VICTORY IN JESUS!

No matter the challenges of the present, all believers are assured of conquest in the future. Ultimately, we have victory in Jesus!  It is an inexorable march of triumph over all the forces of hell. We see this in Revelation 15. 

Then, we will hear THE MUSICIANS, “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God,” (v. 2). The victors form this mighty chorus. They play harps that echo through the holy halls of Heaven. 

Consider THE MESSAGE,  “They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!’ “ (v. 3). These are the saints who have been saved and the message in their music is to praise the Lord who has redeemed them. Two songs with one message are sung. 

“They sing the song of Moses,” extolling how God redeemed Israel from Egypt by the blood of the Passover Lamb. He brought Israel out from their bondage to make of them a covenant people. 

They also sing, “the song of the Lamb,” showing how that lamb of the Old Covenant was fulfilled by the blood of Christ on Calvary in the New Covenant, redeeming sinners from every tribe and tongue. 

The musicians and their message arise from THE MOTIVATION,  “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.’ ” (v. 4‬‬). How can we help but reverence God and rejoice in Him—to bring glory to His name which is above all names!  He is holy, but has made a way for sinners to be made holy through redemption and regeneration, so that, “that He might be just and the justifier one who has faith in Jesus,” (Rom. 3:26).

Let’s warm up by singing E. M. Bartlett’s song, “Victory in Jesus!”

I heard an old, old story how a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins and won the victory

Chorus

O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!
He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

Verse 2

I heard about His healing, of His cleansing pow'r revealing
How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit,"
And some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory.

Chorus

O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!
He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

Verse 3

I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,
And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing and the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory.

Chorus

O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!
He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood!

THE MAJESTY OF MUSIC

Praise the LORD!

Sing to the LORD a new song,

And His praise in the assembly of saints.  (Psalms 149:1)

People are passionate about their music preference.  That is primarily a generational matter—our age often dictates the style of music desired.  The form of our worship whether expressive or reserved is primarily an emotional matter—it has to do with the way we are wired up personally.  But, in all this discussion of styles and sounds, the most important thing isn’t the way we worship but who we worship; not our method but our motive.  Worship isn’t primarily about you or any other human being—it is about God!  

In God’s hymnal—the Psalms—we find them building to a crescendo of worship (149:1-3).  The hymn book of Israel closes with a great summation of the nature of worship and a summons to utilize sacred melodies in that most holy activity.  The repeated call is to praise the LORD.  We can shout His praises, speak His praises, but the emphasis here is on singing them.  We use the medium of our voice!  There is nothing wrong with the old songs and traditional music.  How much sound doctrine I have learned from those old hymns written by men and women with hearts hot for God and heads filled with biblical theology. Tried and true, we should never abandon them.  But, there was a time when they were contemporary music!  The church in ages gone by often resisted them and rejected them as worldly.  What do you do with phrases like this, “Sing to the LORD a new song”?  That’s contemporary music!  

Blessing God is the focus, but receiving a blessing is a fruit.  Though what we receive is secondary, it is real nonetheless (Ps.149:4-5).  “He will beautify the humble with salvation.”  That’s personal blessing.  Music has a power to touch us at the very core of our being—that’s why we are so passionate about it.  Music can cultivate the soil of the sinner to receive the message.  It can encourage a weary saint and bring them joy. 

The text is primary and the tune is secondary (149:6-9).  The melody of a song is subordinate to the message.  If a song isn’t Scriptural, it isn’t sacred!  Now, let me see if I can upset almost everyone!  I have heard songs set to shaped notes, sung with great enthusiasm in four-part harmony that did not have a thimbleful of Gospel about them.  I have heard choruses set to pulsing rhythms, sung with great emotion that could just as well have been sung to your boyfriend or girlfriend as to God!  What honors God is His Word!  He says that He has magnified His Word above His name (Ps.138:2).  If the words are Scriptural, whether they are accompanied by an organ or an orchestra, whether sounding like Bill Gaither or Bach—you can even rap it like Lecrae—it’s OK!  We all have our preference and God prefers spirit and truth—His Word is truth! 

You can worship God anywhere and you should (150:1).  The psalmist mentions the firmament—the vast expanse of heaven.  There is just something that moves us in the majesty of creation—a sacred tabernacle.  But, usually that is private and personal worship.  For corporate worship there is a sacred gathering place!  You should worship God with every means and by all means (150:2-6)!  Music has such a power to move us!

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!  (150:6)

HE ALONE IS WORTHY

You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals….  (Revelation 5:9)

The throne of God has a prominent place in the book of Revelation, being mentioned thirty-four times.  There are four references in chapter five.  This chapter shows us the purest worship.  We prepare for worship hereafter by our worship here.  Far too often we get on the throne and demand a worship experience about our musical tastes, the style we enjoy, and the feelings we want, when true worship bows to the One on the throne and focuses on Him.

The chapter commences with a scroll being presented (v.1).  This scroll represents the title deed to the universe. It is covered in writing on front and back indicating that nothing more can be added.  The contents are hidden—it is rolled up and sealed with seven seals.  That deed to creation was Adam’s, but he forfeited it when he sinned, and surrendered dominion to Satan’s clutches.  Now, all creation groans under the curse, longing to be redeemed from bondage.  Who is worthy to take the scroll?

Search is made throughout the universe (v.2-3).  No angel in heaven above, no man on earth, nor demon in hell is qualified to take the scroll.  None are worthy.  This breaks John’s heart (v.4).  He sees the world full of sin and the sorrows it brings.  He longs for deliverance to come.  Is there not a redeemer?

Oh yes there is!  One alone is worthy! Christ, the Lamb of God, has prevailed (v.5-7)!  He prevailed in the wilderness when tempted by Satan.  He prevailed in the garden when He drank the bitter cup.  He prevailed on the cross when He paid the redemption price in full.  He prevailed over the grave when He conquered death!  John lifted his head bowed in despair, brushed away the tears from his eyes, and looked up expecting to see a Lion, but was shocked to see a Lamb.  This Lamb is one that had been slain—the wounds of Calvary testifying to His accomplished mission of redemption.  He has seven horns—speaking of power; seven eyes—speaking of perception; seven Spirits—speaking of presence.  Thus, Jesus is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent!

The four living creatures and twenty-four elders respond by bowing before the Lamb (v.8).  The four living creatures symbolize all that which He has created.  The twenty-four elders represent all the redeemed of all the ages.  Heaven is seen as a place where praise is sung and prayers are stored.  That instruments are strummed may not surprise us; that intercessions are secured may startle us.  Prayer is spiritual and eternal—its efficacy such that even after we are dead those prayers remain before God’s throne.  In His time and way, He will answer—even if we are in heaven!

In heaven we will sing a new song (v.9-10).  The message is not new, but the melody is!  There are those who insist that any new music is bad music.  In church, they only want the old songs. Yet, do we not realize there was a time when those old songs were new songs?  Heaven is filled with music and I want to warm up for that choir by singing God’s praise here!

There will be a sevenfold doxology sung in holy harmony (v.11-14).  The Lamb of God will be the subject of that worship.  Music will pervade the atmosphere in glory.  God made creation to utter joyful sounds—whether a bird to twitter or a human to sing.  The Lamb alone is worthy of our praise.  Amen?  Amen!

THE SWAN SONG OF MOSES

So Moses came with Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people.  (Deuteronomy 32:44)

There was an old belief that a swan was mute until it came time for it to die—and then it would burst into a beautiful song.  From the fable comes the expression, “swan song,” speaking of a final deed or declaration a person performs.  In Deuteronomy 32, you have the swan song of Moses.  His journey through life is ending.  Death looms and eternity beckons, and so he has some final words to share with the people of God.  This is a hymn of heritage—the lyrics of legacy.  Wouldn’t it have been something to hear the old man, now one hundred and twenty years of age burst into song?

The first stanza focuses on the glory and greatness of God (v.1-4).  The intent of the song is to instruct the people in theology.  The music God wants is about more than a melody (we do not know this one)—it is about the message.  Too often, what we sing in churches today majors on style and not substance—meant to inspire rather than inform.  Our emotions ought to be moved when we consider God’s greatness, whether expressed in, “How Great Thou Art,” or the contemporary, “How Great Is Our God.”  Still, it is the text and not the tune that should stir us.

The second stanza contrasts the faithfulness of God with the unfaithfulness of Israel (v.5-6).  God had been the solid Rock—the God of truth—just and righteous.  His people had been compromising, corrupt, and crooked.  A loving Father had cared for them, yet they were disobedient children—ungrateful and unholy.  The music of the church leads us to consider our God, but also to confront our sin, and bring us to repentance.

The third stanza (v.7-14) extols the grace of God in choosing Israel.  God sought them out and selected them from all the nations to be His.  He kept them as the very apple of His eye and carried them on His wings as the eagle bears its young.  From a family of nomads tending sheep in the desert, then enslaved in Egypt, God multiplied them, delivered them, and made them a great nation.  The intent of Christian music, likewise, is to express a testimony of thanksgiving to God and His amazing grace.

Stanza four (v.15-18) portrays the ingratitude of the people—like a well-fed beast, rather than submitting to the Master’s will, they kicked back at Him.  They forgot God and embraced pagan idols.  I think of the lyrics of, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” which remind us how prone we are to wander despite all the blessing flowing from God.

The remainder of the song warns of the judgment that results from stubborn sin (v.19-35).  It had been the portion of their fathers, it would be theirs if they followed the same folly, and, sadly, it would predict the future of the Jews.  Yet, the intent is not to destroy but to discipline them.  It will achieve the results (v.36-43).  The second advent of Christ will bring the salvation of the nation.  May our songs ever point to the hope we have in Jesus!  This song was to be taught to the people of God (v.44-47).  It is the swan song of Moses (v.48-52).  Let us never forget the truth imprinted on our soul by the music of the church!

I WILL SING!

 

I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.  (Psalm 13:6)

I can carry a tune…that’s about it.  No one is going to hear me sing and say, “You ought to go on one of those TV talent shows—you could win!”  But, I am convinced God enjoys my singing.  Perhaps when I am belting out a hymn as I shower in the morning, my wife puts a pillow over her head, and my dog starts howling, but maybe the Lord smiles and says to the angels, “Stop and listen to that!  Isn’t it great?”  It is precious to Him because it comes bubbling up from my soul…a heart brimful of love that demands to overflow in a song I cannot contain!  Our Minister of Music does not need to prod me to sing.  It would not be worship if I could not express myself in song, and be caught up in the singing of others.  While carnal motives could lead me to simply seek to be entertained, and my focus might be misplaced on being awed by the talent of others, the reason I am caught up in song is that I am captivated by my God!

The gift of music is a precious blessing bestowed by our Creator.  He has woven such creativity and skill into the fabric of our souls.  Supremely, music is a means of exalting God’s greatness as we sing to Him, and exclaiming His goodness as we sing of Him.  How can we help but sing as we reflect on His character—and our love relationship with Him?  God is good, and I am glad!  From a mind consumed with gratitude I will make melody in my heart, and raise His praise from my lips!  Why, the little birds greet their Maker in the morning with sweet songs, and shall I do less than the fowls of the air?

I will sing!  Won’t you join me?

CONNECTED IN SERVICE: Expressing God's Praise in Service

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:19-21)

In all we do, our aim as the people of God is to glorify Him.  Service can be holy, or it can be hypocritical.  It may be that the outward manifestation appears good--in our giving, our praying, our fasting, and the like (see Matt.6:1-18)--but the inward motivation is bad: to be seen of men.  Our "service to God" becomes self-serving, and God doesn't judge by outward appearance. He looks at the heart (1 Sam.16:7).

Our singing should honor God.  Our aim is music that glorifies God.  It honors Him when it is given in a heartfelt desire to praise Him.  It is "singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"  We stir each other to join, and we instruct one another when the lyrics are full of Scripture.  Notice, there is a variety of types of music, "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" but a united passion to glorify God--not to be impressed by a musician's talent.

Sadly, too many Christians are more concerned with style than substance--too consumed with what blesses them than how they bless God.  It misses the whole point, doesn't it?  When we demand a particular preference or we pout, it ignores our call to submit to one another.  If an older generation wants Southern Gospel and stops singing when a contemporary song is shared, what does that communicate to the young members present?  It is self-serving.  If teens and young adults scorn the traditions of an older generation, refusing to participate in worship unless there is a wailing guitar and flashing lights, that too is self-serving.  Such attitudes--and I understand these are generalizations--are wrong.

Our speaking should honor God.  The objective is messages that glorify God.  Our mouths should continually express gratitude, "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Complaints and criticisms are corrosive--eating away at the connection of believers to each other.  This is a self-serving attitude, that exhibits itself in our speech, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.  On the other hand, a grateful soul expresses itself in thanksgiving--irrespective of the circumstances.  It is praise that is perpetual, "always," pervasive, "for all things," and pointed, "to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Our submitting should honor God.  The goal is ministry that glorifies Him, "submitting to one another in the fear of God."  When I stoop to serve fellow believers, I am actually serving Christ (read Matt.25:31-46).  Submission is not a popular concept in our world.  We assert our rights.  God wants us instead to assume our responsibilities.  How can I know if I have a heart submissive to God?  By my willingness to serve those made in His image.  What would our church gatherings be like if we connected in service?