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Introduction

Worship, the foundation of all Christian services, is expected of every man. Whether saved or unsaved. One of the basic reasons why we exist as humans is to bow before God. It's in worship that we acknowledge the sovereignty of God. This makes God very sensitive to worship. He tests the offerings of men. He checks the worship of men with His standard to see if it is fitting for His inhabitation. He examines it to see if it meets the qualifications He has set for it. This attitude of God towards worship should move every one who worships Him to search the scriptures for the right way. He doesn't accept any worship at all but rather the only ones that please Him. Jesus gave an information about the type of worship that God accepts and these were His words after He had talked with the Samaritan woman for sometime;
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." (John 4:23-24, ESV)
So here we are in this gospel according to John and and he's telling the worshipers of God the type that He seeks. It's therefore from this passage that I would like to consider some important things and the they are;

Now is the time of worship.

He said in verse 23 that "the hour is coming, and is now here" . This means there's a time for true worship. The people had being offering a kind of worship that was unacceptable to God. Am I making this up? In case you're wondering let's scroll up to see what Jesus said about the worship of the Samaritans in verse 22. Referring to the Samaritan woman, he said;
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. (John 4:22, ESV) . Now we know that these people didn't have a clear understanding of what worship is. They thought it was based on the place of worship. They were still in the old covenant and therefore thought like people in the old covenant. Perhaps they had not heard that God is now going to live in His people. He's no longer going to dwell in buildings but in the hearts of men. And here the question from God to all His worshippers is 'Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV)'
With that said, let's continue with the time of worship. Jesus is saying that there's an hour (time, moment) coming and now is that time. This is the moment. There's no other time for worship than this. 'Seek the Lord whiles He can be found'. A time is coming when there will be no chance for those who have not rendered their worship to Him to do so. We either choose to worship Him on earth and continue for eternity in His heaven or restrain His worship on earth and worship Him for eternity in hell. We must worship Him. He is worthy. As long as we have breath, we aught to praise Him. The Psalmist said 'Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good. (Psalm 122:9, KJV)'
How amazing this sounds. Because of the temple. Because of our transformed body. Because God dwells in His people, they will forever seek Him; seek His face with an offering of Thanksgiving and praise in their hands.

True worshippers.

Here we see Jesus showing distinction between worshippers. He calls one group 'True worshippers' . Undeniably, there are false worshippers too though He didn't mention that. Those who give an unacceptable worship to God offers a worship is a sham. And God is not going to accept that kind of worship. He deserves a better sacrifice. In case you're still not convinced that God chooses to accept some worship and rejects others, let's go to the scriptures and observe something. '4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:4-5, NASB)' .
The bible says Abel offered the 'firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;' . But with Cain's offering, "He had no regard." (Genesis 4:5, NASB). Now we know that God regards some sacrifices and rejects others. In the New Testament, God regards worship in the Spirit. People who have received Him and have become His children are the only legitimate people to offer this spiritual worship . He's here not taking about some mystical form of worship. No. He's talking about those who worship according to His precepts. According to His ways. Those who follow His word and worship according to it. It's because of this that He added that they must worship in truth. Truth and Spirit cannot be divorced in Christianity. The relationship between truth and spirit is like that between smoke and fire. Wherever you see fire, expect to see smoke. We cannot offer a worship that is claimed to be spiritual but not in truth. And what is the truth? Jesus answered this question in simple terms. He said, Your word is truth. (John 17:17, NASB). The word of the Father is the truth I am talking about. It's these people that the Father is seeking. Those who will repent, believe and worship. Those who will believe in the truth, the word of God and worship Him according to that word.
Below is a link to the part 1 👇
WORSHIP -part 1
God bless you for following today's message. It's my prayer that He grants you repentance so that you worship Him in truth and in Spirit.