Together?

Father God, we thank you for the chance to gather tonight.

We thank you for your word.

We thank you that you're a God who wants us to know you.

You're a God who reveals himself to us through your word and through your people.

And God, we pray that tonight you might give us a real clear and fresh vision of you

so that we might live lives of adoration and action that are fitting

so that we might worship in a way that reflects your glory and your majesty.

Amen.

I remember when I was growing up, there was a girl that I went to school with

that I used to have arguments with.

I went to a Christian school, but it was mainly a Christian school in name.

Not many of my friends were Christians.

And even of those who said they were Christian, probably even fewer,

actually followed Jesus in any active way.

But this girl stuck out in particular.

I remember we were planning an event.

A whole bunch of people in our year group were planning a party.

We'd managed to find a location for this party.

We sorted out entertainment, food.

It was going to be great.

It was exciting.

We were looking forward to it.

It was planned for a Friday night.

And this one girl insisted that she would not come.

It's not that she didn't like the people who were going.

It's not that she wasn't on board with what we were going to be doing.

The thing was, she went to a church, a Seventh-day Adventist church,

and she believed that worshipping God was particularly important on one day of the week.

From sunset on a Friday to sunset on a Saturday, basically,

they did nothing that would be constituted as work or any kind of distraction from God.

And I remember in all of my youthful enthusiasm and probably in a slightly unloving way,

correcting her and explaining how ridiculous it was that she would do that

and that she would miss out on something fun

and that she would think that God would care what she did for a couple of hours on the Friday night

or, you know, that she could not worship God while she was there.

In hindsight, I respect her quite a bit for her discipline.

But at the time, what it did was make me ask the question a little bit,

not publicly because I was too proud for that,

but at least privately ask the question,

when am I supposed to worship?

Because my experience was I do it on Sundays.

I go to church on Sundays.

That's when we do the Jesus stuff,

usually on a Sunday afternoon because that's when it's more fun and exciting.

But that was just my experience of it.

And I was trying to figure out, well, she thinks it has to be on Friday night through Saturday,

and I think it happens on Sunday.

So who is right?

A few years later, in fact, not that long ago,

I was in hospital one Christmas for several weeks,

and I remember wandering out the front door for some fresh air,

just for a bit of a break,

and a lady was sitting there.

She'd been visiting someone else, and we just struck up a conversation.

Over time, we worked out that we both were followers of Jesus,

and we were talking about what we believed in,

and it came up talking about worship,

talking about when we worship.

And I talked about how I was part of a church,

and I was training for ministry,

and, you know, I loved Sundays.

It was great to go to church and have services and be with God's people.

And she slightly condescendingly smiled at me

and explained how real worship needed to happen at the beginning of each day.

And she explained the community that she was a part of

and how they got up at 6 a.m. every day to do their worship

and how that was the real worship that God wanted from his people.

And I, again, full of love and grace, gently corrected her

and from all of my wisdom and training explained how wrong she was.

But again, it left me just asking the question,

why do I do it on Sundays?

Why is that the immovable object in my week?

Why is that the time that I gather for worship?

Because there are a lot of different people

who think a lot of different things

about what right and true worship looks like.

We're spending four weeks talking about it.

So that says there's at least some confusion.

And in the passage that we come to in John 4 tonight,

we find a woman who we know believes in God.

We know has at least some desire to follow him.

She's expecting the Messiah to come,

so she knows a little bit about what God is about.

And so when she meets Jesus,

when she discovers that he is some sort of prophet,

she wants to ask him the question.

I'm a Samaritan, she says,

and so I think worship happens this way in this place at this time.

You're a Jew, and so you think it happens this way

in this place at this time.

Who's right?

What is proper worship supposed to look like?

And listen to Jesus' response.

This is really profound in chapter 4, verse 21.

Woman, Jesus replied,

God is spirit,

and his worshippers must worship in the spirit and in truth.

The answer God gives is,

sorry, the answer Jesus gives is classic Jesus.

He doesn't answer the direct question about which is the right mountain.

He takes her to where we were last week.

He says it's not about where you worship.

It's not about when you worship.

It's not about this mountain or that mountain.

It's not about what time of day,

what time of week,

or even how long.

It's about who you worship.

The thing that dictates what true worship looks like,

this is what we spent time on last week,

is who it is that you're worshipping.

They will tell you where it's supposed to be

and what it's supposed to look like.

In fact, Jesus tells us in this little few verses

that even the Jews,

who were God's chosen people,

who had God's law,

who were expecting God's Messiah,

don't have the full picture of God

and don't have the full picture of what worship is going to be

and the better worship that God wants.

Jesus says here,

God is spirit.

God can't be contained in one location.

He can't be contained in a particular time of day.

You can't program God.

God doesn't answer to your run sheet.

God doesn't show up when we think he should.

He doesn't fit our schedule

or our ritual or anything else.

We don't even have the ability

to draw ourself into God's presence.

So even if you found the apparent right place,

that doesn't mean you could just wander up and worship.

God is spirit.

He is present not in a time or a place,

but at all times and in all places.

God is bigger than any one location.

He's here as we gather now.

He's with you as you get in your car

and drive home after this.

He's going to be there while you fall asleep tonight.

He's going to be there when you're eating your breakfast,

when you're alone,

when you're working,

when you're at school.

He is always there,

always present

and always worthy of worship.

See, the problem with this woman's question

and the problem sometimes for us

when we ask the question of when do we worship

or where do we worship

or what should it look like is

that we are misunderstanding the God

that we are actually trying to worship.

We're trying to contain him into a block of time

or a type of service or a ritual

and when we do that,

we misunderstand two really important things

about who God is.

First of all,

it's like we're saying he's only there sometimes.

It's like we're saying God is kind of distant from us

and we've got to go meet him at his house

if we're going to relate to him

because that's what worship is.

It's relating and interacting with God

and if we say we worship

at a particular time or in a particular place,

what we're saying is

God is only in that particular time

or particular place

but God has made it clear that he's not distant.

The whole point of Jesus is God saying

I want to draw near to you.

It's God showing up to say

I want to relate to you.

I want to be present

and now by his spirit,

he dwells within us.

So he is always there.

You don't have to go to God's house

to relate to him

because you are God's house.

You don't have to go to a building

or a time of day.

God is everywhere

in every moment of every day.

But the second

and maybe the more dangerous misunderstanding

if you try and limit worship down

to a specific time or place

is that what you're saying is

he's only worthy of those times

and those places.

Remember, worship is really about

the one who's being worshipped

and if it's only about

an hour or two in the week

or 15 minutes at the start of a day,

if that's enough for God,

what does that say

about the majesty

and glory

and power

of the God

that you worship?

He doesn't seem

very impressive

if he just needs

an hour in your week

and the rest is up to you.

Worship is a response

to God

who has revealed himself

in Jesus.

He's revealed himself

as all-sufficient,

all-satisfying,

all-powerful,

creator and sustainer,

and he's worthy

of more

than we could possibly

give him.

So to think that worship

would in any way

be less

than every minute

of every day

in every task

that we do

is to misunderstand

the God

who we come to worship.

He is worthy

of unceasing,

exuberant,

extravagant,

enthusiastic worship

all the time.

I don't know

if any of you

have had the misfortune

of being in a long-distance

relationship.

I understand

it's essential

for some people

but reality is

it's not the best-case scenario

if you're going to

have a relationship.

You know,

you see them

once every so often

and there's so much

pressure in that time

when you actually

get to see them.

For three weeks

the best you've had

is phone calls

or if you're a little bit older

letter writing

or emails

or whatever it is

and so you finally

get to see them

for that few hours

or that weekend

and your whole relationship

has to exist

in that couple of hours.

All the affection,

all the joy,

all the care,

everything that you

were trying to get

out of that relationship

has to be given to you

in that small window

and what happens is

you get disappointed

because you can't squeeze

three weeks of love

and care and affection

into a couple of hours.

That's not how it works.

When we restrict worship

to an hour a week

or a part of our day

or a particular location

we treat God

like we're in

a long distance relationship.

We treat him

like he's not around

the rest of the time

and we wonder why

we're not as satisfied.

We wonder why

we're not as in awe.

We're not as in love.

And it's because

what we've done

is we make this

Sunday gathering

our worship

and we expect it

to be enough

to give us all the joy

and all the strength

and all the encouragement

and all the satisfaction

that God promises.

That's not the point

of this gathering

because God is always there.

God is always good.

God is always worthy

and he doesn't want

a long distance

relationship with you.

He wants to be present

in your life

all the time

and he is present

in your life

all the time.

Last week I mentioned

that church can often feel

like a shot in the arm

to get you through the week.

It can encourage you.

It can strengthen you.

It can keep you going.

Sometimes you can map out

your emotion through the week

from church to church.

But it's not the whole truth.

See, the quality

of our experience

as we gather

to worship God here

needs to be

and is

the overflow

of the worship

and the relationship

that we have with God

the rest of the time.

You can't just

turn it on here

and expect it to be

intimate

and on fire

and enthusiastic

and joyful

and a blessing

if you just ignore God

or treat him

like he's not there

the rest of the time.

You can't turn on

a relationship

and then turn it off.

That's why long distance

relationships are difficult.

Coming to church

and gathering

as God's people

can be a shot

in the arm

but really

it needs to be

an overflow

of a whole life

where you're already

living dependent

on Jesus

where you're already

getting to know him

in his word

where you're already

trusting in the forgiveness

that he offers you

where you're already

confessing your sin

and asking him

to change your heart.

If you're just

doing it once a week

you're putting a pressure

on this hour

this hour and 10 minutes

this hour and 15 minutes

that it can't hold

and at best

your relationship

will be difficult

at worst

it won't work.

Romans 12

says to us

therefore I urge you

brothers and sisters

in view of God's mercy

to offer your bodies

as a living sacrifice

holy and pleasing to God

this is your true

and proper worship

in light of who God

has shown himself

to be

in giving his son

so that we might know him

a living sacrifice

is what true worship

looks like.

Now

by definition

sacrifice

is complete.

You can't sacrifice

some of yourself

all the time

or all of yourself

some of the time

sacrifice

is all of yourself

all of the time.

The only

right response

the only satisfactory

response

to what God

has done for us

in Jesus

is a life lived

in faith

every day

not for an hour a week.

It's a life lived

in obedience

and affection

and commitment

every day

not just

for an hour

or a day

or a morning

or whatever it is

you can't

sacrifice

some.

The life

that is lived

in faith

the life

that is a living

sacrifice

is completely

devoted to God

in any

and every

circumstance

and the key

in that Romans 12

verse is

it's in response

to what God

has done for us

in Jesus.

Therefore

in view

of God's mercy

because he has

called you

into a relationship

with himself

he invites you

to trust him

and lean on him

and be satisfied

in him

in every minute

of every day.

God is spirit

and so the appropriate

worship of him

the worship he desires

is worship

that's in spirit

and in truth.

It's the gospel

shaped worship

that we talked

about last week

worship where we

are inadequate

within ourselves

but confident

because of what

God has done

in Jesus.

The way that

the Trinity works

in our relationship

with God

is we want

a relationship

with God

the Father.

Jesus does

what needs

to be done

to make that

possible

and the Spirit

connects us.

So we call

God our Father

through the Son

and by the Spirit.

Stick with me.

So what we mean

when we pray

we pray to the Father

in the power

of what Jesus

has done

by the Spirit.

What that means

for our worship

is we worship

in what Jesus

has done.

This is last week.

Jesus is our worship.

He's the perfectly

obedient one.

He's the one

who trusts

and honors

His Father

at all times

and so our worship

is in the Son

and by the Spirit.

What that means

is because the Spirit

is present in your life

always,

because the New Testament

says that when you

trust Jesus

God places His Spirit

in you,

God is always there

and always worthy

of worship

and by His Spirit

you are always

empowered to worship.

worship.

You always have

what you need

to worship.

You don't need

a building,

you don't need

a particular song,

you don't need

a particular group

of people.

All you need

is the Spirit

of God

and what Jesus

has done for you

and you have

those things

in every minute

of every day.

In 1 Corinthians 10

Paul says,

this is his summary

statement,

whether you eat

or drink,

whatever you do,

do it all

for the glory

of God.

It's not about

tasks,

it's not about

routines,

it's not about

some bits being

holy and other

bits being normal,

whatever you do.

It's all for

the glory of God,

it's all an opportunity

to worship God,

it's all an opportunity

to depend on Him

and trust what He

has done for you.

The answer to the

when and where

question for worship

is all the time

and everywhere.

There is no distinction.

But,

that does mean

that we have to ask

perhaps the more

difficult question,

why do we do

this then?

If we can worship

God whenever,

wherever,

without any of this,

why do we bother

gathering together?

What's the point

of us taking an hour

or an hour and 15

on a bad week

or a good week

depending on how

you take it?

What's the point

of us doing that

each Sunday

if we can just do it

all the time

and everywhere?

If I can worship

God in the car

on the way home,

it's probably much

quicker for me

to just sit in my car

in the driveway.

Why gather

for corporate worship?

Well,

as a starting point,

God commands us to.

Hebrews 10

is going to be

on the screen.

Therefore,

brothers and sisters,

since we have

confidence to enter

the most holy place

by the blood of Jesus,

by a new and living way

opened for us

through the curtain

that is his body,

and since we have

a great priest

over the house of God,

let us draw near to God

with a sincere heart

and with the full assurance

that faith brings,

having our hearts sprinkled

to cleanse us

from a guilty conscience

and having our bodies

washed with pure water.

Let us hold unswervingly

to the hope we profess

for he who promised

is faithful.

So, so far,

the writer is saying,

because of what God

has done in Jesus,

let us draw near to God.

Let us worship him.

We have access to him

because of God.

But then listen to what he says

in the same breath,

in the same thought.

Verse 24,

let us consider

how we may spur one another

on toward love

and good deeds,

not giving up meeting together

as some are in the habit

of doing,

but encouraging one another

and all the more

as you see the day approaching.

So, in the same breath

as encouraging you

to hold on to the hope

that you have in Jesus,

in the same breath

as saying hold on

to your heavenly desire

and ambition

and anticipation,

he says don't give up

meeting together

as some are in the habit

of doing.

If you hear the message

of scripture

that worship is everything,

that worship is full time,

that it's all of life

as a reason not to gather

for worship like this,

then you've misunderstood

what we do

when we get together.

You've misunderstood

that there is something

unique and special.

The church exists

to build one another up

and to glorify God,

to mature one another

and the church is,

by definition,

a gathering.

Ultimately,

we are gathered

to the Father in heaven

through what Jesus has done

and it's a heavenly gathering,

but it gets expressed

when we do this.

This is a glimpse

of what God has achieved

in eternity.

One day we will see it

in its full magnitude

with those who have trusted Jesus

from every tribe,

nation and tongue

and generation,

but this is the church

because the church gathers.

And so a Christian

who by choice

cuts themselves off

from the gathering

of God's people,

cuts themselves off

from the source

of growth and maturity.

A Christian who chooses

not to gather

because they think

I can worship by myself,

misses out on what God

has given them

to grow them

and mature them

and is ultimately

a malnourished Christian.

Our future eternal existence

is a gathering.

It probably won't look

a whole lot like this.

There might be little bits

that are familiar,

but it will be with God

together.

If you've got a picture

of heaven

that is just you and God

hanging out one on one,

I want you to know

that God has something

better in store for you

than that.

God is going to bless you

by surrounding you

with a multitude

of other people

who he has loved

and purchased

by the blood of Jesus.

And he's going to use them

for all eternity

to reveal himself to you.

We gather

because God commands us to,

because it feeds us.

We gather

because that's what

forgiven people do,

because it spurs us on.

But one last one

that I think

is really important.

We gather

because when we do,

we get to experience

God's presence

in a unique way.

When we gather

as God's people

around his word,

we get to experience

God's presence

in a unique way.

Now, we need to be careful

how we articulate this,

because we've already said

that God is everywhere,

that God is present

all the time,

in every minute

of every day.

And so,

we can't say

that he's more present,

because that wouldn't

make sense.

But there is

something unique

in the New Testament

about what happens

when God's people

get together.

Let's look at a few passages

on the screen quickly.

Matthew 18, verse 20,

Matthew 18:20

where two or three

gather in my name,

there am I with them.

This is a passage

about prayer,

where people are agreeing

in something,

and Jesus says,

when that happens,

there am I with them.

When they gather

in my name

for my purposes,

there am I with them.

1 Corinthians 5, verse 4,

1 Corinthians 5:4

when you are assembled

and I am with you

in spirit,

and the power

of our Lord Jesus

is present.

This passage

is talking about

dealing with sexual immorality

amongst the body

of believers.

It's a totally different

passage to the Matthew one,

but again,

when they're assembled,

the power

of the Lord Jesus

is present.

Now, in both

of those verses,

surely it's redundant

to say that Jesus

is present

when we've already

heard it over and over

throughout the New Testament

that when we put

our trust in Jesus,

his spirit dwells in us

and is therefore present.

Why mention it again

unless there is

something unique

about the presence

that is being talked

about in these passages?

Many times

when we open

the New Testament

and we hear that

the spirit dwells in you,

what it means is

the spirit dwells

in you's collective.

It's not to take away

from the fact

that the New Testament

says that the spirit

dwells in you individually

when you put your trust

in Jesus,

but over and over

the New Testament

says that there is

something unique

about the communal

presence of God.

For the past,

I can't even think

how many years

I've been playing AFL

as part of a team.

I've played in a few

different teams

and with varied degrees

of success,

but each year

from the point

where I sign up

on my form

and I hand over

my money

and I pay my registration

and I get my uniform,

that's when I'm part

of the team.

I become a member

of the team

at that point.

But the time

when I'm most aware

of my role

or my status

as a team member

is when I have

my uniform on

and I'm gathered

with the other members

of my team

in preparation

for playing a game.

It's not that I'm

less a team member

when I'm at home

or at work

or watching TV

or trying to recover

from the pain

that football causes.

My status

doesn't change

but when I gather

with those people

my awareness

of my status

as a team member

is heightened.

In the same way

I am in Christ

when I ask

for forgiveness

and I trust Jesus.

When I become

a Christian

Jesus places

his spirit

in me.

But when I gather

with God's people

my awareness

of Jesus

my affection

for Jesus

my desire

for his purpose

and his kingdom

is heightened

because I'm surrounded

by a group

of people

that share

that same experience

and that same status.

Because remember

worship is

relational.

Worship is about

relating to

and loving

and adoring

our Heavenly Father

and when we gather

with God's people

we get to see God

through what he is doing

in the people around us.

We get to see God

fresh.

We get a clearer vision

a fresh revelation

of him

when we see

a brother or sister

satisfied

and joyful

in God.

We get to see God

more clearly

when we see a brother

or sister

persevering

in difficulty.

We get to see God

as they sing

and celebrate

God's goodness.

Corporate worship

is a chance

for you

to encounter

God

fresh.

Our time

together

tonight

is a chance

for you

to encounter

God

fresh.

I wonder

if you arrive

tonight

expecting God

to reveal himself

expecting him

to be present

because he's here

in a unique way

because we are here

under his name

and around his word.

He wants

to show himself

to us

tonight

so that we might

be more satisfied

in him

so that we might

be strengthened

to keep obeying him

so that we might

love him

as he deserves

so that we might

trust him

more fully.

Did you come here

to encounter

the living

saviour Jesus

or did you come

for a sermon

that wouldn't go

too long

and might be

interesting

or did you

come for the music

or did you

come for the

dinner afterwards

which we're not

providing

just to clarify

what were you

expecting

when you came

God reveals

himself

in his

gathered people

for our sake

and for those

who don't know

Jesus yet

1 Corinthians 14

is a passage

that's correcting

a church

for some mistakes

that they're making

in their gathering

but it talks

about an unbeliever

that wanders

into the church

meeting

and sees the church

being the church

doing their thing

singing

praising

giving

all those things

and they fall

down on their knees

and respond

with surely

God is among you

that's the response

of an unbeliever

who comes in

and sees the gathered

people of God

together

the presence

of God

among his people

is a gift

to us

it's a gift

and an opportunity

for us to see

and be fed

and encouraged

and have a fuller

revelation

of who God is

every time

we gather like this

is a chance

for somebody

who doesn't know

Jesus

to walk into

the room

and encounter

God

sometimes we

try and encourage

you to bring

your unsaved

friends

those who don't

know Jesus

along to church

sometimes we have

special evangelistic

Sundays

to help you do it

we don't need

special evangelistic

Sundays

the people of God

together

equals the presence

of God

so every time

we gather

is a good time

to bring along

someone who doesn't

know Jesus

because they can

encounter

God's love

and grace

in our relationships

in the way

that we serve

one another

in the way

that we deal

with suffering

and difficulty

in the joy

and satisfaction

and contentment

that we know

in spite of our

circumstances

corporate worship

is fed by the

worship we do

in the rest of our

week

but likewise

when we gather

and encounter

God together

it feeds the

worship that we do

in the rest of the

week

loving God

and obeying God

and encountering God

and reflecting on God

and responding to God

together

helps us to keep

doing that in the rest

of the week

it feeds both ways

and so I want to ask you

is that where our

Sunday gathering sits

in your priorities

for the week

is this 5pm time slot

an immovable object

in your diary

because you know

that there is nothing

more important

more beneficial

more joyful

that you could possibly

do with your time

or is this locked

in

unless you get

a better offer

is it immovable

except for when

there is a party

or a dinner date

or an exam

or an assignment

do you wake up

on Sunday mornings

just unable

to sleep in

because you know

that today is the day

you get to gather

with God's people

and enjoy his presence

or do you not really

think about it

until about 10 to 5

when you realise

you are running late

and you need to

race here quickly

because God

has designed this

to be a gift

for you

so part of our

challenge is

we come here

with our eyes

half closed

we come here

not ready

to encounter God

not willing

to hear him

as he encourages us

not willing

to see him

as he strengthens

the person

next to us

this is a gift

from God

this is an opportunity

and a blessing

especially here in Sydney

free from persecution

this Sunday gathering

this service

this community

has the potential

to be more than a shot

in the arm for the week

this could be a life

transforming hour

for you

every Sunday night

where you encounter

the risen Jesus

have your heart

re-inflamed

to love him

and obey him

and serve him

and you go out

into the rest

of your week

just busting

to keep

loving him

and serving him

as you spend time

in your word

as you go to work

as you eat

and drink

and do whatever

it is that God

gives you to do

all for his glory

today

today was really

an answer

to a whole bunch

of questions

there's still more

questions

and we've got

a couple more

weeks to go

it's not just

about where

and when

but also

why we do this

and all of it

comes back

to last week

it's all because

of who we worship

worship is all

of life

because our God

is that big

and that worthy

and this matters

because God

says this matters

because God

has made this matter

because God

has put himself

here when we gather

and said this is a gift

this is an opportunity

this is a blessing

I read this morning

in Psalm 121

Psalms 121:3

verse 3

he will not let

your foot slip

he who watches

over you

will not slumber

our God

never rests

from doing

his work

he never rests

from being perfect

and just

and glorious

and holy

and righteous

and loving us

and so he is

always

worthy

of our all

in every minute

of every day

and that same God

who never rests

reveals himself

uniquely

when we gather

in his name

so let me finish

with the words

from Corinthians

because he's worthy

whether you eat

or drink

or whatever you do

do it all

for the glory

of God

whether you work

or study

or sleep

or rest

or gather

do it all

for the glory

of God

because he's worthy

let's pray

Father God

we want to ask

that you would

protect us

from a small

vision of you

we want to ask

that you would

stop us

from containing

you into a time

or a place

or a routine

or a ritual

help us

to see you

in all of your

glory and majesty

help us

to grasp

the privilege

of knowing you

and relating to you

and worshipping you

help us

to be people

who joyfully

wake up

every day

to give

every moment

to you

to lean on you

in faith

and to trust

your goodness

help us

to be people

who delight

in gathering

as your people

help us

to come here

expectant

that you will

reveal yourself

to us

help us

to invite

boldly

knowing that

you will be

present

at the gathering

of your people

help us

to be transformed

as we meet

with you

each week

may this time

truly be

a life

shaping

hour together

may this

community

be one

that reflects

the God

that it

worships

we ask

this in your

son's name

amen