Spirit Filled Life (Pt 2)
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Good morning and welcome to Dishman Baptist Church. It is a pleasure to have you with us this morning whether you are joining us live or online, we are grateful that you would take the time to worship our majestic Father with us this morning. Please take your Bibles and turn with me to Ephesians 5, Ephesians 5. If you don’t have a Bible and you would like one to follow along with us, simply raise you hand and someone will bring one to you. Also if you are new here we are very grateful that you would join us this morning. If you look in the seat back in front of you there is a contact card that will help us as a church know how we can serve you as well as contact you. If you would take just a moment to fill that out we would greatly appreciate it.
Many things have happened since I was last with you. Just to refresh everyone’s memories as to where we are, Paul has been admonishing the Ephesian believers to a different, higher standard of living compared to those they were surrounded with. He has been comparing and contrasting the life of the believer with the characteristics of the world and demonstrating the marked difference that exists as a result of coming to Christ. Or rather he has been demonstrating the difference that should exist in those who claim the name of Christ. As we have seen recently, those who claim the name don’t always exhibit these differences in their lives.
Last time I was with you we addressed the importance of being filled with the Spirit as opposed to being controlled by anything else in our lives that would in reality either separate us from God completely - meaning we had never actually come to Christ to begin with - or would severely hinder our relationship with Him. Christ tells us that no man can serve two masters. And Paul contrasts the difference between being immersed in the life of alcohol and being filled by the Spirit. This morning we will embark on three characteristics of what the Spirit filled life looks like. This isn’t the entirety of what the Spirit filled life entails, but I think these are very important factors that are often overlooked in the lives of Christians. Look with me now at Ephesians 5 and we’ll be reading again verses 15-21. We’ll be focusing in this morning on
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:
speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
I am going to venture out on a limb here and that every person here has something that other people around them understand but that they really just don’t get. Yesterday afternoon I had the privilege of attending the summer recital for my daughter’s ballet studio - my daughters and a few of the other young ladies that attend church here. They did a wonderful job. The dancing was artful and creative. The music was upbeat and entertaining. But I really didn’t understand any of it. I think it is probably safe to say that while I may have other culture in my life, ballet is simply something I’m never going to understand.
The three characteristics that Paul describes in our passage this morning, the three attitudes that he describes and the five imperatives that he describes are something that the world can never understand. The attitudes that Paul describes Spirit filled Christians as having are a joyful attitude, a thankful attitude and a submissive attitude. The five imperatives are that we are to speak to one another, sing, make music in our hearts, give thanks always and submit to one another. What a remarkable difference from the attitudes that are exhibited by our world right now.
The interesting thing is that these are probably not the first three characteristics that we would list for those we consider to be Spirit filled Christians. Think of those who you have known in your life that you considered to be Spirit filled. For me they would be people who were well versed theologically and we just Biblical. Whenever they open their mouths what comes out is tinged with Scripture. They are people who are powerful in prayer. Yet Paul doesn’t here highlight that to be filled with the Spirit that we should be a life group or a home group leader. He doesn’t highlight our skill or our predisposition to prayer in all things. In fact what he highlights here seem to be rather commonplace and overlooked attributes - except that they are also the attributes that we struggle in the most. Many of us are very good at the big things but it is in the seemingly small, commonplace things that we struggle. And oftentimes struggling with the small things leads to failures in the big things of life.
So as we look at these characteristics evaluate yourself to see whether these are defining attributes of your life or whether you may be struggling with these seemingly small areas of life - and whether these struggles may be inhibiting your effectiveness in the larger aspects of the Christian life. The first aspect that Paul addresses is a joyful attitude as it is specifically expressed through singing. In so doing Paul tells us four things about the music that we sing in church - our audience, our content, our attitude and our purpose.
Our Audience
Our Audience
Paul’s first admonition is that we should speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. This is a challenging statement for me because there are lots of ways to explain it that could get me into serious trouble. The best way that I can determine to explain this statement from Paul is that he is telling us who our earthly audience is. All of our singing is lifted as an act of worship to God but we mustn’t overlook the atmosphere in which that worship is lifted. This is a principle that can cut both ways.
One of the problems of most modern worship songs is that they take too much account of singing to man. So what we find in most modern worship is the glorification and uplifting of man rather than the glorification of God. In fact I can’t commend a single publicly curated Christian station to you. I would rather you didn’t listen to Christian radio in your cars than have you subjected to some of the music that is being promoted as Christian these days. The proliferation of man-centered worship from groups such as Hillsong, Bethel, Elevation and Jesus Culture has become the main stream source of music that is poisoning the church and weakening our view of God. As such much of what is called worship today is simply emotional music that doesn’t connect you to the God of the Bible but rather to a god of their own making that is a kindly old grandfather who looks fondly on his wayward children, doting on them because they, while wayward, are so valuable and love-able and so he would do anything for them.
This isn’t a new strategy. In the fourth century the heretic Arius, a bishop from Alexandria, nearly shipwrecked the early church with a his false Christological views because he put this new theology to music. Because so much of our lives is surrounded by music we have overlooked the didactic purpose and value of song. We’ve all grown up with music around us all the time - from Disney movies, to Broadway musicals to “don’t worry be happy” and “what does the fox say”. Yet throughout the centuries music has been used to teach truths - or in the case of some of the music today false truths - to the populace.
It was this way during the first century and during the historical biblical times that preceded it. Never is music ever intended to be for anyone other than the people of Israel or for the members of the church. Recognizing the value of song for teaching and encouraging Paul tells his readers here to speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. I don’t think his intent was for them to sing in such a way as to sway the emotions of the listeners but rather that the content of the songs should be such that they were spurred on to a greater love and admiration of God. Even the ancient philosopher Aristotle recognized the importance of music. He observed this “Music represents the passions of the soul, and if one listens to the wrong music he will become the wrong kind of person.”
Throughout Scripture, specifically in the Psalms, the believer is encouraged to sing a new song - something different from the world around them. We are encouraged to put on the new man, to become a new creature but the word new is used most frequently in relation to song than it is to any other aspect of salvation. In his commentary on this passage Dr. MacArthur writes “God gives His creatures a new song, a different song, a distinctive song, a purer song, and a more beautiful song than anything the world can produce.”
This concept of singing a new song is frequently encouraged in the Psalms - Psalm 33:1-3 “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music to him with a ten-stringed harp. Sing a new song to him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.” Psalm 40:3 “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.” Psalm 96:1-2 “Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day.” Psalm 149:1 “Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.”
Singing was a integral part of worship in the tabernacle and the temple. It will be an integral part of our worship in Heaven Revelation 5:8-9 “When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
Right now our singing should educate, challenge, and encourage believers to a greater appreciation of our majestic Father in Heaven. Our singing should be corporately raised to our Father but also targeted to grow and equip the saints in their love for Him. So while our object of worship, our motivation in singing should always be to glorify God we mustn’t overlook that our audience are the believers around us that we seek to grow through every aspect of worship. There is no point in Scripture where song is portrayed as being evangelistic in nature. Some of the greatest Christological passages in all of Scripture are believed to be early hymns
Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Philippians 2:8-12 “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
From these we get such rich content for what we sing.
Our Content
Our Content
Paul says that we should speak to one another in Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Psalms refers to the psalter that we have in the Bible. These are the songs that the early church primarily sang. These songs of David highlight the creative nature and majestic work of God. There are still many churches that sing from these Psalms today - and many of our most beloved hymns are adaptations of these beautiful songs. Hymns refer to newer songs that have been written such as those that I just quoted from Colossians and Philippians to teach new Christological and doctrinal teachings. Spiritual songs were songs of testimony or other music that expresses a spiritual or scriptural truth. Paul’s point here is simply to give his readers a broad scope of musical offerings to choose from.
We should adopt this same view today. As we seek to minister to one another in song we shouldn’t be focused only on one area of singing but instead embrace the variety of musical offerings that have been delivered down through the intervening centuries of church history. We certainly should sing and encourage one another with Psalm 100 or Psalm 23 or Psalm 84. We should also sing “Amazing Grace”, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, “And Can It Be?”, “There is a Fountain” and so many more great hymns that have been penned by our forefathers in the faith. We shouldn’t overlook more modern offerings like “10,000 Reasons”, “Sovereign Over Us” and many other songs that glorify and commend God to our hearts and minds.
Just a quick note also about style. Just as he highlights many different forms of song, I think Paul would also be willing to allow for many different styles of music in the church. Paul simply says that we should be singing and making music - Psallo literally means to pluck a stringed instrument with the fingers. There are many different styles of music that can be God honoring even if they are not our particular favorite. The point of our musical offerings is not the form of music that is offered but rather the condition of the heart that is offering it.
Our Attitude
Our Attitude
Paul says that we should sing and make music with our hearts. The posture of a Spirit filled Christian should be one of joy and a joyful exuberance in our expressions of love to the Lord. Very few people sing from a sad heart. Maybe a few EMO artists - but the Christian heart is moved to song by the glorious truths that God has regenerated and redeemed. Whenever song is presented in Scripture it is always a joyous occasion. The song of Moses at the defeat of the Egyptian army. The song of Deborah at the deliverance of Israel in Judges. The host of Heaven singing at the birth of Christ.
How can you sing Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me and remain in a depressed frame of mind. How can you lift the words like the fourth verse of And Can It Be Long my imprisoned spirit lay Fast bound in sin and nature's night; Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth and followed Thee. and not glory is what Christ has done for you.
Not that any of this should make us feel pride or any sense of entitlement or value in our own nature because there is none. We only have value because of what Christ has done for us and that He has bestowed His love upon us. We don’t deserve it, can’t earn it, can’t merit it - but what joy it should engender in our hearts that despite all of that God chose me before the foundation of the world to redeem for His glory. Yes, I am a worthless wretch but what joy that He loves me anyway and that He has redeemed me. The condemnation that I faced, that hung over me has been removed by Him and by His blood. Oh may I never forget what I once was, but may I also not dwell on that but glory that I am no longer what I once was but that I am redeemed, pure because of what He has done for me.
Our worship, our music should come from this heart filled with joy because we have been set free. We should glory in singing songs of worship to and about our God because they highlight what He has done for us, they highlight the beauty of who He is. We sing greatly because we serve a great God. How could we ever settle for singing something that maligns or mischaracterizes our Father or that glorifies us instead of pointing our hearts straight at our Father. How could we ever be sad or half-hearted in our worship of such an amazing and great God.
And a heart of joy doesn’t worry about how it sounds - whether you are monotone, tone deaf, raspy or the most melodious voice ever - the heart only desires to sing and magnify its Creator and to wholly express gratitude and joy, amazement and love. Even in singing of the pain and horror experienced on the cross should drive us to glorious joy knowing what Christ has done for us. The puritans were well known for their solemness - but this is what puritan John Lightfoot said about worship “As God requires outward and inward worship, so a spiritual frame for inward worship may be forwarded by the outward composure. Gazing drowsiness hinders the activity of the soul, but the contrary temper furthers and helps it. Singing calls up the soul into such a posture, and does, as it were, awaken it. It is a lively rousing up of the heart.”
Oh that our worship would be so rousing, so joyful that there can be no doubt that we worship and serve a great God.
Our Purpose
Our Purpose
Because, despite the audience, our ultimate purpose in worship is to glorify God. Yes, we may impart some great doctrinal truths that instruct or challenge the believers around us, that spurs the church on to greater holiness but our ultimate goal is to glorify God. We are to sing and make music with our hearts to the Lord. After all He is the only worthy object of our worship. Dr. MacArthur writes “Our singing and making melody is not for the purpose of drawing attention to ourselves or of entertaining others but of rejoicing in and praising God.” All of our singing in worship should drive us to that end - to focus our attention and our hearts on God.
We should say along with Johann Sebastian Bach that “The aim of all music is the glory of God.” We should be seeking to joyfully magnify God, to elevate Him and His character and to bring man low - not the other way around. Our worship music should be biblically based and doctrinally solid. It should honor the God of the Bible and not misrepresent Him. It should take my mind and my heart off of myself and turn it squarely onto the God who created me, who redeemed me. It is meant to prepare us for Heaven when we will worship Him at the foot of His throne and glory in His presence for the rest of eternity. What greater purpose could there be for singing than to glorify God? Oh that our hearts would be so consumed by the joy of our salvation that our worship would be a blessing to God, would edify the saints and would shock the world.