Truly Worshipping God 

I. Introduction
   A. We make much out of the way we worship God
   B. as we should
      1. He created us (Genesis 1:26)
      2. He sent His only Son to die so that we may continue to live (John 3:16)
      3. thus, we should respond with thankfulness!
   C. But do we focus so much on doing everything correctly that we lose the 
      spirit of the worship?
   D. What are the implications of such a thing occuring?

II. Examples of Worship without Spirit
   A. Isaiah 1:10-17
      1. begins his book with a condemnation of the practices of the Israelites
      2. calls them "rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah"
      3. takes no heed of nor pleasure from their sacrifices
      4. Why?  They do not do so as God desires
   B. Hosea 6:6
      1. further explication: the Israelites would sacrifice to atone for their 
         sins while not actually attempting to quit sin; they would go back to 
         their Baal-worshipping ways
      2. God decries this, demanding first mercy, then a sacrifice
      3. Quoted by Christ in Matthew 12:7
         a. condemnation of the Pharisees for adding to the Sabbath law
         b. a good warning for us
         c. do we give mercy and then our sacrifices?

III. Jesus' Teaching on Worship
   A. John 4:23-24
      1. God is Spirit, so we should worship in Spirit and in truth
      2. what are the implications of this verse?
   B. If God is spirit, and we are made of body and spirit, which portion of 
      our person should fully be in worship?
      1. Made in God's image by spirit, Genesis 1:27
      2. John 3:6 
         a. what is born of flesh -> flesh,  spirit -> spirit
      3. 1 Corinthians 15:42-49
         a. body is perishable, of the world
   C. Thus, if we are made of spirit and flesh, and the spirit is of God, 
      while the flesh is of the world, why would we ever consider the idea that
      God would be content with the flesh worshipping without the spirit?
      a. the spirit is thus critical; without it, there is no true worship
   D. NOTE: this is not advocating the Platonic notion (handed down to 
      Calvinism) of "total depravity," that the human being is innately sinful 
      and only God can pick him up.  Man is fully able to come to God, but the 
      body still has its lusts

IV. Why in Spirit?
   A. God certainly wants commitment out of His children; after all, His Son 
      died for that purpose (John 3:16)
   B. Total commitment is required, down to the thought: 2 Corinthians 10:5
   C. this commitment allows for God's purpose to be fulfilled, that we may 
      enjoy all the blessings in Christ Jesus; after all, we do not gain the 
      fruit of the Spirit by any other means (James 1:1-5)
   D. Most importantly, God desires for us to worship Him as He sees fit, which 
      is only right
      1. who has the authority, us or God?
      2. If God is the authority, who are we to determine how to serve Him?
   E. The pleasure in worshipping God
      1. Have you ever seen how wonderful it is that we even have the 
         opportunity to worship Him?
         a. we are innately sinners (Romans 3:23)
         b. there is little good in man
      2. yet He loves us so much that we may be His children, and have eternal 
         life with Him
      3. We are not worthy!
      4. It is a wonderful gift to even be able to worship Him; and then we 
         shall attempt to do so as we determine, as the Pharisees did?  Not so!
   F. We must worship in spirit because we must be meek and lowly and rejoice 
      in the wonderful gifts we have been given, and want to express our 
      gratitude from the heart, not our hands

V. Conclusion
   A. Man is flesh and spirit, and the spirit comes from God, while the body 
      often serves its worldly desires
   B. How, then, can a man worship with the flesh and not the spirit?
   C. If your spirit is not in the worship, if you are going through mindless 
      ritual, stop wasting your time and ours.  God is not listening to you, 
      just as He did not listen to the Israelites in that same frame of mind
   D. However, if you repent and come to Him, fully embracing Him in spirit 
      and in truth, He will listen to you and will build you up
   E. if we can, let us help you as we stand and sing