Encountering God #2 - Through Worship and Prayer

we're doing i think all pillars the idea is we have five purposes that this church was based on founded on built on and they're right here and we're going to take you through a series of each pillar the first one is encountering god where we do three weeks on each of the pillars and talk about what we mean as a church it's really getting back to the foundations of who we are why we do what we do how god moves through our specific church here at encounter so it's very exciting to me to be in this first one to encounter god and what that is the name of our church because we believe that if you truly have an encounter with the living god everything's going to change amen your whole life's gonna be different i mean god changes everything he's an awesome god and last week we talked about encountering god through the word anybody had some good time with the word god last week yes okay so did anybody spend time each day uh practicing this and being in the word yes okay awesome congregation way to go so today we're talking about encountering god through worship and prayer and i add those two things together because i believe it's an essential part of our faith as we continue to grow as disciples of jesus you can encounter god through worship and prayer in an awesome way and at the end of our service today we've got a stack of four awesome songs that we're going to take you through some extended time of worship and praise so i want to get through this lesson a little quicker than normal so that we can have time to spend time in god's presence and actually practice what this lesson says of encountering god through worship and through prayer spending time in that so if you got your hand out pull these out and we're going to um go through this together and it says at the top encountering god through worship and prayer happens it happens when eight things happen accompanied with eight things and so i'm gonna go through these eight things pretty quick and we'll get right back into our worship time if we can so um number one encountering god through worship and prayer happens number one with and this is probably the most important one so i put it first but it happens with spirit and truth with spirit and truth now if you have your bibles open like you said john 4 23 through 24 and it should be on the screen for you as well it says this this is really interesting because here jesus is explaining word for word what it really means to truly worship him so does anyone want to pay attention to that if jesus is saying this is how you do it right so here we go it says but the hour is coming jesus says and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and truth for the father is what it's interesting right underline that in your bibles if you can the father is seeking such people to worship him wow but god is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth so this really caught my attention if god is actually seeking worshipers who are going to worship him in spirit and in truth how many do you want to worship him in spirit and truth can you imagine the lord who is obviously omnipotent and omnipresent and omniscient he's everywhere he's all powerful all present all at once but god is actually seeking out where are my children who are worshiping me in spirit and in truth and so what happens here on this first point that we're on right here that we're worshiping in spirit truth the lord the father is looking for true worshipers and he's seeking them out and jesus goes and he shifts the entire concept of worship which everybody knew at that point completely away from specific locations and strict outward rituals and transcending geography and all the religious traditions do you know how crazy this sounded to people back then right yeah but we have a way of worship we have an order of worship this is all that we're supposed to like all these rituals that they do i mean even like washing their hands you guys know this right they had a ceremony for washing their hands and they were like all these steps that had to meticulously be done properly in order so that that would be considered true worship and jesus comes along and says no all these traditions you know of and all these old ways and all these like specific locations it's not about just going to the temple anymore it's not about just trying to get to the holy of holies or go through a priest or anything else or have it wash your hands a certain way or do ceremonial cleansings or any of that stuff he's saying no i'm gonna look for people that worship me in spirit and truth so what does that mean what does it mean to worship god in spirit it means with your heart it means with your soul the depths of your soul the depths of who you are you coming as an authentic believer and saying god i want to worship you because i want to because i love you because i'm done with me and i'm all about you because you matter because you're worthy because you're worth it because you are worthy of my praise amen that's somebody who worships in spirit so the people step into that worshiping god in spirit and in truth they worship him because of who god's word is and they're rooted in christ they're rooted in who he is and what he does so they worship in spirit number two on your handout how do you encounter god through worship and prayer it happens with hunger and expectation hunger and expectation all right then i'm gonna need uh my voice is doing its thing again you guys i'm getting nervous can oliver or matt you guys can roast him before it can one of you guys be my scripture reader as the slides go up on the screen and then i can have that quick break awesome okay number two fill it in with hunger and expectation oliver will you read our three verses for us on the screen jeremiah matthew and psalm 42 you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied as a deer pants for flowing streams so pants my soul for you oh god my soul thirst for god for the living god when shall i come and appear before god yeah so you guys see that like these ideas that that last verse there on the screen right now like i love this picture as a deer pants for streams of living water so much soul lungs for you that's like a there's a hunger there there's a longing there's an expectation of like i gotta be with the lord like that's all i need it's all i want there's a real hunger there that middle verse we can go back one slide if you can uh blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness for you shall what you'll be sad you'll be filled you'll be satisfied when's the last time you hungered and thirsted for righteousness when's the last time you hungered and thirsted for god when's the last time you woke up and said i can't wait to be with the lord today so if you want to encounter the living god there comes a point not just worshiping the spirit but you do it you anticipate with hunger and expectation so pray you guys pray that lord i want to know you more god give me a desire for you and your word and worshiping you and expect god to move in that before we come to worship prepare your heart i try to tell you guys all the time i hope you do it i mean the fact is we can come to worship so often totally unprepared have you ever done that where you come and you get you have screaming kids and the morning's a disaster and you're running late and you're angry and you walk into this place and you're supposed to worship god at that point what if you prepared your heart what if you gave god your absolute best and said god i'm coming with a prepared heart into your house to worship you for who you are number three fill this in with thanksgiving and praise with thanksgiving and praise and here all we're going to read our next few verses enter his gates with thanksgiving and escorts with praise give thanks to him bless his name through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to god that is the fruit of the lips that acknowledge his name right so we are to enter his gates with thanksgiving so praise starts with thanksgiving and so often we don't do that we don't thank god for who he is but what thanksgiving does is it shifts the focus from us onto the lord yes this is what thanksgiving does it just it takes away the focus from us so you're like totally in yourself you're in your own flesh you're in your own selfful simple self right the flesh and you're just like yeah what can i get out of this what's my life going to get me how can i you know what am i gonna receive here it's all about you but when you start thanking god and you say god you gave me life today you gave me a home i have air in my lungs today because of you and you're worthy and here i am in a church body and i get to worship you and thank you god for everything if you said thank you god for blank what are some things you can start saying shout them out shout out with power come on guys keep going yeah cross yeah just stop right there his blood okay should we be thankful is this something you should say every now and then like he gave it it's a good thing to be thankful for right how about your holy spirit god are you thankful that he left you with the helper the counselor right so we stop and we thank him and so you enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise starts to happen praise god number four fill us in with time in his presence so this is actually stopping and we're trying to do this this morning that's what today's all about we're actually trying to create some time for you guys here after this lesson where you can have time in his presence and praise the lord look at these two verses all over taken away psalm 46 oh there you are psalm 46 10 be still and know that i am god i will be exalted among the nations i will be exalted in the earth mark 1 35 and rising very early in the morning while it was still dark he departed and went out to a desolate place and there he prayed and who was this speaking of this last verse okay this wasn't like peter or john right this is jesus the son of god god in flesh did what somebody tell me go back to that verse if we can yes he got up in his dark and what did he do he departed departed departed from what life right i mean he went and did this he went out to a desolate place all by himself and he prayed how many of you think you're more spiritual than jesus let me see your hands how many think you don't need to pray because you're better than jesus and you have more together so you look at this and you're like wow jesus set this example for us and there's a sense here that we're supposed to spend time in his presence to create space and time to be with the father to shut off the world depart from the world spend time in his presence grow in him sometimes the deepest encounters are going to come after waiting quietly in god's presence so what do you do church don't just like sit here and be in a bible study and do nothing about it you're supposed to find your own quiet place you're supposed to find your own quiet time you know um would anybody be willing to share what is your quiet place do you have one mine is my backyard i have a patio chair right in front of the pool and i go there every morning and i have my devotions there anybody else what do you have love it who says something else yes great car awesome hikes yeah anybody else by the fire with patio lights that's nice someone said beach i love that i love that anybody else by the lake what else your attic okay praise god yeah have your place and spend time in his presence number five we are to encounter god through worship and prayer with openness and honesty this one's a little trickier let's dig into it all over you got the verses there psalm 62 8 trust in him at all times so people pour out your heart before him god is a refuge for us all say loud first peter 5 6 7 humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of god so that at the proper time he may exalt you casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you yeah and this is just like think of david in the psalms how did he pray anybody give me back here openly and honestly yeah he prayed a lot of pain and he prayed with anxiety he prayed uh songs of praise he said songs of fear like david had all kinds of emotions there but he was real and he pointed to the lord with hope he gave god all of that so we're to be honest about our struggles we're to confess quickly we're to share our frustrations because it's a relationship it's a relationship with the living god not polished or practiced or perfect prayers but honest hearts amen number six with surrender and humility with surrender romans 12 1 i appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of god to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to god which is your spiritual worship james 4 8 draw near to god and he will draw near to you cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded so we're here to surrender yes church surrender the idea of surrender is totally giving up it's like saying god i'm at the end of my rope so now you can work and this is tricky for us because we would how many people agree you say if i'm at the end of my rope that's a bad place to be yes and god's thinking that's the best place you can be because then you can get out of the way and i can get in the way if you're getting rope you have nothing else to do and now i can actually move my spirit can move in your life so it's this idea of actively surrendering and drawing near to him and saying god i can't do it but you can and you encounter god through worship and prayer in that way and when we come into worship and the quicker you can get to surrender the more god spirit is going to move in your life but can you imagine all the times we up here singing we're singing these songs and our posture so often suggests not necessarily you don't necessarily have to be in this physical posture and folding your arms and being like i'm stubborn okay but sometimes our posture would suggest this and we're singing songs like you know lord draw me close to you i want more of your heart or i want to praise you with everything i have and we're sitting here like is that is that funny you got like weird right sometimes our posture needs to like open up and surrender to him um we were singing that praise song and it was like all i want to do is pray sometimes i just got to lift up my hands and whether it's in the mountain or the valley or i've got to surrender and so you start throwing your body out there you start throwing your life out there and saying god my life is a sacrifice of praise to you and you surrender to him and he moves in powerful ways so you got to pray if you're gonna surrender church you gotta pray not my will but yours be done you gotta pray search my heart and remove anything that exists in my life that is displeasing to you and you surrender it you lay it down you say god this is yours i'm not gonna hold it anymore is there a sin in your life god i'm not gonna hold it anymore it's yours is there some thing you're worrying about all the time god i'm not gonna hold it anymore i surrender it i lay it down at your feet number seven you're going to encounter god through worship and prayer with perseverance and faithfulness with perseverance now perseverance is this idea that you don't quit you don't give up you keep going god will give you perseverance it builds character and you when his spirit is moving through you but you actually enter into worship with perseverance and faithfulness and prayer so watch how this works look at these verses on the screen luke 18 1 and he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart galatians 6 9 now let's not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap if we do not give up amen yeah and i just got that last verse on the screen a second i got to go to fourth home last sunday or monday and i got to go speak to all the leaders they're starting a big camp program last all summer and i shared this verse with them you know they're heading in they're all new leaders they're all scared they all are inexperienced and i just shared with them this verse i said guys this is your offering of worship like you're gonna go into this whole summer and do 11 straight weeks of ministry and this is the verse you got to build your whole life on don't grow weary persevere watch god work through you so you're practicing the presence of god on a daily basis and faithfulness is going to develop your spiritual depth you guys so keep praying and worshiping even when you don't feel anything even if you're in the hard seasons keep on persevering right how many of you uh would say you've been through a hard season in the last year or two anytime at all yeah a lot of us right god calls us keep persevering keep showing up keep reading god's word keep worshiping right i mean sometimes you come into this place and maybe worship will be going and maybe you don't feel anything that's okay okay your encounter with god isn't about your feelings it's about the truth of who he is and when you persevere when you last longer than saying oh i don't get goosebumps today god must not be here it's like no god isn't about goosebumps it's about the spirit of god living inside of us and it's that relationship you know it if any of you married people there's times in your marriage where the coals are burning hot and there's times where it's like man did they even notice me today no matter what it is you know that you're married you know that that's there but god is so much bigger than that that's a horrible example because god transcends that in so many ways but the idea of saying that like god i'm gonna persevere even when i don't feel it even when i'm in a hard season even when i don't see the light at the end of the tunnel or the answer to my problems number eight final one here you encounter god through worship and prayer with consistency and presence again you just keep showing up it's that idea of perseverance again you keep showing up consistent consistent consistent oh i'm not doing that great with the lord lately you better keep coming to church keep coming to your together group and i don't feel like going tonight you know i'm just kind of busy it would be easier to do this keep showing be consistent and watch what you can do to bless the body of christ be consistent with presence look at these couple verses here all colossians 3 17 and whatever you do in word or deed do everything in the name of the lord jesus giving thanks to god the father through him first thessalonians 5 16 3 18 rejoice always pray without ceasing give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of god in christ jesus for you so we're looking for consistency somebody take consistency the idea here is that a lifestyle of worship consistent a lifestyle of worship not just when you come on sundays it's going to create a continual awareness of god's presence anybody want that who wants god's presence who wants that continual awareness of god's presence a lifestyle worship cultivates that you start to understand that god's hand is in everything so how do we do that we you know some of you might want to take notes on this how do you do consistent well worship daily start there worship daily this isn't on your handout but write the notes yeah go for it bible students here we go worship daily second pray continually right the bible teaches us to pray continually i pray without ceasing just pray to god every chance you get talk to the lord praise him third practice gratitude thank him for everything he's done and thank people around you for everything they've done for how god's using them in your life uh and then lastly i just put always try to have worship music on all the time right like have scripture always around you like if there's a chance for you to read god's word throughout the day like go for it um how many of you love to have praise music on around your house or yeah um one of the best examples i know jake she's this amazing woman of god that loves to have her praise music on so like everywhere she goes she's driving it's on i've heard her van to do an errand or something praise music pop right up she comes to the office she has praise music on right at her desk i mean that's awesome right so have praise music as a part of be consistent and have presence in that so invite jesus to be the lord of your home family work decisions conversations everything but it's consistent right it's you showing up on a daily basis so let me do three final thoughts and we'll get right to our worship time closing thoughts on worship and prayer number one worship is a lifestyle which i just said worship is an actual lifestyle everything you do let it be about worshiping him praising him it's not just worship isn't just about our time here on sunday mornings where we sing worship is about how you treat people worship is about when you're walking through to the beach and you say god look at all you made i praise you and give him praise for it everything you do excuse me number two prayer is your relationship pretty simple i know right but we neglect prayer so often i don't know if you're like me where you just look at your prayer life and you say i could i could have such a stronger prayer life there's something there's so much more like i could be talking to god throughout the whole day i have this access direct access to him the curtain the veil has been torn and now i have this relationship that's lying to god straight to the creator of the universe and sometimes i hardly even use it and so prayer is this relationship and my challenge to you if you want to write down next number two set aside 20 to 30 minutes a day to just say god i want to spend time with you i want to spend time talking with you and praying and you begin with praise you can read slowly you can pray honestly you sit quietly and god will do amazing things in your prayers relationship and last number three encounter god constantly constantly that's the idea of perseverance and consistency you draw close to god he's going to draw close to you this is what we're all about