Father God, we thank you for the chance to gather tonight.
We thank you for your word.
We thank you that you're a God who wants us to know you.
You're a God who reveals himself to us through your word and through your people.
And God, we pray that tonight you might give us a real clear and fresh vision of you
so that we might live lives of adoration and action that are fitting
so that we might worship in a way that reflects your glory and your majesty.
Amen.
I remember when I was growing up, there was a girl that I went to school with
that I used to have arguments with.
I went to a Christian school, but it was mainly a Christian school in name.
Not many of my friends were Christians.
And even of those who said they were Christian, probably even fewer,
actually followed Jesus in any active way.
But this girl stuck out in particular.
I remember we were planning an event.
A whole bunch of people in our year group were planning a party.
We'd managed to find a location for this party.
We sorted out entertainment, food.
It was going to be great.
It was exciting.
We were looking forward to it.
It was planned for a Friday night.
And this one girl insisted that she would not come.
It's not that she didn't like the people who were going.
It's not that she wasn't on board with what we were going to be doing.
The thing was, she went to a church, a Seventh-day Adventist church,
and she believed that worshipping God was particularly important on one day of the week.
From sunset on a Friday to sunset on a Saturday, basically,
they did nothing that would be constituted as work or any kind of distraction from God.
And I remember in all of my youthful enthusiasm and probably in a slightly unloving way,
correcting her and explaining how ridiculous it was that she would do that
and that she would miss out on something fun
and that she would think that God would care what she did for a couple of hours on the Friday night
or, you know, that she could not worship God while she was there.
In hindsight, I respect her quite a bit for her discipline.
But at the time, what it did was make me ask the question a little bit,
not publicly because I was too proud for that,
but at least privately ask the question,
when am I supposed to worship?
Because my experience was I do it on Sundays.
I go to church on Sundays.
That's when we do the Jesus stuff,
usually on a Sunday afternoon because that's when it's more fun and exciting.
But that was just my experience of it.
And I was trying to figure out, well, she thinks it has to be on Friday night through Saturday,
and I think it happens on Sunday.
So who is right?
A few years later, in fact, not that long ago,
I was in hospital one Christmas for several weeks,
and I remember wandering out the front door for some fresh air,
just for a bit of a break,
and a lady was sitting there.
She'd been visiting someone else, and we just struck up a conversation.
Over time, we worked out that we both were followers of Jesus,
and we were talking about what we believed in,
and it came up talking about worship,
talking about when we worship.
And I talked about how I was part of a church,
and I was training for ministry,
and, you know, I loved Sundays.
It was great to go to church and have services and be with God's people.
And she slightly condescendingly smiled at me
and explained how real worship needed to happen at the beginning of each day.
And she explained the community that she was a part of
and how they got up at 6 a.m. every day to do their worship
and how that was the real worship that God wanted from his people.
And I, again, full of love and grace, gently corrected her
and from all of my wisdom and training explained how wrong she was.
But again, it left me just asking the question,
why do I do it on Sundays?
Why is that the immovable object in my week?
Why is that the time that I gather for worship?
Because there are a lot of different people
who think a lot of different things
about what right and true worship looks like.
We're spending four weeks talking about it.
So that says there's at least some confusion.
And in the passage that we come to in John 4 tonight,
we find a woman who we know believes in God.
We know has at least some desire to follow him.
She's expecting the Messiah to come,
so she knows a little bit about what God is about.
And so when she meets Jesus,
when she discovers that he is some sort of prophet,
she wants to ask him the question.
I'm a Samaritan, she says,
and so I think worship happens this way in this place at this time.
You're a Jew, and so you think it happens this way
in this place at this time.
Who's right?
What is proper worship supposed to look like?
And listen to Jesus' response.
This is really profound in chapter 4, verse 21.
Woman, Jesus replied,
God is spirit,
and his worshippers must worship in the spirit and in truth.
The answer God gives is,
sorry, the answer Jesus gives is classic Jesus.
He doesn't answer the direct question about which is the right mountain.
He takes her to where we were last week.
He says it's not about where you worship.
It's not about when you worship.
It's not about this mountain or that mountain.
It's not about what time of day,
what time of week,
or even how long.
It's about who you worship.
The thing that dictates what true worship looks like,
this is what we spent time on last week,
is who it is that you're worshipping.
They will tell you where it's supposed to be
and what it's supposed to look like.
In fact, Jesus tells us in this little few verses
that even the Jews,
who were God's chosen people,
who had God's law,
who were expecting God's Messiah,
don't have the full picture of God
and don't have the full picture of what worship is going to be
and the better worship that God wants.
Jesus says here,
God is spirit.
God can't be contained in one location.
He can't be contained in a particular time of day.
You can't program God.
God doesn't answer to your run sheet.
God doesn't show up when we think he should.
He doesn't fit our schedule
or our ritual or anything else.
We don't even have the ability
to draw ourself into God's presence.
So even if you found the apparent right place,
that doesn't mean you could just wander up and worship.
God is spirit.
He is present not in a time or a place,
but at all times and in all places.
God is bigger than any one location.
He's here as we gather now.
He's with you as you get in your car
and drive home after this.
He's going to be there while you fall asleep tonight.
He's going to be there when you're eating your breakfast,
when you're alone,
when you're working,
when you're at school.
He is always there,
always present
and always worthy of worship.
See, the problem with this woman's question
and the problem sometimes for us
when we ask the question of when do we worship
or where do we worship
or what should it look like is
that we are misunderstanding the God
that we are actually trying to worship.
We're trying to contain him into a block of time
or a type of service or a ritual
and when we do that,
we misunderstand two really important things
about who God is.
First of all,
it's like we're saying he's only there sometimes.
It's like we're saying God is kind of distant from us
and we've got to go meet him at his house
if we're going to relate to him
because that's what worship is.
It's relating and interacting with God
and if we say we worship
at a particular time or in a particular place,
what we're saying is
God is only in that particular time
or particular place
but God has made it clear that he's not distant.
The whole point of Jesus is God saying
I want to draw near to you.
It's God showing up to say
I want to relate to you.
I want to be present
and now by his spirit,
he dwells within us.
So he is always there.
You don't have to go to God's house
to relate to him
because you are God's house.
You don't have to go to a building
or a time of day.
God is everywhere
in every moment of every day.
But the second
and maybe the more dangerous misunderstanding
if you try and limit worship down
to a specific time or place
is that what you're saying is
he's only worthy of those times
and those places.
Remember, worship is really about
the one who's being worshipped
and if it's only about
an hour or two in the week
or 15 minutes at the start of a day,
if that's enough for God,
what does that say
about the majesty
and glory
and power
of the God
that you worship?
He doesn't seem
very impressive
if he just needs
an hour in your week
and the rest is up to you.
Worship is a response
to God
who has revealed himself
in Jesus.
He's revealed himself
as all-sufficient,
all-satisfying,
all-powerful,
creator and sustainer,
and he's worthy
of more
than we could possibly
give him.
So to think that worship
would in any way
be less
than every minute
of every day
in every task
that we do
is to misunderstand
the God
who we come to worship.
He is worthy
of unceasing,
exuberant,
extravagant,
enthusiastic worship
all the time.
I don't know
if any of you
have had the misfortune
of being in a long-distance
relationship.
I understand
it's essential
for some people
but reality is
it's not the best-case scenario
if you're going to
have a relationship.
You know,
you see them
once every so often
and there's so much
pressure in that time
when you actually
get to see them.
For three weeks
the best you've had
is phone calls
or if you're a little bit older
letter writing
or emails
or whatever it is
and so you finally
get to see them
for that few hours
or that weekend
and your whole relationship
has to exist
in that couple of hours.
All the affection,
all the joy,
all the care,
everything that you
were trying to get
out of that relationship
has to be given to you
in that small window
and what happens is
you get disappointed
because you can't squeeze
three weeks of love
and care and affection
into a couple of hours.
That's not how it works.
When we restrict worship
to an hour a week
or a part of our day
or a particular location
we treat God
like we're in
a long distance relationship.
We treat him
like he's not around
the rest of the time
and we wonder why
we're not as satisfied.
We wonder why
we're not as in awe.
We're not as in love.
And it's because
what we've done
is we make this
Sunday gathering
our worship
and we expect it
to be enough
to give us all the joy
and all the strength
and all the encouragement
and all the satisfaction
that God promises.
That's not the point
of this gathering
because God is always there.
God is always good.
God is always worthy
and he doesn't want
a long distance
relationship with you.
He wants to be present
in your life
all the time
and he is present
in your life
all the time.
Last week I mentioned
that church can often feel
like a shot in the arm
to get you through the week.
It can encourage you.
It can strengthen you.
It can keep you going.
Sometimes you can map out
your emotion through the week
from church to church.
But it's not the whole truth.
See, the quality
of our experience
as we gather
to worship God here
needs to be
and is
the overflow
of the worship
and the relationship
that we have with God
the rest of the time.
You can't just
turn it on here
and expect it to be
intimate
and on fire
and enthusiastic
and joyful
and a blessing
if you just ignore God
or treat him
like he's not there
the rest of the time.
You can't turn on
a relationship
and then turn it off.
That's why long distance
relationships are difficult.
Coming to church
and gathering
as God's people
can be a shot
in the arm
but really
it needs to be
an overflow
of a whole life
where you're already
living dependent
on Jesus
where you're already
getting to know him
in his word
where you're already
trusting in the forgiveness
that he offers you
where you're already
confessing your sin
and asking him
to change your heart.
If you're just
doing it once a week
you're putting a pressure
on this hour
this hour and 10 minutes
this hour and 15 minutes
that it can't hold
and at best
your relationship
will be difficult
at worst
it won't work.
Romans 12
says to us
therefore I urge you
brothers and sisters
in view of God's mercy
to offer your bodies
as a living sacrifice
holy and pleasing to God
this is your true
and proper worship
in light of who God
has shown himself
to be
in giving his son
so that we might know him
a living sacrifice
is what true worship
looks like.
Now
by definition
sacrifice
is complete.
You can't sacrifice
some of yourself
all the time
or all of yourself
some of the time
sacrifice
is all of yourself
all of the time.
The only
right response
the only satisfactory
response
to what God
has done for us
in Jesus
is a life lived
in faith
every day
not for an hour a week.
It's a life lived
in obedience
and affection
and commitment
every day
not just
for an hour
or a day
or a morning
or whatever it is
you can't
sacrifice
some.
The life
that is lived
in faith
the life
that is a living
sacrifice
is completely
devoted to God
in any
and every
circumstance
and the key
in that Romans 12
verse is
it's in response
to what God
has done for us
in Jesus.
Therefore
in view
of God's mercy
because he has
called you
into a relationship
with himself
he invites you
to trust him
and lean on him
and be satisfied
in him
in every minute
of every day.
God is spirit
and so the appropriate
worship of him
the worship he desires
is worship
that's in spirit
and in truth.
It's the gospel
shaped worship
that we talked
about last week
worship where we
are inadequate
within ourselves
but confident
because of what
God has done
in Jesus.
The way that
the Trinity works
in our relationship
with God
is we want
a relationship
with God
the Father.
Jesus does
what needs
to be done
to make that
possible
and the Spirit
connects us.
So we call
God our Father
through the Son
and by the Spirit.
Stick with me.
So what we mean
when we pray
we pray to the Father
in the power
of what Jesus
has done
by the Spirit.
What that means
for our worship
is we worship
in what Jesus
has done.
This is last week.
Jesus is our worship.
He's the perfectly
obedient one.
He's the one
who trusts
and honors
His Father
at all times
and so our worship
is in the Son
and by the Spirit.
What that means
is because the Spirit
is present in your life
always,
because the New Testament
says that when you
trust Jesus
God places His Spirit
in you,
God is always there
and always worthy
of worship
and by His Spirit
you are always
empowered to worship.
worship.
You always have
what you need
to worship.
You don't need
a building,
you don't need
a particular song,
you don't need
a particular group
of people.
All you need
is the Spirit
of God
and what Jesus
has done for you
and you have
those things
in every minute
of every day.
In 1 Corinthians 10
Paul says,
this is his summary
statement,
whether you eat
or drink,
whatever you do,
do it all
for the glory
of God.
It's not about
tasks,
it's not about
routines,
it's not about
some bits being
holy and other
bits being normal,
whatever you do.
It's all for
the glory of God,
it's all an opportunity
to worship God,
it's all an opportunity
to depend on Him
and trust what He
has done for you.
The answer to the
when and where
question for worship
is all the time
and everywhere.
There is no distinction.
But,
that does mean
that we have to ask
perhaps the more
difficult question,
why do we do
this then?
If we can worship
God whenever,
wherever,
without any of this,
why do we bother
gathering together?
What's the point
of us taking an hour
or an hour and 15
on a bad week
or a good week
depending on how
you take it?
What's the point
of us doing that
each Sunday
if we can just do it
all the time
and everywhere?
If I can worship
God in the car
on the way home,
it's probably much
quicker for me
to just sit in my car
in the driveway.
Why gather
for corporate worship?
Well,
as a starting point,
God commands us to.
Hebrews 10
is going to be
on the screen.
Therefore,
brothers and sisters,
since we have
confidence to enter
the most holy place
by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way
opened for us
through the curtain
that is his body,
and since we have
a great priest
over the house of God,
let us draw near to God
with a sincere heart
and with the full assurance
that faith brings,
having our hearts sprinkled
to cleanse us
from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies
washed with pure water.
Let us hold unswervingly
to the hope we profess
for he who promised
is faithful.
So, so far,
the writer is saying,
because of what God
has done in Jesus,
let us draw near to God.
Let us worship him.
We have access to him
because of God.
But then listen to what he says
in the same breath,
in the same thought.
Verse 24,
let us consider
how we may spur one another
on toward love
and good deeds,
not giving up meeting together
as some are in the habit
of doing,
but encouraging one another
and all the more
as you see the day approaching.
So, in the same breath
as encouraging you
to hold on to the hope
that you have in Jesus,
in the same breath
as saying hold on
to your heavenly desire
and ambition
and anticipation,
he says don't give up
meeting together
as some are in the habit
of doing.
If you hear the message
of scripture
that worship is everything,
that worship is full time,
that it's all of life
as a reason not to gather
for worship like this,
then you've misunderstood
what we do
when we get together.
You've misunderstood
that there is something
unique and special.
The church exists
to build one another up
and to glorify God,
to mature one another
and the church is,
by definition,
a gathering.
Ultimately,
we are gathered
to the Father in heaven
through what Jesus has done
and it's a heavenly gathering,
but it gets expressed
when we do this.
This is a glimpse
of what God has achieved
in eternity.
One day we will see it
in its full magnitude
with those who have trusted Jesus
from every tribe,
nation and tongue
and generation,
but this is the church
because the church gathers.
And so a Christian
who by choice
cuts themselves off
from the gathering
of God's people,
cuts themselves off
from the source
of growth and maturity.
A Christian who chooses
not to gather
because they think
I can worship by myself,
misses out on what God
has given them
to grow them
and mature them
and is ultimately
a malnourished Christian.
Our future eternal existence
is a gathering.
It probably won't look
a whole lot like this.
There might be little bits
that are familiar,
but it will be with God
together.
If you've got a picture
of heaven
that is just you and God
hanging out one on one,
I want you to know
that God has something
better in store for you
than that.
God is going to bless you
by surrounding you
with a multitude
of other people
who he has loved
and purchased
by the blood of Jesus.
And he's going to use them
for all eternity
to reveal himself to you.
We gather
because God commands us to,
because it feeds us.
We gather
because that's what
forgiven people do,
because it spurs us on.
But one last one
that I think
is really important.
We gather
because when we do,
we get to experience
God's presence
in a unique way.
When we gather
as God's people
around his word,
we get to experience
God's presence
in a unique way.
Now, we need to be careful
how we articulate this,
because we've already said
that God is everywhere,
that God is present
all the time,
in every minute
of every day.
And so,
we can't say
that he's more present,
because that wouldn't
make sense.
But there is
something unique
in the New Testament
about what happens
when God's people
get together.
Let's look at a few passages
on the screen quickly.
Matthew 18, verse 20,
where two or three
gather in my name,
there am I with them.
This is a passage
about prayer,
where people are agreeing
in something,
and Jesus says,
when that happens,
there am I with them.
When they gather
in my name
for my purposes,
there am I with them.
1 Corinthians 5, verse 4,
when you are assembled
and I am with you
in spirit,
and the power
of our Lord Jesus
is present.
This passage
is talking about
dealing with sexual immorality
amongst the body
of believers.
It's a totally different
passage to the Matthew one,
but again,
when they're assembled,
the power
of the Lord Jesus
is present.
Now, in both
of those verses,
surely it's redundant
to say that Jesus
is present
when we've already
heard it over and over
throughout the New Testament
that when we put
our trust in Jesus,
his spirit dwells in us
and is therefore present.
Why mention it again
unless there is
something unique
about the presence
that is being talked
about in these passages?
Many times
when we open
the New Testament
and we hear that
the spirit dwells in you,
what it means is
the spirit dwells
in you's collective.
It's not to take away
from the fact
that the New Testament
says that the spirit
dwells in you individually
when you put your trust
in Jesus,
but over and over
the New Testament
says that there is
something unique
about the communal
presence of God.
For the past,
I can't even think
how many years
I've been playing AFL
as part of a team.
I've played in a few
different teams
and with varied degrees
of success,
but each year
from the point
where I sign up
on my form
and I hand over
my money
and I pay my registration
and I get my uniform,
that's when I'm part
of the team.
I become a member
of the team
at that point.
But the time
when I'm most aware
of my role
or my status
as a team member
is when I have
my uniform on
and I'm gathered
with the other members
of my team
in preparation
for playing a game.
It's not that I'm
less a team member
when I'm at home
or at work
or watching TV
or trying to recover
from the pain
that football causes.
My status
doesn't change
but when I gather
with those people
my awareness
of my status
as a team member
is heightened.
In the same way
I am in Christ
when I ask
for forgiveness
and I trust Jesus.
When I become
a Christian
Jesus places
his spirit
in me.
But when I gather
with God's people
my awareness
of Jesus
my affection
for Jesus
my desire
for his purpose
and his kingdom
is heightened
because I'm surrounded
by a group
of people
that share
that same experience
and that same status.
Because remember
worship is
relational.
Worship is about
relating to
and loving
and adoring
our Heavenly Father
and when we gather
with God's people
we get to see God
through what he is doing
in the people around us.
We get to see God
fresh.
We get a clearer vision
a fresh revelation
of him
when we see
a brother or sister
satisfied
and joyful
in God.
We get to see God
more clearly
when we see a brother
or sister
persevering
in difficulty.
We get to see God
as they sing
and celebrate
God's goodness.
Corporate worship
is a chance
for you
to encounter
God
fresh.
Our time
together
tonight
is a chance
for you
to encounter
God
fresh.
I wonder
if you arrive
tonight
expecting God
to reveal himself
expecting him
to be present
because he's here
in a unique way
because we are here
under his name
and around his word.
He wants
to show himself
to us
tonight
so that we might
be more satisfied
in him
so that we might
be strengthened
to keep obeying him
so that we might
love him
as he deserves
so that we might
trust him
more fully.
Did you come here
to encounter
the living
saviour Jesus
or did you come
for a sermon
that wouldn't go
too long
and might be
interesting
or did you
come for the music
or did you
come for the
dinner afterwards
which we're not
providing
just to clarify
what were you
expecting
when you came
God reveals
himself
in his
gathered people
for our sake
and for those
who don't know
Jesus yet
1 Corinthians 14
is a passage
that's correcting
a church
for some mistakes
that they're making
in their gathering
but it talks
about an unbeliever
that wanders
into the church
meeting
and sees the church
being the church
doing their thing
singing
praising
giving
all those things
and they fall
down on their knees
and respond
with surely
God is among you
that's the response
of an unbeliever
who comes in
and sees the gathered
people of God
together
the presence
of God
among his people
is a gift
to us
it's a gift
and an opportunity
for us to see
and be fed
and encouraged
and have a fuller
revelation
of who God is
every time
we gather like this
is a chance
for somebody
who doesn't know
Jesus
to walk into
the room
and encounter
God
sometimes we
try and encourage
you to bring
your unsaved
friends
those who don't
know Jesus
along to church
sometimes we have
special evangelistic
Sundays
to help you do it
we don't need
special evangelistic
Sundays
the people of God
together
equals the presence
of God
so every time
we gather
is a good time
to bring along
someone who doesn't
know Jesus
because they can
encounter
God's love
and grace
in our relationships
in the way
that we serve
one another
in the way
that we deal
with suffering
and difficulty
in the joy
and satisfaction
and contentment
that we know
in spite of our
circumstances
corporate worship
is fed by the
worship we do
in the rest of our
week
but likewise
when we gather
and encounter
God together
it feeds the
worship that we do
in the rest of the
week
loving God
and obeying God
and encountering God
and reflecting on God
and responding to God
together
helps us to keep
doing that in the rest
of the week
it feeds both ways
and so I want to ask you
is that where our
Sunday gathering sits
in your priorities
for the week
is this 5pm time slot
an immovable object
in your diary
because you know
that there is nothing
more important
more beneficial
more joyful
that you could possibly
do with your time
or is this locked
in
unless you get
a better offer
is it immovable
except for when
there is a party
or a dinner date
or an exam
or an assignment
do you wake up
on Sunday mornings
just unable
to sleep in
because you know
that today is the day
you get to gather
with God's people
and enjoy his presence
or do you not really
think about it
until about 10 to 5
when you realise
you are running late
and you need to
race here quickly
because God
has designed this
to be a gift
for you
so part of our
challenge is
we come here
with our eyes
half closed
we come here
not ready
to encounter God
not willing
to hear him
as he encourages us
not willing
to see him
as he strengthens
the person
next to us
this is a gift
from God
this is an opportunity
and a blessing
especially here in Sydney
free from persecution
this Sunday gathering
this service
this community
has the potential
to be more than a shot
in the arm for the week
this could be a life
transforming hour
for you
every Sunday night
where you encounter
the risen Jesus
have your heart
re-inflamed
to love him
and obey him
and serve him
and you go out
into the rest
of your week
just busting
to keep
loving him
and serving him
as you spend time
in your word
as you go to work
as you eat
and drink
and do whatever
it is that God
gives you to do
all for his glory
today
today was really
an answer
to a whole bunch
of questions
there's still more
questions
and we've got
a couple more
weeks to go
it's not just
about where
and when
but also
why we do this
and all of it
comes back
to last week
it's all because
of who we worship
worship is all
of life
because our God
is that big
and that worthy
and this matters
because God
says this matters
because God
has made this matter
because God
has put himself
here when we gather
and said this is a gift
this is an opportunity
this is a blessing
I read this morning
in Psalm 121
verse 3
he will not let
your foot slip
he who watches
over you
will not slumber
our God
never rests
from doing
his work
he never rests
from being perfect
and just
and glorious
and holy
and righteous
and loving us
and so he is
always
worthy
of our all
in every minute
of every day
and that same God
who never rests
reveals himself
uniquely
when we gather
in his name
so let me finish
with the words
from Corinthians
because he's worthy
whether you eat
or drink
or whatever you do
do it all
for the glory
of God
whether you work
or study
or sleep
or rest
or gather
do it all
for the glory
of God
because he's worthy
let's pray
Father God
we want to ask
that you would
protect us
from a small
vision of you
we want to ask
that you would
stop us
from containing
you into a time
or a place
or a routine
or a ritual
help us
to see you
in all of your
glory and majesty
help us
to grasp
the privilege
of knowing you
and relating to you
and worshipping you
help us
to be people
who joyfully
wake up
every day
to give
every moment
to you
to lean on you
in faith
and to trust
your goodness
help us
to be people
who delight
in gathering
as your people
help us
to come here
expectant
that you will
reveal yourself
to us
help us
to invite
boldly
knowing that
you will be
present
at the gathering
of your people
help us
to be transformed
as we meet
with you
each week
may this time
truly be
a life
shaping
hour together
may this
community
be one
that reflects
the God
that it
worships
we ask
this in your
son's name
amen