In this enlightening episode of the International Gospel Hour, Jeff Archie explores various aspects of worship from a biblical perspective. Through the words of Jesus and Paul, we understand the significance of worshiping in spirit and truth, the dangers of vain worship, and the importance of rejecting human-imposed religious practices. Tune in for a compelling discussion aimed at deepening your understanding and commitment to authentic worship.
00:00:00 Introduction to Worship in Spirit and Truth
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Beautiful text from John 4, 24. Today, friends, let’s see what the Bible says about worship to God. That’s today from the International Gospel Hour. Stay right here.
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On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand.
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Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. For 90 years, churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through International Gospel Hour. You are about to listen to another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour, starting now.
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I am bound for the promised land.
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Well, thank you once again to our J-Web for his kind words. And greetings to all of you. So good to have you with us today here on our broadcast from the International Gospel Hour. From time to time, by way of introduction, I like to remind you of a few things. And today, let me give you a quick reminder about our social media. That’s right, friends. You can find us if you are a Facebooker. Go to International Gospel Hour, click and follow our page, and you can keep up with our daily broadcast and other things that we share along the way. Also, if you’re into Instagram, we are at International Gospel Hour. And at X, formerly Twitter, you’ll find us at our underscore gospel or H-O-U-R underscore gospel. Follow us on social media. That’s right here from the International Gospel Hour. What does the Bible say about worship? Well, our lesson text for this study is John 4, 20-24, where the woman of Samaria is speaking to Christ, and she says, Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father. You worship what you do not know. We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. From Genesis 4 with Cain and Abel, to the angelic announcement in Revelation 22, the Bible speaks of worship to God, regardless whether it’s in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Now, specific guidelines are mentioned pertaining to acceptable worship unto God. Always has been, always will be. So today let’s examine our lesson text of John 4. But before we do that, let’s pause, and I’ll be back in less than 30 seconds.
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Friends, as we begin our study today from John 4, 20-24, we readily embrace the words of our Lord Jesus. We are reminded of John 12, 48 when Jesus says, He that rejects me and receives not my words hath one that will judge him. The word that I have spoken, the same will judge him in the last day. We need to know the words of our Lord Jesus. We need to understand the Bible. And if indeed we love Christ, we will keep His commandments, John 14 and verse 15. And as we read the New Testament, we are reminded of the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 14, 37, when he says, The things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. So with Christ as our authority, let’s return once again to John 4, 20-24, as we are reminded that the object of our worship is God. Worship is to please God. He is the audience. It’s never us, friends. Our worship is to please God. He is the object of our worship. Now, if He is the object of our worship… then we need to know what He requires for worship. You know, worship is a verb, it’s a word of action, meaning when one worships God, one should reverence Him and respond to Him in respect with the right frame of mind and attitude that is in spirit. And the way that God wants it is truth, His law and His way. Colossians 3 and verse 17 says, that whatsoever we do in word or in deed we do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now again, John 4, 23 and 24, But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is seeking true worshippers, so we must worship according to the truth provided by God. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. And again, friends, in worship, God is the audience. It is God that we please with the worship that we offer unto him. In Matthew 4.10, Jesus said to Satan, Get thee hence, or get away, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. And think about the response of the angel in Revelation 22, 8 and 9 who simply said, Worship God. We worship Him in spirit, right attitude, in truth, right application. Now, with that being said, there are three other types of worship mentioned in Scripture that we need to avoid. What about vain worship? When Jesus said in Matthew 15, 9, And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. When man’s doctrine is emphasized, worship is in vain. There is no purpose. It follows man’s desires or to please man. But remember, worship is designed to please God. And when God-directed worship that pleases God is extended, God is pleased and man will be pleased as well. What about ignorant worship? In Acts 17, 22 and 23, Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious, for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, did you get that? He said, I even found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God. Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing… Him I proclaim to you. Now note that. The one that they did not know. They were ignorant. If one does not know God, how can one respond to God and worship Him and offer Him the worship that God desires? Here’s a third one we need to avoid. Will worship. Colossians 2, 20-23 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world… Why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations, do not touch, do not taste, do not handle, which all concern things which perish with the using according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. Now, folks, did you catch that? Worship according to the commandments and doctrines of men. Friends, the according to brings an appearance of, but it’s not an authority by. One more time. The according to brings an appearance of, but not an authority by. An appearance of self-imposed religion, or other translations call it will-worship, self-imposed worship, self-prescribed worship. Friends, we should be reminded here, not just any worship is acceptable. As examples from the Old Testament, things written afore for our learning, Romans 15, 4, I want you to consider with me just two places where worship was not acceptable. What about Cain and Abel in Genesis 4? Now, Abel understood by faith, according to Hebrews 11 and verse 4, his worship, his offering was accepted, but Cain’s was not. You see, friends, not just any worship is acceptable. What about in Leviticus 10, verses 1 through 3, where Nadab and Abihu, priests of God, offered up what was prohibited. They offered up a strange fire. Again, friends, not just any worship is acceptable. Let us seriously think about this study. Can we honestly affirm that all gatherings of any religious group truly is worship unto God, when many of those offerings have not the authority of Christ nor of God in His Word, that appear to be more of an entertainment done to us and for us rather than we offer worship unto God ourselves? Think of the early church in the New Testament that worshipped through simply singing praise to God as a congregation, praying to the Father, giving of their finances, partaking of the Lord’s Supper and teaching and preaching. Friend, may I ask you, graciously and kindly, where you attend worship, are you simply worshiping God in spirit and in truth? If not, it is our prayer that this study will help you think on these things and make the changes according to God and His Word, His will and His way. Yes, friends, we lovingly challenge you to think on these things in light of the Scripture. And with that being said, I’m going to pause for our J-Web with our daily Bible study offer, absolutely free.
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How about an online study of the Bible? That’s right, the World Bible School has a free online Bible study available. Just go to worldbibleschool.org and register. A study helper will assist you in answering questions and provide feedback for your lessons. That’s the free online study at worldbibleschool.org. Sign up today. Tell them the International Gospel Hour has sent you.
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Friends, we hope this study of worship has been of help to you. And please feel free to reach out to us if we can be of help in any way. Again, our toll-free number is 855-444-6988. And let’s continue our studies together at another time. Thank you for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour broadcast. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
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Thank you for listening to our broadcast today. To God goes all the glory, and we hope that our study today will draw you closer to His Word to walk in His way. To listen to it again, or our other broadcasts,
In this enlightening episode of the International Gospel Hour, Jeff Archie explores various aspects of worship from a biblical perspective. Through the words of Jesus and Paul, we understand the significance of worshiping in spirit and truth, the dangers of vain worship, and the importance of rejecting human-imposed religious practices. Tune in for a compelling discussion aimed at deepening your understanding and commitment to authentic worship.
