3D Worship Part 3 – Worship in Spirit and Truth Part 2
John 4:19-26 November 23, 2025
Introduction
Has anyone ever had a broken bone? Extremely painful and debilitating. If not
treated correctly can cause permanent damage and hinder growth. We want
strong bones to physically function properly.
o I broke my hand (metacarpal) ….have one finger shorter than the other
now.
We want strong spiritual bones to worship properly.
Our current teaching series is 3D Worship—Desire, Devotion, Delight—and today
we’re going to begin examining how to worship properly.
o The first week we looked at what worship is and last week we continued by
looking at the improper balance of Desire without Devotion//Spirit without
Truth and Devotion Without Desire//Truth Without Spirit and we stopped at
Jesus’ exhortation to worship in spirit and truth in John 4.
Today we’re going to look at what it means generally to worship in
spirit and truth, and then in future sermons, we’ll dive into each of the
10 commandments as they teach us how to worship in spirit and truth
in very specific, practical ways
Sections: 1) Recap, 2) True Worship
Recap
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
o Our definition: exaltation and prioritization of the object of your highest love
in any given moment
Danger of worshipping in spirit without truth or truth without spirit
Bob Kauflin, True Worshippers “How do we tell the difference [with
an emotional experience and a sincere moment of worship]…by
examining what we’re focusing on and its fruit. If all we can remember
about an experience is how creative the instrumentation was or how
awesome the lights were, we’ve most likely been emotionally moved
but not spiritually changed. Encountering God generally bears the
fruit of things like a greater hunger for his Word, a deeper love for the
Savior, and a greater passion for a holy life.” (p135)
True Worship (v23-24)
So what is worshipping in spirit and truth (true worship)?
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.
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
How do we do this?
o Evaluate and understand what you love:
What drives you, motivates you, and captures your attention and
efforts?
What do you value and what makes you feel valued? What do you
emulate or strive to be? What do you strive to obtain? What or who
do you strive to please or gain the approval of?
What are you seeking to build? What are your goals? What are the
things you are passionate about? What are the things you give your
resources to?
o All of these things will give you insight into what you love and therefore
what you will worship IF they are not properly ordered under the exaltation
and prioritization of the one true God.
Remember that we are always worshipping at all times. Many
of the things that come to mind in that list may be good and
healthy things, but if they are out of order…if they are not
underneath our love and worship for God…then it is improper
worship, and that is idolatrous sin.
Romans 8:6-9 “6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set
the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on
the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed,
it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You,
however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of
God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ
does not belong to him.”
We are spiritual beings, and if we are children of God, we are filled with the Holy
Spirit and therefore have the power, through the Holy Spirit, to properly order our
loves and our worship under Yahweh.
Step 1, submit to Jesus by faith-filled trust in Him (see woman in Luke 7:50)
o He is seeking True Worshippers who worship in spirit and truth….If you do
not have the Holy Spirit you cannot yet be a true worshipper.
o We receive the Spirit by submitting to Jesus for our forgiveness and
salvation. This process is illustrated here in our text:
John MacArthur “She understands what many people don’t
understand, that being delivered from divine judgment requires
worship. She knows that she is a sinner, she is unmasked she
already knows that; and now she knows that a man who must be a
prophet and may be the Messiah also knows that she is a sinful
woman. How does she remedy that? By becoming a true worshiper.”
God knows that we are broken….yet our pride keeps us from
acknowledging that. It is an act of worship to say, God you are
write, I am broken, I need you to fix me.
o Repentance of sin is always the starting point for the proper worship of
God, otherwise it’s not true worship, and this only happens through Jesus
Hebrews 12:28-29 “28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a
kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God
acceptable worship, with reverence and awe [fear of the Lord], 29 for
our God is a consuming fire.”
Step 2, rely on the Holy Spirit of truth, who now lives within you and makes your
spirit – your inner man – alive, to be able to grow in the desire and devotion to
the Lord as you bring your life into order under Him.
o The Lord will help you grow in your desire for Him as we continually seek
Him: walking in His ways, serving His Kingdom, trusting in Him, spending
time with Him through all the various ways He makes Himself known to us
(prayer, study, fellowship, song, etc.)
o As we sincerely seek to get to know God – His power and presence in our
lives will become more and more real. He will begin to transform us,
empower us, and send us to do His Kingdom work, sharing His truth, love,
mercy, justice, and light into the darkness that is all around.
His purposes will increasingly become what drive you, motivate you,
and capture your attention and efforts
Serving Him and seeing His Kingdom grow will become what you
value and what makes you feel valued?
Jesus will become who you emulate and strive to be like? Who do
you strive to please and whose glory you seek to grow – not your
own.
You will seek to build His Kingdom, and not your own. Your goals will
be defined by what He calls you to and invites and empowers you to
accomplish.
You will become passionate about seeing the good fruit that He
produces in you and through you as you serve others and see gospel
go forth and transform lives as you use all of the resources He has
put at your disposal for the fame of His name and the furtherance of
His Kingdom.
o Our worship of God must be an internal movement of our heart (Deut. 6:4-
6), not just an external, ceremonial display of rote singing, or spiritual
activities or rituals – that does not please God and is not real worship
Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of
God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing
you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
and perfect.”
Romans 14:17-18 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating
and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and
approved by men.”
1 Peter 2:4-5 “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but
in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living
stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood,
to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
o (v19-20) Woman wanted to know the proper place to worship God….Jesus
wasn’t concerned with where they worshipped – He was concerned with
how they worshipped and through whom they approached God (Him)
(v25-26) – Jesus is the answer and mechanism (high priest and
acceptable sacrifice) through which we can become true worshippers.
The more clearly we see how awesome Jesus is, the more we will be
transformed (sanctified) into true worshippers.
o Bones are made of a framework of tough, fibrous collagen and a hard
mineral component, primarily calcium phosphate. This combination makes
bones both strong and somewhat flexible. They also contain living cells,
blood vessels, and nerves, and have two main layers: the hard outer layer
called compact bone and the lighter, spongy inner layer called cancellous
bone, which contains bone marrow which produce blood cells vital to life.
Strong spiritual bones of devotion (outer) and desire (inner) lead to
delight….which we then share
Step 3, share and serve others
o Our worship will move us to share the amazing God who has saved us with
others, and to serve them as an act of worship to our God.
o The woman recognized that she was broken and sinful and needed to turn
to the Lord for proper worship, she learned who Jesus is – the Messiah,
and her immediate reaction was to share the truth she learned with others
John 4:29-42 “39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him
because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40
So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with
them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed
because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer
because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for
ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.””
o The woman’s repentance and recognition of Jesus as Messiah – this inner
realization and private worship – led to a public proclamation and
(presumably) corporate worship with others.
Bones are strong individually, but they are designed to work together
as a skeleton, a whole body, one bone doesn’t do much good…and
the skeleton together is what supports all parts of the body as it
properly functions
When we worship individually and collectively – sharing Jesus
wherever we go – the whole body can be healthy, growing, and
accomplishing the work it was designed to do.
o Psalm 87:1-2 “1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded; 2 the
Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.”
o Why? Zion is Jerusalem and at the temple, the pinnacle of the city, the Lord
is collectively worshipped by His people. We are the living stones that are
the temple of God now, and when we gather together as His church, the
Lord is well pleased with our worship.
Individual worship is beautiful – but the collective/communal worship
of our God is an even greater delight to Him – we must not neglect it.
And the enemy constantly attacks this within us (adapted from
Warren Peel’s article, Public Worship Is To Be Preferred Over Private
Public Worship Is To Be Preferred Over Private – Banner of Truth
USA
Pride: I can figure this out on my own or I don’t like being
challenged or confronted with my sin
Individualism: my walk with God is personal and private and
what really matters is what God says to me personally, I want to
worship Him in the way that I connect to Him best
Self-Preservation & Introversion: the people of the church are
too hurtful, it’s just me and Jesus now – people are exhausting
Comfort & Convenience: it’s just easier to go to church online
(listen or watch) – no hassles or expectations on me.
Healthy bones, constructed together as a full skeleton, bear weight, allow for
movement, give structure, lend support, produce lifeblood and energy, protect
vital organs. Strong spiritual bones enable true worship.
o The whole bone ~ the whole heart ~ Shema (Deut. 6:4-6)
John Piper writes “Worship must be vital and real in the heart, and worship must
rest on a true perception of God. There must be spirit and there must be
truth….Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full (or half-
full) of artificial admirers….On the other hand, emotion without truth produces
empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of rigorous
thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who
love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the
bone and marrow of biblical worship.” (Desiring God p 81–82)
Amen. Amen.