Download - Why Do We Sing?
• Singing as we come together is an important part
of our worship. • We are to sing at the same time. • “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”
(Eph 5:19).
• “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts
to the Lord” (Col 3:16).
• There are several early Christian hymns in the New
Testament. • Phil 2:5-11.
• 1 Tim 3:16.
• Our singing provides an opportunity to teach
about Christ. • “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord” (Col 3:16).
• Augustine: “Oh, how freely was I made to weep
by these hymns and spiritual songs, transported by
the voices of the congregation sweetly singing.
The melody of their voices filled my ear, and divine
truth was poured into my heart. Then burned the
sacred flame of devotion in my soul, and gushing
tears flowed from my eyes, as well they might.”
• “Through him then let us continually offer up a
sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips
that acknowledge [confess] his name” (Heb 13:15,
ESV). • KJV & NKJV: “Giving thanks to His name”
• Greek is “confessing his name.”
• You know just how important the confession of
faith is. • “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also
confess before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt
10:32).
• “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation” (Rom 10:9-10).
• “By Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of
praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving
thanks to His name” (Heb 13:15).
• The Old Testament spoke of praise being a form of
sacrifice. • “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting
up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Ps 141:2).
• “I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving”
(Jonah 2:9).
• The New Testament speaks of the people of God
as a “priesthood.” • “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, His own special people, that you may
proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9).
• “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in
His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to
His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion
forever and ever” (Rev 1:5-6).
• Being in heaven, God receives constant praise in
song. • Rev 5:8-12.
• Rev 15:2-3.
• As we sing, we join the heavenly chorus from this
side of eternity.
• “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your heart to the Lord” (Eph 5:19).
• “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come
together, each of you has a psalm, has a
teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an
interpretation. Let all things be done for
edification” (1 Cor 14:26).
• What is implied in singing for mutual edification? • This implies that through the words of the songs we are
building each other up.
• This implies that I need to understand the words of the
songs. • Edification requires an understanding of what is said (1 Cor
14:9, 16-17, 19).
• This implies I need to sing.
• “You may with one mind and one mouth glorify
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom
15:6).
• As a body of believers, we are to be united. • “I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and
that there be no divisions among you, but that you be
perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the
same judgment” (1 Cor 1:10).
• As we lift our voices in harmony, we have the
opportunity to show that unity.
• “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is
anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms” (Js 5:13). • Martin Luther: “Music is a fair and lovely gift of God
which has often wakened and moved me to the joy of
preaching . . . . Next after theology, I give to music the
highest place and the greatest honor . . . . My heart
bubbles up and overflows in response to music, which
has so often refreshed me and delivered me from dire
plagues.”