Take your life seriously

Pay close attention to how you are living your life (5.15-18).

“Look carefully”

The behavior of believers should be characterized by wisdom (5.15b).

One way: make the best use of your time (5.16).

Second way: work very hard to understand the Lord’s will (5.17).

Third way: be filled by the Spirit, not by alcohol (5.18).

[Sadly, a divisive passage for a divided church (5.18-21).]

Slide #1

"addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs"

Title of Psalms 75 in the Septuagint

"FOR THE END, AMONG HYMNS; A PSALM BY ASAPH, A SONG (spiritual song, ode) TO THE ASSYRIAN."

Slide #2

The 5 participles of Ephesians 5.19-21 - speaking (19), singing (19), making melody (19), being thankful (20), being submissive (21)

There is one command in these verses - "Be filled with the Spirit" (19)

These participles tell us what results from being filled with the Spirit.

 Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 639  

Slide #3

“singing (ado) and making melody (psallo)”

The first step to question instruments often begins with the word psallo.

Does it mean sing without instruments?

 Slide #4

Frederick W. Danker, Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. "ψάλλω." B-DAG

ψάλλω fut. ψαλῶ (Aeschyl.+; ins, LXX; TestAbr A 20 p. 103, 26f [Stone p. 54]; TestJob 14:2, 4; Jos., Ant. 11, 67; 12, 349; Just.; Mel., P. 80, 588; Did.) in our lit., in accordance w. OT usage, to sing songs of praise, with or without instrumental accompaniment, sing, sing praise w. dat. of the one for whom the praise is intended τῷ ὀνόματί σου ψαλῶ Ro 15:9 (Ps 17:50).

Slide #5

Odes of Solomon 26 (75-125 AD)

I poured out praise to the Lord, for I am his. And I will speak his holy Ode, for my heart is with him. For his harp is in my hands, and the odes of his rest shall not be silent. I will cry unto him from my whole heart, I will praise and exalt him with all my members. 

Slide #6

“with your heart”

The singing and the making melody are connected to “heart” by the word “and”.

The location from which your praise originates is your heart. Mean it.

Slide #7

Matthew 15:8 ““ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;”

Slide #8

Psalm 9:1 “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”

Slide #9

Psalm 57:7 “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!”

Slide #10

"Everyone would have to do it."

Psalm 33:2–3 “Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”

Slide #11

“If you use instrumental music, you are sinning and going to hell.”

Slide #12

Revelation 22:18–19 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

Slide #13

These types of arguments reject the true foundation of our salvation.

We are saved by our allegiance to Jesus.

 Slide #14

Revelation 15:2–3 “And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!” 

What does bad theology do to your soul?

The picture of God:

The Spirit exalts singing in the Old Testament, and closes the New Testament with praise of Jesus on harps, but if you do not realize BDAG is wrong, you are sinning and likely lost.

He is out to get us.

What if?

We really were supposed to greet with a holy kiss like commanded?

What if we were supposed to sing Psalms of David when we assemble?

Viewing God this way will either cause you to put up a wall and trust tradition, or live in fear of death and hell.

CONCLUSION

I am a child of the restoration movement, and cherish its biblical principle of exalting God’s word.

You know this.

When I visited Westside last year, the question was asked, “Why do you attend the Christian church?”

I said, “Because singing with instruments is not a sin. Its a blessing.”

After that you the church voted and asked me to serve as preacher.

Now you know the reason for my answer.

I was 23 years old, working with a small church.

Took a brother in his 30s to purchase a Bible.

He was anxious and nervous to buy a NKJV, and ended up not.

“Don has spoken so much against newer versions and translations.”

Don knew no Greek.

I was 26 in Texas and a young teen was asking for good music to replace filth.

“God condemns music with instruments.”

She struggled bad and listened to godlessness.

(My teaching issued from fear.)