“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).
Audio Sermon: Colossians3:15-17
All musical offerings are not pleasing to God (Ex. 32:18). God says, “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps” (Am. 5:23). The Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) are models for God-pleasing music.
Augustine searched the Scriptures discovering the three essential in every true hymn: it must be sung, it must bring praise and it must be offered to God alone. His position may have been established upon Hebrews 2:12, “I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise,” Exodus 15 or the command from Psalm 66:2, “Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious.”
Music should not be presented in a worship service to make people more comfortable with the church by making the church more like the theater, concert hall or some worldly extravaganza – the church is not Vanity Fair. When Handel wrote Messiah, he said that he did not intend to entertain the people, but to do them good. Musical contributions should enlighten congregants to the presence, purity, glory and holiness of the majestic God who is a consuming fire.
God looks to the heart of the presenter in determining the worthiness of the musical offering. Nonetheless, God expects all musical submissions to be offered in spirit and truth. Several cautions may assist you in determining God-honoring sacred music and its presentation in a worship service:
* Be aware of encouraging applause in response to a musical presentation. In the American culture, applause is best suited for the theater, concert stage, athletic events, comedians and political speeches because the applause draws one’s attention to the visible offeror rather than to God (Isa. 42:8).
* Hand held microphones invite attention to the performer.
* Preachers lead worship, not musicians. Musicians must guard against preaching.
* Electronic instrumentation tends to forfeit purity.
* Over-amplification may convert a house of prayer into a concert hall.
* Guard against songs that are subjective sentimental expressions of personal experiences and desires.
* Congregants should anticipate all musical offerings by bookmarking the appropriate pages in their hymnbooks prior to the service. Scraping hymnbooks as they are being removed from pew racks is inconsiderate, distracting and destructive.
* The musical offering includes a two to six second congregational quietness after the instrumentation is complete in order to gather the fullness of the music’s resolution.
Never cultivate the lower levels of an art at the expense of the higher. The music presented in your church’s worship services declares the worldview of your church. God describes His church as a house of prayer thereby calling for heavenly harmonies glorifying Him and Him alone.
Should the Lord move you to explore in further detail the matters set forth in this writing, do not hesitate to contact Mr. and Mrs. Harry O. Wilson who are presenting the music in the services of worship this Lord’s Day.
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO!
