MECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS IN WORSHIP (Part II)

     Thank you. How good it is to be alive, on this side of eternity,
with the opportunity to serve our God and Creator. I continue to pray
that these moments spent together are beneficial to each listener,
that we all are challenged with a desire to do all things according to
the Divine Pattern given to us by the wisdom of our God through the
Book we call the Bible. Now to our study of the morning.
     Last week I introduced our study by reading from an article that
appeared in the Beaumont Enterprise of November 1, 1997. Those of you
who were listening heard me quote from this article entitled, "Joyful
Noise," wherein the writer discussed the use of "Newer music" in the
religious world of our day and time. From that introduction, I began a
search for authority to use mechanical instruments in worship unto
Jehovah today. In other words, Is it scriptural to worship God today
with the accompaniment of mechanical instruments of music, whether it
be "pounding drums, jangling electric guitars," pianos or organs. In
that lesson I ask the question, "Did the early church use mechanical
instruments in their worship?" I ask you the listening audience to
send me an example where they used the instrument in the First
century. As yet, I have heard from no one on this very important
point. Could you not find an example? Surely, if they used them, you
can tell me where.
     I also pointed out that not using instruments in worship causes
no controversy. Surely, we are right when we sing? Why? Because that
is what God says do, "SING." I also quoted a number of preachers and
religious leaders of days gone by who opposed the use of mechanical
instruments in worship today. In our study this morning, I shall
notice some of the reasons that have been offered to me and others as
to why some think it all right to use the instruments of music in
worship today.
     Someone says, "It was a part of the Old Testament worship. David
used instruments in worship to God." My friend, if you can go back and
pick up part of the Old Testament worship and bring it into the
worship of the New Covenant of Christ Jesus, why not bring it all over
for us to practice today. Why not animal sacrifices? What about the
Sabbath (or seventh) Day of the week as the day of worship? What about
the requirements of the Tabernacle Worship? The three trips each year
to Jerusalem? By what line of logic can we go back to the Old
Testament and pick out one thing we would like to do and reject the
other things that were commanded under the Law of Moses? The truth of
the matter is that the Law of Moses and all parts of it were done away
with when Jesus Christ died upon the Cross of Calvary. Paul states
that "he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle
wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the
law of commandments contained in ordinances..." (Ephesians 2:14, 15).
He also states in Colossians 2:14, "having blotted out the bond
written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us;
and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross."  My
friend, for you to go back to the Old Testament for instrumental music
tells me you agree with me in two things: First, you are looking for
Bible authority (and that's good). And, second, you cannot find
authority for it in the New Testament. Don't you know, if someone
could find authority for mechanical instruments of music in the New
Testament of Christ Jesus, they would have presented it a long, long,
long, time ago. No, my friend, it is not enough to find instruments in
the Old Testament. You need a passage under Christ's Covenant.
     Another comes along and says, "We have instruments in our Homes,
why can't we have them in the church."  We have a lot of things in our
homes that we cannot bring into the worship of God's people. We have
ice cream and cake, fried chicken at home, but who would be willing to
bring them into the worship of God and put them on the Lord's Table as
a part of the Lord's Supper. Ice cream and cake might satisfy the
flesh more, but they would not please Jehovah.  There are things that
a husband and wife can participate in at home, but surely, no one
would suggest that these would be permissible in our public worship to
our God.  There is nothing wrong with the piano or organ in our homes,
but, where is the authority to bring them into the house of God?
     Another says, "There are instruments in heaven. Look at
Revelation 14, It says there were harpers harping with their harps.
Don't you see, there are harps in heaven. And if there are harps in
heaven, surely we can use them in worship to God today."  My friend,
you have misread that passage. Let us look at it closer. John says,
"And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as
the voice of a great thunder; and the voice which I heard was as the
voice of harpers harping of their harps: and they sing as it was a new
song before the throne..." (Revelation 14:2-3). What did John hear?
John heard a VOICE. That voice was singing. The sound that John heard
sounded as "Many waters," as "Great Thunder," as "harpers harping."
No, my friend, John did not hear harps, nor waters, nor thunder. John
heard a voice, and that voice was singing.  But, also, John saw a lot
of things in His Vision. Were they literal? John saw horses, golden
bowls. Were they literal?  Can you imagine a spiritual being playing
upon a material harp?  This is really stretching something to justify
mechanical instruments in worship today by twisting John's vision in
Revelation. But, even if you could locate harps in heaven, you still
have not found authority for them in worship today.
     Someone else says, "Mechanical instruments are an aid to
singing." My question is very simple.  An aid to what?  Do they help
us to teach and admonish? Very often the instrument even drowns out
the teaching that is done. The words cannot be heard.  Instruments are
not an aid. They are an addition. There are two kinds of music: Vocal
and mechanical. God commands vocal--SING.  Man comes along and adds
mechanical instruments.  My friend, God's ways do not need aids.
Isn't it strange how man wants to improve of God's way of doing
things; never content to do things that the Lord commands the way that
He commanded.  An illustration just here: You see a man with a walking
stick. The walking stick is an aid to walking. The man gets in a car.
The car is not an aid to walking; it is another method of movement. So
likewise, mechanical instruments of music are additions to God's
commands. And additions made by man have always been condemned by the
Lord. When one says the instrument is an aid, he is appealing to human
logic. He is not looking for authority.
     Another says, "The Bible does not say not to use mechanical
instruments in our worship."  Question. Can we do anything or
everything that the Bible does not specifically condemn? God's book
tells man how to worship, not how not to worship. Granted there are
some negatives. But, think what the Lord would have had to say if He
covered all of the "thou shalt not...." Another point just here. There
is a vast difference between Generic and Specific authority. When the
Lord spoke to Noah in Genesis 6, He told Noah to build the ark out of
"gopher wood." That is specific authority. If He had told Noah, "Make
the ark out of wood," that would have been generic authority, and Noah
could have used any kind of wood that he had available. When the Lord
said, "Gopher wood," that eliminated all other kind of wood. He did
not have to tell Noah, "Now do not use oak, do not use pine, do not
use cedar, do not use ash," and on and on we could go. By specifying
"gopher wood," He left all the others out. When the Lord said "Sing,"
He eliminated any other kind of music, and that includes mechanical
instruments of music. Again, we need to recognize the silence of God's
word. Where God has not spoken, man has no right to come along and say
"Well, since the Lord has not told us, we are free to do whatever we
wish to do, just whatever seems right to us." Oh, No!! If that is so,
then each person becomes their own authority and we can do just
anything that we wish. God's commandments include all that they teach
and they exclude all else. It is tragic that man has never learned
this lesson.
     Occasionally, the argument is made that says the work "Psallo, as
is used in Ephesians 5:19, includes a mechanical instrument." Again, I
must differ with this conclusion.  True, the word, "Psallo," by
definition means, "to twing, to pluck," but the instrument that is to
be twinged, or plucked is always mentioned in the context, it always
accompanies the verb. In Ephesians 5:19, what is to be twinged or
plucked?  Paul says it is the heart. Hear him: "speaking one to
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody with your heart to the Lord." When the King James Version of
the Bible was being translated, the translators (composed of 54 of the
leading scholars of the world) looked at the word "Psallo," and gave
it the translation, "SING."  When the American Standard translation
was being made, 101 scholars looked at "Psallo," and translated it,
"SING." That should tell us something. And to my knowledge, no
translation that is consider dependable has ever translated the word
"Psallo," to mean "PLAY."
     Someone else comes along and says, "I like mechanical
instrumental music in worship." Now, that one I have no answer for. I
simply cannot respond to anyone who says, "I am doing this because I
like it. I do not have any desire to find Bible authority. I do not
care what God's Word says. I know I like this and I am going to do
it." What can one say about that kind of attitude. About all I can say
is, "Does the Lord like it?"  If you say, "Yes," I ask, How do you
know? Has He told you? Has He given you some special revelation? Just
how do you know that the Lord approves of it?  If He has not told you,
and no where do you find it in His Book, are you not taking a big
chance on eternity to stand before Jehovah with the excuse, "I did
that because I liked it"?
     My friends in this radio audience; do we need authority for all
that we do in religion.  Or, are we at liberty to just do anything
that seems right to us? If this is so, each person becomes God's law
to himself or herself--Just do what please self. In Proverbs 14:12,
the prophet says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; But
the end thereof are the ways of death." Let us not rest our eternal
destiny up what seems good to me. Rather, let us rest our eternal
destiny upon "a thus saith the Lord." Jesus states, "the word that I
spake, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). May we
all ask the question, "Lord what would you have me to do?"
     Thank you once again for your time and for your being in our
audience this morning. I plead with each listener, "Study your Bible."
Be ready to give answer to each one who would ask you a reason for the
hope you have within you. If I or my brethren can be on any
assistance, please feel free to call upon us.

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