The New Man And His Worship 2 by Pastor Poju Oyemade: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Milk, Meat, and Strong Meat

Continuing the subject of the new man in Christ Jesus, and focusing on his style of worship. Before going further, there is something important to establish: in the word of God there is the milk diet, there is the meat diet, and then there is strong meat.

If a child is kept on milk after they have started growing and getting teeth, they cannot develop fully. As a child grows, the parents give them food they have to chew upon — food they cannot just swallow without processing it themselves and breaking it down into absorbable parts. They need to chew upon it.

The same is true spiritually. People can reach a point where what they know cannot work beyond the level they are at. They need to change their diet to enter into greater things. But they still insist everything should be simple — easy to absorb without having to exercise themselves or think through what they have heard.

1 Corinthians 3:2 — Paul said, "I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for you were not able to bear it, neither yet are you now able."

Hebrews 5:12 — "For the time when you ought to be teachers, you have need again that one teach you the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat."

Therefore, when you hear a message, you still have to go back and chew upon it. Listen to it again. You cannot get every single thing in one pass. There are certain aspects you may not readily understand — that is fine. Go back and chew upon it. That is how you grow. You must study the Bible as though you are studying for an exam in school, sitting down intensely and working through those things — but at the same time, praying that God opens the eyes of your understanding to see the fundamental principles contained in what you are searching. Without that intense search, there will be no real light. The strength of every Christian is based upon how much time they spend alone with God in intense study of scripture, prayer, and worship.

True Worshipers Worship in Spirit and in Truth

In John 4:21-24, Jesus said unto the woman, "Believe me, the hour cometh when you shall neither in this mountain nor at Jerusalem worship the Father. You worship you know not what. We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

He described in very specific terms the nature and type of worship the Father is seeking. You have to communicate with him in his own language, which is in spirit and in truth. The language you use must be spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:12 — we have received not the spirit of this world but the Spirit who is of God, that we may know those things freely given to us of God. Things we speak not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

In the Old Testament era, every family of the earth was required to come to Jerusalem to worship the king. Zechariah 14:16-17 — whoever did not come, there would be no rain for them. Jesus was saying it is no longer a physical location. Worship is now offered up in spirit and in truth. The nature of worship has changed.

The Well of Living Water Within

This conversation about worship arose at a well. In John 4:10-14, Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto you, 'Give me to drink,' thou would have asked of him and he would have given you living water. Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give shall be in him a well of water springing up to everlasting life."

There is now a well on the inside of every one of us who are saved and have the Holy Spirit within.

As you get into the place of worship in spirit and in truth, waters begin to come out of that well on the inside of you and begin to water your life. The Bible says in Isaiah 12:3, "With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation." The well is in you, and you draw water out of it with a song.

Isaiah 35:5-7 — then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be unstopped, the lame man shall leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. For in the wilderness shall waters break out and streams in the desert. The healing, the rejoicing, the restoration — it all flows from waters breaking out.

In Numbers 21:16-17, God told Moses, "Gather the people and I will give them water." And Israel sang, "Spring up, O well, sing ye unto it." It is a song that causes that well to spring up. A person who begins to worship God in spirit and in truth, waters begin to come out of their belly and begin to water their life. A person who does not worship God in spirit and in truth, there will be no water there.

Singing in the Spirit and Singing with Understanding

The previous part of this series focused on worshipping God in spirit — which includes singing in the spirit and singing in an unknown tongue unto God. Every Christian should practice that.

1 Corinthians 14:14-18 — "If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful. What is this then? I will pray in the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also."

Two expressions of singing in the spirit:

1. Singing in an unknown tongue — praying and worshipping in the spirit as the Holy Spirit gives utterance.
2. Singing with understanding — singing with spiritual insight.

Proverbs 16:22 (Amplified) — "Spiritual insight is a refreshing, boundless wellspring of life to those who have it."

If I will sing with the understanding, it means I will sing with spiritual insight. These are songs that have come from a place of spiritual insight. As a person sings with the understanding — with spiritual insight — these waters on the inside are being stirred up. Understanding is a wellspring of life to those who have it. As these waters rise and flow, they begin to water your life and the life of those around you.