Download 04-23-2017 - sermpp spirit soul

John 4:5-24
Worshipping
Symbolism or realism?
Fearing a violent god of death is far different than
talking to and listening to a loving Father and Savior
Missionary Bruce Porterfield contacted remote Amazon
River people. “Do you believe in God?”
“Yes, but we worship evil
spirits because they can
hurt us.”
Many idols. Many religions. Only one offers a personal
relationship with a resurrected, living Lord
John 4:22 You worship what you do not know
(Jesus to the woman at the well)
1 Cor. 10:20
Rather, that the things which
the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons
and not to God, and I do not want you to have
fellowship (relationship) with demons.
“These aren’t real, they”re actors”. They imitate the
style, language, and aura of true believers
2 Cor. 11:13
False apostles (are) deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into apostles
of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms
himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his (Satan’s)
ministers also transform themselves into
ministers of righteousness, whose end will be
according to their works.
Religious teachings that are contrary to God’s holy and true
Word are demon promoted (disguised as from God, of course)
The nation Israel turned away
from God during their
Egyptian enslavement.
Deut. 32:17 They sacrificed
to demons, not to God,
To gods they did not know,
To new gods, new arrivals
That your fathers did not fear
(worship).
God the Father seeks true worshippers. True worship
is on the “spirit” level and in harmony with God’s truth
John 4: 23
true worshipers will
worship the Father in
spirit and truth; for the
Father is seeking such to
worship Him.
God searches for people
who follow His truth and
who will commune with
Him in the medium of
spirit
John 4:24
God is
Spirit, and those who
worship Him must
worship in spirit and
truth.”
Angels are spirits
A person has three
components: spirit,
soul, and body
“spirit” = pneuma
Wind, invisible,
“soul” = psuxay,
breath, breath of life
“truth” = alaytheia
True teaching of the
Gospel and the Bible
Experiencing God in the
realm of spirit and in
harmony with God’s
revealed truth is as
close to the reality of
God that we can get
while living on this
earth
If we are to worship “in spirit”, what is “spirit”?
God said, “Let US make
man in OUR image,
OUR likeness” 1:26
One God consisting of
three Persons: Father,
Son, and Spirit, created
one Adam, consisting of
three parts: spirit, soul,
and body
Gen.2:7
And the LORD
God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and
breathed into his
nostrils the breath of
life; and man became a
living being.
(“breaths”)
Before sinning, Adam and Eve enjoyed regular times of
personal fellowship with the holy creator God (Gen. 2:8-25)
God created a lush garden
with myriads of edibles.
He told them not to eat
one fruit. To do so
meant instant death?
They ate and their good
relationship with God
died instantly!
• Gen. 3:8 And they
heard the sound of the
LORD God walking in the
garden in the cool of
the day, and Adam and
his wife hid themselves
from the presence of
the LORD God among
the trees of the garden.
Adam and Eve retained physical life,
intelligence, and emotion
So what part of them
died?
That part with which they
communicated freely
with God, without fear
John 4:24 “God is Spirit,
and those who worship
Him must worship in
spirit and truth.”
Personally communicating
with God is evidently in
the medium of the
spirit
The spirit of the “natural man” is “dead” (it doesn’t
function) until God brings it to life. Eph. 2:1-5
2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in
trespasses and sins, 2
in which you once
walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit who now works in the sons of
disobedience, 3
among whom also we all
once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of
the mind, and were by nature children of
wrath, just as the others.
Eph. 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of His great love with which He loved
us, 5
even when we were dead in
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved),
Both the spirit and soul are invisible. Both are
interwoven with the body, intelligence, will, emotion.
Heb. 4:12 For the word of God
is living and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the
division of soul and spirit,
Apart from the Bible’s
definition, there is no way
to separate soul from spirit
Jesus said “true” worship only happens in the realm of
the “spirit” and according to the truth of Scripture
Our minds can be impressed
with “religious” teachings
Our emotions can be touched by
religious experiences
Worship
A definition
The praise, adoration and
reverence of God. It is a
celebration of the
worthiness of God, by
which honor is given to his
name.
The “quickened” spirit
personally connecting with
God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Recognition of God’s Person and
works by angels and saints
Rev. 19:1
After these
things I heard a loud voice
of a great multitude in
heaven, saying, “Alleluia!
Salvation and glory and
honor and power belong to
the Lord our God! 2
For true and righteous
are His judgments,
Can we say that true worship is more
than emotion, more than impression?
Crucifixion triggers emotion
His miracles and teaching are
impressive
True worship is experienced when impressions and
emotions bring the spirit into fellowship with God
SO! Examine yourself
Is your religion a performance?
Is your praying a performance?
If so, get real with God.
Talk to Him. His Spirit will bring your dead spirit
to life.
Turn from your sin and opinions. Cast yourself at
the foot of His cross. Trust God’s promise.
Be saved right now