The Beauty of Music
"oily marks appear on walls where pleasure moments hung before"
This image really resonates with me. Picture frames that once held joyous pleasure moments - treasured memories of trips, birthdays, summers. Time shared together and captured in photographs for the walls showing all the sinew that was knitted together in the relationship of the two people - now being torn off the walls. All that is left behind of the once blossoming and beautiful relationship is oily marks. The pain and scars left behind in a break-up that can't and won't be healed swiftly leaving behind some memories of heartbreak that will sting for a lifetime.
Even as I think upon this lyric my emotions stir within me. The imagery of pain and loss represented by the lyrics brings me to places of empathy and memory. I relate to times in my life where I felt deep hurt because of a lost relationship. I'm moved deeply but like most memories of pain, they come to be bittersweet. Feeling painful emotions can be remarkably beautiful - think of the catharsis you felt the last time you truly wept.
And that is so much of what we get out of music. Memories of feelings we had in beautiful or painful moments. We are reminded of where we've been and can wrap ourselves up in the emotion of how far we've come.
There simply aren't very many things that add as much beauty to the human experience as music. When we create music, we are trying to get in touch with something bigger than ourselves - an idea, an experience, a movement. Often times, When we listen to music, we are trying to get in touch with something inside ourselves - a memory or an emotion. Music is a truly transcendent form of expression.
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For the Christian, music is a means to transcend earthly experiences and worship a Holy Creator. Look what Psalm 100 says:
"Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!" (Psalm 100:1-2 ESV)
In worship, our hearts are compelled within us, filled with exceeding joy as we come into God's presence with singing! It's just like listening to your favorite song, at a certain point you can no longer stand it, you are about to burst, and you have to sing aloud!
All week the hymn, "Before the Throne of God Above" has been stuck in my head. My wife is certainly tired of hearing it! But as Paul says in Ephesians, when you are filled with the Spirit you will be "singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart" (Ephesians 5:20).
Hymns have their basis in the Scriptures and that is where they get their meaning. In the way that life experiences like break-ups create great songs, so also does a life lived in faith. Our experiences and our joy cause us to worship through song. We can't help it! I wanted to look at the hymn, "Before the Throne of God Above," and examine some of the Scriptural basis for the lyrics.
(Disclaimer: Not all of my citations may be what the original author of the hymn had in mind, but I'll to my best!)
"Before the Throne of God Above" - C.L. Bancroft - 1863
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne. (Psalm 47:8 ESV)
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
(1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV)
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17 ESV)
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8 ESV)
to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 25 ESV)
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:34 ESV)
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 ESV)
Before the throne of the eternal God we have a perfect plea. We have the Son, blessed forever, Jesus Christ as our great High Priest eternally interceding for us and making atonement for our sin! No tongue can bid us depart - nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:24-25 ESV)
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— (Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5 ESV)
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30 ESV)
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:26 ESV)
If you have laid down your works of righteousness and by grace you have trusted in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to atone for your sins you can sing - you have no reason for despair! On the cross, God is satisfied to pour out the wrath for your sins onto Jesus. By the wounds of Christ we gain our healing, and it is finished. God the just is satisfied to justify you! That's reason for singing!
Behold Him there the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I am
The King of glory and of grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God!
With Christ my Savior and my God!
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12b ESV)
"For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17 ESV)
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
(Romans 3:21-25 ESV)
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 ESV)
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:3-4 ESV)
Jesus has risen from the dead! This is the whole of the Christian faith! God's Word inspires us to believe the evidence - Jesus was raised from the dead! This is why we center our lives on Jesus and put our faith in him. He has become our perfect righteousness. We die to ourselves and Christ lives in us! Our life is hidden with Christ in God and we are blessed forever!
This is why we worship! We are rejoicing in the God who has made the way for our salvation! We are remembering just how saved we are! And we glorify and lift up the name of Jesus because he is the one who has made the way! Praise Jesus!
Amen.
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