Sept 6, 2020 Sunday Worship Service Service

That's what it's about about being drawn closer to Jesus Christ. That's why we assembled here on the first day of the week to be drawn closer to him. That's what the Lord's Supper is about and I'm thankful for men like Mike pack that can Inspire us cuz I thought that was an inspiring message that he gave regarding our need for Jesus and I'm telling you right now what we do here and worship demonstrates our love for him and we want to do the very best for him. And we want to do those things that please him. It's all about him and not us and that's the thing that we always need to remember. And what if we were talking about the authorities scriptures and how it relates to what we doing worship. And we talked a little bit about the Bible tells us that whatever we do know that isn't teaching in a practice. We do all by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's so whatever we do has to be authorized by Jesus our actions the work that we do the warship that we offer has to be authorized by Jesus. No other words can we read about it in Scripture? You know a couple weeks ago. We had a picture of a football field with the white lines around the field to call that the boundaries right? And if you step out of bounds you step on that white line and so our whole Plainfield in God's word. We can't leave the Plainfield we do what God says in the world, but if we don't do what God says are we just skim just a little bit from what God says, we've stepped out of bounds. And so the whole idea is that we have to get whatever we do has to be authorized. That is talk. By Jesus Christ. And so the question for US Today's why acapella? Why why do we sing with instrument while I'm here to tell you that it's by Design? It's by Design and it's not because we don't like musical instruments. It's not because make it to some some sort of a thing that we want to do to to make us different from everybody else. That's not it at all. Did you know that there a Greek Orthodox Church, which is somewhere around a 1 billion adherents? Worship worship god without the instrument. Did you know that you are number of religious groups and organizations that worship god without instruments that we grow up in America and all we learned is that we worship god with instruments. Look around. Look at your TV programs. Look at all the movies. It's all about worshiping with instruments and then we come to ours ourselves and we say why do we not worship with instruments in his other people? Why do other people worship with instruments and so we're going to explore that just from God's word we did that last week. The whole point is that there is authorized worship. We must worship God in spirit. And in truth that tells us God's word the truth regulates what we are to do it regulates our Behavior, doesn't it? It tells me how to how to behave in public. It tells me how to treat people. It tells me how to do things properly. It tells me how to love God. He likes my behavior it regulates our worship. I want you to think about this because I find it so interesting and yet so significant. Most people understand and have agreed throughout history that the day that we worship God on his what Sunday most people understand that all about Sunday until about the 7th Century. Then they decided to make it Saturday and Sunday to make it more convenient for who for God or for the people for the people that made it convenient for them. But most you look at the religious world today and I don't need to go outside of America representative of the world. But you look at the representation here in America and most everybody that's worshipping God is worshipping God. Today is Sunday the first day of the week. Why because you can read that in Scripture.

Inside the Presbyterians of Baptist and Methodist and so forth and so on are all worshipping God today the first day of the week. interested play when it comes to worship or they doing they're singing. They're praying. They're preaching. They're reading scripture and they're giving up their means money. Those are the acts of worship that are so common with everybody. And then we come in to the idea that there's the Lord's Supper The Lord's supper and we take the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week Sunday. What do we find people taking? two emblems the bread and the fruit of a mine right now. What are use it that all the churches in this area all the churches in Oklahoma all the churches in America take the Lord's Supper on Sunday. And then take the bread and the fruit of them. Why is that? Why do they do that? Why do they just take the bread and the fruit of the vine? Why don't they have a meal? Why can't they have pizza? Why can't they have steak and potatoes? Why can't they have biscetti along his the Lord's Supper?

Because you can't read about it in scripture. It's not what the New Testament Christian those in the first century did and so therefore you can't find by a direct command by an example or even by implication that people in the New Testament Church in the first century ever did such a thing. But we do read about is the fact that they took the bread and the fruit of the vine, but what's even more interesting is this

They take unleavened bread. And they take flight juice. Why because that's what we read about in the Bible. Why can't they go out and get some peanut butter cookie and why don't they go out and get watermelon? Why? Because the fruit of the vine that's under consideration is the Great. And because the bread is the unleavened bread. And nothing is scripture commanded people to do that. It just tells us that they took the Lord's Supper on Sunday and it was made up of the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine the grape juice.

Alcoholic or non-alcoholic whatever you wanted to decide about that, but it was the grape juice. And why is that because there's there's an example for it. Because we're commanded you. That because we can read about it. And we do they do there are examples there examples for us and for the work in the worship that we do here in the 21st century. So the reason That you don't have other churches taking the Lord's supper with pizza. And with anything else is because the Bible says the bread and the fruit of the Vine. Is it hard to understand they did it that way so we do it that way when it comes to other things like music. There's two kinds of music vocal music instrumental music. The only music that's authorized ex-cop is vocal music in the Bible. It's almost say you're making a big deal about music whether you worship to God without an instrumental wouldn't know it has everything to do with the authority of God's word. What does God tell us to do. What does the bible teach us to do? It tells us in the New Testament that we are to worship God and we just read from he was chapter 13 verse 15 that Kayden read for us that we are to offer a praise to God with the fruit of thy lips.

Can you say an with something else? Right we talked about last week that there's a thing called will worship Colossians chapter 2 verse 23 its self-imposed religion its self-imposed worship. It means I'm going to do what I want to do whether god mentioned it or not.

And Paul says that's damnable because you do something that God never authorize that's why we went to the Old Testament example of Nate Avenue by who who are priests of God and the sons of Aaron and the Bible tells us explicitly that they offered up unauthorised worship to God.

It's so what happened to them?

God killed him.

Thankfully God doesn't do that today, but he tells us he says we live under the New Testament you live under the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You don't live under the old old Covenant law, but I want you to do is why you live under the New Testament law you go back and find the examples that service illustrations to the teaching of the new. And that's what Paul tells us about in Romans chapter 15 verse for he says the things that were written evolved or written for our learning for understanding as examples for us.

And so they serve as examples to show us what happened to people who disobeyed God or did not do exactly what God told you to do. Now. I remember as a child.

Most part of the lawn that I mow the lawn know I may be done Samoan, but I did not mow the lawn the entire alarm at the bits and pieces of it or if I just turned on the mower and didn't turn on the blade have I mow the lawn he told me to do something specific. So we get back to worship and one of the ideas is vocal music and singing why acapella? Because it says singing and playing plucking the strings of singing and playing your heart to the Lord. That's the instrument to be played. Play your heart to the Lord now. He's God said singing and playing your banjo to the Lord. We all be in here playing banjos. Wouldn't we? Now what you think about that? Because a lot of people think the worship with the instrument means someone upfront plays the instrument while I sit in the Pew and I listen. When I clap a lot and I make happy nuts, right because it makes me feel good. right But did you know that if you're going to play in history? It has to be done by everybody. He says speaking to yourself one to another singing and playing your heart to the Lord. Now. She said singing and playing drums to the Lord or singing and playing the piano or singing and playing a whole chorus a whole Symphony instruments. That's what we would do. But he says one to another. It so that modifies who does the playing? What we see is denomination is today. Are you have you have the chorus they do the singing and then he had the band players. They do the plane and everyone else and then you can sing if you want to.

That's not what God Said. sing to yourself one to another spiritual songs singing and playing your heart to the Lord. That's what he says and some will say you're just being too strict. Let me ask you a question. What does it mean to obey God, can you can you obey God partially?

LBVS means complete Will be this means doing something. The God wants you to do in the mirror that he wants you to do it. That's what makes all the difference in the world. That's why we say it's not about just simply the musical instrument is simply about following God's desires God's will as laid out for us.

It's so why acapella? Let's think about that. Acapella Shipley word. That's a Latin word and it means as in the capital as in the church according to the church. I want you think about that. because For almost a thousand years. A thousand years of worship a thousand years after the first century a thousand years after Jesus Christ established a thousand years. The word acapella stood for the worship of the church.

Is in the church if you're going to worship you're going to worship as in the church. As in the chapel. So when you enter the chapel when you enter the church, what kind of music would you play?

Vocal and you be playing your heart to the Lord the word acapella has morphed into the idea of unaccompanied. Unaccompanied music that's why you listen today on the if you can watch television shows with a mystery.

So we're going to do something different today. We're not going to go to the scriptures, but we're going to find in history the idea of acapella. the first recorded introduction of the instrument came in the seventh century

in 1054 ad the East and the West separated that's called Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy. the East and the West so this became the Greek Orthodox and this became Roman Catholicism now, they split over major reasons, but some of the reasons which they had was this the East did not want to worship with the West because the West use the instrument and the East did not That was one of the reasons for the split in 1054 ad. Now, so just a historical were looking at people who worship God according to what God Said. The question is do we have to worship god with an instrument? No can horses be done without on this to it. Yes.

What does God teaches to do?

Sing and play there's a plane the plane is done on your heart. He didn't offer any other instrument of music to be played. So as we consider the the Churches of Christ the Churches of Christ divided officially in 1906 the First Christian Church and Disciples of Christ. We are all United until 1906 the first use of an instrument was melodeon in Midway, Kentucky in 1859.

And it caused a rift in the church because it was a nun practice. It was something that was unauthorized. And so today you have you have Churches of Christ you have Disciples of Christ the Christian Church the Christian church and Disciples of Christ use instrumental music in their worship. However, some Churches of Christ today have gone that route. They call themselves Churches of Christ instrumental. So when you look in the Yellow Pages, you can find out where you want to go to church that day. Right? Who Are You Want To Worship?

So they call that the Yellow Pages Church of Christ. But Daddy event as we consider the idea here notice. I want you to think about the historical aspect of acapella. Because most of the people who go to church today have no idea about the historical background of their own congregations. Where did it come from poop again this church well Here's a historical background from from Charles Spurgeon. He's a famous Baptist preacher from the 1980s into the 19's. He says men still living can remember the time when organs were very seldom found outside the Church of England the Methodist Independent Baptist rarely had them and buy the Presbyterians they were stoutly opposed. But since these bodies began to introduce or against the adoption of them has been unchecked even the Presbyterians are giving away and if we read the future by the past, we can hardly doubt that in a few years or the company's singing acapella will very seldom be heard. So we find here John Spencer. And then we coming to now we got John Calvin Calvin is the founder of presbyterianism. In fact, Calvin is the founder of Calvinism, which most religious most denominations practice. The idea that there is a tool that man is totally to pray and that there's unconditional election that there is limited atonement irresistible Grace. All of that means this that it takes God to save you by some miraculous Park, he saves you and once he says you you can't fall from grace. That's what that means.

John Calvin started that but notice what he says about the worship of God. Musical instruments in celebrating the Praises of God would be no more suitable than burning of incense the lighting of lamps and the restoration of other Shadows of the law the papists therefore have foolishly borrow this as well as many other things from the Jews many more fun of the outward pop made the light in that noise, but the Simplicity would God recommends To Us by the Apostle's scripture is far more pleasing to him. Paul allows us to bless God in the public assembly of the Saints only and unknown tongue and that comes from his commentary on the book of Psalms. Go to sing the Praises of God upon Harper psaltery unquestionably formed a part of the training of the law and all the service of God under the dispensation of Shadows and now figures and figures, but they are not now to be used in the Publix Thanksgiving. Calvin said that. How many people follow Calvinism and yet how many don't understand what Calvin had to say about worship? It's amazing. I don't know people don't know their history. And what did he say about not knowing your history. You are doomed to repeat it there for history is a valuable teacher. Calvin again, we have to remember that worship. The worship of God was never understood consist in such an outward Services which are only necessary to help Florida people as yet weak and rude and not in a spiritual worship of God a difference is to be observed in this respect between his people under the old and under the New Testament. There's a warship under the old I may use the instruments there, but there was a warship under the new and there's no instruments use their there's a difference and that's what a lot of people do didn't David use instruments. Yes, he did. But what Covenant was he under? That's right. The old Covenant. We can't authorize what we do Under New Testament worship by going back to try to authorize things done under the old Covenant worship. We live under the new not the old the old ones for the juice. And I'm alone. The news for us and everybody the Jews and gentiles.

Calvin again, I don't want to keep harping on Calvin. So I'm just going to jump ahead. Here here. Is Calvin again. John Smith John Smith is the founder of the Baptist Church in 1609 who founded the church.

Jesus

would you go to a church that was founded by somebody other than Jesus will a lot of people do.

Instruments never the use of heater instruments of Music in Christian worship. Is it a bomb a nation having no part in the legislation of God, if all who profess to be teachers of the Christian religion would keep their opinions to themselves teach the gospel facts and urged the people to obey them the world would soon be delivered from such heretical doctrines.

amazing and people don't know their history. If they understood that their own Founders their own makers their own leaders. Agreed with us. The same things is us. It's amazing and you have to say

it has nothing to do with the authority of the scripture and that's what these people were talking about. That's what they were talking about. They were looting to what God has taught. Spurgeon greatest Baptist preacher in the history of the Baptist Church. He had 40,000 people in the church in London. And here he is praise the Lord with a heart Israel was at school and use childish things to help her to learn. But in these days when Jesus gives us spiritual food one can make Melody without strings and pipes. We do not need them. They would hinder rather than help our praise sing unto him. This is the sweetest and best music no instrument like the human voice David appears to have had a peculiar peculiar re-tender remembrance of the singing all the pilgrims and I surely it is the most delightful part of worship and that which comes nearest to the Adoration of Heaven. What a degradation to supplant the intelligence song of the whole congregation. There's your choir to the church is the choir. Everyone is commanded to worship there for everyone is committed to sing. Not just a select few and not just those who are better singers in the rest of us. God wants to hear our music from our heart each of us and therefore the sound of our voices. Does it matter if you use fruity, but God doesn't care about that. He wants your heart involved. And so that's why I say when you sing and you can't sing like I can't sing sing as loud as you can. Because it's coming from your heart. He says what a degradation supposed to plant the intelligent song in the whole congregation by the theatrical prettiness on the quartet Bellows and pipes. We might as well Pray by Machinery as Praise by

When asked why he called the 1st Corinthians, 14:15, I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding. Also I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also he then declared I would assume pray to God with Machinery ascended god with Machinery. You can't do it. I won't do it because we can't do it. That's the point. David Benedict another historian. You said this instrument which from them in Memorial has been associated with the cathedral pump and Paratha practical power has always been the peculiar favorite of great National churches Atlanta found its way into Baptist Sanctuary is not how it works men leave that gets so enamored with culture to culture enters the church and the culture carries away the church further and further from God. We're supposed to change culture culture is not supposed to change us.

What people were supposed to be doing what God says to be different from culture. We may be in culture, but we're not up culture. There you go. We're in the world, but not of the world. It's all he says concerning the instrument. He condemns it will just go on here about 40 years ago, right then officiated as a pastor 1840 Starchild Baptist in former times would have to be tolerated the poker room in their Pulpit as an organ in their galleries. how far this modern Oregon fever will extend among our people and whether it will in the whole work of reformation or deformation in the singing service time will morphe

You know we use some instrument there for among the majority. Is relatively new open to the turn of the 20th century. And then it became commonplace and then kids grew up in generation after generation grew up and that's all they knew was instruments in worship. They had no idea about their past and more importantly they had no idea about what the Bible teachers. fascinating I'm going to wear so much more. What do I have time to get to it? I'd like to. But I want us to understand that there are so many more people founders of these different religions in churches. Who told us that we must go by What God Says and that's what we do here. That's what we do. That's all we can do. Jesus says if you love me keep my Commandments. Then we come to the most important aspect of all that salvation. And Jesus comes and he says a man must be born of water and the spirit born out of water borne out of spirit. And what does he mean by that? Will Jesus is speaking by the spirit? The spirit is speaking through Jesus and he's telling the people what they need to do. So who is telling the people what they need to do the spirit. When the spirit says You must be born out of water? You must be baptized. Then the spirit is also part of the process. And so when Jesus says he must be born of water and the spirit. It was simply saying by what the spirit teaches. And then Jesus would later go on to say himself through the Spirit by the spirit. He that believes. And is out of water the baptized shall be saved.

And yet we have people that come around and they say yeah, that's what Jesus said.

I don't think you need to be baptized. I don't think you need to go in water. You think God is going to keep me out of Heaven just because I didn't get dipped in water.

You think God is going to keep me out of Heaven piano.

Either way the question is are you following God's will that's what matters? Show me live by the authority of Jesus Christ by what he says in the teaching we call the face. Right in the balls. Can I put a little blurb in the air? And it says that it's not about whether you're in the fellowship with the mainstream of the church and everybody's doing it. Philip the mainstream of the body's doing it. So I guess it's okay right then your mom and dad tell you that if everybody's jumping off a bridge you going to go jump off a bridge just because everybody's doing it. Well, it's not about whether you're in the mainstream of the church, but about whether you're in the mainstream of the faith. Whether you're following God's word or not. That's the most important thing. And so if we want to say we love God. Then let's love God because loving God is more than just an emotion. A lot of people love God emotionally, but not practically and not truthfully. First John chapter 5 this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments in the present tense that we keep on keeping his Commandments and his Commandments are not burdensome. That's what Jesus was talking about. Matthew chapter 11. Come on to me. All you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. My instruction is far less burdensome than the Pharisees. then the Sadducees Venia scenes, Venezuela

So when Jesus says he that believes and is baptized he sang. That's what you need to do in order to be saved. Uw's is baptized shall be saved. If you desire to be safe today not put on Jesus Christ in baptism, but you desire to be in his fold. Let him be the shepherd of your life do so today. Don't delay don't wait tomorrow is not promised to any of us, perhaps you've done that but you just have not lived by the authority of God's word. Well, the authority of God words God's word says this come back to me return to me and I'll return to you and he says repent of that s***. your subject the imitation of Jesus Christ this morning what you come forward as together we stand