Untitled Sermon (4)

Before we start, without looking at your notes, if someone asks you why you sing in private and why you sing in church, what will you say?

Be prepared to teach the truth! (and I’ve instructed Sarah to no longer bring snacks if for you if you can’t answer this question… haha jk)

Now we are moving on to the topic of How we should sing by what we should sing, I wanted to leave that for last as it’s often the most contensious item. But give instruction on it from the Word and then let you peek behind the curtain of what we do here and why we chose the songs we chose.

So let’s first consider what God says about how we should sing and I wanna first turn that question to you. We sing every week but do any of you know how God instructs us to sing?

We’ve used this verse for weeks but today I want to make it the home base of our conversation and thought. Read with me.

Ephesians 5:18–19 ESV

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Before we consider these, there are some really important ground rules we need to understand first.

Worship/Singing is acceptable because of Christ.

Worship/Singing is possible because of the Holy Spirit.

Worship/Singing is directed by God

I don’t merely mean here that God is commanding us to worship but that He even directs us on how to worship. Wouldn’t you agree that the creator of song and it’s purpose is also the one that determines what we should sing and how we should sing. And does He have something to say about this. Absolutely....

Men from the very start have struggled to worship God in the right way. We have wanted to worship God in the way we want. Think to the very beginning of Cain and Able. Some of the very first human beings. One worshipped God the way God wanted to be worshipped and the other worshipped God the way they wanted.

It is for this reason that God had included in the giving of the commandments, how He wanted to be worshipped. The phrase “You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way" is found in many places as it is in Deut. 12:31.

Deuteronomy 12:31 ESV

You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.

As time progressed, men in Israel had gotten better at performing the external acts of what they thought were worship, but this still was not worship. Jesus would elaborate on this in much detail in the Gospels.

So what is this real worship that Jesus would describe. Or to answer that differently, how is worship and singing to be done.

I. God Commands We Sing/Worship with our Whole Heart

Regardless of the beauty of God’s perfecting us and our offering of song, it is still imperative that we do not disregard God’s commands about the way we sing. We are to give him glorious praise or as some versions state, make his praise glorious by obeying what instructions He has given us about singing.

John Piper has some great thoughts on this.

Men from the very start have struggled to worship God in the right way. We have wanted to worship God in the way we want. Think to the very beginning of Cain and Able. Some of the very first human beings. One worshipped God the way God wanted to be worshipped and the other worshipped God the way they wanted.

It is for this reason that God had included in the giving of the commandments, how He wanted to be worshipped. The phrase “You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way" is found in many places as it is in Deut. 12:31.

As time progressed, men in Israel had gotten better at performing the external acts of what they thought were worship, but this still was not worship. Jesus would elaborate on this in much detail in the Gospels. So what is this real worship that Jesus would describe.

Let’s start with the inner essence of worship and then work out to the more public expressions of worship services or daily acts of love, which Paul calls our “spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

“True worship is a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things.”

The reason I make the distinction between the inner essence of worship and the external expression of it is because I think Jesus did in Matthew 15:8–9:

Matthew 15:8–9 ESV

“ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

If the heart is far from Jesus, what does Jesus call this type of worship. Vain worship. Unsuccessful worship. Worthless worship. False Worship. Think of the Pharisees. Were they worshipping? The answer is yes. But not God, they were worshipping themselves. Worshipping their desires, worshipping their hearts and what pleased them. That is really revealing when it comes to worship. Worship is a matter of first a matter of the heart. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Yet we cant forget that you can produce what looks pleasing in others eyes but that does not come from a pure heart but a heart of idolatry and self righteousness.

Who's glory are they most evidently trying to boast in? That's the question when examining the fruit of someone's life.

So, you can do as many deeds as you want and go to as many church services as you want and never be worshiping if it is all external and nothing is happening in your heart toward God. All true worship is in essence a matter of the heart. It is more, but it is not less.

Let’s further this thought and consider what Ephesians 5:18-19 tell us about how we should sing.

Ephesians 5:18–19 ESV

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

What are some of the instructions given about singing here.

We sing when we are filled with the Spirit. (It’s an activity induced by the Holy Spirit or driven by the Holy Spirit) and that makes alot of sense as we have already considered what the Psalms shared with us about the origin of the songs we sing.

Psalm 40:3 ESV

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

God the Holy Spirit puts that song in our lives. That’s why we can say that a christian person is a singing person. Singing should be synonymous with being a Christian.

Further note on that this verse in Ephesians is it’s contrasting of be filled and being drunk. Why is drunkeness used as the comparison and contrasting thought to being filled with the Spirit.

-Control principle- it master you- making you feel and act in certain ways.

But here’s an important question, how are we filled with the Holy Spirit? The answer to that works in the same was as is goes with drunkeness. How does one get drunk with wine? The answer by drinking lots of it and the same works with the Holy Spirit.

What is the primary way we drink of the Spirit? 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 and Romans 8:4-8.

Revelation requires response and that response is song through the Holy Spirit.

What other ways does this instruct us as to how we are to sing.

We are to sing to each other.

John Piper makes a fantastic statement about this verse.

“Here is one of the clearest mandates for corporate worship in the New Testament. You can’t obey this in solitude. God calls us to speak in song to one another.”

We have already briefly talked about how that should impact the way we sing in church, it also reinforces the fact that we ought to face each other when we sing. When we circle up to sing family of God, I look around and as I sing that sang I look at each of my fellow family members and try to make eye contact as I am hoping both to thank God for my family but also to show appreciation and thankfulness to them for being my family member. I look at them, sometimes nod, and smile as I sing and sing those words to them. “I’m grateful for you.” I want them to know that and I encourage you to do the same. If we are to sing to each other, during those songs, don’t look at the ground or the sky. That may be appropriate at times, but sing those words to each other. Encourage another that you truly are happy they are apart of the family. That is biblical and its commanded.

We’ve had other opportunities in the past to circle up and sing towards each other. We are singing these truths to one another. There are certain songs that I can’t help but look at Micah or Pastor or certain people that I know need to hear these words and I sing towards them and in agreement with them. When Pastor and I link eyes during the song, it’s a very connected moment and very united moment. It ministers to me as I open and share these truths with another person in agreement. It draws us even closer together. It might seem odd to us but it’s how we are to be biblical.

How else might we sing to one another?

I believe it was last week or 2 that Nancy mentioned how much of a blessing it was to have special music. I’ve also enjoyed special music but have wondered if that was for the right reason or not and if also it was a biblical concept. As we consider that activity in our church, consider how special music might fit into these verses from 1 Corinthians 14:15-16

1 Corinthians 14:15–16 NASB95

What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

Now this is instruction concerning the spiritual gifts and not having things be done without order. It particularly deals with speaking in tongues but Paul uses the instruction of singing being a part of that. That singing should be done where others can here and say their Amen’s there agreement of these truths.

Special music articulates truth just as a sermon does, and I believe we have evidence of this singing to people where they listen only and respond with Amen is a Biblical activity. So we will not be getting rid of the special music but I will put in a request that you encourage people to participate and that you yourself should consider participating in it. Find creative ways.

Returning to our question on how Ephesians 5 instructs us to sing, here are the 2 big ones. Sing… with your heart.

What is the opposite of singing with your heart? Wouldn’t that be singing with your mouth only.

In other words, , the essence of Christian worship is not mere liturgical actions - or any other kind - but an inner, authentic valuing of God in the heart.

True worship of God comes from a heart that desires Him alone. This was precisely where the Samaritan people erred; they sought to worship both God and idols (2 Kings 17:28-41), and this is reaffirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ when He discourses on the subject of true worship with the Samaritan woman who came to fetch water from the well. “You Samaritans worship what you do not know” (John 4:22). These people worshiped God “half-heartedly” because their total affection was not set on God. It is possible for even true believers to fall into this second error. We might not assent to having physical idols, like the Samaritans did, but what absorbs our will, our time, our resources most of all? Is it careers, material possessions, money, health, even our families? Let us cry out, like King David in Psalm 63:5, “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips, my mouth will praise you.” Nothing less than God should satisfy the heart of the regenerate man, and his response to that divine satisfaction, comparable to the best food ever, is the fruit of lips that sing God’s praise (Hebrews 13:15).- gotquestions.org

Futher it instructs us that our worship from the heart is focused on God.

John Piper further gives great instruction for us.

"To the Lord," means that worship is to be God-centered, of Christ-centered(the "Lord" is Jesus, but notice in verse 20 that thanks are continually offered to God the Father in the name of the "Lord" Jesus). But not just God-centered in that everything in worship relates to God, but also God-centered in that everything in worship is done toward God - in the presence of God, with a view to God's hearing it and seeing it, with a desire that God receive it into his hearing with approval and delight.

When you sing, whether you are singing directly to the Lord("You, O Lord, are a shield about me ....”, Great is Thy Faithfulness...”, “I Love You Lord”) or whether you are singing indirectly to the Lord("A mighty fortress is our God . . ." “In Christ Alone...”), sing with a focus on the present hearing of Jesus and the Father.

II. God Commands We Sing/Worship with our Whole Being

Psalm 16:9 ESV

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.

Let’s look at Acts 20:36 for a second and see how worship here was conducted in prayer.

Acts 20:36 ESV

And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

John Calvin commented about this verse saying something I believe to be most helpful.

"The inward attitude certainly holds first place in prayer, but outward signs… kneeling, uncovering the head, lifting up the hands, have a two-fold use. The first is that we may employ all our members for the glory and worship of God. Secondly, we are so to speak jolted out of our laziness. There is also a third use in public prayer because in this way the sons of God profess their piety and enflame each other with reverence of God. Just as lifting up of the hands is a symbol of confidence and longing, so in order to show our humility, we fall down on our knees.”

Bob Kauflin says this often “we are not disembodied beings”. To worship without the use of our bodies would be awfully close to what the gnostics taught, that only the spiritual matters. The physical means nothing and doesn’t matter at all. God doesn’t care what my external looks like or my body looks like only what my heart looks like. Of course we would say that’s not true. Obviously God cares what our bodies look like and what our bodies do.

1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV

for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

We know this verse applies to what you allow your body to do and even in the context it is talking about purity in our sexual life. But does the application go beyond physical purity? Yes, absolutely. Does God want our bodies to glorify Him in everything we do. Absolutely! Including in the way we worship? Yes. So does God want our bodies to merely just be stoic during worship because only our heart matters. No. Our bodies are also meant to worship as well and at some points stoic being still reverence is right and fitting but other times it is not.

Worship in Hebrew literally carries with it the idea of physical movement. (See Physical expressiveness podcast of sound plus doctrine).

Worship involves

bowing down/falling on your face (Gen. 24:48, Joshua 5:14)

sacrifice (1 Sam. 1:3)

following, obeying, serving (1 Kings 9:6) g