Singing

We will venture away from the nt today to the book of Psalms, as we do we are reminded as Paul sat in jail in chains he was always singing hymns and praises. So that brings me to this mornings sermon of singing and why we sing and take it so seriously. For someone it could be the only phase of worship they have. They might not have a bible, they might not have a church or the legal means to worship, but they have the chance to listen to music and can listen to songs or have heard Amazing Grace or I Can Only Imagine.

The book of Psalms is a unique part of our Bible. It’s not a book of laws like Leviticus, or a book of history like Kings, or a book of prophecy like Isaiah. It is, at its heart, a book of songs. The Hebrew title, "Tehillim," means "praises." The Greek title, "Psalmoi," from which we get our word "Psalms," means "songs accompanied by stringed instruments." This collection of 150 prayers and poems is a hymnbook for God’s people. It is a testament to the power and importance of singing in our relationship with God. And that’s what I want to talk about today: the importance of singing and hymns in our Christian life.

The thing you hear more than anthyhing is I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.I want to challenge you today to see that singing isn't just for the musically gifted. It’s a command for all of God’s people. It’s a spiritual discipline. It’s a powerful tool for worship, for teaching, and for spiritual warfare. Let’s look at just a few of the Psalms that speak to this. Turn with me to Psalm 95.

Psalm 95 ESV

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. 10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” 11 Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”

The very first verse begins, "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!" What a wonderful invitation! It doesn’t say, "Oh come, let us sing perfectly to the Lord." It says, "Let us sing… let us make a joyful noise." The emphasis is not on the quality of our voice, but on the joy of our hearts. The psalmist is calling us to an enthusiastic, unrestrained expression of worship. We are to sing to the "rock of our salvation." This is a foundational truth: we sing because of who God is and what He has done. We sing because He is our Savior, our solid ground in a shaky world.

And the psalmist continues this theme in Psalm 96: "

Psalm 96 ESV

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day." This psalm expands the invitation. It’s not just for the people of Israel; it’s for "all the earth." Singing is a universal language of worship. And notice the purpose of this singing: to "tell of his salvation from day to day." Our singing is a form of evangelism! When we sing songs that tell the story of God’s grace, we are not only ministering to ourselves, but we are also proclaiming the good news to those around us. But our singing isn't just for happy times. The Psalms teach us that singing is for every season of life.

Think of Psalm 42

Psalm 42 ESV

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah. 1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. 8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

where the psalmist is in a deep state of despair, crying out, "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God." And yet, even in his sorrow, what does he say? He says, "I will say to God, my rock: 'Why have you forgotten me?'" But later in the psalm, he says, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." In the midst of his pain, he remembers to hope in God and to praise Him. Singing can be a lifeline in our darkest moments. When words fail us, when we don’t know what to pray, a hymn can express the cry of our hearts and remind us of the truths we know to be certain, even when we don’t feel them. So, singing is a joyful noise. It is a form of evangelism. It is a source of hope in sorrow. But it is also a powerful tool for teaching and for solidifying our faith.

Psalm 78. is a very long psalm, and it is a historical one. The first verse says, "Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done." This psalm is a song that tells the story of God’s faithfulness to Israel, and Israel’s unfaithfulness. It was a tool for teaching the next generation. It was a way to pass on the stories and the theology of their faith. Our hymns do the same thing for us. When we sing hymns like "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," we are singing theology. We are declaring truths about God’s character, His power, and His promises. When we sing hymns like "Amazing Grace," we are rehearsing the story of our salvation. When we sing "How Great Thou Art," we are reflecting on the majesty of creation and the wonder of the cross. Hymns are a powerful way to embed the truths of the Christian faith deep into our hearts and minds, in a way that mere reading might not.

And finally, let’s consider Psalm 150.

Psalm 150 ESV

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

This psalm is a grand finale, a crescendo of praise. It’s short, just six verses, but it is packed with energy and instruction. "Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!" This psalm is an all-out, full-throated command to praise God with everything we have. It mentions specific instruments—the trumpet, the lute, the harp, the tambourine, the strings, the pipe, the cymbals. It includes dance. It tells us to praise Him in His sanctuary and in His mighty heavens. It tells us to praise Him for His deeds and His greatness. And then, it culminates with a powerful, all-encompassing command: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!" That’s you and me.

As long as we have breath in our lungs, we have a reason to praise God. And one of the primary ways we do that is through singing. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be a performance. It just has to be from a grateful heart. So, I want to leave you with this challenge today. The next time we sing a hymn in this service, don't just stand there with a quiet mouth. Don’t just go through the motions. Remember that you are joining in a chorus of praise that spans millennia, from the psalmist of old to the saints gathered here today. Remember that you are making a joyful noise to the rock of your salvation. Remember that you are proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Remember that you are giving voice to your sorrows and finding hope in God. Remember that you are planting the truths of the gospel deep in your soul. And with a full heart and a joyful noise, let’s all, with everything that has breath, praise the Lord. This is why I will forever sing these old wonderful hymns and hope and pray that they are embedded in your hearts so that they stick around for many years after.