#5 Biblical Music Philosophy | Galatians 5:16-17

#5 Biblical Music Philosophy | Galatians 5:16-17

I. Music is a universal language.

1. It’s amazing how the music I’ve heard playing in stores and from homes sounds so similar to American music.

2. Because of the internet, people in Africa can listen to the same songs people in America are listening to.

3. Music has never been so accessible than it is now. You can stream any song you want with the tap of a button.

4. I read a couple of years ago that the average American listens to almost 35 hours of music every week.

5. I’m sure it’s similar here. Music is big business.

II. MUSIC INFLUENCES US.

A. Have you ever had a song get in your head and you can’t get it out?

1. When I’m somewhere where music is being played, I walk to the beat without realizing it.

2. Music influences us.

B. Unfortunately, many Christians believe that music is amoral.

1. “A” means “without” and “moral” means right or wrong.

2. Many Christians believe that the actual music itself (minus the lyrics) is neither right or wrong.

3. The philosopher Aristotle said,

“Music directly represents the passions or states of the soul –

gentleness, anger, courage, temperance…

if one listens to the wrong kind of music he will become the wrong kind of person…

if he listens to the right kind of music he will tend to become the right kind of person.”

4. Aristotle was saying that music creates emotion, and if you feed certain emotions through music, you will eventually act them out.

5. It is universally accepted that, “Music is the language of human emotion.”

6. Even the lost recognize the power of music over the soul and body of men!

7. It seems like the only people saying that music doesn’t convey meaning are Christians trying to justify the music they like.

8. Mike Coyle is a famous French horn player and Christian. He said this:

Not all emotions are good ones….

Hate, when directed at sin, is good and acceptable.

But when directed at a brother in Christ, it is sin…

An emotion like lust is never right. It is an adulteration of God-given emotion.

Since music is an emotional language,

and since some emotions are wrong for the child of God,

then some music is wrong for the Christian.

III. Music Sends a Message

A. If you’ve ever been to a nice restaurant, they don’t play loud energetic music.

1. That would be more appropriate for a football game.

2. But they don’t play soft elegant music at a sporting event. That would be played at a restaurant.

3. The style of the music conveys emotion and meaning.

4. It excites us, calms us, puts us at ease, makes us tense, makes us reflective, puts us on edge.

5. No matter what people say, the style of the music affects our emotions. Therefore, it is not amoral.

B. A good example of the effect of music on man is found in 1 Samuel 16:23

“And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”

1. By skillfully playing his harp, David calmed Saul physically and spiritually.

2. The evil spirit departed because of the music. That tells us two things:

a. There is a kind of music around which Satan and his demons feel uncomfortable.

b. Which means there is a kind of music around which Satan and his demons feel comfortable.

3. There were no lyrics involved in David’s playing, yet it drove out demonic influences.

4. Which means that the music itself is not amoral.

5. Don’t assume the style of music doesn’t matter.

C. The problem is we can think because the Bible doesn’t give us a lot of specific guidelines about music that God doesn’t care that much about it

IV. My former Pastor, Wayne Hardy, calls music The Great Exemption

A. Any good Pastor or church leaders looks to the Bible to determine their ministry philosophy.

1. But when it comes to music philosophy, many Fundamental Baptists try to build a philosophy only on the verses that say something about music.

2. They might look for the words “music,” “singing,” “instrument,” “psalms,” “hymns” or “praise” and decide their philosophy based on those.

3. But the mistake is to assume that only the verses that mention music can be applied to music.

4. If you follow that logic, taking drugs would be an acceptable Christian behavior because no verse explicitly says you shouldn’t.

B. In reality, there are many principles found in the Bible that don’t mention a specific application, and therefore apply to every area of life – including music.

1. We apply basic Bible principles to many areas of life in our preaching all the time.

2. But for some reason we make music the Great Exemption. We don’t apply basic principles to our music philosophy.

3. If you want to have a Biblical music philosophy, apply Bible truths to music like you would any other area.

V. I’d like to walk through this using two Bible principles.

A. Galatians 5:16, 17 – This verse teaches us that the Spirit and flesh are opposites.

1. You could say it this way, “When flesh and Spirit are present, it creates Spiritual paralysis in our lives.”

a. What the flesh wants goes against what the Spirit wants and what the spirit desires is against the flesh.

b. What your body and your sin nature desires is opposite of what the Spirit desires.

c. They resist each other to the point that they cancel each other out.

d. This means that if you feed your flesh you can’t be spiritual.

d. What does this have to do with music?

2. In the States, they called Popular Music “Pop Music”

a. Pop Music was originally invented to appeal to the public and make money.

b. If that’s the goal, what do you think they’re the targeting - the flesh or the Spirit?

c. If pop music exists to appeal to the masses, it was created for entertainment purposes. It was created to feed the flesh. No one argues that.

3. Galatians 5:16-17 clarifies this even more.

a. If my flesh wars against my spirit to the point that it creates spiritual paralysis, that means that music with a style literally created to appeal to the flesh is not profitable for me as a Christian.

b. Any music that was produced to appeal to the flesh is unprofitable for a Christian.

c. You cannot be as spiritual as you ought to be if you have a steady intake of music that feeds your flesh.

4. This same principle should help us rule out much of today’s mainstream “Christian” music as spiritually unprofitable.

a. Much of modern Christian Music boasts about the fact that it uses the world’s style of music while making use of spiritual lyrics (some are good, but plenty is shallow).

b. They advertise and say, “If you like that kind of secular music, we sound just like that, but with Christian lyrics. Buy this music.”

5. But when you read Gal 5:17, combining elements of the spirit and flesh doesn’t create something helpful. It causes spiritual paralysis.

a. If Pop music was literally produced to feed the flesh, no wonder Christians struggle.

b. Because, every day, they’re spending hours listening to music targeting the flesh.

c. It’s not surprising if you enjoy that kind of music. It was created to be appealing.

d. But in what other area of our Christian life do we determine what is allowed based on what our flesh likes?

6. We can’t be spiritual if we make a habit of feeding our flesh.

a. Does Galatians 5:16-17 say anything about music? No.

b. But it doesn’t really have an application, so that means it can apply to anything. Including music.

7. So find the truth:

Galatians 5:16-17 says I can’t feed my flesh and be spiritual at the same time.

8. Then apply it to your music:

I choose to only listen to music that does not utilize fleshly music styles.

9. Suddenly you’re starting to develop a Biblical Music Philosophy.

B. One more principle: I Peter 1:14, 15 - These verses give us guidance regarding Holiness.

1. Peter says to “be holy in all manner of conversation.”

2. Conversation means behavior or lifestyle.

3. So every area of our lives is to be set apart from the world to God.

4. Few would say this verse is about music, but why can’t it be?

a. SO, study holiness before you study music and you can apply the things you learn about being holy to your music philosophy.

b. As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy

c. Holy means “other than.” That means whatever the world is, Christ is not. And we are to be as holy as He is, not walking as close to the line as possible.

d. In all manner of conversation

*Every area of our lives needs to other than. It needs to be distinct – including our music.

D. I appreciate your attention this afternoon. Let’s pray music itself distinct from what the world’s music sounds like?

*If it’s not, it’s not holy.

3. Plenty of modern Christian music says, “But it’s the lyrics that count! The music isn’t what appeals to me.”

a. I don’t believe that’s true at all.

b. Why? Because if you took the same lyrics and put them to the music of an old church hymn, would they still listen?

4. The lyrics need to be holy, but the music does as well. If you’re going to be holy in all manner of conversation, the sound of your music needs to be distinct.

a. Listening to churches around here on Sunday.

b. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but the music coming out of those buildings sounded like music being played on the radio.

c. There ought to be distinction with the way our music sounds.

d. More specifically, there ought to be holiness reflected in our music.

5. So find the truth: I Peter 1:14, 15 says every part of my life ought to reflect God’s holiness.

6. What’s the application to my music: I will subject every song I listen to or use in church to the standard of God’s holiness, Not not my preferences or cultural trends.

VI. There are many Bible principles with no specific application mentioned, so why not apply them to music?

1. Refrain from former lusts – I Peter 1:14

If lust is a strong desire, could you call music a lust?

Well, we aren’t supposed to pattern our lives after things we used to strongly desire.

That seems to me like a saved person’s music should be different than someone who is unsaved.

2. Abstain from all appearances of evil – I Thess. 5:22

3. Be separated from the world – II Corinthians 6:17

4. All things are become new – II Corinthians 5:17

5. Only dwell on appropriate thoughts – Philippians 4:8

6. The principle of association – I Corinthians 10:19-21

7. You can’t serve two masters – Matt. 6:24

8. You can’t love God and the world – I John 2:15

9. My goal today is that you see how the process works and walk through some of these principles on your own.

a. You have a Bible and you have a brain. It’s time to make good use of both resources.

b. Don’t exempt music from the foundational principles we apply to other things just because it doesn’t say music.

VII. Closing Illustration

A. I haven’t drawn clear lines today. I have instead challenged you to search the Bible, state the principle, and apply it to your music.

1. Part of spiritual maturity is recognizing that not everything is a matter of right or wrong.

2. It’s often a matter of good vs. best.

3. It reveals spiritual maturity when we make decisions not because the Bible says it in black and white but because a principle has gotten ahold of our heart and we desire what’s best.

B. Take your Bible, find principles, apply them to your music and then decide,

“How spiritual do I want to be?

“How useful to God do I want to be?”

“How mature do I want to be?”

“How much of Christ do I want to reflect?”

C. Those kind of questions often provide answers in areas we assume the Bible is silent.

1. Because you’re no longer subjecting things like music to what you prefer. It becomes about something bigger.

2. It becomes about what is best for your spiritual life

D. I appreciate your attention this afternoon. Let’s pray.