER, WHICH HE WAS, BUT I KNEW HIM AS MY FATHER.” NOW FOLKS, LOOK, YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE A PH.D. TO UNDERSTAND ALL ABOUT THE OMNITIONS OF GOD AND THE OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD AND THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD AND ALL OF THE VARIOUS QUALITIES OF GOD. IF YOU KNOW THOSE THINGS AND LEARN THEM, WONDERFUL, AND YOU SHOULD STUDY TO FIND THESE THINGS OUT. BUT FRIEND, YOU CAN KNOW GOD AS FATHER. YOU DON’T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BOY FOUR OR FIVE YEARS OLD AND HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HIS DAD TO KNOW HIS DAD AND LOVE HIS DAD. AND WHAT DOES A FATHER WANT? TAKE IT FROM ME. I’LL TELL YOU WHAT A FATHER WANTS. I AM A FATHER AND I AM AN INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH GRANDFATHER. AND I’LL TELL YOU WHAT A FATHER WANTS. AND ANY OF MY KIDS OUT HERE LISTENING OR GET THIS TAPE LATER ON, LISTEN UP! LOVE. LOVE. THAT’S WHAT I WANT. I WANT MY CHILDREN TO LOVE ME AND RESPECT ME AND HONOR ME AND SAY, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU’VE DONE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SACRIFICE. I WANT LOVE. NOW, WHEN FATHER’S DAY COMES OR I JUST HAD A BIRTHDAY, THEY’RE ALWAYS, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO GET PAPA? YOU KNOW, AND THEY WORRY ABOUT IT. WHAT, WHAT DOES HE NEED? WHAT DOES HE WANT? THE TRINKETS DON’T REALLY MATTER. WHAT HE WANTS IS LOVE. I’M GONNA GIVE YOU SOME GOOD NEWS. HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS. THERE ARE OTHERS WHO MIGHT OFFER TO GOD A MORE EXPENSIVE PRESENCE. THERE ARE OTHERS WHO CAN SING BETTER OR PREACH BETTER. THERE ARE OTHERS WHO ARE MORE FREE TO TRAVEL. THERE ARE OTHERS WHO HAVE MORE INTELLECTUAL FIRE POWER BETWEEN THEIR EARS. THERE ARE OTHERS WHO ARE ARTISTICALLY GIFTED, WHO CAN DO THIS AND DO THAT, AND THANK GOD FOR THEM. BUT NO ONE HAS CORNERED THE MARKET ON LOVE. LISTEN, MY CHILD, THERE IS NO ONE WHO CAN LOVE GOD BETTER THAN YOU CAN. ISN’T THAT GREAT? DID YOU HEAR THAT? THERE’S NO ONE WHO CAN LOVE GOD BETTER THAN YOU CAN, AND THAT ABOVE ALL THINGS PLEASES HIM. WHAT IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENT? THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. THIS IS THE FIRST AND GREAT COMMANDMENT. NOW, THAT’S WHY WE WORSHIP HIM. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE WORD WORSHIP IS ACTUALLY A COMBINATION OF WORDS THAT MEANS WORTH-SHIP? WORTH-SHIP. YOU SHOW ME HOW YOU WORSHIP AND I’LL TELL YOU WHAT GOD IS WORTH TO YOU. IT’S THAT SIMPLE. YOU SHOW ME HOW YOU WORSHIP AND I’LL TELL YOU WHAT GOD IS WORTH TO YOU. OUR WORSHIP IS HIS WORTH-SHIP. NUMBER FOUR, LET’S THINK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WAY OF TRUE WORSHIP. NOT ALL WORSHIP IS ACCEPTED. UH, THE WORSHIP OF THE SAMARITANS AND THEIR ZEAL, IGNORANT ZEAL, THAT WASN’T ACCEPTED. THE WORSHIP OF THE JEWS AND THEIR DEAD ORTHODOXY, THAT WASN’T ACCEPTED. WHAT IS THE WAY OF TRUE WORSHIP? WELL, LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSES 23 AND 24, JESUS SAID, BUT THE HOUR COMETH, AND NOW IS, WHEN THE TRUE WORSHIPERS, AGAIN UNDERSCORE THAT, THE TRUE WORSHIPERS, SHALL WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH, FOR THE FATHER SEEKETH SUCH TO WORSHIP HIM. GOD IS A SPIRIT. LITERALLY IN THE GREEK LANGUAGE, GOD IS SPIRIT. AND THEY THAT WORSHIP HIM MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH. NOW REMEMBER THE DICHOTOMY, THE CONTEST THERE BETWEEN THE SAMARITANS AND THE JEWS. ONE HAD IGNORANT ZEAL AND THE OTHER HAD DEAD ORTHODOXY. AND WHAT OUR LORD IS SAYING IS NOT EITHER OR, IT IS BOTH AND. YOU NEED THE ZEAL AND YOU NEED THE TRUTH. WHEN THE BIBLE SAYS WE’RE TO WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT, NOW LISTEN TO ME CAREFULLY. HE’S NOT TALKING HERE ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT. HE’S TALKING ABOUT THE HUMAN SPIRIT. NOW, WE’RE NOT OPPOSED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. AS A MATTER OF FACT, YOU CAN’T WORSHIP APART FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT. BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD WORKS IN YOUR HUMAN SPIRIT. YOU SEE, THE INNERMOST PART OF YOUR NATURE IS SPIRIT. I PRAY, GOD, YOUR WHOLE SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY BE PRESERVED BLAMELESS UNTO THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” YOU HAVE SPIRIT. YOU ARE A SPIRIT. THAT’S WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT FROM ANIMALS. YOU’RE A SPIRIT BEING. AND THAT SPEAKS OF YOUR INNERMOST BEING, YOUR SPIRIT. THAT’S WHAT WORSHIPS. THE REASON THAT PEOPLE CAN COME TO CHURCH LIKE THIS ON SUNDAY MORNING AND BE BORED OR BE CONFUSED OR BE TURNED OFF IS BASICALLY A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM. BASICALLY A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM. IF YOUR SPIRIT IS DEAD OR YOUR SPIRIT IS WARMED, YOU CAN’T WORSHIP. BECAUSE WORSHIP HAS TO COME FROM YOUR INNEMOST BEING. IT HAS TO COME FROM YOUR SPIRIT. MY PRECIOUS WIFE’S UP HERE IN THE CHOIR HAS A BROTHER. HE’S NOW IN HEAVEN. HIS NAME IS GORDON. GORDON WAS SORT OF A PLAYBOY, DEBONAIRE TYPE OF YOUNG MAN, YOUNG BUSINESSMAN, HANDSOME, STRONG, INTELLIGENT, GIFTED, BUT HE RACED BOATS, DROVE SPORTS CARS, AND JUST LIVED THAT STYLE OF LIFE. JOYCE AND I PRAYED FOR HIM AND WITNESSED TO HIM AND PRAYED FOR HIM, BUT HE JUST SORT OF BLEW IT OFF. BUT PRECIOUS JOYCE KEPT PRAYING FOR GORDON AND WITNESSING TO And one day, Gordon got saved. I mean, he got a double dose. He got the full load. He got saved. He’d come to hear me preach before out of just kindness. After he got saved, he came to hear me preach. He said, Adrian, what happened to you? He said, man, he said, your preaching has changed. I said, Gordon, I’m preaching the same thing I was preaching before. I haven’t changed. You’ve changed. God’s given you a new heart. God’s given you a new spirit. God’s given you new ears to hear. People have ears and they don’t hear and eyes and they don’t see. They have dead spirits. You worship in spirit. In order to do that, you’ve got to be saved. But you also worship in truth. IT’S NOT JUST ENOUGH TO SING PRAISE CHORUS. IT’S NOT JUST ENOUGH TO PRAY. IT’S NOT JUST ENOUGH TO CRY. THERE MUST BE AN INTELLIGENT WORSHIP. LISTEN TO THIS PSALM, PSALM 145 AND VERSE 18, THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL THEM THAT CALL UPON HIM, TO ALL THAT CALL UPON HIM IN TRUTH. YOUR WORSHIP WILL NEVER RISE HIGHER THAN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. THAT’S WHY, FOLKS, WE MUST CONTINUALLY EXPOUND THE WORD OF GOD. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE THIS PULPIT. THAT’S WHY THIS CHURCH HAS BEEN BUILT SOLIDLY UPON THE WORD OF GOD. THERE IS THE SUBJECTIVE WORSHIP IN SPIRIT, THERE IS THE OBJECTIVE WORSHIP IN TRUTH, AND BOTH GO TOGETHER. LISTEN TO A GREAT VERSE THAT PUTS THEM TOGETHER, COLOSSIANS 3.16, LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU. THAT’S THE TRUTH. LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU RICHLY IN ALL WISDOM, TEACHING AND ADMONISHING ONE ANOTHER IN PSALMS AND HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS, SINGING WITH GRACE IN YOUR HEARTS TO THE LORD.” DO YOU SEE THE BALANCE? PSALMS, HYMNS, SPIRITUAL SONGS, SINGING WITH GRACE IN YOUR HEART TO THE LORD. BUT THE WORD OF GOD DWELLING IN YOU, WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUE. LISTEN, IF YOU WORSHIP ONLY IN SPIRIT YOU’LL BLOW UP. If you worship only in truth, you’ll dry up. If you worship in spirit and in truth, you’ll grow up. YOU BE WHAT YOU OUGHT TO BE. THERE HAS TO BE THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE HUMAN SPIRIT COMBINED WITH THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD. AND THAT IS THE WAY OF TRUE WORSHIP. HERE’S WHAT OUR LORD SAID AGAIN IN MARK 12 VERSE 30, AND THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART. THAT’S PASSIONATE WORSHIP. WITH ALL THY SOUL, THAT’S SELFLESS WORSHIP. WITH ALL THY MIND, THAT’S INTELLIGENT WORSHIP. AND WITH ALL THY STRENGTH, THAT’S PRACTICAL WORSHIP. THAT IS, WHATEVER WE DO, IT INCLUDES THE TOTALITY OF THE HUMAN BEING. NOW, SO MANY OF US ARE SO SELF-CENTERED. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD A PERSON SAY, WELL, I WENT TO CHURCH, BUT I DIDN’T GET ANYTHING OUT OF IT? ARE YOU LISTENING? IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. THE QUESTION IS, DID GOD GET ANYTHING OUT OF IT? DID YOU PRAISE HIM? Did you give Him glory? What if somebody came to my birthday party the other day and said, well, I didn’t get anything out of it. Not about you. It’s about Him. We have come to worship Him and to glorify Him. And again, friend, no matter what you do, if you’re a pencil that doesn’t write or a car that doesn’t transport, you are a failure. We’re to worship God in spirit. AND IN TRUTH. HALLELUJAH FOR THAT. SOME OF YOU SAY, WELL, I’M GLAD THAT A WICKED OLD SHADY LADY OF SAMARIA GOT SAVED. SHE SURE NEEDED TO BE SAVED. WELL, SO DO YOU. YOU SEE, LOOK, IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF JOHN, HEY, JUST BECAUSE I CAME DOWN, I’M NOT FINISHED YET, NO. LOOK, IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF JOHN IS THIS WOMAN FROM SAMARIA WHO GETS SAVED, AND SHE NEEDED TO BE. In the third chapter of John, there was Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, a religious leader. He got saved. What’s the lesson? THERE IS NO ONE SO GOOD THEY NEED NOT BE SAVED AND NO ONE SO BAD THEY CAN’T BE SAVED. THAT’S THE LESSON. YOU SEE, NICODEMUS WAS THIRSTY AND THIS WOMAN WAS THIRSTY. AND WHOEVER YOU ARE, IF YOU’RE THIRSTY, I’M TELLING YOU, WHO YOU’RE THIRSTING FOR IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE LIVING WATER. AND I’M GOING TO TELL YOU TODAY THAT HE WILL SAVE YOU AND HE’LL KEEP YOU SAVED. THERE WAS A VIOLINIST. He was a concert artist. His name was Fritz Kreisler. Musicians will tell you one of the greatest violinists who ever lived. He wanted a Stradivarius violin that belonged to an old Britisher who lived in London. The man was immensely wealthy. He didn’t need money. The violin was one of his treasures. Fritz Kreisler tried to buy it, but it was not for sale. One day, Fritz Kreisler went to the man’s house and knocked on the door. and said, please, sir, can I just see the violin and touch it? The old man was gracious. He said, come in. Fritz Kreisler picked up that Stradivarius violin, caressed it with his fingers, tucked it under his chin, and began to draw the bow across the strings. You could hear the angels singing. You could hear the laughter of children in the streets. You could hear the birds in the trees. You could hear the water rippling through the brooks. You could hear the wind in the leaves. The old Britisher sat there and the tears just coming down his cheeks. Chrysler prayed for about 20 minutes and then he said, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you. Please sell it to me. The old man said, it is not for sale. BUT IT IS YOURS YOU SHALL HAVE IT BECAUSE YOU ARE THE MASTER AND IT BELONGS TO YOU AND NO ONE ELSE IS WORTHY OF IT FRIEND YOUR LIFE BELONGS TO JESUS CHRIST AND NO ONE ELSE IS WORTHY OF IT HE IS THE MASTER AND ONLY IN HIS HANDS Can you ever be what you were created to be? Would you bow your heads in prayer? If you’re not certain that you’re saved, let me guide you in a prayer. And in this prayer, you may receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Now, repeating words doesn’t save. You must mean what you say. So carefully pray, just you and the Lord, and pray this prayer. Dear God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for being willing to save me. Jesus, I believe you’re the Son of God. I believe you shed your blood on the cross to pay my sin debt. I believe that God raised you from the dead. And now, by faith, I receive you into my life. This very moment, right now, today, this moment, I receive you into my life as my Lord and Savior. I turn from my sin. I turn from the old way. I turn to you. Now I’m weak and you’ll have to help me and I’ll need to grow. But Lord, I’m trusting you. Begin now to make me what you want me to be. I’M GIVING MY LIFE TO YOU, AND I’M TRUSTING YOU TO SAVE ME. THANK YOU THAT YOU PAID FOR MY SIN WITH YOUR BLOOD ON THE CROSS. THANK YOU THAT MY SIN IS BURIED IN THE GRAVE OF YOUR FORGETFULNESS. THANK YOU, LORD. SAVE ME, JESUS. PRAY THAT. SAVE ME, JESUS. SAVE ME, JESUS. ASK HIM. DID YOU ASK HIM? then by an act of sheer faith say, thank you for doing it. That settles it. I don’t look for a sign. I don’t ask for a feeling. I stand on your word. You’re now my Lord and my Savior and my God and my friend. And Lord Jesus, I will make this public if you will only help me. I will not be ashamed of you. Pray that I’ll not be ashamed of you. In your name, amen.
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