Finding Songs in Suffering
Notes
Transcript
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Rules for Singing
Rules for Singing
II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.
II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.
III. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.
III. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.
III. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.
IV. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.
IV. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.
V. Sing modestly...strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.
VI. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices and take care not to sing too slow.
VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here.
V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.
VI. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.
Sermon Introduction
Sermon Introduction
VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.
Last week when we were finishing our sermon series on Abraham, I talked about our Christian testimonies - our stories. Our being able to look at how Jesus Christ has changed our lives. Some people can tell a story of how they once lived a life of sin, rebellion and crime. They can talk about the hurt they’ve experienced or the hurt they have caused others. Then they can talk about how Christ miraculously turned all of that around. Jesus forgave them, delivered them and gave them a mission. Their lives are completely transformed. Stories like that inspire me: they affirm something that I already believe: Nothing is too impossible for God.
But that is not the only type of testimony. I’ve heard testimonies about people being raised in the church and gradually growing in their own faith. There was no instant moment of salvation.
But there is even another type of testimony that I’ve heard many times. If you were to hear this kind of testimony, you might wonder, “Is this really your Christian testimony?” The people telling these stories might not consider their stories to be Christian testimonies.
I’ve met people who have professed a faith in Christ, but struggle with mental illness, or lingering guilt or grief. I’ve met people who believe that Jesus rose from the dead and will return one day in glory, but have been diagnosed with depression. I’ve met people that believe in the power of prayer, but have also been prone to suicidal tendencies. And Christians are not immune to to drug addiction - we know that.
In a moment we’re going to sing a song that was written by William Cowper in 1771: There is a Fountain Filled with Blood. It’s an old song. The lyrics are powerful. They speak truth. They give us an opportunity to sing the good news of Jesus Christ. But what makes the song so amazing, is that William Cowper was first inspired to write this song while in a mental institution,. He made several trips to mental institutions, and yet he also continued to write hymns and Christian poetry.
Cowper’s testimony was not the sort of story that would get him invited church revivals, conferences and conventions. For him, depression despair and suicidal thoughts were not a thing of the past, but an ongoing struggle for much of his life. In his journals, he wrote about his battles of the mind, but he also described in details the battle of his soul.
He lived through the American and French revolutions. His poetry was known by Benjamin Franklin who gave Cowper’s first volume a good review
From the standpoint of adventure or politics or public engagement his life was utterly uneventful.
Cowper’s testimony was not the sort of story that would get him invited church revivals, conferences and conventions. For him, depression despair and suicidal thoughts were not a thing of the past, but an ongoing struggle for much of his life. His battles over his soul were of epic proportions.
His parents were churchgoing people. His mother died when he was six and his father sent him to boarding school soon after that. So at an early age he was without a mother, and for all practical purposes without a father. He never stopped grieving the loss of his mother, and he never had a relationship with his father.
He remembers a time in boarding school when his father gave him an essay about the merits of suicide - his father agreed with the author’s argument.
When he was in his twenties he had a romantic relationship over a period of 7 years. He desperately wanted to marry her, but her parents wouldn’t allow it. The relationship ended abruptly. He was devastated - he wrote 19 poems about this grief.
When he was in his twenties he had a romantic relationship over a period of 7 years. He desperately wanted to marry her, but her parents wouldn’t allow it. The relationship ended abruptly. He was devastated - he wrote 19 poems about this grief.
When he was in his twenties he had a romantic relationship over a period of 7 years. He desperately wanted to marry her, but her parents wouldn’t allow it. The relationship ended abruptly. He was devastated - he wrote 19 poems about this grief.
He also studied to be a lawyer, and he successfully completed his studies, hen it was time to appear before the bar for a public examination, he was so frightened that he had a mental breakdown (he described it a ‘fit of madness’ where he felt like criminal facing execution) and he drank poison and tried to hang himself, but he was unsuccessful. He was placed in an asylum for 18 months.
During his time there, he found a Bible and read it daily. He was deeply touched by the mercy, goodness and sympathy of Jesus towards miserable men. But the following verses from brought him to tears:
He never practiced law, but instead wrote poetry for the rest of his life.
He never practiced law, but instead wrote poetry. Added to the anxiety of his bar examination was an unhappy love affair that resulted in an unsuccessful suicide attempt. He was, therefore placed in an insane asylum for a period of eighteen months.
Even though he passed his law examination and was licensed as a lawyer, the very prospect of appearing before the bar for his final examination frightened him to the extent that he had a mental breakdown from which he never recovered. As a result, he never practiced law, but preferred the study and writing of literature. Added to the anxiety of his bar examination was an unhappy love affair that resulted in an unsuccessful suicide attempt. He was, therefore placed in an insane asylum for a period of eighteen months.
Added to the anxiety of his bar examination was an unhappy love affair that resulted in an unsuccessful suicide attempt. He was, therefore placed in an insane asylum for a period of eighteen months.
mental institutions, asylum
again he found in the bible:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
Immediately I received the strength to believe it, I saw the sufficiency of the sacrifice Christ had made, forgiveness through His blood, and all the completeness of His salvation. In a moment I believed, and received the gospel .
But here’s what makes his testimony different from the success stories that inspire us: he never completely recovered from his mental breakdown. In fact he had 3 more in the next 30 years, each one worse than the one before it, and each time he attempted to commit suicide. He struggled with unresolved grief, but even more importantly he felt worthless; he felt like he was the only person on earth that God did not love. And yet in between these mental breakdowns he always came back to the saving blood of Jesus Christ.
The blood of Christ that purchased his forgiveness. The blood of Christ was the only thing that made his salvation possible. In 1771 he was sitting at his desk and he read these words from :
“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
wrote these words:
He then wrote these words:
There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Immanuel's veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he
Wash all my sins away
We will never know why William Cowper continued to struggle with depression, while at the same time professing faith in Christ. I don’t think it is right for us to say, “If he believed in Jesus, he should have been free from all of that.”
But before Cowper could complete his share he had what he called “the fatal dream.” January had come again. His breakdowns had always been their worse in January. And it was now ten years since “the dreadful ‘63.” They came virtually every ten years in their worst form. He does not say precisely what the dream was but only that a “word” was spoken that reduced him to spiritual despair, something to the effect of “It is all over with you, you are lost”
again, attempted suicide
In 1786 Cowper entered his fourth deep depression and again tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide.
His testimony does for us what a testimony of success can not. He reminds of 3 things:
“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
“On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.
1. For many Christians: that faith and emotional / mental suffering can co-exist.
2. Even if you are struggling with darkness and despair, God can still use to bring others to Christ.
3. All of us need to keep proclaiming the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. When we are suffering and searching for answers, we need to look again and again to the blood of Jesus.
Let us rehearse the mercies of Jesus often for our people, and point them again and again to the blood of Jesus.
We can find life giving, Christ centered songs in the midst of our suffering.