Worship in Spirit and in Truth
A Sermon on John 4:13-14
Originally preached Nov. 13, 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
In the Bible, the Christian is told that when they worship God, it must be done in spirit and in truth. But what does it mean to worship God in spirit and truth? Listen to part two of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ sermon on worship where he speaks on what this kind of worship should look like in the lives of Christians today. He begins by explaining that to worship in truth means it must never be thoughtless, but governed by a realization of who is being worshiped. One cannot fool God by taking on the appearance of true worship, but both the outward appearance and the heart must be united in worship to Him. The Christian also worship in truth when they come to God in humility, recognizing their brokenness and need for Him. While it is important to worship God in truth, it is equally important to worship Him in spirit. In this sermon on John 4:13–14 titled “Worship in Spirit and in Truth,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that this means allowing the Spirit of God to lead in worship by growing in understanding of who God is. He concludes by challenging the listener to worship God in both spirit and in truth, because He alone is worthy of full and sincere praise.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon text comes from John 4:13-14. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that whoever drinks the water he gives will never thirst.
- This is the great offer of the Christian Gospel - to never thirst. Christians should be in a state where they never thirst, no matter the circumstances.
- Many things rob us of this experience, including wrong ideas about worship and God. The Samaritans worshipped in ignorance and darkness.
- We must worship in spirit and in truth. Truth means:
- It must not be thoughtless. We must stop and consider what we're doing.
- It must not be mechanical or habitual.
- It must not be hypocritical or dishonest. We can't fool God.
- It requires a united heart, not a divided one. Our whole being must be involved.
- It leads to being humbled, broken, and contrite before God.
- Worshipping in the Spirit means:
- Realizing our inability to pray without the Spirit.
- Asking the Spirit to prepare us to pray.
- Relying on the Spirit to guide our thoughts, words, and understanding in prayer.
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.