The Church Exists to Worship Jesus

Jesus is of surpassing worth

Paul here states that he is willing to give up everything for Christ. He is willing to do this because Christ is of surpassing worth or value. Paul sees that Jesus is of infinite worth and that everything else pales in comparison to Christ.

This is the essence of worship. The word “worship” in English means to assign supreme value or worth to an object. Paul has come to see that Jesus is of supreme worth.

Jesus is worshipped in Spirit

In John 4 Jesus tells the woman of Samaria that she needs to seek satisfaction in Him, not the things of this life. He speaks of her drinking of the water of life, which John tells us in John 7:39 is the Holy Spirit. Worshiping Jesus in Spirit means that we find our satisfaction and fulfillment in the indwelling Spirit of Jesus and nothing else. Because of the Holy Spirit we find everything else to be inconsequential in comparison to the satisfaction that we have in Jesus.

Jesus is worshiped in truth

The woman at the well did not have a desire to be honest about her sin and the life that she lived. She tried to cover her sin with the idea of “worship.” The word “worship” in John 4 literally means a dog lying at its master’s feet and licking his hand. Jesus desires to be worshiped in truth. In other words, we do not SAY that Jesus has value; instead we actually LIVE a life that shows His worth. Like a dog, we are satisfied to sit at His feet and await His command.

Jesus is worshiped in all areas of life

Although we do not find the word “worship” in Acts 2, we find the concept everywhere. Because Peter sees Jesus as valuable, he preaches Christ to the masses. Because the people see Jesus as valuable, they are baptized in His name. Because of His surpassing worth they give up everything to praise Him, hear His Word, serve His people, etc. In short the Church exists to worship Jesus.

Application

According to the life you live, what do you value most (worship)? Is it Jesus Christ? Will you cast aside everything for the surpassing value of knowing Jesus?