Sermon Central
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Encountering God
Contributed by Robert Higgins on Sep 18, 2007 (message contributor)
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1. Hungering For God
Contributed on Sep 18, 2007
Why is worship supposed to be an encounter with God and not just going through the motions? How can you better encounter God each time you gather corporately as a church? The answer is in your appetite!
ENCOUNTERING GOD – Part One - Hunger Listen to this story, “I had my first experience with the presence of God when I was 5 years old. Arriving home from my ½ day of kindergarten, I usually ate lunch with my mom and then hurried off to play. When I would run out of things to do, I would resort ...read more
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2. Pressing Into His Presence
Contributed on Sep 18, 2007
Worship is not merely a response to God, but it is also the pursuit of God. God pursues us, and yet for some odd reason, He seems to be just beyond our grasp when we seek Him. The pressing into His Presence is the choice of our will to worship Him.
Encountering God - Part 2 – Pressing Into His Presence Overview Last week, I laid a foundation for what I believe to be the biblical nature of worship, starting with the fact that God has created mankind to worship Him. That worship arises from a relationship with Him. The bible says in ...read more
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3. In The Silence
Contributed on Sep 18, 2007
One way we can improve our worship experience corporately, is to meet with God more fully and intimately each day of the week. The fullest encounter of God is found not just in His presence, but encountering His glory.
Encountering God – Part 3: “In the Silence” Quote from Children’s Letters to God. "Dear God, Is Pastor Bill a friend of yours, or do you just know him through business? Donny" Why did we do testimonies? Testimonies are for praise. Praise is about what God has done. Worship is about ...read more
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4. The Power Of Praise
Contributed on Sep 18, 2007
Praise is making much of what God has done, and isn’t always done with the heart. But worship is about who God is, and cannot be done without the heart.
Encountering God – Part IV: “The Power of Praise” Review What is worship? It is the meeting of God’s heart and ours. Worship is the response of all we are to who God is and what He has done. Last week I spoke about the “glory” of God, which is intrusion of God’s presence into our ...read more
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5. Heavenly Worship
Contributed on Sep 18, 2007
Our worship on earth is often a man-made construct of songs, actions and words. It ought to more closely resemble the worship that is occurring in heaven!
Encountering God – Part 5 – “Heavenly Worship” Review: I have been preaching about worship for the past few weeks. Last week, If you weren’t here, you missed an opportunity to connect with God in a powerful way. There are many reasons people come to church, (see friends, hear music, hear a ...read more
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6. Worthless Worship
Contributed on Oct 2, 2007
What makes our worship worthless and meaningless? How can our worship become a genuine encounter with God?
Encountering God – Part 6 - Worthless Worship Review What is worship? Encountering/responding to God’s heart toward us. Why worship? B/c we were created for this purpose. What do we need? A relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He acted on our behalf when we were still His ...read more
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7. What's Missing In Worship
Contributed on Oct 2, 2007
What is missing from our worship? Do we know it is missing? Why is it missing? How do we get it back?
Encountering God – Part 7 – What’s Missing from Worship? Introductory story: Paul Harvey tells a story about an attractive airline stewardess who was being hounded by two flirts – one at the front of the plane, the other at the back. She was obviously very put-off by the very forward advances ...read more
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8. Awe In Worship
Contributed on Nov 13, 2007
We don’t reverence God as we ought, when He is safely tucked inside the boxes of our understanding, our theology, our control, or in the box of our familiarity. What happens when He gets out of our box?
Encountering God – Part 8 – Awe in Worship Review Last week we talked about why God’s glory or presence doesn’t show up in worship or in a gathering of His people. Some folks would notice if He wasn’t there, others would see no difference. I talked a bit about three reasons why God’s glory ...read more
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9. Meeting God
Contributed on Nov 13, 2007
We have a strange story, that many of us have heard before, of a man in ancient Mesopotamia, the town of Haran, who hears from God one day. We don’t get any details about how God spoke to him, only that God told him to do something. His encounter with
Encountering God Part 9 – Meeting God Review of previous weeks We have looked at how and why we encounter God in worship and the importance of making that our priority when we gather together for corporate worship. Our top priority must be “to encounter God.” If you meet Him here then you ...read more
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10. Seeing God
Contributed on Nov 13, 2007
Abram is 99 years old, his wife at 89 is well past menopause. Abram has no children through Sarai. And now, God doesn’t just speak up but SHOWS up and says, ’I am God the almighty provider and nourisher! And I am going to make you the father of a mighty
Encountering God – Part 10: Seeing God Review We had been looking at encountering God in worship, and are now moving to real-life examples from the bible of what happened when certain men encountered God. Last week we looked at Abram’s first encounter with God, and this week, we will look at ...read more
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11. Jehovah Jireh
Contributed on Nov 13, 2007
This is the test. God is saying, “We’ve walked together for many years and now you have the son you’ve longed for. Tell me, Abraham; is this son more important to you than your relationship with me?”
Encountering God – Part 11 – Encountering Jehovah Jireh Overview and review We have been looking at what it means and what it is like to encounter God and how we respond to Him when we encounter Him. Over the past few weeks, we have moved from the subject of encountering God in corporate ...read more
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12. Meeting God In Dreams
Contributed on Nov 13, 2007
Dreams can be a place of encounter with God. He desires to speak to us and sometimes that is the only place our will is not interfering with His voice.
Encountering God – Part 12 – Jacob Meets God in a Dream Context: Gen 28:1-5 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the ...read more
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13. Is God Your God?
Contributed on Nov 13, 2007
Is God merely the means to an end for you? Is God the tool for your happiness? At this point in Jacob’s life, He is. He may be in your life as well. Until you are broken, brought low, brought to the end of yourself.
Encountering God – Part 13 - Is God your God?: Last week we witnessed Jacobs’ first encounter with God which occurred in a dream. It was the first time he ever had any direct dealing with God. It was a supernatural encounter with God. It resulted in his acknowledging that God existed and ...read more
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14. The God Who Knows You
Contributed on Dec 11, 2007
Your next encounter with God may reveal His purposes in you. Apart from Him, you will never discover or fulfill your purpose. God knew you before you were even in your mother’s womb. He has a plan for your life.
Encountering God 17 The God Who Knows You Overview – We have spent over 4 months looking at the subject of Encountering God. We have looked at it from the angle of worship encounters…which I believe has changed our worship experience of God. How do I know that? Your Enthusiasm during ...read more
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15. Faith Encounters
Contributed on Dec 11, 2007
Sometimes our encounters with God aren’t fireworks and burning bushes, but the hearing with faith the story of His love and nature. Joseph’s life was not filled with explosive encounters with God, but instead was marked with the evidence of a sustained e
Encountering God #16 – Faith Encounters The following is a letter that was sent home by a daughter who was away at college: Dear Mom and Dad: I’m sorry to be so long in writing again, but all my writing paper was lost the night the dormitory was burned down by demonstrators. I’m out of the ...read more
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16. Consecration Power
Contributed on Dec 11, 2007
Where does spiritual power come from? Does it come from saying the right words, and doing the right deeds? Or is there something else?
Encountering God #15: Consecration Power People are searching for supernatural power! Fallen man’s desire is to “be like God.” You don’t have to look much further than your television screen to find such titles as Heroes, Spiderman and Fantastic Four – where ordinary people possess ...read more