The Church's Calling to Sing the Gospel

If someone says, wow, those people can worship, what comes to your mind what you immediately think of about those people who were just identified as Wow, those people can worship. Usually we talk about the volume of their singing, the emotion that they exhibit, the passion that we see from them, or the style that we see from them. Usually we're referring to these externals or when we say, wow, that really was spirit filled worship. Again, volume, emotion, external experiences, external appearances. But is that what worship is? The answer that you've already heard is a resounding no, But that doesn't stop us from believing it. You can't say, a man, you ought to say ouch. Right. We convince ourselves of these truths. Yes, this reformed idea, the regulative principle, and yes, the content of our worship. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, all these things. But the truth be told when we look at our word of faith, friends, or when we look at people who are out there on the fringes of this or that, and we see their faces contorted, and we see the tears, and we see the sweat dripping down and their bodies heaving all over the place. The tendency, even though we've come to believe what the Bible says about worship is to look at that and say, wow, those people really can worship mired in falsehood, often devoid of truth, mimicking pagan rituals, and when we see it, our response is wow, those people really can worship. There are discussions, I remember, there are painful discussions in pastoral ministry. Few of them are more painful than the discussion that you have. And I know we have a lot of pastors here, pastors and churches that you know, tend more towards the Biblical conservative, more reformed line of things, So you'll identify with this the person who comes and says, preacher, I just want you to know we have grown more at this church than at any other place that we've ever been. But we're just really looking for a little something more from the worship, and so they will go to a place where they will get nothing near the spiritual nourishment from the Word, so that they can go every Sunday and say, Wow, these people really can worship. There is a brokenness there, and it's a brokenness that exists for myriad reasons, and I cannot address all of them, but I want to look at one passage of scripture tonight and address some of this, address this, this thinking of ours, and perhaps point us in a little bit of a different direction. Josh asked me to deal with Ephesians five and the idea of psalms hymns and spiritual songs. And I am going to deal with Ephesians five and that question of psalms hymns and spiritual songs. But I want us to put that in its context. If I had to give you a title tonight, it would be our worship is about so much more than the songs we sing. Our worship is about so much more than the songs we sing. You have your bibles with you. Open them to Ephesians chapter five, Pesians chapter five. Let's begin at verse one. Again. We're familiar with the verse down there in verse nineteen, addressing one another in psalms hymn spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, and we're going to get there. I want us to put this in its context Esius chapter five, beginning at verse one. Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. And you are wondering why I would come back here to chapter five, verse one. All you have to do is riddle me this batman. Does that sound familiar? Let me read that again. Therefore, be imitators of God. It's beloved children and walked in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. Go down to verse twenty five. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Now, certainly, if verse one is almost repeated in verse twenty five, then we can't look at verse nineteen, which is in the middle of verse one and verse twenty five, without doing the verse one that was for those three four five people out there who were like well, I think way back to verse one. That's why the imitators of God has beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity and covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place. But instead, let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous, that is an idolator, has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partners with them. For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found and all that is good and right and true. And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them, for it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible. For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, awake, oh sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Now here's our paragraph, but you are going to hear in this paragraph remnants of what came in the paragraph before. Look carefully then how you walk. We were told in verse one to walk in love. We were told in verse eight to walk as children of light, were told in verse fifteen. Look carefully, then, how you walk, Not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil verse seventeen. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is, we were told in verse ten, and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Verse eighteen. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery. But be filled with the spirit. But that's an important one. Be filled with the spirit. Who that was spirit filled worship. We'll talk about what that supposed to me. Be filled with the spirit. What does that look like, glad you asked, addressing one another in psalms him spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. It's one thing, spiritfal looks like. Here's another thing. It looks like giving things always and for everything to God, the Father and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that interesting? We read earlier verse four that there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place. But instead, let there be thanksgiving. And now in verse twenty if thanks always for everything to God the Father and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then verse twenty one, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Amen, Hallelujah, Praise the Lord. Our worship is about so much more than the songs we sing. And it's clear from this text we can't unfold or unpack all of it. But I want to unpack a few things here. First of all, our worship is about so much more of the songs we sing, because really it's rooted and grounded in our adoption in Christ. There are a lot of ways that we can define worship. One of the ways that we can define worship is quite simply communion with God and with his people. Communion with God and with his people. I referred earlier to Bruce Leafblat's definition of worship. True worship happens when we said our mind's attention and heart's affection on the Lord, praising him for who he is and for what he's done. And so we have this simple idea, we have this broader paradigm. But here, in this context we understand theologically why it makes sense to view our worship as an expression of our communion with God, and it's rooted in the doctrine of adoption. We see that alluded to there in verse one. Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant sacrifice to God. But just because he refers to us as children, does that mean that he is necessarily referring to this doctrine of adoption? Well, I think he is for a couple of reasons, not least of which is that it wouldn't be the first time he referred to the doctrine of adoption. And Chapter one, beginning at verse three, we read, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, again clearly referenced in the first part of chapter five. Not only are would he be holy and blameless before him? But look at this next part. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Christ Jesus, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace with which She has blessed us in the beloved. In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the richest of his grace, which he lavished upon us in alwaysdom insight, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. Our communion with God and with one another is rooted and grounded in this idea of our adoption. I don't remember what it was this came crashing in on me, But for the longest time I thought about the order salutis, and we talk often about the order salutis, and the order salutis is sanctification and justification and glorification. If I go back to old sermons of mine, I refer to the order salutis again and again and again. As this tripard tired reality. We're justified, and we're sanctified, and we're glorified, justified. We have been saved from the penalty of sin. Sanctified, we are being saved from the power of sin. Glorified, we will be saved from the presence of sin. That was right and incomplete. That is not the order salutes, at least not all of it. It is justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification. We are adopted as suns. And this is huge. There are so many of us who have holes not just in our theology, but we have holes in our personal experience of our relationship with God because of this whole in our theology. And it goes something like this, God is a judge and the judge stands there, and I'm guilty before the judge, and Christ comes in before the judge, this mean judge on my behalf, and he justifies me because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. He looks at Christ and he sees Christ and not me, and I'm forgiven, and he conforms me to the image of Christ because he loves Christ. But he's still the judge who's conforming me to the image of Christ. And so every time I mess up, I look for the judge with his gavel standing there and I'm fearful of God, and so when I feel emotionally close to God, things are good. If I don't feel emotionally close to God, things are not good. Am I really saved? I might be saved, I might not be saved. How does the judge feel about me today? And I hope that at the end the judge welcomes me home. Let me help you. He is a righteous judge. And you deserved to die in your sin. You deserve to die for your sin. You deserved eternity, separated from God and Hell. And the judge declares you righteous because of the finished work of Christ. But he is not standing there with his gavel as your judge. He has adopted you as his son, and he, your father, looks upon not just Christ with pleasure, but he looks upon you with pleasure because you have been adopted as a fellow heir with Christ. But I'm not just making this up. Look back at the text verse one. Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children, not just as forgiven sinners, standing before the judge who has justified you, but as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering. And then we go on to this picture of what ought not be named among us, But in the midst of it there is a reference to us walking as children of light, and of the inheritance that we have because of Christ. Sexual im morality and all impurity and covetousness must not be named among you, as it is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness, of foolish talk or crude joking, which is out of place. Instead, let there be said thanksgiving. You may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral and pure and covetous, these idolaters, has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. But guests who does have inheritance. If I stand before a judge and he puts down his gavel and says forgiven, not guilty, I have no inheritance. But if I stand before judge who puts down his gavel and says not guilty, and then the judge also says, by the way, in addition to your decree of not guilty, there is a decree of adoption. And because of this decree of adoption, you are as much my son, my daughter as Christ who died on your behalf. I am your father. You are my beloved child. I have adopted you. Now all of a sudden, I don't just have forgiveness, I have an inheritance. I think it's clear he's referring to the doctrine of adoption here by referring to us as beloved children and by referring to the idea of inheritance. Why is this important Because when we view worship through a lens that does not include this idea of adoption, we often look at worship as performance. And there are a couple of ways that we look at worship, and especially when we gather and when we sing, there are a couple of things that we're trying to do. We're either trying to appease God or we're trying to manipulate Him in our guilt and innocent sculpture the way we view the world and the lens of guilt and innocence. We gather together in worship and we try to appease God. But there are other circles out there who gather together in worship, and just like the Pagans do, they try to manipulate God. If I can just be loud enough, If I can just cry enough, if I can just sweat enough, if I can beat myself and bleed enough, then perhaps perhaps God will hear, and I will manipulate God into giving me what I want, and He will look down and he will say, you know what you? I see you. You did a good job. What can I do for you? But there's another idea, not the idea of appeasing God, nor the idea of manipulating God, but the idea of communing with God, God who is our heavenly Father. Not only do we see that there's so much war to our worship and the songs we sing here in our doctrine of adoption, but there is a second way that we see it, and that is in our conformity to Christ. There is that sanctification. But that sanctification grows out of the same communion that we have with God. We are justified, and we are adopted, and then we are sanctified by the way. Our sanctification makes more sense in light of our adoption, does it not. You are justified, declared righteous. Now you're going to be sanctified conformed to the image of Christ. Okay, great, Why you're missing a step. But if I'm justified, declared righteous, and then I'm adopted and made part of the family. If I'm adopted and become part of the family, it makes all the sense in the world that I will begin to conform to the image of the family who has adopted me. So even my understanding of sanctification makes more sense and light of the doctrine of adoption. Look then, beginning verse fifteen, verse fifteen to seventeen, look carefully, then, how you walk not as unwise, but as wise making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Clearly here in verse nineteen, there's going to be this reference to the songs that we saying, you know, we're going to get there. But note that our worship is not just about the songs that we sing. This teaching about the psalms, hymns and spiritual songs comes within the context of a teaching about us as adopted children of God. Beloved adopted children of God, no longer walking as the gentiles do, but instead being wise and making the best use of the time. Because the days are evil and no longer being foolish, but instead understanding what the will of the Lord is. This connects us to chapter four of Ephesians. The first three chapters of Ephesians gives us this glorious picture of the indicatives, these things that are true about us because of the person and work of Christ. And then in chapter four we get to these imperatives. And chapter four and chapter five we have this contrast between the gentiles, the pagans, those people who we were apart from Christ, and those people who we are because of Christ. And look at what he says here in chapter four beginning forse seventeen. Now this I say, and testifying the Lord that you must no longer walk as the gentiles do in the futility of their minds. Here's what's amazing. Listen to how many times he references some intellectual idea no longer walking to gentiles doing the futility of their minds. They are darkening, their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of hearts. And again he's not talking about coronary disease. There they have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, grieved to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ. What a word. That is not the way you fell in love with Christ. That is not the the way you learned Christ. Assuming that you've heard about Him and we're taught in Him again heard and we're taught as the truth is in Jesus. To put off your old self, which belongs to the former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds. There it is again, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness. Why because you're an adopted child of God. That's why so we engage in this communion with God that conforms us and transforms us. Romans, Chapter twelve, Verses one and two. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God? What is good and acceptable and perfect? Do you hear the similarities here the idea that your mind is transformed, and because of your transformed mind, you are able to discern the will of God. Look at our text again, if he's in five fifteen to seventeen. Look carefully, then how you walk not as unwise, but as wise making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. This is not turning off your mind in order to engage with God and worship. This is engaging your mind in order to engage with God and worship. We miss this, and we miss this because of our poor understanding of who the spirit is. We see the spirit as a force and not a person, and we think that being spiritual means turning off your mind. These texts to which I've alluded make it clearer that that could not be further from the truth. But we do we believe this, don't we. I've said it before. If you want to get an audience on the edge of their seats as a preacher, here's what you do. You stand up and say, listen, I was going to preach sermon the a. But just before I came up here, the Lord just said, no, this is what you preached today, people that we're about to get it now. Holy Girl's about to bust out up in this place. Now, boy, why because here's what we believe. If the preacher stands up and disconnects from his mind, disconnects from his study, disconnects from his preparation, then the Spirit will take over his body and will get it direct from Heaven, unmediated. Because everybody knows the Holy Spirit can work here but not in your study. Isn't it sad? But you know this is what we believe, hours and hours and hours in the text, praying and pouring over it. But you stand up and say throwing that away and got something new for you and people believe. Now now we're gonna meet the Spirit. Now he's gonna show up. But what do we have instead? Now we get to verses eighteen and following. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery. Isn't it interesting? Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, But be filled with the spirit. It isn't an interesting that here? Drunkenness is something And the scripture always talks about drunkenness being bad. Amen, Amen, lights, drunkenness is bad. Okay, all right, I'm just checking. Okay, why much is clear? They drunk in his bad? He said, do not be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit. We got people who talk about being drunk in the spirit, like you can make evil good if you just put in the spirit after it. Do I get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery. The whole first part of the chapter is about fleeing from that debauchery, right, But be filled with the spirit. What does that mean? What does spirit feel life? What the spirit fuel worship look like? You don't have to wonder. He answers the question. By the way, the structure of the text answers the question. If you start at verse fifteen, you get three contrasts. We looked at the first two. Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise. That's a contrast making the best use of the time. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. That's a contrast. Now we have don't get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit. Three contrasts. It opens up like a telescope free contrast. On the third contrast you get three commands, and on the third command you get three contexts. Look at the three commands very clear in the pattern of the text. The third contrast, don't be drunk wine, be filled with spirit. Now you're gonna get three commands that are going to explain this idea of being filled with the spirit. Is it exhaustive, No, it's not exhaustive. However, it deals with the idea of worship. So spirit filled worship has to look like this. Addressing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your hearts. There's two way communion there. This is the other thing about the beauty of the doctrine of adoption. The doctrine of adoption not only makes sense of me belonging to God, but it also makes sense of me belonging to you. Why are you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, because we've been adopted by the same Father. And so notice this two way communion in our worship. Again, addressing one another in psalms, hymn, spiritual songs. I think we make far too much of those three words there. Those three words are not It's not about parsing. You know, these types of songs, those types of songs, those types of songs. No, this is a rhetorical device, all kinds of songs, addressing one another in psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart is our audience? Is our audience one another or the Lord? Yes, yes, we address one another as we sing and make melody to the Lord with our heart. A mighty fortress is our God. Amen. We encourage one in the Lord because we commune not only with the Lord, but we commune with one another in our worship the other one, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Imagine someone says to you, yep, I'm a spirit filled believer. That's awesome, you're a spirit filled believer. Let us go and pray and give thanks to God. I'm not big on prayer and thanksgiving. And then the third one. Here's the third command, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Here's what's interesting. We often people will often take verse twenty one, and they will make verse twenty one the umbrella for verses twenty two in following, and argue for mutual submission in marriage. Verse twenty one is not the umbrella for verses twenty two in following. Verse twenty one is the umbrella for five twenty two all the way down to six' nine three. Contrasts on the third, contrast you get three. Commands on the third, command you get three. Contexts wives to, husbands, children, parents slaves to masters three three, Three and notice what he says here, again this is about our. Worship spirit filled worship is also about our submission and conformity To. Christ it's about our communion With him because of our adoption In. Him it is about our conformity To. Christ but then it's also about our submission To, christ and our submission To christ through our submission to one. Another notice what it says in five five to twenty. Two, wives submit to your own husbands as to The. Lord six's. One children obey your parents in The, lord for this is. Right sixt'. Five slaves bond servants obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling with a sincere, heart as you Would. Christ all three of those have to do with submission To. Christ so let me say, this if you have a submission, problem it's not really a submission, problem it's actually a worship. Disorder how do we submit To? God we submit To god by obeying and submitting to those authorities That god has placed in our. Lives so let's look at it this. Way we say we want spiritfilled, worship and we want spiritfuled worship to just be about how loudly and emotionally we sing our songs regardless of our communion With god or lack, thereof regardless of our conformity To christ or lack, thereof and regardless to our submission to that authority That god has placed in our lives through which we exercise our submission To. Christ you, know one of the reasons that we take a shortcut on, wordship one of the reasons that we reduce it to performance not only because of this idea of Appeasing god or Manipulating. God and that's very attract to. Us depending on our, personality one of those verses the other may be more important to. Us, right Appeasing, god that sort of more romish view of, worship Manipulating. God that more word of faith view of. Worship but another, reason another reason that we want to reduce the idea of worship to the songs we sing and how we sing them is because that's a whole lot easier IF i can divorce my life from my. Singing that's a lot. Easier IF i can have absolutely no communion With god, whatsoever but just really enjoy, loud, emotional vibrant. SINGING i can do that IF i am a rebel who does not want to submit to, anyone BUT i just can't resist a, good powerful worship. Set that's easy BECAUSE i, can on the one, hand call myself a, worshiper an exemplary, worshiper and on the other hand not have to amend my life at. All but IF i decide not to take verse nineteen and rip it kicking and screaming out of, context and instead read it in light of What paul is saying Throughout chapter five and really Throughout, ephesian now all of a, sudden my worship is about so much more than just the songs THAT i. Sing and there's a flip side to it as, well because NOW i even think differently about the songs THAT i. Sing If i'm just here for the, EXPERIENCE i can sing songs that completely contradict the truth Of god's, word And i'm. OKAY i, mean if the beat is right and the band is, HOT i can sing all kind of lies and feel Like i've met With. God but IF i understand worship within this, context AND i rooted and ground it within these theological, truths then there's certain things THAT i just can't. Say there's certain confessions THAT i just can't make not ONCE i understand that my worship is about far more than just the SONGS i. Said, so as we go forth and continue in the rest of our, conference here's my encouragement to. You think about your worship and everything that we do over the remainder of our time here together within the context of your adoption In christ and your communion With god as a child Of god because of the person and work Of Jesus christ that purchased not only your forgiveness but your. Adoption think about it within the context of your conformity To christ by renewing and transforming your, mind and then think about it in terms of your submission To. Christ through your submission to any and every proper biblical authority That he has placed in your, life and through doing it as an act of worship because of your faith and trust and the one who saved you and redeemed you and placed that authority in your. Life this is not dependent on. Volume it won't be dependent upon. Emotion here's one thing THAT i have come to understand WHEN i recognize this theological. REALITY i may not look like the pagans with the sweat beating down off of their, face AND i may not look like them with their, convulsions AND i may not sound like them with their animalistic sounds coming out of me at. All but that does not mean THAT i can't or don't have a deeply meaningful and in many ways more emotional connection to The god who saved me and redeemed, me and with WHOM i commune in worship because of the person and work Of christ who redeemed. Me let's, Pray Gracious, god Our, father The god And father of Our, Lord Jesus, christ who by virtue of his person and, work not only redeemed, us but adopted us as your own bow before, you as grateful and humble, children beloved children of The Most High, God grant by your grace that as we come before you in, worship we would recognize that our worship is about so much more than the songs that we. Sing granted as we set our mind's attention and heart's affection on you and praise you for who you are and for what you've, done that we might recognize that we are communing with, You that we are having intimate personal fellowship and communion with you Our, god Our, father and with our brothers and sisters around, us those of whom belong to you because of the same person and work Of, christ who is our redeemer and. Theirs and grant that we might never again sell ourselves short by merely seeking emotional cathartic experiences based on, externals but, instead grant that our fellowship and communion with you might be as deep as the reality of our redemption In. Christ and grant this we pray In his name and for his. Sake com