Here's an interesting transition into talking openly about spiritual matters: “You worship what you do not know.”
This is how Jesus extended His conversation with the woman at the well, and it's an important statement for us to consider.
The woman had just made what she probably thought was a very tolerant comment about the equal validity of Jewish and Samaritan religious practices.
“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
Fast forward to our culture today and think about the responses people give when Christ comes into a conversation. People may say spirituality is very important, but asking what they mean by that usually provokes a focus on their church traditions and learned practices: “Well, I think you should believe in Jesus, get baptized, go to church,and basically- spirituality should be part of life in whatever way is meaningful to you.”
But "whatever way is meaningful" is not biblical worship or even *serious* thinking about God. Jesus would rightly say to many today what He said to the woman,
“You worship what you do not know.”
No one just enters into a "random worship" relationship with God—thus Christ's gentle rebuke is universal.
He is telling us this out of great love, to get us to a heart and place of truth.
You can’t pick and choose the parts of the Bible you like. You can’t embrace parts of God that feel desirable to you and say, “Well, this is the God that I want: all love, no wrath; all grace, no justice, all pleasure, no pain; all convenience, no conviction.”
If you try, you’ll end up with something else. True worship requires understanding.
There is a real God. He wrote a real book and He has a real Son. And you can worship Him, if you do the second thing Jesus told this woman.
“We worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.” Think about that.
Understanding leads to relationship. Personal knowledge is where worship (worth-ship: extoling His value) has to begin—it flows out of a real knowing, a real experience with the Spirit through a real relationship with Jesus Christ.
In saying “salvation is from the Jews,” Jesus was referring to the Old Testament record of God’s redemptive plan for all mankind; forming the nation of Israel. (Unity of the Bible: Daniel Fuller).
All the promises given to Abraham, the first five books of the Bible given to Moses, and Christ Himself, the long-promised Messiah, are all Jewish in heritage. So He could rightly make this salvation claim.
And true salvation leads to true worship—it is knowing wrath resides on you, then seeing a savoring the beauty of Christ who is the image of God, embracing Gods grace by putting your faith in Him, the forgiveness of sins, rescue from the road to wrath & hell, and the gift of living to enjoy him forever. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Have you really considered your sinfulness? Have you considered what wrath is? (-it's not taught in most churches-) Have you considered the gift of being made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ? Have you turned away from your sin (by His grace) and asked for His forgiveness?
If you think you might have, you haven’t. But you could move from haven't, to knowing with certainty—
Trusting in Jesus alone for your salvation is the most important decision you will ever make. And there is no authentic worship (valuing, delighting in, cherishing, or treasuring Christ) apart from that decision—it has to start with a relationship with God in Christ. That’s the beginning of worshiping Someone you know. He is made known through His word. Read it and look for Him. How He thinks, what He does, why He does it, why He says what He says.......
Don’t roll the dice on this one.
Salvation is a really big deal.
Pray with me:
Lord, thank You for the priceless gift of knowing Your Son, whom to know is eternal life. Thank You for revealing Yourself as the God who wants to be known, enjoyed, trusted, and worshiped with all I have. Thank You for showing me that knowing You is open-ended and ongoing—I will spend all of life and every moment of eternity and never get to the end of knowing You. The more i know You, the more i will want to worship and love You with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. For You alone are worthy. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Don't let this cup of coffee go to waste! This cup is on the house!
Robbs
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