Worship Through Singing

This morning, we continue to answer the question of how we worship by looking at the ways we worship through singing. To be honest, I have been dreading this subject since I set out to preach this series at the beginning of the year. I’ve dreaded it because, in our society, music is completely subjective, and that subjectivity has even carried over into our worship music. Everyone has an opinion when it comes to music. Today, we are able to open our music app on our devices and tailor a playlist to any given mood. In the same way, many Christians now pick the church they attend based on the type of music offered. Because of this subjectivity, we might be tempted to think that music and singing in church just really doesn’t matter. Some churches even take that attitude towards the “song service”, minimizing the number of songs and viewing them as a warm up to the main event – the sermon.

But music still matters in our society and in the church. Whether with our patriotism or our love for another person or our worship of God, some things just can’t be said – they have to be sung. Singing is always directed towards the things in which we find delight. And, singing reflects our inmost desires and attitudes. I had the opportunity to work with my dad in the company he started for close to 20 years before he all but retired last year. After just a few years working beside my dad, I could tell exactly what mood he was in by one simple measure. My dad can’t carry a tune in a bucket when it comes to singing, but he can whistle with perfect pitch. If my dad came in whistling one of his favorite hymns, you could bet it was going to be a good day. If he didn’t, you might want to tiptoe past his door!

Because singing is a reflection of where we find our delight, and because our delight should be set on God, we need to understand why and how we can worship through singing. So, this morning, let’s look at Eph. 5:15-21 as we seek to understand the “why” and “how” of worshiping through song.

We need to start by asking why we should sing as an act of worship? Paul gives us two reasons in this passage. First, we should sing because the Bible commands it. In verse 15, Paul starts this section by calling the Ephesian Christians to walk in godly wisdom. One of the practical ways that Paul gives for how we can walk in wisdom is by “addressing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” So, simply put, we should sing because God commands us to do so in order to walk with him. The Bible is full of commands to sing. In the book of Psalms, there are over 40 direct commands to “sing to the Lord.” Not only are there direct commands to sing, but we also have plenty of examples of singing. From beginning to end, the Bible is full of singing. In Job 38:7, God says that the angels sang during creation. In Exodus 15, Israel sings because of God’s deliverance from Egypt. The largest book in the Bible – the book of Psalms – is a book of songs. In Matt. 26:30, Jesus sings at the conclusion of the last supper. And, in Rev. 7:9, at the end of the age, all of the redeemed from every nation are gathered together to sing praises to the Son of God.

Second, we should sing because the blessings of God demand it. In verse 20, Paul says that we should sing as a way to “give thanks to the Father through Christ.” Our congregational singing should flow from grateful hearts. We should be grateful to God for two reasons. First, we should be grateful to him for his goodness. Psalm 13:6 says, “I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” God has been good to us by creating us, by sustaining our lives, by providing for our needs, by giving us relationships, and by giving us purpose. Second, we should be grateful to him for his grace. Psalm 96:2 says, “Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.” God’s great salvation that he has accomplished for us through Jesus Christ ought to fill our hearts to the point that we cannot help but sing for joy.

Now that we see why we should sing, let’s understand how we should sing as an act of worship. In verse 19, Paul gives four aspects of congregational singing that I want you to notice. First, Paul says that we should sing “to each other”. There is a common misconception floating around these days that we sing to “an audience of one.” In other words, the belief is that the only reason we sing is so that we might praise God. Now, certainly, we should direct our singing to God and seek to praise him in it. But, according to Paul, that is not the only reason we should sing. We should also sing so that we might address one another. Paul says much the same thing in Col. 3:16, but there he says that we “teach and admonish” one another through singing. Mike Cosper tells the story of going to church one Sunday with a heavy burden of guilt. He was struggling to sing the song, “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”, when an unknown man sat next to him and began to belt out the second verse: “It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished; his dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished.” Cosper said that, though the man did not sing very well, “in that moment, it wasn’t the words on the page but the testimony of the voice next to me that spoke to my soul.”

So, if this is the direction of our singing, then what should we sing about? Paul answers that by saying that we should “make melody… to the Lord.” So, we are addressing one another with the Gospel. We are singing about the Lord, to the Lord, and for the Lord. Our music and our lyrics should be focused on the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  Now, this brings up an important sidenote that I’ve made to those who help lead in our worship here. Because I believe very strongly that our congregational singing should be directed to the Lord and that we should only sing about the Lord, I do not believe it is appropriate to sing about anything else in our worship services. As a church, we can be tempted on special emphasis Sundays to sing about other things. But, whether it is a song about mothers, fathers, or our country, if the song is directed at anything other than the Lord, we should not sing it in worship.

The next question we might ask about singing is how we should sing? What type of music should we use? What format is appropriate? Paul tells the Ephesians to address each other with “Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” Paul gives these different types of songs to express variety and consistency in our singing. This list has been debated a great deal. Because Paul lists three specific formats, some conservative denominations say that we shouldn’t sing anything but the Psalms and we shouldn’t use music. On the other hand, some liberal denominations say that because he gave a variety of musical formats as examples, that means anything goes. I think the intention Paul has in this list is to say two things. First of all, we should use every musical format available to us to praise God. “Psalms” were quite literally that – the chapters of the book of Psalms, put to music. As a side note, the word “Psalmo”, used here, means “a song with a musical instrument”, so those who read this passage to say that we can’t have music in church are reading it wrong. The word “hymns” were early Christian chants that had developed by the time of Paul’s letter. And, “spiritual songs” refers to secular songs that had been adapted to Christian worship, much like many of our hymns have been set to popular saloon music of the late 19^th century. The point is that every variety of music and style of song should be used to glorify God. The music that we use in our worship should reflect the culture of those who make up the church. If you were to go to India and join in a worship service, the music and style of the singing would be very different than here, yet it is still glorifying to God. In the same way, if we have gifted pianists and organists, then we should use them. If we have a gifted guitarist or violinist, we should use them, too. What is important is that the style and content should be focused on the worship of Christ. The words of the songs, regardless of the format, should be glorifying to him.

Finally, what should be our attitude as we sing in worship? Paul says that we should “make melody with all your heart.” Psalm 98:4 says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord.” Some of you cling tightly to that verse, and interestingly, the word “noise” means literally “to cry or to wail”. Worshipful singing is to be the cry of a grateful heart that delights in the Lord. The concern is not so much with the quality of the sound but the quality of the heart.

Brothers and sisters, may we sing for joy because the Lord has been good and gracious to us. May we come ready to sing on Sunday, and may we leave with a song in our hearts that testifies to our true delight in Christ.