The Heart of a Worshipper

John 4:21-24  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Who are the true worshippers that Jesus is referring to?

What are the implications if the church fails to understand this?

These are questions we seek to answer through this message. In Judah, one of the sons of Jacob, we have the DNA of a true worshipper.

In Genesis 37:26-27, we find that Judah was one of the instigators in the sale of Joseph to the Ishmaelite traders.

Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.

In the same breath, he acknowledges Joseph as his flesh and blood while proposing his sale to the Ishmaelites. No moral objections, just a cold, calculating person.

James 3:9-10 “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. “

Can a person who started as cold and calculative really change? Can someone who has caused irreparable damage really transform into someone worthy of honour?

When we come to Genesis 44:18-47:2, we meet an entirely different Judah. His brother Benjamin faces enslavement in Egypt. Judah steps forward and volunteers for the same fate his brother Joseph had faced all those years ago to save another brother, Benjamin. The indifference of Judah had given way to courage. The earlier cold and calculative Judah was now compassionate. What changed him?

The answer lies in Genesis 38:26. Judah’s sons die, and he is unable to provide a husband for his daughter-in-law, Tamar. Tamar disguises herself, and Judah unknowingly sleeps with her. Tamar becomes pregnant, and Judah calls for her execution for immorality. Tamar does not expose Judah’s mistake but instead sends him his staff, seal, and cord with a message: whoever owns these items is the father of the child. Judah recognizes his mistake, and his response in Genesis 38:26 is “She is more righteous than I.” No justifications, no cover-ups, no defensiveness, but an honest acknowledgement of wrong. This is teshuvah, the uniquely Jewish concept that a person can return, change, and become someone new and experience genuine remorse that leads to radical transformation. The Hebrew root of Judah is yud-dalet-hey which carries in its letters both “to thank” and “to confess.”  Leah named him Judah, meaning “this time I will thank the Lord,” but his name also means “he who acknowledged.” It is one who could honestly mean and say, “I was wrong.” From this root comes confession, which is the heart of repentance.

In God’s eyes, even the most righteous cannot stand in the place of one penitent sinner. Jesus used the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to teach the people this important truth in Luke 18:9-14.

Judah’s name is not about perfection but about transformation. True worshippers are those who honestly acknowledge their wrongdoing before a holy God and people. Teshuvah (the returning in repentance) is always at the heart of true worship. The name Judah recognizes the courage to own one’s mistakes, not to shift blame, and to allow those mistakes to break one open so that something beautiful can come from their wreckage. Mistakes do not define you; what you do with your mistakes does.

The apostle Paul also testifies of his own personal transformation in Romans 7:17 and Galatians 2:20. From acknowledging the “sin that dwells in me” to the “Christ that dwells in me” was a radical transformation, like Judah’s.

His encounter with the risen Lord Jesus Christ, caused Saul of Tarsus to ask two important questions, which many believers do not ask these days. These questions have a huge bearing on one's personal transformation and the church's mission.

First, who are You Lord? (Acts 9:5)

Second, Lord, what do You want me to do? (Acts 9:6)

The first speaks of intimacy with the King of kings, Lord of lords, and the second speaks of mission that flows out of unhindered communication with the King of kings. Those who worship in spirit and in truth will increasingly ask these two important questions as they fulfill their earthly assignments. What about you believer? Are you growing as a worshipper in spirit and in truth? Are you able to ask these two questions more often than not?

Wrong questions are being asked by the church in many places because there is little to no commitment to personal transformation. So much emphasis is placed on programs, strategies, promotions and plans with little prayer and seeking God's heart. These don't move the needle of the kingdom of God one bit rather they serve to promote the petty kingdoms of men.

Worship that does not transform you is not true worship. It may entertain and make you feel good but achieves no eternal purpose.

Christ's mission for the church (Matthew 28:18-20 and Ephesians 3:10) is hampered when believers are not transformed into Christlikeness by their worship.

If you desire a transformation in your life, I would urge you to revisit the words of Jesus in John 4:21-24 and intentionally seek the Lord for change in this area. God is looking for true worshippers; they are the righteous remnant and a minority. Make sure you are one of them.

Like the apostle John at Patmos (Revelation 4:1), the Lord is calling His people to come higher so that He can show them His heart. A revelation of the heart of Christ will transform you into a true worshipper. Joseph was always righteous, but Judah was the master of return. (baal teshuvah). Joseph became the second most powerful man in Egypt after Pharaoh, while Judah became the father of kings, David’s ancestor, and of Christ Himself, the Lion of the tribe of Judah!