Jno. 4:23 ... "An hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers."
These words of Jesus, spoken to a woman at a well in Samaria, are well known to Christians, having been quoted in numberless lessons in which great emphasis was placed upon the requirement that our worship be "in spirit and in truth." This emphasis was well placed, for we know not how to worship acceptably unless God tells us. Worship performed without the full engagement of one's mind, or spirit, is vain and will be rejected by the Father. And worship conducted without divine instruction, being designed rather to satisfy human desire, is likewise vain and unacceptable to God. In Mt. 15:9 in this regard Jesus declared, "But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men." In our efforts, however, to maintain the correct manner and motivation to worship, it may be we have neglected what our Lord said in the latter part of this verse. Therefore, in this brief exposition it is my object to draw attention to the essential message in the text above.
Notice Jesus' declaration that "the Father seeks (us) to be His worshipers." It is a thing of major importance to God that all people worship Him. In Psa. 100:3 we are told to "know that the Lord Himself is God, it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture." This Scripture reveals many points of truth that are disregarded, and even denied, by perhaps the majority of people of the present generation. It first proclaims that God's existence is a reality, not a question for debate or speculation. "Know that the Lord Himself is God." Second, it declares that human existence is the result of God's creative act, and not of some mindless force in nature, and especially not of human ingenuity. Third, it states that man is God's possession, since we are His handiwork. And fourth, this verse affirms that the earth is "His pasture," that is, it belongs to God who made it. So we see that there is, above all, a self-existent God who created man by His own will, who therefore owns man, and who also owns the very world upon which man lives.
No one knows why God created us, for in His revelation to us He never gives a fully developed explanation. But there are statements which seem to show something of God's purpose, and Jno. 4:23 is one of them. God made man to worship Him. He created us as intelligent beings with souls reflecting His image, so that we would be able to offer Him meaningful worship "in spirit and truth." When we make that response, we are fulfilling our reason for existence. A person is therefore at his best when he/she engages in worship to his Creator and Master.
How pathetic it is when people decide not to take God's existence seriously, or worse, to deny that He who made us is real. How blind is the creature who does not believe in the One who created him, thus rejecting his Master's ownership of him! And how presumptuous is man-the-tenant who claims ownership of the land that, in fact, is the property of its Creator, God! And how unresponsive and ungrateful is the person who disregards the desire of his Maker that he worship Him! How can a person enjoy life and health that are given him by God, and daily use the earth and its fruits to enrich his life, and yet feel no inward compulsion to worship God? In effect, this callous mentality amounts to tempting God, and Jesus said in Mt. 4:7, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." In conclusion, I implore everyone who reads this presentation and does not worship to awaken from complacency and begin to fulfill the express wish of God to worship Him. Please make that response while He still shows you mercy in continuing to grant you the blessings of life, health, and opportunity.
