When the Record Plays Will You Like The Tune?
For some of the younger folks in the audience you may not remember a record player or records. CDs are possibly all you know. Well, a record is like a CD only bigger and usually black though I have seen red, blue and green ones.. They started out as 78 RPMs or revolutions per minute and were quite large and thick. They only had one song per side. LPs or long playing records came out later. They were thinner and played at 33? RPMs normally having at least six songs per side. You could still buy records with only two songs but they were smaller having a larger hole requiring an adapter for the spindle on the player. These played at 45 RPMs.
Often new technology gets its terminology from an older one. To write something down is to record it and once it is transcribed it is called a record. Music was being written or recorded to the round plastic platter and once recorded it became a record.
I am going to do a spin off, pardon the pun, on both types of records to develop my message this morning. We put a lot of emphasis on music in church life, but I am afraid that we often neglect the records we should be playing and the ones we are recording.
Job 16:19 Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. (KJV)
God is keeping a record of our life. He is recording our every thought, word and deed. In essence, it is going to be the song of our life as well as the record or account of it. And as we shall see later it will be played back to us. When the record plays will you like the tune?
John 8:13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. (KJV)
There are those who do not think our record is what we say it is and they would change the tune or spin it backwards and purposely scratch it like a Rap disk jockey. Yes, the Law required two or three witnesses in a court case for something to be considered a fact. However, Jesus was not on trial in this passage and yet they immediately dismissed his testimony or the song He was recording as a lie or off key. Some people do not like the tune their record is recording and they are sure that everyone else’s is worse than theirs so they criticize. Jesus kept true to His record and stayed in tune, as should we, if we are using Him as the melody for our life.
John 12:17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. (KJV)
There are those who see and hear our record and can sing along. It is great when we are recording our song and folks are clapping and singing along with us. Though the popularity of our record may change quickly and drop off the hit parade. No matter how many wonderful crescendos and thoughtful pauses there were in Jesus’ life His tune was applauded and also jeered until finally they tried to stop the music by nailing the composer to the Cross. They thought they had ended the song but all they did was write the refrain for the next verse was already being written and would be revealed to the public in three days!!!
Don’t get too wrapped up in the praise of men. Just record your tune in a way that honors God and it will not matter what the critics say and you won’t despair when your fans leave you or turn against you.
Acts 20:26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. (KJV)
There is nothing like a clean long play record. Paul spent a long time recording his tune before these people and when he was taking it on the road again they had nothing to complain about his tune. He gave everyone the best performance he could and turned none away nor missed any opportunities to give them the songs God wanted them to hear.
Rom 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. (KJV)
Some think they are making a good record but they will find that there are skips and scratches. Even the best of us do not always notice the sins that so easily beset us and these sins will cause skips and hisses in our record. We will skip some blessings that God wanted to give us and give the enemies of God an opportunity to hiss His tune for they think it is the one we are recording.
The self-righteous will find that they have not only scratches but also have deep long cracks and even large chips out of their record. What sounds sweet in their own ears is nothing but an irritant in the ears of God and men. We must be sure to know what we are recording so that there will be no unpleasant surprises at the final performance.
2 Cor 1:23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. (KJV)
Sometimes our records are not ones that are joyful. Paul was about to give the Corinthians some heavy criticism about their recording. This would also affect his recording as well and it gave him no joy to have to add rebuke to his tune by having to add it to theirs. However, he knew if the were ever going to have a good recording they needed what he was going to tell them despite any grief it would cause him or them.
2 Cor 8:3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; (KJV)
Sometimes our records are beyond our talent but God accepts what we have. I have received comments about my singing from I can’t carry a tune in a bucket to a compliment of "I have never heard anyone sing like you before." I wasn’t sure about what that second comment meant until I heard the rest of the context. The phrase could have been taken in the same frame as the bucket one if not for the context.
I admit that though I had a lead singing role in a high school musical version of Tom Sawyer I don’t sing as well as I would like to sing. While I would love to be somewhere between your favorite Gospel and Country singer, I often end up between Bull Frog Bill and Tinny Tenor Terry. Someone else once said that he never thought a preacher could sing. I was waiting to hear which one I could do or even if I couldn’t do either but in context this lad meant that as a compliment as well. Some folks think I don’t handle compliments well and it may be because so many start out as dubious ones.
Despite all that confusion, I sing because I like to and just as God loved the churches at Macedonia because they gave what they had He accepts what I have to give. They recorded the best tune they could and God heard it like the greatest performance of Handel’s Messiah. You give the best you have to your record and He will accept it and put it on Heaven’s hit parade.
Gal 4:15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. (KJV)
Some of our records overflow with love and sacrifice. Just as a sad love song or a ballad of bravery of a fallen soldier moves us to tears and respect so also do many records of the saints play such themes. Many want to live in the first half of Hebrews 11’s Hall of Faith. You can hear preachers everywhere whip folks up into a positive word of faith frenzy about God wanting His people rich and healthy. They need to read the second half of that passage.
Many saints like Paul have labored and suffered for those they have loved and ministered to only to have them turn their back on the servant of God and even spit in their face. Many have died for their faith at the hands of the ones who once willingly partook of all the love that the pastor or missionary gave them. God weeps at the record of unrequited love and betrayal for His own Son suffered the same agony. Paul says that it is given to us to suffer like Christ, on His behalf, not only to believe on Him. (Phil 1:29) I guess the cheerleader preachers never read that passage either.
2 Tim 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. (KJV)
Sometimes our record plays our failures for the public. God, in His tender mercy, keeps many of our failures between Him and us, but there are times when our failures are made public to humble us and to warn others. This is especially true of famous preachers because we need to keep our eyes on God and worship Him not men. I’m not famous and never shall be but still I always tell people to look to Christ. I am a man and men fail and fall. I want no one to fall because of me. If I fall pick me up if you can, but if not, march on into the fray and record the song of battle and victory not stop to play my dirge of defeat or death! Never let other DJs (Demas or Judas) stop your record or cut it short.
3 John 1:12 Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true. (KJV)
Sometimes others play our record for their friends because they like the tune.
Paul’s victory song was "I Have Fought The Good Fight" and he was able to suggest other tunes for people to hear because they knew he was an accomplished composer and would know a good record if he saw or heard it. This is the best way for our record to get play. Let someone else promote your record, not you. (Proverbs 27:2)
I John 5:11-12
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (KJV)
While many great men and women of God have wonderful records that played great tunes of victory and grace, God’s record bears the sweetest tune for it saves our soul. As I said before we need to have this tune as the melody of our own record and we shall have an everlasting hit. Anything without it is doomed to obscurity, yea oblivion. We all want some royalties from our record someday, but what shall we receive?
1 Cor 3:11-15
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (KJV)
Thank God that if we are sloppy or even unprofessional in our life’s recording we will have a place in Heaven for our contract with Jesus is forever. Yet, oh what sadness there will be when see all that we sought to gain in this life and thought would be valuable in Heaven burned up before us. God knows my heart that I do not want to just end up with nothing but that foundational contract. I want to have some type of royalty from my tune that I can turn over to Christ with joy knowing that it only came from Him for I could never earn anything without Him. I know that I will be ashamed of some of the chords and choruses that I have written and will hear too many snaps, pops, and hisses. Thanks be unto to Him that His blood has and will repair all those but still I know it won’t be the tune I wish that I had recorded. Yet, the final performance of my record will be better than many because I signed Jesus’ contract on April 6, 1975.
Rev 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (KJV)
Though I will be disappointed and even ashamed of my record one day, it will be better than the ones who thought they could be independent recording artists or sang with the Hell’s Bell’s under the Baalzebub Darkness label. They may think that they are recording the World’s greatest hit but there will be Hell to pay someday.
If you are under a recording contract with Jesus are you sure you are recording the right melody? Will you be proud to present him with the final cut or will you wish you had done some more editing along the way?
Friend, if you do not know the Lord it is time to change labels before you are locked into a hot gig that you will not like and there is no way out. Come to the Master Composer and let Him teach you a new song and put His melody into your recording so that when the record plays you will like the tune! Maranatha!!
