worship

today i gave a sermon on john 4:21-24
i borrowed heavily from piper (yeah, that dude rocks) and cited various verses throughout to unpack the idea of spirit and truth. showing that Jesus rejected the idea of the "place" of worship as well as the outward "action" of worship. that it indeed is an outpouring of the Spirit of God through our hearts in reaction to the truth of God as revealed in Scripture and through Jesus Christ.
in order for us to worship him fully, we should seek to understand and know him more. (read: study the Scriptures and the Gospel accounts diligently) after which, by way of the Holy Spirit, our hearts will be quickened, we will respond to the truth in unbelievable joy in our God. then, we will worship. then we can begin to know the idea of corporate worship.
my challenge to the congregation (as well as myself) was to meditate on one aspect of the Gospel each day this week. here's the short version:
Monday--Jesus on the cross bearing the weight of our sins
Tuesday--Jesus in the grave, dead for our transgressions
Wednesday--Jesus is risen and we serve one who conquered the grave
Thursday--Jesus ascending to the heavenly realms, what glory filled the sky
Friday--Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father
Saturday--Jesus triumphant return when every knee will bow

i invite you all to consider the simplicity of our faith this week and fall more deeply in love with our Savior and more completely delight in Him. in that he receive the glory.

-joe