GOD REJECTS SO CALLED CHRISTIAN ROCK MUSIC
READ: AMOS 5:14-27 TEXT: v23
Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols
The main theme of this prophecy/Amos is a rebuke from the Lord to an
indulgent/sinful church.
It was a church that had turned aside from her
responsibilities…which had chosen, not the better part, but the
easier part and who were (6:1) in ease in Zion.
They did not completely
abandon their spirituality - at least not outwardly - but they sought
to live before a façade, having (to quote the Apostle) a form of
godliness but denying the power thereof.
hey went through many of the
motions…but their religion stank in the sight/God and it fell to
Amos to relay the divine displeasure.
Amos came under great flak as he
sought to be God's spokesman in the midst of a corrupt religious
environment.
In 7:10ff his ministry/warning was attacked openly by
Amaziah who was the priest/Bethel.
His message was considered harsh and
he was told by the said priest to flee away unto the land/Judah or in
other words: Get lost. It is never popular to stand against that which
has the endorsement of the religious establishment. There will always
be flak to contend with.
Israel went through the motions of a spiritual existence.
In our
reading, we discover that the offerings were still being sacrificed.
The feast days were still being observed and the people were still
praising God in music and song.
But just as they told Amos to relocate
himself elsewhere, in our text God makes the same suggestion to them.
In v21 He declares most vehemently that He hated and despised their
feast days.
He refused their incense and (v22) He most publicly
rejected their offerings.
Although divinely appointed, their manner of
being offered rendered them repulsive and God refused to accept them.
Without the shedding/blood there is no remission and when God rejects
your offering, then your soul has no cover in the day/wrath.
In our text, God especially highlighted his
abhorrence of their musical worship, especially rejecting the words
they sang and the music which accompanied the words.
The things/God
might have fallen on hard times…but God is still big enough to
pick/choose what He wants to accept.
The world tends to think that God
should be pleased with whatever He gets…that the day of being
choosy is gone and if the people want to worship him with electric
guitars/drum kits and flashing lights and smoking ice …well, He
should just be grateful.
But that is not the God /Bible.
I am
contending that God's message to the Contemporary Christian Music scene
(CCM) with its gospel rock is unacceptable to Him:
Text. 4 thoughts:
1) YOU CANNOT NEVER BRING THE CLEAN OUT OF UNCLEAN:
A/ Goes without saying: That which is offered to God must be clean.
Question is asked: Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who
shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure
heart…
It was required of the OT priest that he wash first at
the laver ere he come before God.
That which was unclean could never be
offered to God. Concordance shows: God abhors the unclean. 2
Corinthians 6:14
B/ That which is unclean can never produce that which is clean.
Observed by Job 14:4 No such a thing as spiritual evolution! That which
is of the flesh…will always be fleshly and always stink.
C/ Not hard to prove [already done in previous sermon] that
the whole rock/roll scene is ungodly.
Couple of brazen quotes from
within will put it beyond question:
"Rock and roll is the darkness that enshrouds secret desires
unfulfilled, and the appetite that shoves you forward to disrobe them"
(Timothy White, Rock Lives,).
"[Our music is intended] to change one set of values to another
… free minds … free dope … free bodies …
free music"
(Paul Kantner of the Jefferson Airplane)
Rock music was not invented by godly men.
It was invented by
worldly/sensual/anti God and wicked people. No amount of arguing will
eradicate the stink!
D/ Answer me this: Why would any one want to bring such into the church
or work of God?
Especially when there are other ways (God's ways) of
doing the same work?
We are not at liberty to overturn God's order.
Israel tried that and met with judgement/rejection (text) God hasn't
changed.
2) THE CHRISTIAN ROCK SCENE HAS A VERY SHADY AGENDA/PHILOSOPHY:
A/ Let me remind you of what the Christian's agenda ought to be:
S/C Q1
To glorify God and enjoy Him for ever. i.e. 1 Cor 10:31 All/glory of
God.
We have bade world farewell. Why? James 4:4
Where such a farewell
is not engaged in - absence/salvation.
Cannot serve two masters.
Worldly Christian is not a term that even sounds right.
If your desires
are worldly… fleshly/sensual etc., why be a Christian?
Neither
world nor Christ wants you. You are the runt of both litters. Rough but
true.
Nobody knows where they stand with you. Don't trust you. Double
minded man: James 1:8
B/ CCM with its rock/roll is trying to straddle the fence.
Trying to
spiritualise the worldly and trying to make worldly the spiritual.
Bonar said: "I sought for the world and I found it in the church..."
(and vice versa)
Before we listen to some of the claims of CCM artists,
remember: God wants us as Christians to ever testify that we are
different from other people.
Sense: Just ordinary folk (not spiritual
snobs like Pharisees: 1 Corinthians 15:10) but we are different.
Possess something wonderfully different which the world cannot give.
We
want to attract others so that they can have it too. How do we do that?
[i] We unashamedly say that we are different. We preach it/explain it and we defend it. Paul: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
[ii] We show people where they are wrong. Wrong doctrine/wrong lifestyle
etc.,
Must do that. If they do not see that they are in
error…never seek the truth. Paul: Acts 17 etc., exposed error.
When you do that…run into problems: misunderstanding.
Most
people turn off: 1 Corinthians 1:18/2:14 but always remember…not
all turn off.
There are those who will heed/message and believe and be
saved.
Whether popular/unpopular…God says this is the way do
it…God can look after His own work.
C/ Let's listen to the comments of leading CCM artistes:
LITTLE RICHARD, "I can't go to a Bible study. Most of my inspiration
comes directly from God's Spirit. . . . There are good people in all
churches. Some Buddhists really love God. Some JW's, too. It doesn't
matter what church you belong to! Only God can read a man's heart"
Can you imagine the Apostles standing up and proclaiming that kind of
message?
What does that message convey?
[i] Forget about your Bible.
[ii] I am directly inspired/Holy Spirit - not at liberty to
criticise/reject message
[iii] If you are Buddhist/JW/whatever - doesn't
matter.
If I said that from this pulpit tonight…would you come
back next week?
What's the difference.
Is it because I haven't got a
drum kit/back up band and access to a recording company?
Every church
or Christian leader that sponsors in any way Little Richard is part of
his ministry: Obadiah 1:11
B.J. THOMAS: "I don't believe in organized religion. I think it's just
a cop-out. . . . I'm not a fundamentalist Christian either, no. I mean,
you know, I'm not a member of those born-again people--those Christians
that are going to heaven while other people go to hell"
Again: Would Peter/John say that?
If not…it is not Christian.
Not even neutral…it is anti-Christian.
Is it acceptable for
Christians to play or sing or support in any way (presence/voice/money)
that which so blatantly denigrates the gospel/Christ? Not even subtle
is it?
[CCM performer and writer JOHN FISCHER speaks of an imaginary
encounter with God] 'Wait a minute Kid [supposedly this is God speaking
to John]. Leave it [the radio] on You know, I kind of like this stuff
[rock].' I watched in shock as He smiled at me through a casual puff of
cigar smoke and swayed His head ever so slightly with the music."
What a portrayal/God.
Does that fit in with the Bible portrait/God?
Isaiah 6/57:15
Do you get the impression from Revelation that God puffs
cigars and kind likes rock/roll and sways to the beat?
If your answer
is "no" then these men are preaching (singing) about another
god/another Jesus.
I smell sulphur! Satanic hand. I see another golden
calf in the camp.
3) THE CHRISTIAN ROCK SCENE DOES NOT PROPAGATE THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE/GOD:
Quotes already given would suffice.
But there are those who say that
they are trying to save people through their rock music.
But how do
they do it?
Apart from the fact that excessive music/drums etc., almost
drowns out the words…what are the words which are meant to bring
fear/God into hearts?
A/ First of all…we ask the question:
How does God say we are to
do it? Ans:- Preach (1 Corinthians 1:21/2 Timothy 4:2)
This might take
in pulpit work or personal work (Acts 8:26) or introducing the Saviour
in every day speech: Acts 8:4 (lit) God wants to us to be witnesses
(Acts 1:8) Just tell it as it is. Don't have to be fancy etc., tell the
facts and apply them and let God do the rest.
B/ Two edged argument covering all forms/music.
While God can/does use
hymns etc., solo's to arouse the lost/need…we are nowhere told
to sing the gospel. I would not like to lean too heavy on it as a
ministry.
C/ OK preachers can waffle…but Christianity is full of preachers
who preached truth and left man without excuse: Jonathan Edwards
(Sinners/Angry God) Whitefield/Wesley/Nicholson etc.,
Just preached it.
Compare it with this:
"[ROGER ROSE's] attempts to avoid church talk and clichés result
in some fresh, invigorating images. In 'Living Dead,' the line 'I need
life blood' is, Rose suggests, 'another way of getting at Jesus' words
that we need to be born again without using those now too familiar
words"
Fair enough if you are preaching to cryptic crossword loving
theologians!
Why did Jesus not entice Nicodemus with language like
that?
Who gave Rose the right to say that certain terms Bible are now
beyond their use by date?
Again: "It is a good thing that this album [by CRUSE] comes with a lyric
sheet, because most of the words do not come through distinctly enough
for one to easily follow the message" (Contemporary Christian Music
Magazine, March 1987, p. 19).
What an admission!
Denial of its own basic reason/being.
If I preached
and most of my words ever came through like that…my preaching
days would be over.
"More people have been led to Christ with [the song Dust in the Wind]
than with everything else I've ever written. Not only did that song not
mention Jesus, but I was not a Christian at the time. It just happened
to be a truth that the song emphasized" (KERRY LIVGREN, former member
of the secular rock group Kansas)
This is a million miles away from NT Christianity.
Such does not lead
men to God.
"The kids that were into Stryper four or five years ago are
into trash right now" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb.
1989, p. 20).
4) ANYTHING THAT TENDS TOWARDS CHRISTIAN ROCK IS TO BE REJECTED.
A/ Listen to God's word: Ephesians 5:11/2 Corinthians 6:14
Whatever the
emotional cost…1 Samuel 15:22.
If God rejects it…we
cannot be wiser or holier than God.
B/ Walk away from it.
God has something better/more satisfying.
There
is something solid/real/spiritual that does not pander lusts/flesh.
Taste the sweetness/power of true Biblical evangelism which God
blesses/uses.
You will not regret it!
THE END
Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland