Benefits Of Worship (Worship 3) Series

Acts 16

We’ve been talking about worship that last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago I talked about how worship is, “More than just singing.” Last week I discussed, “Enthusiastic worship.” This week I’m discussing, “The benefit of music.”

Now I haven’t heard one negative thing about the worship, but I had a couple people mention how it was hard to focus because we mixed up the order of the service last week. Please understand a couple of things, we did it to make a point that it doesn’t matter to God what order the service is in, as long as we do it for Him. I personally want the sermon at the end so you walk away challenged by it. But remember if there is something you don’t like about the service, unless it goes against scripture remember that God is the audience not us.

I told you a couple of weeks ago that I was blessed to be in a church that loves God and loves people. You’re not a people, who care if it is a hymn or a chorus you just love to sing to the Lord I have received several emails from people saying how good the praise team is doing, and how they really feel they are learning how to truly worship the Lord in the biblical sense. SO, lets give everyone who is on the praise team a HAND.

Music in and of itself is not worship. Worship is what you do with the music.

There is power within music, both positively and negatively. Music drives things more deeply inside of us. For Example: 648-8888:

1. If I am not hungry for pizza and I start to sing that I get hungry for pizza.

2. If I am hungry for pizza and I need the number I know where to go.

These same principles apply to our relationship with God.

When a person listens to music there will be results in that persons life. If the music is righteous then the fruit of the listener will be righteousness. If the music is not righteous then the fruit of the listener of course is obvious.

When I was 20 years old I made a commitment to God to not listen to music that doesn’t glorify God. Notice I didn’t say, I wouldn’t listen to any secular music. The reason why is I believe that there are some songs out there by some secular bands that are pretty good. But in that same thought there are a lot that are real bad. I simply made the commitment to not listen to music that doesn’t glorify God.

I made this commitment because I know what kind of impact music has on people. I will not allow my kids to listen to music that doesn’t draw them closer to the Lord, but more importantly I am trying to raise my children in such a way so that they won’t want to listen to music that’s not going to help them.

Parents, please, I am begging you to sit down with your child and go through there music. I think you will be shocked to see that it’s promoting, Brutal and senseless violence, illicit and perverted sex, drug and alcohol abuse, gang activity, suicide and rape. Everything that we are trying to teach them is wrong. But at the same time parents I think we need to set the example and go through and evaluate the messages of the songs that we listen to.

Oh, you might say that music really doesn’t affect peoples behavior. Say that to the number of young people that are in prison now who have admitted to having been influence by their music to rape young girls, kill their parents, steel from people at gun point and sell drugs to make an extra buck.

If you want information on the music your kids are listening to then hit me up after the service for a book I have written by Phil Chalmers called: I don’t listen to the Lyrics.

Now we’ve discussed how music influences people negatively now lets look at how it influences us positively.

It draws us closer to the Lord. It helps us memorize. For example:

 The 12 Apostle

 The New Testament

 Psalms

They say one reason why music is so powerful is because we use both sides of brain one side for music and the other for the words.

God knows that what goes in, comes out. That’s why we are encouraged to read the bible, pray, fast sing. We are told, “what-ever is pure holy just of good cheer, if anything is excellent or praise worthy think on such things.

One of the points that I have tried to make of the last couple of weeks music is important. It is more than just singing. You as a person need to take the song and sing it to the Lord, that is worship. I also want us as a church to see the importance of instruments. God loves instruments and he loves the people who want to serve Him by playing them.