Worship in Spirit and Truth
But the hour cometh , and now is , when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth : for the Father seeketh such to worship him . (John 4:23)

1. Temple worship
Worship is conducted in a temple, but it shifted from buildings to redeemed people of God.

John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them , Destroy this temple , and in three days I will raise it up . 20 Then said the Jews , Forty and six years was this temple in building , and wilt thou rear it up in three days ? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body .

Jesus Himself is the temple. There are a continual worship to the Father and offering the greatest sacrifice of all for our redemption from sin.

1 Cor 6:18 Flee fornication . Every sin that a man doeth is without the body ; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body . 19 What ? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you , which ye have of God , and ye are not your own ? 20 For ye are bought with a price : therefore glorify God in your body , and in your spirit , which are God's .

The temple that glorifies God in worship must be a cleansed temple. Realize that our cleansing came with the price to God; the Father in giving His only begotten Son and Jesus, His life on the cross. Out of this we remember our great debt to God (Matt 18:23-34). Of course we have not reached our destination in holiness, but as long as we are in the mode of fleeing fornication we are on the right path. Interestingly Paul warns about sexual immorality and our bodies being the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Is it because worship can become so fleshly that can defile the temple?Today there seems to be a fine line of worshipping the Father in Spirit and in Truth and being so caught up with the sensual as the pagans practiced with temple prostitudes and sexual immorality in their worship.

1 Cor 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God , and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? 17 If any man defile the temple of God , him shall God destroy ; for the temple of God is holy , which [ temple ] ye are .

We should always keep in mind that our bodies are holy or separated or exclusive as God’s temple. The indwelling of the Presence of God in the Person of the Holy Spirit is essential; otherwise our worship is not God-ward. Always keep in mind that God is serious about keeping the body holy unto God.

2. Worship the Father
The Samaritan woman had talked simply of "worship"; our Lord brings up before her the objective of all acceptable worship--"THE FATHER." That could be the reason why we can get caught up with 'moods' and place. The relationship with the Father is critical in worship, as we don’t worship a foreign God, but “THE FATHER”. If it’s not the Father than other things can creep in out of our human perspective of worship, it can become commercialize as in Matt 21 when Jesus drove the traders away. Selling of ‘sacrifices for worship’ is sacrilege as far as Jesus is concern.

3. Going ‘yonder’ in worship
God is seeking out worshipers, one that is willing to go yonder. In solitude we finally reach out to God as OUR GOD personally. No one else can understand the intimacy with the Father except the worshiper is willing to go yonder, even leaving our ‘young men’ behind. The ‘young men’ could be our aids in worship, because at Abraham’s age, he would have required help to carry the things required for worship or additional hands to build the altar. It was just Abraham bringing the sacrifice (Isaac) to present to God. Abraham also went yonder in worship as he bore the burden and perhaps even the grief of potentially losing his only begotten son. But nevertheless still went yonder, not allowing the burden to weigh him in the obedient act of worship.

Gen 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men , Abide ye here with the ass ; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship , and come again to you.

4. Worship is offering a sacrifice
Psa 54:6 I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD ; for [it is] good .

Heb 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of [our] lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Worship has to cost us something as David understood it in 2Sa 24:22. In fact worship is the cost of giving of our total selves not just giving of our hearts. Sacrifice is about giving of ourselves, not given to the world but to God in holiness and acceptable! And that David knew no restrictions in a costly sacrifice for His Lord when he was willing to pay the cost.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore , brethren , by the mercies of God , that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice , holy , acceptable unto God , [which is] your reasonable service . 2 And be not conformed to this world : but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind , that ye may prove what [is] that good , and acceptable , and perfect , will of God .

'Hour cometh' - no longer bound by season or laws, now is the time… and able to freely offer the sacrifice. Jesus' presence is with us even as she was in His Presence. Previous worship is about sacrifice of physical offerings of bulls and animals, now it is giving of us. Jesus gave His all and we are to do likewise and take up our crosses daily.

5. How is a sacrifice acceptable?
To have a sacrifice acceptable to God is when He acknowledges His pleasing over us. That means that we have to nail human acknowledgements to our cross. Forsaking how people interpret how good a worship we give or lead, but doing what pleases the Father. We don’t have any records about Jesus life except for the incident in Luke 2:49 at the age of 12 years to give us a hint of what He was like. Jesus concern as a boy was for Father’s business or affairs. He seems to be at ‘home’ in the Father’s courts. It was as though His entire preoccupation was with the Father. As the Father seeks… Jesus was found in Father’s Presence, not surprising that He live a life that was pleasing to the Father. Worship is about a life that we live, is it pleasing to the Father?

Matt 3:
17 And lo a voice from heaven , saying , This is my beloved Son , in whom I am well pleased .

6. What kind of offering we are to give?
Psa 51:15 O Lord , open thou my lips ; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise . 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice ; else would I give [it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering . 17 The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite heart , O God , thou wilt not despise .

There is a deeper worship than with our mouths singing praise and offering the sacrifice.
God is graciously pleased to accept this; it is instead of all burnt-offering and sacrifice. The broken heart is acceptable to God only through Jesus Christ; there is no true repentance without faith in him. Men despise that which is broken, but God will not. He will not overlook it, he will not refuse or reject it.
A repentant life is dead to past a new life in Christ (Gal 2:20). "In faith," answers by contrast to "in the flesh." Faith, not the flesh, is the real element in which I live. The phrase, "the Son of God," in Gal 2:20 reminds us that His Divine Sonship is the source of His life-giving power. When our heart becomes broken and contrite than we can say as Jesus did in Gethsamane that 'Your will be done'.

7. Final worship in heaven
Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within : and they rest not day and night , saying , Holy , holy , holy , Lord God Almighty , which was , and is , and is to come . 9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne , who liveth for ever and ever , 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne , and worship him that liveth for ever and ever , and cast their crowns before the throne , saying , 11 Thou art worthy , O Lord , to receive glory and honour and power : for thou hast created all things , and for thy pleasure they are and were created .
Holy is God, in Whom we wholly ascribe our redemption and conversion. Our lives and hope lies in the mighty hands of our eternal and most holy (as the angelic beings declare 3 times holy) God. As we worship the One Who reigns from the throne, consider His most Holy character less we dishonor Him. Realization of His most holiness, responding in humility that even our very best we can offer in worship requires a determination to cast our crowns before His throne.
All true believers wholly ascribe their redemption and conversion, their present privileges and future hopes, to the eternal and most holy God. Thus rise the forever harmonious, thankful songs of the redeemed in heaven. Would we on earth do like them, let our praises be constant, not interrupted; united, not divided; thankful, not cold and formal; humble, not self-confident. Life transforming worship can take place when we catch a glimpse of God's most holiness. That righteousness of God will be given to us in that state of beholding.