Christian Music Part 2

Ephesians 5:19 KJV 1900

19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Review of last week.

One of the main purposes of outward, audible music is to minister to ourselves and those around us.

Christian music refocuses our attention on God.

It reminds us of who He is and what He has done.

We have three styles of song composition that we looked at last week.

Psalm

A spontaneous song from the heart.

Meant to be carried with you.

Usually accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Hymn

A festive celebration of a hero or deity.

Focuses on the heroism and victory of the song’s subject.

Spiritual Song

A song about the change God makes to everyday life.

Accessible and connected to the tangible.

There are so many wonderful songs that fit into one of these categories.

They strengthen us.

They point our focus back to the Lord.

They testify to others about what God can do.

Christian music is a unique outflowing of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.

If you do not have a regular interaction with Christian music in your life, then that is a warning sign that you should pay attention to.

But…this warning comes with a flip side to it.

Just because Christian music is a regular part of your life, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are being Holy Spirit filled.

The inner music that we make for the Lord.

Mirrors the outward music.

The two words that Paul uses to describe our musical offering to the Lord are not near as deep as the words we looked at last week.

Basically, we see a command to sing and praise God in our hearts to the Lord.

What kind of songs and praises should we offer Him?

What kind of music is God interested in hearing?

Well, obviously, we gain inspiration from the three different styles we discussed last week.

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual songs are all fitting musical offerings.

These songs, emanating from our heart, can all be used to praise God.

Christian music, outward or inward, flows from the working of the Holy Spirit in our life.

This reinforces a theme of the Christian life.

I don’t sing to try and earn or produce something spiritual.

I sing because of what I have already received.

What I have already received gives me confidence to sing about what He will do for me in the future.

There is a super-predator out there, though, that aims to prevent you from fulfilling this command.

It’s called the ear-worm.

What happens when you get a song stuck in your head?

It distracts you from other tasks.

It repeats in your mind over and over again throughout the day.

Unfortunately, so often the songs that we get stuck in our heads are not Christian songs.

They may not be filled with profanity or anything inherently wicked.

But, they do not direct our minds to the Lord.

These songs may be from our past.

Isn’t it crazy how a song from a long time ago can pop into your head?

These songs sometimes focus our minds on things we would rather not think about.

The inner music of our soul should match up with the outer music of our mouths.

The inner music of our soul can legitimize or delegitimize the audible music that we produce.

The thing about outward music is that it can be faked.

I can sing about things I do not believe.

For example, my lips may be saying “I surrender all” while my heart is singing “I want it all.”

And the thing about this issue is, nobody else can tell.

Except God...

He always knows whether our outward song is matching up to the inner songs that fill our heart.

How much better is it for us when the outward and the inner music match up?

This is what a psalm is supposed to be in the first place.

It is the outbreak of our inner song into audible music.

Our existence is always more healthy when it is based in unity.

For example: you are trying to be active physically but you keep feeding yourself junk.

Or, you say you love your spouse but then you treat them like trash.

You have the Holy Spirit with you while you go to ungodly places.

These contradictions in living will have consequences.

When the inner and the outer music agree then it’s like combining diet and exercise.

It’s like saying you love your wife and actually proving it.

It’s like claiming to be a Christian and doing Christiany things.

Everything works better when we aren’t living in contradiction.

Inner music is not reliant on human performance or ability.

The inner music that I sing for the Lord is solely between me and Him.

No one else is in on this performance.

I am not hindered by the limitations of my voice.

I can sing any or every part.

I can listen to someone else sing a song and I sing in my inner self I can sound just as good or better than they do.

Inner music removes the excuse for not singing that people often give.

I cant sing well.

No one wants to hear me sing.

God wants to hear you sing.

He commands us to sing.

In this small verse we have 2 powerful reasons to sing.

Outwardly, we sing for our own good and the good of others.

Inwardly we sing to the Lord.

We sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

We want our inner and outer music to match.

Music is a sign of the Holy Spirit’s work taking place in our lives.