"'...an hour is coming, and now
is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is
spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.'
The woman said to Him, 'I know that Messiah is
coming. He who is called Christ; when that One comes, He will declare
all things to us.' Jesus said to her, 'I who
speak to you am He'" (John 4:23-26)
We’re continuing our series on the Person, the
Attributes of God. So far we’ve looked at His Holiness: He is just and
true and pure like no one, nothing else could be. We saw He is
Omniscient, which means He knows – everything. He is Omnipresent, in
that He is - everywhere. He is Omnipotent – all-powerful beyond our
ability to even understand. And today we will consider Jesus’ statement
about God, that He is “Spirit.” We are
limited to just one place at a time. Our physical form changes
throughout our lives, but we are essentially much the same, no matter
how young or how old we are. We are only in one place. But “God
is Spirit” and not only is He always Who He Is, but His
appearance can be whatever He wants it to be and He is everywhere,
“every-when” at once, for He is God Almighty.
We can catch a glimpse of this quality, this attribute
of God (that He can present Himself in an unlimited number of ways) in
the words of Paul the Apostle. He said of Jesus: “in
Him (that is, in Christ) all things hold
together” (Colossians 1:17). It is not clear why matter,
including the physical universe, just doesn’t fly apart. There are
forces within the atom that would bind it to itself, but there are also
forces within and without that would tear it apart. Not that many years
ago, there was a pseudo-scientific theory referred to as, “atomic glue.”
It was a tentative way of wondering why the planets, mountains and our
bodies don’t disintegrate immediately. Paul’s answer goes deeper than
our mere understanding of physical matter. He went to the source of all
things in saying about Jesus: “in Him all things
hold together.”
The importance of this for us right now, is that Jesus
continued to be the Son of God when He became a human baby, then a
youth, and also a man who was the Lamb of God. And incredibly while He
took on this form of a man, He also continued to “hold…
all things… together.”
He was a man, He was God the Son, He was the Sustainer of the physical
universe, and undoubtedly much more, all at the same time.
The nature of God is that He is everywhere, and you
could say, “every-when,” for unlike us, He occupies every point in time,
from before the beginning to the end and beyond. I've often seen people
finally achieve something that had been a dream to them, but it turned
out to be very much like a trap when it was achieved. The goal is
accomplished, but the reality contains side effects never anticipated.
You're finally in business for yourself. No more bosses. You ARE the
boss! Then the problems begin.
It's like that in all areas of life. Once you've
become part of something and discovered it's not what you thought it
would be, it's nearly impossible to get out. It's true of time. When you
enter it, time is like a slow-moving river that only flows in one
direction. Many long to speed up that journey, to grow up and be treated
like adults, but then it happens. We're caught in time, swept along by
the aging process. Our dream of the age we wanted was passed, long ago.
"God is Spirit," and
amazingly, if we are willing to receive the Lord into our hearts and
lives, He will plant something of Himself deep within us; into those who
place their TRUST in the Son of God. If we decide to "worship
Him," He intends that we will do it "in
spirit and in truth." When you have faith in God the Son, the
Holy Spirit is placed deep within the center of your very being. A
process begins in which you gradually are enabled to "see" outside of
the limits of time and space. You belong to Almighty God and He belongs
to you.
Have you thought about what it means to you personally
that "God is Spirit?" Yes you are forgiven
and it is wonderful. You begin to realize He is everywhere, He is
“every-when;” He is with you in your sorrow for what you have done. He
hears your confession, knows you receive His Son and forgives you on
that basis. The Spirit of God is yours! And you are His - forever.
Suddenly and then gradually, there is a whole new dimension of
life. Many of us could already see and hear, taste and smell,
touch and think, but there is more. Suddenly, something of God is within
and you KNOW what you could not know before. It's not seen or heard or
perceived in any mere physical way, but you know it's true because you
know it is from God.
The Bible contains interesting words, but now it is
REAL, it's personal; He has made it yours. When you read, "Faith
comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17),
it's PERSONAL, it's for YOU. You may have read the words before, but
because of God's Spirit in you, you now "get it," that as you speak to
God, He speaks to you, and He often uses His written Word to reach your
heart and life in a personal way. He is yours, His Spirit is in you and
you are His. "God is Spirit" and you are
never alone, never lonely. He is within your very being, and you find
His love growing in you.
In the context of today’s Scripture, we find that
Jesus is sitting beside a well in a place called Samaria, and He has
drawn a woman of that place into conversation. As you read John Chapter
Four, it’s clear that she was just an ordinary person. In fact, as you
read the chapter, it’s clear that she was a person of “questionable
reputation” in the community. She previously had “five
husbands” (Verse 18) and was currently living with yet another
man. That would have been a concern for her contemporaries and it was a
problem for the Jewish disciples of Jesus because the Samaritans were
thought to be “lesser people” by the Jews. When Jesus’ disciples
returned, they were astonished that He was speaking to her (Verse 27).
But He was, and we need to see that the Lord God
ALWAYS has both the time and the desire to fit you into His schedule, no
matter how busy you might think He is. Your reputation, good or bad,
won’t keep Him away. Because He is “Spirit,”
He is everywhere, able to respond to every question, every need. As it
says in Hebrews 4:13 – “No creature is hidden from
His sight…” And this woman, by the way, had plenty of questions.
She knew who and what she was and she did what we all should do – she
poured out her heart to the Lord. She gave Him the concerns she had
about God and she confessed what she was to Him. Then she ran back to
the town and told others. Let’s look at what Jesus revealed to us
through this woman.
She was and we are being given the opportunity to
literally “worship the Father in spirit and truth,”
by trusting in His Son. When we give ourselves to the Lord, we find that
God Almighty has been reaching out to us, all the time. He is “Spirit”
and He knows our need. He WANTS you. He has not forgotten you, for you
have had His attention, all your life. That well became the Throne of
God for the woman, because God met her there. The computer or whatever
device you are using at the moment is the Throne of God for you because
the Son of God is here, enabling you to “worship
the Father.” He is speaking to you. He is the “Messiah,”
the “Christ.” He who speaks to your heart
right this minute is: “He.” Will you pray?
Father, I call out to You. Forgive me for what I
have done and who I am. I worship You in spirit and truth through
trusting in Your Son. He is the Messiah, the Christ, and I trust in Him
now. Thank You, dear God, for saving me. Fill me with Your Spirit. In
Jesus Name. Amen.
