More Than a Song - Discovering the Truth of Scripture Hidden in Today's Popular Christian Music

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I love to talk about Jesus. There's a lot to say about Him. If we spent our entire lives plumbing the depths of Scripture, we would never come to an end. This is why I love Anne Wilson's new song, "My Jesus." She gives me a reason to talk about Him a little more.

Join me this week as we explore Christ's deity and humanity.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read larger chunks of Scripture
  • Consult outside resources
  • Meditation
  • Make a list
  • Look up definitions
  • Read in various translations
  • Read in context
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• How the study of Christ is known as Christology
• How we can't cover everything about Jesus in 20 minutes - John 21:25
• How the creeds were ways to affirm core beliefs
  • The Apostles Creed
  • The Nicene Creed
• Learning to understand that Jesus is fully God and fully man
• A chunk of Scripture in Colossians all about Jesus - Colossians 1:15-20
• Making a list of truths about Jesus found in our focus Scripture
• Knowing that if you've seen Jesus you've seen the Father - John 15:8-11
• Understanding that Jesus was part of creation in the beginning - John 1:1-3
• Meditating on the preeminence of Christ (or not) in my own life
• A chunk of Scripture in Philippians all about Jesus - Philippians 2:6-8
• Discovering that the humanity of Christ leads to Jesus as our example - Philippians 2:3-5

• Lyrics and chords - WorshipTogether.com
• Anne Wilson artist profile - NewReleaseToday.com
• "What is Kenosis?" - GotQuestions.org Article

Spend some time in Colossians 1 and Philippians 2 this week. Make a list of what these sections of Scripture

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While we may not be able to choose happiness, we can choose joy. We can choose joy because it's not rooted in our circumstances or feelings but rather the truth of Who God is and who we are in Him. "Joyful" by Dante Bowe is a fun, upbeat song that can remind us of that foundation of truth.

Let's explore a psalm together that reminds us that this is the day the Lord has made.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Repetition
  • Read in a variety of translations
  • Meditate on Scripture
  • Follow the cross-references
  • Consult outside resources
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• A quote from Dante Bowe - JubileeCast.com Article
• Getting inspired to study Psalm 118 by a Scriptural lyric in our song - Psalm 118:24
• How the psalmist bookends the song with the same phrase - Psalm 118:1, Psalm 118:29
• Meditating on phrases/verses that "pop out" at us
  • Psalm 118:6 - what can man do to me?
  • Psalm 118:8 - contrasting trust in man with trust in God
  • Psalm 118:14 - recognizing a verse I've already studied in Exodus 15
• Using this psalm as a jumping off point to explore other areas of Scripture through following the cross-references
  • God answering out of deep distress might send us to Chronicles and Kings to learn more about King Manasseh - 2 Chronicles 33:12
  • Remembering God is for us in Romans 8
  • Learning a new song in Exodus 15
  • Discovering this may have been the last song Jesus sang with His disciples at the Last Supper
• Tools I use to identify cross-references
  • Following the cross-references listed in our study Bibles
  • Using an online tool like BibleHub.com
• A few outside resources I used in my interaction time this week
  • New Living Translation Bible with Filament Bible App for study notes - Amazon link
  • English Standard Version Study Bible - Amazon link
  • The One Year Book of Psalms - Amazon link

• Lyrics - New Release Today
• Chords - Praise Charts

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How does God do "new" things? What does it mean that He makes all things new? These are the questions I asked myself inspired by Big Daddy Weave's song, "All Things New."

Join me on a discovery tour from Old to New Testaments inspired by this song.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Utilize section headings
  • Consult an overview
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• Rehearsing phrases in songs and not really knowing what Scripture says about them
• Reading Isaiah 42-44 to take in context Isaiah 43:19 where God was doing a new thing
• Spending time in these same chapters in Episodes 384 and 385
• Consulting an overview
  • I use the ESV Study Bible - Amazon Link
  • I also refer to Bible Project videos - YouTube Video
• How the original audience of Isaiah 44:14-21 were defeated people under worldly domination
• The new thing God may be doing could be now, but He always has His eyes set on eternity
• How I need to stop resenting the way God chooses to fulfill His purposes
• How freedom from captivity in Isaiah 44 was considered a "new thing" by God, and our freedom from the captivity of sin is also called "new" - 2 Corinthians 5:17
• God's reason for making us into a "new creation" is to give us the ministry of reconciliation - 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
• Where we see the actual phrase "all things new" - Revelation 21:1-7
• Keeping our eyes fixed on the "new" God has in mind - 1 John 2:17

• Lyrics - New Release Today
• Chords - Praise Charts
• Behind The Song With Kevin Davis - New Release Today Article
• "What does it mean that a Christian is a new creation?" - GotQuestions.org Article
• "Behold, I Make All Things New" - John Piper Sermon - DesiringGod.org

Let the Word of God change the way you think. Continue to spend time in Isaiah 40-55, focusing on chapter 44, where we see God doing a new thing in an unexpected way. Head over to 2 Corinthians 5 and learn all about the new bodies we'll get in eternity and how we're made into a new creation here on earth, and why. Finally, dwell on Revelation 21, taking in all the newness promised Christ-followers in eternity.

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What does Scripture say about the house of the Lord? That's what I set out to discover with Phil Wickham's new song, "House of the Lord," playing in the background. The answer weaves through the Old and New Testaments.

We only scratch the surface, but let's see how much we can explore.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Explore a topic
  • Make observations
  • Slow down
  • Share with a friend
  • Follow the cross-references
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• Phil Wickham's thoughts in the story behind the song - YouTube Video
• David's own joy at the thought of going to the house of the Lord - Psalm 122:1
• Expressing curiosity at the thought that David implies going to the temple, but it wasn't built in his lifetime
• The story of David's desire to build a house for the Lord and God's response - 2 Samuel 7:1-7
• A wonderful resource to explore the tabernacle and what all the pieces represent - "Made According to Pattern" by CW Slemming
• Learning about the first dwelling place of God among His people...a tent - Exodus 25
• The presence of God filling the tent of meeting and some observations - Exodus 35:34-38
• God declaring that David's son would build him a temple - 2 Samuel 7:11-16
• Solomon beginning the building process in 2 Chronicles 3
• The angel declaring Jesus as the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant - Luke 1:31-33
• The temple as a house of prayer for all peoples - Isaiah 56:7
• Comparing Jesus and His new covenant to the copy and shadow of the old covenant - Hebrews 8:1-6
• Understanding that individually as believers in Christ we are the temple of the Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
• Learning that collectively, as believers, we are the dwelling place of God as well - 1 Peter 2:4-5, Ephesians 2:19-22

• Lyrics and chords - Essential Worship
• Behind The Song With Kevin Davis - New Release Today Article
• "Why didn’t God allow David to build the temple?" - GotQuestions.org Article

You have a lot of reading and observing to do this week! Head over to Exodus to read all about the tabernacle -- its design and purpose. Then read God's response to David's desire to build Him a "house" in 2 Samuel 7. You can read all about the building process of the temple beginning in 2 Chronicles 3. Explore the fulfillment of God's covenant in Christ in Hebrews 8. Finally, meditate on the truth sprinkled throughout the New Testament that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit -- both individually and collectively. We are the house of the Lord, and there's joy in the house of the Lord.

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I had a student director in college who was a master at asking questions to get you to think. He said he learned it from Jesus in Scripture. I guess Jesus learned it from His Father. Natalie Grant asks a question in her song "Who Else" that God rhetorically asks of Himself.

Let's explore our incomparable God together in the book of Isaiah.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Read and keep on reading
  • Use your imagination
  • Consult an outside resource
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• How even God asks "who is like me?" - Isaiah 40:25
• How God doesn't compare Himself to other "gods" when defining Himself - Exodus 3:14
• How God wants the whole world to know there is no one like Him - Exodus 8:10
• David's view of himself when faced with God's greatness - 2 Samuel 7:19-21
• David's praise response to God's covenant with him voicing again that there is none like Him - 2 Samuel 7:22
• Episode 373 and how we are made in God's image
• Recognizing that being made in His image and being like Him in our "being" are two different things
• God's communicable and incommunicable attributes and the difference between the two
• God establishing there is none other like Him - Isaiah 44:6-8
• Moving from understanding what the text says to what it means to what it means to me
• Declarative statements and questions wrapped up in Isaiah 44:9-11
• Using our imagination to picture the scene described in Isaiah 44:12-17
• The irony of trees used in making idols being watered by rain that worthless gods cannot send - Jeremiah 14:22
• Personally examining whether the "good things" in our lives have replaced a good God using Joe Carter's article at The Gospel Coalition - TGC Article

• Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com
• Chords - Praise Charts
• "How to Expose the Idols in Your Life" by Joe Carter - TGC Article

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What if you could have that ONE relationship where, no matter how bad you mess things up, the other One won't let go? Our Heavenly Father offers us that stability and consistency we desperately want. When Lauren Daigle sings "Hold On To Me," I think of the many times in Scripture where God promises to do just that.

Let's learn more about our Father, who holds us close.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Consult an overview
  • Read in context
  • Start with God
  • Compare and contrast
  • Make a list
  • Meditate on Scripture
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• A trusted overview of Isaiah - BibleProject.com
• How God not only holds us, but carries us - Isaiah 40:11
• How God holds us, has the power to keep us, and has our good at heart - Isaiah 41:10
• Staying faithful to study God's Word no matter the stage of experience you are in
• Starting with God when you approach Scripture
• Using questions to spur on additional study or leaving them unanswered while you meditate on the parts you do understand
• An article on "recompense" - GotQuestions.org
• Correcting any wrong thinking that may say we are hidden from God's sight or that He is indifferent - Isaiah 40:27-31

• Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com
• Chords - Essential Worship
• The Story Behind the Song "Hold On To Me" by Lauren Daigle - YouTube Video
• Commentary on Isaiah - BibleStudyTools.com

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It is comforting to me to know that no matter the tragedy, season of pain and sorrow, and storms of my life, the Holy Spirit is a river that flows through the canyon of my life. Ellie Holcomb uses this metaphor in her song "Canyon," and I use it to inspire my exploration Scripture to discover what it has to say to us.

Join me as we see the waters of life flow through Scripture and in and through our lives.

In this episode I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Use your imagination
  • Read in context
  • Utilize the section headings
  • Follow the cross-references
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• The story behind the song "Canyon" - New Release Today Article
• The metaphor of your life as a canyon with major events making up the layers
• What we learned about water as a metaphor from last week's episode - Episode 382
• Using your imagination to interact with Scripture
• The Holy Spirit as "rivers of living water" flowing from your heart - John 7:37-39
• Using a physical Bible to aid in "picturing the words on the page"
• Finding out what Scripture Jesus was quoting by following the cross-reference to Isaiah 55:1
• Discovering the gospel message in Isaiah 55
  • Repentance in Isaiah 55:6-7
  • God achieving His purposes through His Word - Isaiah 55:10-11
• Following the cross-reference to Acts 13
• Looking at the layers in the canyon of the history of the Hebrew people and seeing the river of God's presence and life running through it

• Lyrics - New Release Today
• Story Behind the Song "Canyon" by Ellie Holcomb - New Release Today Article
• Chords - Worship Together

We went to three amazing places in Scripture this week. You could follow the path I took or choose to stop at lookouts along the way. Read John 7. Take the BITE of imagining the scenes described. Ponder the thought that the Holy Spirit is described as a river of life. Follow the cross-reference to Isaiah 55 and uncover the beautiful gospel message held in the text. Ride the rapids to Acts 13, where Paul describes the deep canyon of God's people and reveals that there was a river running through it the entire time.

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It's easy to get swept away by our emotions when our environment changes. Circumstances don't change God, but they may reveal Him to us in new ways. When We Are Messengers sing "Come What May," I am reminded that I can rely on God no matter what.

David sings about this same thing in Psalm 23. Let's explore it together.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Repetition
  • Read in a variety of translations
  • Meditate on Scripture
  • Make a list
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• The way the bridge of our song inspired me to soak in Psalm 23
• The benefits of reading repetitively
  • Recognize new details you may have missed before
  • Increase your ability to retell what you've read
  • Build confidence in what you're reading
• Meditating on Psalm 23 by thinking deeply and imagining the various environments described in the psalm
• Making a list of environments in Psalm 23
  • Green meadows
  • Peaceful streams
  • Right paths
  • Darkest valley/dark valley of death
  • Banquet table
• How a shepherd does not write this psalm, but a sheep
• Additional water references
  • Isaiah 49:10
  • Ephesians 5:25-27
  • Revelation 21:6
  • John 7:37-39
• Our own roles as priests in God's kingdom - 1 Peter 2:9

• Lyrics - New Release Today
• The story behind the song "Come What May" by We Are Messengers - TheChristianBeat.org Article
• "What Does the Bible Say About Anointing Oil?" - GotQuestions.org Article
• "What Does it Mean That My Cup Runneth Over?" - GotQuestions.org Article

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There is a difference between complaining and lament. While bringing our complaints to the Father is part of the pattern of lament we discover in Scripture, it doesn't end there. Alisa Turner offers us a song of lament similar in pattern to what we see in Scripture. In her song "Miracle Or Not," she gives voice to her questions while keeping her feet firmly on the path of praise and trust.

King David does the same in the Psalms. Let's explore one of his songs of lament together and see what we discover.

In this episode I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Consult an outside resource
  • Meditate on Scripture
  • Make a list
  • Journal
  • Read in a variety of translations
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• Alisa Turner's life story - YouTube Video
• The story behind the song "Miracle Or Not" - YouTube Video
• The idea of pouring out our grief and complaint into writing a lament as shared by my listener Margot - The Habit Podcast Season 3 Episode 7
• How one-third of the Psalms are songs of lament
• Introducing Psalm 13 as our Psalm to meditate on for the week
• The resource I gleaned from heavily when considering the topic of lament - "Dark Clouds Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament" by Mark Vroegop
• The podcasts I listened to that introduced me to Pastor Mark's book - Revive Our Hearts Podcast episodes featuring Mark Vroegop
• Defining lament
• Wrestling with feelings that "I shouldn't be feeling this way"
• Not rushing to the end of sorrow
• Following a pattern of sorrow that ultimately leads to trust
• The pattern of lament as found in Scripture
  • Turn to God in prayer
  • Bring your complaint
  • Ask boldly
  • Choose to trust
• Making a list of King David's questions of complaint in Psalm 13:1-2
• Making sure our complaints are based on God's truth. Like the complaint of God seeming to forget when we know from Isaiah 49:14-16 that He does NOT forget.
• Being raw and real with God -- even journaling our thoughts, questions, complaints, and frustrations -- with the ultimate goal of moving TOWARD God
• Asking boldly - Hebrews 4:14-16
• Reorienting our vision to the ways of God that leads to praise and trust

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Worship is something I want to get right. What is the "Heart of Worship" that Matt Redman sings about -- and is it right? God gets dibs on defining the type of worship that delights Him, don't you agree?

Let's explore Scripture to see how the type of worship that is pleasing to God is "more than a song."

In this episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Consulting an outside resource
  • Read in context
  • Use section headings to get your bearings
  • Make a list
  • Follow the cross-references
• The 30 Day Music Challenge
• Getting inspired by our theme verse - Colossians 3:16
• Using a chart from an outside resource to jump into Scripture - Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts
• How the Colossians were to "emphasize the ministry of teaching and admonition by the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs"
• Exploring a song Moses wrote at God's request - Deuteronomy 32
• Reading about the purpose of the song through reading in context - Deuteronomy 31
• Making a list of the characteristics of the song - Deuteronomy 31:19-22
• Jumping over to 2 Chronicles 29 to experience a "coming back to the heart of worship" moment
• Gaining clarity through the cross-references - Hosea 6:6, Isaiah 1:11-17, 1 Samuel 15:22, Matthew 9:13
• The replacement of the Old Testament sacrificial system - Hebrews 10
• The kind of sacrifice that God requires of us - Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:15
• Making a list of "more than a song" things that are pleasing in God's sight from our study of Old and New Testament references (see lists above)

• Lyrics and chords - WorshipTogether.com
• The story behind the song "Heart of Worship" by Matt Redman -

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