WAG-Syllabus

WAG-5

Worship

Lesson 5

When they came to worship they…

They Sang praises to God

    And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:30)

Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, (Ephesians 5:19)

The verse in Ephesians’ tells us that the early church spoke to one another, singing not playing on mechanical instruments.

No where in the New Testament do we find use of mechanical instruments being used when singing praises to God.

Some believe that since there is no mention of the use of instruments then we can use them because God did not tell us not to.

    For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)

        Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
        Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)

    You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2)

        Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. (1 Corinthians 4:6)

Now if we truly want to abide by the teachings of Christ then the above verses are all we need to see that even though God did not say “Do not use mechanical instruments!” We need to heed the warnings of adding to and taking from and just sing as He has commanded.

Still there are those who will say that it is alright to use these instruments while we sing to God.

Let‘s look back a bit…

For whatever things were written before were written

for our learning,

that we through the

patience and comfort of the Scriptures

might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

 

 

    And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is     how you shall make it:…

    Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. (Gen. 6:13ff)

I ask you what if…

        Noah decided to use a wood other than Gopher wood? God did not say he could not use some cedar, oak, pine.

            What if…

               Noah decided to alter the measurements of the ark to make more room? God did not sayhe could not.

                    What if…

                        Noah decided to add more windows than the one specified by God???

Noah and his family were spared because Noah did according to all that God commanded him, he did not add to or take from what God had said. He did exactly what God said to do.

    Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire     went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. (Lev. 10:1ff)

Nadab and Abihu died right on the spot for using fire that God had not commanded.

We can learn by both of these accounts:

We can be like Noah and do exactly what God says,

not adding to or taking from;

 

Or

 

We can be like the sons of Aaron and go beyond what

He commanded and lose our life as they did.

You may be thinking God will not send fire from Heaven if we use mechanical instruments with our singing praises to Him. I agree but on the day of Judgment if we have not done exactly what God commanded we will hear God say to us:

        “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41)

    “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Matt. 7:21)

Let‘s look at Ephesians 5:19 again but let‘s focus on the last part this time…

Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Melody

Strong's Number: 5567 ya/llw

Definition:

to pluck off, pull out

to cause to vibrate by touching, to twang

to touch or strike the chord, to twang the strings of a musical instrument so that they gently vibrate

to play on a stringed instrument, to play, the harp, etc.

to sing to the music of the harp

in the NT to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song

Heart

Strong's Number: 2588 kardiđa

Definition:

the heart

that organ in the animal body which is the centre of the circulation of the blood, and hence was regarded as the seat of physical life

denotes the centre of all physical and spiritual life

the vigour and sense of physical life

the centre and seat of spiritual life

the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavours

of the understanding, the faculty and seat of the intelligence

of the will and character

of the soul so far as it is affected and stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions

of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate

We are told what instrument is to be used in the same verse that we are told to sing - our heart!

        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. (Colossians 3:16)

Our singing should teach and admonish one another.

    What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. (1 Cor. 14:15)

We need to understand what we are singing, we need to know what the words mean as we sing to God.

QUESTIONS

(Please give scriptures to support your answers)

1.  ______ to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ______  and _____ _____  in ____ _____  to the Lord, (Ephesians 5:19)

2. Who do we sing and make melody in our hearts to? 

3. What kind of wood did God tell Noah to use to build the Ark?

4. Did Noah do exactly what God said? 

    Should we do the same?

5. Why was Noah pleasing to God?

6. Can we add to or take from what God says?

7. If we choose to sing with the use of mechanical instruments, do you think God is pleased? 

    Prove your answer:

8. We used two examples in our lesson:

Noah who was pleasing to God

and

Nadab and Abihu who were not pleasing to God.

    Which of these examples will you follow and why?

    How can you follow this example today and be pleasing to God?

9. Does the New Testament scriptures tell us what instrument to use when singing praised to God?

    If yes tell the instrument and give scripture to prove your answer.

10. When we sing, our singing should be for what reason?

11. What is the conclusion then?

12. Who will enter Heaven?

13. When singing in worship… is a choir or solo singing pleasing to God? Please use the scriptures to back your answer.

 

Foot Notes:

http://www.studylight.org/lex/