WEBVTT 00:00:00.430 --> 00:00:04.370 You're listening to City Church Manchester. We 00:00:04.370 --> 00:00:07.349 are a church that invites everyone to enjoy Christ 00:00:07.349 --> 00:00:11.250 for the glory of God. If we can serve you in 00:00:11.250 --> 00:00:15.050 any way, then visit our website at citychurchmanchester 00:00:15.050 --> 00:00:19.910 .org to find out more. Alright, let's open 1 00:00:19.910 --> 00:00:25.230 Corinthians, all of chapter 14. Follow the way 00:00:25.230 --> 00:00:27.969 of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, 00:00:28.109 --> 00:00:31.339 especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:34.079 a tongue does not speak to people but to God. 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:37.840 Indeed, no one understands them, but they utter 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:40.759 mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:43.420 speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging, 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:47.020 and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies 00:00:47.020 --> 00:00:49.920 themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:52.579 the church. I would like every one of you to 00:00:52.579 --> 00:00:54.979 speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.140 The one who prophesies is greater than the one 00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:01.060 who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:04.260 so that the church may be edified. Now, brothers 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:06.859 and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, 00:01:07.060 --> 00:01:09.560 what good will I be to you unless I bring you 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:12.200 some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word 00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:15.120 of instruction? Even in the case of lifeless 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:17.519 things that make sounds, such as the pipe or 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:20.739 harp, how will anyone know what tune is being 00:01:20.739 --> 00:01:23.120 played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:25.780 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear 00:01:25.780 --> 00:01:29.959 call, who will get ready for battle? So it is 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:32.879 with you. Unless you speak intelligible words 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:34.739 with your tongue, how will anyone know what you 00:01:34.739 --> 00:01:39.280 are saying? How will just speaking into the air? 00:01:40.579 --> 00:01:43.159 Undoubtedly, there are all sorts of languages 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:45.280 in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 00:01:45.819 --> 00:01:48.620 If then, I do not grasp the meaning of what someone 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:52.370 is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker. and 00:01:52.370 --> 00:01:55.730 the speaker is a foreigner to me. So it is with 00:01:55.730 --> 00:01:58.390 you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, 00:01:58.609 --> 00:02:01.049 try to excel in those that build up the church. 00:02:01.670 --> 00:02:04.269 For this reason, the one who speaks in a tongue 00:02:04.269 --> 00:02:06.750 should pray that they may interpret what they 00:02:06.750 --> 00:02:10.330 say. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, 00:02:10.330 --> 00:02:13.090 but my mind is unproofful. So what shall I do? 00:02:13.409 --> 00:02:15.830 I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray 00:02:15.830 --> 00:02:18.289 with my understanding. I will sing with my spirit, 00:02:18.389 --> 00:02:21.180 but I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise, 00:02:21.219 --> 00:02:23.219 when you are praising God in the spirit, how 00:02:23.219 --> 00:02:25.300 can someone else who is now put in the position 00:02:25.300 --> 00:02:29.740 of an inquirer say amen to your thanksgiving 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:32.340 since they do not know what you are saying? You 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:34.439 are giving thanks well enough, but no one else 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:37.500 is edified. I thank God that I speak in tongues 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:40.039 more than all of you. But in the church, I would 00:02:40.039 --> 00:02:43.580 rather speak five intelligible words to instruct 00:02:43.580 --> 00:02:47.000 others than 10 ,000 words in a tongue. Brothers 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:50.050 and sisters, stop thinking like children. In 00:02:50.050 --> 00:02:52.710 regard to evil, be infants, but in your thinking, 00:02:52.849 --> 00:02:56.409 be adults. In the law, it is written, with other 00:02:56.409 --> 00:02:58.469 tongues and through the lips of foreigners, I 00:02:58.469 --> 00:03:01.050 will speak to these people, but even then they 00:03:01.050 --> 00:03:04.050 will not listen to me. Tongues then are a sign, 00:03:04.169 --> 00:03:07.569 not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, 00:03:07.569 --> 00:03:09.990 however, is not for unbelievers, but for believers. 00:03:10.430 --> 00:03:12.789 So if the whole church comes together and everyone 00:03:12.789 --> 00:03:15.770 speaks in tongues and inquires or unbelievers 00:03:15.770 --> 00:03:17.930 come in, will they not say that you are out of 00:03:17.930 --> 00:03:20.550 your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer 00:03:20.550 --> 00:03:22.810 comes in while everyone is prophesying, they 00:03:22.810 --> 00:03:24.770 are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment 00:03:24.770 --> 00:03:27.250 by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid 00:03:27.250 --> 00:03:29.689 bare. So they will fall down and worship God, 00:03:29.830 --> 00:03:33.789 exclaiming, God is really among you. What then, 00:03:33.849 --> 00:03:35.789 shall we say, brothers and sisters, when you 00:03:35.789 --> 00:03:38.270 come together, each of you has a hymn or a word 00:03:38.270 --> 00:03:40.810 of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or interpretation. 00:03:41.789 --> 00:03:43.889 Everything must be done so that the church may 00:03:43.889 --> 00:03:46.840 be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:49.759 or at the most three, should speak one at a time, 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:52.479 and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, 00:03:52.680 --> 00:03:55.300 the speaker should keep quiet in the church and 00:03:55.300 --> 00:03:58.599 speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:01.039 should speak, and the others should weigh carefully 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:03.800 what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:05.960 who is sitting down, the first speaker should 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:09.879 stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that 00:04:09.879 --> 00:04:13.259 everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The 00:04:13.259 --> 00:04:16.060 spirits of prophets, are subject to the control 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:18.839 of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder, 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:21.740 but of peace, as in all the congregations of 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:24.839 the Lord's people. Women should remain silent 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:26.860 in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:30.100 but must be in submission, as the law says. If 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:32.040 they want to inquire about something, they should 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:34.660 ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful 00:04:34.660 --> 00:04:37.199 for a woman to speak in the church. Or did the 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:39.639 word of God originate with you, or are you only 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:42.189 people it has reached? If anyone thinks they 00:04:42.189 --> 00:04:44.329 are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, 00:04:44.550 --> 00:04:47.670 let them acknowledge that what I am writing to 00:04:47.670 --> 00:04:52.189 you is the Lord's command. But if anyone ignores 00:04:52.189 --> 00:04:54.850 this, they will themselves be ignored. Therefore, 00:04:55.050 --> 00:04:57.250 my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy 00:04:57.250 --> 00:05:00.310 and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but everything 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:02.870 should be done in a fitting and orderly way. 00:05:04.139 --> 00:05:07.879 Thanks so much and good afternoon everyone. Let 00:05:07.879 --> 00:05:11.160 me add my welcome to Ralph. My name is Matt. 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:14.959 I'm one of the leaders here at City Church and 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:19.139 it's my privilege, and I do say that advisedly, 00:05:19.160 --> 00:05:21.660 to take us through this passage this afternoon. 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:26.579 Lots in it. Why don't we pray? Heavenly Father, 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:29.779 we come before you knowing that all of your word 00:05:29.779 --> 00:05:35.930 is God -breathed. and suitable for encouragement, 00:05:36.149 --> 00:05:39.930 correction, exhortation and rebuke. And we do 00:05:39.930 --> 00:05:44.129 ask that you would speak to us now. Father, there's 00:05:44.129 --> 00:05:48.189 much in this passage for us to consider and to 00:05:48.189 --> 00:05:51.649 be challenged by, but we ask above all that you 00:05:51.649 --> 00:05:56.850 would show us the Lord Jesus. Amen. Now, when 00:05:56.850 --> 00:06:00.500 I was... When I was very small and in primary 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:03.980 school, there was a particular place in my primary 00:06:03.980 --> 00:06:08.519 school that I was never, ever allowed to step 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:13.279 into. Now this place in my primary school that 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:16.339 I wasn't allowed to go into, it was how you might 00:06:16.339 --> 00:06:20.019 describe, in my imagination, it was a magical 00:06:20.019 --> 00:06:25.750 kingdom full of mystery. We believed, as pupils 00:06:25.750 --> 00:06:29.029 at the school, that it was filled with all sorts 00:06:29.029 --> 00:06:32.629 of treasures and wonders that would make your 00:06:32.629 --> 00:06:35.930 eyes bulge if you could only but gaze upon them. 00:06:36.470 --> 00:06:40.129 You could walk by this room, but you could never 00:06:40.129 --> 00:06:43.569 go in. And perhaps as you walked by, you would 00:06:43.569 --> 00:06:46.990 catch snippets of conversations. You would hear 00:06:46.990 --> 00:06:50.290 kind of crackles of laughter coming from the 00:06:50.290 --> 00:06:56.519 room. But you would never go in. What was this 00:06:56.519 --> 00:07:03.139 forbidden place of wonder and mystery? It was 00:07:03.139 --> 00:07:06.399 the staff room of the school. It was the staff 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:10.639 room. And so like Indiana Jones, I resolved one 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:14.500 day I would go into this magical kingdom and 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:17.959 see it for myself. I devoted many years of my 00:07:17.959 --> 00:07:20.720 life to that quest and eventually, after much 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:25.379 hardship, I achieved a PGCE and I became a trainee 00:07:25.379 --> 00:07:29.500 teacher in a school. And I had every expectation 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:32.300 when you finally go into a staff room as a trainee 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:34.399 teacher, and those of you who are teachers, you'll 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:37.339 remember it. You go into the staff room and you 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:40.100 expect it to be, you know, this kind of band 00:07:40.100 --> 00:07:43.699 of brothers. Everyone's together, excited about 00:07:43.699 --> 00:07:46.860 investing in knowledge and education for the 00:07:46.860 --> 00:07:51.160 next generation. And then you actually go in. 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:57.810 And you meet the staff. And sure, there are some 00:07:57.810 --> 00:08:02.149 groups within every school staff room who are, 00:08:02.209 --> 00:08:05.089 they're idealistic, they're motivated, they get 00:08:05.089 --> 00:08:07.089 up each morning wanting to make a difference. 00:08:08.170 --> 00:08:13.949 But then there are others, teachers, who are 00:08:13.949 --> 00:08:16.629 not like that at all. They really only seem to 00:08:16.629 --> 00:08:19.569 be there for themselves. They are there for the 00:08:19.569 --> 00:08:21.910 salary, for the pension, for the holidays, for 00:08:21.910 --> 00:08:24.870 the convenience of a particular rhythm of life. 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:30.300 Now I share that to you this afternoon because 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:34.960 Paul's concern in our passage is that every church 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:38.159 gathering that should be focused on the Lord 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:42.159 Jesus Christ is in danger of in fact being fractured 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:47.940 into two groups. Those who love themselves and 00:08:47.940 --> 00:08:52.990 those who love others. And in this section of 00:08:52.990 --> 00:08:57.950 chapters 12 to 14 of 1 Corinthians, Paul is addressing 00:08:57.950 --> 00:09:00.490 the fact in these few chapters that the Holy 00:09:00.490 --> 00:09:04.110 Spirit has generously given the Church of God 00:09:04.110 --> 00:09:08.990 all number of spiritual gifts to believers, but 00:09:08.990 --> 00:09:11.710 a little bit like, I don't know, a spiritual 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:16.230 TK Maxx. should we say, that the Corinthian church 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:19.509 were just piling in and seeing what they could 00:09:19.509 --> 00:09:22.769 simply grab for themselves and their own ego. 00:09:24.210 --> 00:09:27.649 Because what we've seen in these chapters is 00:09:27.649 --> 00:09:31.610 that the spiritual gifts are not necessarily 00:09:31.610 --> 00:09:38.950 tied to one's maturity. So the church in Corinth 00:09:38.950 --> 00:09:43.029 was weaponizing the more attention -grabbing 00:09:43.029 --> 00:09:46.129 gifts in order to elevate their own personal 00:09:46.129 --> 00:09:51.830 status over others. And Paul's point in these 00:09:51.830 --> 00:09:53.610 chapters, and this particular point in chapter 00:09:53.610 --> 00:10:00.250 14, is that we are not, as a church, to be participants 00:10:00.250 --> 00:10:03.610 in a spiritual Miss World pageant, just kind 00:10:03.610 --> 00:10:09.340 of showboating. showing off, but rather we are 00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:12.179 to use the gifts and the opportunities of gathering 00:10:12.179 --> 00:10:16.639 together in order to encourage others and seek 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:19.659 the growth of others. Look at me at verse 12 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:24.259 of chapter 14. It says this, since you are eager 00:10:24.259 --> 00:10:29.120 for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.870 that build up the church. I've got two points 00:10:32.870 --> 00:10:35.549 for us this afternoon. Point number one is two 00:10:35.549 --> 00:10:38.549 attitudes, and point number two is two types 00:10:38.549 --> 00:10:41.070 of church service. That's where we're going to 00:10:41.070 --> 00:10:43.750 go. So come with me to our first point, two attitudes. 00:10:45.049 --> 00:10:49.409 Now, chapter 14, as you will have gathered, is 00:10:49.409 --> 00:10:53.049 somewhat controversial. So let me cover a couple 00:10:53.049 --> 00:10:55.850 of house rules before we dive into the passage, 00:10:55.909 --> 00:10:58.149 because there's a lot to be potentially distracted 00:10:58.149 --> 00:11:03.029 by. So here's this one. Paul in chapter 14 is 00:11:03.029 --> 00:11:08.710 working on two levels. His big idea, his big 00:11:08.710 --> 00:11:13.190 idea overarching is that churches can have two 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:16.649 attitudes at play. One is good and one is bad. 00:11:17.269 --> 00:11:20.389 And then on a second level, he's going to make 00:11:20.389 --> 00:11:25.200 concrete. these attitudes to the Corinthians 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:31.059 by exploring the Corinthian use of two very specific 00:11:31.059 --> 00:11:33.659 gifts that were being used in the church. One 00:11:33.659 --> 00:11:35.899 is speaking in tongues and the other is speaking 00:11:35.899 --> 00:11:39.970 prophecy. So two levels. So I want you to remember 00:11:39.970 --> 00:11:42.250 the two levels, the big picture of the attitudes 00:11:42.250 --> 00:11:45.470 and then the second level, the details of the 00:11:45.470 --> 00:11:48.870 comparison between these two gifts. Remember 00:11:48.870 --> 00:11:51.850 the principles, don't get too distracted by the 00:11:51.850 --> 00:11:55.370 details. Now the first of the two attitudes I 00:11:55.370 --> 00:12:02.750 summarise as this. Church is about making me 00:12:02.750 --> 00:12:08.190 feel good. Church is about making me feel good. 00:12:08.110 --> 00:12:10.889 good. I think that's attitude number one. It's 00:12:10.889 --> 00:12:13.110 an attitude that Paul's seeing in the church 00:12:13.110 --> 00:12:16.029 in Corinth where, to put it in our language, 00:12:16.210 --> 00:12:19.389 everything is filtered through the lens of personal 00:12:19.389 --> 00:12:22.110 experience. How was the music? Well, I liked 00:12:22.110 --> 00:12:23.610 that song. I didn't know that song. I didn't 00:12:23.610 --> 00:12:25.250 like this song. I knew that song and I liked 00:12:25.250 --> 00:12:28.370 it. How was the sermon? It was okay. It didn't 00:12:28.370 --> 00:12:32.149 really engage me. How was the community? So -so. 00:12:32.190 --> 00:12:34.629 I saw some of my friends, but most people didn't 00:12:34.629 --> 00:12:39.710 really ask me how I was doing. Now, for Paul, 00:12:39.970 --> 00:12:44.669 his way of making this attitude concrete within 00:12:44.669 --> 00:12:48.330 the church in Corinth is to target their obsession 00:12:48.330 --> 00:12:52.389 with their favourite spiritual gift, speaking 00:12:52.389 --> 00:12:57.429 in tongues. Well, what is speaking in tongues? 00:12:57.909 --> 00:13:01.330 Well, the New Testament actually tells us very, 00:13:01.409 --> 00:13:05.389 very little about what this spiritual gift is. 00:13:06.330 --> 00:13:08.649 But it does tell us that it is a gift where some 00:13:08.649 --> 00:13:12.649 people can speak in a different language, possibly 00:13:12.649 --> 00:13:17.470 the language of angels, where the content is 00:13:17.470 --> 00:13:23.330 a mystery, but the tone is one of praise and 00:13:23.330 --> 00:13:27.789 thanksgiving to God. But most significantly, 00:13:28.090 --> 00:13:31.990 this ability, this particular gift, is for the 00:13:31.990 --> 00:13:35.509 purpose of encouraging the individual believer. 00:13:37.299 --> 00:13:43.080 But, Paul will say, it does not, on its own, 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:47.740 benefit the wider community unless someone has 00:13:47.740 --> 00:13:50.600 a gift of interpretation. That's what Paul says 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:53.460 in verse 4. Look with me at verse 4. He repeats 00:13:53.460 --> 00:13:56.980 it again in verse 5. In case we missed it, he'll 00:13:56.980 --> 00:13:59.159 say it again in verse 12. He'll repeat it in 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:01.519 verse 17. And he'll repeat it again in verse 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:07.990 19. Why is he repeating it so much? Fair question? 00:14:09.929 --> 00:14:12.730 It's likely that, let's imagine that we're in 00:14:12.730 --> 00:14:16.509 a church service in Corinth. It's likely that 00:14:16.509 --> 00:14:18.669 we're in the middle of a church service and one 00:14:18.669 --> 00:14:22.190 person starts speaking out loud in this particular 00:14:22.190 --> 00:14:27.529 language. And then another person stands up and 00:14:27.529 --> 00:14:30.870 they do the same. And by now the whole of the 00:14:30.870 --> 00:14:33.789 attention of the congregation is focused on these 00:14:33.789 --> 00:14:38.029 people speaking in this strange language. And 00:14:38.029 --> 00:14:40.870 such was the... culture in the church in Corinth. 00:14:40.950 --> 00:14:43.409 I imagine other people in the church would have 00:14:43.409 --> 00:14:47.309 seized their opportunity to show how spiritual 00:14:47.309 --> 00:14:52.750 they were by also standing up, speaking joyfully, 00:14:52.850 --> 00:14:57.149 happily, full of overflowing thanksgiving in 00:14:57.149 --> 00:14:59.690 these languages that no one could recognize. 00:15:00.950 --> 00:15:04.610 And what was the result? Massive distraction. 00:15:05.470 --> 00:15:07.429 Now, I don't know whether this happened every 00:15:07.429 --> 00:15:09.610 week. I don't know whether they were filling 00:15:09.610 --> 00:15:12.330 out, I don't know, prayer cards, and then someone 00:15:12.330 --> 00:15:14.490 on the balcony stood up and started doing that. 00:15:14.590 --> 00:15:17.710 I don't know whether it was when the leader was 00:15:17.710 --> 00:15:20.429 going through the notices at the end, people 00:15:20.429 --> 00:15:22.789 stood up and started to do it. I don't know. 00:15:24.169 --> 00:15:29.330 All we know is Paul's concern is that the exercise 00:15:29.330 --> 00:15:32.070 of this particular gift in the gathered congregation 00:15:33.230 --> 00:15:38.009 It's as chaotic as feeding time at the zoo. But 00:15:38.009 --> 00:15:40.190 I want you to note that Paul isn't suggesting 00:15:40.190 --> 00:15:43.990 that the people in the Corinth church were faking 00:15:43.990 --> 00:15:48.389 it. He actually says, no, no, the gift of tongues 00:15:48.389 --> 00:15:52.029 is good. Look what he notes in verse 18. I thank 00:15:52.029 --> 00:15:54.210 God that I speak in tongues more than all of 00:15:54.210 --> 00:16:00.200 you. Which is why Paul, I think, is anticipating 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:03.720 the Corinthian response is, well, Paul, if it's 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:06.320 great to do this and there isn't a problem, then 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:11.519 why can't I exercise my freedom to enjoy myself 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:14.659 by using this gift in front of the gathered church? 00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:19.159 After all, it's a gift that best fits my spiritual 00:16:19.159 --> 00:16:24.000 needs right now. Whereas Paul's point, I think, 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:28.899 in chapter 14 is, It is better to cultivate the 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:33.759 second attitude of building up others at church 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:36.639 more than yourself. That's the second attitude. 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:40.419 And to illustrate this, he focuses on a spiritual 00:16:40.419 --> 00:16:44.919 gift called prophecy. What is prophecy? Now, 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:48.179 prophecy is likely to be a spiritual gift that 00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:52.080 refers to a direct revelation from God. It's 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:55.320 often spontaneous. It is always consistent with 00:16:55.320 --> 00:16:59.620 Scripture. And when it is shared out loud, it 00:16:59.620 --> 00:17:03.960 both makes sense and it encourages the wider 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:09.539 church. And Paul holds up the use of prophecy 00:17:09.539 --> 00:17:13.019 as another legitimate gift for the church in 00:17:13.019 --> 00:17:16.740 Corinth to use. It is a gift from God to his 00:17:16.740 --> 00:17:20.460 people. And Paul's point in chapter 14 is that 00:17:20.460 --> 00:17:24.720 this gift of prophecy is much better suited to 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:28.779 congregational worship than the gift of tongues. 00:17:29.140 --> 00:17:33.200 Look at his explanation of why in verse 9. He 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:38.119 says this. Unless you speak intelligible words 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:41.880 with your tongue, how will anyone know what you 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:45.099 are saying? You will just be speaking into the 00:17:45.099 --> 00:17:49.440 air. And that's the heart of Paul's musical illustration 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:54.660 in verses 7 to 8. A different way for us, I think, 00:17:54.660 --> 00:17:57.559 to think about it this afternoon here in Manchester 00:17:57.559 --> 00:18:01.150 is this. Co -op live. Okay, we all know Co -op 00:18:01.150 --> 00:18:02.869 Live. Me and Nod, if you know Co -op Live, what 00:18:02.869 --> 00:18:05.630 I'm talking about, I think it's Europe's largest 00:18:05.630 --> 00:18:09.670 indoor concert venue. It's just down the road 00:18:09.670 --> 00:18:13.369 from here. The BAFTAs were held there a couple 00:18:13.369 --> 00:18:17.970 of weeks ago. Huge, huge stadium. I'm pretty 00:18:17.970 --> 00:18:20.089 sure that Helen and the team have considered 00:18:20.089 --> 00:18:24.349 it as a building alternative for us. Now imagine, 00:18:24.410 --> 00:18:27.450 imagine with me, the Co -op Live, you've got 00:18:27.450 --> 00:18:29.769 the option of going to two different concerts. 00:18:29.809 --> 00:18:33.470 You can only choose one. One concert would be 00:18:33.470 --> 00:18:36.849 a toddler on a xylophone. You know, it's only 00:18:36.849 --> 00:18:39.630 a couple of hours, toddler on a xylophone. The 00:18:39.630 --> 00:18:42.950 other option is listening to a great world -famous 00:18:42.950 --> 00:18:47.289 pianist. Now let me ask you this. Which performer's 00:18:47.289 --> 00:18:52.720 work is most valuable? Well, both. Both, both 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:55.799 in very different ways. Well, let me ask you 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:59.740 this. Which performer performs with most passion, 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:02.859 most joy, most thanksgiving for their opportunity 00:19:02.859 --> 00:19:07.980 to make music? Both, both. Different ways, but 00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:14.140 both. But which performer would you rather invite 00:19:14.140 --> 00:19:19.019 your friends to listen to, some of whom love 00:19:19.019 --> 00:19:23.410 music? and some of whom have never been to a 00:19:23.410 --> 00:19:27.670 concert before? Well, the answer is, for most 00:19:27.670 --> 00:19:31.730 of us, probably be the pianist. Which is why 00:19:31.730 --> 00:19:35.670 in verses 23 to 25, Paul is thinking of an average 00:19:35.670 --> 00:19:39.089 church service where there are believers and 00:19:39.089 --> 00:19:42.430 non -believers together, and he notes that prophecy 00:19:42.430 --> 00:19:47.890 is more likely going to serve the outsider and 00:19:47.890 --> 00:19:53.440 the visitor. Now look, Some of you who might 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:55.480 be regulars here are thinking, oh, why did I 00:19:55.480 --> 00:19:58.839 invite my friend to church today? Of all passages, 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:01.680 why did they have to come to this one? You might 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:04.019 be a non -Christian thinking, why on earth have 00:20:04.019 --> 00:20:06.440 I come today? What is this place? What are these 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:08.140 things that these people are talking about? No, 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:10.019 no, no, no, wait, wait, wait. Before you leave, 00:20:10.299 --> 00:20:14.259 this is a really great Sunday for you to be here. 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:17.000 This is a brilliant passage for you. Yes, this 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:20.839 passage is weird. I concede. But it is great 00:20:20.839 --> 00:20:23.960 for you to see it. Why? Because you need to know 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:26.740 if you are a non -believer or you are a visitor 00:20:26.740 --> 00:20:30.980 here, that although you may be an outsider to 00:20:30.980 --> 00:20:34.500 this particular community, the people of this 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:39.140 church are deliberately making choices to put 00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:42.920 their preferences aside in order to, A, make 00:20:42.920 --> 00:20:47.579 you feel really welcome. And B, they're putting 00:20:47.579 --> 00:20:51.460 their preferences aside to make sure that it 00:20:51.460 --> 00:20:55.460 is as clear as possible to communicate to you 00:20:55.460 --> 00:20:59.680 what we believe about the good news of Jesus. 00:21:02.059 --> 00:21:05.220 We will have made choices in terms of the lyrics 00:21:05.220 --> 00:21:09.200 of the songs of the speaker who will be on stage. 00:21:10.190 --> 00:21:13.809 Even taking the time to explain everything as 00:21:13.809 --> 00:21:16.230 thoroughly as we can do so you understand it. 00:21:16.269 --> 00:21:18.349 Even though most of us could probably recite 00:21:18.349 --> 00:21:20.470 the three notices at the end of the service in 00:21:20.470 --> 00:21:24.529 our sleep. We do it for you. So let me apply 00:21:24.529 --> 00:21:33.950 this to all of us. The evidence of your spiritual 00:21:33.950 --> 00:21:39.509 maturity. is whether or not you ask yourself 00:21:39.509 --> 00:21:44.369 this question before you come to church on Sunday. 00:21:46.170 --> 00:21:50.950 I wonder who I can step out of my comfort zone 00:21:50.950 --> 00:21:57.910 to serve today. That really is the mark of spiritual 00:21:57.910 --> 00:22:01.910 maturity among us. And it's also marked by perhaps 00:22:01.910 --> 00:22:05.329 a prayer at the end of a Sunday when you go home 00:22:05.329 --> 00:22:08.430 and you're preparing for Monday morning, whatever 00:22:08.430 --> 00:22:11.650 that might bring, and you say this prayer, Thank 00:22:11.650 --> 00:22:16.829 you, Lord, that you use the gifts that you have 00:22:16.829 --> 00:22:21.170 given me to make a difference to someone at church 00:22:21.170 --> 00:22:25.390 today. I think that is the mark of spiritual 00:22:25.390 --> 00:22:28.660 maturity according to the principles. of chapter 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:33.019 14. I wonder how you're getting on with those 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:37.859 types of questions in your own heart. Well, come 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:41.039 with me to our second and final point, two types 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:44.599 of church service. Now, we're midway through 00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:48.019 chapter 14. It kind of carves up quite nicely 00:22:48.019 --> 00:22:52.380 for us. And the simple summary of the challenge 00:22:52.380 --> 00:22:55.180 that Paul is addressing in the church in Corinth 00:22:55.180 --> 00:23:00.859 is this. To what extent should a church look 00:23:00.859 --> 00:23:04.259 like the surrounding culture and to what extent 00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:07.680 should it look very different? To what extent 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:09.880 should it look very similar to the culture and 00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:12.240 to what extent should it look different? Let's 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.339 make this more personal, more concrete to us 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:17.539 here at City Church. How should City Church look 00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:20.220 in the middle of a global international city? 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:24.920 And what should our new church plan in Worsley 00:23:24.920 --> 00:23:28.890 look like? What should it look like? You see, 00:23:28.930 --> 00:23:31.789 some churches around the world meet in cathedrals 00:23:31.789 --> 00:23:34.049 and other churches, well, they meet under the 00:23:34.049 --> 00:23:36.670 branches of very large trees. Which one is right 00:23:36.670 --> 00:23:40.970 and which one is wrong? Well, actually, there 00:23:40.970 --> 00:23:44.529 is a wondrous, wondrous diversity amongst true 00:23:44.529 --> 00:23:47.609 churches of God right across the world. Wondrous 00:23:47.609 --> 00:23:52.009 diversity. That's great. But the church in Corinth 00:23:52.009 --> 00:23:55.289 had imported into their gatherings the whole 00:23:55.289 --> 00:23:58.869 of Greco -Roman culture like sugar injected right 00:23:58.869 --> 00:24:03.089 into the brain. Factions had been built in this 00:24:03.089 --> 00:24:05.950 church around their favorite leaders. Preferential 00:24:05.950 --> 00:24:08.730 treatment was given to the rich over the poor 00:24:08.730 --> 00:24:11.230 when they gathered for the Lord's Supper. And 00:24:11.230 --> 00:24:13.890 the church in Corinth wielded spiritual gifts 00:24:13.890 --> 00:24:17.569 like a fashion catwalk, all for compliments and 00:24:17.569 --> 00:24:20.089 self -promotion. These were the behaviors more 00:24:20.089 --> 00:24:24.950 widely going on in the culture. So in verses 00:24:24.950 --> 00:24:31.000 26 to 40, Paul pulls together, I think, the first 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:35.619 14 chapters of the letter of 1 Corinthians by 00:24:35.619 --> 00:24:41.000 painting a picture of what an authentic church 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:46.940 experience should feel like. Rules of engagement 00:24:46.940 --> 00:24:50.039 before we dive in. Rules of engagement before 00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:54.240 we dive in on this one, because again, we all 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:59.059 have opinions. Paul is describing... Specific 00:24:59.059 --> 00:25:03.900 things in a particular church, in a particular 00:25:03.900 --> 00:25:09.460 culture, in a particular moment of history. And 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:14.180 therefore, church, note the details, but pay 00:25:14.180 --> 00:25:18.519 more attention to the principles. Now look with 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:21.369 me at verse 40. Right at the very end of the 00:25:21.369 --> 00:25:23.930 chapter. It is Paul's conclusion, but I think 00:25:23.930 --> 00:25:26.950 it's a useful guiding summary for us. You see, 00:25:26.970 --> 00:25:29.069 there's option one, which is a church service 00:25:29.069 --> 00:25:32.549 that feels like a, I don't know, a circus. And 00:25:32.549 --> 00:25:34.670 then there's option two, which is Paul's description 00:25:34.670 --> 00:25:39.230 in verse 40. Everything should be done in a fitting 00:25:39.230 --> 00:25:45.519 and orderly way. He then outlines a number of 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:49.640 ingredients on the service plan for the Corinthian 00:25:49.640 --> 00:25:53.619 church in verse 26. Look at verse 26. We're told 00:25:53.619 --> 00:25:56.519 that the church in Corinth, they sang, there's 00:25:56.519 --> 00:25:59.039 preaching, and there's also revelation. I think 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:01.599 that's likely to mean prophecy going on. And 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:06.200 his point is there is a running order of distinct 00:26:06.200 --> 00:26:11.930 sections within this church service. It is not 00:26:11.930 --> 00:26:18.410 a TK Maxx church. There is order. In verses 27 00:26:18.410 --> 00:26:23.130 to 29, Paul even goes as far as to say how many 00:26:23.130 --> 00:26:26.369 participants should be involved in this particular 00:26:26.369 --> 00:26:29.690 section in the church in Corinth. Now, look, 00:26:29.769 --> 00:26:33.170 is he concerned, like a typical city church, 00:26:33.269 --> 00:26:37.410 that the service might run too long? Perhaps. 00:26:38.410 --> 00:26:40.970 Is he concerned that if the preacher doesn't 00:26:40.970 --> 00:26:43.990 keep to time, that the children will go kind 00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:46.710 of, I don't know, all Lord of the Flies out there 00:26:46.710 --> 00:26:49.630 because they need food or something like that? 00:26:50.109 --> 00:26:54.410 Perhaps. But actually what I think Paul is really 00:26:54.410 --> 00:26:59.920 concerned about is the Corinthian habit. Of this 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:05.039 free for all, showboating, spiritual peacocking, 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:09.960 it's my turn to get my preference met. And for 00:27:09.960 --> 00:27:13.960 Paul, again, the message is no. No, no, no, no, 00:27:13.980 --> 00:27:19.640 church services are not about, it's not about 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:23.700 you. It's about serving others. It's about serving 00:27:23.700 --> 00:27:26.640 the believers. It's about serving the non -believers. 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:31.420 And that is best done through order and structure. 00:27:31.599 --> 00:27:35.940 Look at verse 26. Everything must be done so 00:27:35.940 --> 00:27:41.920 that the church may be built up. And order is 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:46.400 a key ingredient in building up others in the 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:50.670 church. Now, look with me at verses 30 to 33. 00:27:50.970 --> 00:27:55.269 Verses 30 to 33 are fascinating. When Paul describes, 00:27:55.569 --> 00:27:58.470 when he's making sure that in prophecy section, 00:27:58.750 --> 00:28:03.650 no one should hog the mic, he's basically saying 00:28:03.650 --> 00:28:07.529 the principle that it is better to be succinct 00:28:07.529 --> 00:28:12.509 and not say everything if it maintains order 00:28:12.509 --> 00:28:18.230 and structure of the service. Preacher, take 00:28:18.230 --> 00:28:27.829 note. But why is he so focused on order in a 00:28:27.829 --> 00:28:30.809 church's weekly gathering? Why does it matter 00:28:30.809 --> 00:28:34.730 so much? It's because order is the fragrance 00:28:34.730 --> 00:28:37.490 of Eden. What do I mean by that? When God created 00:28:37.490 --> 00:28:42.650 the world in Genesis 1, he was moving from chaos 00:28:42.650 --> 00:28:47.960 of an uncreated world to order. Everything of 00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:50.619 its kind, everything in its particular section, 00:28:50.759 --> 00:28:53.200 everything in its right place in the right way 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:56.779 so it thrives. It was chaotic and God's creation 00:28:56.779 --> 00:29:00.900 makes it beautiful, ordered, structured. That's 00:29:00.900 --> 00:29:03.680 not sucking the life out of it. It is nurturing 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:09.480 it to make it fruitful and wonderful. And it 00:29:09.480 --> 00:29:13.279 kind of makes sense. You see, you and I live 00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:16.799 in a very chaotic city. We have very busy lives. 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:20.859 Many of us feel very overwhelmed by our circumstances 00:29:20.859 --> 00:29:24.579 where, if we're honest, isn't there just too 00:29:24.579 --> 00:29:29.539 much to do? When was the last time you got to 00:29:29.539 --> 00:29:33.779 the end of your to -do list? Don't most of us 00:29:33.779 --> 00:29:37.660 feel either on the verge at best of failure and 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:40.440 at worst of burnout? Is that not the boundary 00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:44.319 line that we live in? Where the danger of more 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:46.660 mess is not simply that we will be uncomfortable. 00:29:46.859 --> 00:29:50.200 The danger is more mess is that it may be the 00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:55.900 final straw that breaks the camel's back. If 00:29:55.900 --> 00:29:59.579 you're like me, do you not just long for rest? 00:30:00.420 --> 00:30:05.380 For green pastures and still quiet waters. Where 00:30:05.380 --> 00:30:11.480 should we go for this rest? In this city, Paul's 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:16.440 instruction is come to church. Because there 00:30:16.440 --> 00:30:19.579 is the fragrance of Eden. Because there is order 00:30:19.579 --> 00:30:24.799 that allows us, undistracted, to see Christ. 00:30:25.539 --> 00:30:30.750 Now look. Let's be frank, you may be tired here 00:30:30.750 --> 00:30:33.829 at City Church of the predictability of this 00:30:33.829 --> 00:30:36.069 many songs and then stand up and then sit down 00:30:36.069 --> 00:30:38.470 and then this many songs. You might be tired 00:30:38.470 --> 00:30:41.829 of the type of liturgy that we use or the predictability 00:30:41.829 --> 00:30:44.549 of the slightly awkward greeting section that 00:30:44.549 --> 00:30:48.150 we have or the sermon that always climaxes with 00:30:48.150 --> 00:30:50.069 Jesus or always having to fill in the prayer 00:30:50.069 --> 00:30:52.650 cards and then the three notices at the end. 00:30:52.690 --> 00:31:00.109 Every week, really? But the order. The lack of 00:31:00.109 --> 00:31:06.630 chaos that comes with structure is subtly teaching 00:31:06.630 --> 00:31:11.730 your restless soul that for a short while on 00:31:11.730 --> 00:31:16.890 a Sunday afternoon, this is a safe and good and 00:31:16.890 --> 00:31:22.799 nourishing place for you to be. Sure. Sure, it 00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:25.680 does not have all of the endless distracting 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:29.779 variety of doom -scrolling your particular algorithms 00:31:29.779 --> 00:31:34.200 till 1am in the morning, but that's kind of the 00:31:34.200 --> 00:31:40.099 point. Paul says it well in verse 33, for God 00:31:40.099 --> 00:31:42.980 is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in 00:31:42.980 --> 00:31:48.519 all congregations of the Lord's people. Now, 00:31:48.619 --> 00:31:52.750 I was thinking about... kind of quietly tiptoeing 00:31:52.750 --> 00:31:58.589 past verses 34 to 35. But I figured you might 00:31:58.589 --> 00:32:04.990 want to talk about it. Now, okay. 34, 35. Remember 00:32:04.990 --> 00:32:08.789 the context is a chaotic service where lots of 00:32:08.789 --> 00:32:10.970 people were likely to be speaking over the top 00:32:10.970 --> 00:32:14.849 of each other in... in trying to use their gifts, 00:32:14.890 --> 00:32:17.430 including the gifts of prophecy. And Paul is 00:32:17.430 --> 00:32:20.589 teaching them that the drama of a church service 00:32:20.589 --> 00:32:23.450 mustn't be in the behavior of the people, but 00:32:23.450 --> 00:32:25.549 actually the drama should all be in the words 00:32:25.549 --> 00:32:30.970 of God. See, I think we can understand what's 00:32:30.970 --> 00:32:33.470 going on here in a particular way. Let me briefly 00:32:33.470 --> 00:32:36.650 go through. The word women in our passage can 00:32:36.650 --> 00:32:39.369 also be interpreted as wives, and that is likely 00:32:39.369 --> 00:32:41.509 to be the case with the reference in verse 35. 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:46.680 to them speaking to their husbands. We also know 00:32:46.680 --> 00:32:49.059 that Paul doesn't actually have a problem with 00:32:49.059 --> 00:32:51.480 women publicly participating in church services, 00:32:51.519 --> 00:32:54.240 because in chapter 11, verse 5, he notes that 00:32:54.240 --> 00:32:58.400 women can pray and prophesy. So bringing these 00:32:58.400 --> 00:33:00.640 things together, what exactly is going on? Well, 00:33:00.680 --> 00:33:04.170 I think the likelihood is this. In chapter 11 00:33:04.170 --> 00:33:07.410 of 1 Corinthians, there is a concern that women 00:33:07.410 --> 00:33:10.650 should not follow the trend in the culture and 00:33:10.650 --> 00:33:14.509 publicly dishonor their marriages. And so again 00:33:14.509 --> 00:33:18.089 in chapter 14, I think Paul is saying that women 00:33:18.089 --> 00:33:23.849 should not negatively cross -examine their own 00:33:23.849 --> 00:33:27.230 husbands when their own husbands are prophesying. 00:33:27.250 --> 00:33:30.009 I think there was an issue of heckling going 00:33:30.009 --> 00:33:34.039 on in the crowd. Now, I don't know exactly what 00:33:34.039 --> 00:33:36.299 was going on in the church of Corinth, but Paul 00:33:36.299 --> 00:33:39.460 is clearly concerned that marital conflict was 00:33:39.460 --> 00:33:41.779 being played out like a soap opera in front of 00:33:41.779 --> 00:33:44.680 everyone during the Sunday gatherings. And Paul's 00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:47.759 point is clear to say, this is not the best time 00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:51.720 to do it. Now, again, the word submission in 00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:54.839 our passage was a term used also in chapter 11. 00:33:55.099 --> 00:33:57.980 It's in a very specific context of Christian 00:33:57.980 --> 00:34:00.680 marriage. If you want to dig in more, why don't... 00:34:00.829 --> 00:34:03.670 not listen to that sermon on chapter 11 that 00:34:03.670 --> 00:34:10.630 you can find online. So to conclude, I guess 00:34:10.630 --> 00:34:15.030 we understand that the attitude should be one 00:34:15.030 --> 00:34:18.110 of being loving and that actually we understand 00:34:18.110 --> 00:34:20.789 that order should be a key part of the church 00:34:20.789 --> 00:34:23.929 experience. But the nagging question is, if we're 00:34:23.929 --> 00:34:30.480 to be honest, I think is this. What if the Sunday 00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:39.340 gathering isn't what you want it to be? After 00:34:39.340 --> 00:34:41.800 all, I know that some of you don't get to sing 00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:43.699 the traditional hymns that you want to sing, 00:34:43.860 --> 00:34:46.320 and I know that others of you would love for 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:53.300 prophecy to be less rare in this church. What 00:34:53.300 --> 00:34:59.090 do we say to that? Jesus, on the evening of his 00:34:59.090 --> 00:35:03.110 final Passover, he gathered his friends to be 00:35:03.110 --> 00:35:07.190 close to him. We call it the last supper, typically. 00:35:07.469 --> 00:35:09.949 Can you imagine the intensity of that gathering? 00:35:10.750 --> 00:35:13.510 Jesus, in this final time with his friends, he 00:35:13.510 --> 00:35:16.230 prepares everything for the gathering. I imagine 00:35:16.230 --> 00:35:20.610 he just wanted it to be just so. Food, drink, 00:35:20.889 --> 00:35:24.369 atmosphere. With his friends, he had things to 00:35:24.369 --> 00:35:27.710 share with them, things to reveal to them in 00:35:27.710 --> 00:35:31.269 these final glorious moments. You could imagine 00:35:31.269 --> 00:35:36.489 of all of the moments, no one would want to make 00:35:36.489 --> 00:35:43.250 this moment gathered around Jesus. About themselves. 00:35:45.289 --> 00:35:51.110 Yet Judas, his friend, would close his ears. 00:35:51.760 --> 00:35:55.880 to Jesus and betray him for money and his friend 00:35:55.880 --> 00:35:59.800 Peter would claim loyalty to Jesus like singing 00:35:59.800 --> 00:36:03.840 a hymn with his loudest voice and yet would betray 00:36:03.840 --> 00:36:08.199 him to keep his reputation. And then the other 00:36:08.199 --> 00:36:12.300 disciples just after this meal at the moment 00:36:12.300 --> 00:36:15.420 that Jesus needed them to focus their attention 00:36:15.420 --> 00:36:18.760 on him would betray him by choosing to sleep. 00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:23.000 Now, if you and I had been there, we would have 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:32.599 done the same. As you gather around Jesus each 00:36:32.599 --> 00:36:37.219 Sunday, you and I do exactly what the disciples 00:36:37.219 --> 00:36:42.940 did. And we do it all the time. We take our focus 00:36:42.940 --> 00:36:47.019 off Christ and we make it about ourselves. You 00:36:47.019 --> 00:36:51.409 do it and I do it. But this is good news. This 00:36:51.409 --> 00:36:54.289 is exactly why Jesus chose to die on a cross 00:36:54.289 --> 00:36:58.869 for us. So that your wrong attitudes and my chaotic, 00:36:58.989 --> 00:37:03.630 self -obsessed preferences will never be a barrier 00:37:03.630 --> 00:37:09.250 to you and me being called friends by Jesus and 00:37:09.250 --> 00:37:12.150 called to be with him. That's why he died on 00:37:12.150 --> 00:37:17.179 the cross. Because Jesus chose to lay down his 00:37:17.179 --> 00:37:20.480 rights and his preferences on the cross, because 00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:24.599 he sacrificed his life to serve us and not to 00:37:24.599 --> 00:37:29.860 make this a place where he was served, we are 00:37:29.860 --> 00:37:33.920 now invited to gather in his presence, both in 00:37:33.920 --> 00:37:40.000 this service this afternoon, but now at the Lord's 00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:45.519 Supper at the table. And because of the cross, 00:37:45.639 --> 00:37:54.260 Jesus' forgiven friends will be invited to come. 00:37:55.780 --> 00:37:59.400 And they will make a queue right down this aisle 00:37:59.400 --> 00:38:03.980 just here. And there will be the self -obsessed. 00:38:04.280 --> 00:38:08.519 The person behind them will be the, it's all 00:38:08.519 --> 00:38:12.349 about me. then there'll be the showboaters and 00:38:12.349 --> 00:38:15.190 then behind them there will be the I want more 00:38:15.190 --> 00:38:17.429 drama -ers and then behind them there'll be I 00:38:17.429 --> 00:38:19.570 don't like the music -ers and then behind them 00:38:19.570 --> 00:38:22.369 there I want more charismatic gifters and behind 00:38:22.369 --> 00:38:24.909 them towards the back will be the grumblers and 00:38:24.909 --> 00:38:27.750 the moaners and then behind those those who are 00:38:27.750 --> 00:38:30.829 distracted and spiritually dry and then behind 00:38:30.829 --> 00:38:35.570 them queued up will be those who are resentfully 00:38:35.570 --> 00:38:38.550 unseen, and then behind them at the back will 00:38:38.550 --> 00:38:45.329 be those who only come once a month. And because 00:38:45.329 --> 00:38:49.710 of the cross, every single one of them will be 00:38:49.710 --> 00:38:55.349 welcome at this table. So in the light of looking 00:38:55.349 --> 00:39:01.070 at the Lord Jesus, in the light of remembering 00:39:01.070 --> 00:39:08.519 his death, And his resurrection. Will you join 00:39:08.519 --> 00:39:15.159 the line? In a few minutes time. Will you join 00:39:15.159 --> 00:39:15.539 the line?