METHOD AND MUSIC, OR THE ART OF HOLY AND HAPPY LIVING – Charles Spurgeon

METHOD AND MUSIC, OR THE ART OF HOLY AND HAPPY LIVING

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by Him.” — Colossians 3:17

Introduction

It is always an advantage to have the laws of a kingdom as concise as possible. No one will ever be able to tell how much of litigation and consequent calamity has been caused in this country by the confused condition of our laws. When Napoleon issued his celebrated “Code Napoleon,” which is an admirable summary of French Law, he conferred upon the empire one of the greatest gifts, and proved himself a wise ruler. We want law to be put into such a form that it can be understood, and that its application to many cases can be discovered at once. In the great moral government of God we have no room to complain in this matter—the precepts of Holiness are few and comprehensive. First of all, the whole of morality was summed up in the Ten Commandments, and written upon two tablets; then, as if this were not concise enough, we have the whole Law summarized in two Commands, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself.” And even this is brought into shorter compass still, for that one word, “love,” is the essence of all Divine Law! We, as Christians, find in the text an instance of the terseness, brevity, and clearness of Divine Precepts; we have here a Law applicable to every Believer—to every action, word, and thought in every place, under all circumstances, and yet this comprehensive Command is expressed in very few words. It is a great advantage to the mechanic to be able to carry with him in a small compass his square or rule by which he can adjust his materials, discover his errors, design correctly, and estimate his work when finished; without such a rule he would be quite at a loss; with it he is ready for work. We have before us a compact rule of life, a standard of morals, a guide to Holiness which we may carry in our memories without the slightest difficulty; and which, if we have but the will to use it, will be found never to fail us on any occasion! As the mariner’s compass or the polestar, so may the text be to us; here is an Infallible directory as to the way of Holiness—a judge whose decisions in the matter of Righteousness and Truth none need distrust. Read the text over, and then I shall ask you to observe the points in it: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by Him.” Observe, first, holy walking described; in the second part of the verse note holy music prescribed; and to enforce the whole text, bear with me patiently till we close with the third head, which will be holy motive inscribed—inscribed, I trust, upon all our hearts.

I. HOLY WALKING DESCRIBED

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” This rule is not applicable to every person here present; it can only be practiced by the regenerate; you must be in Christ before you can do anything in Christ’s name. Until your nature is renewed, until you have submitted yourselves unto the Righteousness of Christ; until Christ is formed in you the hope of Glory, you are not capable of walking after this high and hallowed fashion. “You must be born again.” The Precept demanding your immediate attention is not the Precept of this text, but another. The words of Peter, in the Acts of the Apostles, are for you, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Or this, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” You must begin at the beginning! It will but mislead you if I exhort you to walk as Believers before you have received the Inner Life; the root must be changed before the fruit can be bettered; you need a radical change, my unconverted Hearer, and you must have it or perish forever! Do not imagine that any imitation of Christian manners will save you; do not conceive that hanging upon your lifeless branches the semblance of fruits will transform you into a tree of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord. Oh, no, the sap within you must be changed; the Life of God must be infused into your soul; you must be made one with Christ, or you cannot serve Him. This Precept belongs, therefore, to none of you who have not believed in Christ Jesus! But it belongs to all of you, without exception, who are named by the name of Jesus Christ in Truth and sincerity; to all of you who have submitted yourselves to His Government, and are trusting in Him for Salvation. You will listen, I trust, and give earnest heed to this message from your Beloved. What then, does this mean, that we are to do everything both in word and deed in the name of the Lord Jesus? Answer: there are six points in which this Precept requires reverent care.

First, do all through the office and name of Christ as Mediator. You as a Christian are bound to offer daily praise; you should often lift up your heart in grateful songs and Psalms to God; but see to it that you do all this work of praise in the name of the Lord Jesus! No praise of yours can be sweet with God unless it is presented through your Great High Priest. Bring, therefore, your gifts of thankfulness to this Altar which sanctifies the giver and the gift, and always bless God through Jesus Christ. You are also to abound in prayer. It is your vital breath; you cannot flourish as a Christian unless you constantly draw near to God in supplication. But your supplications must always be presented through the name of Jesus Christ; His name gives prevalence to prayer; it is not so much your earnestness or sincerity as His precious blood that speaks in the ears of God, and intercedes for you. Pray always, then, with your eyes upon the finished Propitiation, and the living Intercessor; always plead the merits of Immanuel, and Heaven’s gate shall open to you.

In addition to your prayers and praises, you are bound to serve Him according to the abilities entrusted to you in teaching the ignorant the way of Salvation, in bringing in the unconverted, and in edifying the saints. But remember that your service to God in these respects can only be acceptable as you present it through the name of Jesus Christ! The hand of the Crucified One must offer for you the sweet cane which you have bought with money, and the fat of all your sacrifices; if you could give to God all the wealth that you possess, all the time of your mortal existence, all the talents with which you have been endowed; if you could do this from now on without a failure—if you did not present the offering through Jesus Christ, it would be as though you had done nothing! Your burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings would have no acceptance with Jehovah, for your sinful nature pollutes them all! How necessary it is, then, that we should often pause in our holy work, and say, “I am doing this for God, but am I presenting it in the appointed way? If I see anything of merit in what I am doing, I am acting contrary to the Gospel rule, and I shall be rejected. I must bring all my work to the High Priest of my profession, and offer it through Him.”— “The iniquity of all our holy things Is cleansed by His blood, which covers all, And adds a rich perfume divinely sweet, Winning acceptance at the Throne of God For broken prayers, and faulty songs, and even For service marred with sad infirmities.”

Take heed, dear Hearer, that you see the blood sprinkled on your service for God! Almost all things under the Law were sanctified by blood, and all things under the Gospel, without exception, must be thus made sweet to God. The Atoning Sacrifice, the prevalent intercession of the one appointed Mediator, Christ Jesus, must be constantly before our minds in all that we attempt to do for our Lord God. Let us never forget this lest we utterly fail!

A second meaning of this Precept is, “Do all under the authority of the Lord Jesus as your King.” Say of such-and-such a doubtful or evil action, “This I cannot do; I could not feel that I was authorized to do it by any Precept or example of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ThIs I cannot do, for I should be stepping aside from the allegiance which I owe to Him; therefore this I will not do, be the consequences what they may of loss or of suffering; I am not authorized by Christ to follow this course, neither will I, come fair, come foul.” On the other hand, when the act is allowed in Scripture, and only forbidden by the traditions of men, you may safely say, “This I feel that I may do; I see my Master has laid down no restrictions, therefore I will submit to no human traditions or regulations. The commands which will worship would inflict upon me I cast to the wind, for superfluities of pretended Holiness are but superfluities of evil.” When positive duty is concerned, your language will be, “This action I find that I must do, for I see an express Command for it; therefore, by His Grace, it shall be done; be it difficult, it shall be achieved; be it impossible, I will wait on Him who enables Faith to remove mountains.” O that every Christian were altogether and evermore obedient to heavenly rule! As the planet revolves undeviatingly in its orbit, because with the law imposed upon it there has come forth a constraining and compelling force, so may we also pursue our course of duty, because we have not only heard the Divine Precept, but feel the Sacred Energy of the Holy Spirit leading us in the prescribed path! Brothers and Sisters, how safe we feel, and how happy in our consciences if we are certain that we have the authority of the Great King for all our actions! The business of a Christian upon earth is not an independent one; he is not acting on his own account, but he is a steward for Christ.

II. HOLY MUSIC PRESCRIBED

“Giving thanks unto God the Father by Him.” Soldiers march best to battle when the trumpet and drum excite them with enlivening strains; the mariner brightens his toil by a cheery cry at every pull of the rope; and it is an excellent thing when Christians know how to sing as well as to work, and mingle holy music with holy service. The best music of a Christian consists in thankfulness to God. Thanks should be rendered by the Believer with all the acts common to men. Our eating, our drinking, our social meetings, our quiet conversations one with another—in all we should give thanks unto God the Father. This we should do in the labors peculiar to our vocation. Whatever your trade and calling may be, if you cannot sing aloud, you can sing in your hearts while your hands are busy; you can ring out the praises of God as well to the sound of the hammer on the anvil as to the peal of the organ; your feet at the sewing machine may beat time to a sacred tune. You can as well praise God while you crack your whip as when you sing a Psalm. Why not? If the heart is right, you can mount up to the heavens from any place or labor! Whatever your calling may be, you shall find some peculiarity in it which shall help you to magnify God, if you will but use a spiritual eye to discover it. We ought especially to praise God in the exercise of our religion; whenever the assemblies of God’s people meet, there should be much of holy joy. Some people are so afraid of joy that one might suppose them to labor under the delusion that all who are devout must also be unhappy! If we worshipped Baal, to lance ourselves with knives were most fitting; if we were worshippers of Juggernaut or Kalee, self-inflicted tortures might be acceptable; if we adored the pope, it might be proper for us to wear a hair shirt, and practice flagellation; but we worship the ever-blessed God, whose delight is to make His creatures happy! Holy happiness is a part of worship, and joy in the Lord one of the accepted Graces of the Holy Spirit! Brothers and Sisters, let us be happy when we praise God!

I have noticed with pain the way in which people will get rid, if they can, of happy words out of their hymns. The 100th Psalm for instance, runs thus— “All people who on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice, Him serve with _____” What? Well, they modernize it into— “Him serve with fear.” But, as I believe, the older form is— “Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell, Come you before Him and rejoice.” I am amazed some other scribe did not cut out the word “cheerful,” and put in— “Sing to the Lord with doleful voice.” In this way the Psalm might have been “improved” until there would not have been a grain of worship left in it! I mean to sing it, “Him serve with mirth.” And with a glad and merry heart will I praise my God!

If you are His child, rejoice in your Father’s Presence; if you are pardoned, rejoice in the Mercy that washed away your sins! Even if you are tried and troubled, rejoice that your afflictions are working together for your good! “Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, Rejoice.” The text tells us under what aspect we should regard God when we are thus thanking Him, “Giving thanks unto God the Father,” blessing Him that He stands in that relation to us as well as to the Lord Jesus. The belief in the Divine Fatherhood will surely make the sons of God happy! It is instructive to observe that thanks are directed to be offered especially to the Father; I suppose because we are most apt to forget to praise the Father; we love Jesus Christ for dying for us. We forget not the Holy Spirit because He dwells in us, but the common idea of the Father is dishonoring to Him. Is He not regarded as all Justice, and seldom as the Fountain of Love? Now, it is the Father who stands at the back of all in the Eternal Purpose; it is the Father who gave the Son to die; it is the Father who justifies us through the Righteousness of Christ, and adopts us into His family. The Father is equally to be loved and worshipped with the Spirit and the Son, and through Jesus Christ we should come to God, the terrible God as He was to us in our ungodliness, and now worship Him as the Father with thankful joy, because of the Mercies we have received.

III. HOLY MOTIVE TO BE INSCRIBED

Beloved in Christ, you have received all you have from God the Father through Christ. That you are not in Hell is due to His Long-Suffering; that you have been spiritually quickened is due to His gracious operation; that you are pardoned is due to His precious blood. Owing all to Him, what arises in your mind but gratitude? And what is the dictate of gratitude? Does it not teach you that it is your reasonable service to surrender yourselves to Him who bought you at such a price? For, ah, what a return it will be; how poor compared with what He has done for you! If you give your body to be burned for Him, yet He deserves infinitely more than all the sacrifices of the most painful death to recompense His stoop from the highest Throne in Glory to the Cross of the deepest woe! Let your gratitude compel you to do everything for Jesus. Reflect, too, that the Well-Beloved for whom I plead today is worthy.

“Him has God the Father exalted.” Do you object to that exaltation? Should you not rather rejoice in it? Is not that song most true — “Worthy is He who once was slain, The Prince of Peace who groaned and died; Worthy to rise, and live, and reign, At His Almighty Father’s side”? Will you deny to Christ that which He is worthy to receive? He deserves the crowns of angels, and the songs of all the perfected! Will you not give Him the best you have, even your hearts?

I appeal to the justice which I trust governs your judgment—should not Jesus Christ be the one Object of your life? Further, many of us here present have professed to be His disciples. We remember well the day when we were buried with Him in Baptism unto death. We voluntarily came forward, and we took upon ourselves to be immersed in His name, copying His example, and obeying His Command. If that act meant anything, it meant this: that we professed ourselves to be dead henceforth to the world, and risen with Christ! Now, by the profession then made, by the communion then enjoyed, I pray you, my dear Brothers and Sisters, whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the Master’s name! Let not this appeal to your honor be forgotten.

Lastly, I need not thus plead with some of you, for your hearts are pleading with you. I know you love Him whose name is as ointment poured forth; I know how the tendrils of your heart have entwined themselves about His Cross; His Person fixes all your love; you are only happy when you are walking in communion with Him; He is the sun of your soul, without whom you cannot live. Well, then, do what love dictates—bring forth the alabaster box of ointment, break it, pour the sacred nard upon His head, and if any ask, “Why this waste?” say that He is worthy of it, and that you love much because you have had much forgiven! This day bring forth the best that is within your store, the spiced wine of your pomegranate, and set it before your Lord, while Jesus sups with you, and you with Him! Again I say awaken yourselves to live at a more vigorous rate, and let the whole of the force and energy that dwells within you, and all that you can borrow from the seventh Heaven, be given up to Him who loved you, and gave Himself for you! May my Master’s blessing be with these words, to all who hear or read them, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON—COLOSSIANS 2:6-25; 3:1-17

Charles Spurgeon