Not too long ago a friend of mine got married. Before the wedding day, we had a get-together and we were asked to think of exhortations or encouragements to give him as he headed into marriage. As I was thinking about what to say, it dawned on me one evening when my wife and I were singing Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” – that’s it. My exhortation was to sing hymns with your wife.<\/p>\n
To Spite the Devil<\/strong><\/p>\n Other than pure Word of God and the preaching of the Word, the most powerful weapon to slay the devil and his temptations is singing theologically sound and gospel rich hymns from your gut. The wonder of music is that it draws out our emotions as human beings. This, like most things, can be used for good or for evil. As Christians we must wield this weapon for good. The benefit of theologically sound and gospel rich hymns is that it channels our God-given emotions in the right direction. Music has a way of stirring up our affections for Christ in a unique way.<\/p>\n When a Christian husband and wife commit to singing hymns together on a regular basis it “spites the Devil,” as Martin Luther would say. Stones of temptation or discord that Satan has thrown your way can be thrown back in his face at the sound of melody to the Lord. “Come Thou Fount” is a gut punch, “Before the Throne” is an uppercut to the jaw, and “Jesus Paid it All” is a knockout blow. A joyful sound to the Lord can be a cure for the wiles of Satan. He hates the sound of songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. What is a joyful sound to the Lord is a screeching annoyance to the devil. So sing heartily in order to flee temptation together.<\/p>\n To Forge Your Bond<\/strong><\/p>\n There is nothing more bonding in this world than the gospel bond of sin-slaying and Christ-exalting – except for doing so in song. Singing truths about God with one another weaves the strings of your heart together in a bond that is not easily broken. Most people are very self-conscious about their singing voice. Our singing voices make most of us feel vulnerable in some sense. Especially as a man, singing truths about your Lord Jesus Christ puts you in a vulnerable position. But when we are put in a vulnerable position and are still loved and accepted, we are bonded together with that other soul in a way that not many other souls even know us. When the notes from your heart come out of your vocal chords and are strung together with those of your spouse, a bond is forged that cannot be undone.<\/p>\n Piggybacking off of this, the sound that you and your spouse make together is a sound that cannot be replicated by anyone else. If you add someone, it is a different sound. If one of you is absent, it is not the same. It is a unique sound to the Lord that only the two of you have the physical ability to share. It is a unique sound that only the Lord can enjoy when you two are singing together.<\/p>\n So love Christ by singing hymns together that spite the devil and forge your souls together with serious joy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Not too long ago a friend of mine got married. Before the wedding day, we had a get-together and we were asked to think of exhortations or encouragements to give him as he headed into marriage. As I was thinking about what to say, it dawned on me one evening when my wife and I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":3063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[279,374,562,633,635,678,699,701,795,1014,1056,1134,1145,1146,1163,1175,1177,1236,1342,1346],"class_list":{"0":"post-3031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-christians","9":"tag-devil","10":"tag-gospel","11":"tag-husband","12":"tag-hymns","13":"tag-jenkins","14":"tag-joshua","15":"tag-joy","16":"tag-marriage","17":"tag-rags","18":"tag-riches","19":"tag-should","20":"tag-sing","21":"tag-singing","22":"tag-song","23":"tag-spite","24":"tag-spouse","25":"tag-their","26":"tag-why","27":"tag-wife","28":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/09\/a-mighty-fortress-is-our-god-001.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3797,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/winning-by-singing\/","url_meta":{"origin":3031,"position":0},"title":"Winning by Singing","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"July 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"There is not much I despise more than profane music that blasphemes my Lord. On the other hand, there is not much I enjoy more than good music that honors my Lord. Music has a way of seeping into the walls of our hearts, emotions, and consciences that dry words\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/depositphotos_43434965-stock-video-panning-along-bibles-and-hymnals.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/depositphotos_43434965-stock-video-panning-along-bibles-and-hymnals.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/depositphotos_43434965-stock-video-panning-along-bibles-and-hymnals.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1267,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/from-mumbling-to-singing\/","url_meta":{"origin":3031,"position":1},"title":"From Mumbling to Singing","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"February 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We all know the feeling of standing in a corporate worship setting where it seems the congregation has replaced singing with mumbling. Maybe some of us have been mumblers ourselves. I've even experienced this in settings where good doctrine is being sung. In such settings, pastors and worship leaders will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gospel"","block_context":{"text":"Gospel","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/gospel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4276,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/how-to-make-tyrants-knees-knock-a-word-about-the-singing-at-our-god-government-conference\/","url_meta":{"origin":3031,"position":2},"title":"How to Make Tyrants’ Knees Knock: A Word About the Singing at Our God & Government Conference","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"December 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the reasons the modern church has failed to apply the Word of God to the nations and to civil governments is because the modern church has, by and large, stopped singing the Psalms. To be fair, most modern churches did not actively make the decision to stop singing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Government"","block_context":{"text":"Government","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/government\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/singing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/singing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/singing.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/singing.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/singing.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4619,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/a-biblical-historical-case-for-exclusive-psalmody\/","url_meta":{"origin":3031,"position":3},"title":"A Biblical-Historical Case for Exclusive Psalmody","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"October 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction On this Lord\u2019s Day, we will once again concern ourselves with the matter of what we are to sing in the public worship of God. As has been stated in the previous weeks, the elders of Hope Baptist Church have come under the conviction of the Exclusive Psalmody position,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church History"","block_context":{"text":"Church History","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/church-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/10\/King-Hezekiah.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/10\/King-Hezekiah.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/10\/King-Hezekiah.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4637,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/human-citharas-and-singing-with-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":3031,"position":4},"title":"Human Citharas and Singing with Jesus","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"November 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction Today\u2019s message is an appendix, if you will, to the studies we have done during the month of October. Then Lord willing, we will be back in the gospel of John next Lord\u2019s Day. I want to set forth today a positive view of what it means to sing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Preaching"","block_context":{"text":"Preaching","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/preaching\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/cithara.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":651,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-gospel-for-our-inconsistent-prayer-lives\/","url_meta":{"origin":3031,"position":5},"title":"The Gospel for Our Inconsistent Prayer Lives","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"January 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"For many Christians it seems that prayer is one of the most difficult disciplines to maintain. Often times, when things in our life are going well we tend to pray less, if at all. This is sin, and we know it. We know that we are to \"pray without ceasing\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"devil\"","block_context":{"text":"devil","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/tag\/devil\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}