True Believers Worship God in Spirit and in Truth

TRANSCRIPT

(The first few minutes have been omitted.)

… In reality, they were serving their own selfish reasons: pride and promoting themselves instead of the glory of God. They were of the concision: physically they were circumcised, they were religious outwardly, they performed all the religious ceremonies, but inwardly their hearts were detached from God. Essentially, they were false believers. Then Paul said to the Philippians, "For we are the circumcision which worship God in spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh." In other words, we are different. We are true believers. We not only have the mark of circumcision but inwardly we are spiritually cleansed. We are transformed. Those whom God has spiritually transformed, they worship him in the spirit. They rejoice in Jesus Christ. They have no confidence in the flesh, only in God.

Dear friends, if you walk into a jewellery shop to buy a diamond and they offer you half the price for the diamond, the first thing you will want to know is whether it is genuine or not. If you go to the bank and deposit some large notes, it is reasonable for the bank teller to examine those notes to see whether they are true or not. Are they real or not? So, in everything in life, there's a reasonable sense in which we want to know the difference between what is true and what is false. But in Christianity, so many people take everything for granted just because they are brought up in a Christian country or in a Christian home or they have been coming to church all these years, they must surely be Christians. Is it really so? Do you not want to know whether or not your faith is real? Most certainly. So we want to focus on the first part of this truth that true believers worship God in the spirit. But before we talk about worshiping God in the spirit, we have to ask this question: What happened to us? What are the circumstances that led us to worship God in the spirit?

This morning, we want to do something different. Instead of focusing on the Apostle Paul's conversion, we want to consider another passage in John chapter 4, verse 4 to 30, which was our responsive reading. It was the passage about Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, and how the Samaritan woman was led to believe and worship God. From that passage, we want to draw a parallel comparison or to draw parallel lessons about the circumstances that led you and I to the point whereby we worship God in the spirit.

The first amazing thing about this passage in John chapter 4 is that this Samaritan was a woman. You see, in those days, the women were not the focus in society. The priority was always given to the man. The Jews would always begin each morning with a word of prayer, and one of the things many Jewish men who pray every morning was a prayer that goes something like this: "Lord, I thank thee that I was not born a slave, a gentile, or a woman." The reason why they did that was because of the low status of such individuals in the land. The slave was despised, not only because he had no property to his name, but he had to perform the most menial tasks in the land. The Gentiles were despised because of their uncleanness. They did not perform the purification rights of the Jews. The woman was despised because she had no rights, no wealth, and no heritage. Yet, this Samaritan was not only a woman, but an adulterous woman because soon Jesus would reveal that she was married 5 times, so most likely divorced 5 times. And the man she was living with at that moment was not her husband. So of all the people in Israel, she could well be the worst, the outcast.

But the love of God is able to reach out to the king in the palace; it is also able to reach out to the murderer on death row. Is it not true, dear friends? Isn't that true about us too? We are all sinners. We have committed some of the most horrendous sins. We may not have committed the physical act of murder, but surely we have thought of some of the worst, unspeakable things to the person we hate. We have lied, gossiped, slandered, stolen, lusted—you name it, we have committed it. Whether it be in our speech, in our thoughts, or in our deeds, we are no better than the Samaritan woman. But the love of God has reached out to us and saved us.

The second amazing thing is that she was a Samaritan. In those days, there was this bitter rivalry between the Samaritans and the Jews. In the history of Israel, there was a time when the kingdom was divided into the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC; the southern kingdom fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC. After the fall of the northern kingdom to the Assyrians, the Israelites were brought away from their land into exile in Assyria, and an Assyrian king brought some of his people to dwell in Samaria. The foreigners entered Samaria with the Israelites remaining in Samaria, and soon after, the word Samaritans became sort of a demeaning name. It speaks of a people who were not pure Israelites. It's a label for people who mixed the worship of the God of Israel, the one living and true God, with the idolatrous worship of the Assyrians. However, later on, the Samaritans abandoned the idols and worshiped the God of Israel alone. When the Jews returned from exile during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, their first priority was to build the temple.

The Samaritans immediately blessed their loyalty to the God of Israel and offered their help, but they were refused by the Jews. The Samaritans became very bitter from then onwards. The Jews built their own temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim just before the New Testament time. During the 400 silent years, it was believed that the Jews destroyed the temple on Mount Gerizim, so you can imagine that would have led to great animosities between the Samaritans and the Jews, which they already had. During the time of Jesus, it would be easier to travel through Samaria, the city, to get to the other side because the distance would be shorter. But many Jews would rather travel a longer distance along the coast road all along the side of the Jordan in order to bypass Samaria. They did not want to have anything to do with the Samaritans.

To give you a picture of how bad the situation was, when the Jewish leaders wanted to insult Jesus, they called him a Samaritan. In John chapter 8, verse 48, the Jews said, "Did we not say well that you are a Samaritan and you have a devil?" So that was the background of the Samaritans and the Jews. Now back to our text in John 4, verse 4, the Bible says, "And he, Jesus, must need go through Samaria," which means it was necessary for Jesus to go through Samaria. Instead of avoiding Samaria, he ran into it.

I. The meeting

Why was it necessary for Jesus to go through Samaria? Because he had to meet someone. He had to meet the Samaritan woman at the well, someone whom the world would deem as insignificant, someone whom the world at that time would despise. But Jesus went out of his way into Samaria to meet this woman. He was there in the right place at the right time, and it was by God's appointment. What does that teach us?

This is how amazing God's love is. The love of God transcends all barriers of race, gender, language, traditions, and cultures. Jesus himself repeatedly said, "For the Son of Man is come to save that which is lost." Doesn't matter who that person is, he came to save the sinner who is lost. Take a look at our church today. We all come from different countries and backgrounds: Singapore, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, and so forth. Is it not the love of God in Christ Jesus that has brought us all together? As Galatians 3, verse 28 says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." We are all one in Christ.

The reason why you are a believer is not because you are fortunate to be born into a Christian family or you are wise enough to understand the gospel. It is simply because the love of God reaches out to you and saved you somewhere along the road of life. You met Jesus. You met him because he first sought after you, just as he went out of his way into Samaria to sit by the well, to meet the Samaritan woman.

Have you met Jesus Christ? Without this meeting, the Samaritan woman would never be saved. But it was not just a meeting. It was a meeting that led to some questions asked. In life, we ask questions because we want to know. We ask questions because we are confused. We ask questions because we have needs.

Look at the Samaritan woman. Her life was a sad and pathetic string of failed relationships. But think about this, why must she be married five times? As the saying goes, "Once bitten, twice shy." Isn't it enough for her to realise her folly the first time? And yet, she was married five times. The fact that she was married five times would indicate that she longed for fulfillment in her life, and she thought that it could be fulfilled in marriage. So one man came, then another, and another, and another, and perhaps she became so tired and sick about marriages, so much so that the man she was with now was not her husband. So she was cohabiting. It was a terrible sin.

Dear friends, what is the longing in your heart? What is the thing that you desire most in your heart? When we were infants, we thought life would be fulfilled when we became teenagers. Right? When we got bigger and stronger, when we became teenagers, we thought life would be fulfilled if you got a car. When we got a car, we thought life would be fulfilled when we graduated from colleges or universities. When we graduated, we thought life would be fulfilled when we got married. When we got married, we thought life would be fulfilled when we have children. Then the children grew up and left home, and we pinned all our hopes on our retirements. Life is full of longings and desires. But whatever our desires may be, nothing can ever satisfy. This only when we meet Jesus. Only Christ alone can satisfy our deepest desires.

II. The asking

Notice how this meeting led to the asking. But even in the asking, it was Jesus himself who first asked the woman, verse 5, “Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.” 12 P.M., and Jesus, in his humanity, was tired. And it was Jesus who asked the woman, "Give me to drink." It was a shock to her because here was a Jew who asked a woman, how much more a Samaritan woman? That was why she said in verse 9, "Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, 'How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.'"

But Jesus used this conversation to engage her and to turn the tables on her. What do we mean by that? When the conversation started, he was the one who was physically thirsty, and she was the one with the water. Now he spoke as if she was the one thirsty, and he was the one with the water. Look at verse 10, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." The woman was confused, and she said in verse 11, "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water?" She was focusing on the physical water, while Jesus was focusing on the spiritual water.

The Living Water that Jesus was offering her was salvation in all its fullness, including the forgiveness of sin and a desire and ability to live an obedient life that glorifies God through the wonder-working of the indwelling spirit. So it was salvation in all its fullness.

It was not as if she did not understand anything about the Living Water. Throughout the Old Testament, there are many passages that talk about the Living Water, like in Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and even the psalmist. For example, Jeremiah the prophet warned the people in Jeremiah 17:13, "They have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water." She must have heard of this Living Water, but the physical needs had clouded her mind, and she was also skeptical of him being able to provide this Living Water. You know, the physical things of this Earth, the material things, can hinder us from our spiritual focus. That was why she said in verse 12, "Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?" Even Jacob could not provide water without first digging this well. In her mind, this Jewish man certainly was not greater than Jacob.

That was when Jesus answered and said unto her, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again," referring to the physical water, just as whoever ate the manna in the wilderness will hunger again. Physical things cannot satisfy, you cannot fill it up. "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (verses 13 and 14).

No doubt, Jacob should be rightly accorded a place of honour by both the Jews and the Samaritans, but Jesus Christ was far more superior. There was no comparison. What is man's greatest need? Man's greatest need is not to feed this physical body. Man's greatest need is to feed the soul with the Living Water of spiritual life. Man's greatest need is to have his sins forgiven and receive salvation. That is something that no one can ever provide, nothing you can ever do that will provide this Living Water, only Jesus Christ.

Dear friends, today you may be working, you are so consumed with making money and saving enough money to buy a house. Or you may be in high school or university and you're also engrossed in your academic studies. Or you may be taking piano lessons and you are so focused on passing the examination with distinctions. It is necessary for you to work hard, it is necessary for you to do all these things, but they are not your greatest needs, not even close. Your greatest need is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Let us move on to verse 15. The woman saith unto him, "Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw." At this point, the woman still did not understand this matter of spiritual transformation. When Jesus talked about the Living Water of eternal life, though she did not understand, she was most willing to accept. "If you are able to give me this Living Water and I do not need to thirst anymore, I do not need to come to this well and draw water, give this Living Water to me. Why not give it to me?"

But no sinner can ever be saved unless he understands two crucial things: the reality of sins and the need of a Saviour. If you do not acknowledge your sins, if you do not realise the consequences of your sins, that the wages of sin is death, eternal death, spiritual death, as well as physical death, you will not turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and in faith. That is why in sharing the gospel in evangelism, we must always preach about sin and the Saviour. If we only tell the people, "Believe in Jesus, you will be saved. Believe in Jesus, you will go to heaven. Believe in Jesus, you will have spiritual blessings," the people will say to you, like the Samaritan woman, “Give it to me then. Why not? I want it," without understanding the true meaning of salvation.

III. The conviction

Jesus, being omniscient (all-knowing), had to expose her sins. So he said in verse 16: “Go, call thy husband, and come hither.” He moved the conversation to her need for repentance and salvation from sin. He exposed her sins. Those who truly thirst for the salvation that God provides must confess and forsake their wicked ways. God cannot deliver someone who is not willing to be delivered. God cannot deliver someone who wants to continue in sin. There’s no salvation without repentance. We are not perfect as long as we live in this mortal body. We will still sin, but salvation must include or involve a radical change in our lives. Salvation must involve a turning away from our sins.

Verse 17: “The woman answered and said, I have no husband.” Jesus said unto her, “Thou hast well said, I have no husband: for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.” The woman saith unto him, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.” By saying that he was a prophet, she was affirming that what he said about her sinful life was true and accurate. In other words, she acknowledged her sins. But it is not good enough to say that Jesus was a prophet, or he was a teacher, or he was a shepherd. Salvation involves believing that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one whom God has promised, who has come to save his people from their sins. That is what the woman must believe in, and that is the person the woman must believe in. If you have been convicted of your sins, what would you do? You will want to turn to God, right?

The woman was convicted. This man had exposed her sins and she knew that she needed forgiveness. She wondered where she would have to turn to to seek God for his grace and salvation. Where should she go to? So she said in verse 20, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain” (remember, the Samaritans worshipped in Mount Gerizim), “and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus saith unto her, “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews.” Jesus’ message was that the real issue was not where one should worship. It was not about a place. The one who worships God must believe in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and the Messiah came from among the Jews. Salvation is of the Jews means that the Saviour came from the Jews, not from other groups, not the Samaritans. And He is the one you must believe in. He is the one whom you must put your trust in. The only one who can save you. Then Jesus said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Verse 23-24)

The phrase “the hour cometh, and now is” speaks of an urgency and personal call to the Samaritan woman. It was as if Jesus was saying to her, “You do not have to go up to the mountain to worship. It is not about Gerizim or Jerusalem. You do not have to go to that church up on the hill. Right here, right now, you can receive me by faith and worship right here.” Dear friend, the worship of God does not depend on the physical building. Earlier this week, some visitors from Singapore came and I brought them around the church. And they said nice things about this church. They said, “What a beautiful church sanctuary you have.” We thank God for that, but the worship of God does not depend on this physical building or the place. Those brethren who cannot come to church physically for whatever reasons - they may be sick, they may live in a remote place far away from church, they may be overseas - if one day you are lying on your sickbed, or you are paralysed, or you are in hospital, does it mean that you cannot worship God anymore? No! If you have received Jesus Christ into your life, you can worship God anywhere. You worship God in spirit and in truth, not dependent on the place or the time.

So the whole conversation was turned to the Messiah. It was all about the Messiah. And the woman said in verse 25, “I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.” She did not recognize him as the Messiah. She heard about the Messiah who would come. He will be the one who will provide salvation. He will be the one who will teach the truth. So she was still looking for the arrival of the Messiah. That was when Jesus revealed to her that he was the Messiah. And this was what Jesus said “I that speak unto thee and he.” (verse 26). In other words, “I am the Messiah. I am the anointed one. I am the Christ whom God has promised, who will come and save His people from their sins. Believe in Me and you will have salvation.”

IV. The belief

You know, the Bible tells us the woman was so happy and excited. Then she dropped everything she was doing and ran all the way into the city. And told the people, "Come and see this man who told me everything that I ever did. No man can ever do that except God. Is not this the Christ, the Messiah? Come and see. Isn't it amazing?"

When you look at the entire passage, she met Jesus at the well, certain questions were asked, her sins were exposed, she was convicted, the Messiah revealed to her who He was, she believed, and then she became evangelistic. She ran all the way and tried to bring the people to Jesus.

Dear friends, isn't that a picture of our lives? Somewhere along the way, we met our Lord Jesus, whether it be in a church worship service or in a gospel rally or reading an evangelistic tract. We met Him because He first sought after us. There were many questions in our minds, in our hearts. We were troubled by many questions about life and death, heaven and hell, salvation, and God answered those questions through His Word, the Bible. He speaks to us in a more special way. Our sins are exposed. We are convicted. We knew that He was the Saviour, the Messiah who has come, the only One who can save us. We turn to Him in repentance and in faith. And then we worship Him in spirit and in truth, like what we are doing this blessed morning. But we do not stop there. We want to tell others, just like the Samaritan woman. We are excited. We are happy. We want to tell our unbelieving loved ones and friends about this Saviour who knows everything about us, everything, and He is the only one who can save us. We want them to believe in Him, and we will say, like the Samaritan woman, "Come and see, come and believe." If we are true believers, that is the picture of my life. That is the picture of your life too. All glory to God. Let us pray.

Father in heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider a portion of Thy Word in the Gospel of John, Chapter 4. About how our Lord Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus went out of His way into Samaria, not avoiding Samaria, He went into it because it was necessary. It was necessary because He had to meet someone. He had to meet the Samaritan woman at the well, someone who was insignificant in the eyes of the world, just like ourselves. We are nothing, but yet our Lord Jesus is so mindful to meet us somewhere along the road of life. He met us because He has always been seeking us.

We have many questions, and all our questions are answered by God Himself through His precious Word. Questions about life and death, questions about heaven and hell, questions about where we are going after we die – all these are answered by Thee, through Thy precious Word. Our hearts are convicted, for we cannot hide from Thee. Our sins are exposed before Thee. And Thou, who have convicted our hearts, also reveal to us that Thou art the Saviour, the One who can save us from our sins. And we believe in Thee, and we who believe in Thee worship Thee in spirit and in truth. And we do not stop here. We want to tell the story of our salvation, the story of how Jesus has saved us, with our unbelieving loved ones and friends, with whomever Thou would bring into our lives. This is the story of our salvation. Blessed be Thy name. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. The meeting
• II. The asking
• III. The conviction
• IV. The belief

PHILIPPIANS SERIES

Serving the Lord Thy God

Serving the Lord Thy God

1 Chronicles 28:9

Called to Be Saints

Called to Be Saints

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

The Blessings of Being a Saint

The Blessings of Being a Saint

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Divisiveness Calls for Strong Action

Divisiveness Calls for Strong Action

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

The Foolishness of God is Wiser Than Men

The Foolishness of God is Wiser Than Men

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Let Us Glory in the Lord

Let Us Glory in the Lord

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

The Wisdom of God

The Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

The Natural Man and The Spiritual Man

The Natural Man and The Spiritual Man

1 Corinthians 2:10-16

Are Ye Not Carnal?

Are Ye Not Carnal?

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Glorify God, Not Men

Glorify God, Not Men

1 Corinthians 3:4-9

A Biblical View of the Ministry

A Biblical View of the Ministry

1 Corinthians 3:10-17

A Biblical View of the Ministry

A Biblical View of the Ministry

1 Corinthians 4:1-2

Message 4: Managing Resources

Message 4: Managing Resources

1 Corinthians 4:2

Whose Evaluation Really Matters?

Whose Evaluation Really Matters?

1 Corinthians 4:3-5

Beware of Pride

Beware of Pride

1 Corinthians 4:6-8

Beware of Spiritual Immaturity

Beware of Spiritual Immaturity

1 Corinthians 4:9-13

Marks of a Spiritual Father

Marks of a Spiritual Father

1 Corinthians 4:14-15

Be Ye Followers of Me

Be Ye Followers of Me

1 Corinthians 4:16-21

Dealing with Sin in the Church

Dealing with Sin in the Church

1 Corinthians 5:1-6

A Little Leaven Leaveneth the Whole Lump

A Little Leaven Leaveneth the Whole Lump

1 Corinthians 5:6-13

Can Believers Sue One Another?

Can Believers Sue One Another?

1 Corinthians 6:1-8

Such Were Some of You

Such Were Some of You

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Not All Things Are Profitable

Not All Things Are Profitable

1 Corinthians 6:12-14

The Temple of the Holy Spirit

The Temple of the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:15-20

Singleness or Marriage

Singleness or Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1-7

Divorce and Remarriage

Divorce and Remarriage

1 Corinthians 7:10-16

Be Faithful to Your Calling

Be Faithful to Your Calling

1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Should I Remain Single?

Should I Remain Single?

1 Corinthians 7:25-31

An Undivided Devotion to the Lord

An Undivided Devotion to the Lord

1 Corinthians 7:32-40

Knowledge is Not Enough

Knowledge is Not Enough

1 Corinthians 8:1-3

Love and Christian Liberty

Love and Christian Liberty

1 Corinthians 8:7-13

Are You Willing to Give Up Your Rights?

Are You Willing to Give Up Your Rights?

1 Corinthians 9:1-14

All Things to All Men

All Things to All Men

1 Corinthians 9:15-23

How to Run the Race Faithfully

How to Run the Race Faithfully

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

The Danger Of Overconfidence

The Danger Of Overconfidence

1 Corinthians 10:1-12

Encouragement in Times of Temptation

Encouragement in Times of Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13

Flee From Idolatry

Flee From Idolatry

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

All Things are Lawful, but All Things are Not Expedient

All Things are Lawful, but All Things are Not Expedient

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

Submitting to God's Order and Plan (Part 1)

Submitting to God's Order and Plan (Part 1)

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Submitting to God's Order and Plan (Part 2)

Submitting to God's Order and Plan (Part 2)

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

The Significance of the Lord's Supper

The Significance of the Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

A Right Understanding of Spiritual Gifts

A Right Understanding of Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1-3

Diversities of Gifts, Same Spirit

Diversities of Gifts, Same Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Cessation or Continuation

Cessation or Continuation

1 Corinthians 12:8-12

Unity In Diversity

Unity In Diversity

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Desiring the Best Gifts

Desiring the Best Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:27-31

Message 2:  The Pre-eminence Of Charity

Message 2:  The Pre-eminence Of Charity

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

The Supremacy of Love

The Supremacy of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

What Has Love Got to Do?

What Has Love Got to Do?

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Message 1: The Preface - A Scriptural Perspective On Charity

Message 1: The Preface - A Scriptural Perspective On Charity

1 Corinthians 13:1-13