“True Worshippers” (John 4:23-26) - Meaningful Membership IV –

When Syndrome?

Have you heard “When Syndrome”? When we are the age of a young child, we think life will come together when we become teenagers and get big and strong. When we are teenagers, we think life is going to get better when we graduate from high school. When we are in college, we think our needs will be met by marriage. When we are married, we think it will come through children. After that, it is when the children leave home. And finally, we put our hopes on retirement. The fact is, trying to quench our thirst with the things of the world is like drinking seawater – the more we drink, the more thirsty we feel.

Why Am I Thirsty?

In today’s Scripture we meet one woman whose soul pants for something. She is a Samaritan woman. If we dramatize this text, the story would go like this. She felt parched with thirst. She made every effort to satisfy her thirst through “husband” – companionship and intimacy. She got married with a man who had money. But soon, she felt something missing. So, she got married a second time with a man who had fame in town. But not long after, she saw his imperfections and was disappointed. So, she got married a third time with a man who got actively involved in charity work. But it did not help to quench her thirst. So, she got married a fourth time with a man who had a noble character. But soon she got bored with him. So, she got married a fifth time with a man who was in politics. But she was still thirsty. So now, she got divorced and lived together with another man, thinking, “Why am I thirsty?”

So why are we thirsty? The reason why is because our relationship with God is broken. You and I are created to have fellowship with God. We are created to praise and worship God – that’s who we are. In Isaiah 43:21 God says, “The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” But since Adam and Eve, we have been trying to dig our own well and drink from it. The Bible says, “My people have done two evils: They have turned away from me, the spring of living water. And they have dug their own wells, which are broken wells that cannot hold water” (NCV). The truth is, we can never quench our thirst with the waters from our own wells. Companionship, intimacy, money, fame, and power will not satisfy our longings. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again” (v. 13) Jesus says.

How Can I Quench My Thirst?

Now we know the reason why we are thirsty. Now we know our relationship with God is broken. But still, we have another problem. Although we know the cause of our thirst, we do not have the power to solve the problem. So, Jesus came to us first. Jesus came to the Samaritan woman first. John 4:4 says, “Now he had to go through Samaria.” It was not necessary. In Jesus’ time, Jews did not associate with Samaritans. When the Jews wanted to go to Galilee from Judea, they always used a roundabout way instead of passing through Samaria. But the Bible says, “Jesus must go through Samaria.” Why? Because he had to meet this woman. She had no power to come to God. So Jesus came to her. We have no power to come to God. So Jesus comes to our life. “But those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty” (v. 14).  

God seeks to restore a relationship with us through Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s way of salvation. We all, like sheep, have gone astray. We all have turned to our own way. The relationship has been broken. God gave us his law, but we did not obey. God sent his prophets, but we didn’t listen. Finally, when the time had fully come, God sent his only Son to reconcile us to himself. On the cross Jesus endured the separation from God that should have been ours. On the cross he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. On the cross the way has been opened for us to be reconciled to God, to be united with God once again! (cf. Isaiah 53:4-6) Jesus is God’s way of salvation.

What Must I Do?

Are you thirsty? What are you thirsty for? At first, the Samaritan woman was thirsty for love and happiness. But now, she pants for God, the fountain of living water! Jesus came to her and opened her eyes. At first, she thought that Jesus was a mere “Jewish man” (9). But then, she respected him as “a prophet” (19). And at the end she confessed that Jesus is the “Christ” (29). Many people recognize Jesus and say, “Oh, Jesus is a good teacher. He is my role model.” It’s a good start, but Jesus is much more than that. When we believe in Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord, and when we worship him, he will satisfy our thirst. But the act of worship itself does not quench our soul automatically. There is one condition: We must worship him “in spirit and truth.” The Message Bible clarifies the meaning of “in spirit and truth” this way:

"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself--Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." 

This is an amazing mystery. When we worship God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength, our thirst is completely satisfied.

The Heart of Worship

Matt Redman is a world-renown worship leader and songwriter. Many people attended Matt’s home church, Soul Survivor, in Watford, England, simply because they wanted to listen to his music. The senior pastor and the congregation felt that there was a dynamic missing. One day the pastor did a pretty brave thing. He suggested to the worship team that they would get rid of the sound system and band for a season and gather together with just their voices. His point was that they’d lost their way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away. Initially, it was hard, embarrassing, awkward. Many people stopped coming to church. The bubble burst. But eventually, the congregation began to join in a capella songs and heartfelt prayers. They encountered God in a fresh way. The song “The Heart of Worship” written by Matt Redman simply describes what occurred at that time:

 When the music fades, all is stripped away,

and I simply come longing just to bring something

that’s of worth that will bless your heart…

I’m coming back to the heart of worship,

and it’s all about You, Jesus.

It’s all about You, Jesus.

Yes, it’s all about Jesus. It’s all about worshiping him, loving him, savoring him. Today Jesus is calling us, “Are you thirsty? Come to me and drink. If you believe in me, streams of living water will flow from your heart” (John 7:37-38). So come, let us drink and live. Amen.