|
||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||||
Commentary on "Worship and Song and Praise"
Day 5: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 – David’s Song
Overview
“And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.’ ” (Revelation 4:9-11, as suggested in the Teacher’s Quarterly, Page 72)
Problems
Wow! And wow again! And again!
Thank-you, authors of this lesson, for bringing the Revelation passages to bear on this issue of worship.
Those of you who have been face-down before God in the realization of His glory, holiness, love, grace, forgiveness and salvation know exactly what’s going on in heaven in John’s eye-witness report. If all the beings in heaven can’t help but fall on their faces, who are we to sit blithely in our seats?
I have lamented often that most of the Christians I know show more life while watching golf than they do when singing of the greatness of our God, if they sing at all. What a tragedy! It’s as if people are completely unaware of the incredible gifts we’ve been given in Christ.
I’m not talking about manipulative, sappy, overly emotional music. I’m talking about music that stirs the soul with the truth. Such music is moving regardless of genre. I am as wiped out by Bach’s “O Sacred Head” as I am by Darlene Zschech’s and Reuben Morgan’s “At The Cross.”
A large part of the reason I am so passionate about worship in the sense of Jesus’ victory instead of my behavior is that I lead music at our church. Back in the bad old days when I tried my hardest to please God, music was a chore, a thing to be done as perfectly as possible and developed as much as possible lest God take it away from me due to His disappointment with my efforts.
Well, He did take it away, gently but purposefully, because I based my identity on music rather than on Him. When I finally learned who I was in Christ, He gave the music back. And it is as if I received something completely new, completely right. It is a rare church service when my voice doesn’t crack at some point due to the overwhelming truth of the lyrics combined with equally powerful musical expression. And who cares!? God isn’t impressed with my singing and playing. He simply blows me away with His singing and playing.
Music truly is power, either for good or evil. If we keep it in the context of the songs in Revelation, we will not err.
Copyright 2011 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised July 26, 2011. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.
Official Adventist Resources
Standard Edition Study Guide Week 6
Teacher's Edition Study Guide Week 6
Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Wk 6
Search the Complete Published Ellen G. White Writings
Please Support This Project
