Functions of Congregational Song (2/3)

"We Lift You Up" is a clear example of a song of praise. And it happens to draw a lot from scripture. What a concept, right? This week I will talk about how congregational songs help us praise God, and I will address the importance of confession.

Last week I began discussing five functions of congregational song. There are several reasons we sing to God: to demonstrate our unity with other believers, to join the angels worshipping around God's throne, and because it is a huge part of Biblical worship. But reasons aren't always the same as functions. Each song we sing serves a function or purpose. Dr. Constance Cherry, in her book The Worship Architect, outlines five functions of congregational song: Prayer, Exhortation (encouragement), Praise, Proclamation and Call-to-action. Last week we sang a couple songs of Prayer and Exhortation. This week I'd like to talk about songs of Praise.

Praise - Songs of praise point our hearts to God. Often these songs explore the characteristics of God: his abounding love; his power; his majesty; the awesome wonder of his creation. They give glory to God for his mighty works, for all that He has done (and continues to do). Praise songs might focus on God's triune nature (Father, Spirit, Son) or focus on the character of Jesus Christ specifically. You'll find many Psalms that are a great model for this type of song. Look at the beginning of Psalm 103:

"Praise the LORD, my soul;
     all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul,
     and forget not all his benefits —"

David, who wrote this Psalm, calls the singer to worship God for "all his benefits," all the things God has done and continues to do. David goes on to sing of God's forgiveness of our sins, God's redemption, his providence, his righteousness, his justice, his compassion. He goes on and on, and so can we!

On Sunday we sang "We Lift You Up," a song written by Glenn Packiam. The song draws many of its lyrics from Psalm 71. See if you can see how God is praised in the following lines (and I'll include references to Psalm 71 where they happen):

Who is like You, O Lord, God of heaven, God of earth? (71:19)
There is none who compares with your majesty and love 
From the days of my youth, You have led me in your way (71:5,17)
Now I'll shout out your truth today

You are awesome in praise, doing miracles today (71:8)
I will come and proclaim all your mighty deeds of old (71:15-16)

We lift You up, we lift You up
For all to see your glory
Arise, O Lord, and shine on us
'Until our generation sees Your glory fall (71:18)

I'd encourage you to read Psalm 71 and think about the following: how does David's Psalm of praise speak to those around him? What is at least one benefit of us singing songs of Praise?

The Value of Confession
On Sunday we said a prayer of confession, something we don't do very often. But I feel like it's an important aspect of worship and Christian life, and I'd encourage you to make it a part of your daily prayer.

You might ask, "Why? That just makes me feel bad about the things I've done wrong. Does God want me to dwell in my guilt?" My response is, "Absolutely not!" God wants us to live in the freedom of grace. Confession of our sins is part of living in that freedom.

Theologian and teacher John MacArthur writes in The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness of two types of forgiveness: judicial and parental.

Judicial forgiveness is found in the atonement of our sins accomplished by Jesus Christ in his death on the cross. It is a one-time thing, done for us. When Jesus died, He died for all of our sins. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we come under grace: there is no condemnation for our sin. We are judged to be forgiven, thanks to Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf. Why, then, do we need to keep confessing?

It's important to note that in 1 John 1:9, which begins, "If we confess our sins..." the confession John writes about is ongoing. It's something we need to keep doing. Likewise, the forgiveness that comes in that verse: "... he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins..." is ongoing. This is the parental forgiveness. God, our Father, forgives us when we confess. Confession of our sins is important because it sets things right in our relationship with God. And it's part of the sanctification process God is carrying out in us.

When we carry around unconfessed sins, we are in essence hiding from God, like Adam and Eve in the Garden. Until we confess those sins to God, our relationship with God is, in a sense, broken. We're still free from condemnation of our sin, but we are not free of the consequences of sin. We suffer feelings of guilt, shame and other consequences of our sins. Confession might require some humility and remorse, but it's a necessary step in drawing near to God. And since He is our loving Father, "he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." That's the freedom of grace, and the way we become more like Jesus day by day.