[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 25th of August, 2024. A recording of our service should be available on our YouTube streaming channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]
Family, last week in our message on the Bread of Life, I referenced the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well where He told her He is the promised Christ and the Living Water. That exchange was the subject of my message in mid-July, when we looked at the promise Jesus made of giving us the living water that springs up to eternal life. I want to return to one small portion of that conversation this morning, where Jesus gives us an insight into our relationship with God.
If you’ll recall, the woman was initially doubtful about this Jewish man who was either recklessly bold or very careless in speaking to a Samaritan woman. She scoffed at Him when He asked for a drink of water, reminding Him that He had nothing to draw the water. She even accused Him of implying that the water in the Jewish lands was better than the water from that well. But slowly, her indignation began to turn to belief. Her belief solidified when He told her about herself, things He had no way of knowing.
Let’s pick up from there. Please listen and follow along to a brief snatch of the exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman as recorded by the Apostle John in chapter 4 verses 19 through 26 of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible. In fact, all my reference scripture this morning will come from John’s account of the life and ministry of Jesus, and all will be read from the New King James Version.
So, during that conversation at Jacob’s well…
19 The 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.”
--John 4:19-26 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us the faith to believe in Your Son, Your Christ, Jesus. We are truly blessed in our faith and our belief. Sadly though, Father, there are many people like that Samaritan woman was at first – closed off to the idea of Jesus being anything other than just some historical figure, just another man from long ago. We know that we need to reach out to these folks, but sometimes we just can’t work up the courage or the will to do so. Forgive us these times, Father. Please help us be more obedient to Your and Your Son’s commands. Give us the courage and the fortitude to do what is right. Help us as we step out into the world, offering aid where we can and witnessing to the non-believers, sharing the Good News and showing Your love. And please forgive us when we hesitate to witness for You and our Lord Jesus out of fear or anxiety.
Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand Your message today. Thank You for forgiving and forgetting our sin. Help us share the Good News of everlasting life in our daily walk. This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
In a 1991 letter, Christian author Dr. James Dobson writes about some of the survey results that George Barna reported in his book, What Americans Believe. Part of that letter reads, “In the survey taken in early 1991, interviewees were asked, ‘Do you agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat, or disagree strongly with the following statement: There is no such thing as absolute truth; different people can define truth in conflicting ways and still be correct.’ Only 28% of the respondents expressed strong belief in ‘absolute truth’, and more surprisingly, only 23 percent of born-again or evangelical Christians accepted this idea!
What a telling revelation! If more than 75 percent of the followers of Christ say nothing can be known for certain, does this indicate, as it seems, that they are not convinced that Jesus existed, that He is who He claimed to be, that His Word in authentic, that God created the heavens and earth, or that eternal life awaits the believer? That's what the findings appear to mean. If there is no absolute truth, then by definition nothing can be said to be absolutely true. To the majority, apparently, it's all relative. Nothing is certain. Might be. Might not be. Who knows for sure? Take your guess and hope for the best!”
While under trial, Pilate rhetorically asks Jesus, "What is truth?", without waiting for an answer. In the old rock opera, “Jesus Christ, Superstar”, when Jesus says He looks for truth, Pilate poses the question like this: “But what is truth? Is truth unchanging law? We both have truths. Are mine the same as Yours?”
Those who consider themselves open-minded often see truth as being relative, changing to fit the situation. There is no absolute truth, no absolute right or wrong. What's wrong for one culture may well be right for another. As a people, do we really understand “truth”?
Jesus said that since God is Spirit, we must worship Him in spirit. How do we worship in spirit? We’re physical, we have physical bodies, we’re not spirits like God is. So how do we worship in spirit?
Well, we have a spirit. It’s the intangible, untouchable, non-physical part of us that gives us life. And we also have God’s own Holy Spirit within us, we who believe in and follow Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us that God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. So to worship in spirit we need merely go before God with His Spirit within us and solemnly acknowledge our dependence upon Him, thank Him, and humbly give Him all the praise and glory without a thought of self.
But Jesus added two more words to that instruction. We must worship God in spirit and truth. Here’s where things may get a bit tough. Truth can be an elusive beast. I bet you’ve heard the very sarcastic statement, “I read it on the internet so it has to be true.” And we all know how truthful campaigning politicians can be.
To worship in truth we must first know the truth. Jesus once said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Earlier in His ministry, John recorded this in the 8th chapter of his Gospel account, in verses 31 and 32…
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
--John 8:31-32 (NKJV)
If we abide in Jesus’ word, live by what He taught us, then we will know the truth. Jesus is the truth, what He taught us is the truth, His words as recorded by His disciples and saved for us in our Bibles are the truth. We worship God in truth by living in the way Jesus taught us and showed us.
God is spirit, and Jesus promised that God would send His Spirit to be the constant Companion to all who believe in and follow His Son. John saved this promise for us in the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, in verses 15 through 17, where Jesus said…
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
--John 14:15-17 (NKJV)
God’s Spirit lives within is to always be with us, so He can guide us and help us any time, anywhere. All we have to do is love Jesus and keep His commandments, do what He told us to do.
God's Spirit is the Spirit of truth who brings us the truth and shows us what is true. Jesus tells us this in the 16th chapter of John’s Gospel account, in verses 12 through 15, when He says…
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”
--John 16:12-15 (NKJV)
The Spirit of truth, God’s Spirit, has indeed come to those who truly believe in God’s Son Jesus. We worship in spirit and truth when we come before God with His Spirit thriving in our heart and as we live as Jesus taught us. In spirit is God’s Spirit joined with our spirit. Truth is God’s unchanging word. This is what the Father is seeking, those who worship in spirit and truth.
Whether on the mountaintop or in Jerusalem, whether here in this beautiful sanctuary or at home in our living room, let us humbly worship our Father God in spirit and truth. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the one true Son of God, the best example for us to follow. Amen.
Let us pray… Almighty God, thank You for sending Your Spirit of truth to live within us and show us the truth. We love Your Son Jesus and try our best to live as He taught us. Thank You for seeing that we would have His words and His ministry saved for us through the ages so that we can know Jesus. Sometimes, though, dear Father, we do fail to carry out what Jesus commanded us. Our courage and our will abandon us when we need them the most. Please forgive us these times, Father. And forgive us when we stray from how we know we should live. Please help us reach out more into the world, serving You by serving others. Help us be more like Your Son Jesus, being more forgiving and merciful in our dealings with others. Guide us around any pitfalls in this life and strengthen our spirits to do Your will. And please help us do a better job of sharing Jesus with others so that they too may be saved by Your mercy and His sacrifice.
Father, please shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith, trying to make us his own. Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live. And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what the world throws at us or holds out before us.
Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…
Lord Jesus, You are the truth. You told us the truth by Your words and showed us the truth by how You lived and interacted with others. We try to live as You would have us live, Lord, but sometimes we just get too caught up in the world around us and we slip up. Please forgive us our weaknesses, dear Jesus. And please help us be more considerate and caring of others. Help us as we go about spreading the Gospel message. Help us share Your love by being more understanding, more merciful, more giving and forgiving of others, offering aid when we can. Not everyone believes in You, so it is our job to help them see the truth and believe. Give us the words to say, show us what to do to help bring the lost to You.
Lord Jesus, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises. Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares. Help us see though his temptations and all the false teachings. Help us fend off his attacks. Please help us be faithful and true to You, putting all our trust in You, all our hope in You. Heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another. Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer. This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior. Amen.
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