Harps In Heaven

Introduction

Good morning and welcome to everyone.

Advocates of instrumental music in worship have used a number of arguments to justify the practice. I find it interesting that just a couple of hundred years ago that most religious groups were opposed to the use of instruments in corporate worship. That was a time when people had a great deal more of respect and knowledge of the Word of God. It was also a time when they were unanimously opposed to homosexuality, if that tells you anything. And so we’ve come a long way. But we see in most of Christianity around us the more common use of instrumental music. We see it even among those who are our brethren. And people attempting to justify the practice. Well, what are the justifications that they use? Some would make the argument that instruments were used in Old Testament worship.

And I couldn’t deny that, but how does that present any authority for us as we live under the new covenant? In the Old Testament there were also animal sacrifices, but I don’t see anybody clamoring for those. So what is our authority in the New Testament? Well, then we would have people go immediately to Ephesians 5 and verse 19, sing to one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and they would quickly point to the word translated sing is the word solo that has as its origin the idea of to pluck. And because it has that as its origin, then therefore it is an instrument that is to be plucked or twanged. And yet the instrument in Ephesians 5 and verse 19 that is to be plucked or twanged is the heart.

And this interesting point should be made that no reputable translation of the scripture says play. Greek scholars do not translate the word solo, play in any circumstance. It is to sing. Greek scholars know what that word means, and it meant sing. And thus it is translated, and the word play is not bound anywhere in the New Testament. There’s also an argument made there to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. And because Psalms, Old Testament, some of them included the use of an instrument, were designed to be sung with an instrument, some of them were, not all of them, then therefore we can use instruments in our worship. And yet there is a subtle argument to be made that if play is to be found in solo and psalmist, then it wouldn’t just be something that you could do.

It would be necessary. If it’s implied in the word, solo and psalmos, if it’s inherent in the word, then you wouldn’t just have the option to play. You must play. If we are to fulfill the command to solve or to sing. But again, the word play is not found anywhere in the New Testament. We don’t see Christians worshiping with mechanical instruments. And then I pointed this out to you recently in another sermon. It is interesting in Hebrews when it’s talking about our simple approach to the living God and what it means to be his people. The Hebrew writer concludes, through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name and do not neglect doing good and sharing.

For with such sacrifices, God is pleased. And what is emphasized in this text is the sacrifice of praise through our lips. God wants us to praise him with our lips. He wants us to sing with our lips. He wants us to sing with one another. And that’s what he has specified in the New Testament in regard to worship. And this is about all the arguments you’re going to hear on this subject for those who advocate instrumental music in worship. And one more.

As we have a reference to a harp. And if there are hearts being played in heaven, then why can’t we use them in our worship here? And so if the case can’t be made convincingly and sufficiently in all of these other things that we’ve looked at, perhaps it can be made here in Revelation. Are you acknowledging that all of those other arguments are not valid as we come to Revelation 14 for our justification? Now let me just say people will believe what they want to believe and do in religious practice. And they will attempt to find some way to justify it. And that’s really what this amounts to. They’ll bounce from verse to verse to make their case instead of embracing God’s simple instruction as He wants, as He tells us what He wants His people to do.

People are going to try to justify what it is they want to do. I want to make three arguments from this text or three points about this text. But I want to read it with you first in Revelation chapter 14 and verse 1. And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion. And that would have a reference, of course, to what we were studying in Zechariah chapter 2. Behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000. And we were introduced to them in chapter 7, but here they are again in chapter 14. Having his name and the name of his father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of loud thunder.

And the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth. Like I said, if all of those other arguments are not sufficient to make the case, and we think Revelation chapter 14 also makes the case for the use of instruments in worship, then we come here to this text, and we have mentions of harpists playing their harps. Point number one.

1. Revelation Is a Book of Symbols and Figures

First of all, the book of Revelation is a book of symbols and figures, images that represent ideas. If we take a symbol and try to press a literalism out of it, we do an injustice to the context. But not only does it overlook the fact of symbols and figures in the book of Revelation, it overlooks what this passage is saying. What John hears is a voice. He did not actually hear harps any more than he heard many waters or loud thunder. There is the use of similes here, introduced by the word like when he says the voice John heard was like the sound of many waters. It was like the sound of loud thunder, and it was like the sound of harpies playing on their hearts.

There’s no literal reference to hearts in heaven, a spiritual place to begin with. There is no literal reference to hearts in heaven in Revelation 14. But what he heard was a voice that sounded like many waters. That sounded like thunder that sound like harpists playing on their hearts. And so if we’re going to advocate instrumental music from this passage, then we might need to try to duplicate thunder. And many waters as well.

John heard a voice, and that’s it. And if we have justification for anything in Revelation chapter 14, it’s singing. Because immediately, what does this group do? They sang a new song. They didn’t actually play harps. But what they did was sing. And so those who use this passage to argue for instruments and worship, do so only by ignoring the simile. Stressing the hearts, and forgetting that the real action that’s going on here is singing. And furthermore, what about the 144,000? Is 144,000 literally? Now, if you’re talking to Jehovah’s Witnesses, they’ll come to this number and talk about a literal number of 144,000 people. Now the problem with that is when you go to Revelation chapter 7, the 144,000 are 12,000 out of each of the 12 tribes of Israel.

So we have a confined kind of people that encompass this 144,000. If you’re taking it literally, which I don’t, I think it represents God’s people of all ages. But if you’re going to take it literally, then you have 12,000 from each tribe. And by the way, if you’re from Dan or Ephraim, you’re not one of the 12. And that’s interesting because the Levites, though they didn’t have a portion in the land, 12,000 are Levites, and Dan and Ephraim are totally left out of the list in Revelation chapter 7. So you wouldn’t want to be in one of those two tribes. And in chapter 14, they’re all male virgins as well. And so there’s all kinds of symbolism here in this text. And I got most of this argumentation from Doy Moyer, who is a teacher at Florida College, and he concluded by saying if anything, this passage supports the premise that singing is what God wants.

If that singing sounds like the voice of many waters, like the sound of loud thunder, and like the sound of harpies playing on their hearts, then well and good. And perhaps our singing was very melodious today. But if one is going to find support for instrumental music in corporate worship, it will have to come from another passage and not Revelation 14. No, I’m not going to spend our whole time today talking about this argument for instrumental music from Revelation chapter 14. I said there were three points. That’s one. And what I wanted to say about Revelation 14 is that’s not a very compelling argument. Just like the arguments on Salo and Salma are not very compelling arguments. And certainly not an argument from the Old Testament.

2. The Deception of Wickedness

But again, it makes perfect sense to people who want to do what they want to do. God wants us to sing. I don’t have to understand all of the wisdom in God’s command for us to sing to one another. And why he didn’t say play just once so people could have their instruments. And why there’s no mention of instruments in the New Testament. I don’t know all of God’s wisdom for that. But I do know what he said. And we need to respect what he said, even if we don’t understand it. We’re on that at a moment. And that leads me to point number two. And that has to do with the deception of wickedness. First of all, let’s call it what it is: a lack of respect for biblical authority that introduces into worship what God has not authorized.

It is wickedness. And let me also affirm to you that wickedness is very deceiving. Look at how many people have been deceived on this matter. You know, when you talk to folks today about what the Lord wants, a lot of people really don’t think that there is any religious deception going on. But they’ll look at certain religious groups and say, man, those people are deceived. But as long as it’s called Christianity and it’s in a respectable version of Christianity, then people just don’t see deception. But I got to tell you. Warnings about deception are all over the New Testament. That ought to tell us something. That ought to be a big red flag about this business of deception. He warns about various immoralities. And he says, those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Homosexuality is one of the immoralities in that list. Adulteries, effeminate. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. And he says, and such were some of you. He didn’t say such are some of you. He said, were past tense. Before you were cleansed and washed and justified. But where does all that start? In verse 9, he says, do not be deceived. Apparently, people could be deceived and think that immorality will be tolerated. Paul tells the Corinthians, no, sir. Do not be deceived. Oh, young people, do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals. That passage wasn’t written primarily, first and foremost, to young people. That’s how we often use it, but it was written to adults. Members of the body of Christ, all of us, and warning us about our associations and the influence those associations can have on us, like someone who says the resurrection has already happened, or the resurrection’s not going to take place.

And that’s really the context of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Beware of the influences. Someone causes you to believe something that is false, that the resurrection of the body is not going to happen, or that Jesus was not raised. That is the deception of wickedness. Bad company corrupts and inevitably leads to the corruption of good morals. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. Don’t be deceived about that. A lot of folks are. I can live however I want to. Grace will cover it. We talked about that last week. No, sir. A man sows to the flesh shall love the flesh, reap destruction. He that sows of the spirit shall love the spirit reap life. Everlasting sin by its very nature is deceiving, lust, deceive.

James chapter 1 and verse 16. Remember the prophet, this is an interesting story. I don’t have time to go into all of this. The prophet that was sent to Jeroboam. He was told not to linger, don’t stay, don’t eat. Return home. And an older prophet heard about this and said, Oh, you know, come to my house. It’s okay. An angel told me it’d be okay. In direct violation of what he was told. He failed in regard to the route he was instructed to take on his way home. He failed by lingering and staying at the old prophet’s house and having a meal with him, and he was slain in the way for his disobedience. But he was lying to. What does that point out? The deception of wickedness.

He believed something that was in direct violation of what God had simply instructed him to do. That matters. That story is telling us that. Colossians 2 8 talks about deception. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. And yeah, I think I’ve run down most of these passages in the New Testament. I just wanted to see how many there are in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, particularly. When the lawless one will be revealed, and notice he rejects law. That’s why he’s the lawless one, and the Lord will slay him. Whoever that is a reference to, or a type of person may be in 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 8, he will slay with the breath of his mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of his coming. And his coming is what?

In accord with the activity of Satan. That’s why it involves deception. With all powers and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness, there’s the phrase. For those who perish. How tragic.

So as to be saved. And for this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. This lawless one, who, in accordance with the activity of Satan, he deceives people. He deceives those who do not love the truth. There is a very powerful warning in that for us.

Brett, in posting some things about my sermon last week about grace and faith and tweeting on the matter. Got some responses from some old friends of his in Auburn. And this particular young lady posted about grace and faith and how that works. And I’ve got to tell you about this young lady. She and her sister were two of the best female basketball players I’ve ever seen. They were the most tenacious girls. I’ve never seen girls play basketball that tenaciously ever.

They were dog on a bone. And they were very successful. But I’ll tell you, these girls were religiously zealous as well. Very genuine in their faith and convictions. And here’s what she posted. Righteousness is a gift bestowed upon those who believe that God is generous enough to give it. That he is wise enough to devise a way to do so and loving enough to suffer in order to grant it to us. But what about our faith then? Can we claim that believing earns our justification? No, not at all. Because even faith itself is a gift. Given by God, who has determined to bless us and make us his. He causes us to believe, and then he blesses us with justification. The gift that his faith, that this faith he gives deserves.

Think of that. He’s done it all. I want to tell you, this is what is being taught about salvation in the religious world today. God has done it all. Well, what do we mean? What do we mean by that? If God has done it all, and if faith is something, it’s a gift that God has given, God has bestowed it upon me, and God has done it all, then why isn’t everybody automatically saved? Apparently, I have to do something to receive his gracious gift. Oh, yes. God’s salvation is a gift. All of it emanates from him. But why then is there this, and this was Brett’s response, then why is there a broad gate and a broad way that leads to destruction? And many go in thereafter.

Obviously, everybody doesn’t receive the gift. And if everybody doesn’t receive the gift, then does God just choose and pick certain individuals who receive it? And that would make God a respecter of persons, would it not? If he chose me and you and didn’t choose others. And what did Peter tell Cornelius in every nation? He who fears God and does what is right is accepted of him, and God is not what? A respecter of persons. Corneas, you can be saved. Even though you’re a Gentile, you can be saved. But Cornelius had to respond to the invitation. No. If we’re just talking about the fact that God makes salvation possible, and in some senses, even causes faith to occur because faith is a work of God. John chapter 6 and verse 29.

You know, when I arrive at faith, I can’t say, hey, look at me, look what I did. God has made it possible. He has provided the means. He has given us the instruction. We’re born of the Holy Spirit when we’re baptized into Christ. It is a washing of regeneration, a renewing by the Holy Spirit. But I still have to submit. I still have to listen. I still have to humble myself. God isn’t humbling me for me. I have to do that. And yes, at the end of the day, praise be to God for what he has done in our salvation. It is by his mercy and his kindness. Yes, he deserves all the praise, but faith speaks to some very real conditions that God has placed.

A very real, humbled, obedient response that is necessary to salvation. That’s the only way you can piece together all that the New Testament says about what saves a person. God saves us, yes, but we must save ourselves from this perverse generation. Acts chapter 2. He is certainly the author of our salvation, but he is the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey him. Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 9. Let me tell you why people argue like this. And I think this young lady is just simply deceived. People argue like this because they have established a theology that says salvation works this way. And doesn’t it sound great that we’re going to attribute all the credit to God? That sounds great. But then we don’t talk about what God has established as very real conditions for us.

3. The Devil's Trickery Should Not Be Underestimated

And all this sounds great. And the reason why I put this up here, again, we’re talking about the deception of wickedness. Let me tell you how the devil does that. He doesn’t have these neon signs that glow and flash. This is her. Don’t embrace this. Your soul will be destroyed. There are not neon signs everywhere where the devil is working. He’s very subtle. He’s very persuasive. He wraps it in packages that sound very inviting. And so I want to tell you in the second point that the devil’s trickery should not be underestimated. Just as he duped Adam and Eve in the garden with a single prohibition. That is referenced in 2 Corinthians chapter 11. And then those who have been working among the Corinthians, he says, no wonder Satan transforms himself into an angel of light.

That’s how he will allow you to do and believe many things that are right without opposition. If he can convince us.

If he can exploit a single weakness. He’ll let you do a lot of things that are good and right and make you feel good about the fact you’ve done all these other things that are good or right if he can just exploit a single weakness. If we can just hold on to covetousness or lust or hatred in our hearts. That’s all he has to do to destroy us. That’s how his wickedness can work. I can tolerate this one area of rebellion in my life. Because I do all these other things that are good. The practices of brethren. In the area of fellowship halls and gymnasiums. It’s a perfect example. One area of compromise, one minor step, acting without authority. Stephen and I were talking about this last Lord’s day after his declaration of his past and where he had come from and Xanthea’s influence in his life.

And I was talking to him about how people take small steps and they don’t, at least they seem to be small steps. One thing leads to this. And people say, well, we don’t have any authority for a church building. And we do that. If that’s your first argument for supporting these kinds of innovations, we don’t have any authority for if you don’t have any authority for church building, we need not have one. Because it’s wrong. They don’t understand authority to begin with, that there is a command to assemble, and that provides generic authority to secure a place of assembly. They don’t see that initial work. Well, we don’t have any authority for are you admitting that there’s no authority for these other facilities? Is that what you’re admitting?

Well, you know, we have a water fountain. And so we have a water fountain. Well, people would probably prefer coffee. And if we could have some coffee, let’s throw the country. You’ve got to have donuts. You can have coffee. Coffee and donuts. And that’s what people are doing. Seems like a small step from water fountain to coffee. No. The purpose has entirely changed. Oh, are you saying it’s a sin to eat in the building? No, I’m not saying that. There are a lot of things that happen in the building as incidentals to our assembling that are not spiritual and worshipful in nature. And yes, if somebody’s clinging in the building, working in the building, and they eat a meal while they’re doing those things in the building as an incidental to whatever it is that they’re really doing there, that’s fine.

But when we start building, hey, you know what? We ought to build a facility that has a room for eating. Look, that may seem like a small step, but that is really a huge step. It’s gigantic. See, once the purpose changes, my purpose is to build a facility for eating. And that leads to the facility for recreation. And that leads to the building of hospitals and other good deeds. And see, there you go. You have full blown institutionalism, as we call it. That’s where it starts. You plant those seeds. The purpose changes. It seems like a small step, but the purpose changes and whammel. And I’ll tell you, some of our brethren have gotten dissatisfied with these extravagant departures. So this is anything like the religion I remember.

They’re fed up with that. But I want to tell you, it’s the seeds of it carried to their logical end that leads people to those practices. So I want to warn you.

4. The Hope of Heaven

Because that’s really not its intention. In the presence of God, the righteous worshiping in his presence. That’s really where all of this is headed. And we want to make sure that we’re numbered among the redeemed who wind up there. And so I want to talk to you very briefly in conclusion this morning about the hope of heaven as we talk about the error that is introduced from these passions. Let’s not miss the glorious scene that unfolds in Revelation chapter 14. That as Elihu says in Job 37, out of the north comes golden splendor, and around God is awesome and majesty. And that’s what I take. The sound of the voice, loud thunder and many waters, and like the sound of harpice playing on their hearts. That everything that surrounds and attends God’s presence is awesome and beautiful and majestic and compelling.

And God help us to overcome the adversary and refuse his temptations so that we can find ourselves there one day.

I read an article this week, Ricky Jenkins wrote about his dad. Some of you know Jess Jeekins. He’s still preaching. He was talking about a meeting that he recently held at the age of 86 in Denton, Texas. He goes, and it was sort of a tribute to his dad and his faithfulness. And he said, the sermon I remember my dad preaching was on Psalm 8410. He goes, that’s because that’s my dad. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. What a great verse. As long as we can be in the house. A doorkeeper, the lowliest place. Just as long as I’m inside the house.

Set your affections on things above. No one can enter heaven until he is first convinced he deserves hell. For heaven to be your destiny, it must first be in your soul. Heaven must be in me before I can be in heaven. You don’t go to heaven, but grow to heaven. 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 5 through 11. And then this finally.

Matthew 6, 19, actually through verse 21. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be awesome. People ask me a lot, why aren’t more people obeying the gospel? Some sermons are preached and people need to respond, you’re in the audience, but you see it so rarely anymore. You hear of so few people being baptized these days.

Is it our failure in evangelism? Maybe it’s partly that. But I’ll tell you what I think it’s Lord. People love the world. Until you find somebody who wants to lay up for themselves treasures in heaven.

Conclusion

The sermon can’t be persuasive enough. It can’t be eloquent enough. It will not reach them in their souls. People that obey the Lord do so because they want to lay up for themselves treasures in heaven. And that’s the greatest investment you’ll ever make. And I urge you to make it while there’s time and opportunity. And if you need to respond to the saving of your soul, if you’re lost in sin, you so desperately need to respond. Put on Christ.

Reject the vain things of this world. Repent of sin in your past. Confess the wonderful name of Jesus and be immersed in water. So that you can rise to walk in newness of life and be a lover of the truth. Not one deceived by wickedness. So that you can be in that great throng in the awesome presence of God. Won’t you come while we stand and sit?