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Christ and Creativity · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
I appreciate Alex being willing to lead us in music today.
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I asked him to do that before I told him that I was going to be talking about art.
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So that maybe wasn't at all fair to him, but I really appreciate that.
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Our main text this morning, if you want to go ahead and turn there, is going to be Exodus 31.
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So that should be pretty fun to talk about art, to talk about creativity and what the Bible has to say about that.
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It was my pleasure to volunteer.
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I was kind of in a hurry to volunteer as soon as we started talking about speaking on Christ and culture this summer.
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So I really want to talk about art because for the last, I don't know, year and a half,
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I've been doing a personal study on the topic of what the Bible has to say about art and creativity
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and what other Christians before us, other contemporaries, have said about art.
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What part our church should play in creating and promoting art.
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So I will mostly refer to Christ and art instead of Christ and creativity, which was our original topic,
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primarily because the Bible doesn't use the word creativity to describe our actions.
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More so the Bible uses that to describe God's characteristics and actions.
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The word creativity or creative wasn't even applied to a person until the Renaissance when it was applied to a playwright.
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And even then, the person who used it to describe the playwright was saying,
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it's as if God is speaking when this playwright writes his plays.
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So mostly I'll use the word art, but understand that if I do say the people are creative,
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it's not heretical or blasphemous or anything like that because we're made in the image of God
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and he is the chief creator and we're to imitate him.
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So I think it's okay to use that type of language just with the understanding that creativity on our part
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is always mimicking the ultimate creator of God.
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So let's read our text and then we'll jump into our discussion.
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It's Exodus 31, verses 1 through 11.
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And Moses is up on the mountain.
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He's getting God's commandments.
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He has the Ten Commandments and the tablets,
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and God's giving him all the instructions for how Israel ought to operate.
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And verse 1 says,
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The Lord said to Moses,
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See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,
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and I have filled him with the Spirit of God,
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with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship,
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to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze,
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and cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood to work in every craft.
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And behold, I have appointed with him the Holy Ab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
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And I have given to all men ability that they may make all that I have commanded you,
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the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony and the mercy seat that is on it,
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and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils,
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and the lampstand with all its utensils,
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and the altar of incense, and the altar of burn offering,
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with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand,
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and the finely worked garments, the holy garments,
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for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons,
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for their service as priests,
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and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the holy place,
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according to all that I have commanded you,
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they shall be.
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Pray with me.
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Father, we ask that you would give illumination,
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life to these ancient texts that we'll be reviewing,
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these commandments that you've given,
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the principles and the truths that you've outlined in your word.
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Help them to be real and alive to us today,
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as you have very clear instructions on how we are to operate,
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how we are to rely on your spirit for all things.
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Help us to see those things today as they relate to our topic.
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Father, I pray that you would use me,
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that in my weakness, your strength would be perfected,
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that great things would be accomplished in and through this congregation,
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as a result of the way that we open up our senses,
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and receive your truth and apply it to our lives.
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We praise you for this great opportunity.
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Let it not be wasted on us.
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Amen.
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Okay, so in the interest of time,
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I'm going to give you a really brief introduction to kind of lay the framework.
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Okay?
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But if you're interested in the history of art in the church,
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then I would encourage you to talk to me more about it later,
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because I just have pages and pages of notes and things that I found interesting over the last 18, 19 months.
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But they just wouldn't really be pertinent to our discussion today.
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So this is something that I would really love to talk more about,
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because I'm really passionate about it.
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I think that there's an application, a wide application,
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even for people who wouldn't consider themselves artists.
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So with that said,
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I'm going to really breeze through just a brief introduction.
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We'll call it a brief history of art in the church.
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First, if you flip over to page 32,
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our discussion of art in the church,
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in order to get us to today,
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really begins in chapter 32 of Exodus.
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We're not going to read there,
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but if you notice your heading,
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you're probably familiar with the story.
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Moses is up on the mountain,
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and what do we find Aaron and the people doing,
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but going,
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Moses must have forgotten about us.
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He's not coming back down.
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Who are we going to worship now if God's not with us?
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So they build this golden calf,
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and they begin to worship it.
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And it's interesting.
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They make the golden calf,
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which is an artwork.
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It's a sculpture, statue.
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But it's an idol for them.
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And they don't only worship the idol,
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but they want to incorporate it into their worship of God.
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So you would see in verse 5 of chapter 32,
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an Aaron made proclamation and said,
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Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.
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But then what do they do?
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They get up the next day,
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and they begin worshiping their idols.
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So they're trying to incorporate this idolatrous piece of art
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into their worship of God.
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And the reason that I bring this up
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is because it highlights a problem for all of humanity
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because we're fallen,
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because our sinful nature is rooted so deeply.
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We're really prone to idolatry.
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And art is primarily image making.
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Images are really hard for us to keep in their rightful place.
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And that's exactly what we found with the golden calf.
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A piece of art, I guess, if made for other intentions,
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could have been a really nice piece of art,
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could have even brought glory to God.
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But instead, it was elevated to the status of an idol or a false god.
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And the people worshiped it.
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Throughout history, God's people have continually done that.
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And even outside of the church and outside of Israel,
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people really want to see something,
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want to touch something,
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have something tangible to worship rather than God.
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So art has a real sneaky way of displacing our affections for God.
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And we find that in history,
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that's what had happened about the time of the Protestant Reformation.
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The Catholic Church was in a lot of trouble.
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I mean, the Reformation happened for good reason,
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not the least of which was the idolatry of the Catholic Church.
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Their cathedrals, their relics,
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Martin Luther and some others made fun of them
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with a term that was used to describe the circus,
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to say it's extravagante, it's just gone way too far.
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So the Protestant Reformation happened,
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and as a reaction to the Catholic Church,
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Protestants began removing art pieces from their meeting spaces,
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removing art altogether.
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And it was for good motivation.
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They said, look, people are worshipping these things instead of God,
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so let's take away these distractions.
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The problem with that, of course,
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is that there wasn't anything inherently evil with beautiful pieces of art.
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There wasn't anything inherently evil about musical production
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to aid in congregational singing.
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So we, as a piece of application even right here,
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need to be really careful about reactionism.
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We, as people, we tend to see something that's causing wrong,
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and instead of looking at the root of the problem,
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we react from the entire situation altogether.
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Well, there's an infinite number of directions that you can run away from something.
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We need instead to begin pursuing godliness,
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which is a singular direction.
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We have to stop creating these hedge laws for ourselves,
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which may or may not be intended to keep us from sinning,
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but ultimately prevent us from receiving and redeeming things
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that God intends to use for His glory.
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And art's one of those things.
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The Protestant Reformation got us into a really bad spot with art
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because it created a skepticism about art that lingers till today.
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It created a big gap, a widening gap,
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between the church and artists.
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What happened as a result of that gap were twofold.
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Art was negatively impacted in the church and outside of the church.
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Outside of the church, there's a...
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Well, I'll read you a quote.
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Stuart McAllister wrote a book,
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What is Good and Who Says?
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And he said,
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Much of the energy and effort of our artists and cultural architects
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has gone into debunking, dismantling, or deconstructing
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all that is good, beautiful, and respected,
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to be replaced with the shallow, the ugly, and the ephemeral, or the passing.
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Philip Riken, who...
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And actually, Liz, will you grab that book for me?
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Philip Riken wrote a great book called Art for God's Sake.
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It helped me out a bunch in preparing for this sermon.
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He said,
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Most contemporary art is the art of alienation,
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which, if it is true at all,
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is true only about the disorder.
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Thank you.
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The disorder of a world damaged by depravity.
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Did you catch that?
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Most contemporary art is the art of alienation,
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which, if it is true at all,
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is true only about the disorder of a world
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damaged by depravity.
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So, art has been affected negatively outside of the church
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because the church is withdrawn from the artistic community.
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But art has also been negatively affected within the church
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as we've distanced ourselves from the artistic community.
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We lost touch with artistic standards of excellence,
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and we lost the ability to describe and illustrate
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transcendent truths of Christianity
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in the language of the culture around us.
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So, now we have songs like,
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I could sing of your love forever,
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I could sing of your love forever,
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I could sing of your love forever.
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And it's a good thing,
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because we don't have anything else to say anymore.
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We've lost the ability to speak in terms
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that the community around us can engage with and connect with,
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because, in an artistic sense,
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we've divorced ourselves from them.
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The main thing there is that both the world and the church
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suffer loss when we, as Christians,
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refuse to engage in the pursuit of high aesthetic standards.
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I want to read you another quote from Rikens' book
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on this particular topic.
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He says,
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All too often, we Christians settle for something that is functional,
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but not beautiful.
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We gravitate toward what is familiar, popular, or commercial,
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with little regard for the enduring values of artistic excellence.
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Sometimes what we produce can be described only as kitsch,
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tacky artwork of poor quality that appeals to low tastes.
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The average Christian bookstore is full of the stuff,
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as the real artist will tell us,
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if only we will listen.
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Ultimately, this kind of art dishonors God
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because it is not in keeping with the truth and beauty of His character,
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and also undermines the church's gospel message of salvation in Christ.
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Art has tremendous power to shape culture and touch the human heart.
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Its artifacts embody the ideas and desires of the coming generation.
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This means that what is happening in the arts today
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is prophetic of what will happen in our culture tomorrow.
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It also means that when Christians abandon the artistic community,
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we lose a significant opportunity to communicate Christ to our culture.
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Furthermore, when we settle for trivial expressions of the truth in worship and art,
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we ourselves are diminished as we suffer a loss of transcendence.
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What we need to recover, or possibly discover for the first time,
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is a full biblical understanding of the arts.
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Not for art's sake, but for God's sake.
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Then we will be able to produce better art
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that more effectively testifies to the truth about God and His grace.
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This goal is important not just for artists,
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but also for everyone else,
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made in God's image and in need of redemption.
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So to review our introduction.
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First, because people have always been prone to worship art instead of God,
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the church began to reject art during the Protestant Reformation.
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This rejection led to a deep-rooted skepticism about the arts,
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creating a widening chasm between Christians and artists.
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As the chasm grew, art outside the church became less beautiful,
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less true, and increasingly disconnected from the reality
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or even the possibility of transcendent truth.
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Likewise, art within the church became tackier,
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shallower, and increasingly disconnected from the reality of the world around us.
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So it's the framework that we're working with
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as we begin to discuss what God's instructions are for art within the church
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and how we as Christians should connect with art and relate to and create art.
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So as we come to our text,
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keep that kind of a framework and a background in your mind
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that art has been damaged both within and without the church
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because of our general neglect of it as Christians.
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So Exodus 31, 1-11.
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We've read that earlier.
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There are four biblical principles of art
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that have real implications for us today that we can find in our text.
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We're going to discuss each of those this morning.
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So those four principles that we're going to look at,
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first is that God calls and equips artists.
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Second is that God loves all kinds of art.
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Third is that God has high standards for art.
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And fourth is that art exists for the glory of God.
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Okay?
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So the first principle is that God calls and equips artists.
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And we see that in verse 2.
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We're not going to discuss verse 1,
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which is the Lord said to Moses,
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because it would take too long to get into the implications
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of the fact that God was speaking to Moses.
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But verse 2, God says,
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See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Bere, son of Hur,
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the tribe of Judah,
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and I have filled him with the Spirit of God,
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with ability and intelligence and knowledge and all craftsmanship.
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Right?
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So he calls Bezalel by name.
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And then later in verse 6, he also calls Aholiad by name.
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Artists play a very special part throughout history
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in accomplishing God's plans.
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Now the second part of this principle is that
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he not only calls artists, but he equips artists.
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And we see that in verse 3, as I just read.
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I have filled him with the Holy Spirit.
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See that we'll list out the things that he equips artists with.
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The Holy Spirit with skill or ability
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and intelligence and knowledge.
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And then the last is craftsmanship.
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Jean Edward Veith said skill or ability.
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must refer to the artist's innate talent,
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described here as a gift from God.
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The second gift is intelligence,
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and that underscores that a true artist
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not only works with his hands, but with his mind,
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in contrast to current views that consider artistic inspiration
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to be non-rational or even anti-rational.
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Knowledge, the third thing,
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as a gift for the arts,
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means that artists must know things,
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from the properties of their materials
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to the ideas that their art can convey.
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Craftsmanship refers to the artist's technique,
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the difference between a work of any kind
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being poorly executed or well-made.
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And then Veith continues to point out
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that these terms that are used to describe
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the gifts that God gave to Bezalel
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to equip him to make good art for the tabernacle,
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these terms may be used as a criteria
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for evaluating any work of art
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which may exemplify or fall short
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in some measure when it comes to skill,
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intelligence, knowledge, or craftsmanship.
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So you can take that with you
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as you're experiencing art,
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because art is all around us.
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The culture at large is increasingly artistic.
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Hopefully the Christian community
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will begin to be more artistic.
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But as you're evaluating art,
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you can look back to the things
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that God gifted Bezalel with
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to make good art and say,
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well, does this art employ these skills?
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The main point here is that God calls artists
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to make art for his purposes,
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and he equips them to be obedient to that calling.
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The artist needs to have spiritual insight
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as well as practical skill
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in order to honor God with the art that we create.
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So, to say it a different way,
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the ability to create God-honoring art
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comes from God
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and takes all of a person to create it.
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Our minds and our bodies and our emotions.
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The application for everybody else,
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because I know some of you
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may be sitting around going,
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well, I don't really consider myself an artist.
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The application here is that
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God is calling all of us
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into particular actions,
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and he will equip us
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to be obedient to him
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in those actions.
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We're going to come back to that idea
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in a little bit,
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but God always equips the called.
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He doesn't always call the equipped,
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but if he's calling you into an action,
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he will equip you
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to be obedient to him.
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So the second principle is that
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God loves all kinds of art.
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We see that in verses 3 through 5.
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I have filled him with the Holy Spirit,
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with ability and intelligence,
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with knowledge and all craftsmanship,
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he says,
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to devise artistic designs,
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to work in gold, silver, and bronze,
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in cutting stones for setting,
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and in carving wood,
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to work in every craft.
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Right?
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To work in every craft.
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And I do want to mention,
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just before I move too far ahead
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of the things that God equips artists with,
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he equips every Christian
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with the Holy Spirit.
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He certainly begins his discussion
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of the artist with that.
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And it's actually the first time
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that that language being filled
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with the Holy Spirit
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is used in Scripture.
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So artists get dibs on that.
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But as we're continuing
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to apply these truths to ourselves,
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I don't want you to get so bogged down
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into the idea of artistry
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that you neglect the fact
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that God has given all of us,
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as Christians,
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means the Spirit within us
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to produce obedience,
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to produce the good works
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that he's planned ahead
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for us to walk in.
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It's a really key element,
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it's maybe the key element
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to living Christian life
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is to be empowered
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by the Spirit of God.
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So begin applying aspects
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of these truths to yourselves
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in as much as you can,
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because the Spirit of God
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is within you.
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And we're going to see
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that there's obedience
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called for on all of our parts,
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even if we don't call ourselves artists.
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So, to move on,
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God loves all kinds of art.
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And we see that in verses 3-5.
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He gives to these artists
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all craftsmanship,
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and then he says,
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he gives them these gifts
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to work in every craft.
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And he uses language like that
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throughout the passage.
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It doesn't mean that all artworks
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are necessarily good
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or even godly.
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Certainly, let's not make that mistake.
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Just that all forms of art
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are intended to be used
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for God's purposes.
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He doesn't say,
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I'm really into music,
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I'm kind of into painting,
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sculpture sort of out
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because of the whole
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golden calf thing.
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All art forms are intended
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for God's glory,
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for His purposes.
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I want to show you
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just how far-reaching
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that concept is
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in the types of art
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that Bezalel and Aholiab made.
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So we can see
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that they made symbolic art,
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which symbolic art
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can be representational
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or non-representational.
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I'm going to talk about
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what those mean.
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But they made symbolic art,
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they made representational art,
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and they made non-representational art,
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what we call abstract art.
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So symbolic art,
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that's physical form
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that stands for
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a spiritual reality.
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An example of it
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in the tabernacle
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was the gold lampstand.
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It symbolized
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the light of God's glory
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and grace.
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You see that's symbolic.
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There were several things
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in the tabernacle
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that represented something else.
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They were to remind us
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of spiritual truth.
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The second type of art
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that they made
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was representational.
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And representational art
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imitates life
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by portraying
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recognizable objects
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from the physical universe.
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So, for instance,
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on the high priest's robes,
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there were pomegranates
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sewn into the design
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on his robes.
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They really looked like pomegranates,
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and they were supposed
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to look like pomegranates.
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They were supposed to
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remind people
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who saw them
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of the physical universe
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that God had created.
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So that's representational art.
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It looks like
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what it's supposed to represent.
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And then the third type
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is non-representational art,
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which is just pure form.
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It's form apart from meaning, per se.
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An example is the colorful curtains
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in the holy place.
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They didn't mean anything,
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but they were pretty,
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and God instructed these artists
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to make them beautifully.
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So there was abstract art.
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There was representational art.
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There was symbolic art.
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There are a lot of art forms
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that are left out here,
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but they're discussed
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in other places in Scripture.
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The main thing to gather
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from those truths
22:59
is that as the house of God
23:00
on earth,
23:01
the tabernacle
23:02
was the ultimate statement
23:03
of God's eternal values
23:05
concerning art.
23:08
So God intended
23:09
that the tabernacle
23:10
be made up of all kinds of art
23:12
because He values
23:14
all kinds of art.
23:16
Furthermore,
23:17
the Bible's full
23:18
of different forms of art.
23:19
There are psalms
23:20
that mention different music,
23:23
different songs.
23:24
A psalm will say,
23:25
to the tune of,
23:26
and then it'll be like
23:27
the death in the valley,
23:29
or another will be like
23:30
the morning and spring.
23:32
I make both of those up,
23:32
but they're really diverse
23:35
song titles
23:37
throughout the psalms.
23:38
There are stories
23:40
and poems
23:41
and historical narratives,
23:43
prophecies,
23:43
proverbs,
23:44
parables,
23:45
et cetera,
23:45
et cetera,
23:45
all these different forms
23:47
of creative expression
23:49
that communicate
23:49
and convey the truth to us,
23:51
and they're all examples
23:53
of different types
23:54
of art forms
23:55
that God employs
23:56
in His own Word,
23:58
certainly giving
23:59
some approval
24:01
of these diverse forms
24:03
of art.
24:04
We have painting
24:06
and dancing
24:07
in Scripture,
24:09
different use of different
24:10
instruments mentioned
24:11
in Scripture.
24:12
So there's broad,
24:13
very broad application
24:15
for the arts
24:18
being employed
24:19
by Christians
24:19
and not just
24:20
specific
24:22
types of art.
24:24
So we might make a case
24:26
in our meetings together
24:28
for using
24:29
varied instrumentation
24:31
instead of just
24:31
singing without instruments,
24:33
which some
24:33
denominations
24:35
and churches
24:35
have said,
24:36
no,
24:37
we can only have
24:38
singing by itself,
24:40
no instruments,
24:41
because that's
24:42
idolatry.
24:43
Well,
24:44
that's not what
24:45
the Bible has to say
24:46
about music at all.
24:48
We don't have to have
24:49
drab colors
24:51
in our meeting spaces.
24:52
We can have
24:53
paintings up
24:54
and we can
24:54
enjoy ourselves.
24:56
When we're singing,
24:56
we don't have to stand
24:57
tall and erect
24:59
and hold our hymnals,
25:00
but we can move
25:01
a little bit.
25:02
It's okay for Nathan
25:03
to shake a tambourine.
25:04
It's okay for you guys
25:05
to get outside
25:07
of your Baptist
25:07
non-dancing
25:08
comfort zones.
25:09
It's all right
25:10
because God
25:11
intends for all
25:12
forms of art
25:13
to be used
25:14
to bring glory
25:15
to Him.
25:16
Stan made a joke
25:18
Wednesday about
25:19
line dancing.
25:20
I was about to
25:20
make fun of it.
25:21
It even means
25:22
line dancing
25:23
if you're into
25:24
that kind of thing.
25:26
So,
25:27
a final note
25:28
about different
25:28
art forms
25:29
before I move on.
25:30
Bezalel and Aholiab
25:32
had been filled
25:33
by the Holy Spirit
25:33
and given
25:34
craftsmanship
25:35
and the idea
25:35
with craftsmanship
25:36
is that they had
25:38
practiced
25:39
and perfected
25:40
their skills.
25:41
They spent a lot
25:41
of time doing
25:42
these things.
25:43
In fact,
25:44
they had been
25:44
building these skills
25:45
and building on
25:47
these skills
25:48
far before
25:49
God called them
25:50
to build the
25:51
tabernacle.
25:54
In other words,
25:55
before they were
25:56
given a
25:56
quote-unquote
25:57
holy calling
25:58
for their art,
25:58
they were making
25:59
art.
25:59
And God was
26:00
pleased enough
26:01
with their
26:02
artistic expressions
26:04
that he called
26:06
them into
26:07
this sacred
26:09
task of
26:10
creating the
26:10
tabernacle.
26:12
So,
26:12
I use the word
26:12
sacred task
26:13
because I actually
26:14
want to point out
26:15
that to distinguish
26:16
between sacred art
26:17
and secular art
26:18
is a really
26:19
terrible mistake.
26:21
Art itself
26:22
is amoral.
26:24
There's no such
26:25
thing as Christian
26:25
songs.
26:26
I've never
26:27
heard of a song
26:28
that was dead
26:29
and in need
26:29
of a savior.
26:31
People who sing
26:32
songs are dead
26:32
and in need
26:32
of a savior.
26:33
People are moral
26:34
or immoral,
26:36
but songs
26:36
really can't be.
26:38
Paintings really
26:38
can't be immoral
26:41
in that sense.
26:43
Certainly,
26:45
paintings and
26:45
songs and art
26:46
pieces can be
26:46
displeasing to
26:47
God, but it's
26:48
not the art
26:49
piece itself
26:50
that's sending.
26:50
It's the person
26:51
who creates it.
26:53
God is also,
26:55
besides art
26:57
that goes into
26:57
our corporate
26:58
meetings,
26:59
God is also
27:00
pleased with
27:01
so-called
27:02
secular art.
27:04
As long as
27:04
it doesn't
27:05
violate his
27:05
character and
27:06
standards,
27:07
it's okay if
27:09
it doesn't serve
27:09
strictly church-related
27:11
functions.
27:13
Even secular
27:15
art by
27:16
non-believers
27:17
is an exploration
27:19
of the world
27:20
that God has
27:21
made,
27:22
and it can
27:23
serve us.
27:24
It can serve
27:25
to deepen our
27:25
understanding of
27:26
his work and
27:27
his character.
27:28
If creation
27:28
itself is general
27:30
revelation of God,
27:31
art as an
27:32
interpretation of
27:34
the world around
27:35
us and our
27:35
reality can also
27:36
serve us to
27:37
enhance our
27:38
experience of the
27:40
general revelation
27:40
and creation.
27:42
We're not
27:42
limited in our
27:44
art forms to
27:46
only images that
27:48
have been used
27:49
by the church,
27:51
or only modes of
27:51
communication that
27:52
have been used
27:52
by the church.
27:53
We don't have to
27:54
only stick with
27:55
images of the
27:56
cross on
27:57
flannel board.
27:58
We can get
27:58
outside of that a
27:59
little bit.
28:00
We don't have
28:01
to only sing
28:01
hymns.
28:02
We don't have
28:02
to only sing
28:03
the new
28:03
praise choruses.
28:05
We're not
28:06
stuck with
28:07
cheap evangelistic
28:09
skits if we
28:10
want to get
28:10
into theater.
28:11
We can make
28:12
movies and go
28:13
to movies.
28:14
If we're crying
28:14
out loud, we
28:15
can go to
28:15
movies.
28:17
All of the
28:18
possibilities that
28:19
art provides are
28:20
open to us,
28:22
and God wants us
28:23
to use the arts
28:24
to flourish in
28:26
all of the great
28:27
artistic potential
28:28
that they
28:28
possess so that
28:29
we can discover
28:30
the possibilities
28:31
that creativity
28:32
affords us for
28:34
coming to a
28:34
deeper knowledge
28:35
of our creator.
28:37
The second
28:37
principle is that
28:38
God loves all
28:40
kinds of art.
28:42
The third
28:42
principle is that
28:44
God has high
28:44
standards for art.
28:46
This is the part
28:48
that I tried to
28:49
scare Alex with,
28:50
but he had no
28:51
reason to be
28:51
scared.
28:54
God has high
28:55
standards for art.
28:56
Now, post-modernity
28:58
says that there
29:00
are no absolutes,
29:01
and especially
29:02
not in art.
29:03
Post-modernity
29:04
really wants to
29:05
divorce our idea
29:06
from absolutes,
29:07
and especially
29:08
when it comes to
29:09
art.
29:09
But God says that
29:10
he has an absolute
29:11
standard for art.
29:15
So this is where
29:16
we really become
29:17
divergent in our
29:18
thinking about art,
29:19
if we hadn't
29:20
already, from the
29:21
world.
29:22
God says that
29:23
there is an
29:24
absolute standard for
29:25
art.
29:26
God's aesthetic
29:27
standards include
29:27
three major
29:29
things that we're
29:30
going to discuss
29:30
at a little more
29:31
length.
29:32
They're goodness,
29:33
truth, and
29:34
beauty.
29:35
You can see
29:35
these in
29:36
scripture.
29:37
First, goodness,
29:38
and I don't
29:38
mean ethical
29:40
goodness, although
29:41
that's certainly
29:43
included.
29:45
I think we're
29:45
all kind of on
29:46
the same page
29:46
there.
29:47
If you paint
29:48
something that
29:48
is unethical,
29:49
if you sing
29:50
something that
29:51
is unethical,
29:52
if you sculpt
29:52
something unethical,
29:53
that obviously
29:54
is not going to
29:54
please God.
29:55
What I'm
29:55
talking about
29:56
when I say
29:56
goodness more
29:58
has to do
29:59
with the
29:59
quality of
30:00
the art
30:01
itself.
30:02
Verse 11
30:03
of our text,
30:04
we see that
30:06
they are to
30:07
do all
30:08
according to
30:12
all that God
30:13
has commanded.
30:16
Now,
30:16
some background
30:17
that you have
30:18
to know about
30:18
these two
30:19
artists is
30:20
that they
30:20
were the
30:22
best artists
30:23
in all
30:23
of the
30:23
land.
30:24
We know
30:24
that because
30:24
God gives
30:25
them instruction
30:26
to teach
30:26
others who
30:27
come along
30:27
to help
30:27
them,
30:28
because they
30:29
are supremely
30:30
qualified,
30:32
they're the
30:32
masters of
30:33
art.
30:34
So God
30:34
calls these
30:35
men who
30:35
are the
30:36
best at
30:36
art,
30:37
and then
30:37
he says,
30:37
do according
30:38
to all
30:38
that I've
30:39
commanded
30:39
you.
30:39
And if we
30:40
read the
30:40
preceding
30:40
chapters,
30:41
we find
30:41
out that
30:41
God's
30:42
standards
30:43
and his
30:44
commandments
30:44
are those
30:45
of perfection.
30:47
Colossians
30:48
3.23
30:48
says,
30:49
whatever you
30:49
do,
30:49
work
30:50
heartily,
30:50
as for
30:51
the Lord.
30:52
And 1
30:52
Corinthians
30:52
10.31
30:53
says,
30:53
whatever you
30:54
do,
30:55
do all
30:55
to the
30:55
glory of
30:56
God.
30:56
If we're
30:56
going to
30:57
do anything,
30:57
whether it's
30:58
art or
30:58
otherwise,
30:59
we ought
31:00
to do it
31:00
the best
31:02
that it
31:02
can be
31:03
done,
31:04
because an
31:05
infinitely
31:06
powerful God
31:07
resides within
31:08
us.
31:09
So if we're
31:09
going to do
31:09
things in
31:10
such a way
31:10
as to show
31:11
that he is
31:11
empowering us
31:12
to do
31:12
them,
31:13
we better
31:14
do it
31:14
well.
31:14
Because if
31:15
we don't
31:15
do it
31:15
well,
31:16
then what
31:16
we're
31:16
showing is
31:16
our God's
31:17
not really
31:17
that great,
31:18
he's not
31:18
that powerful
31:18
to work
31:19
through us.
31:21
So God's
31:21
standard then
31:22
for art
31:23
includes
31:24
goodness.
31:26
The Bible
31:27
actually says
31:28
very little
31:28
about the
31:29
specific skills
31:30
required for
31:31
particular art
31:32
forms.
31:35
It would
31:35
take a long
31:36
time,
31:37
and new
31:37
art forms,
31:38
I would
31:38
imagine and
31:39
hope,
31:39
are always
31:39
going to be
31:40
kind of
31:40
emerging as
31:41
technology
31:41
changes.
31:43
Moses couldn't
31:44
have written
31:45
about
31:45
digital
31:47
art,
31:47
because
31:47
digital
31:48
would have
31:48
been a
31:49
really weird
31:49
word for
31:49
him to
31:49
even use,
31:50
right?
31:51
So the
31:51
Bible is
31:52
going to
31:52
lay out
31:53
some
31:53
principles
31:53
for us
31:54
as far
31:55
as the
31:56
specific
31:56
skills
31:56
required.
31:58
The
31:58
measure
31:59
of goodness,
32:00
and if
32:00
you're
32:00
really into
32:01
art and
32:01
thinking about
32:02
art,
32:02
here's a
32:03
good way to
32:03
think about
32:04
measuring
32:04
goodness or
32:05
quality in
32:05
art.
32:06
The measure
32:06
of goodness
32:07
comes from
32:08
creation itself,
32:10
whether that's
32:10
the sights or
32:11
the sounds that
32:11
are involved in
32:12
putting together
32:14
the art.
32:15
general
32:16
revelation
32:17
gives us
32:19
also a
32:20
revelation of
32:20
quality that's
32:22
intrinsic to
32:22
the materials
32:23
used to
32:24
make the
32:25
art.
32:25
So I'm
32:26
going to
32:26
give you an
32:26
example.
32:27
If I were
32:28
to draw a
32:28
stick figure
32:29
and say,
32:30
is this a
32:30
good picture,
32:31
is this a
32:31
good sketch
32:32
of me?
32:33
You would
32:33
have to say
32:34
no,
32:34
because it
32:35
doesn't look
32:35
like me.
32:36
See how
32:37
God has
32:37
generally revealed
32:39
some truth
32:40
just in your
32:41
ability to
32:42
perceive what I
32:43
look like
32:43
compared to
32:44
what my
32:45
sketch would
32:45
look like.
32:47
So goodness
32:48
has to do
32:48
with how
32:49
in line
32:51
with the
32:52
created order
32:54
and created
32:55
materials are
32:58
being used.
32:59
Music is another
33:00
example that we
33:01
won't get into
33:01
the science of
33:03
music, but the
33:03
sound waves that
33:04
travel together,
33:05
we can hear
33:06
when music is
33:08
bad, because the
33:09
sound waves don't
33:10
harmonize, they
33:11
don't match up.
33:13
You can tell
33:13
when somebody's
33:14
off beat or
33:15
out of key or
33:18
off pitch, because
33:19
the physical
33:20
materials used for
33:21
creating music are
33:23
constant.
33:26
Now, good
33:27
artists, even
33:28
if we can't
33:29
always tell the
33:29
difference between
33:30
good and bad
33:31
art, good
33:31
artists always
33:33
know.
33:34
It is intrinsic,
33:35
it's not
33:35
necessarily objective,
33:37
but it's not as
33:38
subjective as a
33:39
lot of artists
33:39
would like you to
33:40
think either.
33:41
Good artists
33:42
know the
33:42
difference between
33:43
good and bad
33:44
art.
33:44
Now, God, being
33:46
the primary
33:47
creator, the
33:48
chief artist, he
33:50
also knows the
33:51
difference between
33:52
good art and
33:53
bad art, and
33:53
that's a biblical
33:54
principle we can
33:54
see over and
33:55
over throughout
33:56
the scriptures,
33:57
that he knows
33:58
the difference
33:58
between good and
33:59
bad art, and
34:00
that he has a
34:01
taste for
34:02
excellence.
34:03
So while the
34:04
particular standards
34:05
for particular
34:06
art forms are
34:07
outlined for us,
34:08
the general
34:09
standard is
34:10
that God
34:11
desires that
34:13
goodness be a
34:15
part of our
34:16
art or excellence
34:17
be employed.
34:19
The second
34:19
standard is
34:21
truth.
34:23
Our art can't
34:24
just be good, it
34:25
can't just look like
34:25
what we say it's
34:26
supposed to look
34:27
like or sound
34:28
like it should
34:28
sound, but it
34:29
also has to be
34:30
true.
34:31
We can see that
34:31
outlined pretty well
34:33
in the tabernacle.
34:34
If we look at
34:34
some of the art
34:36
pieces in the
34:37
tabernacle, there
34:37
was a golden
34:38
ark, and it
34:39
reminded us of
34:40
God's royal
34:41
throne.
34:41
It was a bronze
34:42
basin, and it
34:43
reminded us of
34:44
his power to
34:45
wash away sin.
34:46
The tabernacle
34:47
itself was where
34:49
God dwelt among
34:50
his people, and
34:51
it reminded us that
34:52
God with us,
34:53
Emmanuel, would
34:54
save us.
34:55
The tabernacle, and
34:56
all the art pieces
34:57
in the tabernacle,
34:58
pointed us to
34:59
truths about God.
35:01
another way to
35:04
say that is the
35:05
art in the
35:05
tabernacle was in
35:06
service to the
35:07
truth.
35:08
I'm going to
35:09
hopefully make
35:10
this a little
35:10
more clear.
35:13
Postmodern and
35:14
modern art may
35:16
be true.
35:17
A lot of it just
35:18
completely ignores
35:19
the possibility of
35:20
truth, but it may
35:21
be true in
35:22
describing the
35:23
painful or
35:24
difficult or
35:25
absurd aspects of
35:26
humanity, but it's
35:28
only true in part
35:29
because it ignores
35:30
the reality of
35:33
the possibility of
35:35
redemptive work.
35:37
Postmodern art
35:38
says there is no
35:38
God, there is no
35:39
truth, there is no
35:40
redemption.
35:41
This is it.
35:42
Well, that isn't
35:43
true.
35:43
So even though you
35:45
may look at a
35:46
painting of someone
35:46
suffering and think
35:47
people do suffer,
35:49
that's only part of
35:50
the story.
35:50
If that painting
35:51
doesn't point my
35:52
attention towards the
35:54
possibility of
35:55
redemption, then it's
35:56
only told me part of
35:57
the truth, which
35:58
makes it untrue.
36:00
Now, art is an
36:03
interpretation, as
36:04
we've said, of
36:05
reality.
36:06
You can't get away
36:07
from that.
36:08
Art is always an
36:08
interpretation of
36:09
reality.
36:10
But if art leaves
36:11
out the reality of
36:12
God and the
36:14
reality of his
36:14
plans, then it
36:15
isn't fully the
36:16
truth.
36:17
True art always
36:18
tells the whole
36:19
story.
36:20
It points us to
36:21
this ultimate truth
36:22
of redemption.
36:23
John 14, 6, Jesus
36:25
says, I am the
36:26
way, the truth, and
36:26
the life, and no
36:27
one comes to the
36:28
Father except through
36:29
me.
36:29
Why does he make
36:30
that connection
36:31
with the truth and
36:33
coming to the
36:33
Father through him?
36:34
It's because the
36:34
two are inseparable
36:35
that Christ is the
36:36
truth.
36:37
If I'm going to
36:37
tell the truth, I
36:38
have to include
36:40
Christ in my
36:41
discussion.
36:42
And Christ's
36:43
primary function on
36:44
earth was to
36:45
glorify God by
36:46
redeeming his
36:46
church.
36:49
So good art must
36:51
be true.
36:53
And finally, it
36:54
must be beautiful.
36:54
Now, how do we
36:57
know that God
36:58
cares about beauty
36:59
and art?
37:00
I'm glad I don't
37:01
have to spend a ton
37:02
of time talking
37:02
about this because
37:03
Chris is going to
37:04
talk about it next
37:05
week as he discusses
37:06
Christ and creation.
37:08
But if we read
37:09
Genesis 1 and then
37:10
walk outside with
37:11
our senses open, see
37:13
what kind of a
37:13
world God has
37:15
created, see what
37:16
kind of work he
37:16
does when he's
37:17
creating, then what
37:20
more proof do we
37:21
need of the fact
37:23
that God cares about
37:24
beauty?
37:24
He has made
37:24
things beautifully.
37:27
God created man in
37:28
his own image.
37:30
And up to that
37:30
point, it's very
37:31
interesting, you should
37:32
go and look at
37:32
Genesis 1.
37:34
All we know about
37:36
God, if we just
37:36
open the Bible, first
37:37
page, and I never
37:38
read another word of
37:39
it, when God creates
37:40
man, all we know
37:41
about him is that he
37:42
exists, he's self-aware,
37:44
and he's creative.
37:46
That's it.
37:47
And he has a lot of
37:48
power to create,
37:49
right?
37:50
But God makes man in
37:52
his own image, and
37:53
all we know about
37:54
God's image is that
37:56
he exists, he's
37:56
self-aware, and he's
37:57
creative.
37:58
We learn a lot more
37:58
about God's
38:00
characteristics throughout
38:01
the rest of
38:01
scripture, but certainly
38:02
one of the primary
38:03
ways that we are
38:04
like God is that we
38:06
are creative.
38:08
If we're meant to
38:09
display his image
38:10
when we create, then
38:14
we'd better care a
38:14
whole lot about
38:15
beauty, because he
38:16
has shown us that he
38:17
cares a lot about
38:18
beauty when he
38:19
creates.
38:19
And if we look back
38:20
to our example of
38:20
the tabernacle,
38:21
there are tons and
38:22
tons of really fine
38:24
touch kind of
38:25
elements that are
38:27
just simply
38:28
aesthetic, which
38:30
teaches us that God
38:31
cares about function
38:32
and form.
38:33
Something that the
38:34
church has gotten
38:34
really wrong.
38:35
We say, does it
38:35
work?
38:36
Okay, that's what we'll
38:37
stick with.
38:38
Well, God cares about
38:39
more than just the
38:40
function of things.
38:41
He cares about the
38:41
form.
38:42
An example is the
38:43
table of showbread.
38:44
It was really
38:45
ornately trimmed.
38:47
And God didn't even
38:48
give specific
38:48
instructions as to
38:49
how it ought to be
38:50
decorated, but just
38:51
that it should be.
38:52
So we see that it's
38:54
trimmed in gold and
38:57
that there are
38:57
artistic designs
38:58
that should.
38:59
We don't even know
38:59
what that looks like
39:00
because God didn't
39:00
give specific
39:01
instructions for how
39:02
the artist should do
39:04
it.
39:05
But it would have
39:06
sufficed just to say,
39:07
put a table in there.
39:08
Like, this table would
39:09
have done fine.
39:10
Could have held the
39:11
bread, holds our
39:12
bread.
39:13
But God instead
39:14
instructs that it be
39:15
beautiful.
39:17
We've already talked
39:18
about singing versus
39:19
using many instruments
39:21
to accompany singing.
39:24
We can apply an
39:27
aesthetic of beauty to
39:29
any artistic or
39:30
creative task that
39:32
God's calling us to,
39:33
and we should because
39:34
one of the characteristics
39:36
or qualifications of
39:38
art that he's given to
39:39
us is that it be
39:40
beautiful.
39:41
Now, truth and beauty
39:42
always go together in
39:44
art as far as Christians
39:46
are concerned.
39:47
So we can tell the
39:48
truth about sin, but we
39:50
have to include the
39:51
truth about redemption.
39:52
That's the beautiful
39:53
part of our art.
39:55
We can talk about the
39:58
beauty of our faith, but
39:59
we also have to include
40:00
the truth about sin and
40:02
fallenness.
40:03
We have to have both
40:05
elements in our art, and
40:06
that's something that
40:07
churches really struggle
40:08
with.
40:08
We want to talk about
40:09
all the great things that
40:11
God has done, but we
40:12
don't talk about the
40:15
hardness of being a
40:16
Christian.
40:18
I read this week that
40:19
something like 90% of the
40:22
Psalms are laments, and
40:23
approximately 0% of modern
40:25
Christian music is a
40:26
lament.
40:27
If we're going to be true
40:28
to the calling of
40:29
Scripture, then we need to
40:30
include all of our
40:31
experience in art.
40:35
art.
40:35
So we find that God, in
40:37
the Bible, has the
40:39
characteristics of being
40:41
good and being true and
40:42
being beautiful.
40:43
An art that pleases God
40:44
is good, true, and
40:45
beautiful.
40:46
So what we learn from
40:47
that is that art must be
40:48
in keeping with God's
40:49
character to be pleasing
40:51
to Him.
40:52
Francis Schaeffer wrote a
40:53
book called Art in the
40:54
Bible, and he said that
40:55
the minor theme of all
40:56
Christian art is the
40:58
lostness of humanity and
40:59
the defeated and sinful
41:00
side to the Christian's
41:02
life.
41:02
But that the major theme
41:04
was the grace of God
41:05
that gives meaning and
41:06
purpose to life.
41:09
And now we're going to
41:10
move into our fourth
41:11
characteristic, our fourth
41:15
principle of art, as
41:17
discussed just in the
41:18
interest of time.
41:20
And so the final
41:21
principle of art that we
41:22
pull from Exodus 31 is
41:24
that art exists for the
41:25
glory of God.
41:27
Johann Sebastian Bach
41:28
used to sign all of his
41:29
works, SDG, which
41:32
refers Sola Deo Gloria.
41:33
It's Latin for, to God
41:34
alone be glory.
41:36
Because he understood
41:37
that his art was an
41:40
offering to God.
41:41
It was intended to please
41:42
God.
41:45
So beauty, we talked a
41:47
little bit about beauty.
41:48
It does have its own
41:49
intrinsic value.
41:51
Some of the tabernacle
41:51
art was not symbolic.
41:53
It wasn't representative.
41:54
We talked about that.
41:55
It was abstract art.
41:56
But it all served the
41:58
higher purpose of drawing
42:00
people's attention to the
42:02
holiness, to a beautiful,
42:06
redemptive God.
42:07
When art exists only for
42:09
its own sake, that's just
42:11
as much idolatry as when
42:13
we try to live our own
42:15
lives for our own sake.
42:18
And to prove that, we have
42:20
Romans chapter 1, 24 and 25.
42:22
We talked about that
42:22
recently in our study of
42:24
Romans.
42:25
Paul wrote,
42:25
Therefore God gave them
42:26
up in the lusts of their
42:27
hearts to impurity, to the
42:29
dishonoring of their bodies
42:30
among themselves, because
42:31
they exchanged the truth
42:32
about God for a lie, and
42:34
worshipped and served the
42:35
creature rather than the
42:36
creator, who is blessed
42:37
forever.
42:38
Amen.
42:40
So we have to keep this
42:42
proper perspective on art,
42:44
that it ought to serve to
42:46
glorify God.
42:47
When we begin to have art
42:48
for its own sake, then we've
42:50
elevated it above God and
42:52
said, well, it exists for
42:53
itself, God exists for
42:54
himself.
42:55
Every detail of the
42:57
tabernacle was a physical
43:00
display of the glory of
43:01
God, and our art should live
43:04
up to that blueprint.
43:05
It's important because a
43:06
creation always tells you
43:08
something about its creator.
43:11
Because art works with the
43:14
materials of God's creation,
43:17
then we can convey with art a
43:19
commitment to a good and
43:20
loving and gracious and
43:21
beautiful creator.
43:23
Do you see that?
43:25
Francis Schaeffer said,
43:26
Christian art is the
43:27
expression of the whole
43:29
life of the whole person who
43:30
is a Christian.
43:31
What a Christian portrays in
43:32
his art is the totality of
43:35
life.
43:36
Now, I don't want some of you
43:39
at this point, and I hope
43:40
not, but some of you may be
43:41
thinking, okay, it's a lot of
43:42
information about art.
43:43
I hope that you'll see that as
43:45
image bearers of God, who is
43:48
the chief creator, that creating
43:53
is an inescapable part of our
43:55
existence.
43:55
And that's certainly a takeaway
43:57
from this sermon, that as we do
44:00
anything artistic, from setting up
44:01
the chairs in this room to
44:02
arranging the furniture in our
44:05
houses, some of us are great at
44:09
silling.
44:09
My daughter's wearing a dress
44:11
today that Heather Cheatham
44:13
made.
44:14
Some of us are really crafty and
44:17
can work with wood.
44:18
Anything that we do that's
44:19
remotely artistic gives us an
44:21
opportunity to portray the
44:23
greatness and the glory and the
44:24
beauty of God to the world
44:26
around us.
44:27
So don't neglect the fact that we
44:29
are all, in some degree, doing
44:31
art, whether we're called to
44:33
careers in art or whether we
44:35
would call ourselves artists.
44:37
artists.
44:38
But in conclusion, I just have
44:40
some final thoughts and maybe
44:42
challenges to hopefully connect
44:44
some of the dots.
44:45
So if I've lost you, we're
44:46
wrapping this up.
44:47
Please come back to me.
44:50
The first thing that I want to
44:52
point out that we haven't talked
44:53
about is that certain artists,
44:55
just like Aholiab and Bezalel,
44:57
certain artists are called to
44:59
full-time careers in artistry.
45:01
Now, we all have specific
45:05
callings on our lives and we all
45:06
should take drastic measures to
45:08
be obedient to our callings,
45:10
just like we've seen.
45:11
God will provide for what we
45:13
need to be obedient to Him.
45:15
The church, likewise, should
45:17
promote obedience.
45:19
So as it relates to art, we
45:21
should identify and encourage
45:23
talent when we see it.
45:25
Some of you have probably seen
45:27
like American Idol or
45:28
America's Got Talent.
45:29
Have you seen some of those
45:30
people that come in to
45:31
audition and they're just
45:33
awful and they get shot down,
45:35
I mean, like laughed at by
45:37
the judges and like 90% of
45:39
them say, well, my church
45:41
thinks I'm a great singer.
45:43
Well, that's horrible of those
45:45
churches.
45:45
We ought to be identifying
45:46
talent and promoting talent,
45:49
encouraging talent to grow and
45:51
to thrive.
45:53
Furthermore, we ought to be
45:56
honest with people about their
45:59
talents and try to direct them
46:00
to places where God is
46:02
obviously gifting them.
46:05
Finally, as a church, and as it
46:07
relates to full-time artists, we
46:11
ought to promote and fund,
46:13
commission and distribute good
46:14
art made by believers as a way
46:18
of affirming the artist's calling,
46:20
as a way of helping them to
46:23
glorify God and being obedient,
46:24
and as a way of ourselves being
46:28
encouraged by the things that God's
46:30
doing around us.
46:31
If you need a painting, get Sam
46:33
Rayner to do the painting.
46:34
Don't go to wherever you go,
46:36
Hobby Lobby.
46:38
If you need to have family
46:42
portraits done, get Andy Truitt to
46:44
take your pictures.
46:45
He's a great photographer.
46:47
Encourage the people in this
46:48
congregation who have artistic
46:50
talents to use them for God's
46:52
glory.
46:54
Second, and we've spoken about this
46:55
briefly, but as image bearers, we
46:58
should all seek forms of artistic
47:00
expression as ways to portray the
47:02
goodness and the truth and the beauty
47:03
of God in us and in the world.
47:07
Philip Rikin said,
47:07
The church can help with this pursuit by
47:09
serving as a community of encouragement
47:11
that affirms the calling of artists and
47:14
nurtures the artistic aspect of every
47:15
human soul.
47:19
Our hope here at Christ Family Church
47:22
over the last several years has been to
47:24
reverse the reformer's decision about art,
47:27
to be propelled toward godliness in all
47:31
parts of our life, including the arts,
47:33
rather than just repelled away from sin.
47:36
We want to receive the things that he's
47:38
given us to receive, redeem the things that
47:40
he's given us to redeem.
47:44
We want to stop this tendency among
47:47
Christians to live according to our own
47:49
inventions, hedge laws that reject things
47:52
that God ultimately intends us to use for
47:55
his glory.
47:58
Becoming all things to all people has been
48:01
a theme of this series.
48:03
Paul says that, and he says,
48:07
I've become all things to all people in
48:09
order that some might be saved.
48:11
And as far as art is concerned, that looks
48:14
like us becoming conversant about art.
48:19
It looks like us preparing ourselves to
48:23
engage in an increasingly artistic community
48:26
around us.
48:27
Look at Dahlonega, look at Gainesville,
48:29
full of artists that we kind of have
48:32
capped at arm's length.
48:33
If we're going to be obedient to God's
48:35
calling to engage our culture, well, our
48:39
culture is full of artists.
48:42
And we need to be able to communicate with
48:44
them the glory of God and the power of God
48:49
for salvation in terms that they understand
48:51
and modes that they connect with.
48:53
And to do this, we have to reverse the
48:55
church's mindset that, whereas we might not
48:59
say it, we treat artists like an unsavable
49:03
people group.
49:05
We need to begin to attract and engage
49:08
artists with the gospel because no culture is
49:13
beyond God's sovereign power to save.
49:15
So I hope that you'll make it your prayer,
49:18
as it has been my prayer, that God would use us
49:21
as a community of believers, a community of
49:24
creative people to save artists, to glorify
49:31
himself in the art community, in the art culture,
49:35
in order to begin redeeming art.
49:37
Because art's going down a terrible path to
49:40
destruction.
49:41
It's taking artists with it.
49:43
But we have an opportunity as the church to
49:45
reverse that and to inject hope into the art
49:49
community.
49:51
So many Christians seem to have dismissed
49:54
artists altogether and left their souls in
49:57
such a dangerous state.
49:59
So my prayer, and I hope it will be your prayer
50:02
too, is that God would use us to reverse that.
50:05
Let's pray together.