False Christian teachings, trends….
Spurgeon’s Morning commentary is on the following verse: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” — Heb_5:8. His Evening thoughts are about this verse: Song of Solomon 5:6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. [The morning thoughts are in line with the MLJ sermon which will be posted later today.]
In the last post, a sermon titled, Looking Unto Jesus, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the closed the service by singing the following hymn. The lyrics for the hymn are below the following video, so you may sing along.
What is the role that singing is supposed to play in the church? What are the Lord’s instructions for how He is to be praised through song? In this sermon on Ephesians 5:19 titled “Worship in the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers these questions and more. In this passage, Paul is concerned with how the Holy Spirit is manifested when believers gather together for worship. Did Paul mean to prescribe the exact style of worship that every church should have? No….
The music video of this post is a great portrayal of the spiritual struggle that the apostle Paul describes in Romans 7. The artist, Ren, portrays the internal spiritual warfare; he even portrays the voice of the Tempter about half way through the video. A couple of reviews of the song are linked. [12-28-24 I edited this post: added a video that edits out the foul language and provides a critique by a pastor; added my own comments at the end.]
I love this song because its lyrics contain much doctrine that helps me to consider Jesus’ sacrifice for me (and you). This is a great example of spiritually edifying Christian music. Fernando Ortega’s version is beautiful. I posted the song previously, that version was sung by Pastor Brian Cochran while he played guitar. That post was directed at personal psalm / hymn singing before reading the Bible.
This post contains a song by YouTuber Jon Harris. Jon Harris is an author and a blogger, until this video, I didn’t know he was a musician. His site is valuable because he has many critiques on false teachers and pastors, such as Tim Keller and David Platt. I’m posting his music video because it is very appropriate for Christian voters.
This post contains one hymn sung by Brian Cochran. It was copied and uploaded from his YouTube site. I have been experimenting with singing as part of my personal worship for the past year, off and on. I find that my heart is warmer and more prepared for reading God’s word if I have sung a few hymns beforehand. This hymn is one of my favorites because it reminds me of Jesus’ atoning work, His suffering… for me. I am moved to consider my priorities and clearly see that the things of self are still way too important…. I’m in my 70’s and need to seek God’s help to rectify this while it is possible.
This post contains two very short videos, the first is a song about BLM; the second, a one-minute statement confronting Cultural Marxism with Christian truth. These videos came from Dr. Voddie Baucham’s YouTube site, Wrath and Grace. The song is by Hip Hop artist, Timothy Brindle who is also a pastor. The Christian doctrine in his music is always thoroughly biblical. His other music contains themes that remind me of John Newton’s hymns.
This post contains the lyrics of John Newton’s hymn, I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow, to emphasize two things: 1- that his perspective is on the level of human experience; and, 2- he wrongly views God’s work in seeing it as something to be escaped (this hymn is so relevant because that is how humans typically view affliction, testing from God’s hand). Afterwards, scripture verses are used to convey God’s purposes in the work of refining. Then two versions of the song are provided, the first is a Country / pop version; the second, traditional hymnal version.
This post contains another review by Vince Wright of a song that most Christians are likely quite familiar with, He Will Hold Me Fast. Since he linked the Keith and Krystyn Getty version of the song, I uploaded it. Wright revealed the great spiritual significance of the simple lyrics of this Ada R. Habershon hymn. There is a link to the song for those who would like to quickly read all the scripture references. Check his site to see if your favorite Christian music has been reviewed.