14 Nov The Power of His Presence – Pr. Paul Hohman

God’S Presence Power Overview

Pastor Paul Hohman delivers a powerful message on ‘The Power of His Presence,’ exploring how believers can intentionally enter into God’s presence through worship, service, and praise. Drawing from Psalm 100, he emphasizes three crucial actions: making a joyful noise unto the Lord, serving with gladness, and coming before His presence with singing. Hohman challenges the congregation to move beyond passive Christianity, explaining that while God is omnipresent, we must actively position ourselves to experience His manifest presence. He addresses the importance of corporate worship and gathering together, refuting the idea that private bedroom worship can replace communal praise. The sermon highlights that serving God isn’t slavery but the loving response of children wanting to please their Father. Hohman emphasizes that presenting our bodies as living sacrifices is our ‘reasonable service’ – not burdensome but doable through Christ’s strength. This message calls believers to abandon comfort zones, engage wholeheartedly in worship, and recognize that there’s transformative power available when we intentionally seek God’s presence in community with other believers.

God’S Presence Power Outline

• 0:00 – Opening and Prayer: Pastor Paul shares his excitement for teaching God’s Word and opens in prayer.
• 3:45 – Reading Psalm 100: Congregation reads aloud the foundational scripture for the message.
• 6:20 – Make a Joyful Noise: Exploring the first key action – creating joyful worship unto the Lord.
• 12:15 – Serve with Gladness: Understanding service as sons and daughters, not slaves, wanting to please our Father.
• 18:30 – Come Before His Presence: The importance of intentionally entering God’s manifest presence through worship.
• 24:10 – Corporate vs Private Worship: Addressing why gathering together is essential for experiencing God’s presence.
• 29:45 – Living Sacrifice: Examining Romans 12:1 and our reasonable service to God.

Scripture References

Psalm 100:1-5, Romans 12:1, Psalm 35:27, Matthew 18:20

Key Takeaways

• God calls us to actively ‘make’ a joyful noise, not passively listen to others worship – it requires our personal participation and effort.
• Serving God with gladness isn’t slavery but the loving response of children who want to please their heavenly Father.
• While God is omnipresent everywhere, we must intentionally position ourselves to experience His manifest presence through worship and praise.
• Corporate worship gathering is essential – private bedroom worship cannot replace the power of believers assembled together in Jesus’ name.
• Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices is our ‘reasonable service’ – it’s not unreasonable but completely doable through Christ’s strength.
• True worship requires moving beyond our comfort zones and flesh that worries about what others think – we worship for an audience of One.
• When we give our lives to Christ, we put a target on our backs for spiritual warfare, making God’s presence essential for strength and victory.

God’S Presence Power Notes

Pastor Paul Hohman’s message on ‘The Power of His Presence’ challenges believers to move from passive Christianity to active engagement with God. Using Psalm 100 as his foundation, he unpacks three essential elements for entering God’s presence that demand our participation rather than mere observation. The word ‘make’ in ‘make a joyful noise’ is a verb requiring action – to cause something to exist that wasn’t there before. This isn’t about listening to others worship but about personally creating praise unto the Lord. Hohman illustrates this with the difference between children’s reactions to chores versus pizza – enthusiasm and excitement should characterize our worship, not reluctant compliance.The concept of serving God with gladness addresses common misconceptions about Christian service. Rather than viewing ourselves as slaves, we’re sons and daughters who desire to please our Father. This service involves labor and effort, but it springs from love and family relationship. Hohman emphasizes that while salvation is free, living the Christian life requires work – running households, building businesses, raising children, and maintaining relationships all require effort, and so does our spiritual life.The third element, coming before His presence with singing, distinguishes between God’s omnipresence and His manifest presence. Though God is everywhere, we must intentionally position ourselves to experience Him. Hohman uses the analogy of coming home to an empty house versus knowing someone is there – awareness changes everything. This is why corporate worship matters. When two or more gather in Jesus’ name, He promises to be in their midst in a special way that private worship cannot replicate.Pastor Hohman directly confronts the modern tendency toward isolated Christianity, challenging those who think they can worship effectively from bed in pajamas or through online services alone. While these may supplement corporate worship, they cannot replace the power of believers assembled together. He emphasizes that presenting our bodies as living sacrifices according to Romans 12:1 is our ‘reasonable service’ – not burdensome or impossible, but completely achievable through Christ’s strength. This message calls the church to abandon comfort zones, engage wholeheartedly in worship, and recognize that God’s presence contains the power needed for victorious Christian living in an increasingly hostile world.

Frequently Asked Questions