THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

 

Chapter 5

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The Worshipper of the God of Heaven

 

 

Text

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John 4:20-24 “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.”

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Memory Verse

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Rev. 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

 

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Introduction

The worshipper does not get to invent how to worship the only true God. If he does, he ends up worshipping himself. To be acceptable to God, the worshipper must share the same Spirit with the One he worships.

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The worshipper is God’s contact person to a world that needs His blessing. Unbelievers look for help and hope, and God often meets them through His people. At the same time, God works through worshippers to bring care and provision to those who are hurting. So who exactly is the worshipper?

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Objective
To see the worshipper of the only true God as: a priest and worker, a truly spiritual person, a benefactor and partner with God, and a co-lender with God.

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Presentation

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1. The Worshipper as Priest and Worker
The worshipper belongs to Jesus, the King, as a priest and worker (1 Pet. 2:9). The church is the new, spiritual Israel (Gal. 6:16). Just as Israel had priests, so Christ’s kingdom has worshippers who serve as His priests and chaplains.

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There is no difference between a “church worker” and a “church member”. If you worship God, you serve God. “… And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7)

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2. The Worshipper as a Truly Spiritual Person
The word the worshipper receives from God is spirit and life (John 6:63). That word makes him a spiritual person, led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:9, 14; 1 John 4:1, 5-6).

Words from any other source bring a different spirit, the spirit of falsehood or deception. True worshippers are known by the Spirit they carry.

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3. The Worshipper as Benefactor and Partner with God
Before we believed, we were only recipients of God’s grace, sustained through the service of His people (Eph. 2:10, 19). Now we are agents of His blessing to others (1 Cor. 3:9; Gal. 2:20).

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We do not just receive from God. We become channels through which He reaches others.

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4. The Worshipper as a Co-Lender with God
When we meet the needs of others in Jesus’s name, we are lending to God Himself (Prov. 19:17). God pays back, and He pays with interest (Luke 6:38; 16:10-12). This is why Scripture tells us to notice the materially poor and make friends with them (Jam. 2:5). Investing in them is investing in God’s kingdom.

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Conclusion
Under the old covenant, priests were mediators who served God and the people. Today, God will not ask us directly for food, clothes, or shelter (of which He has no need), but He asks us to give to Him through people made in His image – to those for whom Jesus died who are in need. That is how the priests of this age serve.

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Evaluation Questions & Answers

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1. Mention two attributes of the worshipper of the only true God.

   • He is a priest and worker in Christ’s kingdom (1 Pet. 2:9).

   • He is a truly spiritual person, led and shaped by God’s word and Spirit (Rom. 8:14).

2. Why is the worshipper a lender also?

   • Because when we meet the needs of others in Jesus’s name, we are lending to God, and He promises to repay.

   • Prov. 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.

   • Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

3. When God calls us to worship Him, what is that call in real terms?

   • It is a call to live as priests and partners with Him, offering our lives, serving others, and being channels of His blessing.

   • Rom. 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

   • 1 Cor. 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.

4. Where should the materially rich person go to invest?

   • Among the materially poor and needy, because investing there is investing in God’s kingdom and He will reward it.

   • Jam. 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

   • Matt. 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

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Prayer

Father, make us true worshippers whose lives make Your will clear to our generation. Let our worship have real impact, so that others see You through us. Amen.

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