Pastor's Sermon Notes

WORSHIP IN THE SPIRIT-FILLED CHURCH

I. John 4:19-24 (Emphasize the words Must Worship)

II. Let me give you some background

A. Jesus comes to the town of Samaria and meets this woman at a well

1. When He ask her for a drink, She questions Him why a Jew would ask a

Samaritan for a drink

a. Jews had no dealings with Samaritans

2. His reply was: If you knew who it was asking you, you would be asking

Him for living waters

a. And then He tells her about the Holy Spirit.

B. He begins to speak to her about worship in response to the woman’s

question on where to worship

1. Samaritans thought worship should be on a particular mountain

2. Jews taught it should be in Jerusalem

C. Jesus explains to her a new way of worship; In Spirit and truth

1. He is saying, in my opinion; the time of traditional, dead worship is over

III. He continues to speak to her about Spiritual Worship

A. He tells her about living water, but

1. she doesn’t understand He is speaking of the Holy Spirit

B. He tells her those who worship the Father will do so in Spirit and Truth

C. (v.24) goes on to say: God is a spirit and those who worship Him must

worship in Spirit and Truth. (Look at the verse)

1. The word “Him” was added by the translators

2. The original would read those who worship must worship in Spirit and

truth

a. I am not saying the translators are wrong but want to point something

out

D. God is a Spirit and so true worship must be in Spirit.

1. What both Jew and Samaritan had been doing was worship in flesh.

IV. Jesus says to her (and us) I am going to teach you a new way of worship, Spirit worship or worship in the Spirit

A. We may catch a glimpse of what this is in Ro. 8:26-27

1. If praying in the Spirit is allowing the Spirit to make intercession for us,

then it stands to reason Worship in the Spirit is Spirit intercession

in worship

a. It is not a mood or a feeling

B. The great part is; we no longer have to be worried if we are doing it right or

not

1. We no longer depend on traditions or rituals, but upon the Spirit of God

V. John 7:37-39 Jesus speaks of those living waters again

A. There is no doubt He is speaking of the Holy Spirit

a. Remember we are talking about “Spirit Worship”

B. What’s going to happen in the life of the believer with this Holy Spirit?

1. It is going to flow like a river

C. Where is it going to flow from? Praise team? pastor?

1. From the belly of the believer! (the inner being of the believer)

2. Not from mind, or intellect, or knowledge, but from Spirit

D. When is going to happen?

1. Jesus said it would happen after He is Glorified

E. So, When did it happen?

2. On the day of Pentecost after Jesus was glorified

3. So, Let’s take a look at what it looked like

VI. Acts 2:1-4; The Spirit came upon them and they began to worship as the Spirit gave them utterance

A. Never before had anyone worshipped this way (they spoke in other tongues)

B. All of a sudden dead traditional worship broke into Spirit intercession

1. The Spirit of God became the worship leader

2. Jesus said it would flow, and it did!

3. He said it would be of the Spirit, and it was!

4. Oh how we need that heavenly flow again!

VII. I want to make a statement here that all may not agree with, but listen and give it a chance to sink in

A. You cannot have true Spirit worship, without manifestation of the

Spirit

B. It is the Spirit that dictates what is spiritual worship and what is not

VIII. There are those who hold the concept, worship in the Spirit is only to be done in our private devotional time. (reference to tongues)

A. If this were so, we would have to reach the conclusion that God never

intended to receive worship from the corporate body.

1. If that were so, Jesus would not have said He would praise the Lord in the

midst of His brethren (Heb. 2:12)

B. There is no don’t that Jesus, speaking to the woman at the well, was

speaking to her of Holy Spirit worship.

1. She was speaking of intellectual, traditional, man-made worship

2. Jesus spoke of that worship that would come from the Spirit and it would

flow from inside a man’s/woman’s being

IX. I say this with love: but there are those who want to be called Spirit Filled but do not want to appear Spirit Filled

X. I have heard remarked in recent time that if we worship in the Spirit, as you are talking about, with the speaking in tongues, we will scare people off

A. Can I remind you it was the move of the Spirit that drew the crowds in Jesus

day and in the book of Acts

B. I remind you the fastest growing religious group in the world is the

Pentecostals who are worshipping and ministering in the Spirit

C. That even those who are not Pentecostal have taken on a form of

Pentecostal worship to make their service appear more alive

1. But come short of allowing them to worship in Spirit

D. Those churches who will allow true Spirit worship are the churches that will

see healings, miracles, etc.

X. Can I remind you that Jesus said: The Father is seeking such to worship Him

XI. Let’s deal with this matter of using tongues in worship. There are those who would claim that Paul in (1Cor. 14) tells us not to use tongues in a service without an interpreter?

A. 1Cor. 14:13-17;

1. First we need to understand that Paul is speaking of one addressing the

church, not worship

a. He is speaking of bringing blessing to the church

b. He speaks of praying out loud in a way others can say amen to what is

being said.

c. You don’t have to say amen to my worship

d. Paul is speaking of edifying the church, not worship to God

2. Second; Paul did not write to eliminate tongues but to govern them in

their proper use

a. (1Cor 14:39) do not forbid to speak with tongues

b. He tells us in (1Cor. 14:28) if there is no interpreter don’t address the

church but speak to Himself and to God

c. I only point out that speaking to the congregation is not worship to God

XII. Let me address that person who says: I can worship in Spirit without speaking in tongues

A. 1Cor. 14:2,15 Has the only definition of praying and singing in the

Spirit in the whole Bible

XIII. Then we have that person who will say, I can pray and worship just as good in English!

A. That would make (Ro. 8:26) wrong! We do not know how to pray as we ought

XIV. Thirdly; There are those who will still hold to the idea the manifestation of the Spirit in the form of tongues is not to be used in the church

A. Again I would have to say, that would be saying God does not corporate

spirit worship when Jesus told us He seeks those who will worship in Spirit

B. It is also contrary to (1 Peter 2:5) you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. NKJV

C. It would also deny the book of Acts that shows us every time this

manifestation of the Spirit came, it came publicly

XV. So, Am I trying to say that we cannot worship God without tongues? NO

A. But I am trying to say that in a Pentecostal Spirit filled church it should be

the Spirit of God regulating our worship and not we regulating Him

B. Jesus said from their bellies will flow

1. They shall worship Him In Spirit and truth

C. What I am trying to say is; when He wants to flow we should let Him flow

1. Everything should be done decently and in order, but, His order not ours

2. We should never allow, “decent and in order” to become an excuse for

not allowing the spirit to flow

3. Healing is decent and in order

4. Seeing people filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in

tongues is decent and in order

5. Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth is decent and in order

XVI. Oh how I want that river to flow from me! To worship in Spirit and truth!

A. Oh how I want to shed old dead religion and traditionalism.

1. I had that before I was Baptized in the Holy Ghost

B. Oh how I want to be in a church charged with the Holy Spirit presence and

power

C. Then I will do what Paul said He would do: I will pray in the Spirit and with

understanding. I will sing with the Spirit and with understanding

XVII. How many here tonight use to flow in the spirit, but not anymore

A. It’s been Reduced it to going through the motions

B. It’s been Reduced it to Pentecostal intellect

XVIII. How many use to get caught up in the Spirit and didn’t even notice others

A. Listen, when we stop worshipping in the Spirit, we will start

worshipping in the flesh,

1. It may even look Pentecostal

XIX. I want to let you know the door to the Holy of Holies is still open tonight

A. All you have to do is enter in

B. All you have to do is offer up Spiritual Sacrifices

C. How long has it been since you gave God Real, Spirit, worship?

XX. You might say: Pastor, I don’t speak in tongues. But if this is a way I can give better worship to God, then I want to

A. As we begin to worship I want you to come to receive the Baptism of the Holy

Spirit

B. You might say, I don’t know whether I am ready

1. Then begin to worship in English with all your heart and let God take over

right where you are

a. But get ready because if your heart is in the right place you may find

yourself speaking in a language unknown to men but known to God