 I want to speak about biblical worship, biblical worship. I want to share my heart about that. Like I said, it's not going to be like a very doctrinal super statement. No, I'm just going to share some thoughts from my heart and I pray he's going to bless you. So probably one of the greatest passages when it comes to speak about worship is in John 4. Remember when Jesus actually meets the Samaritan woman? Actually it's one of the passages that talks the most in the New Testament about worship. So I'm going to start reading from John chapter 4 verse 7. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, give me a drink. Then the woman of Samaria said to him, how is it that you being a Jew ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews has no dealings with Samaritans. Verse 10, Jesus answered and said to her, if you knew, say to me, if you knew, the gift of God and who is who says to you, give me a drink. He would have asked him and he would have given you living water, living water. You know, I find myself a lot of preachers, when they speak from this passage, they usually go worship in spirit and truth, which is amazing. It's fantastic to go to that verse, which is part of this chapter. Actually sometimes we miss the fact that Jesus is talking about the living water that can be released during worship times. So my question to you today is, are you thirsty? Are you thirsty for the living water? I pray today the Lord is going to put like a strong thirst in our spirit for this living water. Guys, this is something that we need to learn. When we come in worship sets, we need to learn to come to Him and say, Father, I'm thirsty. I need this living water. And the beautiful thing is that He pours out this living water for us. So like I said, the main purpose in every worship set is not only to worship in spirit and truth, but actually is to drink this living water that comes from Jesus. Can we say amen? Verse 13, it says, whoever drinks, Jesus says, whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. He was speaking about the natural water. Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. You know, the enemy has a water. The world has his own water. But the water that you drink from the world will never quench that thirst. Am I the only person, if I get more, I somehow need more. If I get some success, I find myself needing more success. If I get some money, I find myself needing more money. That's the water of this world. We come, we drink, but actually we are not satisfied. But the Bible speaks about a water that actually will satisfy us. And that's verse 13. It says, but whoever drinks, Jesus says, whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never listen to this, never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. Who wants that? Who wants that? I want that. I want that. So we remember every time we come in a worship set, God has a living water that is ready to pour out. It's not about the songs. It's not about the style. It's not about the enthusiasm. It's not about that. It's about the living water that he is going to pour out in our hearts. Can we say amen? Yes, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Verse 19. It says, the woman said to him, I perceive that you're a prophet. Interesting. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain and new Jews said that in Jerusalem is the place where Anu ought to worship. It's interesting. A woman with her problems, her interest meeting was worshipped. It's interesting. I found it interesting because if we know about this woman, she had a lot of issues. Five husbands, a lot of problems. But it's interesting. Something inside her was kind of pulling her to hey, I need to find out more about worship. I need to find out more about how these things works. How this thing called worship works. And Jesus said to her, woman, believe me that the hour is coming when you will neither mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father. You worship what you do not know. This is part of the core of the problem. We worship a God that we don't know. We worship a God that we don't know. And I want to challenge you. It's not about how many things you know about God. My question to you is do you know God? Do you know him personally? Because Jesus says that's the problem. You worship a God that you don't know. And today I want to encourage you. Know that God that you are worshiping. Because he has a living water prepared for you. So verse 23 yet the time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the spirit for they are the kind of worshipers that Father seeks. You know what struck me at this verse is struck me the fact that the Father is not looking necessary for times of worship. He's not looking for worship nights. But actually he's looking for worshipers. He's looking to find worshipers. You know what's the difference? When you're a worshiper nobody needs to tell you raise your hands. It's in you. It's part of who you are. It's your identity. You carry with you. That's why I want to challenge us me and you today. Let's become worshipers. Let's become worshipers. Actually if I can say I hope I don't mess it up to be addicted with that living water. This is what makes us worshipers. This is what makes us actually sons and daughters of the living God. When we become this identity we carry in us and we say yes Lord I come to you. Nobody needs to say kneel. Nobody needs to say raise your hands. Nobody needs to say shout to the Lord. It's inside of me. I carry it. I do it because I love the king of kings. And nobody can stop me. Nobody can stop you. I want to encourage you to become that worshipper. This is kind of the general idea but now I want to give you some practical steps because when we talk about worship we often think about what's my part and what's God's part. Isn't that true in any kind of circumstances? We kind of think about what's my part? What's my role to play and what's God's role to play? Well I believe we talked about what's God's part. He will send the living water for you. But I will tell you what I think from the Bible is our part. Yes? So what I want to say is during worship, during worship times the physical actions of your body carry profound spiritual significance. I'm going to repeat that. Let's worship the physical actions of your body carry profound spiritual significance. Let's go to Romans 12 verse 1. Romans 12 verse 1 it's a key verse when we talk about worship. Therefore I exhort you brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God in the service of worship. Very interesting, it's not talking about your heart it's not talking about your mind it's not talking about your soul actually Paul comes and says I want you to present your bodies and let that be your living sacrifice which is your spiritual service of worship. Isn't it interesting? Did you ever thought about what you do with your body in these services has a very important part to play? Most of us when we think about worship we think okay it's a matter of style. You know young people they like to jump, they like to clap well the Bible doesn't say that I challenge you it's not a matter of style and we will see together that actually the Bible talks about what you do with your body is very important. So very interesting, three things the worship that God desires first it says like a holy, present your body as a living sacrifice. It talks about a living sacrifice what I want to share to you is that it will cost you. Sacrifice is something that costs you. So if you come here and expect that something will pull you or something will take your hands an angel will lift your hands it will never happen it will never happen you need to do it. That's your spiritual service that you do for the Lord. So it's a sacrifice it will it will cost you something. Remember at Jericho walls at Jericho walls they had clear assignment from the Lord to shut up for six days and there were a lot of women there I'm just saying there were also a lot of men who use a lot of words but I'm just saying for six days they had clear instructions from the Lord to shut their mouth. That was a sacrifice wasn't it and it's interesting on a seven day the Lord tell them now everybody shout even the introvert even the small children maybe even the dogs everybody needs to shout on a seven day and the power was in what they did it was a physical act but has a spiritual significance make sense? So why? Because the Lord told them to do it was a sacrifice for them it will be a sacrifice for us but I will tell you it will take courage to step out of your comfort zone it's not about jumping it's not about clapping it's actually if you feel if you feel your comfort zone is doing this in worship think about doing a little bit more next time. Amen think about okay I want to bring my body I want to present my body in a different way kind of stepping out of my comfort zone it's going to cost you but it will be good. Amen So the second thing that it says present as a living sacrifice and then it says holy let me tell you what I think is the number one thing that robs us for encountering very deep spiritual have a deep spiritual encounter with the Lord I think is this subject why? Because we forget we come before a holy God and coming before a holy God requires to be holy and the great news is that we cannot make ourselves holy but the blood of Jesus makes us holy the Bible says very clearly if we confess our sins it's an if okay if we confess our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all our righteousness 1st John 1st 9 if we confess remember you come before a holy God and we need his blood to cleanse us can we say amen so church I want to encourage you let's take 3 minutes before every time we come before the Lord and cleanse ourselves confess our sins it's his blood that is cleansing us but our part is to confess it can we say amen so I want to encourage you do that you know in the Old Testament there was this picture of the temple and there was the outer court was the holy place and the holies of holies wasn't it and we know today there is not that physical temple but we became the temples yes but the key where we encounter the Lord and when we drink that water is actually in the holies of holies and I want to tell you this in the Old Testament the way that they interact with the Lord in the outer courts was very different that the way they experience the Lord in the holies of holies and I want to tell you this sometimes because we don't go before the Lord to cleanse our stuff we don't experience the holies of holies and we have worship times in a courtyard and we walk in a court it's amazing it's good no responsibility to go in the deep we don't enter in the holies of holies why? because we are not cleansed and if you know something about a holy God he left a whole book called Leviticus that actually it's almost like a protocol how to come before him now the only thing that I think it's missing today aren't you glad that you don't need to bring an animal with you can you imagine can you imagine pastor Ed can I take you as an example can you imagine pastor Ed bringing a huge animal like a bull with him to the temple you know sometimes because in the Old Testament if you bring a big animal you really mess it up if you mess it up a little bit you bring a pigeon or something and that's it aren't you grateful that we don't need to do that aren't you grateful that the blood of Jesus actually took over and he became the sacrifice but hey church listen to me we need to confess our sins we need to come before him that's the only thing that changed amen and the third thing and I kind of trying to wrap it up here as quick as I can it's interesting that it says pleasing to him so remember as a living sacrifice holy bring your body and pleasing to him pleasing to him very interesting praise means expressing appreciation towards someone or something glorifying and showing reverence and there is not just one word for praise in the Hebrew language the Bible uses several words for praise providing insights more of worship that God desires what I want to say with this is actually in Hebrew language when we read in English or in Romanian or whatever language we read the word praise but actually the Hebrew people the Jewish people will receive clear instructions of the way how they needed to praise the Lord make sense so basically in Hebrew language there was 12 different words that give specific instructions how to come before the Lord because we want to make it pleasing for him amen and we want to give him a biblical worship so let's go in four of these words kind of go very quickly in four of these words to kind of check if we have a biblical worship or not okay first word is Zamar Zamar means like translated means singing with instruments making melodies celebrating through music and song this is clear we do it we celebrate him through music so we do that yes amen let's go to the the other one the second one is Yadah Yadah means like this raising hands in worship praising or thanking God for something specific here we go raising hands it's not a matter of style it's a matter of biblical worship so raising hands before the Lord should be one of the most natural thing that we should do in worship times can we say amen because it's something that is actually pleasing to him and there are a lot of verses yes so I put there verses that have this word Yadah in it so basically the Lord when he's instructing us to raise our hands he does it a lot in the Bible so it's there we should do it can we say amen okay the third one and now it comes a little bit more spicy Tehila to sing to praise through a spontaneous new song to sing a melody from your heart to add words from your heart to a melody in a special way of singing I'm prepared and unrehearsed this is something that musician don't like I'm prepared and unrehearsed but I tell you that there's so much power in singing a new song to the Lord the Bible is full of that so I want to encourage you next time I don't know if you know this or not but after songs we create a little bit of space why? that is the place when you raise voice and you start singing to the Lord imagine my relationship with my wife which I love her so much I go to her and I say dear let me tell you something and I read to her a poem and then the next day I come again and I read a poem and the third day I come again and I read a poem and she will be like okay nice with the poem but what's in your heart can I hear something from actually from your heart can I hear what you think not what poem or whatever not the songs can I hear what you have to say the Bible is full if you look in revelations there's a lot of new songs very simply doesn't need to be complicated holy amazing beautiful these are very simple things to do so actually the Bible is instructing us the healer to sing a spontaneous new song to the Lord amen and the last one which I think is the most dangerous one especially in charismatic circles is Halal so Halal means to boast about God in an extravagant loud joyous manner even to the point of appearing ridiculous in our expression what about that look at how many scriptures contain that specific Halal world you know some one 156 says let everything that has breath praise the Lord you know what that word praises Halal that's shocking isn't it everything that has breath there's no excuse it doesn't say about melancholic ones you know introvert no you can actually it says everything that has breath Halal the Lord praise the Lord in an extravagant joyous manner you know there's only one category of people who is allowed to not praise the Lord and now everybody is like tell me please let me be in that category of people so I can have an excuse 115 verse 17 says this is not the dead who praised the Lord that's the only category that I found in scriptures that allows you to not praise the Lord if you're dead but last time you checked you have breath so I guess you are in a different category oh my gosh God help us I will end with this because my time is up what is happening through our praise Psalm 223 says this but you are holy you who inhabit the praises of Israel church when God decides to make his home a church when God decides to go from visitations to habitation something amazing is happening I really believe from my heart that the Lord is preparing this church to go from a place of visitations you know the Lord visitations is amazing but we want the Lord to be with us amen to inhabit, to make his house to say I want to live at hungry Jen if you look at Old Testament you see it everywhere God's desire is actually to come and live among his people that's why he knew that he had only one problem he's a holy God so he needed to create a bunch of rules so why so you will not put them in danger that's why he created those because he knew I'm a holy God but you can see actually the Lord's dream was to live among his people I really believe this is our portion hungry Jen I really believe this is what the Lord wants to make this a house of prayer yes and a house of worship to raise up worshipers in this place that are so thirsty of that living water and once we get that living water now nothing else will satisfy more than that can we say amen let's raise to our feet