Untitled Sermon (2)

Title: Why We Sing Differently

Text: Ephesians 5:18-21

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INTRO –

Ephesians 5:15–21 – Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…

· Of course, no where does scripture forbid alcohol or treat its consumption as sinful. But as we saw last week, throughout scripture we find warnings of its abuse, which is done by overindulgence, which scripture calls drunkenness.

· There is a stark contrast between the influence of having been filled with alcohol versus the influence of having been filled by the Holy Spirit

· Interestingly, in our day the same word is often used of both.

o Why do you think liquors are often referred to as “spirits”?

§ Down the road we have Lunds and Byerlys Wines and Spirits

§ Down a little further is Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits

o ILL: There was a historical association between consuming distilled alcohol and its effects on a person. The intoxicating and mood-altering properties of distilled liquors were thought in previous centuries to be like being possessed by a spirit. This is why in various cultures, people who were drunk were sometimes described as being "in high spirits."

· Now, where is this going? I thought this was a message on music. Just hang with me for a moment.

Verse 18 is not a warning against alcohol, and it’s not merely a command against sinful drunkenness. The bedrock principal in that verse is a Christian calling away from looking to anything to replace the mind-altering, spirit-transforming, life-changing effects of the Holy Spirit.

· Nothing can do what the Holy Spirit can do!

Arg: But don’t both getting drunk and being filled with the Spirit both bring joy and boldness to a person?

o They both give a feeling of joy and boldness, but they are very different—even opposite, and they will relate directly to singing here in a few minutes.

o In technical, scientific terms, alcohol is a depressant.

§ Alcohol brings a person joy and boldness by making them less aware of their surroundings and reality.

§ That’s why they’re so happy; they’re not thinking about the consequences, which aren’t real to them in those moments.

§ So, alcohol makes reality less real, giving an allusion of joy and boldness.

o But the Spirit is not a depressant; it’s a stimulus. The Spirit does not bring joy and boldness by making you see less aware of reality—by dulling your senses—but by opening them and illumining them, causing you to see more of what is truly reality—and a deeper reality than the momentary outlook from one’s limited vantage point!

ILL: Let’s imagine you’re in a foxhole right at the enemy lines, and you’re all by yourself. You learn there are 200 enemy troops coming right for you just two miles away. When you find out about that, how are you going to have the joy and the confidence to stand your ground when you know, of course, that if 200 enemy soldiers get to you, you’re going to die?

How are you going to face that with joy and confidence? Well, one of the ways is a bottle of port. That’ll give you confidence because it’ll make you less aware of your reality. But there’s another way to get confidence. That is, do some reconnaissance. Then you find out there are 2,000 friendly troops only one mile away from your place, and when theyget there they’ll surround you, and everything will be fine. So of course you’re filled with confidence.

That right there is the contrast between being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit.[1]

Only the Holy Spirit can give the sort of confidence, boldness, and surpassing peace and joy that will transcend the moment, the trial, the loneliness, the boredom—only the Holy Spirit’s filling can lift your spirits to see the spiritual realities that fill a heart with authentic joy, and true gladness—the heights of joy and depths of peace of which we sing!

Do you see the connection this has to singing?

· Unbelievers, lacking the Holy Spirit, in their desperations look to all kinds substances or activities as a depressant to distract them from life’s pain or seeming futility.

o For some it’s a mind-altering substance

o But the world’s music very much functions in this manner as well.

o And oftentimes it’s a combination of two or more depressents that compound together to even more effectively numb them from the true spiritual realities of this world.

· But believers on the other hand have the stimulus for joy, gladness, confidence and assurance—they have the Holy Spirit, and the more that they surrender to Him control of their lives, they will respond in the following ways:

19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

· Addressing one another by singing and making melody with your heart

· Giving thanks always and for everything

· Submitting to one another

Each of these three main responses are distinctly Christian because the Holy Spirit is the cause—the stimulant for these responses.

· Someone feeling happy in the moment can sing songs, but they won’t be these kinds of songs from their hearts to the Lord. That’s unusual—that’s, in a word, supernatural.

· In a week and a half our entire country will go through the annual exercise of giving thanks for all sorts of things, but it won’t be always and for everything, and it won’t be to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus. That’s different—that’s, in a word, supernatural—the outworking of the Holy Spirit’s causal work, when we’re under His intoxicating influence.

· In the public square or workplace, polite people can show one another a kind of deference to one another that verse 21 hints at. But it won’t be an act of submission that is out of reference for Christ’s sake. That’s nobody’s natural inclination!

It takes the Holy Spirit’s stimulating work for these three main activities to take place, and if someone is drunk on the Holy Spirit—to put it crassly—if their senses and faculties are actively provoked and energized by His supernatural grace, they will respond in these ways!

So before we move onto music, do you see what the text is doing?

· The world looks to one kind of spirit as a depressant, and that depressant can be all sorts of good things that were created by God but misused by fallen humanity, including alcohol, and even including music itself.

· But the Holy Spirit is not a depressant that controls us by dulling us, numbing us, or distracting us from reality. The Holy Spirit awakens our minds and our hearts to see the full picture and He stirs us to respond in distinctly Christian ways,

1) in our singing (v. 19),

2)in our thanksgiving (v. 20),

3) and in our personal relationships with one another (v. 21).

So let’s spend the rest of our time discussing that first one listed in v. 19.

19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Here’s a controversial question from the 1980’s and 1990’s. Should Christian music be different?

· Some said no, it should aim to mimic the styles of the popular culture.

· Others said, yes, it should sound different—even unusual by adopting the popular styles of bygone eras.

· Both sides were misguided weren’t they?

o Many of those who believe the Church’s music should mimic the popular culture centered their efforts around style and created some of the most bland Christian music imaginable. There are still many evidences of this sort of music on Christian radio stations throughout America.

o And those who believe the Church’s music should sound stunningly different by adopting styles of bygone eras spent more of their time criticizing contemporary music than writing their own songs. They were far more critical of every style than they were of the words of their beloved songs—words that were often confusing, sometimes misleading, and routinely insignificant.

· At PLBC, we haven’t adopted either argument.

o We believe music is a powerful gift from God—one that has always been around. Job 38 hints at the notion that music was around at the beginnings of creation itself.

o Any powerful tool, like music or other art forms can be misused and abused for evil purposes, which is what we see so much of in our day.

o But we don’t look for extra-biblical arguments for why one style or another should or shouldn’t be preferred.

o Instead, we look to scripture and to what scripture defines as Christ-honoring music!

19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Similarly

Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Notice these distinctives from our text

1. Our music should champion the congregational choir (addressing one another)

· Philosophy of ministry: Spectator-model versus participation-model

2. Our music should be biblically accurate and doctrinally rich (psalms, hymns, spiritual songs).

3. Our music should be God-focused, not focused on what others think (singing and making melody to the Lord in your heart)

A. To the Lord

B.In your heart – you can sing with your lips but not with your heart.

WORSHIP MUSIC AT PLBC

We believe that the ultimate purpose of the believing church is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We believe that musical worship, both individually and corporately, is an extension of a genuine, personal relationship with Jesus Christ that seeks to exalt God with an intentional focus on His worthiness and character. We desire, therefore, that our music in corporate worship be God-focused, biblically accurate, and doctrinally rich.

Worshipping Together in Song

Our purpose as a church is to glorify God with joy, reverence, and thankfulness. Therefore, our songs, both old and new, are chosen with great care to focus our hearts Godward, reflecting on the character and attributes of God, exalting the supremacy and surpassing worth of Christ, and glorying in the redeeming and transforming work of His gospel.

We value sincere, heartfelt worship over professionalism, showmanship, or artistic performance. Our worship services place a premium on congregational involvement. Join us in the chorus of voices exalting our great God!

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)

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. (Psalm 40:3)

[1] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).