Is Your Worship Accepted?

This is the manuscript from Wednesday night's sermon. Kinda lengty, I know. I pray it will serve as a blessing.

Do settings really matter to a story, to what’s going on, have any real implications to the meaning of a book? Like, the other day, Shanna and I have signed up for Blockbuster Online because we rent so many movies, it makes things cheaper for us. Well, I ordered The Karate Kid…the original, the one that I grew up on. It gives a setting in the beginning of the movie…Newark, NJ. Now it didn’t matter one bit where that movie started out at. But, sometimes setting does matter. For instance, it wouldn’t matter if you were a Jewish person in modern-day Durham, NC. However, try being a Jewish person in Nazi, Germany during WWII. You might would be singing a different tune. So settings, although we don’t rest our entire interpretation of a text on it, can give us definite insight into what is intended for us to understand. After all, the Inspire-er and the Inspire-ee included for a reason. So what’s our setting? Sychar. A place that belonged to Jacob, a place that he gave to Joseph, a place where an altar to the Lord was built, a place to worship. In light of this place to worship, we will look at the implications for proper worship according to Jesus. Turn with me to John 4, beginning in verse one (read through verse 26).
The first thing we notice is the Cleaning for the Meeting. There is one concept that runs constant throughout these verses in John. Did you notice it when we were reading through? It is the idea of water in one capacity or another. I mean take a look, we see, well, water, baptize, drinking, well, thirst, spring…the list is pretty long. When we see a word this many times, we should probably be thinking, “Hmm, I bet this is an important concept.” Alright then John, with the Holy Spirit, what are you trying to get us to understand about water? Well throughout the first few chapters of John, water is used in reference to purification or cleansing. In John 2, the water pots that Jesus used to hold the water that He changed to wine, they were water pots used for cleansing rituals. And we understand that from that passage, Jesus affects or fills up the lacking part of our purification or cleansing. Then, again in John 3, John records Jesus referring to water again, this time saying that you must be born of water and Spirit, or a cleansing from God. So, we have this concept of water and cleansing running through our mind from the rest of the book.
It’s like back in the day, when I would stay with my great grandparents, and you’d be in the yard playing all afternoon long, playing trucks in the dirt and the mud. And then she’d call you in for supper that evening. What was the thing she would always tell me to do before meeting around the table with the family to eat? “Go get cleaned up.” Jesus points us in the same direction. There is some cleaning that is going to have to take place.
The second thing that sticks out is the Contrast of the Couple. In this picture, we have the Samaritan woman. Now we know that Jews had no dealings with Samaritans, but have you ever wondered why? The biggest reason and this adds so much weight to what John is trying to tell us through this passage, is that Samaritans were viewed as completely unclean concerning ritualistic purification. Jews did not deal with Samaritans for fear of becoming “dirty” just by being around them. So with the woman, we have a picture of defilement.
On the other hand, there is Jesus. He is the picture of perfection of cleanliness, of perfect holiness. He’s already been described as being the light, the opposite and void of any darkness, God in the flesh. He is the opposite of the woman at the well. Now before we move on, just let this image linger, let it marinade, let it ferment in your mind. Utter defilement…utter perfection. Holy-less…holiness.
Now it is this picture that makes the next statement so…funny when you think about it. Jesus asks her for…water. Now remember what water is making us think about: cleansing. I love how Jesus sets her up with this play on the word water. He then makes the statement, if you really knew what I was talking about, or who I am, you would have asked me for a drink…or cleansing…instead. So what does she do? She questions Him, she questions His greatness, she says basically…who do you think you are? And notice what she basis her judgments about Jesus on. His physical appearance – the well is deep and you have nothing to draw with. But might I remind you of the words of Isaiah the prophet when he said of Jesus that He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. So she falsely judges Christ on the basis of His appearance. But second, she questions Him based on tradition. Surely You are no greater than Jacob are You? He has handed down tradition to us, just look at this well. And further, You are a Jew and traditionally, Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans. Oh but the promise made to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. And so she again falsely judges Jesus, this time on the basis of tradition.
So Jesus draws us a Caricature of the King. What is it that is being offered exactly? A cleansing, an eternal one. The Scripture says in verse fourteen that whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst. Never. Not again. It is eternal…everlasting…through eternity…no need for another. And then He says I give this, and let me clue you in on who I am…it will be a well of water springing up to eternal life. Wait, wait, wait. He doesn’t say who He is. Or does He. Listen to the words of Isaiah once again, this time from the twelfth chapter (read Isaiah 12). There are so many implications from this passage in Isaiah. First, God is salvation. It’s dependent on Him, not us. Second, draw water from the springs of salvation. Third, this will result in worship, or meeting with God. Fourth, worship because of the greatness of the Holy One. And last, and this is where we draw our point of Jesus declaring who He was, Isaiah 12 says in that day, referring to the coming of the Messiah. By Jesus making the statement about the well of water, springing up to eternal life, He draws our attention to the passage in Isaiah and says this time is now, and I am the One that brings this water.
Then, in great woman at the well fashion, she says okay smarty-pants, hook me up. I want some of this water ‘cause I’m tired of coming her to draw water all the time. Oh how we can become drained as well from trying to be perfect. But this shows us that she doesn’t understand, though we do, what Jesus is saying. Jesus opens her eyes to the spiritual nature of the conversation, telling her to call her husband, even going so far as to say look, you’re living in sin, and you’re causing others to do so as well. The man you’re living with, he’s not your husband. There’s a great possibility that this man was married to someone else, yet living with her. Jesus says I’m not talking about some magical water, I’m talking about your need for purification.
Have you ever seen one of those Pablo Picasso paintings? You know, he kind of invented this style, or popularized this style of painting called cubism. Everything was pained with cubes and straight lines and in abstract concepts, so that maybe if you turn your head just right at some uncomfortable angle, you might recognize what it is. Those paintings are…just not clear or understandable. This is how the woman, and me for that matter, see Jesus sometimes. I just can’t quite make Him out, just like the woman. Even though, He has given me the tools to recognize Him, a relationship, prayer and His word. He gave her the same things, He started a relationship with her, fed it with conversation, and even referred to Scripture, but she still missed the picture. What do we draw from this? Recognize Jesus for who He is…God coming into the world to affect our righteousness and salvation, providing it for us and freeing us to worship or meet with Him. How do we do it? You know how…Sunday School answers…pray and read your Bible. But sometimes we lack to discipline to do those things.
Well, we have the cleaning for the meeting, the contrast of the couple, the caricature of the King, and next we see The Curiosity of the Crippled. The woman is saying, “okay, how do we meet with God?” It’s a return to…the setting. Remember how Sychar was a place to meet or worship God? She questions Jesus, “is it based on Your tradition or ours? Who is right?”
She’s asking Jesus to settle a long running debate. It would maybe be like, who is better at football, Florida or Florida State? Or, better yet, who has the better basketball tradition, Duke or Carolina? Just for illustration’s sake, here’s a few stats you may or may not know, based on the 2006 official NCAA record book.
Duke holds the record for largest come-back win, 32 pts. They also hold the record, along with NC State for fewest combined FG in a game, 2. They hold the record for number of 3pt-FG attempts and makes in a season, 1,057 and 407. They hold the record for most games in a season, 40. They stand atop the pile with 8 current consecutive 25 win seasons. They have 7 30+ win seasons since 1938. They are #4 all-time in wins with 1764. They have the #5 winning% of all-time. The are the winningest team in the 2000’s. They spent a combined total of 96 weeks @ #1. They’ve been to 14 final 4’s (#3), have 85 tourney wins (#3) and 3 nat’l championships (#5).
Carolina holds the record for highest FG% in a half (94.1). They stand atop for most consecutive 20-win seasons (31). They have had one unbeaten team, 1957. They too have 7 30+ win seasons since ’38. The are #2 all-time in wins with 1860. They are #2 all-time in winning %. They were the winningest team in the ’80’s. They are #4 & #8 in largest point margin defeating a number one (both times over Duke by 24 and 20 pts.) They have spent a collective 84 weeks @ #1. They hold the record for most defeats of a #1 team (11). They are second all-time in tourney wins with 88. They are #2 in tourney appearances (37), #1 in final four appearances (16) and #4 in national titles (4). Will you settle this argument for us please? Well, Jesus gives an answer that would equivalent to saying, and forgive me for this, but someone coming in and saying well UCLA has 11 national titles. No one else is close to that. Jesus, in essence, is saying you are missing the point. And the truth is, meeting with God is not based on tradition at all.
Instead, The Crux of the Christ is this…God is met in Spirit and in truth. He tells her, “Listen. You worship ignorantly. You worship what you do not know. The Jews, they worship intelligently. The worship what they do know. But there is coming a time, and in fact it is here, that real worshippers will worship in Spirit and in truth.” So what’s John trying to get us to understand? The Spirit…well he just recorded earlier in chapter three that the Spirit is what affects our new birth, that we must be born of the water and Spirit. True worshippers are those that are saved. But second, they worship in truth. Now just let me chase this for two seconds. Truth, in chapter one, is used to refer to Jesus. He game full of grace and truth. Also, in John 14, Jesus is described as what? The Way, the Truth, and the Life. Now, Jesus is the truth, but what do you mean we worship in Him? Listen to the words of Hebrews 10:19-22 (read the passage). There is now access to the Father that once was not there, access to the holy of holies, and it is only in Jesus that we have this access.
Picture this. There is a place where the glory of God resides, where it is so powerful that no man, save one a year, may enter in. It is guarded by a huge, thirty foot curtain. Behind this veil, the altar where the blood of forgiveness is poured. Only, you can’t pour it for yourself, because of the weightiness of the presence that dwells behind it. For you to step foot behind the veil and offer sacrifice, to worship for yourself, would mean your death, because of the transgression between you and God. In fact, the one person that can go, has to endure days and days of fasting and purification to journey behind the veil, into the very presence of God. And then, as the Son of God breathes His last on earth, this veil that serves as a fortress of separation between God and man is torn, but not from the bottom up, as if man were doing it, but from the top down, almost serving as an illustration of God reaching down out of the heavens and touching the very creation that is separated from Him. And now, standing at the entrance to the most sacred place stands Jesus, the Christ, the One by which every knee shall bow and tongue confess, Master, Savior, Immanuel, Creator…my Savior, offering access to my Father. Do you want to go in, brother? Do you want to see the Father? I am the only One that can take you there, but I am more than willing to do.
You see, true worshippers are blood-bought, born-again believers, born of the Spirit, purified by the cleansing blood of Christ, and entering into the presence of God the only way possible, through the resurrected Lamb. And so, now that I enter the very presence of God, I can truly worship Him, singing, “Oh to grace, how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be. Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wand’ring heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.”