Music to God’s EarsWhat music is on your playlist on your audio system, computer, mp3 player, or satellite channel? Who is your favorite singer? What is your favorite song? What is your favorite type of music? When you feel somewhat blue, do you catch yourself moaning the blues? When you feel a bit rowdy, do you take occasion to rap a rhyme in poetic tune complete with your own voice beat?
People like all kinds of music. Some, humans have trained animals to sway to musical rhythm.
Music arouses something within us, drawing our attention with its aural sounds and/or its expressive instrumental or verbal content or message. Music more often than not, elicits a verbal, physical, or emotional response.
Since, as people, we are all different, it follows that different people like different kinds of music. What is considered good music to one may be thought of as confused noise to another. Some music grows on us quickly, while other music may gradually take hold of our mind and mouth to the point where unexpectedly we find ourselves humming a tune or jingle that we have heard sometimes years before.
We like music that is pleasing to our ear. We enjoy music that is pleasant to our sensibilities, satisfying to our familiarities, correlating to our personal experiences or desires, or reassuring to our hearts and minds, aligning with our understanding or views about life and the world we live in. Music, also, has occasion to utterly surprise us by giving voice to an idea or thought within us that we, ourselves, never found the words to truly express.
Music is categorized by genre, which speaks to the fact that it is set apart by distinguishing features. Some distinguishing features are time periods-such as the fifties, seventies, or eighties, place of origin-such as African or European, cultural context-like East Coast or West Coast, or style such as Country and Western, Urban/Hip Hop/Rap, Rock, Rhythm and Blues, Easy Listening, Folk, Classical, Christian, Southern Gospel, Contemporary Gospel, etc.
It seems there is music to mark every inflection and/or inclination of man.
The world of religion with its numerous faiths, alliances or denominations; national, regional, or local cultural differences of doctrine, practices, and worship styles of similar and dissimilar groups; and varied evangelistic attempts using promotional diversions to draw in new members has a multiplicity of tastes in music stemming from assorted motivations of the people of the various ideologies.
However, we must be honest with ourselves or face the music come judgment day. Our God is holy and He is not moved by just any beat or lyric, coming in just any form, coming from just any source, or coming from just anybody. And, neither should we be led away by Satanic Pied Pipers whose intent is to lead us to wicked worship and impure idolatrous praise.
We here today, are supposed to be burgeoning to a shared beat. We are the church founded by Jesus Christ. Christ is Christianity’s spiritual, and even musical, heartbeat. No Christ, with no death, burial, and resurrection means, no promise of eternal life, no promise of Holy Spirit power for sealing and sanctification now into eternity, and no hope in a sin sick and decaying world. If Christ did not live, die and rise again, then our faith is vain and we are of all men most miserable.
But, Jesus is real, historically verifiable, and His goes back to beginning extends into everlasting. Christians are not the only ones who verify His existence. The Koran of the Muslims contains verses in small detail of His coming and going. The Jews do not refute that He lived, and many Jewish scholars see Jesus as the complete Jew of Jews who lived a life worthy of emulation. Some Jews have come to Jesus, but most reject Him as their Messiah.
But, we, as Christians-God’s very own consecrated children, have our own record that He is alive and well. We believe that the bible is right and somebody is wrong. We have inspiration to make music because of our record, which is the Holy Scriptures, the God breathed love letter to humanity.
The Holy Scriptures declare, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The Holy Scriptures details things He has done, is doing, and will do, yet.
The Holy Scriptures designate man and God’s special affection towards him as God’s greatest creation on this side of heaven. The Holy Scriptures detail man’s creation and fall into a sinful state leading to his separation from his Creator and Sustainer. The Holy Scriptures indicate God’s plan for man’s redemption from sin because of His great love and not man’s merit. The Holy Scriptures declare that to redeem man the Son of God-Jesus, fully God and fully man, took our place on the cross, as an atoning sacrifice, the propitiation for our sins.
He hung, bled, died, and was raised from the dead on the third day and given all authority in heaven and earth. He built His Church upon this truth. Since the Gospel came into the world men have been pressing their way into the kingdom of God through the open door of the church, Jesus Christ. He is the head of the church and the church, His body.
When one sinner repents, the Heavenly host strikes up a joyful tune and surely, it is one of our Heavenly Father’s favorite pieces of music. The angels and the informed saints on earth make music to God’s ears, celebrating how another brother or sister who once was lost but now is found has made it over and gotten the victory made possible by the work of the Lamb of God.
Since, Jesus our Savior, was proclaimed in advance of His coming by prophetic word; since He was proven to be the Christ by His divine appearance and redemptive work as foretold through prophecy; and since He has been preached in the world up to this very day that we should come to know Him as Savior and Lord, then we, the church-God’s consecrated children should sing music that is derived directly from biblical truth with theological soundness. Our very faith is founded on believing that the bible is the tried and true inspired word of God, inerrant in content because its Author is infallible, incomparable as an instructional guide for righteous living, and the inescapable measure by which all men shall be judged. We are all out here on His word. ’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word; Just to rest upon His promise, And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”
Since the church is called to be holy as God is holy, then, we, the church-God’s consecrated children-should play music that directs us into reverent worship of God. The Scriptures pronounce that God seeks worship from us that is “in spirit and in truth.” Worship that is in spirit and in truth is evident in a lifestyle of personal inner and outer uprightness as detailed in the Holy Scriptures and determined by the leading of the Holy Spirit who aligns our motivations, thoughts, and actions with the Holy Scriptures to the glory of God. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee…
Since, Jesus has been exalted and given a name above every name, then we, the church-God’s consecrated children, should listen to music that provokes us to lift Him up in joyful praise, promoting His glory and majesty, and publicizing His many marvelous miracles wrought by His omnipotence in accord with His omniscience, and omnipresence. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world Is become the Kingdom of our Lord And of His Christ, And He shall reign for ever and ever… Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? His name is Jesus.
Since, Jesus is our great ministering High Priest and suffering servant Savior, then we, the church-God’s consecrated children should sing, play, and listen to music that ministers to the spirit of the saints encouraging them to continue on smoothing up the rough side of the mountain knowing that they have Blessed Assurance and recognizing that serving the Lord will pay off after while. We, the church, should sing, play, and listen to music that calls out to the unsaved beckoning them to Come to Jesus by faith in His word, challenging them to try Jesus for He’s alright. Letting them know that somebody's knocking at their door. Oh, sinner why don’t you answer? Somebody's knocking at your door. It knocks like Jesus at your door. When are you going to let Him in?
If we, living truly as God’s consecrated children, should write, arrange, sing, play, and listen to such music as described above then we will be as a magnificent melody to the Master Composer of all of life’s harmonies. Music composed of biblically derived content with theological soundness from biblically driven motives guided by the Spirit to minister biblically directed praises to our Maker, help and hope to the masses melded together now and later, simply based on the merit and might of the word of God and in particular the good news of Jesus Christ shall surely be music to our Heavenly Father’s ears.
Let the godly sing with joy to the Lord, for it is fitting to praise Him. Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for Him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing new songs of praise to Him; play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy. For the word of the Lord holds true, and everything He does is worthy of our trust. He loves whatever is just and good, and His unfailing love fills the earth. Psalm 33:1-5 New Living Translation
Amen – So Be It
Larry D. Reed, Sr.
I Owe Jesus
Submitted this day Tuesday, May 27, 2008
