Because singing praise to God is part of how we present our bodies as a live sacrifice to Him (Rom. 12:1; Ps. 100:2), we must know how to do it. Here are six key lessons. First, sing to teach one another. Second, sing to admonish one another. Third, sing to help you remember God’s word. Fourth, sing strong with gusto. Fifth, sing to proclaim truth. And, sixth, sing for the unity of the church. Don’t be passive with your children; teach them how to sing! Don’t let them mindlessly sing when they come to church, but help them understand what they’re doing. All of this is for one purpose—to point to Jesus Christ, our only hope in life and death.  

 

 Sermon:

https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67c545f36f987cfc0eba616e

Okay, taking off of Romans 12 verse 1, present your bodies a living sacrifice, the focus is on singing, particularly presenting our bodies a living sacrifice in a local church. Okay, six singing lessons from the Bible. First of all, we'll start with the Apostle Paul, Colossians 3.16. The first lesson is sing to teach one another. Paul writes, 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.

This passage in Colossians teaches us that our singing is to teach one another. The Greek word for teaching is didasko. It means to provide instruction in a formal setting. When we sing we are teaching one another. Martin Luther said this, God doesn't need your good works but your neighbor does.

In other words, be intentional, be thoughtful, and be relational in terms of when you're singing you're actually teaching the congregation. This is in sharp contrast to some of the manifestations of Christian worship services where you just simply get lost in your emotions or in pagan worship where you just lose yourself in some altered state of emotional ecstasy, you know, moving yourself to sort of mindless repetition. That's not how Christians sing. Christians actually sing with instruction on their minds. The second lesson, second, sing to admonish.

Well that's in Colossians 3 16. The Greek word for admonishing is nuthuteo. It means counseling, to warn, to advise someone of some kind of danger or to correct one another. When we're singing, there are certain songs that actually are in the voice of correcting the church. The third lesson from the Apostle Paul is really to help you remember the words, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Singing helps you remember the words of Jesus Christ. Now we're familiar with this idea already, that songs help you remember. Kids learn the alphabet with songs, learn the books of the Bible with songs, and the truth is the words of songs come back to you. You know, I'm sure, you know, When you were younger, most of you, you've listened to songs that you shouldn't have listened to. And those words come back to you and you wish they could leave your mind.

But they don't leave your mind. I like what Bob Coughlin said, sing words that God wants us to remember. In other words, let the word of Christ dwell richly. Here's a fourth singing lesson. Sing strong with Augusto.

Psalm 8 verse 11, Psalm 98 verses 4 through 6. All over the Bible you find this. The fifth lesson, sing to proclaim the truth. So when we sing, we're making truth claims. We're explaining matters of Bible doctrine.

We're declaring what is true and what is real. And We're proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth that is of Jesus Christ. So here's the sixth singing lesson. Sing for the unity of the church. It unifies us because we sing off the same page.

We're saying the same words. We're declaring the same truth. We're actually promoting the unity of the church and the doctrinal coherence of a local church. But it goes beyond just singing the same words. Our researchers are telling us is that when people sing together in a group, their hearts actually begin to beat at the same rate.

Their heartbeats are in sync. So here's the bottom line. Remember that singing is a beautifully complex thing. Be self-conscious when you sing. And above all, teach your children how to sing.

Help them understand what they're doing. Don't let them come mindlessly to church when the songs are sung. All of this for one purpose, to point to Jesus Christ, our only hope in life and death. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Scripture applied as a production of Church and Family Life.

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