Summary: Tired of living on your own strength? This is a sermon on worship -- our connection to God that allows His power to fill us. *HANDOUT INCLUDED*

Trade in “Powerless Living” for “Connection With God.”

Worship is our connection to God.

John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Here are four things you need to believe about worship:

1. It’s possible for you and I to worship God at any time, any place.

John 4:21, 23 "Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. . . But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.”

This is one of the great things about Jesus. Jesus is different than ANY other major religious figure.

Mohammed says, “Go to Mecca and worship.”

The Pope says, “Go to Rome and worship.”

Buddah says, “Go to solitude and meditate.”

Jesus says, “You can worship ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!”

In other words, you can connect with God wherever you happen to be. Whatever the situation, whatever the need, you can connect with God and find the strength you need.

- At work? Take a moment at your desk to connect with God.

- At home?

- By yourself in your car? You can be in God’s presence!

- In a crowded room? God can be with you there too!

Then why is it important that we get TOGETHER to worship? What am I doing HERE this morning?

Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some. Instead, we should encourage one another, and even more as you see the Day approaching.”

It’s very simple: God knew we needed it to be the kind of people He wants us to be.

2. God is looking for someone who will worship Him.

John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

God doesn’t need anything. He doesn’t NEED us to worship Him. . . but he LOVES it!

How many of you love it when you are thanked for doing something? Of course, we all do! God does too!

3. If we want to connect with God, it’s got to be on a deep level.

John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth...”

One of the great teachings of the Bible is that each of us has a spirit or a “soul”. There’s something more to YOU and ME than just this physical body. This is what the Bible means when it says we must worship in SPIRIT.

A man dreamed that he went to church with an angel as guide. The church was filled, but oddly, there was no sound. The organist played, but no music could be heard; the choir’s lips moved, but no song came forth. The pastor went through the motions of preaching, but the man heard nothing. He asked the angel, "Why?" The angel’s reply: "This is the service as God sees it. When there is no heart in it, there is no sound." Then in the back pew he heard a child pray, "

The angel said, "You are hearing the only part God hears, that which comes from the heart."[W.B. Knight, Treasury of 2000 Illustrations, p 447]

If you want to connect with God, it’s more than just coming and going through a few motions, moving your lips to sing a few songs, sitting in a seat and hearing a few words by the preacher. You’ve got to connect with God in SPIRIT, if you want to get the strength that you need.

4. There’s a right way and a wrong way to worship God.

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

So, what is true worship?

1. True worship is not acting holy in church.

Matthew 15:8 “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.”

2. True worship is not leaping around and speaking gibberish and falling down.

1 Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

3. True worship can be expressed in many ways.

Singing and Shouting - Psalm 47:1 “Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!”

Music - Psalm 150:5 “Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!”

Silence - Habbakkuk 2:20 “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him."

And many others. . .

Here’s the bottom line:

True worship is sincerely expressing your love to God from your heart.

Let me give you a practical tip that will help you connect with God in our worship services. I can boil it all down to one word:

Participate. “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30

You get the picture? Here’s someone who is totally engaged in expressing their love to God. God has 100% of their attention – they’re putting everything into it.

I have found it’s really true – you get OUT of worship what you put INTO worship!

1.

Not long ago, the Tennessee Titans were involved in a heart wrenching defeat in the Super Bowl. All season they had fought back from deficits to win and it appeared as though they were going to pull off another comeback victory over the Rams. Unfortunately they came up about a yard and a half short. The next evening when the team returned to Nashville they were bused to Adelphia Coliseum where more than 45,000 fans had gathered to greet and honor their team. People painted their faces. They put on their Titan hats and jerseys. They screamed wildly as the team exited the bus and players were introduced. When that tribute to the Titans team was over not one fan walked away saying, “That event was a dud. That did nothing for me.” The event was a great success, not because of the performance, the team didn’t play. It wasn’t their speeches, because few of the players are great public speakers. It was a great success because people understood the purpose. The purpose wasn’t to please the fans. The purpose of the event was to honor the team and show how much they were appreciated. That is what worship is about. Not about pleasing you and me, but expressing our appreciation and love to our Lord and Savior.

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HANDOUT

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Trade in “Powerless Living” for “Connection With God.”

Connecting with God in worship. . .

John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

What these verses tell us about true worship:

1. It’s possible for you to worship God at any _________, any ____________.

John 4:21, 23 "Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. . . But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.”

Then why is it important that we get TOGETHER to worship?

Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some. Instead, we should encourage one another, and even more as you see the Day approaching.”

God knows we _________ it to be the kind of people He wants us to be.

2. God is ___________ for someone who will worship Him.

John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

God doesn’t NEED us to worship Him. . . but he LOVES it!

3. If we want to connect with God, it’s got to be on a _________ level.

John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth...”

It’s not just going through the motions on a Sunday morning. If you want spiritual strength, you’ve got to connect with God on a ______________ level.

4. There’s a ___________ way and a wrong way to worship God.

John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

1. True worship is not acting holy in church.

Matthew 15:8 “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.”

2. True worship is not _______________ around and speaking gibberish and falling down.

1 Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

3. True worship can be expressed in many ____________.

Singing and Shouting - Psalm 47:1 “Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!”

Music - Psalm 150:3-5 “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet... with the harp... with stringed instruments and flutes... with clashing cymbals!”

Silence - Habbakkuk 2:20 “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him."

And many others. . .

Here’s the bottom line:

True worship is _________________ expressing your _________ to God from your heart.

Practical tips to help you connect with God in our worship service:

1. __________ your heart. ““Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul...”

2. Engage your ___________. “...with all your mind...”

3. ___________________. “...and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30

You get the picture? Here’s someone who is totally engaged in expressing their love to God. God has _________% of their attention – they’re putting everything into it.

You get __________ of worship what you put ___________ worship!