• God authorized singing.
  • Matthew 26:30
• Arguments and questions
  • Instruments are just aids, like pitch pipes or song books.
    • Instruments are an addition, not just an aid.
      • When God authorizes an action, then any non-sinful methods or aids that fall under the umbrella of completing that action are also authorized.
  • The Greek word psallo includes instruments.
    • No, it doesn’t, and it never did.
      • Psallo only meant “sing” in the New Testament.
  • What is the history of instrumental music in worship?
    • In the beginning, there was none.
    • AD 670 - first organ in a Roman Catholic church
    • Late 1200s - organs became generally accepted
    • 1500s - organs were found in nearly ever important Roman Catholic church
    • Late 1500s - instruments absent from “reformed” churches
    • Who changed?

The person of the Holy Spirit

• The Bible does not contradict itself (I Corinthians 14:33. This implies that not all the perspectives on the Holy Spirit that men come up with are going to be true.
• Person: a conscious being that possesses individuality and identity.
• Individual: a distinct and undivided being.
• Being: a living and existing thing.
• The oneness doctrine: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all different manifestations of the same being.
  • Isaiah 9:6 is often used as a prooftext for this belief.
• Passages that show the Holy Spirit executes judment: Acts 5
• In John 16:13-14, Jesus uses masculine personal pronouns to refer to the Holy Spirit, which indicates that the Holy Spirit is an individual person.
• The Holy Spirit is a distinct person from Father and the Son (Luke 3:22.
• Actions in which the Holy Spirit is shown to have fellowship with Christ and the Father: Ephesians 4
• The Holy Spirit is deity (Acts 5:1-4.

• Why we fly
  • To reach our Savior
    • Christianity is all about Christ; Christ is all about excellence (Colossians 3:1).
    • We lose our lives (Matthew 16:24-25).
  • To reach our potential
    • We should not settle for anything less than our best (Philippians 3:12-16).
    • Our “best”so far isn’t enough (Romans 3:23).
    • Jesus saves us to change us (Romans 12:1).
    • God helps diligent motivated seekers find His path (Hebrews 11:6).
• Why we fear
  • Too challenging.
    • God’s big blessings require a big effort (I Timothy 4:10).
    • What we should fear is losing our birthright because we were not brave enough to claim it (Hebrews 4:1-3).
  • Too different
    • Getting comfortable in our successes is a reason for change, not inertia (Deuteronomy 32:11).
    • God pushes us to excel, but He is there to catch us when we falter.
• Jesus says, “Come”
  • It’s possible: Jesus wouldn’t ask something of us we could not deliver (Matthew 14:28-29).
  • It’s taxing: Jesus will put you to work if you come to Him (Mark 1:17).
  • It’s costly: He calls it “a pearl of great price” with reason (Matthew 13:45-46).
  • It’s rewarding: The rest He provides (Matthew 11:28) is worth the effort.
• Jesus will save
  • We rob ourselves of “walk on water” moments because we doubt His power to see us through (Matthew 14:30-31).
  • Jesus will pick us up so we can try again (Philippians 1:6).
• Jesus can calm the sea
  • Jesus may remove our problem, or he may just empower us to deal with it (Philippians 1:12-14).
  • Either way, no storm can separate us from Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).
  • He will shake our house for us today if we ask.

• A failure vs. a person who fails
  • The question is not whether we will fail, but how we will respond when we fail.
  • Will failing be a stumbling block or a stepping sone (Proverbs 24:16)?
• Real failure is when you abandon your post.
  • The one talent man (Matthew 25:24-30) assured his own failure by not pursuing success.
  • Wicked: God considers inaction to be as evil as inappropriate actions.
  • Slothful: Excuses for passivity are often just cloaks for laziness (Proverbs 22:13).
• Real failure is when you abandon your post.
  • Paul had a stewardship entrusted to him (I Corinthians 9:16-17), and he was determined to be faithful in it.
  • He knew from the beginning how much he would suffer for the Lord (Acts 9:16).
  • He learned to endure, even appreciate, his “thorns” (II Corinthians 12:7-10).
  • Are you willing to “take the shot”?
• Real failure is when you hedge your efforts.
  • Demas was willing to be a “fellow worker” with Paul (Philemon 1:24).
    • He “loved this present world” (II Timothy 4:9) and abandoned him.
    • Was it the lust of the eye? The lust of the flesh? The pride of life? (I John 2:16)
    • Whatever it was, it wasn’t his “first love” (Revelation 2:4-5).
  • The widow (Luke 21:1-4).
    • Her commitment to God’s work did not depend on her circumstances.
    • Jesus cared about the hearts of the people, not the rocks of the temple.
    • Are you committed or just involved?
• Real failure is when you “surrender to your past”.
  • Judas did not see the significance of his betrayal until too late (Matthew 27:3-5).
    • He could have been brought to repentance (II Corinthians 7:9-10).
    • Instead he was driven to despair.
    • If Jesus forgives us, we must find a way to forgive ourselves.
    • “God is greater than our heart” (I John 3:20).
  • Peter did not see the significance of his betrayal untill too late (Matthew 26:69-75).
    • He trusted in Jesus, not himself (Matthew 14:28-32).