THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN WORSHIP Psalm 150

Transcription

1 CORNERSTONE BIBLE CHURCH December 27, 2015 THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN WORSHIP Psalm 150 John Piper, in his book Desiring God, says, Where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead. True worship must include inward feelings that reflect the worth of God s glory. 1 What he means by this is that a person who doesn t feel as they worship God are not worshipping God. This spans across all aspects of worship. We are Christian and so we are applying it to God, the only true worship, but it can be said of any false god as well. Do you want to identify as the greatest threat of idolatry in your life? What do you feel most passionately about? Now, this feeling in passion for God in worship is what we often miss in our churches. I often wonder if there simply is not enough feelings when it comes to the worship of God. I am fairly certain that the 25- year old version of me would never have thought I would ever say that. I was completely and totally stoic and anti-feeling when I was younger. But the older I get, the more connection I see in the Scriptures about the feelings of joy and passion we have for things and our worship of them. Piper goes on to say, God is not worshiped where He is not treasured and enjoyed. Praise is not an alternative to joy, but the expression of joy. Not to enjoy God is to dishonor Him. To say to Him that something else satisfies you more is the opposite of worship. It is sacrilege. 2 This morning, I want to flesh out a bit about what it means to praise God in worship. I have to be honest. I simply can t get the wise men out of my mind this past week as I studied and then enjoyed Christmas with my family. When they see the star leading them to the house where baby Jesus is located, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. There is something internal inside of them that erupts. And I have to believe that it was visible. I mean, do we really think as they are walking up to the house, anyone could describe them as rejoicing exceedingly with great joy and there would have been no physical evidences of it? That they are silent? That it is only internal? No way. Their worship becomes apparent in some way as they praise the baby Jesus. It is the obvious expression of their joy in God. 1 Piper, John. Desiring God. (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2003), Piper, Williams, Donald. Psalms Mastering the OT. 1 (Dallas, TX: Word, 1987), 539.

2 Now, as we turn our attention to Psalm 150 this morning in the culmination of our series on worship, and as our last sermon in 2015, I want to focus our attention on what is often called praise of God. I m sure you couldn t have missed it when we read it earlier: a simple reading of this Psalm shows that it is all about praise. Thirteen times in six verses the author exhorts us to praise the Lord. And I have a feeling that if we were to have been there when the author wrote this, it wouldn t have been a shallow statement without much energy behind it. I mean, I can t imagine this author saying, praise the Lord as some wooden, token saying. It would have been filled with passion. Praise can be seen in many ways. It can be the lifting of hands, the bowing of the knee, praying, preaching, listening, giving, singing, and many other things. But I want to focus our time this morning mostly on the playing of music and the singing of songs. This is what Psalm 150 seems to focus on. But before we dive into Psalm 150 to see this, I want to build a case that music (singing) and worship are intrinsically linked. Did you know that the first mention of worship and music in the Bible happen at the same time? We see this in the book of Job. When God finally responds to the complaints of Job, He asks some really interesting questions...! Job 38:4 7! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? There it is. God wants to know where Job was at when He created the world and the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy. That means, at creation, when God created the world, the first response we hear from anyone (this being the angels in heaven) is that they sang together. They worshipped God for His creation work by singing and shouting for joy. This is the first time we see worship in the Bible and it is associated with singing. There is something really worshipful about music. It engages the mind in ways we might not fully understand. Some have said that music is the most powerfully influential means of communication in our society today. Think of it, what show do you watch that doesn t have music in it? What commercial do you watch that doesn t have music? 2

3 Advertisements? I don t know if it is the most powerful medium or not, but what I do know is that I can hear an 80 s song that I haven t heard in many years and know almost every lyric. Why? Because the music connected somewhere in my brain and attached itself to some lyric. And I think this is why Psalm 150 is exhorting us to praise the Lord, specifically through music. Praise of God is the natural outflow of our joy in Him. And so this morning, I want to help us do that. Let me ask us FOUR QUESTIONS THAT WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND OUR PRAISE OF GOD. 1. WHERE ARE WE TO PRAISE GOD? Look at vs. 1. There is no doubt that we are being called to praise the Lord. Praise Yahweh. The author exhorts us to this right from the very beginning of this Psalm. But where? He gives us two places where we are to praise the Lord. First, We Praise Him in Formal Worship. When he says to praise God in the sanctuary, he is referring to the traditional location of the temple or tabernacle that the Israelite people would have visited. They would go up to the formal place of worship in order to praise God in formal ways. Now, we do not have a tabernacle or temple to go to in order to worship anymore. When Jesus dies upon the cross, we know the curtain that separates the holy of holies from the people is torn in two. We now have direct access to the inner sanctuary of God because of our mediator, Jesus Christ. And as we read the NT, one thing becomes clear. All Christians are referred to as priests and our bodies are called the temple of the Holy Spirit. This means many things, but one thing it does mean for us is that when we gather formally in covenant worship, we are the body of Christ coming together to praise and worship. And so it is easy for us to apply this to our corporate gathering like we are doing today. We come here to sing and praise God! And listen, there should be a time of formal worship in our schedules. The early church believed this. They gathered to pray and serve and sing. They gathered to lift up their voices to the Lord formally. But there is another place in which we are called to offer praise. Second, We Praise Him in Informal Worship. When the text says that we are to praise Him in His mighty heavens, some take it to mean in heaven. But why would we need to be told to praise God in heaven. 3

4 That seems natural and not something we would be commanded to do. I believe it means that we are called to praise Him everywhere. There are times of formal worship, yes, for sure, but there are also times under the mighty heavens He has created for us, that we can and should erupt in praise to God. There is no place under the heavens where this should not take place. Now, I get it, not many people break out in song while we are at our kids sporting event (unless you are at a girls softball game, they break out in song all the time). But we do marvel and wonder in awe. We should at least. We should be moved to praise as we drive down the road in our car. And that s certainly a place you can sing. Try it sometime. Just hold your phone up so something else thinks your talking on the phone. But secretly, be praising God through song. We are called to praise God formally and informally. And by the way, if you do not praise Him informally, I don t believe you will do it formally. Walking into a room like this isn t like turning on a light switch and all of a sudden you begin to praise. You may not be a singer as your living life, but if there isn t anything erupting in your heart, you may find it really difficult coming to church praising God. This leads us to the second question WHY SHOULD WE PRAISE GOD? When we turn to vs. 2, we are given two reasons why we should praise God. First, We Praise God Because of What He Has Done. We praise God for His mighty deeds. For the Israelites, they could look back to the calling of Abraham. They could look back at how He disciplined them to keep them on the right path with Him. They could look back at how He delivered them from the hands of their enemies. They could look to how He had sustained and protected them through tough times. They could easily praise God for His mighty deeds. And so can we. Just take some time to ponder what God has done in your life. He intricately created you. He sustains you today. If you are a Christian this morning, then we know that Jesus has taken your place for your sins before a holy God. There s so many nuances of this that deserve praise that time wouldn t allow me to share them all. He treats me as if I did every righteous act that Jesus ever did on this earth; and He treated Jesus as if He did every sinful act I have or ever will do on this earth. Amazing. That alone moves me to praise and worship. It spurs something from down deep within me. 4

5 But it s not just what He has done that deserves our praise. I mean, we don t just praise because He is some sort of benefactor or something to us. This isn t like the Chicago Cubs fans who erupt in praise in song (Go Cubs Go) every time the Cubs win and make us feel better. Our praise to God is deeper than that. Second, We Praise God Because of Who He Is. We praise God according to His excellent greatness. This is His character. We praise Him, not just because of what He has done for us, but because of who He is. He deserves it based upon His character, not just His actions. What are some aspects of His character that move us to worship and praise Him? His love. His grace. His holiness. His greatness. The fact that God never changes; what He says about Himself is just as true today as it was thousands of years ago. He is trustworthy. This is Paul writing, from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. His character should erupt in us praise for Him. This combination of who He is and what He has done moves us to praise of Him. Just think for a second about some of the words of the songs we sang earlier. Notice if you will, the combination of His character and mighty deeds and how the songs call for praise. Illustration: You Alone Can Rescue Who, oh Lord, could save themselves; their own sin could heal? Our shame was deeper than the sea; Your grace is deeper still. You alone can rescue, You alone can save; You alone can lift us from the grave. You came down to find us, led us out of death; To You belongs the highest praise. Illustration: Your Great Name Lost are saved find their way at the sound of your great name. All condemned feel no shame at the sound of your great name. Every fear has no place at the sound of your great name. The enemy, he has to leave at the sound of your great name. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us, Son of God and Man, You are high and lifted up and all the world will praise your great name. In just a few minutes, we are going to sing a few more songs in praise. One of them is We Fall Down We fall down and lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus; The greatness of mercy and love at the feet of Jesus; And we cry holy, holy, holy; we cry holy, holy, holy; we cry holy, holy, holy is the lamb As one author has stated... 5

6 The greatest truth of God is that He is worthy of our worship, and the deepest truth about ourselves is that we have been created to worship Him! 3 Where do we praise God? Everywhere we can. Why do we praise God? Because of everything He is and has done. This leads us to our third question this morning HOW ARE WE TO PRAISE GOD? In vs. 3 5, we are given a list of many instruments that they used in their praise to the Lord. These are instruments that were used mostly in times of formal worship in the temple. Let me just summarize these instruments this morning as best we understand them. Trumpet Sound = This is most likely a reference to the Ram s Horn, which was used as a blast to signify the beginning of a formal time of worship. It s not like a trumpet today that can make melody, it was just designed to be loud and carry a long ways. Lute & Harp = These were stringed instruments used in formal worship times. The lute is somewhat like an old school guitar. The harp was probably a reference to a smaller hand held one, not one that you think of as some really big stringed instrument. Tambourine & Dance = These are often linked together because the tambourine is something the women of the day would use as they danced. This certainly would be a controversial topic in many churches today. Their culture was certainly more acceptable of these types of body movements than ours is today. But that doesn t automatically mean it shouldn t be part of our services. Maybe we should see this as more than dancing. Maybe it involves physical expressions in praise to God. Lifting of the hands. Kneeling down before Him. The question the person needs to wrestle with is are these from the heart and spirit-led or are they to draw attention to myself? As well, I would ask them to think through whether it is appropriate for the gathering. Strings & Pipe = Again, this is some sort of stringed instrument and then possibly an organ type of instrument. 3 Williams, Donald. Psalms Mastering the OT. (Dallas, TX: Word, 1987),

7 Sounding Cymbals & Loud Crashing Cymbals = These are two different types of cymbals. The first one was a small hand cymbal and the second was a large crash cymbal. I have to tell you, in the years I have spent in pastoral ministry, the one area of the church that gets more complaints and opinions than any other area is that of the music. I have often joked that when you get 200 people in one room, there are probably 250 opinions on how the music should be that leads them to praise God. It is the most controversial part of a church because there are so many preferences and tastes included. The point of this list is NOT to make a list of what is included and not included in praise time. The point is not to signify a particular style of worship, as if see, they have crashing cymbals, it should be nice and loud. That s crazy to read it like that. The point is that whatever instrument you have, use it to praise God. Whatever it may be. Use it in praise to Him. Play it for His glory. How are we to praise? With everything we have! And so when we think about music in a church, maybe there are a few questions that might be helpful in asking. " Does it direct our thoughts towards God? " Are we distracted to put the focus on the one playing instead of God? " Is the music a reflection of the Scripture being studied? The Psalmist point here is that we praise God with all that we have. It s a joyful noise. But it is a noise. It comes from deep inside of us and it should flow from a heart of overwhelming joy to the One who is all glorious. As one author has said... Authentic worship is the most soul-thrilling, heart-stirring experience any redeemed being can enjoy. There is nothing boring about worship. There is nothing boring about God, the object of worship... Flat worship is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms, an inconsistency of highest order. Empty, tired praise is an insult to God, insinuating that his matchless glory is anything but glorious. 4 This then leads us to our last question. Where do we praise God? Everywhere we can. Why do we praise God? Because of everything He is and has done. How are we to praise God? With everything we have. And lastly... 4 Lawson, Steven J. Psalm Holman OT Commentary. (Nashville, TN: Holman, 2006),

8 4. WHO SHOULD PRAISE GOD? What do we find in vs. 6? Everything that has breath should praise the Lord. Everything. Everyone. Breath is certainly used to play many instruments, but it is also used to sing. The human voice is the greatest instrument of all to be used in praise of God. And so we use it. If you were to do a study on music in the Bible, what you would find is that the music used in worship was almost always used as a background to the words being sung. The words that we sing are extremely important. The breath that we breathe is to be used in praising God. If you are in Christ this morning, you should sing. I remember back to when I was a youth pastor, we used to have a little slogan that I believe is still very appropriate today: Dead people don t sing. Get it? Once you die, you will not be able to make any noise here. And those who don t love God, have no care for Jesus, they don t sing. But if we learn anything from Psalm 150 it is this. Praise erupts from those that have breath. If you have life; if the Spirit of God has given you breath; then it makes perfect sense that you use it to express to Him how great He is. You use that breath to reflect back praise to Him! Unsaved people do not sing. Saved people do sing! By the way, you do know that at some point in time, all people who are ever born will in fact give praise to the Lord. In Philippians 2:10, we are told that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Every knee and every tongue. At some point, every breath will praise the Lord. For some people, that praise will be while they are on the earth and it will result in salvation. For others, it will be a resistance while on this earth and it will end in judgment after death. But everyone will bow their knee and everyone will use their breath to worship the Lamb. We actually see a final picture of this in John s vision of the end times...! Revelation 5:13! And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! And so will you sing and praise God with us this morning as we end with a few songs together? Sing aloud with the praise of a heart that is joyful in all that God has done and who He is. 8