Discussion Questions:
Opening

1. How would you define worship before hearing this sermon? Has your definition shifted at all? If so, how?
2. Pastor Tim described moments in church history where worship was controlled or restricted in ways that limited genuine expression. Have you experienced something like that? How did it affect you?

The Temptations of Christ (Luke 4, 1-13)

3. Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship. What does it reveal about the nature of worship that Satan wanted it so badly?
4. Jesus responded to each temptation with the Word of God. What does that tell us about the role Scripture plays in protecting and guiding our worship?
5. Jesus declared, "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve." What are some things, subtle or obvious, that compete for the worship that belongs to God alone in your own life?

Worship in Spirit and Truth (John 4, 19-26)

6. The woman at the well was focused on the location and tradition of worship. Jesus redirected her to the nature of worship. Why do you think it is so easy to get caught up in the external forms of worship and miss the heart of it?
7. Jesus told her, "I am he," the first time in Scripture he directly identified himself as the Messiah. What does it mean to you personally that Jesus revealed himself in the context of a conversation about worship?
8. Pastor Tim described the word "sincere" as coming from the idea of "without wax," meaning not concealing cracks with a false covering. Where in your worship life might there be "wax" hiding something that needs to be addressed honestly before God?

Holiness and Worship

9. Pastor Tim asked directly whether our lives can function as holy vessels before God if we are engaging with sin, using pornography as one example. How does ongoing, unaddressed sin affect our ability to worship authentically?
10. The priests in the Old Testament were required to be clean and blameless before entering the Holy of Holies. What does that standard say to us today as people who, according to 1 Peter 2, 4-5, are being built together as a living temple?

Worship and the Gospel

11. The woman at the well left her water pots and ran to tell her community about Jesus. The pastor described her as the first missionary. In what ways is your worship connected to your witness?
12. Pastor asked, "Can people see the gospel in me as a follower and worshiper of Christ?" How would the people closest to you answer that question about you?

Practical Applications

• Examine what you are worshiping. Take time this week in prayer to ask God to reveal anything that has taken his place in your devotion, attention, or affection. Be honest about what you find.
• Bring your whole self. Before your next worship gathering, prepare your heart intentionally. Eliminate distractions, confess unaddressed sin, and arrive with the expectation of encountering God.
• Remove the wax. Identify one area of your life where you have been presenting a polished surface while concealing a crack underneath. Bring it to God and, if appropriate, to a trusted brother or sister in your group.
• Connect your worship to your witness. Consider one person in your life who does not know Jesus. Pray for them by name this week and ask God to make your life a visible expression of the gospel you worship.
• Memorize or meditate on John 4, 24. Reflect on what it means for you personally to worship God in spirit and in truth, and let that shape how you approach him each day.