When the Music Stops

When the Music Stops

Psalms 137: 1-9

Text Scripture:

Psalms 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?

5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.

8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.

Intro:

In the text scripture we see where a major upheaval – a disruption of normalcy – had occurred it the life on the nation of Israel
The Babylonians had taken them into captivity
Then they add insult to injury by taunting them and telling them to sing one of those songs now
In the midst of adverse circumstances – their captors began to taunt them saying:

Let us hear you sing now

Sing now about the greatness of your God
Sing now about the joy of the Lord
Sing now about His mercy
Sing now about His protection
Sing now of His great provision
Sing now of His favor upon you
Sing now of His love

And sadly, the Israelites could not sing - because, in a strange land, they had hanged their harps on the willow trees

The circumstances had changed

The music had stopped!

There is a cadence and rhythm to life

Everything has a harmonic resonance – a point where when a certain pitch is reached - everything around the source vibrates in harmony

That’s why when a car comes by your house with one of those blaring, thumping stereo systems, your dishes and teeth rattle – they are resonating.

Life is like that

When all is well between you and your spouse – there is a spiritual resonance
When your children are doing well
When your studies are on track
When your career is skyrocketing
When your health is good
When you are young
When you say as Robert Browning the poet:

The year 's at the spring,
And day 's at the morn;
Morning 's at seven;
The hill-side 's dew-pearl'd;
The lark 's on the wing; / 5
The snail 's on the thorn;
God 's in His heaven—
All 's right with the world!

But sadly, those Robert Browning Moments in life seem to be far and few between - and fleeting when they are here!

In life the question is not whether or not you and I will face moments when the music stops – the real question is - what will we do when it happens?

Somebody has rightly said about the path of life that we are either in a trial, coming out of one, or headed into one.

The question that begs an answer is: WHAT WILL WE DO WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS.

ILLUSTRATION:

Anybody ever play “musical chairs”?
You know the drill – Somebody manned a record played and played music while you marched around chairs that numbered one less than the number of participants
When the music stopped you scrambled to get a seat
The one left standing was “out”
It was a horrible feeling
And everyone else was glad not to be the one that was “out” and they hoped not to be the person the next round.
Then it came down to two people - a battle to the finish ensued for that final chair.
And all for what?
Some trinket or other.
Anyone remember what the winner’s prize was?
No, I didn’t think so.
I don’t, either.

Life is like this!

We march in beat to the music
We circle life’s chairs
When the music stops – we scramble
When we are the one that is “out” we struggle to make sense of it all
And in reality – it cannot make sense – because the game is geared so that all but one who plays will lose
And the won who wins – really does not win anything
We vie for life’s trinkets – that really do not amount to a hill of beans

ILLUSTRATION:

The July 11th edition of the LaGrange Daily News contained a story entitled: NOTHING LEFT TO REMEMBER HER BY
The story was tragic
It was about a fire that destroyed the house of a terminally ill lady who was admitted to a nursing home the day before.
Staring and the burned out house her daughter made the statement, “We’ve got nothing left to remember her by now.”

For this family - THE MUSIC STOPPED!

And while I know & understand the intent of what the daughter was saying, and it is in no way my intent to disparage this family by what I am about to say - is not this the reality of life? Job said, Job 14:1 “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.”

All too often happiness is based upon winning life’s game of musical chairs – only to discover that when we focus on the trinkets – when the trinkets are gone – the music stops!

When Israel was carried away captive – the music stopped
When this terminally ill woman was placed in a nursing home and her home burned – the music stopped
What is it that caused the music to stop in your life?

For some:

It may have been a verbally or physically abusive parent or loved one – or perhaps you are the parent
It may have been an unfaithful spouse – or perhaps you were the unfaithful spouse
It may have been a friend that betrayed a confidence – or perhaps you were the friend
It may have been a bad report from the doctor
It may have been the death of a loved one
It may be divorce – or perhaps you are the child of a divorced couple – and you blame yourself

The list can go on forever

But there is a truth to be learned – sometimes the very thing that stops the music in your life will cause you to sing a new melody that you would have never sang – had the storm not come into your life.

Israel was carried away captive by the Babylonians so that God could teach them to sing a new song –in a strange land!

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isaiah was simply saying – during one of the most painful, dreary, dark times in my life – I SAW GOD!

ILLUSTRATION

German Baron who loved music
Lived in a castle upon a hill
A soft gentle breeze was always blowing
He decided to erect towers around the castle and string wire to capture the gentle breezes and create a wind chime to provide beautiful music to the villagers below
However, no matter how he tightened or loosened the tension on the cables – or repositioned them they would not produce a melody

One night a horrible storm stuck the countryside.
The castle was in the center of the storm
The Baron was amazed as above the roar of the storm he began to hear a beautiful melody from the wind chimes

It took a storm to create winds that were strong enough to produce the melody!

There are three things I want to touch upon today that causes the music to stop in the life of a Christian:

1: When We Become Fixated or Focused on Our Present Circumstances

One of my favorite passages of scripture is found throughout the whole Bible – repeatedly the Bible records a passage that’s says: AND IT CAME TO PASS.

I love that scripture not some much for what it says – but because of what it does NOT say. It does not say: And it came to STAY! It says it came to pass!

All of life is fleeting – nothing remains the same.

Most of our crises are really crises at all!

1: When We Focus on Our Present Circumstances

2: When We Forget What God Has Done in the Past

Jesus has always come through for us –

One of satan’s greatest ploys is to try to make us think that this time – this circumstance – this trouble – this trial – is somehow different and that God cannot or will not handle our current situation.

1: When We Focus on Our Present Circumstances

2: When We Forget What God Has Done in the Past

3: When we Forget His Promise

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Close:

1: When We Focus on Our Present Circumstances

2: When We Forget What God Has Done in the Past

3: When we Forget His Promise

What has caused the music to stop in your life?

What has caused you to be the person that does not have a chair – and the one who is OUT?

Preached: 7-13-08 @ Mt. Pleasant Baptist Franklin, Georgia