Songs for the Book of Philippians
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I wanted to cover some of the songs that we’ll be singing throughout the series on the Book of Philippians and why we’ll be singing them. That’s what I really want to hone in on in this post: why we’ll be singing these songs and how they fit into the context of the Book of Philippians.
We as a body of believers need to know why we sing what we sing if we are going to walk in all that God has for us on a Sunday morning. If we can make robust connections between what we heard in a given sermon and the songs that we sing directly afterwards, then we will be able to praise God for what we have just heard and truly respond to Him. Certain songs simply won’t fit as responses to certain sermons. On the other hand, if we can make connections between the songs and the sermons, then we will be able to see the glory of God magnified all the more as we allow our hearts to be moved to sing by what we have just heard preached. Engage your mind during worship. Engage your heart during worship. Engage your soul during worship. Engage your body during worship. God deserves all of you.
WE ARE NOT OVERCOME*
Joy is arguably a main theme throughout Philippians, but Paul doesn’t discuss joy in the light of prosperity and comfort. Rather, he discusses joy in God in the midst of opponents, suffering, and conflict (Phil. 1:28-30). In light of that, I think this song is perfect for our series through the book of Philippians. Its lyrics are based on Lamentations 3, and it abounds with lines about the failing nature of our flesh and the temporal nature of worldly pleasures. All this is juxtaposed with the fact that, “Because of His great love, we are not overcome.” God is faithful, and He will have the last word over our current trials and sufferings. Therefore, we can be joyful, as long as our joy is rooted in our God.
http://bifrostartsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/we-are-not-overcome-featuring-robert-heiskell
GRACE AND PEACE*
This whole song can be summed up by the lyrics to the chorus: “What an amazing mystery, that Your grace has come to me!” These lyrics fit so well with Philippians in its entirety. We see throughout the book that Paul is rooting all of what he is saying, from exhortations to rebukes, in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The mystery that grace has come to us is what even allows us to participate in living out our lives as Christians. There are way too many scripture references that could go here to connect this song to Philippians, but I trust that they will become more apparent to us all as we sing this song and make our way through this book.
http://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/track/grace-and-peace
PSALM 46*
I’m always excited to implement more psalms into our worship sets. We already have a few: White As Snow (Psalm 51), From the Depths of Woe (Psalm 130), and then the aptly titled Psalm 23. Still, this one is special, and it totally resounds with the message of Philippians. In Philippians 3:20-21, we read this: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.” This song speaks of the “river whose streams will make glad the city of our Most High King,” and the fact that “God is within her, and she will not fail.” I love the complementary relationship between our citizenship in heaven, of which we read in Philippians, and the spirit of rejoicing that arises from that fact, which we see in Psalm 46. I pray that this song allows us to sing with unity and rejoicing that we are not citizens of this earth forever; rather, we are God’s people!
http://bifrostartsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/psalm-46-featuring-chelsey-scott
THOUGH YOU SLAY ME*
“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake,” says Philippians 1:29. This song is perhaps the best song I’ve ever heard regarding Christian suffering. That may not seem like much, since it’s not these types of songs that get produced or that make money, but I really think that this song is unprecedented as regards lyrical content in the context of recent decades. This one you just have to listen to. I can’t do much justice to it other than to encourage you to keep Philippians 1:29 at the forefront of your mind as you listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyUPz6_TciY
I hope and pray that these songs help us to glorify God as we sing His praises with both our minds and hearts engaged. Matthew 22:37 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” I pray that, as a congregation, we can come together on Sundays and make that verse a reality as we sing to our Lord. Full engagement with God as we sing is His gracious requirement, and He demands this so that He might be glorified evermore and so that we might rejoice in Him and find Him to be the source of all joy forevermore.
* If you are going to buy any of this music and the link is to a Bandcamp site, please use that rather than Itunes. Christian artists don’t make much money, so there is a lot of pressure on them to get major producers who take the theology out of their songs to make them more radio-friendly and lucrative. Itunes barely gives them any money (some estimates are under 10 cents per dollar), and Bandcamp is currently giving them 90 cents per dollar. By buying from Bandcamp, you’re supporting a movement that is refusing to water down Christ-centered music. That’s all, just a little plug to help us keep Christian artists making music that is robustly Christian.
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