In Christ Alone A Singing Sermon

Consider the words to this popular Christian song.

In Christ alone my hope is found;

He is my light, my strength, my song;

this Cornerstone, this solid ground,

firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease;

my Comforter, my All in All;

here in the love of Christ I stand.

This Sunday, we sang the sermon as we kept our focus on Jesus.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:20

And good afternoon. Welcome to the Preacher Man Podcast, where we review and look over sermons and lessons that were previously done in the weeks past. I am Bland Crane, the Preacher Man, and I am so glad that you are tuning in and listening, and I appreciate the support. Last Sunday was the end of the month, and we were wrapping up our series of lessons about fixing our focus and how it's important to focus on Christ and Christ alone. And what I did for this lesson was something that I have done in previous um sermons in the past. I simply refer to them as singing sermons, where the audience is encouraged to, in a way, help me preach. I believe it's important for congregations to um have those times and moments and services where we can sing and encourage and build up one another through the songs that we sing. We have many, many lovely, wonderful hymns in our songbooks and um have incorporated many songs that are would be considered temporary um Christian music into our a cappella singing style, and I, for one, am thankful for that. Many of the lyrics that you uh see in the songbooks have significant meanings and in many ways could be a sermon in themselves. Um I've done many of these, and I'm pretty sure that this will be the f maybe the first or second time I have to go back and look, where we where I would post uh one of these singing sermons. So what you're gonna hear, just to give you a little preview, what you're gonna hear is you're gonna hear um me t uh speak a little bit, and then we're going to sing a verse and of a song. And then we're gonna stop. I'm gonna go back, I'm gonna speak about what's in the second verse, sing that, third verse, sing that, and so on and so forth. Now, this the song that we're going to be using has four verses, so you get a little extra bonus. The song that we were focusing on was the song In Christ Alone, and it's a very lovely song, it's a beautiful song, it has so many scriptural references in that song, and it is about uh it's more it in many ways the song can be looked at as a statement of belief, but it's also what I have uh can't what I used into as it as the example is I used it as an example of what someone uh or the the the example of what someone might say or someone could say or someone could sing when they are dedicated to focusing on our Savior Jesus Christ. So let's go ahead and go ahead and jump into it. This is um in Christ alone, um, a singing sermon. The text is uh John fourteen, verses one through six, and we have other verses to follow as well. So take a listen, and I hope you enjoy. Open your Bibles to Hebrews chapter six. Hebrews chapter six is where we'll be starting in our text, but normally when we do something like this, I will tell you to take out your songbook and turn to a song in our songbooks. But the song that we're going to be looking at today, also in our sermon, is not in your songbook, so you're gonna have to follow along on the screen. I started doing singing sermons, um, I guess when I was uh still working in Franklin at the Franklin Church of Christ, and it turned out to be a really, really um nice thing. And so um I I keep bringing I keep doing these uh one because I feel like it's important that there is more audience participation than just getting the occasional amen or hallelujah from from the audience from uh and from specific people in the audience. Uh we are a family. The Bible encourages us to uh sing to one another with songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. And and what we and the reason why we do this is to um help us edify God, worship God, of course, obviously, but it also is to be an encouraging thing for you. It is to it is a way for you to preach to your neighbor, to the person that you're in the pew with, to the person that you are calling your church family. It is a way for you to make your statement of belief and make your claim into why following Christ is so important. The song that we're going to be singing in our singing sermon this morning is In Christ Alone. It is a modern song, and it summarizes key biblical um beliefs and faiths. This song helps us focus on salvation by grace through Jesus' death and resurrection. Um, but this song also includes statements about the importance of staying close to, staying into, and staying focused on Christ, which has been the topic of our uh lessons this month. Focusing, fixing our focus on Jesus and Jesus alone. It's no secret that we live in a world today where if you cannot take action or do something to attack the person, then you might choose to attack the people who are surrounding that person, or you might choose to attack the text that is said about that person. In a recent statement uh last week, it was said that a a pastor said that we need a third testament because the testaments that we have are troubling, and she's not wrong, not about the first part, but about the second part. If the testaments of Jesus Christ are not troubling to you, then you're not reading them correctly. They should be troubling to you because they should point out just how much each and every one of us need what Christ offers to us daily. In Christ alone, my hope is found in Hebrews chapter six, starting in verse nineteen. The Hebrew writer says this this hope we have, we have as an anchor of the soul. A hope both sure and reliable, and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. In order for a Christian to grow spiritually, oh sorry, in order for a Christian to grow spiritually and to become a uh to increase his mature his or her maturity in their faith, they need to experience a sense of confidence in their faith. That assurance should come from uh should come naturally as we consider uh examples that are found in scripture. But the images that we read about in this verse are images that are about our confidence, and that confidence is like an anchor. An anchor can be found as a common symbol of hope, both uh both uh before and during early Christian churches. Anchors prevented ships from being swept away by the winds and the waves. And so this aspect of an anchor makes more sense in light of the next image that is brought to in this verse. The veil and the order of Melchizedek, these three things combined signal uh into a single powerful encouraging point, and that is this Christ's works on all on our behalf, and when you combine these principles of refuge, anchor, and the most holy of holies of the old testament, you mix them all together, and this this is a message that Christ has gone ahead of us. He is our example now, he is our high priest, and he anchors our hope. So, for this reason, we can have that confidence in the promises of God, yes, but we can also have that confidence that He that what we have is going to hold fast to a confident and growing spiritually mature person that is also growing also in truth and love. Let's sing. So that in himself he might make the two one new person, and in this way establishing peace, and in that he might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross by having put to death the hostility. And he came and he preached Christ to you. No, oh sorry, he came and he preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to one spirit, to the Father. And then you are no longer strangers, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household, having been built up on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the cornerstone, in him in whom the whole building being fitted together is growing into a holy temple of the Lord, and in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. As a believer, and a believer's spiritual life, a believer's forgiveness and eternal hope are derived entirely upon Jesus' death on the cross. It signifies the great exchange, where Christ took that penalty of sin, allowing humanity to receive a new life and a new justification. Hear what Jesus has to say about this when the Greeks go up to one of the disciples in John chapter 12 and ask if they could see Jesus. Now there were some Greeks in John chapter 12. There were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast, but these people came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and were making a request of him, saying, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew. And then Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them by saying, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and it dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. The one who loves his life loses it. And the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. In Christ alone, here in the death of Christ, we choose to live. Let's sing. The Bible, this song and many others like it, are full of oxymorons. Life through death. To this belief that if we stay focused on Christ, if we make sure that we never take our eyes off of him in the storms of life, and then and if we never if we make sure that we're uh yes, well, while we're trying to do things that are good and not getting distracted, we can stay focused on what Jesus does for us and what Jesus did for us and what Jesus is doing for us. We can make a statement that is sung in the third verse of this song. For I am his and he is mine, Romans 8, starting in verse 31. What shall we say to these things? God is for us, who's against us? All how will he not also with him freely give us all things? Who will bring charges against God elect? God is the one who justifies, who is the one who condemns Christ Jesus? He is for Jesus is he who died, but rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Or tribulation or trouble, persecution, famine, nakedness, or danger, or sword? Just it is written, for your sake we are all killed all day long, and we were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. For I am convinced that there is neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, or things present, things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor death, nor depth, or any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let's sing. Being taught, it's being trying to be practiced, and it's doing nothing but providing disunity. It's splitting the church, it's hurting everything that Paul and the others have done to get this the way of Christ started in the beginning. And so part of Paul's letter to Galatia is a way to remind them about some things, to get back to what he refers to as the first love. He says in Galatians 2.20, I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. So remember Jesus' sacrifice. Believers are free. We are free from guilt. Free from guilt of past sins. We are free from the fear of death. We now have security in his resurrection power. Why in the world would we want to take our eyes off of anything else? The verse in Galatians declares that Christ's power, it is the universal cleaner. It's better than it's better than Windex. It's better than fabuloso. It is a solvent that can do amazing things. It removes stains like condemnation. It removes stains like sin and guilt and shame. It is so powerful, it should make the thing that it is cleaning look brand spanking new. It secures your future. Not your physical future, but your soul's future. And it will do that from the time you are birthed out of that water of baptism until death. Ephesians chapter 3, verse 20. Now in him, who is our focus, who where our focus should be, through the storms of life, through the distractions of this world, through the insecurities of not quite knowing what's going to happen next. Now to him who is able to do far more than more abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think, according to the power that works within us. In Christ alone. Let's sing. God being spiritual, universal creator, our heavenly Father. Sometimes it may seem like, well, we may not be able to understand him, but if you if you if you stay into the gospel, you can understand Jesus. And just like the verses that was read this morning, if you see Jesus, you're seeing God. In Christ alone, yeah, hope is found. In Christ alone, victory is found. In Christ alone, perfect love is experienced. In Christ alone, sin loses. Relationships are firmed up. Guilt is freed by grace and mercy and salvation when we focus on Christ and Christ alone look at our church or the Church of Christ, and look at it maybe as a confusing thing when many other uh churches and congregations will uh and and denominations for that matter will use will use instruments. Um they may have a choir, they may have a praise team. Um and while it used to be we were or we had the reputation of being so um I guess you could say hardcore stance on we don't use instrumental music and etc etc etc. I believe that over the time and we've we've we've been able to um do a better job at explaining why singing and a cappella form is so important for our for our congregation and for um the way we see how worship can be done. I mean I I've heard it all. I've heard that you know a cappella singing uh the uh musical instruments is sinful and um it's not true church, and I've heard it well, you know, it's it's a matter of choice, and I've heard, you know, um one church sees it one way and one church sees it another, and no one's doing it right, and etc. etc. etc. And for the most part it it's it's and I hate using this term because it got used so much when I was growing up. The the the the the idea of non-musical or musical instruments in the worship service is not a salvation issue. However, there is a concept, a spiritual discipline, there is a call in the Bible for the believers in Christ, for the congregations of Christ, for the church to be living together in harmony. And when you think about harmony, and if you have any musical background, then you can understand and appreciate the importance of how a song can be sung in or harmoniously and it can be a beautiful piece of music when we're praising God. So I have not necessarily changed my stance on musical instruments or non-musical instruments in the church. Um I have maybe I have I look at it now from a different point of view, and that is this the best way to promote harmony in any congregation is for us to be singing in a cappella form and to be singing as much and as often as we can because when we sing in harmonious form, we are practicing a spiritual discipline that God calls us to do. So whether you view musical instruments in the church or or non-musical instruments in the church, that you know that's that's that's up to you. That's your call. I'm not I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna go I'm gonna go and do and worship the way I think and God God wants us to, and I'm going to go and I'm going to worship the way the Bible shows us how to worship, and make sure that all of my focus on when I worship is about glorifying God and building one another up. And we do that in every aspect of our worship service. I hope that this singing sermon and the lyrics to In Christ Alone um kind of solidify and wrap up what it means to have a strong focus on what's important. When we can keep our eyes on Jesus, we can have the confidence to face any storm, to overcome any temptation, to um be able to not get so distracted by life because when we can stay focused on Jesus, we can make these kinds of statements that are in this song. And I hope that it will be encouraging to you as you go about your daily life. And I hope this lesson is also this 3-2-1. And I hope this sermon was also encouraging as well. Next Sunday we start we're gonna start a whole new series. Uh, it's still uh on the concepts of fixing in twenty fix in 2026. And um this month in the month of May, we're going to underst try to dive into what does it mean to fix our faith? And we'll probably have some repeats of some Bible verses that we used when we were focusing on Jesus, but the idea of nurturing, growing, strengthening our faith is something that I'm I'm convinced that no matter how old you are or how long you've been a Christian, um, a stronger, deeper, and more genuine faith in who in Jesus and God will is beneficial for our daily walk as well. So I hope you will be able to tune in uh next week where I will have the uploaded sermon of the first Sunday in May. And in the meantime, if you would like to contact me or ask me a question or talk about something on the show or whatever, you can email me at preacherman one one seven eight gmail dot com. That's preacherman eleven seventy-eight at gmail.com. This is the Preacher Man signing off. Thanks for listening, and always remember who you are and whose you are.