2021.03.21 - Experiencing God In Worshi

Exodus 33:12-33 It is the presence of God that we long for in worship I) What is worship? We come with only one agenda: to meet with God II) What are the realities of God's presence? A) The reality of God's omnipresence Of course, God is always with us. (Psalms 139:8). This is the reality of God's omnipresence. God's universal presence is a marvelous fact of life. We cannot escape the presence of God. (Exodus 33:14​) B) The reality of God's revealed presence. This type of presence is often referred to as "the revealed presence of God . . . an unusual revelation of God's essence in a certain location." One Old Testament scholar calls it God's "tabernacling presence." Some refer to it as God's "manifest presence." We find this kind of presence in Exodus 40:34​-35 Luke 5:17​-26 records an example of both God's omnipresence and God's revealed presence III) What is needed to Experience worship? If you could ask God for anything, what would it be? Moses had two requests A) To have a hunger for God (Ex. 33:13​) Moses hungered for God. Moses longed for God. Moses realized that nothing else in the world could compare to the experience of being with God. Moses had a passion for his presence B) To have an encounter with God. (Ex. 33:18​) Moses wanted to behold God face to face. He wanted a visible encounter with the living God. He was not content with business as usual. He wanted God to show up in his life This encounter, this sense of God's supernatural presence, transforms worship from a duty to devotion, from a ritual to relationship, from just another meeting to a holy gathering IV) What do we need to do to experience worship? Five Actions 1. Anticipate God's revealed presence in worship. Expect him. Long for him 2. Look for God's hand at work in worship 3. Listen for God's voice 4. Open yourself up to new manifestations of God's presence 5. Be sensitive to the leadership of God's Spirit We can come Sunday after Sunday doing the same thing, yet, expecting a different result or we can come with a hunger