Our text for this evening is found in John, Chapter 4, verses 19-24, The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 
	We began our considerations last week in terms of the worthiness of God to be worshipped. We can neither avoid, nor circumvent the fact that He will receive only the amount of praise that we place in value in Him. As our hearts develop the realization that God is our everything, our worship unto Him will be reflective of that truth. It is one of the great aspects of the working of the Holy Spirit to bring us to the place where we begin to somewhat comprehend the great work of God accomplished in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. As that becomes the truth of our beings, so will our worship reflect in greater clarity and honor the fullness of the joy of reaching the heart of God. He will be glorified, and as His Church, as His Beloved, our lives are to be the living expression of that resplendent truth on this earth.
	Continuing in line with this, we are now about to broach several of the manners in which God is to be receiving of the worship of His Church, even on our sojourn on this earth. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will consider a number of elements which we already know, but may neglect to continually bring to our conscious awareness before God.
	The first rests in the passage before us. The Samaritan woman opened up the issue of her day, in directing her question to the Lord. It was a doctrinal issue with the request of where is the place to properly worship God. The Samaritans worshipped on the mountain. The Jews preached that true worship took place only in Jerusalem. The arguments raged between the people as to the correct location of bringing worship unto God. This woman, seeking to find out the proper manner of pleasing God, questioned the one whom she perceived was a prophet sent from God.
	It is the response of Christ that is the focus of our deliberation. Rather than siding with one group of ideology over the other, Christ puts all worship in its proper perspective. First, it is not a matter of location, as some would have it. This is still an issue today. Some think that true worship can only take place in the proper church building at an appointed day and time. Anything done anywhere else, according to this idea, does not have the same force before the Lord God Almighty. Trips are even organized to the Holy Land with the idea that prayers and worship spoken in that region will have greater focus and strength before God. While there is nothing wrong with travel for the sake of history and learning, it is a false hope to think that prayer and worship is more fulfilling to God if done at the Holy Wall of Jerusalem. As well, worship unto God is not predicated on the ornateness of the building, or even on the presence of a building. 
	Christ also takes away the traditionalism of habitual service unto God in His response. There is no place given for those words and prayers which are simply the rote recitations of words taught over and over again to the younger of the flock. This, too, is a problem that is with us today. There are catechisms and liturgies that require precise responses to specific aspects of the ordained worship service. But, the use of the prescribed words at the alotted time does not indicate true worship. It only indicates a ceremoniously assigned tradition that is handed down from generation to generation. Here again, the words are not the focal point, as we will see, but rather, the focal point is the heart of the worshipper before God.
	Christ also removes the doctrinal aspect of by whom we are to worship. Again, there are teachings around the world in relationship to how to approach the Throne of Grace. Many by-pass the direct route in favor of coming to God through a variety of methods and people who have gone before us into glory. Christ clearly taught that He alone is the Way, John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.
	When all is said and done, the only thing that matters to God is the value of Christ that is in the heart of His people. If there are differences in methodology, practices, or ideas of prayer and worship, it matters not so long as Jesus Christ crucified, Jesus Christ resurrected, and Jesus Christ glorified is the basic and single element of faith. If He is given His place of honor in the heart, all else will be set aside. He will prove Himself over and over again. Such is one of the primary reasons that He is to be so fully worshipped, and why we are even in the midst of our considerations. 
	We are to adore our God simply because He is God. There is very much to this simply, as we saw last week, but the fact is that, because we are brought face-to-face with God in Christ Jesus, we are to give Him complete and unreserved adoration. It matters not the place. It matters not the words. It matters not the circumstances surrounding us. All that matters is that our heart’s desire, is the same as that of the woman at the well, seeking to please God.
	Christ outlines much in this short passage with regard to our hearts before God in complete adoration.  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. What is held within the worship that is spirit and truth?
	Initially, it is the fact that God is not concerned about where we choose to worship Him. In other words, we should worship God in the assembly, in a corporate worship with other believers, and there is a great need for this. As we are instructed in Hebrews 10:25, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. As we gather together, if our hearts are set upon Him, we will bring pleasure to His heart. He desires to hear the praises of His people, as we often sing, because it is an indication that His people are truly satisfied with what God is doing and bringing into fruition in their midst. There is a joy that evidences itself in the working of the Holy Spirit as the Body gathers together to celebrate the righteousness that we share in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to bring us into the very presence of God. We delight the Lord as His corporate expression, because we find delight in the encouraging of one another before Him. We learn and yearn and grow together into the completed Body of Christ through the worship that we place before Him.
	But, it is also true that we should worship in the quietness of our hearts, one-on-One with God. There is a great need, as well, for hearts that are attuned to God and constantly seeking after His glory each moment of the day and night. These individuals of the Beloved are the guardians of the Glory of God on this earth. That is in nowise to imply that they are special unto themselves in any manner. Rather, that they are the prayer warriors who place God’s interests above all else for all of eternity. They hold fast to the truth that God reigns now and evermore, and they refuse to allow themselves to get caught up in the things of this earth which will detract, in any measure, from the adoration that is due unto God. They fully incorporate themselves into worship, the worship of the body and the worship of their hearts before God. There is no set place or time for them to worship. Their worship is predicated only upon the fact that they are alive unto God and living by His Spirit in continual communion with God. Their very life on earth is a living testament of the Love of God born through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
	 In line with both corporate and individual worship is the fact of the working of the Holy Spirit making intercession for us. Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. As we gather together to worship, in Spirit and in Truth, we are brought to a complete dependence upon God even in our worship. There are things, that we cannot know, at work in the spiritual realm of God. Only the Holy Spirit can direct and intercede on our behalf as we are gathered together into Christ Jesus. Again, this matters not whether we are speaking in a corporate sense or in an individual sense, because, in either sense, we need the Holy Spirit’s active ministry guiding our prayers. 
	He knows exactly what to pray and how to utter those prayers as we become the willing vessels through whom He has the freedom and the avenue to direct both praise and petition to the Father. Oft times, we find ourselves praying in words that we don’t understand, yet within us there is that corresponding sense of being led by the Holy Spirit in our utterances before the throne. Many times, those prayers are filled with joy and adoration to the Father, to the Son and to the Spirit for all that He is in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.
	Sometimes, they are prayers of earnestly targeted petitions as the Holy Spirit brings this one or that one upon our hearts, and we sense that prayer emanating from within us. He knows the needs. He knows the circumstances, and He will not leave any of His own stranded, alone and helpless. He raises up those who are willing to give themselves over to Him in a life of prayer. We may not know the person. We may not know the reason. We may not know the outcome. But we know that the Holy Spirit desires our complete attention and focus in a prayer that is vital. It matters not the time, the place or the reason. We just know that we have to pray and allow Him the vessel through whom He can touch the heart of God.
	Again, this earnestness in our prayers is often manifested in our worship. We find ourselves, regardless of the hour, the place, or the situation, praising God for making Himself now our very life. Let us not misunderstand this point. God does not cause us to do anything that will not bring glory to His name. We are not circus performers to entertain the world with our shows of worship and spiritualism. We are not called upon to make a spectacle of our God on the stage of this world order. 	Rather, God will draw forth our praise and adoration as our hearts are attuned to Him. I find myself praising the Lord in so many ways throughout the day. Sometimes because of the great and wondrous things He does. Sometimes because of the things He did not permit to take place. Sometimes because of the interaction with students or fellow teachers. Sometimes because of a conversation in which He showed Himself ever faithful. Many of these times are simply between the Lord and myself. The state would probably not appreciate the fact that, even in the midst of a lesson, I will find the urge to silently worship God for the greatness of His Being. On school premises, in the midst of all those impressionable youths around me, I will find the need stirring to just thank the Lord for all He is doing and to lift up this one and that one, even while I am expounding on the articles of the Constitution, or some other point of history.
	True worship, on Sunday mornings or on Monday mornings, finds its expression in the fact that we are brought face-to-face with the true awesomeness of our God. As He becomes the focal point of our lives, as He is the One in whom we place all worthiness to receive praise and honor and adoration, so will He find true worship rising from our hearts. 
	We have this evident in John 14:26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. As Jesus told his disciples, and us in His Word, the Holy Spirit is the One Who will make known all that was taught of Christ. In that function, as the emissary of Christ in our hearts, He brings forth the Truth, the Word of God and makes it to be life in us. We cannot truly worship God on a basis other than upon Jesus Christ crucified, Jesus Christ resurrected, and Jesus Christ glorified. He is the Truth, the living Truth. It is the Holy Spirit who awakens that truth in our lives. He is the One Who takes the words of scripture and makes them the Living Word of God, revealing Christ in all His glory. 
	Apart from the great Love of God expressed in the giving of His only begotten Son, there is no avenue of true worship. Unless Jesus Christ, alone, is the center of that celebration, praise is offered in vain. It is the Holy Spirit who makes Christ the reason for our every celebration of eternal life before our Most Holy and Loving, Heavenly Father. In Spirit and in Truth, that worship proceeds forth from the believer unto the very heart of God, via the effective and eternal working of the Holy Spirit. 
	Just consider for a moment how the Holy Spirit has had an effect upon each of us. When we begin the day, we do so because of the grace of God. It is the Holy Spirit who brings that truth into our being to worship God. When we hold our children close, it is the Holy Spirit who envelops them in the arms of the Love of God and causes our hearts to give praise and adoration to God for the Love that we hold in our arms, and the Love with which He so fully loved us as His children in Christ. When we walk the path of the field or mountain, and see the earthly majesty that God has created and listen to the joyous sounds of the nature that He created as it celebrates the awesomeness of its Creator, our hearts fill with the prompting of the Holy Spirit to sing forth praise unto the One Who created us anew in Jesus Christ.
	 Even when we face the onslaught of this age, with all the criticism and the hatred heaped upon us, it is the Holy Spirit Who brings to mind and to heart the encouraging, living and faithful Word of God such as Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. He makes known, even in the midst of the living hell that we traverse on this earth, that our God reigns eternally and supremely. That is why, even as the early Christians were being martyred in Rome, they were singing choruses of praise unto God, Who was receiving them into His immediate presence. They were worshipping, even as their earthly bodies were being torn asunder, because the Holy Spirit was drawing forth from their hearts true worship, filled with the knowledge of the truth and the spirit of God.
	Romans 5:5, And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Our worship unto God, true worship unto God is a gift from God because it is centered in the Love that is Christ Jesus and manifested only through the effective working of the Holy Spirit. As His Love envelops us, we have no option but to let our spirits soar in that so great Love of God. We must be overcome with the desire to make known unto God, just how fully and absolutely we love Him. He is our everything and we desire to give expression to Him in the same pureness of Love with which He so loved us. We need to allow the Holy Spirit the freedom to manifest, in faithfulness and in all truth, the great love with which we love God. Whether we are in good or terrible circumstances is immaterial to the truth that our God deserves our all in worship. That can only be as our spirits join together with the Holy Spirit in celebrating the magnificence of our God: Father, Son and Spirit.
	But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.