True Worship
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Originally preached Nov. 6, 1966
Scripture
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But 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 …
Sermon Description
What does it mean to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth? How does this look in the life of a Christian? These are both very important and relevant questions that the Christian should be asking themselves. Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses these questions through the story of the woman at the well in John 4:13–14 in this sermon titled “True Worship.” He begins by defining worship as an act of bowing down, which means that Christian worship should move them to fall on their knees in awe before the Lord. Worship is when adoration of the Lord and Savior is all that can be done. He goes on to express how the Christian is moved to this kind of worship when they spend time in prayer and submit themselves completely to the teaching of Scripture. God is the one who teaches how to worship and He leads in that worship. He concludes by challenging with these questions: “are we worshiping ignorantly? Do we truly know the God we worship?” The Christian must guard against ignorance and truly seek after the God they worship. Because while worship is an external act, it is most importantly a reflection of the internal state of being in awe of God.
Sermon Breakdown
-
Worship is bowing down before God and adoring him for who he is. It is not the same as prayer, Bible reading, singing or listening to sermons. Those should lead to worship but are not worship in themselves.
-
We must submit ourselves entirely to the teaching of the Bible concerning worship. We must not rely on our own ideas or add things to worship.
-
The story of Korah's rebellion shows that God instructs us how to worship. We must worship as God commands, not as we think best.
-
Jesus told the woman of Samaria that the Jews knew how to properly worship God. We must follow the teaching of Jesus and the Bible.
-
God is spirit. He is not confined to any place. We cannot limit God to buildings or locations.
-
Although God is spirit, he is also personal. He is our Father. Jesus revealed God as our Father.
-
We have been adopted as God's children. We can come before him with confidence as our Father.
-
We must remember who God is before we worship him. He is the Creator, all-powerful and all-knowing, yet he cares for us.
-
God dwells in us and walks among us. He has chosen us to be his people.
-
God is not ashamed to be called our God. He cares for us. We can cast all our cares on him.
Sermon Q&A
How Did Martyn Lloyd-Jones Define True Worship?
What is the essential meaning of worship according to Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the root meaning of worship is "to bow down." He explains: "The root meaning of the Hebrew word, which is translated by the word worship in the Old Testament, means to bow down. To bow down. And that is the essence of true worship. It means that we bow down in the presence of God." True worship is not merely an intellectual exercise or a routine activity, but a profound act of bowing down before God in recognition of His majesty.
How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish worship from other Christian activities?
Lloyd-Jones clearly distinguishes worship from other Christian activities. He states that while "the whole life of the Christian should be lived in the service of God," not everything is worship. He explains that reading the Bible is not worship in itself, though it should lead to worship. Similarly, prayer is not necessarily worship, nor is singing or listening to sermons. True worship is specifically "bowing down before God and adoring him for himself," being concerned about God himself, apart from what He does for us or the blessings we receive.
What does Lloyd-Jones mean by worshipping God "in spirit and in truth"?
Lloyd-Jones explains that worshipping God "in spirit and in truth" means moving beyond external forms, rituals, and locations to worship God as He truly is. He references Jesus' words to the Samaritan woman: "God is spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." This means recognizing that God is not confined to buildings or specific places, but is omnipresent. It also means worshipping with a true understanding of who God is - not just as an eternal spirit but as our Father who cares personally for us. True worship comes from the heart and is based on truth about who God really is.
What obstacles to worship did Lloyd-Jones identify?
Lloyd-Jones identified several obstacles to true worship:
- National and social prejudices
- Spiritual dullness and materialism
- Evasiveness about our real spiritual condition
- Wrong and false ideas about worship and God
- Focusing too much on buildings, ceremonies, rituals, and externals
- Seeing God merely as a source of blessings rather than worshipping Him for who He is
- Failing to understand God's true nature as both spirit and Father
How does Lloyd-Jones connect worship with the well of living water?
Lloyd-Jones connects true worship with Jesus' promise of "a well of water springing up into everlasting life." He suggests that when we worship God properly - with the right understanding of who He is and in the right spirit - we experience the fullness of Christian life that Jesus promised. He states: "These, my dear friends, are the preliminaries to worship. And until we are right about these things, we shall know very little about the well of water springing up into everlasting life." True worship is not just a religious duty but leads to an abundant, overflowing spiritual life.
What experience did Lloyd-Jones share about John Wesley and worship?
Lloyd-Jones shares a powerful account from John Wesley's journals dated January 1, 1739. Wesley, his brother Charles, George Whitfield and others were meeting in Fetter Lane when "the power of God came mightily upon us inasmuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground." Wesley wrote that when they recovered "a little from the awe and the amazement at the presence of his Majesty," they broke out spontaneously singing "We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord." Lloyd-Jones uses this example to illustrate true worship - not a planned ritual but an overwhelming response to God's manifest presence that produces awe, amazement, and spontaneous adoration.
How does Lloyd-Jones describe God's nature in relation to worship?
Lloyd-Jones describes God in two complementary ways that inform how we worship Him:
-
"God is spirit" - He is not confined to physical locations or temples, is omnipresent, and cannot be limited by human constructs. This means we don't need special buildings or places to worship Him.
-
"God is Father" - Despite His transcendence as spirit, He is also personal. Lloyd-Jones says, "When I'm told that God is Father, I know that that eternal spirit is personal." This means we can approach Him intimately while still maintaining reverence: "Our Father, yes, but which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."
This balanced understanding should shape our worship, helping us avoid both distant formality and inappropriate familiarity.
The Book of John
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.