In Spirit and in Truth

The message is about worshiping God in spirit and in truth. The speaker emphasizes the importance of focusing on the Word of God and not being distracted by other teachings or practices. The speaker also warns about false prophets and the need to test the spirits. The key is to hold fast to God's words, keep His commandments, and seek wisdom and understanding. Worshiping God in spirit and truth is not just about unity, but about following Jesus and obeying His teachings. As Norbert mentioned, the title of this message is called In Spirit and in Truth. And the reason for that title is because I would like for us to focus on those two words and how we are to worship God. And we're going to start by going to John 4 where those words are. And we're going to read that and what Jesus told the woman at the well as to how we are to worship God the Father. And how we are to worship God the Father and Jesus Christ. And it has to be in spirit and in truth. There's been a lot of things lately going on in many of the groups of the Church of God. And I say the Church of God because there's only one Church of God, one spiritual body. We know, we understand that there's many physical organizations. And there are brethren in many of them or most of them or all of them. We don't know. That's for God to determine because God sees the heart. And whoever has his spirit are the ones that are called, that have answered the call, and that are chosen and that are faithful. God knows. God's working with each and every one of us. But our focus is to be worshiping God in spirit and in truth. And that's what I would like to talk about today because I want for us to focus on the Word of God because there can be many distractions as we've seen lately in a lot of the groups and a lot of the things that are going on, especially with young people and especially when it comes to other ways of doing things and other teachings and things like that. But really, what is the focus? What should the focus be right now for all of us? The focus should be on the Word of God and for us to be worshiping God in spirit and in truth. And that's what we're going to study today. How do we worship God in spirit and in truth? And the importance of doing that, the importance of focusing on that, on focusing on worshiping Him in spirit and in truth, truth dedicated to Him. Our eyes need to be on God. So here in John 4, we're going to begin in verse 23. We're going to go straight to this verse where Jesus is telling this American woman the following. He says, So the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Does that mean that there are false worshipers? It can be implied because it says the true worshipers. The true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. It has to be both. It has to be in spirit and in truth, not in spirit only without the truth. Because there are a lot of places, a lot of churches, a lot of denominations that seem to have a lot of the spirit. Now, I'm not saying that that's the Holy Spirit of God necessarily, but they are very spiritual. And there's a lot of people, especially nowadays and especially with the youth, that say, I'm not religious. I'm spiritual. And that could be actually a dangerous thing instead of a good thing. And the word spirit, it's been said that, you know, in the churches of God may have not a good connotation. But it is. The spirit of God absolutely is. It's how we are to worship God in spirit, in the spirit of God, in the spirit of the truth. And it has to be in spirit and in truth. That's the second part. Because also, if we have the truth of God, but we don't have much of the spirit of God, are we truly worshipping, being true worshippers? Are we doing the most? Maybe, barely. But we have to have the Holy Spirit as well. It's both. It's not just the truth and it's not just the spirit. But it has to be both. And then we're going to see what the Bible is talking about when it talks about the spirit. But here Jesus told the woman at the well, He said, For the Father is indeed seeking those who worship Him in this manner. The Father is indeed seeking those who will worship Him in this manner. And it says, God is spirit. And those who worship Him must. It's not an option. It says, must worship in spirit and in truth. Because we have to be called by God. And He has to give us then His Holy Spirit in order to worship Him in this manner. We cannot generate this of our own. Our good intentions don't generate that. The Holy Spirit is a gift. It's a gift. And there really isn't anything that we can do to earn it. Now there are things that we can do to quench it. But there's not things that we can do to earn it. And we must worship Him in spirit and in truth with that gift of the Holy Spirit that He has given us at baptism and the laying on of hands. And then the woman responds to Jesus in verse 25. The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming who is called Christ. When He comes, He will tell us all things. And this is after He had already told her a lot of things about her life. And then Jesus said to her in verse 26, I could speak to you and He. Basically, the Messiah, the one sent from God, the Christ, the Savior, was talking to this woman and saying, the Father is seeking those who worship in this manner. So we have to be doing that. We have to be worshiping in spirit and in truth. And then in verse 27, it says, now at this time His disciples came and they were amazed that He was speaking with a woman. However, no one said, what are you seeking? Or why are you talking with her? Because it was strange. It was strange for a Jewish man to be speaking with somebody from the Samaritans. They didn't really speak to one another. They didn't really like one another. But to a woman, a Samaritan woman, and this was on purpose, and it was recorded on purpose to show that God is going to call whoever He desires. He's going to reveal Himself to whomever He desires because it is what He wants to do. And sometimes in groups or organizations, we have lived through this, some of us have lived through this, where people have said, actually said, don't talk to that person or don't talk to that other person in a top-down government approach. And we're not to do that. Those of us who are elders or ministers, we're not to lord over the brethren. And I know that most of us know that and understand that and believe that. But many sometimes in other groups are not doing that. But here, clearly, Jesus is talking to a Samaritan woman. And that's why He explains in the verse. It says, like, nobody said, what are you seeking? Why are you talking with her? And sometimes that's what happens in organizations, right? The leader does something and nobody asks, like, well, why was that done? And sometimes people have suffered. People have been abused and beaten down and, you know, been disassociated from different organizations. And I say organizations, again, because the church is the spiritual body of Christ. And we know that. But we have to live according to that, believe that. But if we really are the body of Christ, we have to do this. We have to worship God in spirit and in truth, with the Holy Spirit of God, and with the truth of God, which is His Word. Let's go to 1 John, 1 John 4. Because there's something very important here in 1 John 4. And it's a warning. It's a warning to all of us. This is not just a warning to some other people. This is to us. The Apostle John says, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. And isn't that true today? Probably even more than at any point in time in history. Why? Because we have, like, the communications are instant, and they're global. They're everywhere. YouTube and other platforms, social media platforms, they have all these videos. And they have all of these preachers and all of these teachers. And sometimes it's for good, and sometimes it's not for good. And sometimes our preachers, they come out, and they have a lot of truth. They do. They really do. Somebody that was talking about hell and talking correctly about what the Bible teaches about hell, saying it's not an ever-burning place, you know, and that's not the God that we serve. And he was correct. He correctly defined Gethana and Hades and all of the terms and everything that we understand about that. That's just a sidebar. But there are people like him, you know, that are preaching some truth. Absolutely. And that's good. That's great because if it's according to the Word of God, that is wonderful. That is wonderful. And this preacher was basically saying, and it's true, that probably no other doctrine makes, you know, makes any more atheists than that, than the doctrine of hell, of thinking that God is going to put us in a place of ever-burning torment for living whatever, 60, 70, 80, whatever number of years we get to live on this life. People refuse to believe that, but we know different. We know that that's not the God we serve. But just as much as there are some preachers that are preaching some truth and some topics and some things, we also know that there's preachers that are preaching lies. And there are false prophets, and they're preaching things that are not right. And the deception is getting more complex than ever because now there's a lot more truth mixed in. And the Sabbath and the Holy Days are fundamental for us to understand the plan of God, but that's not everything. Because when it says we have to worship in spirit and in truth, it means all the truth. It means everything in His Word. It means everything that is written in the Word of God. And it's not only the Sabbath and the Holy Days. Those are foundational. But if in other organizations or in time past we were taught that if somebody's keeping the Sabbath and keeping the Holy Days, and they have the truth, it may be right with respect to that which they are doing according to the Word of God. But it may not be right with respect to some other doctrines. And we know what doctrines they commonly are out there that are erroneous, like keeping Passover in the wrong day or not understanding the nature of God or things like that. There's a lot of different things that these false prophets have gone out into the world. But I just want to share because I'm sure we are all aware there's a lot more awareness, maybe not more false prophets than before, but there's certainly way more ways to see them and to hear them out there in social media and all these different platforms. And it says they have gone out into the world. And that's true today. But now they have a lot more of the truth. But in comes in some other doctrine that is not correct, not according to the Word of God. And we have to be careful. Because this is what the Apostle John tells us, to test the Spirit. If we go back to Deuteronomy, we're not going to go there right now, but there were two tests. And the first one was, if a prophet tells you something and the thing doesn't come to pass, you shall not hearken to them. You shall not hearken to him because it didn't come to pass. But then there's another one where it says, even if it happens, even if he prophesies something and it does come to pass, then the second test is to see whether he's talking according to the words in the Bible, according to all the instructions that God gave the people of Israel. And he says, and if he's speaking against what I have said, you shall kill him. Now, that's not what we're going to do nowadays. We're not going to listen to them. But we have to test the Spirit. And he tells us how in verse 2, by these tests you can know the Spirit of God. Because the Spirit of God is absolutely what we need to worship God in spirit and in truth. It's just as important as the truth. It's the Spirit of God, that connection, personal connection with God through His Spirit, through His power. But then he tells us this is a test. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. And let's pause here for a moment, because if we really think about this, that automatically excludes Judaism. Because they don't believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. They don't believe that He was God, that He came in the flesh, that He was God in the flesh. They don't believe that. They believe that He was an imposter. And with the things that He said, He cannot even be a prophet, because He made Himself equal with God, which He was. Being the Son of God. So that automatically excludes Judaism. And then on the other side, also excludes Catholicism and Muslim-Christianity, honestly. Because if they believe in the Trinity, and they believe in three in one, then He came in the flesh, but that was only part of Him. Because the other two parts were somewhere in heaven. So that is another... And then the Apostle John tells us what happened. He says, And every spirit, verse 3, every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh Himself, that understands that Elohim is plural, that understands that He was the Lord God, who came in the flesh, He was the Word, and He became flesh, and He dwelt among men. If they don't confess that and understand that, it's not from God. And this is the spirit of Antichrist, which was to come, and even now it is already in the world. And that is very important that we are aware of that. Because sometimes it just... there's way more than meets the eye here. Just saying, confessing that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, because now we have, for example, we have Messianic Judaism. But at the end of the day, it's still Judaism. And then we also have the Hebrew Roots Movement, which comes from the Protestants. But that now is starting to understand that there's things in the Old Testament that we still have to keep. Like the Feasts, or the Sabbath. But at the end of the day, it's still Protestantism. Unless they come to the full truth of what it says. And the understanding of who Jesus Christ really is, and really was when He came to the world. And in verse 4, it says, You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than the one who is in the world. And we can remember that the Apostle John is the one that wrote in his Gospel, in the Gospel of John, in chapter 15, what Jesus said, dwell in me, and I in you. So He is encouraging us here, that we are of God. Because greater is He who is in us, that Jesus Christ and God the Father come and dwell in us through their spirit. Their very own power and essence of who they are. They want to come and dwell in us. They're not going to force us. We have free moral agency. We have a choice. But they want us to choose them, that they can come and dwell in us. And we are of God. We are of God the Father. And we have overcome. And then in verse 5, it says, They are of the world, because of this they speak of the world, and the world listens to them. Because it sounds very plausible. It sounds nice. It sounds coherent. In fact, sometimes the majority of the things that they are actually teaching are right. Until you get to the nature of God. Or until you get to the Passover. Or until you get to some of the other things. Speaking in tongues, for example. And then, it's just kind of like the disciples. Remember when they asked Jesus, Do you want us to call down fire from heaven? What did He tell them? You do not know of whose spirit you are. And sometimes, people are doing altar calls and speaking in tongues. They don't know whose spirit they are. That's why the Apostle John tells us, Do not believe every spirit. It's not to put a wrong connotation in the word spirit. Because we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. With zeal. With understanding. With the heart. With the mind. But the world listens to them. And then in verse 6, it says, We are of God. The one who knows God listens to us. And I don't mean us. Listens to John. Listens to what's written. The one who is not of God does not listen to us. To him and the other apostles. And what they wrote. To unlock the Old Testament. And to give us understanding of everything that happened from the very beginning. And then he says, This means we know the spirit of the truth. And the spirit of the deception. There is the deception. Because anything that is not the truth is deception. It doesn't matter how much and what measure. It doesn't matter if it's 80% or 20% or 30% or 5%. It doesn't matter. There is a spirit of the deception. And Satan doesn't care how off we go. As long as he does get us off track. He doesn't care that it's a little bit. Because in time, we might end up in a different point. It might just be a one degree difference or two degree difference. But if we're not going according to what God says in time. We're going to end up in a very different place. If we do not test the spirits. Because this is not just about unity. Unity is great. But unity is not a goal. Unity is a consequence of all of us doing what Jesus said in John 4. Of worshipping the Father in spirit and in truth. Now how do we do that? Let's go to Proverbs 4. In Proverbs 4, there's a lot of instruction regarding this. Proverbs 4, we're going to begin in verse 1. Because this is what we have to focus on. On worshipping God in spirit and in truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through our high priest. Obeying every word that he spoke. Every word that he inspired in the Old Testament. Every word that the apostles wrote and canonized in the New Testament. And testing the spirits. And testing what people are saying. It's not necessarily wrong to listen to other pastors and preachers. As long as we're grounded in the truth. And we know how to distinguish the truth from the lies. And that takes time. It takes maturity. But each one of us is responsible for studying. And for proving all things like the Bereans with the word of God. Proverbs 4, verse 1. It says, O children, hear the instruction of a father. And be attentive in order to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine. Here it is. God is telling us directly that he gives us good doctrine. Do not forsake my law. It begins there. It begins. That's when we were called. That's when we started to understand. Oh, we have to keep the Sabbath and the laws of God. That apply all the time to everybody. And that's what it says. For I give you good doctrine. These false teachers. The ones that have the spirit of the Antichrist. They don't have good doctrine. They may have some good doctrine. Or some good sounding doctrine. But we are not to forsake the law of God. That's where it begins. Let's drop down to verse 4. It says, He also taught me and said to me. Speaking of his father. It says, Let your heart hold fast my words. Keep my commandments and live. And God is telling us this. Let your heart hold fast my words. Keep my commandments and live. And his words are all recorded in the Bible. It's not an oral tradition. It's not because somebody had a dream. No. It's here. It's here. His words are written down. And then he gives us further instruction. This is how we worship God in spirit and in truth. If we hold fast his words. If we do not forsake his law. Because he gives us good doctrine. Everything in the Bible is good doctrine. It's usually the interpretation that goes sideways many times. But he gives us good doctrine. And we are to hold fast those words. And keep his commandments. That's where it starts. And we're to continue to keep them the rest of our lives. For all eternity. That's what God is. God is love. And all his commandments are love. God tells us in verse 5. Get wisdom. Get understanding. Forget it not. Nor turn away from the words of my mouth. If we're not listening to what God is telling us through his word. Then we're turning away from the words of his mouth. But we have to get wisdom. We have to ask God. Like he says in James 3. Ask James 1. If anybody likes wisdom, ask God. He will give it. He will give us wisdom. Because it's the wisdom from above that we want. It's the wisdom of God. And he says get understanding. Understand all of the knowledge of God. The knowledge is in the Bible. But we have to then come to the next level of understanding all that knowledge. And then applying it. Which is wisdom. Verse 6 he says. Do not forsake her. And she shall keep you. Do not forsake wisdom. And she shall keep you. Love her. And she shall preserve you. Wisdom is the principal thing. Get wisdom. And with all you're getting. Get understanding. Meaning if there's only one thing that you do in this life is get wisdom. Nothing is more worth it than that. Than getting wisdom. It's the principal thing. It says it plain and simple. And he says exalt her. And she shall promote you. She shall bring you honor when you embrace her. And we have to. We have to get wisdom. We have to get understanding. Let's go to verse 11. This is what God tells us. And this is how we can worship him in spirit and in truth. If we're taking his words. If we're keeping his commandments in us. If we're getting wisdom. If we're getting understanding. We're crying out for those to God. And then God tells us in verse 11. I have taught you in the way of wisdom. Which is the way of wisdom. The way of all his commandments and his laws and his judgments. That's the way of wisdom. Because the law of God as he says in Psalm 19. Makes wise the simple. And he has taught us in the way of wisdom. He says I have led you in the right path. So we have to continue in those paths. In the right path. This is not about an organization. This is about God himself. This is about his word. And God leading us in the right path. But he takes personal responsibility for us to study. For us to diligently seek him. He says when you go. Your steps shall not be hampered. And when you run you shall not stumble. Because God is with us. Verse 13. Keep hold of the instruction. All the words of God. Keep hold of that. Do not let go. Keep her. For she is your life. Instruction is our life. If we follow the instruction of God. If we follow after God. If we do all these things that we are seeing here. And he gives us a warning. Enter not into the path of the wicked. And go not into the way of evil men. Because this is everywhere. This is not just in the New Testament. When the apostle John is saying that many deceivers are coming to the world. Well they have come. But they were also here. There were also evil men here. There were deceivers. There were people that were teaching false things as well. Going after pagan gods. But this is a warning. Do not enter into the path of the wicked. Do not seek. This is exactly what God told the people of Israel. The reason that they were to exterminate all those nations that were in the promised land. It was so that they wouldn't learn their practices. So they wouldn't ask how they worship their God and fall after that. And honestly sometimes right now especially the youth is doing that. Is going and asking other people how do you worship God? How do you understand that? You're a Christian too right? You give the Sabbath too. Or you give the holidays. You must know. Tell us. Share with us. But is that in spirit and in truth? Is that manifesting the spirit? Or is that going entering maybe entering that path of the wicked? And it's not to accuse anybody. This is just about in spirit and in truth what we're supposed to be doing. We're supposed to be really fellowshipping with and learning with together. Verse 18. It says but the path of the justice is the shining light that shines more and more to the perfect day. Because before it says that the path of the wicked is dark. But the path of the justice is the shining light. And then it says the way of the wicked is darkness. They know not of what they stumble. That's what happens. That's what happens. It starts with something that sounds really good. But if we dismiss something that may be off. That may be wrong. And we dismiss that. Then we're going to stumble on that. Or we're going to stumble on the next thing that they come up with that is out of their own hearts and not out of the word of God. Because there's a lot of people. A lot of false teachers. A lot of deceivers. Because that's what they are. They have come into the world. But God wants us to be attentive to him. My son, attend to my words. Incline your ear to my sayings. Our eyes and our heart and our ears have to be in the word of God. And it says it in so much detail because this is what we have to do. This is what we need in order to worship God in spirit and in truth. In both. God will give us of his Holy Spirit if we do these things. It says let them, verse 21, let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart. Let it be what you're thinking of all day. On his commandments. Like in Psalm 1, right? Blessed is the one that meditates in the law of the Lord. And that's his delight day and night. Why? He says for they are life to those who find them and help to all their flesh. And this is literal brethren. This is literal. Because Jesus Christ confirmed it. He said the words that I speak to you they are spirit and they are life. And it says here that they are life to those who find them and help to all their flesh. It truly is. Thinking, meditating on the word of God, on the sayings of God in his word and praying. Those are healing things. Physical and spiritual. It's true health both ways. They are life. The words that Jesus spoke and Jesus was the word so he spoke everything that was inspired by God. He inspired all of this. They are spirit and they are life to those who find them and help to all their flesh. It's not only health in the resurrection it's health now. Now obviously everything has to be subject to the will of God. We're not going to go and say well I'm suffering physically and I'm doing these things. It has to be subject to the will of God. But if we do that maybe we need more of it. Maybe we need more of these words so we may not let them depart from our eyes and really keeping them in the midst of our heart and putting our hope in God all day. And not only physical life it tells us to help to all our flesh. Verse 23 I love all guarded of your mind with diligence. With diligence means paying attention being focused. Being focused on that on paying attention to what's entering into our mind through the eyes, through the ears through our hands. That we have. We have to guard that door. And it's not only for the evil like obvious evil things in the world with violence and with sexuality and with perverted music and all of those things. It includes that absolutely. Those are the obvious ones. But what about false teachers? What about false preachers that maybe keep the Sabbath maybe keep the Holy Days? Are we guarding the door of our mind? And this is something between each one of us and God. This is not something that nobody is going to come and like audit or check who you're listening to or what. No, God is the one. This is our personal responsibility to be guarding the door of our mind with diligence. It says, for out of it are the issues of life of eternal life. Those are the issues have to do with the words of God. If we do these things we have to find those words because they're going to be life and help to us. That's worshiping in spirit and in truth. We're guarding the door of our mind because if you have truth and you have the spirit of God which we do but we're not guarding that door of our mind then pollution starts to creep in. Not just doctrinal pollution but every kind of pollution. Pollution from our own heart it doesn't even have to be from outside. God said that the heart is wicked. It's evil and desperately wicked. Now, he can know it. If we come to him if we incline our ear to his sayings if we keep these words in our heart if we read the Bible if we read the Bible if we really really do what he's telling us to do if we really attend to his words if we don't let them depart from our eyes if we keep them in the midst of our heart if we guard that door of our mind and even when these things come out from our evil heart because Jesus said that out of our heart the heart of man comes all kinds of wickedness even when it comes out of our own heart to bring it to God please cleanse me of this because it's evil and I reject it and it's not according to your word that's also guarding the door of your mind because that's where it comes from sometimes evil thoughts and he tells us more verse 24 put away from you a deceitful mouth and devious lips put far from you so it's what we think it's what we say it's what we look at it says in verse 25 let your eyes look right on let your eyelids look straight before you the answer is not informing another organization or coming together as a bunch of organizations or doing something that has never been done before or bringing a bunch of young people together or finding out from another group what is it that they're doing and joining them it's not about that what God wants is that your eyes look right on and your eyelids look straight before you into the word of God and go directly before the throne of the most high through the blood of Jesus Christ that's what matters that your eyes look right on and your eyelids look straight before you and then we take stock every time it says here every day verse 26 ponder the path of your feet and all your ways will be established and that's what it says meditate upon your bed in the Psalms it says meditate upon your bed and the night watchers think about what you did ponder the path of your feet where did you go today and not just ponder the path of your feet by yourself but bring it to God discuss it with God think about it and pray and ask him to cleanse you and to correct you and to direct you and to help you to increase in grace and knowledge and to guide you in the way that's what it says in verse 27 do not turn to the right hand nor to the left remove your foot from evil why does it say again do not turn to the right hand nor to the left and it says that in the Pentateuch as well and it says it here and it says it Jesus Christ says it as well about the the way that leads to life we are not to deviate to the right hand nor to the left we are not to go to the right hand the biggest extreme of keeping the commandments even though they are not necessarily the commandments of God but Judaism with all of its rules and regulations and everything you are not going to go to the left where it's like you don't have to keep anything like Protestantism you don't go to the right you don't go to the left you keep what God said to keep you keep your eyes on the word of God because those words are spirit and they are light if we incline our ear to his sayings if we keep those commandments within us if we heed to his words if we ponder the path of our feet if we get wisdom if we ask for wisdom if we ask for understanding if we have all these things that's how we can worship God in spirit and in truth and it's a beautiful thing when we can see that when we can see that God is with us and that we are with God which is more important it's more important that we are with God that we are walking in his ways drawing near to him every day in everything we do he will give us his spirit go to Acts 5 Acts 5 we are going to read this passage here what was happening in the early church in the New Testament this passage in the New Testament church because this is something this is something amazing in verse 14 it says and believers were added all the more to the Lord to the Lord why? because that's where we have to go we have to go to the Lord we have to go to the word of God we have to go to these words we just read how to worship him in spirit and in truth and this is a testimony of what was happening there multitudes of both men and women in so much that the people were bringing out the sick into the streets and putting them on beds and stretchers so that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them and this is probably one of those that was even greater worse than these shall they do because Jesus said that because he was going to the Father and that's what happened even just the shadow and a multitude from the cities round about also came together to Jerusalem bringing sick ones and those that beset by unclean spirits and they were all healed and we see that we saw that in Proverbs these words are life and they will be held to your flesh and they were healed but then what happens there comes the challenges then the high priest rose up and all those with him being of the sect of the Sadducees and they were filled with anger and they laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the public hold but during the night an angel of the Lord came and opened the doors of the prison and after bringing them out he said go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life which life the true life that's what Jesus said let the dead bury their dead this is the words of this life are the words that are in the Bible those are the words that we just read in Proverbs that we are to keep in the midst of our heart those are the words those are the words that are life that are held to all our flesh and an angel commanded them to go stand in the temple it's not it's not about what the the authority is telling you it's what God is telling you to do that he says and after hearing that they entered into the temple at dawn and taught now when the high priest and those with him came they called together the Sanhedrin and all the elderhood of the sons of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought but when the officers came they did not find them in the prison when they returned they reported saying we indeed found the prison locked with all security and the keeper standing outside in front of the doors but after opening them we did not find anyone inside and when they heard these words both the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priest also were utterly perplexed as to what this could lead to and everything was fine and good until they heard this but a certain one came and reported to them behold the man whom you put in the prison are standing in the temple and teaching people because that's what God told them to do and we are to obey God rather than men but we have to obey God we have to worship him in spirit and in truth and he says and the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence so that they might not be stoned see at the end of the day at the end of the day they were still afraid of the people because there were many it says for they feared the people very clearly they feared the people they didn't fear God they did not have those words these are some false teachers that were preventing the words of God to be preached they put him in prison why? because they were not with them they were not with their organization they were not with their they were not taught by them and sponsored by them and you know all of that but they still fear the people they did not fear God and they brought them in verse 27 and set them before the Sanhedrin and the high priest asked them saying did we not order you by a direct command not to teach in this name sounds like some ministers in the past that we've heard direct commands and top down government it says look you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching with the purpose of bringing this man's blood upon us they were rejecting God they were rejecting Jesus Christ they were not hearing the words that he spoke and that he inspired them to preach but Peter and the apostles answered and said we're obligated to obey God rather than men but that's if we're worshiping God in spirit and in truth we're doing his right which the apostles were not of our own devices it says the God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree they were not afraid of telling it like this because that's what happened they hanged him the high priest condemned Jesus to death and then he says by him as God exalted by his right hand to be a prince and savior to give repentance and remission of sins to Israel and we are his witnesses of these things as is also the Holy Spirit which God has given to those who obey him and obey him in spirit and in truth worship him in spirit and in truth and obey all the things that God wants us wants for us in his words as we read in Proverbs 4 that's how we can worship him in spirit and in truth we're doing those things that we read in Proverbs 4 and he's also giving us his spirit if we're obeying him if we're obeying him humbly because that's the only way to learn from God obeying him we have to trust the process because don't let anybody say that the work of God is all the magazines or TV programs or outreach or whatever that's not the work of God that might be the work of the ministry of an organization the work of God is within us is a transformation of our minds and of our hearts it's our transformation into the image of Jesus Christ that's the true work of God and it's in each one of us that he has to come by the word and by the spirit so that we can worship God the Father through Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth and it has to be according to the words that are written let's go to Isaiah 8 Isaiah 8 in verse 11 it says for thus the Lord spoke to me with a strong hand and warned me against walking in the way of these people saying do not say a conspiracy to everything which these people says a conspiracy and do not fear their fear nor be afraid people were afraid because they were not obeying God they were not listening to his words they were going against they were entering into that path well not more than entering they were fully in that path that goes astray that's what they were so they were afraid so everything was a conspiracy because when you have a guilty conscience everything is going to happen to you you're afraid of everything that might happen because you know you've done something that you shouldn't have done and that's what happened and do not fear their fear nor be afraid but who is he talking to those who listen to him to listen to him and this is what God is telling us to do right now to worship him in spirit and in truth he says and let him shall you sanctify and let him be your fear and let him be your dread it has to be what he tells us to do and be warned by him through his commandments and his laws but not only is he is he our fear and our dread he says and he shall be a sanctuary for you a place of refuge like David said in his distress you are my refuge he says and he shall be a sanctuary for you a place of protection a tower of defense a rock of salvation it says but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel and for a trap and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem why? because they don't believe in him they never believed these words in the old testament or in the new some did but the people at large the people of Israel that's why they had to go captive that was the judgment of God and many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken but God is saying this this is not this shouldn't surprise them but he's telling us what to do he's telling us that to draw close to God and to fear him and have him as our sanctuary and we are now in the temples of the Holy Spirit and in verse 16 it says bind up the testimony seal the law among my disciples a prophecy of what was going to happen with the disciples writing and canonizing the new testament and this is what we have to do verse 17 and I will wait upon the Lord who hides his face from the house of Jacob and I will trust in him if we're worshipping him in spirit and in truth he will be all these things to us we will fear him we will love him he will be our place of refuge we will trust him with all our heart because we love what he tells us we love his ways and we want to live them not just understand them not just know them a lot of people know them a lot of people can quote scripture very well better than us that doesn't mean that they have understanding that doesn't mean that they have wisdom that doesn't mean that they have the Holy Spirit of God it could be but it has to be according to what the word of God says we have to trust in him and then it says verse 18 behold I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts who dwells in Mount Zion and that's us we are children and verse 19 when they shall say to you secret to them that have familiar spirits and to wizards who beep and mutter see that's what they say they were so ingrained in those ways walking away from God they were not testing the spirits that's what the apostle tells us test the spirits because it has to be in spirit and in truth not just a little bit of truth not even just most of the truth it has to be full truth and the spirit of who he gives to those who obey him it says but should not a people seek unto their God that's what we are to do should the dead be sought on behalf of the living the Bible says that the dead know nothing why would the dead be sought if they know nothing they're asleep we know we know why because there's evil spirits that present themselves as whoever was in the grave but we have to test the spirits whether they are from God or not or if there's evil spirits and the test is here in verse 20 to the law and to the testimony if they do not speak according to this word the word of God the Bible it is because there is no light in them they're going to stumble we just read that in Proverbs 4 they know not of what they stumble because there is no light in them they don't know where they're going and that's and we have to be we have to be careful that we are worshipping God in spirit and in truth 2 John let's go to 2 John verse 5 in verse 5 it says and now I beseech you lady know as though I am writing a new commandment to you without which we have observed from the beginning that we love one another and this is the love of God that we walk according to his commandments this is how we worship God in spirit and in truth that we're walking according to his commandments this is a commandment exactly as you heard from the beginning that you might walk in it and he's telling us this is what's going to protect you this is what's going to keep you this is guarding guarding the door of your heart this is getting wisdom getting understanding this is walking in the way that God is leading us in this is because many deceivers have entered into the world those who do not confess that Jesus Christ is coming in the flesh of true believers this is the spirit of the deceiver and the antichrist and this is referring again to those who do not believe that we have that we have the Holy Spirit within us because God made that promise and God gave it in Acts 2 and we have it today but there are many deceivers that do not believe that that they do not confess that Jesus Christ is coming in the flesh of true believers because they believe in the Trinity so it's only three in one and that's it there's no family of God it completely cuts it off but this is the spirit of the deceiver and the antichrist and then he gives us more warnings here watch out for yourselves in order that you may not lose the things we have accomplished because we have to worship God in spirit and in truth we have to come to the word of God that we may receive a full reward anyone who transgresses and does not continue in the doctrine of Christ as we read listen to my words for I give you the doctrine it says does not have God does not have God but the one who continues in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son and this is very very important because when we look at the other two main religions that are based on the Bible or part of the Bible in the case of the Jews they don't have either they do not have God they do not have God because the God that they profess to know and worship is the one who came and they rejected and when it comes to Christianity the God that they say they worship is the one that spoke all the things in the Old Testament and they reject that and they reject that God and they don't even know the Father they only know Jesus and he's a false Jesus if they're not teaching what Jesus taught that doctrine of Christ that doctrine the good doctrine that God is giving us that's why it says if anyone comes to you and does not bring these doctrines the doctrine of Christ all the words of God that match perfectly the Old Testament do not receive him into your house and do not say to him welcome and sometimes they say welcome through the screen or to giving them time of our day to listen to some of their doctrines and sometimes it's okay to sharpen ourselves and see if we can actually distinguish what's truth from what's error it takes spiritual maturity and it takes personal responsibility but we have to worship God in spirit and in truth for if anyone says welcome to him is partaking in his evil works and we have to be be careful of this that's why we have to we have to believe what God said let's go to Luke 12 Luke 12 42 Luke 12 because we are to worship God in spirit and in truth in verse 42 it says and the Lord said who then is a wise and faithful steward because the true pastors are stewards they are overseers they know Lord over with top-down authority a steward is an overseer it says whom the Lord shall put in charge of his household to give him the power to do what he will and to do what he will and to do 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