WEBVTT 00:00:00.980 --> 00:00:03.160 One day this week I was driving into work in 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:06.639 the morning and as I did so I looked down at 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.359 my gas gauge and I noticed that the indicator 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:13.560 was getting close to the red zone. And so I said 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:15.560 well I should stop and get gas but I think I'm 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:18.359 going to wait until lunch and I'll get it then. 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:21.879 By the time lunch came my plans had changed. 00:00:21.879 --> 00:00:24.160 I was going out taking somebody with me. I didn't 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:26.920 want to inconvenience this person and stop and 00:00:26.920 --> 00:00:29.100 get gas so I thought to myself well I won't get 00:00:29.100 --> 00:00:32.060 it now. I'll wait till I go out to my appointment 00:00:32.060 --> 00:00:36.520 in West Minneapolis this afternoon. But you know 00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:40.140 how afternoons get. Things got real busy. I got 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:42.820 piled up, and then I was already late for my 00:00:42.820 --> 00:00:45.579 appointment, so I thought to myself, well, I'm 00:00:45.579 --> 00:00:47.679 just going to try to go in the fumes, I guess, 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:49.719 and I will go to that appointment, and as soon 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:51.979 as I get out of that appointment, I will stop 00:00:51.979 --> 00:00:56.590 and get some gas. I got to the appointment. And 00:00:56.590 --> 00:00:58.990 I noticed as I parked that there's not a gas 00:00:58.990 --> 00:01:02.729 station in sight anywhere. And when I got out 00:01:02.729 --> 00:01:05.230 of the appointment, I got in the car and I got 00:01:05.230 --> 00:01:09.109 on Highway 100 going north, looking for gas stations. 00:01:09.310 --> 00:01:13.829 There wasn't a gas station in sight. And so I 00:01:13.829 --> 00:01:16.010 thought to myself, look, if I stay on Highway 00:01:16.010 --> 00:01:19.349 100, I know the traffic gets worse up there north 00:01:19.349 --> 00:01:22.680 where the stoplights are. And I don't want to 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:26.280 risk getting stopped on Highway 100 without gas. 00:01:26.379 --> 00:01:29.780 And so I decided I would get on 394 and go into 00:01:29.780 --> 00:01:34.359 Minneapolis. Because that would be faster. This 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:37.700 is my logic. And I knew the traffic would be 00:01:37.700 --> 00:01:41.099 going out from downtown. I'm going in. And so 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:43.560 I would be sure to find a gas station. So I pulled 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:46.239 off on the 394 only to find that here's one of 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:48.700 these entrances that has the two stoplights, 00:01:48.819 --> 00:01:51.859 one car at a time. And it's already backed up 00:01:51.859 --> 00:01:55.959 two blocks. And it's about 15 seconds between 00:01:55.959 --> 00:01:59.560 cars. So I'm starting off my car now, in between 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:01.939 every time I move up. Shut the car off, start 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:04.260 it up, move ahead, shut it off. You know how 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:08.000 that goes. Finally it was my turn, and I thought, 00:02:08.180 --> 00:02:11.620 now I'm set, I'm going to just ease it up into 00:02:11.620 --> 00:02:15.199 fifth gear, you know, and just kind of coast 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:18.860 into downtown. And I thought I was home free 00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:21.819 until I went about a half a mile, and it was 00:02:21.819 --> 00:02:26.639 bumper to bumper traffic going in. And the right 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:30.379 lane that I had to exit onto 94 was just two 00:02:30.379 --> 00:02:34.460 miles back. And so here I am again, sitting, 00:02:34.699 --> 00:02:37.280 advancing slowly. You know how it is, heavy traffic 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:39.900 like that. And I kept looking at the gas gauge 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:42.479 and the indicators going further and further 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:44.520 and further down into the red zone. The little 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:47.879 light comes on. Now when the light comes on, 00:02:48.020 --> 00:02:50.580 it will flash for a while. When it comes on, 00:02:51.080 --> 00:02:56.800 pay attention, right? It is on. So I'm trying 00:02:56.800 --> 00:02:58.740 to figure out what to do, and there's an exit, 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:01.099 a Hennepin Avenue exit, and I thought, I'm going 00:03:01.099 --> 00:03:04.099 to get off, so at least I don't get stranded 00:03:04.099 --> 00:03:06.780 on the interstate without gas. That's embarrassing. 00:03:07.500 --> 00:03:09.800 So I got off, and I thought, I'll find a gas 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:11.939 station here in Minneapolis. So I got onto Hennepin 00:03:11.939 --> 00:03:15.060 Avenue, but it was 5 .30 in the afternoon. Have 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:17.099 you ever been on Hennepin Avenue at 5 .30 in 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:21.740 the afternoon? There were 13 ,353 cars in front 00:03:21.740 --> 00:03:23.659 of me, and that doesn't count all the rest of 00:03:23.659 --> 00:03:26.960 them. There are semi -trucks, there are buses, 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:29.639 not just buses, the double things, you know, 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:34.080 that block traffic. And the traffic is just going 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:36.979 real slow and my indicator just slipping further 00:03:36.979 --> 00:03:39.919 and further and further until it was almost to 00:03:39.919 --> 00:03:42.180 the point I could see black between the indicator 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:45.259 and the red zone. And I kept thinking, I am going 00:03:45.259 --> 00:03:46.860 to run out of gas. There's no way to get out 00:03:46.860 --> 00:03:50.139 of this traffic. And finally I see this bridge 00:03:50.139 --> 00:03:52.740 across the river on Hennepin. I thought, I've 00:03:52.740 --> 00:03:55.639 got to make that bridge. And so I made the bridge. 00:03:55.780 --> 00:03:58.120 The traffic opened up. On the other side of that 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:00.379 bridge, there is not a gas station. There is 00:04:00.379 --> 00:04:02.719 not a gas station in downtown Minneapolis. There 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:05.199 is not a gas station on Hennepin Avenue on the 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:07.500 north side of that bridge. But I knew where there 00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:11.039 was one. And so I turned right on University 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:15.240 and headed toward 35. And by the grace of God, 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:19.360 I made it. I mean, literally, it was running 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:22.199 on fumes. I've never put that much gas in my 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:27.470 car in the five years I've owned it. And I remembered 00:04:27.470 --> 00:04:32.449 something my mother always said, put first things 00:04:32.449 --> 00:04:36.129 first. I should have gotten gassed earlier in 00:04:36.129 --> 00:04:39.730 the day. The Apostle Paul is telling us in 1 00:04:39.730 --> 00:04:45.290 Corinthians 14, put first things first. That's 00:04:45.290 --> 00:04:49.209 a simple principle. But it takes work to make 00:04:49.209 --> 00:04:53.139 that principle a habit of life. Setting and then 00:04:53.139 --> 00:04:56.560 maintaining right priorities is one of the most 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:00.019 important disciplines of a well -lived life. 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:04.240 A friend of mine in ministry likes to say, the 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:06.879 main thing is to keep the main thing the main 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:10.680 thing. Now he's right, isn't he? And you have 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:14.100 to keep at it. The main thing is to keep the 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:18.519 main thing the main thing. The fact is that all 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:21.480 of us live according to a set of priorities, 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:25.480 whether we stop to think about them or not, whether 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:29.800 they reflect our confessed values or not, we 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:34.519 all live by some set of priorities. In fact, 00:05:34.660 --> 00:05:38.540 those priorities that we practice reveal what 00:05:38.540 --> 00:05:44.019 we truly value, don't they? Now for Christians, 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:47.269 it's important, it's crucial that our priorities 00:05:47.269 --> 00:05:51.389 reflect biblical values that please and honor 00:05:51.389 --> 00:05:56.790 the Lord. That was not the case in Corinth, however. 00:05:57.589 --> 00:06:02.110 They were living out wrong priorities. For example, 00:06:02.629 --> 00:06:05.110 as Paul deals with here in this chapter, they 00:06:05.110 --> 00:06:08.569 esteemed certain spiritual gifts over others. 00:06:09.410 --> 00:06:13.290 And that was okay, except that they chose the 00:06:13.290 --> 00:06:18.139 wrong ones to elevate. They chose the sensational 00:06:18.139 --> 00:06:21.120 gifts that appealed to their carnal attitudes. 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:25.279 One such gift was that of speaking in tongues. 00:06:26.779 --> 00:06:30.220 And so the purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate 00:06:30.220 --> 00:06:35.160 the inferiority of tongues as compared to other 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:38.699 spiritual gifts, and to especially prophecy, 00:06:39.699 --> 00:06:42.819 and then to exhort the Corinthians to reorder 00:06:42.819 --> 00:06:46.819 their priorities. Now we need to take a time 00:06:46.819 --> 00:06:50.439 out for a moment. We're going to talk today and 00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:52.959 next week about the gift of tongues. Was this 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:57.899 a legitimate gift? The answer, of course, is 00:06:57.899 --> 00:07:02.620 absolutely. It was a legitimate gift. Paul never 00:07:02.620 --> 00:07:05.399 tells them that this was a wrong thing for them 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:09.439 to do. He simply says they're placing the wrong 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:14.420 emphasis on it. The first occurrence of tongues, 00:07:14.540 --> 00:07:18.100 of the speaking in tongues, occurred at Pentecost. 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:22.579 And as we're going to see next week in particular, 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.519 its first occurrence relates directly to its 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:30.819 purpose in the early church. But understand that 00:07:30.819 --> 00:07:33.980 Paul does accept this as a legitimate gift of 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:36.379 the Holy Spirit, an expression of his life in 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:39.459 the church. But there's a second question in 00:07:39.459 --> 00:07:41.379 our timeout that we want to talk about, and that 00:07:41.379 --> 00:07:48.579 is, What was this experience? What was the speaking 00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:53.079 in tongues? Well, it seems consistent with the 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:57.040 language of the Apostle Paul that he is using 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:00.720 the word glosa, the word tongues here, in referring 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:04.579 to a human language that the speaker had not 00:08:04.579 --> 00:08:08.720 learned. That seems further underscored by what 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:11.720 he says in our text today in verses 9 and 10 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:16.379 about languages. Paul uses the word glosa here 00:08:16.379 --> 00:08:19.560 a number of times and a few other times in his 00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:22.639 writings. Whenever he uses it, he always gave 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:26.579 it the same meaning. It was a human language 00:08:26.579 --> 00:08:31.600 that the speaker had not learned. Now there was 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:35.950 an experience that was common in that day in 00:08:35.950 --> 00:08:39.570 the pagan groups, in the mystical religions, 00:08:40.309 --> 00:08:45.950 of speaking an ecstatic kind of language. An 00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:51.110 ecstatic speech that was indecipherable. And 00:08:51.110 --> 00:08:53.029 it may be that some of the people in Corinth 00:08:53.029 --> 00:08:56.570 had plugged into that. But if that's the case, 00:08:56.649 --> 00:08:59.210 Paul doesn't make that clear in this chapter. 00:09:00.929 --> 00:09:03.350 It seems to me that he's talking about, rather, 00:09:04.029 --> 00:09:06.789 the experience that was legitimate of the Holy 00:09:06.789 --> 00:09:10.169 Spirit of being able to speak in human languages 00:09:10.169 --> 00:09:16.210 that the speakers had never learned. Now, Paul 00:09:16.210 --> 00:09:18.370 was a lover of the local church. He spent his 00:09:18.370 --> 00:09:21.590 whole life planting churches and establishing 00:09:21.590 --> 00:09:23.909 them throughout the Roman Empire, at least after 00:09:23.909 --> 00:09:28.809 he got saved. Paul knew the importance of the 00:09:28.809 --> 00:09:31.230 fellowship, and he knew what was important in 00:09:31.230 --> 00:09:36.039 the fellowships. Paul knew the first things that 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:40.039 needed to be put first. Paul knew the main things 00:09:40.039 --> 00:09:43.299 that needed to be kept, the main things in the 00:09:43.299 --> 00:09:47.220 church. He knew what the biblical priorities 00:09:47.220 --> 00:09:50.879 were and he knew that biblical priorities grow 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:54.320 healthy churches. You and I need to realize that 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:59.759 too. Biblical priorities grow healthy churches. 00:09:59.860 --> 00:10:05.820 You can grow a congregation, you can grow a crowd 00:10:05.820 --> 00:10:09.580 using lots of different gimmicks and ideas and 00:10:09.580 --> 00:10:14.480 teachings. But you can't build a healthy church 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:18.980 apart from biblical priorities. That's why it's 00:10:18.980 --> 00:10:21.240 so important for us to understand what those 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:24.820 biblical priorities are. Today I want to urge 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:28.519 you to commit yourself to the biblical priorities 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:31.960 for this community of believers. Will you do 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:37.580 that? I hope that you will. Paul explains to 00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:40.059 us the first biblical priority in verse 1, in 00:10:40.059 --> 00:10:42.500 the very first sentence, which is really two 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:47.679 words, where he says, pursue love. And so we 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:51.519 have the priority of love. Now this picks up 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:54.940 the theme from chapter 12 verse 31, where he 00:10:54.940 --> 00:10:57.480 says, earnestly desire the greater gifts. I show 00:10:57.480 --> 00:11:01.879 you still a more excellent way to live. And then 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:06.179 in chapter 13, he goes on this wonderful digression 00:11:06.179 --> 00:11:10.960 about love. But now he comes back to his mainstream 00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:13.679 thought and he says, now pursue love, yet desire 00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:16.899 earnestly the spiritual gifts. You see how that 00:11:16.899 --> 00:11:22.899 knits together with verse 31? He begins by telling 00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:25.980 us that priority number one in the church is 00:11:25.980 --> 00:11:29.600 love. Love. And he says we are to pursue it. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:32.659 This word pursue is an intense word. It means 00:11:32.659 --> 00:11:37.340 to follow after. It means to hunt down. And in 00:11:37.340 --> 00:11:40.879 a negative sense, even to persecute. For example, 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:44.120 Paul says, I am the least of the apostles who 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:46.759 am not fit to be called an apostle because I 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:49.899 persecuted the church of God. The word persecute 00:11:49.899 --> 00:11:54.960 there means hunt down. It's this word. In a negative 00:11:54.960 --> 00:12:00.289 sense. Paul was intense. about persecuting the 00:12:00.289 --> 00:12:04.610 church. He uses the same word in a more positive 00:12:04.610 --> 00:12:08.490 sense in Philippians 3, 14 when he says, I press 00:12:08.490 --> 00:12:12.149 onward toward the goal for the prize of the upward 00:12:12.149 --> 00:12:18.470 call of God in Christ Jesus. I press toward the 00:12:18.470 --> 00:12:21.909 goal. Here's the same word. I pursue it, he says. 00:12:22.070 --> 00:12:26.820 I give myself to this. And what he says here 00:12:26.820 --> 00:12:28.899 is that priority number one in the church is 00:12:28.899 --> 00:12:35.759 to make it a life habit to intensely pursue love 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:41.299 in our relationships. We are to be people who 00:12:41.299 --> 00:12:45.159 are characterized by selflessness in living and 00:12:45.159 --> 00:12:49.860 in giving. Just imagine for a moment, imagine 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:56.230 a whole church that really makes this priority 00:12:56.230 --> 00:12:59.110 number one, where every member of the church 00:12:59.110 --> 00:13:02.710 sets this as the goal, to live a life of love. 00:13:03.850 --> 00:13:09.070 How would you describe a church like that? How 00:13:09.070 --> 00:13:12.289 would you describe a small church like that? 00:13:13.509 --> 00:13:17.450 How would you describe a cell group like that? 00:13:18.629 --> 00:13:21.230 I can give you the answer very clearly. It would 00:13:21.230 --> 00:13:26.639 be this. This people of God is patient. This 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:30.679 people of God is kind. This people of God is 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:34.279 not jealous. This people of God does not brag 00:13:34.279 --> 00:13:37.600 and is not arrogant. This people of God does 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:41.340 not act unbecomingly. It doesn't seek its own. 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:45.279 They're not easily provoked. They do not take 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:50.429 into account a wrong suffered. This church does 00:13:50.429 --> 00:13:53.470 not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices 00:13:53.470 --> 00:13:57.789 in the truth. This cell group, this small church, 00:13:58.210 --> 00:14:02.490 bears all things. It believes all things. It 00:14:02.490 --> 00:14:06.669 hopes all things. This people of God endures 00:14:06.669 --> 00:14:12.850 all things. That's what it would be like. Wouldn't 00:14:12.850 --> 00:14:16.610 it be wonderful to be a part of a group that 00:14:16.610 --> 00:14:21.600 really set this as priority number one? Now we 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:23.740 can't do that for everybody else, but we can 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:30.320 do it for ourselves. This priority of love ought 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:32.620 to be one that every Christian seeks to place 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:36.720 in his life and within his local church. We should 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:40.960 ask ourselves questions like, what initiative 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:45.179 would love have me to take today? Now sometimes 00:14:45.179 --> 00:14:47.759 we look at love as though it's rather benign 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:55.059 and passive. And it'll just happen. And when 00:14:55.059 --> 00:14:59.299 it happens, it happens. That isn't the way Paul 00:14:59.299 --> 00:15:02.360 sees it. He says, you've got to seek after it. 00:15:02.379 --> 00:15:05.539 You've got to pursue it. You've got to grab a 00:15:05.539 --> 00:15:10.019 hold of it and put it in place. And so we have 00:15:10.019 --> 00:15:14.639 to ask ourselves, what initiative does love want 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:20.700 me to take towards someone today? Or? What would 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:24.980 love insist that I refrain from doing anymore? 00:15:28.220 --> 00:15:33.340 Who around me needs the gift of love? Am I willing 00:15:33.340 --> 00:15:38.580 to include others in my circle of friends? Am 00:15:38.580 --> 00:15:41.039 I showing God's love to those who are different 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:53.029 than me? When a group of Christians become so 00:15:53.029 --> 00:15:56.870 ingrown and enthralled with each other that they 00:15:56.870 --> 00:16:00.769 can't reach out to somebody else, they've lost 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:03.830 sight of this priority and have fallen into carnal 00:16:03.830 --> 00:16:09.110 living. When a small church gets to the point 00:16:09.110 --> 00:16:11.730 that it says, oh, we don't really want new people, 00:16:11.750 --> 00:16:16.789 we like each other, And that small church doesn't 00:16:16.789 --> 00:16:19.470 go out of its way to greet and to welcome and 00:16:19.470 --> 00:16:22.250 to embrace new people. It's lost sight of this 00:16:22.250 --> 00:16:28.409 priority to pursue love. When a cell group gets 00:16:28.409 --> 00:16:30.309 to the point of saying, hey, you know, we've 00:16:30.309 --> 00:16:32.929 gotten so deep and we've learned to love each 00:16:32.929 --> 00:16:35.570 other so well, we don't want new people coming 00:16:35.570 --> 00:16:43.990 in. They've lost it. They have lost it. Never 00:16:43.990 --> 00:16:46.149 ought we to get to the point that we can't reach 00:16:46.149 --> 00:16:53.350 out and pursue someone else in love. This idea 00:16:53.350 --> 00:16:55.649 is so fundamental, is so badly needed in our 00:16:55.649 --> 00:17:02.429 churches. Some people say, but I don't like what 00:17:02.429 --> 00:17:09.430 happened. I wasn't consulted about it. But love 00:17:09.430 --> 00:17:13.359 does not seek its own. It doesn't care if it's 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:18.039 not consulted. It doesn't take into account a 00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:22.240 wrong. Even a wrong, a legitimate wrong, it doesn't 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:27.200 take it into account. It forgets about it. Oh, 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:31.980 but this is our space. This is my chair. This 00:17:31.980 --> 00:17:38.440 is the pew we've always sat in. Is that love? 00:17:40.190 --> 00:17:45.269 Love doesn't seek its own chair. It's willing 00:17:45.269 --> 00:17:49.329 to give that chair to somebody else. It's willing 00:17:49.329 --> 00:17:51.930 to let somebody else use that room if they need 00:17:51.930 --> 00:17:57.490 it. But these are the kinds of things that even 00:17:57.490 --> 00:18:05.029 we Christians justify. These are the kinds of 00:18:05.029 --> 00:18:09.950 statements that we commonly accept. as being, 00:18:10.150 --> 00:18:13.210 well, that's okay. That's just his personality. 00:18:13.309 --> 00:18:17.890 That's just their thing. Love doesn't put up 00:18:17.890 --> 00:18:24.609 with that. Love pursues the well -being of the 00:18:24.609 --> 00:18:31.490 other at personal cost. And Paul calls us here 00:18:31.490 --> 00:18:34.470 to pursue love, priority number one in the church. 00:18:36.130 --> 00:18:39.529 Priority number two, is what he says next in 00:18:39.529 --> 00:18:44.369 verse 1. It is the priority of prophecy or proclamation. 00:18:44.450 --> 00:18:49.430 Notice he says, yet desire earnestly spiritual 00:18:49.430 --> 00:18:52.730 gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 00:18:53.529 --> 00:18:57.150 To desire earnestly here is a command to the 00:18:57.150 --> 00:18:59.569 whole church body. Literally it means to boil 00:18:59.569 --> 00:19:02.369 over with desires, the idea of being zealous 00:19:02.369 --> 00:19:06.170 for something. To covet it, in a negative sense, 00:19:06.589 --> 00:19:09.789 He says here that you and I are to make it a 00:19:09.789 --> 00:19:15.549 life habit to set spiritual gifts as important 00:19:15.549 --> 00:19:19.390 but prophecy above them all. Now remember he's 00:19:19.390 --> 00:19:23.549 writing to us as a community, as a church. And 00:19:23.549 --> 00:19:26.190 he's saying that as a congregation we are to 00:19:26.190 --> 00:19:30.769 exalt the proclamation of God's Word. The idea 00:19:30.769 --> 00:19:34.789 of prophecy is not so much foretelling as it 00:19:34.789 --> 00:19:39.700 is forthcoming. telling, speaking forth the divine 00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:43.720 message of God. It's basically equivalent to 00:19:43.720 --> 00:19:47.339 what we call preaching or teaching. It is the 00:19:47.339 --> 00:19:50.059 exposition and then the powerful application 00:19:50.059 --> 00:19:54.420 of the Word of God. Paul says here that none 00:19:54.420 --> 00:19:59.559 of the gifts should be exalted above prophecy, 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:04.400 the proclamation of God's Word. That is the priority. 00:20:05.580 --> 00:20:10.019 And yet, you know, there are things that we today 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:13.240 tend to put before the exposition of God's Word. 00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:19.319 One of the big ones is fellowship. Folks, fellowship 00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:22.519 is important. We all need to connect with other 00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:28.660 people. And yet I hear sometimes a strain that 00:20:28.660 --> 00:20:31.720 comes around that says, we don't really want 00:20:31.720 --> 00:20:34.980 to emphasize teaching in our group. We just want 00:20:34.980 --> 00:20:40.059 to fellowship together. Does that sound familiar 00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:45.200 to any of you? The Apostle Paul says that nothing's 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:48.500 to be subservient to the proclamation of the 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:53.559 Word of God. On the other hand, there are those 00:20:53.559 --> 00:20:58.720 who say, would you please stop emphasizing the 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:02.839 Bible and doctrine and just talk about practical 00:21:02.839 --> 00:21:07.920 application. Just give me the how -to's. How 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:10.980 do I solve the problems of my marriage and of 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:14.319 my life and my family and my work and my money? 00:21:14.819 --> 00:21:20.440 How do I solve my problems? Folks, I want to 00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:22.440 tell you something. This is going to be heresy 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:26.079 to some people. The exposition of the Word of 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:32.359 God comes before its application. Please understand, 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:36.099 I believe in applying the Bible to life. It needs 00:21:36.099 --> 00:21:40.559 to be relevant down where we live. But have you 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:42.440 ever noticed that the Apostle Paul, whenever 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:44.940 he wrote to the churches, always talked about 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:51.319 doctrine first and then applied it to life? Let's 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:54.319 not get into the trap that is so common in our 00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:59.839 narcissistic culture as to think, I want only 00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:05.470 the how -to's. leave the doctrine out. We must 00:22:05.470 --> 00:22:12.130 have the doctrine. It must be expounded. God's 00:22:12.130 --> 00:22:16.230 teaching must be brought to us so that we understand 00:22:16.230 --> 00:22:18.890 God and we understand ourselves and the world 00:22:18.890 --> 00:22:23.670 and then, and then, importantly, we can apply 00:22:23.670 --> 00:22:28.970 it to our lives. And there are places today where 00:22:28.970 --> 00:22:32.319 the sensational gifts are exalted before the 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:34.500 preaching of God's Word, above the preaching 00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:38.160 of God's Word. There are places where entertainment 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:42.000 is more important than the proclamation of God's 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:47.960 Word. It's amazing how many Christians say, well, 00:22:47.980 --> 00:22:49.640 I don't know which service I'm going to go to 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:51.619 today because I want to get out in time to see 00:22:51.619 --> 00:22:55.980 the Vikings. I'm going to go to one service today. 00:22:55.980 --> 00:22:58.519 I'm going to skip Sunday school because I don't 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:03.940 want to miss the Vikings play at noon. Stop and 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:10.059 think about that for a moment. Has entertainment 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:15.000 become a god to you? Whether it be in a film 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.859 or it be on an athletic field, is entertainment 00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:24.019 more important to you than the priority of God's 00:23:24.019 --> 00:23:28.690 word? What orders our lives? What is it that 00:23:28.690 --> 00:23:31.150 determines what we do first or second or third? 00:23:32.569 --> 00:23:37.769 Is it entertainment? And there are places today 00:23:37.769 --> 00:23:41.990 where you hear social justice talked about rather 00:23:41.990 --> 00:23:46.730 than the Word of God. Or there are other places 00:23:46.730 --> 00:23:50.089 where you hear political activism as the main 00:23:50.089 --> 00:23:53.609 theme of the church rather than the exposition. 00:23:54.269 --> 00:23:58.650 of the Word of God, the proclamation of divine 00:23:58.650 --> 00:24:02.690 revelation. That's why this is so important for 00:24:02.690 --> 00:24:08.369 us to talk about. Because we live in a day when 00:24:08.369 --> 00:24:10.210 there are many things put before the Word of 00:24:10.210 --> 00:24:14.089 God. No wonder Paul said to Timothy, 1900 years 00:24:14.089 --> 00:24:17.210 ago, I solemnly charge you in the presence of 00:24:17.210 --> 00:24:20.109 God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the 00:24:20.109 --> 00:24:22.450 living and the dead and by his appearing in his 00:24:22.450 --> 00:24:29.279 kingdom. Preach the Word. Be ready in season 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:32.240 and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:35.160 great patience and instruction. For, he says, 00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:40.279 the time will come when they, the hearers, will 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:44.339 not endure sound doctrine. They will put up with 00:24:44.339 --> 00:24:49.160 it. But wanting to have their ears tickled, they 00:24:49.160 --> 00:24:52.259 accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance 00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:55.700 to their own desires and will turn away their 00:24:55.700 --> 00:24:58.259 ears from the truth and will be turned aside 00:24:58.259 --> 00:25:03.619 to myths." If that was happening in the first 00:25:03.619 --> 00:25:06.240 century, just think where it's at today at the 00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:10.859 end of the 20th century. This generation wants 00:25:10.859 --> 00:25:14.839 its problems solved. It doesn't really care that 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:21.740 much about doctrine. And what we need today is 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:26.140 the proclamation of the Word of God applied to 00:25:26.140 --> 00:25:30.180 our lives in a relevant fashion. But it begins 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:34.480 with the proclamation of the Word. Well, that 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:36.480 brings us to the final priority, and that is 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:38.940 the priority of edification of verses 2 through 00:25:38.940 --> 00:25:44.400 12. As you allow your eyes to go down through 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:46.799 those verses, notice how many times the word 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:50.500 edify or some form of it is used. To edify means 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:54.900 to build a house. It means to build up the church, 00:25:55.420 --> 00:25:59.980 figuratively. What is it that edifies the church, 00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:02.599 anyway? Well, Paul says in this text, tongues 00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:05.900 do not, unless they're interpreted. He gives 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:09.240 five reasons. Verse 2, he says, only God knows 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:13.140 then what is said. If a person speaks in tongues 00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:16.019 without interpretation. Only God knows what is 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:18.859 said. Verse four, only the speaker himself is 00:26:18.859 --> 00:26:22.240 edified because he feels himself being used by 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:26.720 God. Number three, verse six, he says there's 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:31.980 no mutual benefit in the church unless they're 00:26:31.980 --> 00:26:35.220 interpreted. Number four, he says the words have 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:38.220 no significance. It's like speaking into the 00:26:38.220 --> 00:26:42.779 air. Verse nine, And the fifth reason that tongues 00:26:42.779 --> 00:26:45.359 do not edify the church without interpretation 00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:47.700 is that it makes the family like foreigners, 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:50.640 like barbarians to one another. We can't understand 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:55.079 each other. Verse 11. Tongues do not edify without 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:58.299 interpretation, he says, but the proclamation 00:26:58.299 --> 00:27:02.960 of the word of God does edify. And it exhorts. 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:08.349 And it comforts. So make it a priority. Now, 00:27:08.349 --> 00:27:11.069 why does it do this? Why does the word edify? 00:27:11.690 --> 00:27:14.289 For the simple reason that it's intelligible. 00:27:16.069 --> 00:27:19.289 To proclaim what God says, everybody can hear 00:27:19.289 --> 00:27:21.890 that, everybody can understand what God is saying. 00:27:23.950 --> 00:27:26.470 He says a music instrument is not pleasing unless 00:27:26.470 --> 00:27:30.589 it's played meaningfully, verse 7. Furthermore, 00:27:30.789 --> 00:27:34.269 a war trumpet, in verse 8, is useless unless 00:27:34.269 --> 00:27:37.289 the sound is distinct and certain to the troops. 00:27:39.150 --> 00:27:42.190 So he says you need the clear proclamation of 00:27:42.190 --> 00:27:45.289 the word of God for an intelligible message from 00:27:45.289 --> 00:27:48.710 God. And so what is his conclusion? Look at verse 00:27:48.710 --> 00:27:55.150 12 where he sums it up. You also seek to abound 00:27:55.150 --> 00:27:59.289 for the edification of the church to build it 00:27:59.289 --> 00:28:03.990 up. Now Paul's love for the church reflects the 00:28:03.990 --> 00:28:07.730 love that Jesus had for the church. Where Jesus 00:28:07.730 --> 00:28:10.970 loved the church and gave himself for it today 00:28:10.970 --> 00:28:13.809 our attitude is the church has to fit into my 00:28:13.809 --> 00:28:18.789 schedule Whatever the church does had better 00:28:18.789 --> 00:28:21.250 be convenient if I'm going to be involved in 00:28:21.250 --> 00:28:27.690 it How unlike Paul and how unlike Jesus who actually 00:28:27.690 --> 00:28:34.309 gave his life for the church How can I build 00:28:34.309 --> 00:28:38.589 up Jesus' church in love. I want to suggest very 00:28:38.589 --> 00:28:41.130 quickly five ways. They don't come out of this 00:28:41.130 --> 00:28:42.869 text, but they come out of the New Testament 00:28:42.869 --> 00:28:46.569 in its warp and woof. You and I can build up 00:28:46.569 --> 00:28:49.190 the church, first of all, by joining its membership. 00:28:50.509 --> 00:28:52.369 As a believer in the Lord, you say, well where 00:28:52.369 --> 00:28:55.289 does the Bible command me to be a member? Nowhere 00:28:55.289 --> 00:28:57.809 that I can find. It simply assumes that that's 00:28:57.809 --> 00:29:01.480 the normal thing we will do. Just as the Bible 00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:04.140 does not anywhere defend the existence of God, 00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:07.579 it simply assumes the existence of God. So likewise, 00:29:07.660 --> 00:29:09.619 when it comes to membership in the church, the 00:29:09.619 --> 00:29:12.339 Bible assumes that a Christian will be a member 00:29:12.339 --> 00:29:17.000 of the church, a member of the body. It is an 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:19.839 assumption. Every one of us ought to be a member 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:24.000 of a church somewhere. I didn't say an attender. 00:29:24.059 --> 00:29:28.720 I said a member, one who has committed himself. 00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:32.700 to the church and has placed himself under the 00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:35.440 teaching and the discipline of the church. That's 00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:39.099 God's plan, every one of us. That's how we build 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:41.700 the church. Number two, by investing in its ministry. 00:29:42.859 --> 00:29:46.500 By investing in its ministry. By giving freely 00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:49.380 and generously and seeing that we're not simply 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:53.440 giving to a man or to a man's program. We are 00:29:53.440 --> 00:29:56.519 giving to God and to God's work in the world. 00:29:57.200 --> 00:30:00.680 We need to see our giving that way. Thirdly, 00:30:00.680 --> 00:30:05.119 by protecting its harmony. By doing everything 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:08.599 within our own power to see if the church is 00:30:08.599 --> 00:30:13.559 of one mind. Folks, I want to tell you something. 00:30:15.099 --> 00:30:17.440 This is going to make some of you mad. We've 00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:19.920 had more division and more gossip in this church 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:22.279 in the last few months than any time since I've 00:30:22.279 --> 00:30:25.440 been a pastor. And some of you have allowed that 00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:30.940 to happen. If we are going to build this church, 00:30:31.559 --> 00:30:36.000 then we have to ourselves stop gossiping and 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:38.779 we have to confront people who are gossiping. 00:30:39.180 --> 00:30:42.079 A lie can go around the world seven times before 00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:46.599 truth gets out the gate. And some of us have 00:30:46.599 --> 00:30:53.140 promoted that. Some of us have to look after 00:30:53.140 --> 00:30:56.140 where there's division in the church and confront 00:30:56.140 --> 00:31:00.519 it. If we're going to build the church, it means 00:31:00.519 --> 00:31:06.200 that we protect its harmony. And we take it upon 00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:08.740 ourselves, it's not somebody else's job, it's 00:31:08.740 --> 00:31:14.279 my job, to see that the body is held together 00:31:14.279 --> 00:31:17.440 in oneness. Number four, by praying for its maturity. 00:31:18.680 --> 00:31:21.559 By interceding before God, getting on our knees 00:31:21.559 --> 00:31:24.259 and praying in the direction of its mission. 00:31:26.769 --> 00:31:31.009 And number five, by promoting its growth. Its 00:31:31.009 --> 00:31:33.970 growth downward and upward and outward. Its growth 00:31:33.970 --> 00:31:37.710 in every dimension. The Bible makes no distinction 00:31:37.710 --> 00:31:41.269 between growth of maturity and growth in numbers. 00:31:41.690 --> 00:31:44.569 That is a false distinction. Where the church 00:31:44.569 --> 00:31:47.650 is growing in maturity and growing in the Lord, 00:31:47.910 --> 00:31:51.789 it will be reaching out to new people. And therefore 00:31:51.789 --> 00:31:54.730 we need to promote the growth of the church. 00:31:54.940 --> 00:32:01.480 have a mindset that values growth. So what's 00:32:01.480 --> 00:32:04.019 important in the church? Priority number one, 00:32:04.259 --> 00:32:07.859 love for others. Priority number two, proclaim 00:32:07.859 --> 00:32:11.220 the word. Priority number three, edify the church. 00:32:11.339 --> 00:32:14.200 Do everything that I can to build up the church. 00:32:14.759 --> 00:32:19.339 And when we do that, the church can be healthy 00:32:19.339 --> 00:32:21.920 because we're following biblical priorities. 00:32:23.940 --> 00:32:27.279 News commentator Dan Rather has a way of keeping 00:32:27.279 --> 00:32:29.700 his professional objectives in mind. He says 00:32:29.700 --> 00:32:31.779 that he has three slips of paper, one in his 00:32:31.779 --> 00:32:35.640 pocket, one on his desk at work, and one in his 00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:39.539 billfold. And on that piece of paper is the simple 00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:43.539 question, is what you are doing now helping the 00:32:43.539 --> 00:32:48.480 broadcast? I would probably answer his question 00:32:48.480 --> 00:32:52.710 a little differently than he does. But I would 00:32:52.710 --> 00:32:54.730 like to take that question in closing and just 00:32:54.730 --> 00:32:58.230 apply it to me and to you, and to ask ourselves, 00:33:01.190 --> 00:33:05.490 is what I am doing now reflecting God's priorities? 00:33:10.470 --> 00:33:14.430 Is the way that I am living reflecting God's 00:33:14.430 --> 00:33:20.119 priorities? And if not, If not, then we need 00:33:20.119 --> 00:33:23.880 to put first things first. God help us to do 00:33:23.880 --> 00:33:27.799 that, let's pray. Now Father, I pray that by 00:33:27.799 --> 00:33:31.720 the Holy Spirit you will simply bring our hearts 00:33:31.720 --> 00:33:34.980 and our wills to a point of yieldedness and openness 00:33:34.980 --> 00:33:40.619 to hear your message. And I pray that you will 00:33:40.619 --> 00:33:44.859 show us what it means to have your priorities 00:33:44.859 --> 00:33:48.430 in our lives. And show us the benefit of that. 00:33:49.609 --> 00:33:51.450 Show us that it's for our own good that we live 00:33:51.450 --> 00:33:58.230 that way. Lord, I pray that this week your priorities 00:33:58.230 --> 00:34:02.809 will be more visible, more apparent in our lives 00:34:02.809 --> 00:34:08.269 than perhaps they've been this last week. In 00:34:08.269 --> 00:34:14.579 Jesus' name, amen. Well, may we live out God's 00:34:14.579 --> 00:34:16.639 priorities this week. Thank you for being with 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:18.780 us in worship today. If you're visiting, please 00:34:18.780 --> 00:34:20.539 come to the reception area in the back where 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:23.739 I'll be and some of our other staff and elders 00:34:23.739 --> 00:34:25.820 so that we can greet you personally. Will you 00:34:25.820 --> 00:34:28.820 do that? God bless you as you go. I hope that 00:34:28.820 --> 00:34:30.659 you've had a good day already and that your day 00:34:30.659 --> 00:34:32.739 will continue to be blessed by the Lord. We're 00:34:32.739 --> 00:34:33.139 dismissed.