Larry Brown Danny Ingle Praising God in Song and In My Heart (Learning To Teach and Admonish My Brethren in Song) Larry Brown Danny Ingle

WHY WE SING In worship, how much time do you spend considering Lesson Two WHY WE SING In worship, how much time do you spend considering whether God is going to hear you or not? How much time do you spend trying to teach or admonish others? How much time do you spend listening to what others are saying to you? Is there any way you would like to improve in these areas? How? Do you consider/acknowledge that you are in the presence of God? Is God the object of your worship? Are you busy trying NOT to be heard, or busy trying TO be heard (without considering the message of the hymn)? Are we too busy listening to ourselves? Have you acknowledged the message that others are giving you? How can we improve? Envision God on His throne, with Jesus at His right hand. He hears us, and knows our hearts – it’s either worship or noise to Him Understand that your brothers and sisters need to HEAR your teaching to benefit from it. Listen to the message given by the writer, the song leader, your brethren and yourself. Sing with understanding!

WHY DO WE SING? 1. TO EXPRESS DEEP FEELINGS Singing has been called “the language of the soul” Jesus sang a hymn after instituting Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:30) Paul and Silas sang hymns of praise while in prison (Acts 16:25) Multitude shouted praise to God when Jesus entered Jerusalem (Luke 19:38) Psalm 100 – Is this how we approach God in worship? Singing is a part of us, and allows us to express emotions that are difficult to “say” or communicate otherwise. Does saying the words to Happy Birthday feel the same as singing them? Is it easier to say them or sing them? Songs also allow us to recall or remember the words more readily…allows us to “take them with us”. Paul/Silas: Even after being falsely accused, beaten and put into prison with their feet in stocks – they sang praises to the Lord!

WHY DO WE SING? 2. TO EDIFY ONE ANOTHER Teach and admonish one another (Colossians 3:16) Pray for one another (James 5:16) Wait for one another (I Corinthians 11:33) Let all things be done for edification (I Corinthians 14:26) Speaking to one another (Ephesians 5:17-19) We are responsible to meet the needs of our brethren! Pagan worship was performed as civic duty to either anger or appease the gods. Other religious cults engaged in singing to gain an “experience”. God intends for singing to create unity and “oneness”. Our worship is to be “in spirit and in truth” – heart felt and emotional while at the same time rational and rooted in the truth. Paul’s admonition – Eph. 5:17-19 Worship involves the expression of inward feelings and is directed upward toward God, but also involves those around us hearing and understanding, and as a result, being edified by our singing/teaching/example. What message did Paul and Silas’ songs of praise send to those around them? What was the result?

WHY DO WE SING? 3. TO PRAISE GOD God is the audience! God openly rejected “form” worship (Ps 51:16-17; I Sam. 15:22; Micah 6:6-8; Amos 5:22) God desires worship from the heart Sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips (Hebrews 13:15) HE is WORTHY TO BE PRAISED! God is the audience – the worshipper is the performer! Traditional Rituals performed as a duty – empty of real devotion to God. Artistic Performances directed to stimulate man’s emotions – success is judged by how the viewer/listener feels. Let’s not be pulled in by the “what’s in it for me?” syndrome (WIIFM) – well, I just quit going, cause I wasn’t getting anything out of the services… Form worship - David recognized that external rituals were not what God desired - Rather, the inward submission of the spirit From the heart All the pomp of men, the orderliness of form, all of the beauty of the art and all of the emotional stimulation evoked through drama and music cannot substitute for the simple devotion of a humble heart toward God. Genuine worship - Pour out his heart, his mind and spirit as a sacrifice on the altar of praise

WHY DO WE SING? Colossians 3:16 illustrates the three purposes of worship in song: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thanksgiving in your hearts to the Lord.”

The Church’s One Foundation #409 in Hymns for Worship (Revised) The Church’s one foundation; Is Jesus Christ her Lord; She is His new creation By water and the word. From heav’n He came and sought her To be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, And for her life He died. Elect from ev’ry nation, Yet one o’er all the earth; Her charter of salvation: One Lord, one faith, one birth. One holy Name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses, With ev’ry grace endued. Tho’ with a scornful wonder, We see her sore oppressed, Her doctrine rent asunder, By names and creeds distressed. Yet saints their watch are keeping; They cry, “How long, how long?” And soon the night of weeping Shall be the morn of song.

Understanding “The Church’s One Foundation” Under what circumstances do you think this hymn was originally written? Every time you recognize a scripture in the first two verses, write the reference next to the line in the margin. If you heard a sermon preached using only the Scriptures quoted in the hymn, would you feel cheated? Why? If we know this hymn by heart, how much do we know about the church? How useful, then, is this hymn in worship?