Outside The Box Series

Lesson 8 of 8

Outside The Box – Worship

 

Acts 16:25-26

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

 

The Box =

• Self Preservation
• Pride
• Arrogance
• Tradition

 

I find it strange sometimes that New Converts are often more outward worshippers than established church people.

 

You would think that it would be the other way around as people, who have been forgiven, redeemed, blessed should have more reason to worship Him.

 

But something happens when people “sit” in church.

 

Someone who has just been baptized or filled with the Holy Ghost does not usually have these problems as they have no walls.

 

The world we live in does not worship God.

 

• They unashamedly worship people.
• They worship football and baseball and hockey teams.
• They worship Nascar Drivers.
• They worship boxers.
• They worship movie stars.
• They fill stadiums with tens of thousands of people who yell and scream to the top of their lungs to cheer their favorite team on, but when it comes to church and God, these same people become silent and timid about lifting their voice in worship to Him.

 

They seem ashamed for some reason to Worship Him.

 

 

They’ll talk to their friends about just about anything when it comes to the latest ball games or TV shows or Music Concert they have been to, but when it comes to Jesus… they get too embarrassed to talk.

 

Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

 

 

Words like …

• Excitement
• Enthusiasm
• Exhilaration
• Animation
• Thrill
• Are words that usually describe the latest sports event, or music concert but seldom do they describe the most recent worship service in many churches.

 

Why is that?

What is it that inhibits us?

What is it that keeps us from entering into worship?

 

 

Acts 16:16-26 (KJV)

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.

23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

 

You don’t know who your worship will set free…

• There are people who come in here bound up by the afflictions of their life and they need to hear Paul and Silas worship.
• They need to know that deliverance is available to them!

 

Paul and Silas took their praise and worship outside the Box.

 

• They understood the box.
• They were tied to the box.
• They were chained to the box.
• Their box was built to contain them.
• Their box was designed to keep them in.
• But their Praise and their Worship took them outside the box.

 

I don’t know what labels are on the walls of your Box today, but you need to know that you don’t have to keep your worship inside the box.

 

Understand something, God loves Praise.

He loves to be worshipped.

Psalms 22:3 But thou are holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

 

Here is the reason Paul and Silas were able to break out of the Roman Jail.

• Their God could not be constrained.
• He is a God who is bigger than their situation
• He is stronger than the enemy who sought to destroy them
• The scriptures tell us that the Earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof,
• So… that little Roman jail was not big enough or strong enough to hold Him in once they started praising Him.

 

But thou are holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

 

Little bitty jail cell…

Great Big God!!!

 

Little bitty Box…

Great Big God!!!

 

Little bitty situation…

Great Big God!

 

• Your situation is not nearly as big as the God that we worship around here.

 

Paul and Silas found out that Praise and Worship has the tendency to release you from whatever it is the enemy has built around you that is intended to keep you from experiencing God’s delivering power.

 

I talked a few weeks ago about David and how he brought the Ark of God back into Jerusalem.

How many of you remember how he did it?

• He did it with Worship.
• He did it with shouts of praise.
• He did it with dancing.

 

• He didn’t care what other people thought of him.
• He didn’t care what his relatives thought.
• He lay down is robes of royalty and went to praising and worshipping the God that he served.
• His God was bigger than other people’s expectations of him as king.
• His God was more worthy of demonstrative praise than what a few others thought of him.

 

His praise went outside the box.

• His worship left the confines of tradition and other people’s expectations.
• The only thing that mattered to David was whether or not God was pleased with his worship.
• Even his wife could not constrain his outburst of praise.

 

A church that has Out of the Box worship is an exciting church.

• It’s a church that is fun.
• It’s a church that has more than a musical performance.
• It’s a church where the Spirit of God can move and minister to people – long before the sermon or altar call.

 

• It’s a church were people walk away saying, that was Good Church!

 

A missionary to Russia told me years ago that the people in the underground churches would have to sit on their hands so that they would not clap them during service.

 

• If they were caught worshipping God in the service they would be taken out and shot.
• SO they would sit on their hands because they knew that when the presence of God came into the room, they would not be able to contain their worship – even at the threat of death.

 

I wonder if there is anyone here today who has decided that whatever the cost, “I’m going to worship God”?

• Whatever people think of me, “My praise will not stay in the box.”
• Even if people are going to talk about me when we leave here, “I’ve come to worship the one who delivered me from my sins.”

 

Are there any David’s here today?

Is there a Paul or a Silas here today?

 

• Is there someone here who would give God more praise than they gave the Blackhawks when they won the Stanley Cup?

 

I don’t know about you, but I believe The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords deserves a whole lot more praise than the latest Super Bowl winner or the latest World series winner or the latest whatever.

 

• He deserves our praise.
• He deserves our worship.
• He went to the Cross of Calvary and paid the price for my sin and your sin and for that reason alone; He alone deserves my worship and my praise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Out of the Box worship does not just happen in church.

It’s all week long.

It’s in our hearts when we wake up on Monday.

It’s a song on our lips as we go through our day.

It’s the prayer we pray as we drive to work or our job.

It’s attitude towards Acacia and our commitment to our areas of involvement.

It’s our witness to other people.

It’s our love for each other.