Why We Sing

My sermon from a couple weeks ago was titled, “Why We Baptize.” It was a message that I hope served as a good reminder to those of you who have been with us for a while. If you’re not sure about your own salvation, you don’t need to look to your baptism or any other external work, you look to Christ. It is your faith in Him that saves you and brings about a transformation.

I also hoped the message was helpful to those who are newer to our church. I wanted to pull back the curtain, as it were, to help you understand more about our church and our beliefs and practices.

Along those lines, this morning’s message is called “Why We Sing.” For those of you who have been a part of a church for a while, especially if that goes back to when you were a child, singing may seem like a normal part of the church experience. But why do we do it? What are we hoping to accomplish?

Similar to my previous message, this will sound more like a seminar than a sermon, but along the way, I trust this lesson will help us be more intentional and effective as a church as better understand this part of our corporate worship.

So, without spending any more time on an introduction, let me jump right into the bulk of our time today, which are some biblical lessons about music.

Number 1, and this is very general principle, music is a gift from God. Music is a gift from God. It is a gift from God to mankind, which is to say that you don’t need to be a Christian to enjoy music. It’s part of God’s common grace to all men.

Music is like food. Tastes and technology have developed over time, but God gave us the raw materials and the ability to enjoy and create with them. Musically, we’ve got seven notes from A to G, and then there are 5 notes in between them, which we call flats and sharps. So, we’ve got 12 notes that cycle over and over, and with that, our world has been making music for thousands of years.

At what point in time did someone figure out that they could—or decide that they would—put strings together or blow air through an object to make a specific sound? Apart from the human voice, how did musical instruments get their start?

The answer comes to us in Genesis chapter 4, verse 21 with a man named Jubal. Jubal was 7 generations removed from Adam. He came in the line of Cain and lived before the time of the Flood. Genesis 4:21 says Jubal was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.

The lyre is an ancient stringed instrument; it’s like a small harp. The pipe is a wind instrument, like a flute. You blow into it.

We don’t get any more details, but Jubal, it seems, was the man who invented musical instruments. Again, this was part of God’s common grace to mankind.

Now, just like with any of God’s gifts, music can be corrupted; it can be used in a way that is contrary to God’s purposes, but that doesn’t mean that music is a bad thing. It is something we should be thankful for. It’s a gift from God.

Lesson number 2 is this: Music expresses and elicits emotion. Music expresses and elicits emotion. That’s part of the purpose for which God made it. That’s God’s design.

In Genesis 31:27, after Jacob ran away from Laban, Laban says to him, “You should have let me know you were leaving so I could send you off with mirth, or gladness, and with song and with tambourine and lyre.” Laban equates joy with music

We see the same thing in the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15. The older brother comes home, and he hears music and dancing. There’s a celebration going on.

We also see negative emotions associated with music when Jesus talks about a funeral song being played, which is called a dirge. It’s a song of sadness.

And this connects to the second part of the lesson. Music doesn’t just give expression to emotion, it also elicits emotion; it causes you to feel things. This is what every major movie studio understands. It why they pay tons of money to make a musical score. One famous Hollywood directions once said, “The score is the heart and soul of a film.”

There is a certain power that music possesses. It can move you. It can make you feel something you weren’t feeling before. Music is a gift from God to express and elicit emotion. That’s true whether you’re a toddler or a senior citizen. Music moves you. This ability can be used for good, in accordance with God’s design, or it can be used in a way that goes against God’s design.

One very clear expression of music expression and eliciting emotion is a love song. And Scripture even has one of those for us. It’s called the Song of Solomon, or the song of songs. It’s a song between a man and a woman who are married. It’s a wonderful testament to the reality that God has given us gifts to enjoy and to celebrate.

I’d like you to turn with me to Romans chapter 1. This is a familiar passage to many of you. Romans 1, verse 18. This is a section where the Apostle Paul is talking about a culture’s rejection of God and of the truth.

Verse 18 says—For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Why is God’s wrath against ungodliness? How is it that people’s unrighteousness is a suppression of the truth?

Verse 19—For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. [20] For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. [21] For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

That’s a portion of Scripture that is generally connected to creation, and since music is part of God’s creation, it’s another area where these principles of rejection and judgment apply. Music is a revelation of God’s power and beauty, but the world rejects God’s existence. They recognize the beauty and power of music, but they do not recognize the God who gave it to us. And they do not recognize its true purposes; that’s why the culture will use music for all sorts of purposes that dishonor God.

Now, here in a local church, what’s the purpose? Why is music part of our service. The simple answer to that is to worship. This is our third lesson for today. Music is for worship. Music is for worship.

Worship is something we do to honor or elevate something. It’s a demonstration that something is worthy of our attention. In fact, a pastor once said that when we hear the word “worship” we should think about as worth-ship. It means something is worthy of our attention and honor and esteem.

So, since music helps express and stir our emotions, it can be used to help us elevate the greatest thing of all, the God of all creation.

God desires His people to worship Him with music. Music is not the only way to worship Him, but it is one prescribed way. How do we know this? We know because the Bible tells us.

For example, in Job 38:7, God talks about the angels singing and shouting for joy during the creation of the world.

We also find that beginning in Exodus 15, the people of God begin to praise God with singing. God parts the Red Sea, He frees the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and then we’re told that Moses and the people of Israel sang a song to the Lord. The opening lines say—“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

As far as I could tell, that was the beginning of Israel praising God with music. And later in the chapter we’re told that the women went out with tambourines and with dancing. It’s not the kind of dancing you might see today; this was a pure expression of joy among the people in their God.

Later, in Numbers 21, God provides water for the people, which number about 2 million, and he gives them a military victory, and in both occurrences, Israel responds with a song.

In Deuteronomy 31, at the end of Moses’ life, God tells Moses to teach the people a song, and the words are recorded in Deuteronomy 32. Moses’ ministry began and ended with a song.

Another next major step in Israel’s history was the introduction of David. David was a musician; he played the lyre, or the harp. And once David becomes king, he helps organize the musicians who will serve in worship. You might remember that the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah were a return to the pattern David has instituted.

David’s son Solomon also wrote songs. Again, this is all evidence that God wanted to be worshipped with music.

Another clear indication of this is that we have an entire book in the Bible which is a collection of songs. Those are the psalms. They weren’t just written as poems. They were hymns used for worship. They cover a wide range of huma experiences and human emotions. If you want to know how to worship God in good times or in bad times, or if you want to stir your heart to worship Him, go to the book of Psalms.

We don’t have the musical arrangement of these songs, but we do have the lyrics, and we know that instruments were used because they are specifically mentioned in a number of places.

Turn with me to the final psalm, Psalm 150, so we can see a clear example of this. Psalm 150 is the closing song, and this is what it says

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!

God wants His people to worship Him with music. This passage doesn’t mean it’s mandated to always have instruments, but it’s definitely encouraged, isn’t it?

So, even when we come to the New Testament, we find that Jesus sang with His disciples. Maybe you’ve never imagined that or pictured it happening, but it did. Matthew and Mark’s gospels both say that after partaking of the Passover, and after Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, they sang a hymn and left to the Mount of Olives.

When Paul and Silas were at Philippi in a missionary journey, they were beaten and thrown in prison. Their feet were in the stocks. And at midnight, Acts 16 says, they were praying and singing hymns to God. That was musical worship. That could have been an expression of pain, but I think it’s more likely that it was an expression of their joy for being persecuted in Jesus’ name.

So, what does this mean for us practically? It means that when we sing on Sunday mornings, the main thought in your mind shouldn’t be how much you personally like what’s going on. The music isn’t simply a service we offer to those who attend. It is primarily for God. It’s worship. It helps elicit and express worship to God.

Music helps s love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our might. It helps move us to greater worship by engaging our emotions as well.

We don’t want simple sentimentality. We don’t want emotions simply for the sake of them. But we also don’t want emotionless worship. That’s not the design either. We want a heart turned toward God in joy and in dependence and in worship.

If you like to clap or shout during or after a song, that’s fine. That’s not inherently wrong. But make sure the reason in your heart for clapping or shouting is to say, “Amen. I agree. Praise God.” It’s not the same as applauding after a concert. We’re not clapping for the people onstage. I know most of you know that, but this is a reminder. Music is to worship God.

Now, stating that God is our main focus doesn’t mean that nothing else matters. For our next lesson, I’d like you to turn to Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5, and we’ll see lesson number 4.

Lesson number 4 is this: Music is for unity and edification. Music is for unity and edification. That is to say that music is also for one another. There is a corporate element to it. Music is to God and primarily for God, but it’s not exclusively for God.

In Ephesians 5, Paul is describing a life that is committed to obeying Christ. It is a life surrendered to the Spirit of God, rather than to alcohol or any other thing in this world. Look at verse 18. Ephesians 5:18—And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.

And what does that look like? Verse 19. It means we are addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs are probably a reference to different types of songs that were sung. Songs can be sung in private, but here Paul is talking about ministering to and worshiping with others.

Singing together expresses our unity, and it enhances our unity. We sing to God in the presence of one another. It’s such a wonderful testimony to see and hear others sing. And I don’t just mean that from an auditory perspective. It’s also personal. When I am aware of the joys and the struggles and the pains we are going through, the songs hit differently. There’s a double encouragement to my soul because I see the truths in my own life, but I also see my brother and sister expressing their faith in Christ as well. We’re both praising and clinging to the same God. It’s not generic praise. It’s personal. Music unites and edifies us.

Music is a gift from God. It expresses and elicits emotions. Music is for worship. It’s for unity and edification. And finally, lesson number 5: Music is for instruction. Music is for instruction. It’s for teaching.

Jump over a couple books to the letter known as Colossians. Colossians chapter 3, verse 16. Colossians chapter 3, verse 16.

Look at what it says. Colossians 3:16—Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

The second half of the verse is about music. We sing to God. But what’s the purpose Paul has in mind? The opening phrase makes clear that Paul is talking about the word of God dwelling in us. We should be teaching one another and correcting one another in wisdom. And music is one way of doing that.

Music is to have a didactic function—a pedagogical function. Those are just fancy words that mean they teach.

Music has an amazing ability to teach, doesn’t it. You probably learned your ABCs with a song. My kids have learned the books of the Bible and the names of the disciples with music as well.

In the New Testament, there are a few places where it’s possible that Paul is quoting a song the people knew. It was a song that taught them or reminded them about the Christian message.

When we sing, we are not just expressing emotions toward God, we are saying concrete things about who He is and what He’s done. That’s what the Psalms do as well.

That means that for corporate worship, we want theologically rich songs. We don’t just want a good beat or a good melody. We want to be reminded of the great and glorious truths of Scripture. We want biblical songs.

When kids are young, we might sing simpler songs to them, but they can learn a lot from deep theological songs as well.

Some of the Christian songs you might hear on the radio, if I might say, are junk. They’re not theologically rich. They’re generic. They’re vague. That’s not the best expression of God’s design for music. It should affect our hearts, our emotions, but it should also touch our minds.

Sometimes, when we’re singing, one of my kids will lean over to me and ask, “Dad, what’s that word mean?” And I give them the answer. I want them to know what they’re singing, and I want them to learn. I’ve had questions at times when we sing an older song, or a song in Spanish. And answering my questions helps me worship better.

In 1 Corinthians 14:15, Paul says—I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

He was combatting the practice of people speaking in a language that no one else understood. In verse 14, he said he didn’t want his mind to be unfruitful. He wanted it to be emotionally and intellectually engaging. It was instructive, and it produced a result in people’s lives. It edified others. That’s what 1 Corinthians 14:26 says, and it includes the hymns that were part of corporate worship. Let all things be done for building up.

So, you see, musical worship is not an accident, and it shouldn’t be an afterthought. In the Old and New Testaments, the people of God worshiped with music, and God was working through that to unite, to edify, and to teach His people.

What an amazing gift we have from God! And what an amazing opportunity we have to worship with our church family when we gather. Musical worship is an important part of church life.

On Sunday mornings, we are all part of the worship team, if we have come to God through Jesus Christ. We have an eternal reason to praise our God because He has given us the gift of His Son to save us forever. He has granted us faith and repentance, and we have been reconciled to Him.

So if you come on Sunday, don’t skip the singing. Be here to sing. And sing loud with all your heart. It doesn’t matter if you can’t hold a note. God is looking at your heart.

One day, all the sinful songs and music of this world will be silenced, but the song of God, and the song of the redeemed will remain forever.

Did you know that the Bible talks about God singing? This is from Zephaniah 3:17 after Israel is restored by the promised King. Zephaniah 3:17—The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Don’t ever let it be said that God doesn’t like music. We serve a musical God who will sing over His people with joy. That’s the song of God.

The songs of the redeemed are found throughout the Bible, but we get even in the final book, the book of Revelation.

In Revelation 5, we have John’s vision of heavenly worship. God is on the throne. The Lamb is there as well, and the angels and the redeemed are worshiping. It says they sing a new song saying to the Lamb, “Worthy are you… for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth… Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”… To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Singing with the church on Sunday morning is a taste of heaven. Let’s worship God. Let’s encourage and teach one another with the gift God has given us.