3D Worship Part 2 – Worship in Spirit and Truth
John 4:19-26 November 16, 2025
Introduction
Started w/ Shema (Deut. 6:4-6), called to grow in our love/worship of the Lord –
desire, devotion, delight
Lego instructions: Jackson vs Matthew
o Matthew: followed instructions to the letter, picture perfect…glued together,
dusty on a shelf forgotten
o Jackson: no instructions, creative, colorful, messy, destroyed, lost
4 Sections: Correct Worship, Spirit Without Truth, Truth Without Spirit, True
Worship
Correct Worship
John 4: Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, gently reveals her
sinful promiscuity and immediately she turns the conversation to the proper
worship of God.
John 4:19-26 “19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the
place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe
me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you
worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we
know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father
is seeking such people 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 (he 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.”
“Worship” (Gk. proskyneō) 10x (or derivative) in these verses. Literally, (pros) to
bow down/kneel/prostrate and (kuneo) kiss towards the object of your love
Some believe the root word kuneo may be related to kyōn which is
the Greek word for dog and pictures a dog lovingly licking his
master’s hand.
o This word is the most common Near Eastern act of adoration and
reverence and also carries the idea of profound awe and respect (fear of
the Lord).
In the ancient near east the mode of salutation between persons of
equal rank was to kiss each other on the lips. When the difference of
rank was slight, they kissed each other on the cheek. When one was
much inferior, he fell upon his knees touched his forehead to the
ground or prostrated himself, and as he was bowing down he would
be throwing kisses toward the superior. This last image is proskyneō
You worship what you love
Desire, devotion, delight
o Our definition: exaltation and prioritization of the object of your highest love
in any given moment
(v22) Note first that, God cares so much about worship that He will lovingly point
out false worship
o It is loving to gently and respectfully correct someone’s improper worship
(even though they will likely call you a bigot or intolerant or some other
label meant to shame and demean
o But rather than being hateful, it is the exact opposite – it is love that points
people to proper worship of their creator – even if they are yet too prideful
to accept His love for them
(v23) Note second that “True Worshippers” implies there are false and/or
counterfeit worshippers
o The Samaritans worshipped with a syncretistic, false approach to God as
they defined him (not as He revealed Himself)
(v24) Note third, “Must” (Gk. dei) denotes an absolute necessity; Jesus is
teaching us the only worship acceptable to the Father – critical that we
understand what that is
“Worshipping” in Spirit Without Truth
(v20a) The Spirit without Truth
o They have zeal, but not knowledge…. (v20a) “you worship what you do not
know”
The Samaritans worshipped on Mt. Gerizim (the mount of blessing in
Deuteronomy 11:29, Joshua 8:33) at the remnants (destroyed in
125BC) of their own temple that brought in several practices of the
pagan worship rites around them. They only observed their version of
the Pentateuch. They worshiped with fervor, but not according to the
knowledge how God said He wanted to be worshipped.
Desire w/o Devotion (awe/reverence (fear of the Lord),
affection, respect (drive to be with and resemble), admiration,
appreciation/gratitude for the Lord)
Story of Uzzah
o 2 Sam 6:3-7 “3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought
it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio,
the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, 4 with the ark of God, and
Ahio went before the ark. 5 And David and all the house of Israel were
celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and
tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the
threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took
hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled
against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and
he died there beside the ark of God.
o Ecstatic worship, but did not know the truth of God
Did not know how God defined the treatment of His ark, the resting
place of His presence with His people in the Old Testament.
See Exodus 25:12–15; Numbers 4:5–6, 15, 1Chronicles
15:13–15: required that the ark be carried by golden polls on
the shoulders of the Levites (sons of Kohath, second son of
Levi and ancestor of Aaron).
The more we move away from worshipping God in truth and lean into
an emotion driven “spiritual” approach to worship, the more we move
away from the sober-minded reverence and awe (Fear of the Lord)
that is critical to have an appropriate and balanced desire for God
The Philistines put the ark on a cart and the Israelites just
copied them….the more our lives and the more our worship
looks like that of the world, the greater danger we are in.
o Uzzah was a son (perhaps grandson) of Abinadab where
the Ark had been housed for some 50-70 years.
Sometimes familiarity and time cause things that
should continue to be revered to become too
commonplace.
One the one hand, this can lead to a wrote
and lifeless walk with God that has no zeal
On the other hand, it may cause us to seek an
“emotional/spiritual experience” to “feel” close
to God because of our familiarity.
o Either situation is dangerous and leads
to tremendous instability in one’s walk
with God
“Worshipping” in Truth Without Spirit
(v20b) The Truth without Spirit
o The have knowledge but not zeal (v20b) “we worship what we know”
o The Jews worshiped in Jerusalem. They believed the entire Bible of that
day, from Genesis to Malachi. But their religion was lifeless.
Matthew 15:8-9 “These people draw near to me with their mouth,
and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do
they worship me…” (Jesus quoting Isaiah 29:13…note that just like
Matthew 4:10 and Deuteronomy 6:13, “fear” is changed to “worship”
in v9 by Jesus)
Devotion w/o Desire (obedience, commitment, prioritization, pursuit)
Turn to Luke 7:36-50 [put on screen…will paraphrase]
o 36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the
Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city,
who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the
Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing
behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears
and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed
them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him
saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have
known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a
sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to
say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain moneylender
had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42
When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them
will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom
he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this
woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she
has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave
me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with
ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are
forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48
And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at
table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even
forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go
in peace.”
Connection with kissing of Jesus feet back to definition of worship (proskyneō)
o (v45, 47) “she loved much” = Jesus recognizes her loving worship as an
act of faith
If the focus of our approach to God is what we know and simply keeping all of the
rules and being a good person, we are in grave danger of being a self-righteous
pharisee whose “worship” God rejects
o We may be guilty of emphasizing truth and missing out on the heart of
worship that rejoices to have been forgiven, is filled with gratitude and
thankfulness, and can’t help but to share the love we have received with
others
We must guard against self-righteousness leading to a separation
from those who need God by insulating with people from the church,
insulating oneself from the Holy Spirit (who convicts and prods to do
God’s will, which can be risky, humiliating, hard), and not engaging
with our emotions in a way that moves us to serve others rather than
focusing on ourselves – again getting us out of our self-righteous
comfort zone
From Our Daily Bread:
I have a good friend I fish with now and then. He’s a very
thoughtful man. After climbing into his waders and boots and
gathering up his gear, he sits on the tailgate of his truck and
scans the river for 15 minutes or more, looking for rising fish.
“No use fishing where they ain’t,” he says.
“Do I fish for souls where they ain’t?” Do I get outside my
comfort zone, listening to the leading of the Spirit to serve my
God – to worship my God – wherever He calls me to.
o What I know means nothing if I am not living it out and
sharing it with others.
I am loved by God in order that I may love Him and
love others….self-righteous confidence in our
knowledge is just as deadly as Uzzah reaching out
and steadying the ark and must be repented from
lest we face the anger of the Lord like Uzzah did.
True Worship (v23-24)
So what is worshipping in spirit and truth (true worship)?
John Piper “Worship is first and foremost an experience of the heart. Prayer
without heart is vain. Songs without heart are vain. Confession and creeds and
liturgies and sermons that don’t come from the heart are empty and worthless in
God’s eyes. So Jesus says to the woman: Don’t get hung up on irrelevant
controversies. How you worship is vastly more important than where….Worship
must be vital and real from within and it must be based on a true perception of
God.”(sermon God Seeks People to Worship Him in Spirit and Truth)
o Worshipping in Spirit and Truth = Zeal-filled exaltation of God from the
heart, soul, and strength (see Deut. 6:4-6) led by the Holy Spirit, focused
on the one true God as He has revealed Himself, in the way He desires.
Bible present for Leslie – new ESV study bible came out – beautiful
black leather, insightful footnotes and cross references, meticulously
translated, got her name engraved on it – she never used it – why? I
got it for Leslie because it was what I wanted, not what she
wanted…and it’s still the bible I use today, ha.
We do not get to worship God the way we want…we worship
Him the way He wants. We do not worship God because of
what we get out of it; we worship God so that we can exalt Him
o He wants us to desire [awe/reverence (fear of the Lord),
affection, respect (drive to be with and resemble),
admiration, appreciation/gratitude for the Lord] Him and to be devoted [obedience, commitment, prioritization,
pursuit] to Him so that our delight is in Him alone.
Delight: contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction,
excitement, hope, peace
Connor: followed instructions, but also made his own creations….proudly
displayed them all, showing off his collection to others and sharing them with
whoever wanted to enjoy them