WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT & IN TRUTH
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. What does it mean to worship God in spirit and in truth?
a) Jesus made his comment about the need to worship our Father in spirit and truth when he talking to a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. In John the 4th chapter he tells the woman that God is seeking those who are willing to worship him "in spirit and in truth" (verse 23).
b) The Scriptures say that the Word of God is Truth (John 1:14) and that Jesus is Truth (Psalms 119:160; John 14:6) incarnate and that the Word of God is a lamp to my feet (Psalms 119:105). Now that we know a little about truth, how do we combine it with the spirit in our worship?
c) We read in the Old Testament the specific details about what was required of the Priests and Levites before they could minister before the Lord God. We came to understand that among these statutes and judgments is the Ten Commandments or Oracles or Words as the Hebrew would call them. We also began to understand that something changed when Jesus died on that stake 2000 years ago. The veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom when our Savior died, which meant that believers now had, in spirit, direct access to God.
d) We first can take a look at the spirit of the last six commandments as they are the easiest for most people to understand. The fifth commandment states we are supposed to honor our mother and father. By doing this in the physical letter, we are also honoring God the Father as the ultimate parent of all mankind. Whom would you go to for advice? When you were little you went to your parents, but as you get older you go directly to the Father in Heaven through Jesus the Christ our Elder Brother for any ultimate answers.
e) The sixth commandment declares we are personally not to kill (murder) another human being. The spiritual intent of this commandment would be that we should not even hate another human or hold a grudge. The seventh commandment states "in the letter of the law" that we are not to commit adultery. It's intent, however, means we are not to lust in our hearts for another person and to be faithful to our marriage partner. The eighth commandment basically states we are not to steal from one another. The intent of this law is that we should not even be taking another person's thoughts and use them as our own.
g) We can see that the last six commandments, let alone the rest of the Scripture, is against our society. This means that when we seek to worship God IN SPIRIT and IN TRUTH we are going against everything in the world. We cannot, on our own strength, do this unless the Spirit of God leads us and gives us the ability to accomplish this feat. Our ultimate goal in life should be to "take captive" all of our thoughts until they are the same ones that Jesus would have (2Corinthians 10:3-6). The process of conversion is made possible through the death of Jesus, which allows us to enter into the presence of the Godhead. The incredible destiny of those truly converted, the sons and daughters of God, is that they will exist for all eternity with God as immortal beings.
The End ...
1. What does it mean to worship God in spirit and in truth? a) Jesus made his comment about the need to worship our Father in spirit and truth when he talking to a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. In John the 4th chapter he tells the woman that God is seeking those who are willing to worship him "in spirit and in truth" (verse 23).
b) The Scriptures say that the Word of God is Truth (John 1:14) and that Jesus is Truth (Psalms 119:160; John 14:6) incarnate and that the Word of God is a lamp to my feet (Psalms 119:105). Now that we know a little about truth, how do we combine it with the spirit in our worship?
c) We read in the Old Testament the specific details about what was required of the Priests and Levites before they could minister before the Lord God. We came to understand that among these statutes and judgments is the Ten Commandments or Oracles or Words as the Hebrew would call them. We also began to understand that something changed when Jesus died on that stake 2000 years ago. The veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom when our Savior died, which meant that believers now had, in spirit, direct access to God.
d) We first can take a look at the spirit of the last six commandments as they are the easiest for most people to understand. The fifth commandment states we are supposed to honor our mother and father. By doing this in the physical letter, we are also honoring God the Father as the ultimate parent of all mankind. Whom would you go to for advice? When you were little you went to your parents, but as you get older you go directly to the Father in Heaven through Jesus the Christ our Elder Brother for any ultimate answers.
e) The sixth commandment declares we are personally not to kill (murder) another human being. The spiritual intent of this commandment would be that we should not even hate another human or hold a grudge. The seventh commandment states "in the letter of the law" that we are not to commit adultery. It's intent, however, means we are not to lust in our hearts for another person and to be faithful to our marriage partner. The eighth commandment basically states we are not to steal from one another. The intent of this law is that we should not even be taking another person's thoughts and use them as our own.
f) The ninth commandment declares we are not to bear false witness, which in the spirit means we are not to even exaggerate a story. The last commandment says we are not to covet what does not belong to us, which spiritually means we should be content with what we have already and be thankful for it.
g) We can see that the last six commandments, let alone the rest of the Scripture, is against our society. This means that when we seek to worship God IN SPIRIT and IN TRUTH we are going against everything in the world. We cannot, on our own strength, do this unless the Spirit of God leads us and gives us the ability to accomplish this feat. Our ultimate goal in life should be to "take captive" all of our thoughts until they are the same ones that Jesus would have (2Corinthians 10:3-6). The process of conversion is made possible through the death of Jesus, which allows us to enter into the presence of the Godhead. The incredible destiny of those truly converted, the sons and daughters of God, is that they will exist for all eternity with God as immortal beings.
2. The way of love
a) God is love and therefore would not make a law that is not for the ultimate good of mankind. We need to give God the Father and Jesus Christ the highest praise and honor with all our whole hearts and beings. We need to obey every thing that comes from the mouth of God whether written or spoken. We need to be in a state of continual repentance for our erroneous knowledge and behavior once we understand that it is contrary to what is written in Scripture. We are to give of ourselves joyously to help others come to the same understanding. We are to fellowship with those who are also being led by the Holy Spirit of God. We are to conduct our lives to please God and realize that our body is the temple of God and that they make their dwelling within our hearts and minds. This means censuring the stuff that goes into it from TV, movies, etc. May God bless you in your desire to worship him in spirit and in truth.
a) God is love and therefore would not make a law that is not for the ultimate good of mankind. We need to give God the Father and Jesus Christ the highest praise and honor with all our whole hearts and beings. We need to obey every thing that comes from the mouth of God whether written or spoken. We need to be in a state of continual repentance for our erroneous knowledge and behavior once we understand that it is contrary to what is written in Scripture. We are to give of ourselves joyously to help others come to the same understanding. We are to fellowship with those who are also being led by the Holy Spirit of God. We are to conduct our lives to please God and realize that our body is the temple of God and that they make their dwelling within our hearts and minds. This means censuring the stuff that goes into it from TV, movies, etc. May God bless you in your desire to worship him in spirit and in truth.
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