Psalm 67 the Bible reads God be merciful unto us and bless us and cause
his face to shine upon us sala that thy way may be known upon earth thy saving
health among all nations let the people praise thee O God let all the people
praise thee O let the nations be glad and sing for joy for thou shalt judge
the people righteously and govern the nations upon earth sala let the people
praise thee O God let all the people praise thee then shall the earth yield
her increase and God even our own God shall bless us God shall bless us and
all the ends of the earth shall fear him let's pray heavenly Father Lord we thank
you for this church Lord we thank you that we can be gathered today and hear
your word God just help me with my focus Lord I'm a bit nauseated and I just
struggling all day today Lord with dizziness and Lord I just pray you help
me to just keep my focus Lord help us to hear from you Lord and I just pray that
you just open our hearts Lord to understand how best to praise you Lord
we've sung in Jesus name we pray amen okay so taken from Psalm 67 there I
just want to take basically the title of the message is let all the people praise
thee that's a title of the message tonight let all the people praise thee
and we are commanded to praise the Lord right our Lord is worthy of all praise
our Lord is worthy of honor and and and worship isn't he now we serve a great
God he's given us so much he's given us salvation he's given us eternal life he's
promised us rewards in heaven should we obey him and do the works he's promised
us mansions on high you know he's promised us new bodies you know
everlasting immortal our perfect bodies he's given us so many things right he's
given us the righteousness of Christ imputed upon us right all the curse of
the law the punishment the wrath of God he's been taken from us put upon Christ
on the cross you know he's given us so much you know about what says we love
him because he first loved us right and so because of that he's worthy of praise
he's worthy of our of our love and appreciation right let all the earth
praise him now I I believe this chapter and I'm just using this chap I'm not
gonna be preaching the whole job I'm just taking a few thoughts from here
and using that as my springboard to get onto other things but I believe this
chapter in particular is actually referenced in the millennial kingdom of
Christ to come because it's so much the whole earth praising him let let all the
people praise thee you know are all the people praising God right now you know
has there ever been a time where all the people of the earth are praising God
there hasn't been right it hasn't come and so it is it is real it is true that
within all the nations there are safe people it is true that within all the
nations those safe people are praising the Lord so there's a truth to that but
if the whole earth is going to praise him and we see this this prophecy I
suppose taking place I believe that's in the millennial kingdom and obviously you
can apply that to the new heavens and the new earth where everybody is openly
praising God because Christ is raining on his throne so as I said let all the
people praise it's our look as people of God as the saved as his children we ought
to praise him right we ought to serve him and worship him the first thing I
want you to keep in mind turn to Ephesians chapter 5 verse 19 Ephesians 5
verse 19 the first thing I want you to keep in mind I'm going to be preaching
on singing right Ephesians 5 19 while you're turning there obviously on Sunday
I started in the book of Psalms and what is Psalms you guys know what it is it's
a sacred song it's a sacred song it's a song that's been sanctified for the
Lord's worship that's what a psalm is it doesn't just mean any song there are
many many songs right we know of many songs throughout the world so you can
sing about many different topics but when you sanctify us or separate a song
specifically for the Lord that is called a psalm and the the biggest book in the
Bible as far as number of chapters it anyway 150 chapters is the book of Psalms
and the book of Psalms is the song book of the Bible right it's the song book of
the Bible okay so God put this song book right pretty much right in the middle of
our Bibles because he wants us to take those Psalms and sing praises to him
all right it's a command to sing praises to him look at Ephesians 5 verse 19
Ephesians 5 verse 19 speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord this is
a command we ought to sing Psalms hymns spiritual song singing and making melody
in your heart to the Lord okay this isn't an optional thing okay now the
first thing I want you to notice is that singing first yes is a command but
singing is not just for your benefit of course you sing in the words of God
you're singing of his doctrines is going to uplift you it's going to edify you
but it's not just for your sake it's for the sake of others look at that speaking
to yourselves right yourselves so something to multiple people this is to
the Ephesian Church this letter was written to multiple people not just to
one person so when we sing we sing to ourselves right we sing to one another
when we lift up our voices and sing okay that's something I want you to notice
it's not just for your profit it's for the profit of others that we sing songs
but also look at the end of that verse making melody in your heart to the Lord
so we're also singing to the Lord we sing to uplift ourselves we lift to
edify one another in the church but we also sing in our heart to the Lord and
so when we take time and we sing that you know the hymns I always want you to
guys remember please always remember we're singing praises to God right we're
not just doing some some formal part of the service just to get to the preaching
you know just we're just going through the motions to get to the preaching no
you know and the other thing that I've observed we've like a lot of churches a
lot of people come late and thankfully thankfully we don't have a problem in
this church everyone seems to come on time you know but thankfully you know we
don't have that problem in this church but in many churches that I've been to
people come really late they come just like pretty much full in time for the
sermon you know it's kind of like there's the singing at the beginning of
the service that's kind of like the optional thing that just gives enough
time for people to turn up to hear the sermon no you know you get to church on
time to sing praises to Lord to the Lord right he's deserving of our love he's
deserving our support and with you being present you're supporting and edifying
one another in song okay the next thing that I want you to notice there it says
singing and making melody in your heart you know in your heart making melody in
your heart now when we sing you got to make sure that again it's not just vain
repetition that you're doing right we know that vain repetition of prayers you
know we know that the Lord does not enjoy that we know that he doesn't
receive any worship from that right and sometimes we can look at say the Roman
Catholic Church and we can look at how they repeat the prayers you know hey
oh Mary hey oh Mary our father is that the along Christina our father or they
repeat some prayer but they've got some prayer book and they just repeat those
words on that prayer book and that's that's a vain repetition you know but
you know as Baptist as Christians we also can do vain repetition like we can
open out up our hymn books yep we're singing song number whatever just to say
the words and not really focus on what we're singing that is vain repetition
if all we're doing is lifting up the words from our mouth but it's not in our
heart we're not thinking about what is being said we're not singing from our
heart we're not singing through the emotions that the Lord has put in our
heart then you can also be in danger of vain repetition making melody in your
heart you know it's possible to sing without your heart okay but it's
impossible to sing in your heart that doesn't and doesn't come out of your
mouth I'll just read a card some to you some 1914 some 1914 says this let the
words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight
Oh Lord my strength and my Redeemer so when we sing songs we want to make sure
that the songs that we sing are acceptable to the Lord right that means
we have to sing with the words of our mouth but also that meditation of our
heart those two things go together in the Bible what our mouth says ought to
reflect what is in our heart okay Luke 6 44 I'll just read to you Luke 6 44 says
for every tree is known by his own fruits for a thorns men do not gather
figs nor nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes a good man out of the good
treasure of his heart bring a forth that which is good and an evil man out of the
evil treasure of his heart bring a forth that which is evil for for of the
abundance of the heart his mouth speaker few guys not familiar that right for the
abundance of his heart of the heart his mouth speaker okay so make sure when you
sing it is coming from your heart right it's like when we preach the gospel
right we go and preach the gospel door-to-door to people we knock on
their doors they hear the gospel they say they want to call upon the name of
the Lord you know we say okay you know these are some words you can repeat
after me or whatever you can say this prayer but we always tell them right
it's not just magic words right it's not just these words don't you know you're
not trusting those words for salvation you're trusting the fact that you've put
your faith on the death bear and resurrection of Christ and now this is
just reflecting and just telling God you know you've accepted Christ you believe
on him you've accepted free of self free gift of salvation and you want to make
sure that you're eternally going home to heaven you know it's same thing right we
ask them to say those words but we want to make sure it's reflecting what they've
truly believed in their heart it's same thing with anything that we do right
anything that comes at our mouth we can lie we can pretend to be Christians that
we're not we can pretend to be walking the paths of God but is it in your
heart are you is that reflecting in your heart only you know that and you can't
you know you can fool me but you can't fool God right and if we're praising God
we're worshiping God we want to make sure our hearts are right before him
okay those two things go together singing from your heart or to come out
of your mouth and let me just show you this maybe you want to turn there Matthew
15 Matthew 15 verse 7 Matthew 15 verse 7 because I just want to show to you
from the scriptures that it is possible to sing or honor the Lord with your
mouth yet it'll be in vain right it can still all be in vain it can still be
empty right because we spend time we spend like 10 15 minutes 20 minutes
singing songs singing praises we want those praises we want that worship to
count right we want the Lord to be pleased we want it to be acceptable to
the Lord right we don't want to do it vainly waste our time and the Lord's not
not not not pleased by it and we're wasting now our voices are wasting our
time look at Matthew 15 verse 7 Jesus speaking and I know this is not about
singing singing but the principle is true Matthew 15 verse 7
ye hypocrites well did SES prophesy of you saying this people draweth nigh unto
me with their mouth and honor for me with their lips but their heart is far
from me but in vain they do worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments
of men so can we worship God in vain yes we can think we're worshiping the Lord
we can as a church be worshiping praising the Lord and it all can be in
vain if it's just with our lips if we're just worshiping with our mouth with our
lips but it's not coming from the heart right it's not coming from the heart we
need to make sure that we sing our praises to the Lord from the heart we
want to make sure that our worship we are doing that every week we're doing
it every Sunday we're doing it every Thursday let's make it count right let's
make it count focus upon the words that you're singing and make sure you mean
those words singing them to the Lord singing them to one another so we may be
edified as a church the next thing that I want you to pick up on we've singing
turn to Colossians chapter 3 verse 16 Colossians chapter 3 verse 16 it's a
very similar passage to Ephesians 5 19 but Colossians 3 16 is that singing is a
teaching ministry did you know that singing is a teaching ministry when we
sing we're teaching Colossians 3 16 says let the Word of Christ dwell in you rich
richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord there
it is again in your hearts right singing but the thing I want you to notice there
is teaching and admonishing one another right let the Word of Christ dwell in
you richly with all wisdom the songs that we sing ought to be the words of
the Lord they ought to be doctrinally sound they ought to come from the from
the Bible teaching and admonishing one another so I want you to realize that
when we sing songs we're teaching one another we're learning doctrine they're
all there ought to be time when you're when you're singing those songs you know
well that is true amen I you know amen with that and I've you know there are
some churches that have been to they're singing the Psalms and then I also hear
amen just during this June June the singing right during the singing of the
hymns because there's some truth yeah amen that's true you know we're singing
that to one another there's been many nice doctrines many good doctrines I've
learned just singing from this from that from the hymns and then I've gone later
and I've read my Bible and go hold on that's from that hymn I didn't realize
at the time that that was actually a phrase from the Bible or what have you
right and that's why you know that's why we do have hymn books right that's why
we do have the old-fashioned hymns you know the what's this one the soul-stirring
songs and hymns this is why I don't like the contemporary modern contemporary
Christian music is because these songs are very reflective to what we see in
the Psalms that is a very much full of doctrine right um when you look at the
book of Psalms when you read the book of Psalms there's a lot of doctrine and I
don't know if you know this but it's the book that's most often quoted in the New
Testament right I mean the Old Testament's full of prophets the major
and minor prophets it's got the writings of of Moses and yet the Lord chooses to
go back to the Psalms more often than any other book to speak about the Lord
Jesus Christ and the New Testament churches okay there's a lot of heavy
doctrine in those Psalms and when I look at the Christian music available today
the music that lines up more with the Psalms are the hymns you know the
old-fashioned hymns full of doctrine full of phrases straight from the Bible
and that is what I you know that's why God gave us the Psalms so we can look at
that and then say look all our music ought to comply with what we see in the
Psalms full of doctrine full of truth right and the other reason I like the
hymns is because it assists with congregational singing the very once you
kind of know the tune it's very easy to follow it's not anything fantastic or
you know confusing and it's easy to follow you can quickly learn the songs
and then you know once you learn the tune you can sing many many stanzas of
the same hymn whereas I know because I I went to a Christian school where they
sang a lot of Christian contemporary music with the you know with the
projector and all the words and the band playing I was sometimes I didn't know
where they were going right sometimes they repeat that sometimes they repeat
that they can repeat the chorus they'd start all over again sometimes they just
repeat the same that's the other thing quite often they'll just repeat the same
few words the same phrases over and over and over and over again kind of like
trying to get people in this hypnosis trance you know thinking oh the Holy
Spirit's come upon us you know over and over and over again empty rep you know
empty repetition right it's vain we don't see that in the Psalms yes there's
repetition because the songs we do repeat you know we sing choruses in our
hymn books we are repeating the same words but hey we're not doing that over
and over and over and over trying to get people hypnotized and you know that
that really that's really what's going on you know people are being moved by by
by the music rather than moved by the Holy Ghost and you know as far as you
know I'm not against new songs I'm certainly not against new songs I mean I
don't know when this was last edited I think in the 80s so I'm not against new
hymns I'm not against new songs that are right on doctrine and and that are can
can be sung by congregation you know maybe one day we'll introduce some new
songs but I'm certainly not going to sing the stuff from Hillsong and of you
know of that nature no way you know no way the other problem with singing songs
and look I know there are some independent fundamental Baptists churches
now adopting the music from Hillsongs and singing that right and I know okay
you know yes there are some there is some truth in those songs but here's the
problem their children are going to grow up singing that song that that music
they're going to realize hey this is so much more appealing to the flesh than
the old-time hymns they're going to fall in love with the Hillsongs and that and
they're going to start going off of their doctrine which is a false gospel
right it's workspace gospel if you can lose your salvation gospel and the kids
are going to get caught up in that in these churches that sing so it's you
know it's my responsibility as a bishop as the overseer to make sure that the
songs we sing you know will keep us aligned doctrinally and also you know be
allow us to sing praises to the Lord one of the questions that comes up is well
if singing songs is a teaching ministry then you know should women sing it right
should should women sing songs and obviously you guys know that that comes
from 1st Timothy chapter 2 verse 11 I'll just read it to you quickly let the
woman learn in silence with all subjection but I suffer not a woman to
teach nor to assert authority over man but to be in silence okay so that's the
that's the role of a woman in the church is that they're not they're not allowed
to teach they're not allowed to get behind the pulpit and teach man I know
that is so old-fashioned and I know that's so outdated and I know many women
out there just hate that but that's the Word of God and if the Word of God is
our authority we need to stand by that right okay now so the question comes up
well if women are not allowed to teach behind the pulpit then should they even
be singing if it's a teaching ministry turn with me to Exodus 15 Exodus 15 and
one of the because I have heard this use I have heard it use where it says well
hold on you know women were leading in the singing and that's a teaching
ministry so what's why is that any different to teaching you know behind
the pulpit and preaching well turn to Exodus 15 Exodus 15 verse 20 now this is
shortly after Israel was delivered from Egypt okay shortly after they were
delivered from Egypt Exodus 15 verse 20 it says here and Miriam you guys know
who Miriam is right the sister of Moses and Miriam the prophetess the sister of
Aaron took a timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her with
timbrels and with dancers and Miriam answered them saying sing ye to the Lord
for he have triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider have you thrown into
the sea and I've heard this argument used well see Miriam here she's leading
the singing no look at verse number one Exodus 15 verse 1 then sang Moses and
the children of Israel this song who's leading the song Moses Moses is leading
the song and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord and spake saying look
what he says look at what the song is saying I will sing unto the Lord for he
have triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider have you thrown into the sea
what did Miriam sing in verse 21 Miriam answered what does answer mean she
responded to that song it's like when we just sang it is well right the first
people sang it is well and then there was an answer it is well with my soul
with my soul that's an answer you're repeating back what was said before and
that's what Miriam exactly did in verse 21 Miriam answered them saying sing ye
to the Lord for he have triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider have
you thrown into the sea so can we so what do we get out of this from this Old
Testament was Miriam leading the singing was she in charge of the teaching as far
as song no it was Moses right and Miriam and the other women they're answering
back they're singing back the same words of that song right I just want you to
notice that because I have heard people use this and then extrapolate that say
well see women can teach behind the pulpit now you know men ought to take
the leadership role in song because it is a teaching ministry and I know there
are many pastors that hold two different views on this many different positions
I'm not against a woman singing I'm not against a woman coming here and given a
special as long as it's being led by a man all right so if I ever got my family
to come up and give you a special song I'd make sure that I was the one leading
it and coordinating it okay so that's what we see in the Old Testament we see
women are allowed to sing song and praises to the Lord but my preference is
that we will just sing congregational songs so we can all participate we can
all enjoy that now let me just I'll just read to you I'll read to you 1st
Corinthians 14 26 1st Corinthians 14 26 because I know there are some people
that are against someone coming and actually giving a special like if
someone came up to me and said Kevin you know there's this song that I love
I've learnt this new song great doctrine I think it'll be a blessing to the
church you know and you tell me about it I'm I'm more than likely going to say
alright you know next week you know bring it come forward sing it for I
don't know if there's anyone that's musically talented like that that would
be willing to do that but I wouldn't be against it and I'll show you why in 1st
Corinthians 14 26 it says this how is it then brethren when you come together so
I'm at church coming together every one of you have a psalm have a doctrine have
a tongue half a revelation have an interpretation let all things be done
unto edifying okay so there are people that will come to church but that they
weren't organized the first Corinthian Church weren't organized that's why
that's why Paul had to write to him there's some of you have a psalm some
of you have a song right some of you have have a doctrine some of you have a
tongue or a revelation or interpretation just just make sure it's all done unto
edifying it's all done orderly you can read the chapter you will understand
that Paul is saying look make sure it's orderly otherwise people think you're
crazy so it's fine for someone to come and bring a psalm it's fine for someone
to come and bring a song if that's something they believe the Lord has led
them to do just make sure you raise that with me first and I'll be more than
happy to allow you to sing a song but I'm probably thinking that nobody right
now is willing to do that so but anyway I just want you to know where I stand on
that I have no problem with special items I have no problem with a lady
singing a special item as long as it's being led by a man okay now so because
songs are a teaching ministry because we're teaching one another that means
song should be filled with doctrine I already covered that right songs must
have true doctrine you know Colossians 3 16 I know we turn away but it says there
let the Word of Christ dwelling you richly in all wisdom let the Word of
Christ dwelling you richly right the Word of God is all to be something that
we spend our time meditating on and teaching one another because then it
says that teaching and in motion one another in Psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord so that is one
way to make sure that the Word of God is dwelling richly in you is the singing of
the words of God singing of true doctrine and edifying one another we
should be singing the words of Christ but doesn't just just it doesn't just
say teaching it says admonishing one another in Psalms what does it mean to
admonish one another what does it mean it means basically to reprimand right
it's a reprimand to urge for corrective action right you're doing something
wrong and somehow singing can fix that singing can set you back into place if
you're if you're not walking in the Lord you're in sin songs ought to be able to
reprimand you and you know you might be wondering well how does that work I'll
give you one example and I've had someone approach me for this we already
sang footprints of Jesus but I'll just turn there quickly 310 footprints of
Jesus now it says here I'll just read the first bit it says sweetly Lord have
we heard thee calling come follow me and we see where thy footprints fall in lead
us to thee then he goes footprints of Jesus that make the pathway glow we will
follow the steps of Jesus wherever they go right and I had someone come up to me
go Kevin I like I don't want to sing those songs I don't want to sing you
know I'm following you Lord because I'm not I've got areas in my life where I'm
in sin I've got areas of my life that yes there are times I follow the Lord
and there are other times that I'm just serving myself and doing wrong things I
feel ashamed to sing those words but that's because you've been reprimanded
by the by the by the words right it's it's not saying necessarily that hey
yeah I line up perfectly everything that I do in my life I'm walking with Jesus
Christ so I can sing this boldly and and you know praise the Lord you know but
you know you know people that feel that way are afraid that if they sing these
words that God's gonna somehow chastise them no you're not you're not walking with
me but no hold on it's fine to sing the words I know we fall short you know I
think of words like I surrender all all to Jesus I surrender I surrender all
have you really surrendered all I doubt it I doubt you surrendered your whole
life because I mean we shouldn't sing it no you know you ought to be reprimanded
you ought to go yeah oh man I surrender all but Lord I fall short that's been
reprimanded in song you know music and and singing can do that and it also
don't be ashamed of singing those songs you know go yeah Lord I need a surrender
all help me to live up to what I'm singing you know so yeah you know it's
not just teaching it's also admonishing one another in those songs but and again
I already mentioned that that's why that's my big problem with Christian
contemporary music is that it's not filled with doctrine it is so vague it
is so shallow it doesn't even take words from the Bible it uses all these
fancy modern Christian you know love on you phraseology things that you know
this and it's not even words aren't even in the Bible I don't even know what I'm
singing you know I remember when I was singing these songs I felt like I was
singing some love song you know some love song from a from a girlfriend to
her boyfriend that's you know this is a romantic song I didn't feel like I'm
singing praises to the Lord because the words I was singing weren't lining up
with the words of the Bible weren't lining up with the doctrines of the
Bible they're so shallow they can be sung you can see you could take some of
those songs put them in the top you know hundred billboard you know whatever it
is and it'll be just fine it'll do well it'll be number one right because a lot
of these songs borrow elements as well from from worldly music worldly songs so
that's why they're so popular that's why they appeal to the flesh so much is they
are that borrowing elements from the world to sing you songs and it's so
shallow it doesn't even touch a spirit all it does is so to the flesh so you
know be careful with the songs that you sing be careful the hymns that you sing
let me give you one example if you guys you got you got your hymn books turn to
hymn number 240 240 and look I love this hymn book I think it's got a lot of good
hymns I think it's got a lot of good ones in here but again some of you went
here when I when we handed out the hymn books but I did warn you guys be careful
because there's a lot of false doctrine in these hymn books as well so don't
just think every song here is fantastic and wonderful no test it out first read
it before you sing it is does this line up doctrinally with the Bible are there
any false doctrines but 240 lily of the valley the lily of the valley and I
sorry Lily for using this example but this this this hymn is is false this hymn
is false doctrine okay it's a very popular hymn it's sung by a lot of
churches and every time when churches would sing this I would refrain I
wouldn't sing this and I'd ask my family I don't want you to sing this because
it's false I want you to sing what is true what is right and we say what why
why is that look at the first bit there I have I have found a friend in Jesus
he's everything to me he's the fairest of 10,000 to my soul the lily of the
valley in him alone I see who's the lily of the valley in this hymn book
it's Jesus right they're referring to Jesus as the lily of the valley now is
Jesus the lily of the valley is you know this is not a hymn that we can just fix
though if the toll is lily of the valley is Jesus the lily of the valley no take
your Bibles take your Bible turn to song of Solomon chapter 2 song of Solomon
chapter 2 verse 1 song of Solomon chapter 2 and the song of Solomon is
another song you know it's it's it's not in the in it's not in the Psalms but
it's another song it's a song of songs I think it's it's Solomon's greatest
song it's been put in the Bible he was moved by the Holy Ghost to write this
book song of Solomon chapter chapter 2 now what you need to understand about
the song of Solomon is that it is a love song that is it is definitely a love
song the whole book it's a love song between a husband and a wife okay and
many times in that book the husband is is speaking and many times the wife is
speaking and you see there's interchangeable times where they take
turns they speak about their beloved you know saying about her or she and and the
daughters and then sometimes about him and and the sons and you know you can
see this interchange changeable tech thing taking place but look at song of
Solomon chapter 2 verse 1 the Bible reads I am the rose of Sharon and the
lily of the valleys that's where the song gets its toll from okay I am the
rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys now let's just stop there for a
minute we know this this this book is about our husband and wife if you just
said if someone was saying I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valley do
you think that would be the the wife of the husband speaking like without
anything else you think it's it's the wife why it's very feminine
roses lilies right but then look at verse number two now the husband is
responding to the wife the wife said these words I'm the rose of Sharon and
the lily of the valleys the husband responds in verse number two as the
lily among thorns so is my love among the daughters so it's comparing you a
lot of poetic language a lily with many thorns okay he's saying that my love
like my wife is like that lily among thorns my love so is my love among the
daughters so amongst all the women you know in Israel you know he's saying my
wife is is like that lily amongst thorns right all the other women they're like
thorns they're dangerous they can hurt me but no not my lily my lily she's you
know she's pleasant she's something that I can appreciate and the other women
they're like thorns and you know you ought to take note of that man you know
your wife ought to be your lily right your wife ought to be your lily the
other women out there they're thorns they're gonna hurt you they're going to
corrupt you like make sure you have your eyes upon your wife alone okay now
that's what the husband is saying to the wife and then look at verse number three
Song of Solomon chapter 2 verse 3 now the wife responds back to the husband in
verse number 3 she says as the apple tree among the trees of the wood so is
my beloved among the sons so remember the lily was amongst the daughters now
she's saying my husband my beloved is like is among the sons I sat down under
his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste so she's
saying look it's like a it's like trees of the wood like a forest lots of trees
right all these men all the all these these are you know men of Israel it's
all these trees of wood but my beloved my husband is like a tree there yeah
but it's like an apple tree an apple tree that gives me shadow and great you
know his shadow I sat down under his shadow so he gives me shade you know it
gives me shade from the from the Sun and his fruit was sweet to my taste so this
tree is fruitful this tree her husband provides for her feeds her looks after
her that's how she sees her husband as this apple tree amongst you know this
forest of trees and he says his wife as this lily among thorns okay that's the
interaction that's happening between husband and wife and if you're still not
sure if the lily is referring to the wife look at verse 16 verse 16 the same
chapter it says and this is the wife speaking it should be obvious says my
beloved is mine and I am his so who's speaking it's the wife right I am his
he feedeth amongst the lilies he feedeth among the lilies so this is again poetic
language of their love toward one another and she's describing his love
to her as him feeding amongst the lilies fair to herself right and so when we
take a song like that the lily of the valley and we say oh that's Jesus no
that's a reference to the wife that's a reference to a woman that's feminine I'm
not going to sing feminine qualities about Jesus Christ let's say false
doctrine if he was called the apple tree of the valley then we could see that
right but it's not you know it's about the lily of the valley that's false
doctrine so you got to make sure you be careful when you sing hymns that they
line up doctrinally with the Word of God okay the next thing that I want to cover
is I'm just going to read some references to you is to sing loudly when
you sing sing not just with all your heart but sing with all your mouth sing
with your lips sing loudly proclaim loudly the words of God Psalm 98 verse
4 says make a joyful noise unto the Lord all the earth make a loud noise and
rejoice and sing praise I love it when it gets loud when we sing I don't like
it when it's loud when I'm preaching because I get confused but when it's
singing I love it when it gets loud right and I love singing in this
auditorium because you got the echo and it sounds like there's many more people
singing sing loud Psalm 51 14 deliver me from blood guiltiness Oh God thou God of
my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness my tongue
shall sing aloud Psalm 59 16 but I will sing of thy power
yea I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning for there has been my
defense and refuge in the day of my trouble Psalm 81 verse 1 sing aloud unto
God our strength make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob Psalm 149 verse 5
let the Saints be joyful in glory let them sing aloud upon their beds so is
there any doubt in your mind that God wants us to sing loud he wants us to
sing with everything that we've got I love it I love it when it's loud and
sometimes I say guys sing it up and there it gets loud it's awesome right I
take pleasure in it but I know I'm taking pleasure in it because I know the
Lord takes pleasure in it he wants us to sing loud and you know you might be
saying but Kevin you know I haven't got the best voice you know I can't follow
the tune you know I'm but here's the thing one thing that I've learnt and
discovered is that the more you sing the better you're gonna it's not it's just
like anything the more you practice it the better you're gonna get at it okay
I'm not really if you heard me sing in the past you notice that I was not the
best right I'm still not the best but now I can do a lot better I can follow a
lot more and song leading has helped me in that as well but honestly the more
you do it the better you're gonna get it like I'm not saying you need to have I
know some people are talented with beautiful voices you know the Lord's
given them those gifts and talents but God's given you your voice whatever you
sound like he wants you to use that voice to praise him so do it loud and
look sometimes some songs get a bit high as long as I get a bit low and here's
the thing and I looked it's up this is true if you sing quietly your range is
of notes is going to be limited but the louder you sing the more you open up you
know your voice the more likely you're going to hit the range of the higher
notes or the range of the lower notes okay that's just a proven fact the more
you the louder you sing the more capable your voice will be to reach those those
notes that you might struggle to sing otherwise so please you know and I
understand that many of these hymns you guys have not sung before you getting
used to them I get that but once you know them get them in your heart know
what the words say and then make sure your your mouths reflect what's in your
heart those praises to the Lord sing loud sing loud yeah just remember it is
God that gave you your voice all right so let the people praise him let's pray