Liberty Gospel Tracts - Bible Study Course - Music

Chapter 3

III. The Context of Music.

A. The appearance of the musicians/composers.

1. I Thessalonians 5:22 says, “Abstain from all ___________________ of evil.”

2. According to I Corinthians 11:14, nature itself teaches a man that if he has long hair, “it is a __________ unto him.”

Note: The context of music (the surroundings) will tell you a lot about the content of it. Just a glance at the CD or cassette cover will often tell you what the music will be, by the appearance/stance of the musicians.

Why would you listen to a piece of music that was

composed/played by long-haired men? I Corinthians

11:14 is very clear that such men are living in open sin

and shame, “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that,

if a man have long hair, it is a __________ unto him?” How

can you be helped spiritually by his music, when he is

defying God’s Word with his very appearance? He is

not a spiritual man, but a carnal man.

For a clear definition of what long hair is, please see the previous Bible Course on the Christian’s Appearance. A good share of classical composers also had long hair. Would you play a song that Michael Jackson had composed? Why not? Because his outward rebellion and repulsiveness, is caused from an inward rebellion against God.

Have you ever thought about those contemporary Christian groups which are so popular today? Look at their faces. Many of them do not smile — they frown. Many of them try to look tough. Many of them have weird, devilish looks on their faces. Most do not have a glowing face with the glory of God upon their brow, but have chosen to pattern their album covers after the way that the world does it (with the weird, devilish looks). Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The ______ of the Lord is your strength.”

3. According to Matthew 5:28, if anyone looks upon a woman to lust after her, he has “committed ______________ with her already in his heart.”

4. In Proverbs 7:10, a young man was met by a woman “with the ____________ of an harlot.”

Note: On many Christian female vocalists’ CD/cassette covers, they appear immodest in dress/stance. It is all geared to stir the flesh of male listeners to buy their music. They are carnal and sensual in their appearance, and it is going to be evident in their music.

III. The Context of Music.

A. The appearance of the musicians/composers.

B. The audience of the musicians/composers.

1. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of __________ shall be destroyed.”

2. According to Psalm 1:1, a person will be blessed if he does not walk “in the counsel of the ______________,” and if he does not stand “in the way of ______________,” and if he does not sit “in the seat of the ________________.”

3. Ephesians 5:11 says to “have no ________________ with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

4. We are told in John 3:19 that “men loved ________________ rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

It is common today for singing groups to turn down

the LIGHTS; to turn up the SOUND; and to add some

flashing strobe lights. The darkness; the beat; the

flashing lights; and the screaming of the fans works up

people into the heat of their emotions. It is no different

than any rock concert that the world would host. It all

stirs up the flesh to an emotional frenzy and immoral

feelings. If you are present in that group, you are

placing yourself in that same temptation.

I Corinthians 10:12 says, “Wherefore let him that

thinketh he standeth take heed lest he ________.”

III. The Context of Music.

A. The appearance of the musicians/composers.

B. The audience of the musicians/composers.

C. The association of the music.

1. I Corinthians 15:33 says, “Be not deceived: evil ___________________________ corrupt good manners.”

2. After Abram had gone and rescued Lot, the king of Sodom made a very nice offer to Abram:

a. Genesis 14:21-24 records that the king of Sodom offered: “Give me the persons, and take the __________ to thyself.” (vs.21)

b. But Abram replied in verse 23, “I will not take from a ____________ even to a ______________________, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.”

Note: Abram did not want any association with the king of Sodom at all. The king of Sodom was wicked, and Abram did not want any one to think that he was involved or helped in any way from such vileness and wickedness of the Sodomites.

Now how about YOU and YOUR MUSIC? If you listen to contemporary Christian music, then people are going to associate you with rock & roll music. If you listen to Country/Western Gospel, then people are going to associate you with the ungodly country/western crowd, because that is how you sound.

Illustration: Please think about that for a moment. A person has gotten saved, and has been delivered from a life of alcohol and rock music. You offer to take him to church with you, and you turn on your radio to the local Christian station. He is immediately bombarded with THE SAME SOUND that accompanied him in his life of sin. But you say, “O, the music does not matter. It is the words that are important.” In that new Christian’s mind, that music you are listening to is pulling on his flesh to go back into sin.

Then you sit in church and hear a lady sing a special number with a country/western background tape. The new Christian sits there and fights with his feelings. He is not thinking of the words being sung — THAT SAME SOUND is bringing him back to the bar where he sat drinking his beer, and watching the people dance. A fierce battle of the flesh is taking place in his mind. He wants to put that old life behind, but he has a hard time doing it, because the church today has so much of the world in it.

Christians and churches seem to forget that music is

always associated with something — either with God — or

with the world. Christians say, “We use the world’s sound

to draw them in to hear the gospel.” Is it any wonder, then,

that the church has become so worldly? Is it any wonder that

we see so many professions of faith, but so few changed lives?

A sinner who truly repents of his sin is going to be LOOKING FOR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT. A sinner who really wants to get right with

God is going to be LOOKING FOR MUSIC DIFFERENT THAN HIS OWN.

The people who have the idea of hanging on to all their sin are

not ready to get saved at all. That is why the church today is so full

of pretenders. What we need is some old-fashioned repentance,

where people forsake their sin — not drag it into the church with them.

Why do many new Christians lose their fire and zeal for the Lord after about a year or less? It is the fault of worldly, compromising Christians (or pretenders) who love the world more than they love God.

a. The Bible says in I John 2:15, “Love not the __________, neither the ____________ that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

b. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a ______ creature: old ____________ are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Illustration: Does it not seem strange that there are so many professing believers still playing their old worldly music? They got saved, but they still have the same old sound? They got saved, but they still play the same old beat? What is new in their lives? The Bible says that all things are to become new.

Some professing believers say, “I was raised on rock music, and I just like the sound.” Others say, “I was raised on country/western music, and I just like that sound.” Others say, “I was raised on classical music, and I just like the sound.” Others say, “I was raised on the blues, or jazz, or pop, or rap, etc., and I like the sound.”

Where did those sounds originate? Did the church start

rock music? NO. Did the church start country/western

music? NO. Did the church start classical music? NO.

Did the church start the blues, or jazz, or pop, or rap, etc.? NO.

It was the WORLD that started those sounds. If you still love

those sounds, it is because you still love the world.

Note: If you still love those sounds because you were raised listening to them, then what are you going to say to the new Christian who was raised in a home where the parents smoked? Is it all right for him to smoke because he was raised that way? What if he has acquired a liking for the smell of that smoke? Is he excused because he was raised that way? No, old things are to pass away, and all things are to become new in his life.

If you love those old worldly sounds because you were raised listening to them, what are you going to say to the new Christian who was raised in a home where they drank liquor? Is it all right now for him to drink because he has acquired a taste for liquor at home? Is he excused because he was raised that way? No.

Are you excused from liking psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs because you were raised listening to something else? NO.

One thing quickly becomes clear — IT DOES NOT

MATTER HOW YOU WERE RAISED — YOU ARE NOW

RESPONSIBLE TO LIVE A NEW LIFE IN CHRIST. Your

real problem is not how you were raised, but whether

you are now truly willing to repent of your sin. If God

can take away a new Christian’s old desires to drink

and smoke (and He does it miraculously all of the time),

then He can also take away your desires for that old worldly

music. It all depends upon you confessing that you have

sinned in this area, and that you are willing to repent.

REVIEW:

1. I Thessalonians 5:22 says to “Abstain from all _________________ of evil.”

2. Why would you listen to a piece of music that was composed/played by long-haired men? I Corinthians 11:14 is very clear that such men are living in open sin and shame, “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a __________ unto him?” How can you be helped spiritually by his music, when he is defying God’s Word with his very appearance? He is not a spiritual man, but a ____________ man.

3. On many Christian female vocalists’ CD/cassette covers, they appear immodest in dress/stance. It is all geared to stir the __________ of male listeners to buy their music. They are carnal and sensual in their appearance, and it is going to be evident in their music.

4. Proverbs 13:20 says “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be ___________________.”

5. John 3:19 tells us that men loved darkness “because their deeds were ________.”

6. It is common today for singing groups to TURN DOWN the LIGHTS; to TURN UP the SOUND; and to add some flashing strobe lights. The darkness; the beat; the flashing lights; and the screaming of the fans works up people into the heat of their ________________. It is no different than any rock concert that the world would host.

7. If you listen to contemporary Christian music, then people are going to associate you with ________ & ________ music.

8. Christians and churches seem to forget that music is always ____________________ with something — either with God, or with the world.

9. What we need is some old-fashioned repentance, where people ______________ their sin — not drag it into the church with them.

10. Does it not seem strange that there are so many professing believers still playing their old worldly music? They got saved, but they still have the same old sound? They got saved, but they still play the same old beat? What is new in their lives? The Bible says that ______ things are to become ______.

11. Did the church start rock music? ______

12. Did the church start country/western music? ______

13. Did the church start classical music? ______

14. Did the church start blues, jazz, pop, rap, etc.? ______

15. It was the __________ that started all those sounds.

16. One thing quickly becomes clear — IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW YOU WERE RAISED — YOU ARE NOW ______________________ TO LIVE A NEW LIFE IN CHRIST. Your real problem is not how you were raised, but whether you are now truly willing to ____________ of your sin.

Chapter 1, 2, 3, Final Test Liberty Bible Course Directory