Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
We return to a consideration of “the song of Moses” and “the song of the Lamb” (Revelation 15:3). Both the old (“the song of Moses”) and the new (“the song of the Lamb”) have a place in heavenly worship and deserve to be part of our earthly worship. Different styles of worship are found in our churches. Because most of us have easy access to a number of churches, we can find one that is compatible with what we think is appropriate and edifying. More important than style is substance: intercessory prayer, preaching and teaching, and good music must be based on the standards found in God’s Word. Regarding music, Ephesians 5:19 says that Christians should sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” From the very beginning of the Church, the Psalms were incorporated into worship, and this tradition of using Biblical passages as a basis for church music has continued. The principle is, of course, Biblical, although some adaptations are obviously superior to others. “Hymns” focus on the name and character of God as revealed in Scripture. Again, some hymns are better than others, lyrically and musically. Scholars debate the definition of “spiritual songs,” many thinking that these are songs of testimony. What is certain is that they must be “spiritual”; they must focus our attention on the things of God. The content of our music in church, then, must direct our attention away from ourselves and to our Savior God.