Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Why We Do What We Do The Way We Do What We Do: Music
Transcript
- 0:00Please take your copy of God's Word and turn with me to two places this morning.
- 0:05! First Colossians chapter 3 and then Ephesians chapter 5.
- 0:15! So go ahead and find both places.
- 0:17! Mark one with your finger, the other with a ribbon.
- 0:21Bookmark them in your phone.
- 0:30It is our normal habit and I think the most healthy way of preaching here at Christ of the Church of Dahlonega
- 0:38for us to do verse by verse exposition.
- 0:43And I want you to not confuse that with expository preaching generally speaking.
- 0:49You'll hear many defenses for expository preaching and I would stand with those defenses to be sure.
- 0:56But what we can tend to do is to think that if we're not doing a verse by verse exposition
- 1:01that we've abandoned expository preaching altogether.
- 1:05And preaching that's not expository is not preaching at all.
- 1:09Expository preaching is simply this.
- 1:11It works to bring forth for your benefit, glory of God, for your good, what the Bible says.
- 1:19So it may be concerning a specific text.
- 1:22Expository preaching can be done with a chapter of the Bible.
- 1:26It can be done with a book of the Bible.
- 1:29Expository preaching can also explore a theme of the Bible as well.
- 1:33So, again, we think verse by verse exposition is the best general habit for us as a church.
- 1:39But from time to time, we think there's a great deal of value in stopping, considering something together,
- 1:47a particular topic together and trying to take a look at, not in an exhaustive form,
- 1:51but what the Bible may have to say about that given topic.
- 1:57Throughout history, many faithful preachers have held different views on such things.
- 2:01I'll give you just two quick ones.
- 2:04Jonathan Edwards was a verse-by-verse expositor, even to a fault.
- 2:08There was a period of time, this church in New England, he was dismissed from for a couple of years.
- 2:12And when he came back, he picked up in the verse he left off.
- 2:15And I think Calvin did the same thing in Geneva when he was kicked out of Geneva for a while.
- 2:21Came back, and he was in, like, Deuteronomy.
- 2:23Came back to the very verse that he had left off there.
- 2:27Charles Spurgeon, who's one of my favorite preachers,
- 2:29thought that it quenched the Spirit of God to not consider each week
- 2:34what text the church may have needed exposited for that week.
- 2:40And so, we try to step in the middle of that.
- 2:43We try to come into the midst of that, trying to preach verse by verse.
- 2:47It's good for you to have big, full understandings of books of the Bible,
- 2:51but also to be sensitive in the midst of the coming and going of our church
- 2:55and what's happening in the life of our church to, at times, step away from that study.
- 3:00So, we've been in the book of Acts.
- 3:04I'm not even sure where we are.
- 3:05I think we may have finished chapter 17.
- 3:07We're in chapter 17, or we finished it.
- 3:09I should remember that from just last week.
- 3:12But we're going to take some time to talk this morning a bit about music.
- 3:19Musical worship.
- 3:20And I want you to know that my intention for doing this
- 3:25is not to make this church seem better than other churches.
- 3:31It's not my goal in what we're doing.
- 3:33It's not to defend the way that we do music together,
- 3:38but rather to equip you to understand that we don't just have a preference for music,
- 3:46but that there are theological, there are biblical underpinnings
- 3:51to the why of the way we do music.
- 3:56We may carry it out in particular ways that could change,
- 4:00but there's reason behind what we do.
- 4:03And I became aware of this.
- 4:05I mentioned to you a few weeks ago at a community group
- 4:07that there were some questions asked, and they were good, honest questions.
- 4:10And I know some of those people are here.
- 4:11I'm not diminishing you in any way in that conversation,
- 4:15but I realized that we hadn't taught on this in quite some time.
- 4:18It had been a long time since we had ever mentioned the why of what we do
- 4:24when we do music together.
- 4:26And I began to think about since this church started January 1 of 2009,
- 4:32so a little over eight years ago.
- 4:34You're going to get, I think you're going to get a kick out of this.
- 4:37Since then, right now, there are only six people
- 4:41that were part of that original beginning.
- 4:46There are six people.
- 4:48Myself and my wife, Wes and Liz, you saw on stage, Liz with the mandolin,
- 4:52and Sid and Ruth, who I don't think are here this morning with us,
- 4:55but most of you know Sid and Ruth.
- 4:57Six.
- 4:57So we have this big turnaround.
- 4:59And I will say that largely 95% of that is not unhealthy turnaround.
- 5:06I haven't across the years run people off all the time,
- 5:10but we live in kind of a transitionary town.
- 5:13A lot of our congregation across the years has been college students.
- 5:17One of the wonderful things about that is we've been able to equip
- 5:20and send out countless people across the years.
- 5:25And it's a wonderful privilege that we have as a church,
- 5:27and I think we should pick it up and seize it as such,
- 5:30to build into people good biblical founding
- 5:35for the way they should live their lives in the world
- 5:37and the way they should be involved with
- 5:39and the way a church should meet together.
- 5:41So we have the ability to have influence in really broad ways because of that.
- 5:47So it's important for you to understand then the why.
- 5:49So you can go find healthy churches,
- 5:51and you can bring health to churches and communities.
- 5:54So that's the aim.
- 5:56That's what we're trying to accomplish this morning as we start,
- 6:00and we're going to kind of do this across.
- 6:02I'm going to call it a series, but we're not going to do it in series.
- 6:06Series in that it'll jump months, but in order.
- 6:09And we're going to call it this.
- 6:10You ready?
- 6:12Why we do what we do,
- 6:14and why we do what we do the way we do what we do.
- 6:16So why we do what we do,
- 6:20and why we do what we do the way we do what we do.
- 6:22Okay?
- 6:23And this morning, music.
- 6:25Right?
- 6:26This morning, music.
- 6:27Now, before I get into this,
- 6:29I want to commend just two resources to you really quickly.
- 6:33If you want to know more about this,
- 6:35a wonderful book by a man named Bob Coughlin called Worship Matters.
- 6:39Really, really great read.
- 6:40My only complaint about this book,
- 6:43as he uses a term for music leaders that I don't particularly like,
- 6:45which I'm going to talk about in just a moment.
- 6:47He actually makes a case against using such a term,
- 6:50and then he continues to use the term.
- 6:51Drove me crazy, Wes.
- 6:53Drove Wes crazy as well.
- 6:55Drove me absolutely nuts this week.
- 6:58Secondly, put out by Grace to You,
- 7:01which is the ministry John MacArthur is most related to.
- 7:05Master's Seminary.
- 7:07Hymns of Grace.
- 7:07It's a hymnal.
- 7:09You guys haven't touched one of these in a long time, have you?
- 7:12We typically are using screens now
- 7:14because we can introduce new songs more quickly.
- 7:17If we were to do a hymnal in our church,
- 7:20this would be the one.
- 7:21We buy a bunch of copies of this.
- 7:23It's a wonderful, wonderful hymnal.
- 7:24It has a bunch of wonderful, rich, true,
- 7:29well-vetted songs and resources in it.
- 7:32So if you have an interest in having something like that in your home,
- 7:36Hymns of Grace would be a really great one for you to pick up.
- 7:39Okay, so music, specifically music together.
- 7:47So when we gather together as a church,
- 7:49why do we engage in musical worship?
- 7:53And why do we engage in musical worship the way we engage in musical worship?
- 7:58Why do we do what we do?
- 7:58And why do we do what we do the way we do what we do?
- 8:02I practiced that this week.
- 8:02I want to begin with an aside
- 8:06concerning our language concerning music in the church.
- 8:11For far too long,
- 8:13the music sung in church has been referred to as
- 8:15quote-unquote worship.
- 8:18And the individual leading the music as
- 8:21quote-unquote the worship leader.
- 8:25Music,
- 8:27rightly sung in our church gatherings,
- 8:30or even possibly outside of our church gatherings,
- 8:33but music rightly sung certainly is worship.
- 8:37It is.
- 8:38Music sung together is worship,
- 8:41but it is not the totality of worship.
- 8:46And the individual leading music
- 8:48is certainly leading us in worship,
- 8:50but not in the totality of worship.
- 8:55To call our singing together worship,
- 8:58and the individual leading the music as the worship leader suggests.
- 9:04This is why this matters.
- 9:05It suggests
- 9:06that our worship of God is reduced
- 9:10to a bit of time
- 9:12during a service.
- 9:14So not even the whole service,
- 9:15but a bit of time during a service on Sunday morning.
- 9:19And it excludes our prayers together,
- 9:22and our scripture reading together,
- 9:24and our preaching together.
- 9:28This is participatory as well.
- 9:30I'm speaking,
- 9:31and I hope you're engaged in listening.
- 9:34And this,
- 9:35all that we do together in a worship service
- 9:37is all worship.
- 9:39But it even goes beyond that.
- 9:40It goes outside the doors of here.
- 9:42We're meant to have lives
- 9:43that are given to worship.
- 9:46Paul stated in Romans 12, verse 1.
- 9:49He says,
- 9:51I appeal to you, therefore,
- 9:52based on the first 11 chapters,
- 9:55his great treatise on the Christian faith.
- 9:57I appeal to you, therefore, brothers,
- 10:00by the mercies of God,
- 10:02to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
- 10:05holy and acceptable to God,
- 10:08which is your spiritual worship.
- 10:12And the English word,
- 10:13translated from the Greek here, body,
- 10:16it's a good word to be translated.
- 10:18I wouldn't pick on any of our Bible translators
- 10:20in this case,
- 10:21but it has a grander meaning
- 10:23in the original language.
- 10:26I like the word being.
- 10:29God means for all of our lives
- 10:32to be committed to his praise.
- 10:35Everything that we do,
- 10:36it's all worship.
- 10:39So I have a real problem
- 10:40with this over-reduction of the idea.
- 10:44So it's musical worship.
- 10:46It is worship.
- 10:47But it's a part.
- 10:49It's part of our worship,
- 10:51both together and as individuals
- 10:53in the world.
- 10:56So we will never call the music here,
- 10:59quote-unquote, worship,
- 11:01or the individual leading the music,
- 11:02the, quote-unquote, worship leader,
- 11:05because it is confusing.
- 11:09Now some will say,
- 11:10and I've done this,
- 11:12brought a little correction.
- 11:13What are you talking about?
- 11:15Some will say,
- 11:16well, you know what I mean
- 11:18when being corrected.
- 11:21But the problem, beloved,
- 11:23is that words have meaning.
- 11:25And you don't just get to
- 11:27willy-nilly change the meaning of words.
- 11:30You can't be so cavalier
- 11:32with your use of words,
- 11:33because my response will be,
- 11:37no, I do not know what you mean.
- 11:39And as the children learned this morning,
- 11:43the heart is where the words of the mouth grow.
- 11:48So we need to be careful about
- 11:50the words that we use
- 11:52and what we're communicating
- 11:53when we use those words.
- 11:56This is why we will speak in terms
- 11:59of musical worship
- 12:00and why we call Wes our
- 12:02Pastor for Worship Arts.
- 12:05It's not a bad title.
- 12:10I think he came up with it.
- 12:11It's good.
- 12:12I like it.
- 12:15Now the subject of musical worship
- 12:16in churches has been
- 12:17a highly contested one
- 12:19in my lifetime.
- 12:21For many of you,
- 12:22this may be true.
- 12:23Some have called it
- 12:24the worship wars,
- 12:27where churches began
- 12:28to try to pick up new ideas
- 12:30of the way that we worship God
- 12:31in music.
- 12:32And some wanted to stay
- 12:33very entrenched in the ways
- 12:34they like to engage
- 12:36in worshiping God in music.
- 12:39And these worship wars
- 12:40have had much heat
- 12:42with little to no light.
- 12:45Meaning they were very much
- 12:47fueled by preference
- 12:49and fueled very little
- 12:51by the Bible.
- 12:54The current solution
- 12:56seems to be
- 12:57for small churches
- 12:59to work to serve
- 13:01a particular demographic.
- 13:02So church planters
- 13:03will actually look
- 13:04at demographic studies
- 13:05and they'll figure out
- 13:06the general population
- 13:07of an area
- 13:08and they'll figure out
- 13:09the favorite style of music
- 13:10for that population
- 13:11in an area
- 13:12and they'll try to find
- 13:13somebody who can
- 13:14meet that need,
- 13:15who can present that style.
- 13:17And they'll say to anybody else
- 13:18who doesn't like the style,
- 13:19sorry,
- 13:20we only do one style here.
- 13:23For the large church,
- 13:26the solution seems to be
- 13:28to cater to every demographic
- 13:30with multiple services.
- 13:33You see,
- 13:34most large churches
- 13:34will have multiple services
- 13:36and they will contain within them
- 13:38multiple styles of music.
- 13:40So you've got your
- 13:41contemporary service
- 13:42and you've got your
- 13:43traditional service
- 13:44and you've got your
- 13:45blended service.
- 13:46And sometimes these
- 13:47even happen at the same time
- 13:49on the same campus,
- 13:50just in different locations.
- 13:52Beloved,
- 13:55none of this
- 13:56is good
- 13:57for your faith
- 13:59or for the community
- 14:01of faith.
- 14:03It is not proper
- 14:04for a church
- 14:05to serve preference
- 14:06over purpose
- 14:08in the way that we gather.
- 14:10It is not healthy
- 14:12for the church
- 14:12to meet felt needs
- 14:14over real needs
- 14:16at the expense
- 14:18of real needs.
- 14:21To promulgate
- 14:22consumerism
- 14:23in the worship
- 14:24of our God.
- 14:27So,
- 14:29Wes and I,
- 14:31in the very early days
- 14:32of Christ Family Church,
- 14:35we were a musician
- 14:37becoming a pastor
- 14:38and a teacher
- 14:41becoming a pastor
- 14:44and by God's grace,
- 14:47hear me say that,
- 14:48Wes and I
- 14:49are not better
- 14:50than anyone else.
- 14:51By God's grace,
- 14:53we picked up,
- 14:54and I wish I could
- 14:55trace the contours
- 14:56of how we
- 14:57so came to love
- 14:58the doctrine of Scripture
- 15:00called the sufficiency
- 15:01of Scripture.
- 15:03But we came to love it
- 15:04and we came to see
- 15:05that if we were to
- 15:07lead a church well,
- 15:09we must do it
- 15:10by the Word of God.
- 15:11We must do it
- 15:12by His instruction.
- 15:14And then if it's sufficient,
- 15:15then it contains
- 15:16within it
- 15:16all the instruction
- 15:17that we need.
- 15:20And then by grace,
- 15:21we picked it up
- 15:22and we began asking
- 15:23questions
- 15:24and finding answers
- 15:26from God's
- 15:28own Word.
- 15:30We picked up a principle
- 15:31that was employed
- 15:33by the Reformers
- 15:35and the Puritans
- 15:36called the regulative
- 15:37principle of worship.
- 15:39And that was
- 15:40if we couldn't find
- 15:42prescribed in the Scripture
- 15:44worship of God
- 15:46in a particular way,
- 15:47then we wouldn't do it.
- 15:48And we would just
- 15:48simply do
- 15:49the thing
- 15:50that God
- 15:51prescribed for us
- 15:52to do.
- 15:54And we have,
- 15:56over the past
- 15:56eight years,
- 15:57put that in place.
- 15:58It has been
- 15:59our prayer
- 16:00that we would be
- 16:01faithful to the Bible.
- 16:04Not just Wes and I.
- 16:05We have had other elders
- 16:06in the life of our church
- 16:07as well.
- 16:08We have pressed at this.
- 16:10Let's do
- 16:10the worship of God
- 16:11in God's way
- 16:12and let's trust
- 16:13that He'll build a church
- 16:15and He'll reach
- 16:15our community
- 16:16as a result.
- 16:18So that's where we're at.
- 16:19That's why I want to
- 16:20loop you back in, right?
- 16:22Some of you are new here,
- 16:23so I want you to understand
- 16:24what we've learned
- 16:26and why we practice
- 16:27music the way
- 16:29that we do.
- 16:30So let's begin our study
- 16:31with Colossians 3.16.
- 16:34Colossians 3.16.
- 16:44Beloved,
- 16:44this is God's Word
- 16:45to us.
- 16:47It was written
- 16:48for His glory
- 16:49and for our good
- 16:50and we would all do well
- 16:52to listen to it
- 16:53this morning
- 16:54in order to believe
- 16:55its promises
- 16:55and obey
- 16:57its commands.
- 17:00Paul writes,
- 17:01verse 16,
- 17:02Colossians 3,
- 17:03let the Word of Christ
- 17:05dwell in you richly,
- 17:08teaching
- 17:08and admonishing
- 17:10one another
- 17:10in all wisdom,
- 17:12singing psalms
- 17:13and hymns
- 17:14and spiritual songs
- 17:16with thankfulness
- 17:18in your hearts
- 17:19to God.
- 17:21Now turn to
- 17:22Ephesians chapter 5.
- 17:23verses 18 and 19,
- 17:34Paul writes,
- 17:35and do not get drunk
- 17:37with wine
- 17:38for that is debauchery,
- 17:40but be filled
- 17:41with the Spirit,
- 17:43addressing one another
- 17:44in psalms
- 17:45and hymns
- 17:46and spiritual songs,
- 17:47singing and making
- 17:48melody to the Lord
- 17:49with your heart.
- 17:51So why
- 17:54do we do
- 17:56what we do?
- 17:58Why do we sing
- 17:59together
- 18:00when we gather?
- 18:03Well,
- 18:03it's because the Bible
- 18:04commands it
- 18:05for God's glory
- 18:07and for our good.
- 18:08You can see two places
- 18:09that I've read to you
- 18:11just already this morning.
- 18:12Colossians 3,
- 18:1316,
- 18:13Ephesians 5,
- 18:1418 and 19.
- 18:15There's instruction
- 18:16here for the singing
- 18:18together.
- 18:19Psalm 33,
- 18:223 says,
- 18:24Sing to Him
- 18:25a new song.
- 18:27Place skillfully
- 18:28on the strings.
- 18:30I like this,
- 18:31with loud shouts.
- 18:34Psalm 47,
- 18:356,
- 18:36Sing praises
- 18:37to God.
- 18:38Sing praises.
- 18:40Sing praises
- 18:40to our King.
- 18:41Sing praises.
- 18:43The Bible contains
- 18:46over 400
- 18:47references
- 18:48to singing
- 18:49and 50
- 18:51direct commands
- 18:53to sing.
- 18:55In fact,
- 18:55the longest book
- 18:56of the Bible
- 18:57by verse count,
- 18:58at least,
- 18:59I know that you want
- 19:00to contend with me
- 19:00on that maybe,
- 19:01by verse count,
- 19:02the longest book
- 19:02of the Bible
- 19:03is the Psalms,
- 19:04which is a book
- 19:04of songs,
- 19:06every single
- 19:07one of them.
- 19:09Further,
- 19:10we have
- 19:10the example
- 19:11of Jesus
- 19:12in Matthew 26,
- 19:14verse 30,
- 19:15with the apostles,
- 19:17and when they had
- 19:18sung a hymn,
- 19:20they went out
- 19:21to the Mount of Olives.
- 19:23We have the example
- 19:24of heaven
- 19:25in the book
- 19:26of Revelation
- 19:27many,
- 19:27many times.
- 19:28You know what book
- 19:29has more songs
- 19:30in it than any other book
- 19:31except the book
- 19:32of Psalms?
- 19:33The book of Revelation,
- 19:34right?
- 19:35This vision that John
- 19:35has of heaven.
- 19:36Lots of singing
- 19:38in heaven.
- 19:39One example,
- 19:40Revelation 15,
- 19:41verses 2 and 3.
- 19:43And I saw what appeared
- 19:45to be a sea of glass
- 19:46mingled with fire,
- 19:47and also those
- 19:49who had conquered
- 19:49the beast
- 19:50and its image
- 19:51and the number
- 19:52of its name
- 19:52standing beside
- 19:53the sea of glass
- 19:55with harps of God
- 19:56in their hands.
- 19:58And they sing
- 19:59the song of Moses,
- 20:00the servant of God,
- 20:01and the song
- 20:02of the Lamb,
- 20:02saying,
- 20:03Great and amazing
- 20:05are your deeds,
- 20:06O Lord God,
- 20:07the Almighty,
- 20:08just and true
- 20:09are your ways,
- 20:11O King of the nations.
- 20:14And we have the example
- 20:15of Paul and Silas
- 20:18in the Philippian jail.
- 20:19Not long ago,
- 20:20we studied this together
- 20:21on the Lord's Day.
- 20:22Acts 16,
- 20:24verse 25.
- 20:25About midnight,
- 20:27Paul and Silas
- 20:28were praying,
- 20:29remember they're
- 20:29in the Philippian jail,
- 20:31and singing hymns
- 20:33to God.
- 20:34James says in James 5.13,
- 20:38Is anyone cheerful?
- 20:40Let him sing praise.
- 20:43The Bible is full
- 20:44of this type of instruction.
- 20:49John Calvin once wrote,
- 20:51I think many people
- 20:52are sold a very staunch view
- 20:55of Calvin,
- 20:56but he said wonderful things
- 20:57like this.
- 20:57wherever faith is lively,
- 21:01holy rejoicing
- 21:03will follow.
- 21:05So,
- 21:06we should sing
- 21:07when we are gathered.
- 21:09We should.
- 21:10We're instructed to do so.
- 21:12We should sing
- 21:12when we are gathered.
- 21:15And we're told,
- 21:16both in Ephesians 5
- 21:17and Colossians 3,
- 21:20to sing psalms
- 21:21and hymns
- 21:23and spiritual songs.
- 21:26Now,
- 21:26there is no need
- 21:27in overcomplicating
- 21:28what these three things are.
- 21:30We don't need to set these
- 21:31on a scale
- 21:31and make sure we're doing
- 21:3233 and a third percent
- 21:33of each
- 21:34of the following things.
- 21:36But there were types
- 21:37of music,
- 21:39and Paul's referencing
- 21:40those specific types,
- 21:41and I think it's valuable
- 21:42for us to pull those up
- 21:43and use those types
- 21:45as well here.
- 21:46So,
- 21:47Psalms are pretty obvious
- 21:48what the Psalms were.
- 21:49Those are the songs
- 21:51of the Bible,
- 21:52and we should sing
- 21:53from God's song book.
- 21:57We find some challenge
- 21:58with that, though,
- 21:59in the 21st century
- 22:01English-speaking culture
- 22:02in which we live
- 22:03because those songs
- 22:04were written in Hebrew
- 22:06and they rhymed most often,
- 22:09but they rhymed in Hebrew
- 22:10and they don't tend
- 22:12to rhyme in English,
- 22:13so it becomes difficult,
- 22:14right,
- 22:15to sing a song as such.
- 22:17But lots of our songs
- 22:19reference the Psalms
- 22:20and pull text
- 22:22from the Psalms.
- 22:23And Wes does a good job,
- 22:24and I think he works hard
- 22:25at trying to sing
- 22:26Psalms to you,
- 22:27particularly during
- 22:28the offering
- 22:29or the Lord's Supper
- 22:30when you're not expected
- 22:31to sing with necessarily
- 22:33because they're often
- 22:34difficult to sing.
- 22:35They can be hard songs
- 22:37to sing as they don't rhyme
- 22:39and you're trying
- 22:39to make the near rhymes
- 22:40work out,
- 22:41etc.
- 22:41But we should want
- 22:43to sing such songs
- 22:45and be Scripture-rich
- 22:47in our singing.
- 22:50Just before I came up
- 22:52to preach during
- 22:53the offering time,
- 22:55Wes mentioned
- 22:56understanding what
- 22:58we are about to do
- 22:59from the rising of the sun
- 23:01is based on Psalm 113.
- 23:04We're also instructed
- 23:05to sing hymns,
- 23:06and there's all kinds
- 23:08of talk of hymology,
- 23:09like what makes a hymn,
- 23:11but most simply,
- 23:13a hymn is a song
- 23:14to or about God
- 23:16and what He has done.
- 23:19To or about God
- 23:20and what He has done.
- 23:22Two examples
- 23:23that would be,
- 23:24I think, well known.
- 23:25How Great Thou Art
- 23:26and Holy, Holy, Holy,
- 23:29which we sang
- 23:29just a few moments ago
- 23:31would be considered hymns.
- 23:34Just because it's in a hymnal
- 23:35doesn't necessarily
- 23:35make it a hymn.
- 23:38We're also instructed
- 23:39to sing spiritual songs,
- 23:41and these are most
- 23:42often understood
- 23:43to be kind of
- 23:44reflexive of hymns.
- 23:46So, spiritual songs
- 23:47are songs
- 23:48to or about us,
- 23:51but I'd add
- 23:52that there are songs
- 23:53to or about us
- 23:53in relation to
- 23:55who God is
- 23:57and what He has done.
- 23:59So, what is the effect
- 24:00of God's work
- 24:01in the world?
- 24:02And we sing a lot of songs
- 24:03that would be categorized
- 24:04as spiritual songs.
- 24:06Songs like
- 24:07Amazing Grace
- 24:08and it is well.
- 24:10Let's speak of the
- 24:11human experience
- 24:13of God's goodness
- 24:14and grace
- 24:16and mercy
- 24:16to mankind.
- 24:19So, we should sing together.
- 24:23Why should we sing together?
- 24:25The Bible instructs it,
- 24:26but why does the Bible
- 24:27instruct it?
- 24:27For God's glory,
- 24:28for our good,
- 24:29humans are wired
- 24:33to give
- 24:35and receive
- 24:36through song.
- 24:39And this is still
- 24:39a bit of a mystery to me.
- 24:40I want to spend more time
- 24:42considering
- 24:42why that is.
- 24:44And it may not be
- 24:45a thing that I can answer,
- 24:46but we are wired
- 24:48to love music.
- 24:52Musicians have been
- 24:53wildly popular
- 24:54for good and for bad
- 24:56throughout history.
- 24:58Every movement,
- 25:01every uprising,
- 25:03every cultural expression
- 25:05has its music.
- 25:07Consider that.
- 25:07It's true.
- 25:08There's always a rally cry
- 25:11that's driven by music.
- 25:13We seem to be
- 25:15musical beings.
- 25:17Some people will say
- 25:18that they don't like music,
- 25:20but they do.
- 25:20They do.
- 25:21You could find the thing
- 25:22that would cause them
- 25:24to tap their foot
- 25:25or to bob their head.
- 25:27There's something
- 25:27that will do that.
- 25:28For a person.
- 25:31So,
- 25:31when we sing,
- 25:33when we are gathered,
- 25:34it is our hope
- 25:35that our feelings
- 25:37catch up
- 25:38to the truth
- 25:39we believe.
- 25:41Right?
- 25:41And we should
- 25:42feel the truth.
- 25:44Right?
- 25:44Feelings don't define truth,
- 25:46but we want to feel
- 25:47the truth,
- 25:49and music helps us
- 25:50to do that.
- 25:52I have to tell you
- 25:54that I know
- 25:55that as a group of people
- 25:57we're typically drawn
- 25:58to similar things,
- 25:59and I know that
- 26:00that's often
- 26:00an adherence to the Bible,
- 26:03maybe even a staunchness
- 26:04in our teaching
- 26:06of the Bible,
- 26:07but I wish you guys
- 26:08would be more expressive
- 26:09sometimes.
- 26:10It's okay to move
- 26:12the music.
- 26:13Guys,
- 26:13don't stand in the back
- 26:14of the room
- 26:15with your arms folded.
- 26:16Consider the words.
- 26:22Right?
- 26:22Consider the words
- 26:23and have it move you
- 26:24to praise.
- 26:26Jonathan Edwards wrote
- 26:27in Religious Affections,
- 26:28the duty of singing praises
- 26:30to God
- 26:30seems to be appointed
- 26:32wholly
- 26:33to excite
- 26:34and express
- 26:35religious affections.
- 26:38No other reason
- 26:39can be assigned
- 26:40why we should
- 26:41express ourselves
- 26:42to God
- 26:42in verse
- 26:43and to do it
- 26:44with music
- 26:45but only
- 26:47that such
- 26:47is our nature
- 26:49and frame.
- 26:50He's saying
- 26:50we were made for that.
- 26:52Right?
- 26:52Such is our nature
- 26:53and frame
- 26:54that these things
- 26:55have a tendency
- 26:56to move
- 26:57our affections.
- 27:00And so that's
- 27:01why we sing
- 27:03together.
- 27:03That's why
- 27:04it's important
- 27:05that we sing together
- 27:06when we're gathered.
- 27:08I was challenged
- 27:08this week by Wes
- 27:09that maybe
- 27:10my community group,
- 27:12we don't sing
- 27:12at my community group,
- 27:13maybe we should.
- 27:14I don't know
- 27:14if we have any musical talent
- 27:15in our community group.
- 27:16It doesn't matter.
- 27:17It doesn't matter.
- 27:25As long as I don't
- 27:26have to lead it.
- 27:28So that's why
- 27:29we do what we do.
- 27:30But why do we do
- 27:30what we do
- 27:31the way we do
- 27:32what we do?
- 27:34You may have noticed
- 27:36that our church
- 27:36does music
- 27:37a little different
- 27:38than many churches.
- 27:39Not all,
- 27:40but many churches
- 27:41of our day.
- 27:43Colossians 3.16
- 27:44and Ephesians 5.18
- 27:46and 19
- 27:47show us
- 27:49that our singing
- 27:50together
- 27:51is the result
- 27:53of the outflow
- 27:56of being filled
- 27:58with the Spirit
- 27:59and letting
- 28:00the Word of Christ
- 28:01dwell in you richly.
- 28:03If you diagram
- 28:04the Greek language out,
- 28:06right,
- 28:06this instruction
- 28:07by Paul
- 28:08to not be
- 28:09drunk with wine,
- 28:10that's debauchery,
- 28:11but rather be
- 28:12filled with the Spirit
- 28:13and his instruction
- 28:14to let the Word of Christ
- 28:15dwell in you richly
- 28:17has things
- 28:19that define
- 28:20what that looks like
- 28:21beyond it.
- 28:22And there's lists
- 28:23and there's a lot
- 28:24of parallel
- 28:24between those texts.
- 28:27That parallel
- 28:28is incredibly
- 28:29striking
- 28:31between much
- 28:31of Colossians 3
- 28:32and Ephesians 5.
- 28:35They both have
- 28:36Paul as their author
- 28:37which allows
- 28:38for an incredible
- 28:39connection
- 28:40to be drawn
- 28:42from them.
- 28:42If you've been here
- 28:43with us
- 28:43in our study
- 28:44of Acts,
- 28:44I've made this
- 28:45connection for you
- 28:46as we've been
- 28:47looking at
- 28:47what it means
- 28:48to be filled
- 28:48with the Spirit.
- 28:51You see
- 28:52this connection
- 28:53between the two
- 28:55being filled
- 28:56with the Spirit
- 28:56and letting
- 28:57the Word of Christ
- 28:57dwell in you richly.
- 28:58He's using
- 28:59these phrases
- 29:00interchangeably.
- 29:02Study the text.
- 29:03You've got all
- 29:03of these things
- 29:04that are the same
- 29:04but these two phrases
- 29:05he swaps out
- 29:07in these cases.
- 29:09So,
- 29:10we're being filled
- 29:11with the Spirit.
- 29:11We're letting
- 29:12the Word of Christ
- 29:13dwell in us richly.
- 29:15And I'm going to
- 29:16wrap back to
- 29:16what it means
- 29:17to be filled
- 29:17with the Spirit
- 29:18but let's talk
- 29:18for a moment
- 29:19about letting
- 29:20the Word of Christ
- 29:21dwell in you richly.
- 29:23The word
- 29:23dwell in the
- 29:25original language
- 29:26means to
- 29:28take up residence,
- 29:30to inhabit.
- 29:32So,
- 29:32the Word of Christ,
- 29:33the Scripture
- 29:34is meant to
- 29:36inhabit us
- 29:37richly
- 29:38in abundance.
- 29:40Let the Word
- 29:41of Christ
- 29:42fill you.
- 29:45Change your
- 29:46very being
- 29:46from the inside
- 29:48out.
- 29:49And to do that,
- 29:50we're to
- 29:51read
- 29:52and we're to
- 29:53meditate
- 29:54on the Scripture
- 29:55and we're to
- 29:56memorize
- 29:56the Scripture
- 29:58and we're to
- 29:58speak the Scripture
- 29:59to one another
- 30:01and we're to
- 30:01preach and
- 30:02listen to
- 30:03preaching
- 30:04and we're to
- 30:05sing songs
- 30:07to one another.
- 30:13So, you can see
- 30:14that letting
- 30:14the Word of Christ
- 30:15dwell in you richly
- 30:16looks like
- 30:18picking it up,
- 30:18taking it up
- 30:19within us,
- 30:20having it fill us
- 30:21to overflowing.
- 30:23It creates
- 30:23activity,
- 30:24obedience in us
- 30:25is the same
- 30:26as being
- 30:26filled
- 30:27with the Spirit.
- 30:31In case this
- 30:31connection between
- 30:32Colossians and
- 30:33Ephesians is too
- 30:33vague for you,
- 30:35we bring you to
- 30:36another text,
- 30:37Romans chapter 8
- 30:38verse 5.
- 30:41Paul writes
- 30:42there,
- 30:42those who live
- 30:44according to
- 30:45the flesh
- 30:45set their
- 30:47minds
- 30:49on the
- 30:50things
- 30:51of the
- 30:52flesh.
- 30:53But those
- 30:53who live
- 30:54according to
- 30:55the Spirit,
- 30:56who are
- 30:57filled with
- 30:58the Spirit,
- 30:59set their
- 31:00minds
- 31:01on the
- 31:03things
- 31:03of the
- 31:04Spirit.
- 31:05What are
- 31:06the things
- 31:07of the
- 31:07Spirit
- 31:07but the
- 31:09book He
- 31:09inspired?
- 31:10The book,
- 31:11the way in
- 31:11which He
- 31:12works out
- 31:14and the
- 31:15tool that He
- 31:15uses to
- 31:15work in
- 31:16to us.
- 31:18Paul wrote
- 31:18in Galatians
- 31:19chapter 5
- 31:19verse 16,
- 31:20walk by
- 31:21the Spirit
- 31:22and you
- 31:23will not
- 31:24gratify
- 31:24the desires
- 31:26of the
- 31:27flesh.
- 31:29So having
- 31:29the Word
- 31:29of God
- 31:30dwell in
- 31:30us richly
- 31:31is to be
- 31:31filled with
- 31:32the Spirit
- 31:32and produces
- 31:33in us
- 31:34good and
- 31:35proper
- 31:36praise.
- 31:38Proper
- 31:39worship of
- 31:39God is
- 31:40Spirit-filled
- 31:41worship of
- 31:42God,
- 31:43which is
- 31:44mindful
- 31:45worship
- 31:46of God.
- 31:48Our
- 31:49singing
- 31:49together
- 31:50must be
- 31:51head
- 31:53and heart.
- 31:57Too much
- 31:58singing in
- 31:59church these
- 31:59days
- 32:00divorces
- 32:01thinking from
- 32:02it
- 32:02all together.
- 32:05And we're
- 32:06to do this,
- 32:07right?
- 32:08We're to be
- 32:08teaching and
- 32:09admonishing
- 32:10one another
- 32:11in all
- 32:12wisdom,
- 32:15addressing
- 32:16one another.
- 32:18And I don't
- 32:19think the
- 32:19teaching and
- 32:19admonishing one
- 32:20another in
- 32:20Colossians 3.16
- 32:22doesn't also
- 32:23include
- 32:24speaking to
- 32:26one another.
- 32:27But it
- 32:27certainly
- 32:28includes
- 32:29singing
- 32:30psalms and
- 32:31hymns and
- 32:31spiritual songs.
- 32:33I think that's
- 32:33more clear for
- 32:34us in
- 32:35Ephesians 5.19.
- 32:37We're meant to be
- 32:37addressing one
- 32:38another.
- 32:38That's the way
- 32:39in which he's
- 32:40suggesting that
- 32:40we teach
- 32:41and admonish.
- 32:43And teaching
- 32:43and admonishing,
- 32:44teaching is the
- 32:44positive way in
- 32:45which we should
- 32:46walk and
- 32:46admonishing is
- 32:47the correction,
- 32:47is the warning
- 32:48away from
- 32:49walking in
- 32:50the wrong
- 32:51way.
- 32:54John Owen
- 32:54once said,
- 32:55a Puritan
- 32:56pastor,
- 32:56it's on your
- 32:57bulletin,
- 32:57we must not
- 32:58allow ourselves
- 32:58to be satisfied
- 33:00with vague
- 33:01ideas of the
- 33:02love of Christ
- 33:04which present
- 33:05nothing of
- 33:06his glory
- 33:06to our
- 33:07minds.
- 33:09I find
- 33:10that songs
- 33:11are improving,
- 33:12like pop
- 33:13Christian songs
- 33:14are getting a
- 33:15little better,
- 33:16not much,
- 33:17but a little
- 33:17better.
- 33:19But in my
- 33:20teen years
- 33:20into early
- 33:21college years,
- 33:23so many
- 33:24of the new
- 33:25songs,
- 33:25you could have
- 33:25replaced
- 33:26Jesus with
- 33:28your girlfriend's
- 33:29name and it
- 33:30would have
- 33:30still made
- 33:31sense.
- 33:31vague ideas
- 33:35of the love
- 33:36of Christ
- 33:36which present
- 33:37nothing of
- 33:39his glory
- 33:39to our
- 33:41minds.
- 33:42Christ,
- 33:43prophet,
- 33:44priest,
- 33:45king.
- 33:46Paul writes
- 33:47in 1 Corinthians
- 33:4714-15,
- 33:50I will sing
- 33:50praise with
- 33:52my spirit,
- 33:53but I will
- 33:54sing with
- 33:54my mind
- 33:55also.
- 33:58John 4-23,
- 34:00Jesus said,
- 34:00but the hour
- 34:01is coming
- 34:01and is now
- 34:03here when
- 34:05true worshipers
- 34:05will worship
- 34:06the Father
- 34:06in spirit
- 34:07and truth.
- 34:10For the
- 34:10Father is
- 34:10seeking such
- 34:11people to
- 34:12worship him.
- 34:14Jesus does
- 34:14not say in
- 34:15spirit and
- 34:17emotional
- 34:18expression.
- 34:19Truth must
- 34:20be central
- 34:21to our
- 34:22worship of
- 34:23our God.
- 34:24So,
- 34:25we,
- 34:26and really,
- 34:27maybe we
- 34:29a bunch of
- 34:30years ago,
- 34:30but we
- 34:31now,
- 34:32I really
- 34:32mean Wes,
- 34:33as he
- 34:34handles music
- 34:35for our
- 34:35church so
- 34:36well,
- 34:37use three
- 34:38parameters in
- 34:39considering new
- 34:39music.
- 34:40So,
- 34:40Wes uses
- 34:40three parameters
- 34:41in considering
- 34:42new music,
- 34:43which I
- 34:44appreciate.
- 34:46And they
- 34:46are truth,
- 34:48depth,
- 34:49and singability.
- 34:52The truth,
- 34:53is the song
- 34:55true?
- 34:56And when I
- 34:57say new
- 34:57songs,
- 34:58I don't
- 34:58just mean
- 34:58newly produced
- 34:59songs,
- 34:59I mean new
- 35:00songs for
- 35:00our congregation.
- 35:01So,
- 35:01maybe a
- 35:02very,
- 35:02very old
- 35:03song,
- 35:03but that
- 35:03may be
- 35:04new to
- 35:04us.
- 35:04These are
- 35:05all getting
- 35:05run through
- 35:06these filters.
- 35:08Is the
- 35:09song true?
- 35:10Is it
- 35:10biblically
- 35:11true,
- 35:12objectively
- 35:12true?
- 35:14Does it
- 35:15contain within
- 35:16it any
- 35:16error?
- 35:19Or,
- 35:19and or,
- 35:20is it as
- 35:21precise as
- 35:23it should be?
- 35:24Does it
- 35:24properly present
- 35:26doctrine to
- 35:26us so that
- 35:27as we sing
- 35:28we can pick
- 35:28those things
- 35:29up and we
- 35:29can have
- 35:30them for
- 35:30ourselves and
- 35:31have it
- 35:32shape us?
- 35:33I'll give you
- 35:34an example of
- 35:35some lyrical
- 35:36changes that
- 35:37Wes made.
- 35:38Some of you,
- 35:39especially new
- 35:39to us,
- 35:40may have
- 35:40experienced the
- 35:41awkwardness of
- 35:42singing the
- 35:42song as it
- 35:43was written
- 35:44and being
- 35:45totally thrown
- 35:46off because we
- 35:46sang it
- 35:46differently,
- 35:47How Deep
- 35:48the Father's
- 35:48Love for
- 35:48Us,
- 35:49which is a
- 35:49wonderful song,
- 35:52a spiritual
- 35:53song we would
- 35:53suggest here.
- 35:55We sing,
- 35:57it was his
- 35:58love that
- 35:58held him
- 35:59there,
- 36:00speaking of
- 36:00Christ on
- 36:01the cross,
- 36:02but it was
- 36:02written,
- 36:04it was my
- 36:04sin that
- 36:06held him
- 36:06there.
- 36:08And I
- 36:09wouldn't,
- 36:09you know,
- 36:10contend,
- 36:10and I don't
- 36:10think Wes
- 36:11would either,
- 36:12with the
- 36:12author of
- 36:13the song,
- 36:13I think the
- 36:15general idea
- 36:16of what he
- 36:16was trying to
- 36:16communicate there
- 36:17is proper,
- 36:19right?
- 36:19He was
- 36:20suffering for
- 36:20our sin,
- 36:21that's the
- 36:21suggestion of
- 36:22that line.
- 36:24But it also
- 36:25seems to go a
- 36:26little further
- 36:26to maybe make
- 36:29someone believe
- 36:29that we had
- 36:30in our
- 36:31sinfulness the
- 36:32power to put
- 36:33Christ on the
- 36:34cross,
- 36:35that our sin
- 36:36actually placed
- 36:38him there and
- 36:39held him there
- 36:40and that he
- 36:40wasn't powerful
- 36:41over it.
- 36:43And so I
- 36:44think changing
- 36:46it to it was
- 36:46his love that
- 36:48held him here
- 36:48is a more
- 36:49precise way to
- 36:51think about what
- 36:52Jesus was doing
- 36:53for us on the
- 36:54cross.
- 36:54In John 10,
- 36:5418,
- 36:55Jesus says,
- 36:55no one takes
- 36:56my life for
- 36:57me,
- 36:57but I lay it
- 36:58down of my
- 36:59own accord.
- 37:01And so those
- 37:02types of things
- 37:02are being
- 37:03considered the
- 37:04truthfulness of
- 37:06a song.
- 37:07And I will
- 37:07suggest to you
- 37:08even to the
- 37:08degree that
- 37:09sometimes I'll
- 37:10misunderstand what
- 37:11a song is
- 37:12saying.
- 37:13And I'll ask
- 37:14Wes,
- 37:14like,
- 37:15hey,
- 37:15I'm not sure
- 37:15about because,
- 37:16and he'll
- 37:17explain to me
- 37:17exactly what it
- 37:17means.
- 37:18No,
- 37:18that's not
- 37:18what he's
- 37:18saying.
- 37:19If you pay
- 37:19attention to,
- 37:20I'll go,
- 37:20oh,
- 37:21yeah,
- 37:21yeah.
- 37:21Sometimes I
- 37:22check out
- 37:22there.
- 37:23You're right.
- 37:24It's a very
- 37:24good and true
- 37:25song.
- 37:27So truth is
- 37:28one of the
- 37:28filters that we
- 37:29run through.
- 37:30Secondly,
- 37:31depth.
- 37:32Right?
- 37:33Depth.
- 37:34Does a song
- 37:35merely skip a
- 37:36stone off the
- 37:38surface of the
- 37:38truth,
- 37:39or does it
- 37:40sink deep
- 37:41into it?
- 37:43Does a song
- 37:44teach us
- 37:44something about
- 37:45God and
- 37:46his work,
- 37:48or is a
- 37:48song content
- 37:50rich?
- 37:51We only have
- 37:52so much time
- 37:53together,
- 37:54but you only
- 37:54have so much
- 37:55capacity in your
- 37:56brain to hang
- 37:57on to
- 37:58information.
- 37:59So what do
- 37:59we do with
- 38:00the time that
- 38:01we're together?
- 38:02Our song
- 38:03should be
- 38:04deep,
- 38:05which means
- 38:06most often
- 38:07that our
- 38:07songs are
- 38:08wordy.
- 38:09So you
- 38:09have a
- 38:10friend who
- 38:10asks you,
- 38:11why so
- 38:11many words
- 38:12in your
- 38:12song?
- 38:13I feel
- 38:13like I
- 38:14worship God
- 38:14better with
- 38:15less words.
- 38:17Because you
- 38:18need truth.
- 38:19Right?
- 38:20Because we
- 38:20want to meet
- 38:21real need,
- 38:22not felt
- 38:23need.
- 38:25We don't
- 38:25want you
- 38:26zoning out.
- 38:27We want you
- 38:27paying attention.
- 38:29We put it on
- 38:30the screen.
- 38:30You'll note
- 38:30that we don't
- 38:31put a line
- 38:31at a time
- 38:32on the screen.
- 38:33And that's
- 38:34in part for
- 38:35the sanity
- 38:36of the person
- 38:36sitting in the
- 38:37back to try
- 38:37to keep up.
- 38:39It's in part
- 38:39because we
- 38:40don't have
- 38:40close-up of
- 38:42Wes's hands
- 38:43playing the
- 38:43guitar with
- 38:44the person
- 38:44in all black
- 38:45clothes running
- 38:45around him
- 38:46with the
- 38:46camera.
- 38:48But it's
- 38:49primarily
- 38:49because we
- 38:50want you to
- 38:51look at the
- 38:52words,
- 38:53to see them,
- 38:54to see the
- 38:55verse.
- 38:55And we put as
- 38:56much as we
- 38:56can up there,
- 38:57the verse
- 38:58so you can
- 38:58actually go,
- 38:59oh,
- 39:00what does that
- 39:00word mean?
- 39:01That's an
- 39:01old word,
- 39:02I think.
- 39:03What does it
- 39:03mean?
- 39:04Write it down.
- 39:04Look it up.
- 39:05Be informed
- 39:06by this music.
- 39:09Our songs
- 39:09should have
- 39:10depth.
- 39:13We get,
- 39:14Wes,
- 39:14five songs.
- 39:16Seven if you
- 39:17include those
- 39:18that people
- 39:18don't participate
- 39:18in.
- 39:21Wes's ministry
- 39:22here at our
- 39:23church is the
- 39:23same as my
- 39:24ministry.
- 39:25He just uses
- 39:25a different
- 39:26vehicle to
- 39:27deliver it.
- 39:27It's ministry
- 39:28of the word.
- 39:29We're united
- 39:30in what we
- 39:31do.
- 39:31Wes's job
- 39:32isn't to
- 39:32make you
- 39:32feel,
- 39:33my job
- 39:33to make
- 39:33you think.
- 39:35I'm going
- 39:35to minister
- 39:35the word
- 39:36of God
- 39:37to you.
- 39:37And then
- 39:37thirdly,
- 39:38singability.
- 39:41Is a
- 39:42song
- 39:42congregational?
- 39:45Is a
- 39:45song
- 39:45congregational?
- 39:48I love
- 39:49concerts.
- 39:50I really
- 39:51appreciate
- 39:51going to
- 39:52concerts,
- 39:52especially
- 39:53skilled
- 39:53musicians,
- 39:54watching them
- 39:55perform the
- 39:55music that
- 39:56you can hear
- 39:56on the
- 39:56album is
- 39:57an
- 39:57incredible
- 39:58thing to
- 39:58do.
- 39:59I love
- 40:00a good
- 40:00rock show.
- 40:01Like,
- 40:02make me
- 40:03not be
- 40:03able to
- 40:03hear things
- 40:04afterwards.
- 40:05I love
- 40:06that kind
- 40:07of big
- 40:08production,
- 40:09big experience,
- 40:11blinding with
- 40:12lights,
- 40:12throw smoke,
- 40:13where'd that
- 40:13guy come
- 40:14from?
- 40:14I don't
- 40:14know.
- 40:15He's on
- 40:15top of
- 40:16the
- 40:16speaker stack.
- 40:17that's
- 40:18not what
- 40:18we're
- 40:18called to
- 40:18do.
- 40:18We
- 40:19sing
- 40:20congregationally
- 40:25so we
- 40:25have light.
- 40:26You can
- 40:26see each
- 40:27other.
- 40:27We don't
- 40:28bring the
- 40:28lights down.
- 40:29You need
- 40:29to see the
- 40:29people who
- 40:30are around
- 40:30you.
- 40:31Hello,
- 40:31beloved.
- 40:32Hello,
- 40:32church.
- 40:33We gather
- 40:33to be
- 40:33together,
- 40:35not separate
- 40:35from one
- 40:36another.
- 40:37Put you in
- 40:38isolation
- 40:38chambers and
- 40:39put your
- 40:39earbuds in so
- 40:40that you
- 40:40can't
- 40:41distract it
- 40:42by anybody
- 40:42else.
- 40:43You need
- 40:44the people
- 40:44around you
- 40:45to sing
- 40:45off key
- 40:46and to
- 40:46sing loud
- 40:47off key
- 40:47because they
- 40:48love Jesus.
- 40:49That your
- 40:50affections would
- 40:50be inflamed
- 40:51for him as
- 40:52well.
- 40:53We need
- 40:53that.
- 40:54I missed
- 40:55this morning.
- 40:55Almost every
- 40:56morning I
- 40:57get you guys,
- 40:58the sound
- 40:58bounces out of
- 40:59this corner
- 40:59and I stand
- 41:00in the back.
- 41:00That's why I
- 41:01stand back
- 41:01there.
- 41:02It's not
- 41:02because I'm
- 41:02trying to
- 41:03avoid you
- 41:03guys.
- 41:04It's because
- 41:04the sound
- 41:04goes back
- 41:05to that
- 41:05corner and
- 41:06I can hear
- 41:06everybody
- 41:07singing.
- 41:07There's a
- 41:08big choir.
- 41:09It so
- 41:10warms my
- 41:10heart before I
- 41:11come up to
- 41:12preach.
- 41:13But I
- 41:13missed this
- 41:14morning Clay
- 41:15who usually
- 41:15stands back
- 41:15there with
- 41:16me and
- 41:16sings alongside
- 41:17me in his
- 41:18gruff CF
- 41:20caused voice
- 41:21because I
- 41:23know he
- 41:23believes the
- 41:24truth and
- 41:25it helps me
- 41:25believe the
- 41:26truth and
- 41:27it builds
- 41:28me up.
- 41:29It spurs me
- 41:30on to
- 41:31sing songs
- 41:32like that.
- 41:32Let me
- 41:33posit to you
- 41:34that if
- 41:35you're not
- 41:36a singer,
- 41:36you should
- 41:36be because
- 41:37the people
- 41:37around you
- 41:38need to
- 41:38hear you
- 41:39sing.
- 41:40It takes
- 41:40a little
- 41:40practice.
- 41:41I'm not a
- 41:41good singer
- 41:42but I
- 41:42sing.
- 41:43Sing.
- 41:44We need to
- 41:45be singing
- 41:46to one
- 41:46another.
- 41:47The volume
- 41:47level in
- 41:48here needs
- 41:48to be low
- 41:48enough that
- 41:50you can hear
- 41:50people around
- 41:51you.
- 41:52We need to
- 41:52be able to
- 41:52hear each
- 41:53other singing.
- 41:54There's a
- 41:54different way
- 41:55to lead a
- 41:55congregation
- 41:56in singing
- 41:57than to
- 41:58put on
- 41:58a concert.
- 42:00Why?
- 42:01Because Paul's
- 42:02instruction is
- 42:03that we're to
- 42:03be teaching
- 42:04and admonishing
- 42:06one another.
- 42:07that includes
- 42:09the band
- 42:10teaching and
- 42:10admonishing
- 42:11you but we
- 42:12need to be
- 42:12teaching and
- 42:13admonishing
- 42:13one another
- 42:14and addressing
- 42:15one another
- 42:16as we sing
- 42:17together.
- 42:19Not only that
- 42:20but we actually
- 42:21need to be able
- 42:21to sing it
- 42:22and there's so
- 42:22many songs
- 42:23now that are
- 42:23wonderful songs.
- 42:24There are great
- 42:25great great
- 42:26songs written
- 42:26by Christian
- 42:27people that
- 42:28will minister
- 42:28to your soul
- 42:29that you should
- 42:29definitely listen
- 42:30to by yourself
- 42:31in a car
- 42:32singing at the
- 42:32top of your
- 42:33lungs.
- 42:33Do that.
- 42:33They're so
- 42:34hard to sing.
- 42:35There's many
- 42:35songs like this
- 42:36like almost
- 42:37every Christmas
- 42:37song is that
- 42:39way.
- 42:40Difficult to
- 42:41sing but good.
- 42:42Oh so good.
- 42:43Be ministered
- 42:44to by those
- 42:45songs but when
- 42:46we come together
- 42:46to sing there's
- 42:48some songs we're
- 42:48just not going to
- 42:49do because they're
- 42:50not singable.
- 42:51Wonderful songs
- 42:52but not singable.
- 42:53Sometimes the
- 42:54band will do a
- 42:55song like during
- 42:56the offering time
- 42:56and also just say
- 42:57you don't have to
- 42:58sing this with us.
- 42:59Like it's cool
- 42:59because it's hard
- 43:00to sing.
- 43:02Does it have a
- 43:03recognizable rhythm?
- 43:05We all like those
- 43:06songs.
- 43:06Come on.
- 43:07We know exactly.
- 43:07We know what to
- 43:08expect.
- 43:08We know when it's
- 43:09coming.
- 43:10Does it have a
- 43:10recognizable rhythm?
- 43:12Is it in a range
- 43:13designed for the
- 43:14average human being?
- 43:17A lot of songs
- 43:19are the chance for
- 43:20a music leader to
- 43:21show off how high
- 43:23his voice can go.
- 43:26Can it be played
- 43:27well by our
- 43:28musicians?
- 43:29Is it stylistically
- 43:32can they get
- 43:33together on it
- 43:34and play it?
- 43:34That matters,
- 43:35right?
- 43:35That they can
- 43:36actually perform
- 43:37the song for us.
- 43:38And I'm not saying
- 43:40that style is the
- 43:41question here.
- 43:42And you've heard me
- 43:43say if you've been
- 43:44here for very long
- 43:45that if all we had
- 43:47was a little old
- 43:48lady and a piano,
- 43:49that's how we do
- 43:50music.
- 43:51We're just fortunate
- 43:52to have a bunch of
- 43:53musicians who do
- 43:55their folk rocky
- 43:55kind of thing for us.
- 43:58But the style itself
- 44:00is never the point.
- 44:01It's the content.
- 44:02It's the content
- 44:03that carries it that
- 44:04is the point of
- 44:07what we do together.
- 44:09So I want to run a
- 44:11couple songs through
- 44:11that filter for you.
- 44:12I just want to give
- 44:13you an example to be
- 44:15able to look at this.
- 44:18First, I'm going to
- 44:19look at, super brief,
- 44:21three songs from CCLI.
- 44:24CCLI is the Christian
- 44:25Copyright Licensing
- 44:26International.
- 44:27It's the way all of the
- 44:29contemporary Christian
- 44:30artists get paid for
- 44:31their music that's
- 44:32performed each and
- 44:33every Sunday.
- 44:34We keep track of it
- 44:35and they get a payment.
- 44:36I'm really glad we do
- 44:37lots of songs that are
- 44:37public domain.
- 44:40So I just looked in
- 44:41the top 20.
- 44:42So these are three of
- 44:43the most, dare I say,
- 44:47performed songs on
- 44:48Sunday mornings.
- 44:50And I want to point out
- 44:52some things to you
- 44:53about them.
- 44:54They're not all bad.
- 44:55They're not all bad.
- 44:56They're not all bad.
- 44:57But reasons why we
- 44:59would never sing these
- 45:00songs on a Sunday
- 45:00morning.
- 45:01The first one is called
- 45:02Good, Good Father by
- 45:03Chris Tomlin.
- 45:04Familiar with this song?
- 45:05Flip on radio, you'll
- 45:07hear it.
- 45:07This is number one,
- 45:08Good, Good Father by
- 45:10Chris Tomlin.
- 45:11It's not a bad song.
- 45:12It's got some good stuff
- 45:12in it.
- 45:13And I want to point out
- 45:13one little thing that
- 45:14irks me about it.
- 45:15But let me read the
- 45:16lyrics to you.
- 45:18I thought about having
- 45:19them put up on the
- 45:19screen, but I don't
- 45:20actually think you need
- 45:20them on the screen.
- 45:22This is how the song
- 45:22goes.
- 45:24I've heard a thousand
- 45:25stories of what they
- 45:26think you're like, but
- 45:28I've heard the tender
- 45:29whispers of love in the
- 45:31dead of night.
- 45:32And you tell me that
- 45:33you're pleased and that
- 45:35I'm never alone.
- 45:36You're a good, good
- 45:37father.
- 45:38It's who you are.
- 45:39It's who you are.
- 45:40It's who you are.
- 45:41And I'm loved by you.
- 45:43It's who I am.
- 45:44It's who I am.
- 45:45It's who I am.
- 45:47I've seen many
- 45:48searching for answers
- 45:49far and wide, but I
- 45:51know we're all
- 45:52searching for answers
- 45:53only you provide.
- 45:55Because you know just
- 45:56what we need before we
- 45:58say a word.
- 45:59You're a good, good
- 46:00father.
- 46:00It's who you are.
- 46:02It's who you are.
- 46:03It's who you are.
- 46:04And I'm loved by you.
- 46:06It's who I am.
- 46:07It's who I am.
- 46:08It's who I am.
- 46:10Because you are
- 46:10perfect in all your
- 46:12ways.
- 46:13Repeat that five
- 46:14times.
- 46:14Oh, it's love so
- 46:17undeniable.
- 46:18I can hardly speak.
- 46:21Here comes the thing
- 46:21I don't like.
- 46:23Peace so
- 46:23unexplainable.
- 46:25I can hardly
- 46:27think.
- 46:29As you call me
- 46:30deeper still,
- 46:31as you call me
- 46:31deeper still,
- 46:32as you call me
- 46:33deeper still,
- 46:33into love,
- 46:34love, love.
- 46:37You're a good,
- 46:37good father.
- 46:38It's who you are.
- 46:39It's who you are.
- 46:40It's who you are.
- 46:41And I'm loved by you.
- 46:43It's who I am.
- 46:44It's who I am.
- 46:45It's who I am.
- 46:46Repeat four more times.
- 46:49Okay?
- 46:49So,
- 46:50the only thing
- 46:51that I find
- 46:52I'm uncomfortable
- 46:53with is that
- 46:53I can hardly think,
- 46:54right?
- 46:54And I can get
- 46:55the thrust
- 46:57of what he was
- 46:57trying to say there
- 46:58and even be
- 46:58okay with that.
- 47:00So, right,
- 47:01there's not like,
- 47:01it's not like,
- 47:02oh, my word,
- 47:03right?
- 47:04The heresy of the song.
- 47:04It's not that.
- 47:06It's not.
- 47:07It's not.
- 47:08But if we were
- 47:09just to scale out
- 47:10some of,
- 47:11you know,
- 47:12truth,
- 47:12depth,
- 47:13singability,
- 47:14I listened to a recording
- 47:16of it this week.
- 47:17I think it's pretty singable.
- 47:18I'd give him an A
- 47:19on singability.
- 47:20I think you can hang.
- 47:21I think Tomlin
- 47:21does a pretty good job
- 47:22of writing songs
- 47:24that way,
- 47:24maybe even intentionally so.
- 47:27Truth,
- 47:27I'd give him a B.
- 47:29I think
- 47:30because of that
- 47:32one little error,
- 47:33bugs me particularly
- 47:35a bit.
- 47:36And I'm the one
- 47:37giving the grade,
- 47:37so I'm allowed to.
- 47:40For depth,
- 47:41though,
- 47:41I'm going to give it a D
- 47:43because here's the summary.
- 47:46And it's good truth,
- 47:47right?
- 47:47It's good truth
- 47:47and it's good things
- 47:48to consider.
- 47:49But again,
- 47:49I'm saying like,
- 47:49are we going to spend
- 47:50six minutes
- 47:51of our very short time
- 47:53together,
- 47:54our longer time
- 47:55this morning together
- 47:56on this?
- 47:58Is this what we're
- 47:59going to do?
- 47:59Summary of this song.
- 48:01You're a good father
- 48:02and you love me.
- 48:03Good father
- 48:06and you love me.
- 48:06Again,
- 48:06good truths,
- 48:07right?
- 48:08But why
- 48:09and how?
- 48:10To what degree?
- 48:12Important things
- 48:13for us to be
- 48:13considering.
- 48:17Next song,
- 48:17I'm not going to read
- 48:18the lyrics of these
- 48:18next two.
- 48:19The next song
- 48:20is called
- 48:21Holy Spirit
- 48:21by Brian and Katie
- 48:24Torwalt.
- 48:24These are Jesus culture
- 48:25folks,
- 48:27a couple from
- 48:27Jesus culture.
- 48:29this song,
- 48:31just of interesting
- 48:33note,
- 48:34is typically
- 48:35performed,
- 48:35I found a bunch
- 48:36of YouTube
- 48:37recordings of this
- 48:39song.
- 48:39The shortest one
- 48:40I found was
- 48:40nine minutes.
- 48:43The longest one
- 48:44I found was
- 48:4418 minutes.
- 48:48This song
- 48:49and I just,
- 48:52it doesn't say
- 48:53nearly enough
- 48:53for 18 minutes.
- 48:55There's just,
- 48:55there's just not
- 48:56that much in it.
- 48:59Now again,
- 49:00the song itself
- 49:00doesn't,
- 49:01doesn't air.
- 49:02There's nothing
- 49:02in there that I
- 49:03went,
- 49:03ooh,
- 49:03that's not good
- 49:04for God's,
- 49:05God's people
- 49:06to hear.
- 49:10Singability,
- 49:10an A.
- 49:12Depth,
- 49:12depth,
- 49:12a D.
- 49:13Again,
- 49:14it's not a lot
- 49:14of strong substance.
- 49:16It's about the
- 49:16Holy Spirit
- 49:17and God's presence
- 49:17being the world.
- 49:21But for truth,
- 49:22I give it a D
- 49:23because
- 49:23Jesus culture,
- 49:26as well as
- 49:28Hillsong United,
- 49:30the other song,
- 49:30I actually graded
- 49:31these the same.
- 49:32Hillsong United
- 49:33has a song
- 49:34out called
- 49:35Oceans.
- 49:36It's a really
- 49:37pretty song.
- 49:38It's really,
- 49:38really pretty.
- 49:39I like the song.
- 49:41But both
- 49:42Hillsong United
- 49:43and Jesus culture
- 49:44are part of a
- 49:45movement called
- 49:46the Word of Faith
- 49:47movement.
- 49:48It's the prosperity
- 49:49gospel dressed up
- 49:51in different language.
- 49:52It's very
- 49:53extra biblical
- 49:54and very dangerous.
- 49:56Both of these,
- 49:58we'll call them
- 49:59bands,
- 50:00Hillsong United
- 50:00and Jesus Culture
- 50:01support ministries
- 50:02of Word of Faith
- 50:04teachers.
- 50:06That's also called
- 50:06the New Apostolic
- 50:08Reformation.
- 50:08If you want to go
- 50:09look some of this
- 50:09stuff up,
- 50:10you'll go,
- 50:10whoa,
- 50:11they're teaching
- 50:11what?
- 50:13And this is like
- 50:14the soft entry
- 50:15to it because
- 50:16their songs are
- 50:17never astoundingly
- 50:18erroneous,
- 50:20but you get
- 50:21introduced to the
- 50:21teaching of
- 50:22the men that
- 50:23then come to
- 50:24stage afterwards
- 50:25and it's
- 50:26horrible,
- 50:27heretical,
- 50:28dangerous teaching
- 50:29that you're getting
- 50:30introduced to.
- 50:31So we'll never do
- 50:32Jesus Culture
- 50:33or Hillsong United
- 50:34song knowingly,
- 50:35I should probably
- 50:35say,
- 50:36because we don't
- 50:38want to suggest
- 50:38to you that we
- 50:39think it's okay
- 50:40that what they're
- 50:41involved with
- 50:41as a total
- 50:43is good
- 50:44because the truth
- 50:46matters,
- 50:47right?
- 50:47Because the truth
- 50:48matters.
- 50:49Let me walk
- 50:51through a song
- 50:51that we do
- 50:52sing together.
- 50:54This song gets
- 50:55A's across the
- 50:56board.
- 50:58It's a new
- 50:58song,
- 50:59right?
- 50:59So we don't
- 50:59sing all old
- 51:00songs,
- 51:00although a lot
- 51:01of them feel
- 51:01old because
- 51:02they have words,
- 51:03which is just
- 51:04not a thing we
- 51:06tend to like as
- 51:06a culture,
- 51:08it would seem.
- 51:11Come behold the
- 51:12wondrous mystery.
- 51:13I think we're
- 51:13going to sing it
- 51:14this morning,
- 51:15this afternoon,
- 51:15together,
- 51:19and I think
- 51:19we have lyrics
- 51:21on the screen.
- 51:24Come behold
- 51:24the wondrous
- 51:25mystery.
- 51:26In the
- 51:27dawning of
- 51:28the king,
- 51:29he the theme
- 51:30of heaven's
- 51:31praises,
- 51:32robed in
- 51:33frail humanity.
- 51:35In our
- 51:35longing,
- 51:36in our
- 51:37darkness,
- 51:38now the
- 51:39light of
- 51:39life has
- 51:40come.
- 51:41Look to
- 51:42Christ who
- 51:43condescended,
- 51:45took on
- 51:45flesh to
- 51:47ransom us.
- 51:48There is
- 51:48more depth
- 51:49in verse
- 51:50one of
- 51:51that song
- 51:52than all
- 51:53the three
- 51:53songs previous
- 51:54combined.
- 51:56The writers
- 51:57here speak
- 51:58of the
- 51:58incarnation
- 51:59of Christ,
- 52:00John 1,
- 52:021-5,
- 52:03the purpose
- 52:04of his
- 52:05incarnation,
- 52:05Luke 19-10,
- 52:07for the
- 52:07Son of
- 52:07Man came
- 52:08to seek
- 52:08and to
- 52:09save
- 52:10the lost.
- 52:12Verse
- 52:122,
- 52:14come behold
- 52:14the wondrous
- 52:15mystery,
- 52:16he the
- 52:16perfect
- 52:17Son of
- 52:17Man,
- 52:19in his
- 52:19living,
- 52:20in his
- 52:20suffering,
- 52:21never trace
- 52:22nor stain
- 52:23of sin.
- 52:24See the
- 52:25true and
- 52:25better Adam
- 52:26come to
- 52:27save the
- 52:27hell-bound
- 52:28man,
- 52:29Christ the
- 52:30great and
- 52:30sure fulfillment
- 52:31of the
- 52:32law,
- 52:33in him we
- 52:34stand.
- 52:35It speaks
- 52:36of the
- 52:36judgment
- 52:37of man,
- 52:38the hell-bound
- 52:38man,
- 52:39the deprivacy
- 52:40of man,
- 52:41speaks of
- 52:41the active
- 52:42and passive
- 52:43suffering of
- 52:45Jesus Christ,
- 52:462 Corinthians
- 52:475,
- 52:4821,
- 52:49for our
- 52:49sake,
- 52:50he made
- 52:50him to
- 52:50be sin
- 52:51who knew
- 52:52no sin,
- 52:53so that in
- 52:53him we
- 52:54might become
- 52:54the righteousness
- 52:56of God.
- 52:58Romans 5,
- 52:5917,
- 53:01another.
- 53:03Verse 3,
- 53:04we're only
- 53:04halfway in,
- 53:07come behold
- 53:08the wondrous
- 53:08mystery,
- 53:09Christ the
- 53:10Lord upon
- 53:11the tree,
- 53:12in the
- 53:12stead of
- 53:13ruined
- 53:14sinners,
- 53:15that's to
- 53:15say instead
- 53:15of ruined
- 53:16sinners,
- 53:17in the
- 53:17stead of
- 53:18ruined
- 53:18sinners,
- 53:20hangs the
- 53:20lamb in
- 53:21victory.
- 53:23See the
- 53:23price of
- 53:24our redemption,
- 53:24see the
- 53:25Father's
- 53:25plan unfold,
- 53:27bringing many
- 53:28sons to
- 53:29glory,
- 53:30grace
- 53:30unmeasured,
- 53:32love
- 53:32untold.
- 53:34He speaks
- 53:35of the
- 53:35sovereignty of
- 53:35God in
- 53:36the suffering
- 53:36of Christ,
- 53:38speaks of
- 53:39the
- 53:39substitutionary
- 53:40atonement
- 53:41of Christ,
- 53:421 Corinthians
- 53:4315,
- 53:443,
- 53:44Christ died
- 53:45for our
- 53:46sins in
- 53:47accordance
- 53:48with the
- 53:49scriptures.
- 53:51Verse 4,
- 53:52come behold
- 53:53the wondrous
- 53:54mystery,
- 53:55slain by
- 53:56death the
- 53:57God of
- 53:57life,
- 53:58but no
- 53:59grave could
- 54:00e'er
- 54:00restrain
- 54:01him,
- 54:01praise the
- 54:02Lord,
- 54:03he is
- 54:03alive.
- 54:04What a
- 54:05foretaste
- 54:05of deliverance,
- 54:06how
- 54:07unwavering
- 54:08our hope,
- 54:10Christ in
- 54:10power
- 54:11resurrected
- 54:12as we
- 54:13will be
- 54:14when he
- 54:14comes.
- 54:15What a
- 54:16foretaste
- 54:16of deliverance,
- 54:18how unwavering
- 54:19our hope,
- 54:21Christ in
- 54:21power
- 54:22resurrected
- 54:23as we
- 54:24will be
- 54:24when he
- 54:25comes.
- 54:26It speaks
- 54:26of the
- 54:27resurrection
- 54:27of Christ,
- 54:28our conquering
- 54:29king.
- 54:311 Corinthians
- 54:3215,
- 54:324,
- 54:33he was
- 54:33buried,
- 54:33he was
- 54:34raised on
- 54:35the third
- 54:36day in
- 54:36accordance
- 54:37with the
- 54:38scripture.
- 54:38And it
- 54:38also speaks
- 54:39of the
- 54:39glorification
- 54:40of the
- 54:40saints.
- 54:41It turns
- 54:41to us
- 54:42and what
- 54:42will one
- 54:42day become
- 54:43of us
- 54:43that we
- 54:44will have
- 54:44resurrected
- 54:45bodies,
- 54:46Colossians
- 54:473,
- 54:474,
- 54:48when Christ
- 54:49who is
- 54:49your life
- 54:50appears,
- 54:50then you
- 54:50will also
- 54:51appear with
- 54:52him in
- 54:54glory.
- 54:55And so I
- 54:55hope,
- 54:56just in
- 54:57brief,
- 54:58right,
- 54:59to give
- 54:59you a
- 55:00better
- 55:01picture.
- 55:02Sometimes I
- 55:03know we
- 55:03can sing
- 55:03songs and
- 55:04you can
- 55:04just fly
- 55:05past all
- 55:05of the
- 55:06meaning of
- 55:06a song.
- 55:07And that
- 55:07was just
- 55:08a few
- 55:08of the
- 55:09things,
- 55:09packed full
- 55:11of good,
- 55:12rich truth,
- 55:13which will
- 55:13help the
- 55:15word of
- 55:16God dwell
- 55:17in you
- 55:17richly.
- 55:18Which is
- 55:18the same
- 55:19thing as
- 55:19walking by
- 55:20the Spirit.
- 55:21And if you
- 55:21walk by
- 55:22the Spirit,
- 55:22you will
- 55:22not fulfill
- 55:23the desires
- 55:24of the
- 55:25flesh.
- 55:26You'll be
- 55:26pleasing to
- 55:26God.
- 55:27And you'll
- 55:27worship him
- 55:27with everything
- 55:29that you
- 55:30do.
- 55:31Truth,
- 55:33depth,
- 55:34singability,
- 55:35for the
- 55:36glory of
- 55:36God and
- 55:38for the
- 55:38good of
- 55:39his people.
- 55:41Let us
- 55:41be a
- 55:42people,
- 55:42a church,
- 55:43who sing
- 55:44to one
- 55:44another,
- 55:46and who
- 55:46know why
- 55:47we sing
- 55:47to one
- 55:48another,
- 55:49and who
- 55:49know what
- 55:50and how
- 55:51we should
- 55:52sing to
- 55:53one another.
- 55:54Let's pray
- 55:55together.