Breaking Chains Through Worship

Do you like to worship the Lord? For those who can carry a tune the answer is probably a solid yes. For those who can’t you know that you are supposed to anyhow. I have heard it said that worship is acknowledging God for who He is and praise is acknowledging Him for what He has done. For many worship takes place that first thirty minutes of church. But is biblical worship more than that? When we talk about worship what is it that we mean?

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Integrity Crisis, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991, p. 119.

True biblical worship so satisfies our total personality that we don’t have to shop around for man-made substitutes. William Temple made this clear in his masterful definition of worship:

For worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose -- and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.

True biblical worship is exemplified in our three core values we have set for this church.

1) Loving God

2) Trusting God

3) Loving People

As we look at the scriptures today I want you to see that worship is more than singing songs. It is a lifestyle. I pray that as you listen today your lifestyle would become a life of worship.

I. TRUE BIBLICAL WORSHIP MEANS TRUSTING GOD FOR ALL THINGS. (16-21) Today we see the story of Paul and Silas in Philippi. They weren’t there by themselves – Luke and Timothy and probably others where with them. This was a missionary group that worshiped God by trusting Him. 1) They trusted God’s direction when He called them to Macedonia. (Vs 9) 2) They trusted God when they went to the river to preach to a group of women.(vs 13) 3) Now they are trusting God as they continue their ministry in a pagan city full of demonic activity. 16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. Here is a slave girl that is possessed by a spirit – the original Greek says that it is a spirit of ventriloquism (it wasn’t really the girl speaking but a demon speaking through her). This demon was called python. The python was a mythical serpent killed by Apollo, who took both the serpent’s gift of predictions and sometimes its form. Apollo became known as Pythian Apollo. When it was said that one had a “spirit of Python,” it meant that the person was controlled by an evil force. Apparently those who knew the girl did not regard her as insane or fraudulent. Rather they viewed her ability to foretell events as genuine. People paid the girl for her divination services, earning her masters a lot of money. Her owners were more concerned with money than with a human life. But that didn’t keep them from doing what they were called there to do. 17This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” I don’t know why Bible translators do this but the word translated “shouting” literally means to “croak” (as a raven) or scream, that is, (generally) to call aloud (shriek…) Do you get the picture of ventriloquism here. The demon was speaking though her. It wasn’t even her voice, it was his. Look at the ways that Paul was trusting God in this situation. First, he didn’t react until the right time. 18She kept this up for many days. Second, He waited for the gift of discernment… Finally Paul became so troubled… Third, he trusted God and acted in His authority… “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. Paul worship God by what he did and not only by what he said. John 4, “34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” When we sing the song “Here I am to Worship” how do you respond? 1) I can’t worship to that kind of music… 2) It makes me feel good inside… 3) I love to sing songs and worship the Lord… Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that you’re my God… So if we worship God with our mouths and not with our actions is it really worship? Worship glorifies God in the face of opposition – and you will be opposed. 20They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” Accusation 1. These men are Jews… trying to bring condemnation because of their beliefs. 2. are throwing our city into and uproar… How long has it been since you’ve been accused of that? 3. they are advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept of practice… The spirit of this world at work. Christianity is for narrow minded bigots. Worshiping God by trusting in Him alone will cost you something.