We are to Worship the Father

Lesson #70

The section we are working on is John 4:15 – 26. In particular we are looking at verses 20 – 22.

Trying to move the conversation away from the sin problem in her life she responds with, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem” (John 4:20 NET). At this time Jesus doesn’t try to turn the conversation back to her sin, but he does take control of where this conversation will go. Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father” (John 4:21 ESV). Her response was in a physical location, but Jesus comes back and tells her that neither on the mountain or in Jerusalem will be the place of true worship. Jesus is not going to argue with her over which location is best but is hinting at something better. He adds who you will worship which moves the conversation away from location.

Why did Jesus introduce the worship of the Father? In his sermon titled, “Not in This or That Mount, but in Spirit and Truth”, John Piper gives three reasons. Since you have the link to the details I will only summarize his reasons. First, “God is ‘the Father’ of Samaritans”. From John 4:12: “Are you greater than our father Jacob” (ESV) and John 4:20: “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain”, Jesus knew that father was important to her. Jesus wants to lift her focus from earthly fathers to the Father who is to be worshiped.

Secondly, “God is ‘the Father’ of Children Who receive Him”. Being a father requires God to have children. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12 ESV). Jesus wants her to understand that it is not the place of worship that is important, but whether you are a child of God, thus making him your Father. She needs to understand that she must to be born again through belief in his Son.

Third, “God is ‘the Father’ of the Son, Jesus Christ”. Jesus wants her to understand that the Father has one unique Son and he is standing before her. The Father is to be worshiped, but true worship will not happen apart from Jesus Christ. It is not where you worship, but who. We will look at this in our next lesson.

Prayer

Father, how often our worship is focused on God without understanding the role of Father and Son in true worship. Father, I have notices that as we distance our self from Jesus our worship seems to become less personal and more in terms of God without the important connection to salvation in Jesus Christ. Father it seems that as a result Christianity is becoming more like a religion and less of a personal relationship. Father, I pray concerning this apparent drift away from the person of Jesus Christ.