Complainers Will Not Sing

Happy Sunday. Years ago, my father was preaching a revival in a little country church in Mississippi. He asked me to bring my guitar and sing a song. I was a college student at the time.

As I walked into the church, a man stopped me and said, "That ain't an electric guitar, is it?" I told him it wasn't, and he seemed satisfied, and he let me pass. As you likely know, there has been an ongoing battle concerning church music going on for quite a while now. I honestly believe that the hardest position on a church staff is that of minister of music, not pastor.

The minister of music hears so often, you know, we don't sing enough hymns or, you know, we sing too many hymns and we need more praise choruses or we sing too many praise choruses and the music's too loud and and the list of complaints seems endless. When I was first exposed to church music, we had a piano and an organ. We sang from him books. Chances are you have seen a change since those days.

The man who stopped me at that door years ago would not like what has happened to church music. Praise bands have in many places replaced the piano and the organ. New praise songs have replaced hymns. And some love the change and some well they hate it.

Churches try blended services where they do a little bit of both trying to make everybody happy. Other churches have multiple services with traditional services and contemporary services trying to accommodate the taste of each congregation. You may be asking yourself, where's David going with this? Well, I'm glad you asked.

Today, I want to look at Psalm 95. Let me read a bit to you. The psalmist, maybe David, wrote these words. Oh come, let us sing to the Lord.

Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving. Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise. For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth. The heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land which his hands have formed. Oh, come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95 does not address the issue of what style of music to sing. It simply says, sing, sing to the Lord. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving.

Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise. That's what it says. This psalm convicts me. I learn here that the music is not about me.

And what I prefer, the music is about God. I'm to praise him. And honestly, I believe with all my heart that God loves all of it. Whether it's the old hymn Victory in Jesus or the chorus good father, God loves his name being praised.

This sermon's been on my mind a long time. I have seen people so divided over musical style. Last week, a dear friend took Jeanie and me to a Christian concert. Brandon Lake was in Atlanta.

And if you don't know who he is, I'd Google Brandon Lake. He sings modern praise music. He's written a lot of songs sung in churches today. And he was joined by another artist named Pat Barrett and another Christian writer who you've sung his music likely.

That night at Gas South Arena, we had church. The only hymn that was sung was I have decided to follow Jesus at the very end. The rest of the music was contemporary and it was loud. And the band consisted of talented musicians, a drummer, a keyboard player, a basist, and probably three electric guitars.

There was a light show and fog machines. And it was impressive. Not what I'm used to. But that night, many new Christians entered the kingdom of God.

God is using Brandon Lake and Pat Barrett and people just like them for great things. They indeed made a joyful noise. Back to Psalm 95. I'll pick up where I left off.

Oh, that today you would listen to his voice. Do not harden your hearts as in Meabbah, as on the day at Masa in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For 40 years, I loathed that generation. And I said, "They are people whose hearts go astray and they do not regard my ways.

Therefore, in my anger I swore they shall not enter my rest." This section at the end of Psalm 95 is looking back at Exodus chapter 17. It's looking back on the children of Israel complaining to Moses that they needed water and that they should have stayed as slaves in Egypt instead of dying in the wilderness. The point of this section of Psalm 95 to me is do not harden your heart.

Complainers never find peace. Complainers never find rest. Next time you're at worship, sing. Sing to the Lord.

Do not harden your heart. And also find your minister of music or your worship leader and thank them. Tell them it was all perfect. They don't hear that too often.

Pray with me. Lord, we live in a changing world and sometimes we like it and sometimes we don't. But if it honors you, well, it honors you and help us to do the very same. Whether we sing the old ones or the new ones, let us make a joyful noise to you.

It's in Jesus name I pray. Amen. God bless. Thanks for watching today.