Latest / Admonition Podcast / Why Do We Sing? - Jacob Kennedy - 06-29-2025
Transcript
- 0:04As we begin this morning talking about the early church and Bible class, we're going to continue that thought of the church and what we do.
- 0:17And this morning we are going to be considering the topic, the question, why do we sing?
- 0:27When we think about what we view as priorities in worship, when we think about those things that are our must-have, we think about the Lord's Supper, we think about prayer, we
- 0:39think about hearing God's Word, but how many times do we forget about singing?
- 0:46How many times does that kind of get glossed over?
- 0:50Forgotten.
- 0:51Yes, we do it, but do we really appreciate what we're doing when we're singing?
- 1:04you know, average member of the church, especially here at Collierville, they'll sing some 780 songs in one year.
- 1:17780.
- 1:19But of those 780, how many times are thoughts elsewhere?
- 1:26I know I for one am guilty of that.
- 1:30Of forgetting what the song is really saying.
- 1:33why we're singing this song in the first place.
- 1:36Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in thinking about the music of the song and forget the message altogether.
- 1:48But as we think today about this idea of why we sing, the aim is to remind us of why we sing and bring joy in our singing and a focus on what we're doing when we sing.
- 2:08Singing is an important part of our worship and it should not be taken lightly, just as any other part of our worship should not be taken lightly.
- 2:16Jesus says,
- 2:17In John chapter 4 and verse 24 that the Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
- 2:27And so just like with any other part of our worship we aim to sing in spirit and in truth.
- 2:34So as we answer the question of why we sing we first notice that we sing to praise God.
- 2:41Open with me to 2nd Samuel chapter 22.
- 2:452 Samuel chapter 22.
- 2:48Here David gives a song of praise to God for deliverance.
- 2:54Praise because God is reliable and strong in delivering him.
- 3:01He opens by noticing the many enemies that he had to face.
- 3:06And when we think about David, we think about a warrior.
- 3:10We think about one who was in many conflicts, who was constantly in battle.
- 3:15But think about his war with Saul as he was on the run from the king who wanted to kill him and as he tried his best to respect the Lord's anointed even when others told him to
- 3:29kill Saul he said I will not raise a hand against the Lord's anointed.
- 3:37We think about David and Goliath, the wars that he fought with the Philistines, the wars he fought with his sons who
- 3:45well, his son Absalom who betrayed and tried to take over the kingdom.
- 3:52When we think about David, we think about a man who is at war, a man who is fighting.
- 3:58but through it all David points his victories, he points his deliverance to God.
- 4:06And in 2 Samuel 22, let's read together verses 50 and 51.
- 4:14And notice the summary of the chapter.
- 4:16The summary of why David offers this song a praise to God.
- 4:24Verses 50 and 51.
- 4:25Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.
- 4:35He is the tower of salvation for his king, and showeth mercy to his anointed unto David and to his seed.
- 4:43forevermore.
- 4:46When we think about David, we think about a warrior, yes, but we cannot help but think about a man who is saved by God, a man who is blessed by God, who is delivered by the God
- 5:00who is so strong and so reliable.
- 5:05And you might say, okay, that makes sense for David to sing praises to God.
- 5:09It makes sense for David to do this, but I'm not in battle.
- 5:14ah God hasn't delivered me from the hands of the Philistines.
- 5:21but he has delivered you from your foes and he can.
- 5:25You see we face a foe of a different kind today in many cases.
- 5:31There are Christians out there, yes, who are facing persecution by the sword, the gun.
- 5:40But we here in America are blessed that we do not have to face such persecution.
- 5:45The troubles that we face, the enemies we face, come in the form of distractions, of having too much time for everything but God.
- 5:57Our enemies come in the form of betrayal.
- 6:02How many times do people attack each other for no reason?
- 6:07Stab each other in the back.
- 6:12Our enemies come in the form of discouragement.
- 6:17When looking at the state of the world, when looking at different things in our lives, it can be easy to become discouraged.
- 6:27But as we look at each of these different enemies that we face, and of course, ultimately, the enemy of temptation and sin, we realize that there is a God who is strong enough to
- 6:40deliver us.
- 6:42There is a God who is reliable in His deliverance.
- 6:46There is a God that we can trust that He will, and He can, help us and deliver us.
- 6:55And so that's why we sing.
- 6:58That's why we sing praises to God because like David, we serve a God who is strong and reliable.
- 7:08But we also notice in Judges Chapter 5, Verses 1 through 13, that we serve a God who is immense in power.
- 7:19Look with me at Judges chapter 5 verses 1 through 13.
- 7:22We read of the song of Deborah and Barak.
- 7:28The victory song that they sing as they have just defeated Jabin, the king of Canaan.
- 7:34Their foe has been defeated.
- 7:37And rather than forgetting God who gave them the victory, they take the time to sing a song of praise to him.
- 7:47Let's notice this passage together.
- 7:51Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Benoim on that day saying, Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel.
- 8:00When the people willingly offered themselves, Hear, ye kings, give ear, O ye princes, I even I will sing unto the Lord, I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
- 8:13Lord, when thou winnest out of seer, when thou marchest out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled.
- 8:20And the heavens dropped and the clouds also dropped water.
- 8:23The mountains melted from before the Lord.
- 8:26Even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.
- 8:31And in the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, and in the days of Jeel, the highways were unoccupied and the travelers walked through byways.
- 8:41The inhabitants of the villages ceased.
- 8:43They ceased in Israel until that I, Deborah, rose, that I rose a mother in Israel.
- 8:49They chose new gods.
- 8:50Then was there war in the gates?
- 8:53Was there a shield or spear seen among 40,000 in Israel?
- 9:00My heart is toward the governors of Israel that offer themselves willingly among the people.
- 9:05Bless ye the Lord.
- 9:10Verse 12, awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song, arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinuim.
- 9:21Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people.
- 9:26The Lord made me have dominion over the mighty.
- 9:32It was a rather lengthy passage, but the point cannot be missed.
- 9:40Did Deborah save Israel?
- 9:44Did the Bayrach save Israel?
- 9:46When Israel was surrounded by enemies, when there was no safety in Israel, when they did not have an army to defend themselves, who was it that saved them?
- 10:00Who was it that delivered them?
- 10:02It was God.
- 10:08when we face our difficulties, when we face the enemies of life, the enemies of our service of God, who is it that delivers us?
- 10:19God every time and it's because of His immense power that we praise Him.
- 10:28Matthew chapter 6 verses 31 through 33, we are reminded not to be worried about what we will eat, what we will drink, what we will put on.
- 10:41because the body is more than that.
- 10:45and because if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness all these things will be added unto you God provides for us God delivers us
- 11:05It is amazing to see who God is and the care that He shows for us even though we as humans are so weak compared to God.
- 11:15We as humans are so small when you look at the vastness of God and yet He cares for each of us individually.
- 11:25Truly God is someone to be praised.
- 11:28Truly God deserves our praise and He deserves our praise because He has given us the ultimate victory.
- 11:35Welcome to 1 Corinthians 15.
- 11:391 Corinthians chapter 15, as Paul is getting the Corinthian brethren to remember the glory that is to come and the eternity waiting for them, he reminds them that there is no fear
- 11:55of death.
- 11:58He reminds them that there is hope rather.
- 12:03Looking at verse 55, death where is thy sting, grave where is thy victory.
- 12:09The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law, but notice this, thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- 12:21It's not in our own strength that we have the victory.
- 12:24We are not facing death without fear because we are so great, but because our God is so great.
- 12:32because Christ shows us that we do not have to fear death, but he shows us that we too can, will be resurrected and we can be resurrected to a glory with him.
- 12:46Verse 58, therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
- 13:02God delivers us from the greatest threat, from the greatest enemy that we will ever face.
- 13:12And so we stand fast.
- 13:15We stand unmovable.
- 13:17And that, and sisters, is why we praise God.
- 13:22We praise Him for who He is, for what He has done to us, done for us.
- 13:31But we also praise God because Jesus sang songs of praise to God.
- 13:35In Matthew 26 and verse 30, as Jesus is preparing for His final moments on earth,
- 13:42as he is preparing to be led to the cross, as he is preparing to prostrate himself in the garden of Gethsemane, praying to God that there be any way, let this cup pass from me.
- 13:58What do we read him and the disciples doing in verse 30?
- 14:04They sang a song.
- 14:08They took the time to praise the Lord.
- 14:13Even in what many of us would consider to be the darkest moment of Jesus's life, he chooses to praise God and to do so in song.
- 14:27We as Christians are to follow the example of Christ.
- 14:34And in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 12 we are also reminded that Christ is singing with us.
- 14:41that we as Christians are singing praise to God, but not alone.
- 14:50but that the one who is our King is joining right in with us.
- 14:57Isn't that amazing?
- 15:00Isn't it amazing to think that when we are singing, we're singing with Christ?
- 15:09Truly, it is a blessing to sing praise to God.
- 15:14And you know, it's one thing that we know for sure that we will be doing in heaven.
- 15:20As we get a glimpse into heaven in Revelation chapter 14, verses 1 through 3, we find the elders, those 24 elders and the whole room as it were, lifting up their voices in song of
- 15:35praise to God Almighty.
- 15:39In other words, when we are singing praises to God, we're getting a little slice of heaven on earth.
- 15:48And I don't know about you, but that's a reason to praise God.
- 15:52That's a reason to sing.
- 15:56Number two, we sing to express joy.
- 16:00In James chapter five, verse 13, we are told that if any is merry, let him sing songs.
- 16:06Let him sing songs.
- 16:11Have you ever sung the song, we're marching to Zion as if we're never going to get there?
- 16:18So many times we sing these songs and we don't really appreciate the joy that is expressed in them.
- 16:30But yet it is a merry heart that sings to God.
- 16:35It is a merry heart.
- 16:37It is with a merry heart that we sing praise to our Lord.
- 16:43because we have reason to be merry.
- 16:49You see, the thing about singing is that it's not about the sound.
- 16:53It's not about how we sound.
- 16:55Yes, we try to do our best with singing, but it doesn't matter if you can hit a tune in the bucket or not.
- 17:01What matters is your heart and singing the truth in those songs.
- 17:08We'll notice the truth aspect of singing later, but right now let's focus on this idea of our heart, of being joyful.
- 17:19in singing.
- 17:21It's not a dreary obligation that compels us to sing, rather it's a joy knowing to whom we are singing.
- 17:31It's a joy knowing that we are praising God with our songs.
- 17:39the book of Psalms, we find many examples of singing, and we find that we are to sing because of God's love, because of God's care and deliverance for us.
- 17:52That should bring us joy.
- 17:58When connecting singing and joy in the Psalms, there are about 27 different times in which those two are connected.
- 18:10It's important for us to remember.
- 18:18our heart should be in what we're doing.
- 18:22Remember we mentioned as we began that the Father is seeking those to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
- 18:32So how is our heart?
- 18:34How are our hearts when we are singing?
- 18:38Are we joyful?
- 18:41Let's notice a few Psalms together.
- 18:44Psalm 64, 67, verse 4.
- 18:50Psalm 67 and verse 4.
- 18:57Here the psalmist writes, let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for thou shalt judge the people righteously and govern the nations upon the earth.
- 19:12Let the people praise thee, O God.
- 19:15Let all the people praise thee.
- 19:20We have joy knowing that our judge, the one who will pass judgment on us is righteous.
- 19:30He will not look at one who is a Christian who is faithful to him and say, I don't like your face, so you're gone.
- 19:38He is righteous in his judgment.
- 19:42He is righteous and how He treats us.
- 19:48but also notice the mercy that he gives us.
- 19:52Because truthfully, all of us deserve a devil's hell.
- 19:55All of us deserve eternal torment, but Christ came that we might have life.
- 20:04God shows mercy to us and allowing us a way to escape, a way out of the depths of hell.
- 20:16Notice Psalm 95 and verse 1.
- 20:22Psalm 95, verse 1.
- 20:30O come, let us sing unto the Lord.
- 20:33Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
- 20:39Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
- 20:46For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.
- 20:53Truly we have reason to rejoice.
- 20:56Truly we have reason to find joy and to sing songs of joy and praise to God because He is our salvation.
- 21:07He delivers us.
- 21:13If there were ever a reason to rejoice, we have one in Christ.
- 21:21As Christians, we have a reason to rejoice because we know where we're going.
- 21:27We have hope of that home over there.
- 21:30And as we sometimes sing, oh, think of the home over there.
- 21:36that beautiful place that is waiting for us, we have joy.
- 21:42And we can't have joy, and we should have that joy in singing.
- 21:49But we also sing for joy because God has redeemed us.
- 21:53Isaiah 44.
- 21:54Let's notice this together.
- 21:57Isaiah chapter 44, starting in verse 22.
- 22:06Isaiah 4422.
- 22:12Isaiah is prophesying to a wicked nation, to the nation of Israel in their sin sickness, their lost state.
- 22:21And yet notice the hope that he prophesies for them.
- 22:25Starting in verse 22, I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee.
- 22:39Notice the response to God's promise of redemption.
- 22:43Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it.
- 22:48Shout, ye lower parts of the earth, break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein, for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and glorified himself in Israel.
- 23:05we like Israel do not deserve redemption, but yet Christ offers it to us.
- 23:12We do not deserve redemption from our sins, but yet we can be saved.
- 23:19Galatians 3 22 tells us that we were all under sin We in other words we were all in bondage to sin But through Christ Through Christ we can have freedom We can be bought back
- 23:38in 1st Peter chapter 3 and chapter 1 rather and verse 18 We are not redeemed with corruptible things of silver and gold
- 23:48There is no amount of gold or precious stones that could buy us back.
- 23:56But rather we are bought.
- 23:58We are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.
- 24:03It is only through Christ that we have redemption and it is because of that redemption that we have reason to rejoice and we have reason to sing.
- 24:14But we also sing songs and this is in connection to what we just discussed.
- 24:19We sing songs of joy because Christ has come.
- 24:24We think about the scene in Matthew 21 verse 9 as Jesus is entering into Jerusalem and the people are shouting, Zanna, they're praising God because the Messiah has come.
- 24:38Of course, we know that those very same people would be calling for his blood later.
- 24:44But we see the response, and truthfully the right response, to the facts that Christ has come.
- 24:53The joy that we have in that Christ has come.
- 24:57The Messiah has come.
- 25:00The Redeemer has come.
- 25:04We are not looking to some future time when He would come.
- 25:11to buy us back, but rather we look forward to the time when he calls us to be with him for all of eternity.
- 25:20And that last Trump sounds.
- 25:24Truthfully, there is joy to be found in Christ.
- 25:29There's joy in that He has come.
- 25:34And because of that joy, we sing.
- 25:38Because of that joy, we express joy in song.
- 25:47And finally, we express joy, we praise God, yes, in song, but we also sing to teach others.
- 26:00Of the three, this is probably the most forgotten.
- 26:04Many times people look at songs and say, does this sound good?
- 26:09Well, I'm concerned about how it makes me feel, but have we considered what it's teaching?
- 26:16Have we considered the message that we are teaching to each other in songs?
- 26:25Ephesians 5, 19 and 20.
- 26:27Ephesians 5, 19 and 20.
- 26:32When thinking about singing, that being a part of our worship, we often will go to this passage.
- 26:42But let's truly consider what is being said here.
- 26:46Speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord.
- 26:53Notice verse 20.
- 26:55Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- 27:04As we sing, we are teaching each other to give thanks.
- 27:10We are teaching each other
- 27:11to have a mindset of thankfulness to God for who He is, for what He has done.
- 27:20You know, it's easy to get caught up in this mindset of, let me tell you what terrible thing happened to me this week.
- 27:29But it's rather hard to be downcast.
- 27:34It's rather hard to be ungrateful when singing a song such as Thank You Lord.
- 27:41When singing a song such as Count Your Many Blessings.
- 27:46When we are singing, we are teaching each other to be thankful to God.
- 27:53and teaching each other not to have a mindset that is only focused on the negative, but is focused on the joy, on the reasons we have to be thankful.
- 28:06We also look at Colossians chapter 3.
- 28:10Colossians chapter 3 verses 16 and 17.
- 28:21Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
- 28:34Lord.
- 28:34And whatsoever ye do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
- 28:47When we are singing, are teaching each other to have grace in our hearts, teaching each other.
- 28:56to look to God.
- 28:59to do all by His authority.
- 29:06far too often we let bitterness into our hearts.
- 29:11Far too often we become skewed in our view of others.
- 29:21but it's kind of hard to speak ill of a brother when you're singing a song such as Angry Words.
- 29:29It's hard to have a mindset of bitterness in your heart.
- 29:35when you're singing about wringing out the message.
- 29:39and about sharing the gospel to others.
- 29:42Because ultimately, no matter how on your nerves someone is, someone gets, they're still a soul for whom Christ died.
- 29:51They are still a soul that needs saving.
- 29:55And that's something we have to remind ourselves of.
- 29:59That Christ, that God loves every one of us.
- 30:08But you know, we also think about the fact that things need to be done in accordance with God's Word.
- 30:15By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have no right to rewrite the Scriptures.
- 30:26The Word of God is our standard.
- 30:29This is our law book.
- 30:32But it's amazing that God worded it in the form of a love letter.
- 30:38In the form of a letter expressing His love and His care for us.
- 30:44And what a joy that is.
- 30:49But we teach.
- 30:52and we teach each other through Psalm.
- 30:55Consider with me the example of Paul and Silas in Acts chapter 16.
- 31:02As we consider their example, we consider the fact that they are in Philippi at this time.
- 31:08They have been teaching the word of God, proclaiming it faithfully.
- 31:12They have been casting out demons.
- 31:16But the people didn't like that.
- 31:18Specifically, those who were the masters of this girl who was demon possessed, and they were getting money from that possession, from the things that she was able to do.
- 31:29And so when the demon was cast out,
- 31:33They lost their revenue.
- 31:36And so they convinced the rulers of the city to throw Paul and Silas in prison, but not before they beat them.
- 31:45Keep in mind, none of this was done in accordance with the law.
- 31:49This is all done unjustly.
- 31:51And so as Paul and Silas are in these shackles, as they are in the stocks in the innermost part of the prison, they have been beaten unjustly, thrown in prison unjustly.
- 32:05They could have looked around and said, you know what, this whole Christianity thing just ain't worth it.
- 32:12They could have looked around and said, God, why did you put us in this position?
- 32:16We are preaching your gospel.
- 32:18We were doing your work.
- 32:24But look with me at verse 25.
- 32:28And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God.
- 32:39And the prisoners heard them.
- 32:42What an example that is.
- 32:45What an example they set of how to handle the difficulties of life.
- 32:54They sang.
- 32:55And you want to know why they sing praises to God.
- 32:57You want to know why they could still honor the one,
- 33:04Who is above all?
- 33:06The reason why is because their joy could not be taken.
- 33:10Because their joy was in God.
- 33:13Their joy was in Christ.
- 33:14Their joy was in the salvation that they had through Christ.
- 33:21So they praised God.
- 33:24And we think about what happens as we continue reading in Acts chapter 16.
- 33:29The Philippian jailer, he and his house are both converted through the teaching of Paul and Silas, but when we consider the earthquake that happens and the detrimental spot that
- 33:46the jailer found himself in,
- 33:50we, at least if you're anything like me, you wonder why was it Paul and Silas that the jailer asked?
- 33:59When he asks, must I do to be saved, why does he ask Paul and Silas?
- 34:04Is it just because they were the first to speak up?
- 34:08Possibly.
- 34:10But notice at the end of verse 25, the prisoners heard the singing and praying of Paul and Silas, and it's quite possible
- 34:19But the jailer heard it as well.
- 34:23We never know the impact that even something so small as singing a song can make.
- 34:31We never know the influence that we exert, that we exhibit rather.
- 34:38when we take the time to pray to our Lord and to sing to Him even when things are difficult, even when times are tough.
- 34:53When we think about singing.
- 34:56Sometimes it is forgotten, but we need to be reminded why we sing.
- 35:04We do not sing to please ourselves, to think about how good we sound or how bad we sound.
- 35:13We do not think about ourselves in singing, rather we are thinking about praising God.
- 35:19When we sing, we are not doing it out of just obligation and a sense of, I have to.
- 35:26No, we're singing because we have joy in Christ.
- 35:30We sing in joy.
- 35:33That's the emotion behind it.
- 35:36And we do not sing just to fill up a time in worship, but rather we sing to teach each other about the gospel, about the message that God has left for us.
- 35:51Singing is a gift of God.
- 35:54It is a blessing to be able to sing every Sunday and Wednesday.
- 36:00It's a blessing to have a singing service as we're going to have this afternoon.
- 36:04But you know the true blessing is in knowing that we are saved.
- 36:09And so if you are here today and you realize you're not saved, you realize that you have not obeyed the gospel, we stand willing to
- 36:20and ready to aid you in fixing that.
- 36:23All one must do is hear the word, Romans 10 and 17, believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, John 8, 24.
- 36:30Confess His name, Romans 10, verses 9 and 10.
- 36:34Repent, Acts 17, 30.
- 36:37Putting away that old life of sin and then being baptized into Christ, burying that old man of sin and being raised again a new creature, a Christian.
- 36:49One who can sing with joy and praise to God.
- 36:53Acts 22, 16.
- 36:57But maybe it's the case that you are a Christian.
- 37:02You have done those things to become a Christian, but you find yourself lacking in your service of God.
- 37:10You find that you have been more focused on this world.
- 37:14You've let sin creep back in.
- 37:20It's not too late.
- 37:23As long as there is breath in our lungs, it is not too late to make your life right with God.
- 37:30If we can help aid you in any way, please come now as we stand and as we sing.