Sermon Tone Analysis

Good Morning & Welcome to New Hope!

We’ve been in this series titled One Voice and it’s all about Worship.

Inviting - God initiates; God invites; He calls us to worship him

Biblical - Bible tells us what Biblical worship is.

tells us to live our lives as a continual sacrifice of praise.

Our lived out lives should be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

Shared - Worship is better gathered together / When we share something it’s not our own.

Worship is a SHARED BIBLICAL experience INVITING people to CONNECT with God.

Connected means brought together; in contact; united, joined, or linked

Typically, when we think of “Connect” it’s referring to WIFI.

What happens when there’s no WIFI connection?!?!

The world is going to end!

I can’t get on IG or Twitter; I miss out on what you had for breakfast; I don’t see that political rant; I won’t see how cuddly your pet hampster is

What happens when there’s a good WIFI connection?!?!

The possibilities are endless.

We can catch up on things; We know what’s going on; We’re in the know;

So it is with our relationship with God!

When we are connected the possibilities are endless; we can take on any challenge; no giant is too large; no mountain is too tall; no obstacle is too great.

Have you been there?

But when we lose connection, it’s like we lost internet connection - life is quickly coming to an end; we can’t function; stress levels sky rocket; can’t seem to find the strength to complete the smallest of tasks.We seem to lose our bearings.

Have you been there?

The greatest act ever in history to CONNECT was when God became man - when God became one of us to save us - when God took upon flesh; lived as we live; yet without sin; AND ALLOWED US THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT/RELATE to Him.

But we constantly have this battle within us between our desire for what the flesh wants & our desire for what the spirit wants

Me; Myself; & I

God; His will; Holy Spirit; Kingdom

Tug toward the world

Tug toward the Kingdom

Tug toward the Kingdom

Script of culture vs. Scripture of the Kingdom

Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas...

Two women plant a vegetable garden on the same day.

They both prepared the soil and planted their seeds.

One then neglected their garden and waited with great anticipation for her vegetables to grow.

The other woman worked the garden regularly.

Several months later the two women went out to harvest.

One found tomatoes rotting on the ground, beans whose vines had spread among the other plants, and weeds that were choking most of all the plants.

She pulled up a handful of crops and figured the garden wasn’t worth planting - the vegetables didn’t look good, the harvest was small, and the store seemed much more convenient.

The other woman harvested a basket full of good vegetables, every other day, which tasted so much better than those found at the store.

She figured when everything was added up, she probably saved a good 20% on her grocery bill.

Both women planted, but only one tended.

Only one stayed connected and tended the garden.

Bible speaks extensively about this...

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

24“No one can serve two masters.

For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

The world & our current culture - It has a set of customs, behaviors, attitudes, & lifestyles.

The Bible says not to copy them.

Don’t live according to them.

Don’t follow them.

Don’t allow them to rule your life.

Be in the world but not of the world.

Then there is God’s good, pleasing, & perfect will (Kingdom of Heaven) - It has a set of customs, behaviors, attitudes, & lifestyles.

The Bible tells us to follow them with everything we have.

And if you’re struggling (which all of us are) allow God to transform you into something/someone completely new by changing the way you think.

“The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act.”

~Rick Warren

6 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.

These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.

But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

We see this battle again between a love for this world verses a love for the things of God.

Do not love the things that this world offers - physical pleasures, desiring everything we see, pride in our achievements.

There seems to be a connection between the things we desire and the well-spring from which that desire comes.

“No one can serve two masters.

For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him.

15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts.

What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.

Again we see this juxtaposition of what the world honors, loves, desires verses Godliness.

The world (the enemy) is constantly pulling us away from God & us being connected to him.

If we are in a relationship with God, we need to be connected with him; Relationships are based on being connected; Relationships are sustained & grown by being connected.

One way that we connect with God is through worship.

Our worship shouldn’t be dependent upon anyone or anything

Let me put it this way - We give up control of our worship by allowing others to dictate it.

What we prefer; What we don’t prefer can dictate how we connect with God.

We can allow our worship preference to keep us from staying connected with God.

I know we have favorites & preferences, but don’t connect with a song, but connect with God

Let us look beyond - look past - things that can get in our way of worship.

I believe it’s one of the prime attacks for our enemy -

(NLT)

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

(NLT)

15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.

These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.

But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Connecting with God