Worship in Spirit and
Truth
"...because you are sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into
your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!'”
Galatians 4:6
"For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit [by the
Spirit of God], rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh...."
Philippians 3:3
"The woman said to Him, 'Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our
fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in
Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe Me, the
hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in
Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know;
we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour
is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to
worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship
in spirit and truth."
John 4:19-24
"Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple
from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord
opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul."
Acts 16:14
"So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and
simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the
people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were saved."
Acts
2:46-47
"...my speech and my preaching were not
with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the
wisdom of men but in the power of God.
"However, we speak wisdom among those who
are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this
age, who are coming to nothing. ... But as it is
written:
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
"But God has revealed
them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes,
the deep things of God.... Now we have received, not the spirit
of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the
things that have been freely given to us by God. ... But the natural
man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:1-14
Faith in what He has revealed through His Word
When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.
And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, 'Lord, if You
are willing, You can make me clean."
Matthew 8:1-2
"While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and
worshiped Him, saying, 'My daughter has just died, but come and lay
Your hand on her and she will live.' So Jesus arose and followed
him, and so did His disciples."
Matthew 9:18-19
"Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, 'Truly
You are the Son of God.'"
Matthew 14:33
"...the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I
know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is
risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go
quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead....'
"So
they went out quickly from the
tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
"And as they went to tell His disciples,
behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' So they came and held
Him by the feet and worshiped Him."
Matthew 28:5-9
"Now it came
to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried
up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple
praising and blessing God."
Luke 24:51-53
"Jesus said
to him, 'You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with
you.'
'Then he said, 'Lord, I believe!' And he worshiped Him."
John 9:37-38
"Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered:
“Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this
nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself.... I confess to you,
that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I
worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are
written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God,
which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection
of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself
always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men."
Acts 24:10-16
"Blessed
is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But
his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he
meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not
wither..."
Psalm
1:1-3
"And the disciples came
and said to Him, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?' He answered
and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
... Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not
see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And
in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
'"Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people
have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they
have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their
ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I
should heal them.’
"But blessed are your eyes for
they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that
many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not
see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."
Matthew 13:10-17
"...that He would grant you,
according to
the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit
in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and
depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes
knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to
Him be glory..." Ephesians 3:14-21
False
worship
"[Jesus] replied, Hypocrites! Well did
Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with
their lips,
But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’"
Matthew 15:7-9
"This people
honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
Mark 7:6-7
"...they
clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on
His head, and began to salute Him, 'Hail, King of the Jews!'
Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and
bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him,
they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him
out to crucify Him."
Mark 15:17-20
"Then God
turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is
written in the book of the Prophets: '...You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god
Remphan, images which you made to worship..."
Acts 7:42-43
"You thought that
I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you..."
Psalm 50:21
Temptation to worship
the things of the world
"...the devil
took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the
kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, 'All these
things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.'
"Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you,
Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him
only you shall serve.’ '
"Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to
Him." Matthew
4:8-11
"God also
gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts,
to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the
truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature
rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever."
Romans 1:24-25
"I saw a
beast rising up out of the sea.... The dragon gave him his power, his
throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had
been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the
world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the
dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the
beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with
him?' ...
" And he was given a mouth speaking
great things and blasphemies. ...he opened his mouth in blasphemy
against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell
in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to
overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue,
and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose
names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world."
Revelation 13:1-8
"Then I saw
the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus
and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his
image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their
hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand
years." Revelation
20:4
Heavenly
worship
"...the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne
and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before
the throne, saying: 'You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory
and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they
exist and were created."
Revelation 4:10-11
"All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four
living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and
worshiped God, saying:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
Revelation 7:11-12
"...the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones
fell
on their faces and worshiped God, saying: 'We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was
and who is to come..."
Revelation 11:16-17
“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment
has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and
springs of water."
Revelation 14:7
"I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him
was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes
war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many
crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He
was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The
Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth
goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And
He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on
His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS."
Revelation 19:11-16
"Now I saw
a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first
earth had passed away. ... Then I, John, saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven
saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will
dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be
with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There
shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
Revelation 21:1-4
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in
Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to
adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the
glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
Ephesians 1:3-6