WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.740 It was in 1983, I think, that John MacArthur 00:00:04.740 --> 00:00:09.419 Jr. was speaking here in town. And we made arrangements 00:00:09.419 --> 00:00:11.859 to have John come over for dinner one evening. 00:00:12.699 --> 00:00:14.539 You know how it is when you're having someone 00:00:14.539 --> 00:00:19.320 over that you respect a lot, right? And we had 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:22.539 four kids, the oldest of whom was 11, the youngest 00:00:22.539 --> 00:00:26.519 was one. At first we thought about a babysitter, 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:32.469 or a jail, or something to... Get the kids out 00:00:32.469 --> 00:00:34.869 of the house, you know. And we decided, no, you 00:00:34.869 --> 00:00:36.810 know, this is our family, so John's just going 00:00:36.810 --> 00:00:40.750 to enjoy our family. And the one -year -old at 00:00:40.750 --> 00:00:44.469 that time was in that age when a lot of goo -goo 00:00:44.469 --> 00:00:46.469 -ga -ga stuff, you know, just a lot of words 00:00:46.469 --> 00:00:50.390 that meant nothing. And Jeanette teased him by 00:00:50.390 --> 00:00:53.549 saying, oh, you're speaking in tongues. Well, 00:00:53.549 --> 00:00:55.829 this was a time just after John had written his 00:00:55.829 --> 00:00:58.530 book called The Charismatics, in which he... 00:00:59.400 --> 00:01:01.320 characteristically pretty strongly articulated 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:06.019 his position regarding charismatic gifts and 00:01:06.019 --> 00:01:09.780 As he was there in the house that night John 00:01:09.780 --> 00:01:12.400 started doing his thing just at the table just 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:17.079 speaking wildly And Kelly who was 11 years old 00:01:17.079 --> 00:01:19.719 very innocently turned to John MacArthur and 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:26.049 said he's speaking in tongues I suppose that 00:01:26.049 --> 00:01:28.349 most of us from time to time have, by the way 00:01:28.349 --> 00:01:31.890 John took it in good humor, but I suppose that 00:01:31.890 --> 00:01:34.590 most of us from time to time have had a question 00:01:34.590 --> 00:01:37.549 of whether it's right and proper to speak in 00:01:37.549 --> 00:01:41.030 tongues as to whether that is an experience that 00:01:41.030 --> 00:01:43.170 we ought to seek as part of the spirit -filled 00:01:43.170 --> 00:01:48.890 life. We hear anecdotes and read books and listen 00:01:48.890 --> 00:01:52.500 to sermons from televangelists. that sometimes 00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:57.439 point us to this experience as a desirable one, 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.359 if not an essential one, if one is to know the 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:05.519 fullness of the Holy Spirit. In this section 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:09.620 of chapter 14, Paul asserts that, in the first 00:02:09.620 --> 00:02:12.360 section rather, Paul asserts that there are three 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:15.560 biblical priorities in the church. You may open 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:18.379 your Bible please to 1 Corinthians 14 and just 00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:21.860 remind yourself in verse 1 that the first priority 00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:23.960 that he tells us the church ought to have is 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:27.860 that of love. This is to be a lifelong habit 00:02:27.860 --> 00:02:31.319 for every congregation and every member of every 00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:36.060 congregation to love one another. And then the 00:02:36.060 --> 00:02:39.280 second priority is that of prophecy or the proclamation 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:42.979 of divine revelation. That is to be a priority 00:02:42.979 --> 00:02:46.060 in our church. the declarations of the doctrines 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:49.740 of God. And the third priority he talks about 00:02:49.740 --> 00:02:52.139 in verses 2 through 12, but he sums it up in 00:02:52.139 --> 00:02:55.539 verse 12 where he says, seek to abound for the 00:02:55.539 --> 00:02:58.879 edification of the church. And so the third priority 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:01.580 is edification, the building up of the church. 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:05.639 Now in these verses he makes it clear that the 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:09.159 proclamation of the word is a gift that is to 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:11.939 be esteemed more highly than speaking in tongues. 00:03:13.350 --> 00:03:17.229 That gift, without a proper interpretation, he 00:03:17.229 --> 00:03:21.270 says, does not edify the body. But the proclamation 00:03:21.270 --> 00:03:26.270 of the truth of God in prophecy does. So he exhorts 00:03:26.270 --> 00:03:30.229 them to seek that which builds up the Church, 00:03:30.330 --> 00:03:34.370 which is the proclamation of the Word. It is 00:03:34.370 --> 00:03:36.990 important to understand that the gift of tongues 00:03:36.990 --> 00:03:41.280 was a legitimate gift. of the Holy Spirit and 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:45.400 that Paul did not condemn it in Corinth. But 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:50.400 he did correct it. That is, correct the abuse 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:55.800 of it. He says it is a weaker gift that tends 00:03:55.800 --> 00:04:00.500 to excite and which appeals to the sensational. 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:06.360 And so these rather sensational carnal Believers 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:09.219 were careless in the exercise of the gift of 00:04:09.219 --> 00:04:14.520 tongues, and they selfishly abused it, though 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:18.259 it was a good gift of God. The rest of the chapter, 00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:21.620 beginning in verse 13, is largely devoted to 00:04:21.620 --> 00:04:24.319 how they should consider the gift of tongues, 00:04:25.459 --> 00:04:28.959 and then the laying down by Paul of regulations 00:04:28.959 --> 00:04:34.810 for its proper use. What we learn in this chapter 00:04:34.810 --> 00:04:38.230 is this, that spiritual gifts are beneficial 00:04:38.230 --> 00:04:44.069 when exercised in the Spirit. We learn in chapter 00:04:44.069 --> 00:04:48.189 12 that they are given for the common good of 00:04:48.189 --> 00:04:51.850 the body of Christ. They are beneficial when 00:04:51.850 --> 00:04:55.269 they are exercised in the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:04:55.930 --> 00:04:58.029 Peter puts it this way, that we're to exercise 00:04:58.029 --> 00:05:02.029 our gifts by the strength that God supplies. 00:05:03.399 --> 00:05:06.019 So understand this, that spiritual gifts given 00:05:06.019 --> 00:05:11.600 by God are beneficial when exercised in the spirit, 00:05:12.100 --> 00:05:17.680 but they are baneful when abused in the flesh. 00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:24.480 They become irritants. They become problems. 00:05:27.220 --> 00:05:29.319 Spiritual gifts become destructive. As a matter 00:05:29.319 --> 00:05:32.600 of fact, God gives the gifts to build us up, 00:05:32.620 --> 00:05:35.100 but those same gifts can be equally effective 00:05:35.100 --> 00:05:41.240 at tearing us down if we use them in the strength 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:47.060 of the flesh rather than in spirit. Now the flesh, 00:05:47.139 --> 00:05:50.879 let me define that for you. The flesh, as I'm 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:54.500 using it now, is that pattern of action that 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:57.660 was imprinted on our minds and our emotions and 00:05:57.660 --> 00:06:02.189 our will. by what we were before we were converted. 00:06:04.550 --> 00:06:08.490 It is what is left over still in us of the old 00:06:08.490 --> 00:06:14.230 man. It is the old programming that was a part 00:06:14.230 --> 00:06:20.670 of our sin in the past. And it is energized by 00:06:20.670 --> 00:06:23.509 the principle of sin that operates within us 00:06:23.509 --> 00:06:28.000 still, even though we are redeemed people. Paul 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:30.420 makes it clear that we can choose to conduct 00:06:30.420 --> 00:06:34.980 our lives in the energy of the Holy Spirit or 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:42.139 in the energy of this flesh. Paul gives to us 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:45.800 an example of how a good gift can be wrongly 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:48.980 used when it is energized by the flesh rather 00:06:48.980 --> 00:06:53.629 than by the spirit. In these verses that we're 00:06:53.629 --> 00:06:56.110 looking at this morning, Paul takes three steps 00:06:56.110 --> 00:07:00.050 to correct the abuse of the gift of tongues as 00:07:00.050 --> 00:07:03.370 well as other gifts in Corinth. The first thing 00:07:03.370 --> 00:07:06.310 he does, the first step he takes, is to expose 00:07:06.310 --> 00:07:11.670 the problem in verses 13 through 19. The problem 00:07:11.670 --> 00:07:18.670 is twofold. The gift of tongues, improperly used 00:07:18.670 --> 00:07:23.759 and without interpretation, Number one is unfruitful 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:27.259 to the speaker. He says this in verses 13 through 00:07:27.259 --> 00:07:33.060 15. He says it provides a spiritual experience, 00:07:33.060 --> 00:07:38.600 but there is no edification for others. One who 00:07:38.600 --> 00:07:41.279 speaks in tongues where there is no interpretation 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:45.240 edifies himself. Look back at verse 4. It's what 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:50.670 he says. But the result is that his mind nonetheless 00:07:50.670 --> 00:07:54.110 is unfruitful. In other words, that gift, though 00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:57.649 it is an experience that he has, does not produce 00:07:57.649 --> 00:08:02.889 any benefit through his mind. He does not know 00:08:02.889 --> 00:08:05.689 what he himself is saying and therefore he cannot 00:08:05.689 --> 00:08:10.250 make a contribution for the good of others. It's 00:08:10.250 --> 00:08:14.610 unfruitful to himself as well as to others. The 00:08:14.610 --> 00:08:17.500 second part of the problem is that The gift of 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:20.480 tongues improperly used is incomprehensible to 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:25.360 the hearers, verses 16 through 19. He talks here 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:29.759 about the ungifted, which probably means the 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.399 unlearned or those who are without understanding. 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:35.580 He says that the ungifted will not comprehend 00:08:35.580 --> 00:08:38.360 and they cannot profit from the words that are 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:42.139 spoken when they abuse the gift of tongues as 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:45.379 they were. And so that's the heart of the problem. 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:48.340 It is two -fold. It's unfruitful to the speaker, 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:53.000 improperly used, and it's incomprehensible to 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:57.059 the hearers. That leads him in the second part 00:08:57.059 --> 00:08:59.940 of the text, beginning in verse 20 through verse 00:08:59.940 --> 00:09:05.159 25, to express the purpose of tongues, the purpose 00:09:05.159 --> 00:09:07.580 of the gift of tongues. It is found only here 00:09:07.580 --> 00:09:11.850 in the New Testament. He exhorts them in this 00:09:11.850 --> 00:09:15.169 part of the paragraph to be mature in their thinking 00:09:15.169 --> 00:09:21.070 by striving for intelligible speech that they 00:09:21.070 --> 00:09:25.929 can understand rather than emphasizing that which 00:09:25.929 --> 00:09:30.750 they cannot comprehend with their minds. And 00:09:30.750 --> 00:09:34.470 he says, that's not only good for you, it's crucial 00:09:34.470 --> 00:09:36.990 for the sake of unbelievers who are among you. 00:09:37.929 --> 00:09:41.529 Now notice that he gives the purpose of the gift 00:09:41.529 --> 00:09:47.070 of tongues When he says verse 21 in the law it 00:09:47.070 --> 00:09:49.850 is written by men of strange tongues and by the 00:09:49.850 --> 00:09:53.309 lips of strangers I will speak to this people 00:09:53.309 --> 00:09:56.149 and even so they will not listen to me says the 00:09:56.149 --> 00:10:02.029 Lord so then tongues are for a sign Not to those 00:10:02.029 --> 00:10:07.269 who believe but to unbelievers And so the purpose 00:10:07.269 --> 00:10:12.429 of tongues is that it is a sign. It is a sign 00:10:12.429 --> 00:10:20.909 gift to the unbelieving and particularly to the 00:10:20.909 --> 00:10:26.690 Jews. He quotes in verse 21 a verse from Isaiah, 00:10:27.110 --> 00:10:30.570 actually two verses from Isaiah, the 28th chapter, 00:10:30.649 --> 00:10:36.210 verses 11 and 12. In that historical context, 00:10:37.289 --> 00:10:41.570 in Isaiah's day, he was telling the people of 00:10:41.570 --> 00:10:47.429 Israel that when they heard the speaking of a 00:10:47.429 --> 00:10:51.309 foreign language they did not understand, it 00:10:51.309 --> 00:10:55.250 was the sign of impending judgment upon them 00:10:55.250 --> 00:10:59.250 as a nation. That tongue in that day was the 00:10:59.250 --> 00:11:04.139 Assyrian tongue. The Assyrians brought judgment 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:08.659 to them at the hand of God because of their unbelief 00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:13.320 and their rebellion. The Apostle Paul goes back 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:15.960 to that incident, brings that verse up to his 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:19.799 day, and he says, the strange languages that 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:23.679 you are hearing in your midst is a sign to the 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:28.259 unbelieving and especially to the Jews. Because 00:11:28.259 --> 00:11:35.159 they had in that day again disbelieved, and rejected 00:11:35.159 --> 00:11:41.600 their Messiah, and judgment was at hand. As a 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:45.879 New Testament sign gift, it is interesting to 00:11:45.879 --> 00:11:49.200 note that the gift of tongues is always mentioned 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:53.000 where there is a Jewish context. You see that 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:57.379 in the book of Acts. And in Corinth, there is 00:11:57.379 --> 00:12:02.379 a strong Jewish flavor. to the church there and 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:06.519 to the whole community. And so it is a sign gift 00:12:06.519 --> 00:12:09.559 that was intended especially for Israel. And 00:12:09.559 --> 00:12:12.700 it is interesting that when Israel was judged 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:21.320 by its dispersion in 70 AD, this sign gift disappeared. 00:12:23.559 --> 00:12:26.519 I believe that is why Paul says, as he does in 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:29.559 chapter 13, regarding this gift specifically, 00:12:30.340 --> 00:12:37.200 that it will cease of itself. It will no longer 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:40.200 have any use. It will cease of itself. It's like 00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:43.139 if you were driving out through South Dakota 00:12:43.139 --> 00:12:45.600 and you see these signs that tell you to visit 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:48.840 Waldrug. Have you ever seen those signs? You 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:50.940 don't have to be in South Dakota to see them. 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:54.100 You see them all over the place. But it's interesting, 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:56.980 as you're driving toward Wall South Dakota, you 00:12:56.980 --> 00:13:00.960 see sign after sign after sign. Stop at Wall 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:03.000 Drug, but once you get there and pass it, you 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:05.000 don't see signs anymore, except maybe one that 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:11.039 says, you missed it. And so it is with sign gifts. 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:13.860 They warn and they warn and they warn of impending 00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:16.039 judgment. When the judgment comes, they stop. 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:19.960 They're no longer needed. They cease of themselves. 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:25.720 Now it is true that a byproduct of this gift 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:29.360 being exercised in the church was the edification 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:32.879 of people as people spoke their praises to God 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:35.460 and those praises were interpreted so people 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:42.679 could understand them. However, the gift was 00:13:42.679 --> 00:13:47.580 really a sign gift to the unbelievers. And Paul 00:13:47.580 --> 00:13:52.309 makes it clear that it was much better even for 00:13:52.309 --> 00:13:55.169 first -time hearers of the gospel who would come 00:13:55.169 --> 00:13:59.029 to visit them to hear the word, to hear prophecy. 00:14:00.429 --> 00:14:04.950 He says it is better to proclaim the word nonetheless 00:14:04.950 --> 00:14:08.049 than it is to speak in tongues. Now, why is that? 00:14:08.990 --> 00:14:11.490 Well, he explains it. He says the word brings 00:14:11.490 --> 00:14:17.250 conviction. Verse 24. If all prophesy and an 00:14:17.250 --> 00:14:20.470 unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted. 00:14:20.809 --> 00:14:25.090 by all. In other words, the preaching of the 00:14:25.090 --> 00:14:28.669 Word disturbs the self -righteousness of that 00:14:28.669 --> 00:14:30.970 one who is visiting, who is not a Christian. 00:14:32.490 --> 00:14:35.549 He tells us secondly, he is called to account 00:14:35.549 --> 00:14:40.070 by all, verse 24. That is, the preaching of the 00:14:40.070 --> 00:14:43.889 Word brings guilt. He is called to account. The 00:14:43.889 --> 00:14:46.350 word here means to be called to account as before 00:14:46.350 --> 00:14:51.110 a judge. The Word of God becomes a judge. to 00:14:51.110 --> 00:14:55.450 expose the guilt of the sinner. The third thing 00:14:55.450 --> 00:14:57.470 the preaching of the Word does is that it brings 00:14:57.470 --> 00:15:04.009 shame. Verse 25 says, the secrets of his heart 00:15:04.009 --> 00:15:08.250 are disclosed. That is, those things that are 00:15:08.250 --> 00:15:10.649 hidden in the person's life, the Spirit of God 00:15:10.649 --> 00:15:14.850 using the Word will bring to the open in his 00:15:14.850 --> 00:15:17.610 mind and conscience and it brings shame. And 00:15:17.610 --> 00:15:19.610 the fourth result then of the preaching of the 00:15:19.610 --> 00:15:22.549 Word is that it brings repentance. For the sinner 00:15:22.549 --> 00:15:28.149 then falls upon his face and worships God. And 00:15:28.149 --> 00:15:31.090 so the proclamation of the Word, says Paul, is 00:15:31.090 --> 00:15:34.870 what brings sinners to faith. He says, yes, the 00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:37.789 purpose of tongues is for unbelievers and especially 00:15:37.789 --> 00:15:42.129 Jews. It has this purpose. However, it is still 00:15:42.129 --> 00:15:44.809 better to proclaim the Word than to emphasize 00:15:44.809 --> 00:15:48.879 tongues. because it is the Word that provides 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:51.919 for the Holy Spirit to invade the heart of the 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:58.500 sinner and bring him to faith. And yet the gift 00:15:58.500 --> 00:16:00.740 was a legitimate gift, and so the third step 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:05.059 that Paul takes is to explain the principles 00:16:05.059 --> 00:16:08.879 regarding the gifts, verses 26 through the end 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:12.659 of the chapter. Generally what he tells us here 00:16:12.659 --> 00:16:15.220 is that All of the gifts are for the edifying 00:16:15.220 --> 00:16:19.200 of the body. In verse 26 he says, What's the 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:21.480 outcome, brethren? When you assemble, each one 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:24.080 has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, 00:16:24.179 --> 00:16:27.080 an interpretation. Let all things be done for 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:30.080 edification. He says, Whatever your gift, however 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:33.220 you participate in the public gathering of the 00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:35.779 service, let it be for the building up of the 00:16:35.779 --> 00:16:40.019 body. That's what the gifts are about. But more 00:16:40.019 --> 00:16:44.370 specifically, he goes on then, to talk about 00:16:44.370 --> 00:16:48.370 some principles that are necessary to guide in 00:16:48.370 --> 00:16:53.110 the use of tongues and of prophecy. Regarding 00:16:53.110 --> 00:16:57.649 tongues, he says in verses 27 and 28, regarding 00:16:57.649 --> 00:17:00.690 tongues, there should be two or three at the 00:17:00.690 --> 00:17:05.349 most that would speak at any one meeting. Furthermore, 00:17:05.349 --> 00:17:11.829 he says, they must speak one at a time. And finally, 00:17:11.829 --> 00:17:16.200 he says, And interpretation is always required 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:20.480 when someone speaks in tongues. Those are the 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:23.519 regulations, the principles that Paul lays down 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:26.019 for the legitimate use of this gift in the church 00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:28.779 in Corinth. Two or three at the most, one at 00:17:28.779 --> 00:17:33.900 the time, always an interpreter. Verses 29 to 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:37.200 33, the first part of the verse, he lays down 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:41.329 the principles regarding prophecy. Again, he 00:17:41.329 --> 00:17:43.710 says there should be two or three at a meeting 00:17:43.710 --> 00:17:48.930 at the most. Secondly, he says the content should 00:17:48.930 --> 00:17:51.750 be carefully examined by the other prophets who 00:17:51.750 --> 00:17:55.009 are there to make sure that the one who is speaking 00:17:55.009 --> 00:17:58.910 at the time is on target. He may be corrected. 00:18:00.829 --> 00:18:04.589 Third, these prophets who are speaking are to 00:18:04.589 --> 00:18:09.910 do so one at a time. And finally, verse 32, He 00:18:09.910 --> 00:18:12.690 says that there is to be self -controlled exercise. 00:18:14.089 --> 00:18:17.009 A prophet is not going to get up and be out of 00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:21.569 control. There must be self -control in the exercise 00:18:21.569 --> 00:18:25.549 of this gift, which suggests that that may not 00:18:25.549 --> 00:18:28.250 have been the case in Corinth in some respect. 00:18:29.690 --> 00:18:32.890 And so he says, this is how you are to exercise 00:18:32.890 --> 00:18:37.029 the gift of proclamation in your fellowship in 00:18:37.029 --> 00:18:41.500 Corinth. Now in the last part of verse 33, by 00:18:41.500 --> 00:18:45.039 the way, I think the translations of the scripture 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:49.200 that put a period after peace and begin a new 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:53.220 sentence with as in all the churches are closer 00:18:53.220 --> 00:18:56.059 to what Paul was saying here. I think the last 00:18:56.059 --> 00:19:00.259 part of verse 33 really goes with verse 34, where 00:19:00.259 --> 00:19:03.059 he says, as in all the churches of the saints, 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:06.630 let the women keep silent in the churches. For 00:19:06.630 --> 00:19:08.710 they are not permitted to speak, but let them 00:19:08.710 --> 00:19:12.730 subject themselves just as the law also says." 00:19:12.730 --> 00:19:16.230 Here the word law means the Scriptures also say. 00:19:17.890 --> 00:19:20.089 Now what he does beginning in this verse is to 00:19:20.089 --> 00:19:22.569 give some principles regarding either one of 00:19:22.569 --> 00:19:26.730 these gifts. He says, I want to give you some 00:19:26.730 --> 00:19:29.369 principles that are universally practiced in 00:19:29.369 --> 00:19:32.009 the churches. These are not unique to you. All 00:19:32.009 --> 00:19:35.369 the churches do the same thing. In the first 00:19:35.369 --> 00:19:37.809 place, he says that women are not to exercise 00:19:37.809 --> 00:19:43.369 these gifts in the public worship. Was that a 00:19:43.369 --> 00:19:45.730 problem? Well, we can only guess that it must 00:19:45.730 --> 00:19:48.029 have been. He says, let the women keep silent 00:19:48.029 --> 00:19:52.190 in the churches. Now, earlier in chapter 11, 00:19:52.569 --> 00:19:56.049 Paul had seemed to accept women who prayed and 00:19:56.049 --> 00:19:59.829 prophesied. And he did not condemn that, indicating 00:19:59.829 --> 00:20:04.500 that women had the gift of prophecy. And so does 00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:06.920 that seem to be a contradiction? Well, superficially 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:10.319 it might. But in chapter 11, he does not mention 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:15.200 it in the context of public worship. In other 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:17.500 contexts, perhaps, it's fully appropriate. But 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:20.480 here, actually beginning in chapter 11, verse 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:23.200 2, he begins to talk about their public gatherings. 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:29.000 That is his theme. And he says that in that context, 00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:31.319 apparently, women were to keep silent. Now there's 00:20:31.319 --> 00:20:34.279 another understanding of this. Well, there are 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:36.539 several understandings. One of the most extreme 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:39.420 is that women are never to speak in church. I 00:20:39.420 --> 00:20:41.160 don't believe that is all what Paul is saying 00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:46.799 here. Another understanding which fits the cultural 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:50.000 context of the day was that men and women sat 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.240 separately in the services. Families did not 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:56.380 sit together. The men sat on one side, the women 00:20:56.380 --> 00:21:01.259 and the children in another place. And there 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:03.579 are commentators who think that it is possible 00:21:03.579 --> 00:21:05.920 that when someone was speaking from the front 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:08.940 and a wife did not understand something, she 00:21:08.940 --> 00:21:11.559 would say, George, what did he mean by that? 00:21:13.940 --> 00:21:16.839 And so George, well, he meant this. And that 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:19.099 there was disruption. Or that perhaps there was, 00:21:19.099 --> 00:21:22.759 because there were children present among the 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:25.829 women, that there was extra talk going on. And 00:21:25.829 --> 00:21:28.369 Paul is saying that that is to stop because of 00:21:28.369 --> 00:21:30.589 the disruption it was presenting to the service. 00:21:31.769 --> 00:21:35.289 Whatever the issue was, it was a matter of disorder. 00:21:36.470 --> 00:21:41.230 And so Paul is laying down this regulation. He 00:21:41.230 --> 00:21:43.210 says, if they desire to learn anything, let them 00:21:43.210 --> 00:21:46.630 ask their own husbands at home. And so that verse 00:21:46.630 --> 00:21:49.690 tends to go with the second interpretation that 00:21:49.690 --> 00:21:52.750 I gave you. It's improper for a woman to speak 00:21:52.750 --> 00:21:57.039 in the church. The thought is, so as to disrupt 00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:02.019 God's orderly arrangement. Now we know from what 00:22:02.019 --> 00:22:08.180 1 Timothy chapter 3 says that women are not to 00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:12.220 serve in a church in the position of an elder, 00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:16.799 or a de facto elder, for they are the ones delivering 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:22.599 the doctrine of the church to the body. But I 00:22:22.599 --> 00:22:24.660 don't think he forbids women from ever saying 00:22:24.660 --> 00:22:29.640 anything in the service. Even the churches that 00:22:29.640 --> 00:22:33.000 are very strict about this usually have women 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:37.500 who sing in the service and who, in that sense, 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:40.759 are teaching the congregation. And so I like 00:22:40.759 --> 00:22:43.519 to point that out to them, that they're not quite 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:47.299 as strict as they think they are about it. These 00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:50.490 verses are They're disputed, they're debatable, 00:22:51.130 --> 00:22:53.069 and there's obviously room for difference of 00:22:53.069 --> 00:22:55.130 interpretation. In the few minutes that I have, 00:22:55.630 --> 00:22:57.509 I'm simply throwing out to you what I believe 00:22:57.509 --> 00:23:01.390 to be the best understanding of them. The first 00:23:01.390 --> 00:23:04.450 principle then is, at least is this, that women 00:23:04.450 --> 00:23:07.009 are not to exercise these gifts he's talking 00:23:07.009 --> 00:23:11.109 about in the context of public worship, so as 00:23:11.109 --> 00:23:14.470 to create disorder of God's orderly arrangement. 00:23:15.860 --> 00:23:19.200 And then in verses 37 and 38, the principle is 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:21.619 this, that the inspired revelation of God is 00:23:21.619 --> 00:23:24.619 the final authority. He says, if anyone thinks 00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:29.380 he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize 00:23:29.380 --> 00:23:32.319 that the things which I write to you are the 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:37.680 Lord's commandment. Paul is here. authoring these 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:40.500 words with a full understanding that he is speaking 00:23:40.500 --> 00:23:43.940 the inspired revelation of God. He is demanding 00:23:43.940 --> 00:23:47.619 that they be subservient to what God says. And 00:23:47.619 --> 00:23:50.359 if anyone does not recognize this, he is not 00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:54.339 recognized. Verse 38 is just five words in the 00:23:54.339 --> 00:23:57.720 Greek, it's bam bam bam. He says, if they don't 00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:00.519 recognize this, they're not recognized. He just 00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:04.059 kind of wipes his hands of it that quickly. And 00:24:04.059 --> 00:24:07.470 so the inspired revelation that Paul is writing 00:24:07.470 --> 00:24:10.309 for us as well as in the broader context the 00:24:10.309 --> 00:24:13.910 inspired 66 books of the Bible, these are the 00:24:13.910 --> 00:24:17.430 final authority that we have as to how we ought 00:24:17.430 --> 00:24:21.289 to conduct ourselves in church. It is not culture 00:24:21.289 --> 00:24:24.009 that dictates how we conduct ourselves in church. 00:24:24.970 --> 00:24:27.109 That's happening far too much these days and 00:24:27.109 --> 00:24:29.390 the pressure is going to get greater and greater 00:24:29.390 --> 00:24:32.450 and greater as our culture disintegrates and 00:24:32.450 --> 00:24:35.490 gets further and further away. from what the 00:24:35.490 --> 00:24:38.109 Judeo -Christian heritage of our nation has been. 00:24:40.109 --> 00:24:42.869 There's a third principle regarding either one 00:24:42.869 --> 00:24:46.289 of the gifts. In verse 39 he says, Allow the 00:24:46.289 --> 00:24:50.029 proper exercise of the gifts, but emphasizing 00:24:50.029 --> 00:24:53.890 the greater ones. My brethren, desire earnestly 00:24:53.890 --> 00:24:57.789 to prophesy and do not forbid to speak in tongues. 00:24:57.809 --> 00:25:01.170 It was an appropriate gift, correctly used in 00:25:01.170 --> 00:25:03.940 the city of Corinth. So he says, don't forbid 00:25:03.940 --> 00:25:08.059 it, but, he says, desire earnestly to proclaim 00:25:08.059 --> 00:25:11.480 the word because of the greater advantages of 00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:16.799 that to the congregation. And then finally, he 00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:22.759 says, everything is to be done decently and orderly. 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:27.259 Verse 40, the fourth principle. Everything is 00:25:27.259 --> 00:25:29.680 to be done gracefully, in a becoming manner, 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:33.119 one that is fitting. for the church. It's to 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:37.160 be done orderly, in an arranged manner. And why 00:25:37.160 --> 00:25:40.700 is that? Because of what he says in verse 33, 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:43.319 which I think is really the key statement to 00:25:43.319 --> 00:25:47.420 the whole chapter. God is not a God of confusion, 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:51.920 but of peace. Their public services had become 00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:55.920 a matter of confusion because of the disorder 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:59.279 of God's people. Paul says that does not reflect 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:03.140 God. in your midst. So what do we learn about 00:26:03.140 --> 00:26:07.079 the gifts and about public worship? Let me summarize 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:12.000 the apostolic instruction in this way. These 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:15.019 are the lessons that I see about gifts and public 00:26:15.019 --> 00:26:20.420 worship. Number one, exercise your gifts. They're 00:26:20.420 --> 00:26:24.740 given to you by God to be used, not to be set 00:26:24.740 --> 00:26:29.759 on. Not to be hoarded for yourself. They are 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:33.059 given by God to you to be used. Exercise your 00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:41.160 gifts in the energy of the Spirit. Beware taking 00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:48.460 your giftedness and using it for the flesh. Because 00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:51.940 that will destroy God's church. Exercise your 00:26:51.940 --> 00:26:54.680 gifts in the energy of the Spirit for the benefit 00:26:54.680 --> 00:27:00.730 of all. with obedience to the Word. That's what 00:27:00.730 --> 00:27:04.390 he says about spiritual gifts. Secondly, he says 00:27:04.390 --> 00:27:07.890 regarding public worship, gather yourselves. 00:27:08.829 --> 00:27:11.309 The writer of Hebrews says, do not forsake the 00:27:11.309 --> 00:27:16.509 gathering of yourselves. Do I need to say anything 00:27:16.509 --> 00:27:18.970 about the influence of culture upon this today? 00:27:20.779 --> 00:27:24.319 and how so many other things come in the way 00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:29.440 of the gathering of the body. We gather when 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:32.900 there's not something else to do. We gather when 00:27:32.900 --> 00:27:35.799 the family is not meeting for some reunion somewhere. 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:41.319 We gather when it's convenient and give God that 00:27:41.319 --> 00:27:46.819 and say, we've done our thing. We are called 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:50.660 upon to gather ourselves together. faithfully. 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:55.960 And to do that, number one, to edify the body. 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:01.759 When we gather together, our concern ought not 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:06.220 to be, what am I going to get out of this? Our 00:28:06.220 --> 00:28:09.680 concern needs to be, what can I give to the body? 00:28:09.819 --> 00:28:12.579 What can I give to someone else to build them 00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:17.240 up? And when I do that, the result is that I 00:28:17.240 --> 00:28:20.869 am edified. But when we come to the church with 00:28:20.869 --> 00:28:24.230 that American cultural value in view, what do 00:28:24.230 --> 00:28:27.710 I get out of it? We neither get anything out 00:28:27.710 --> 00:28:33.630 of it, nor do others. We are a Corinthian culture. 00:28:35.289 --> 00:28:37.690 And so it is appropriate to emphasize that when 00:28:37.690 --> 00:28:40.269 we gather ourselves together, it's to edify the 00:28:40.269 --> 00:28:45.410 body with respect for the greater gifts, recognizing 00:28:45.410 --> 00:28:48.980 that many gifts may come into play. on a typical 00:28:48.980 --> 00:28:51.900 Sunday as we gather, but with respect for the 00:28:51.900 --> 00:28:55.380 greater gifts. And we are to do this in graceful 00:28:55.380 --> 00:28:59.980 order. This word orderly manner that he uses 00:28:59.980 --> 00:29:05.119 is a military term. It means in precision. It 00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:08.119 at least means this, that we ought to value order 00:29:08.119 --> 00:29:12.140 in our service. We ought to value arrangement. 00:29:12.299 --> 00:29:15.140 We ought to value excellence in our service. 00:29:16.029 --> 00:29:18.630 I have been in services and so have you. But 00:29:18.630 --> 00:29:22.690 on Sunday morning, the song leader waddles up 00:29:22.690 --> 00:29:27.630 to the pulpit, five minutes late, opens up his 00:29:27.630 --> 00:29:30.789 hymnal, flips around and says, well, has anybody 00:29:30.789 --> 00:29:35.210 here got a favorite this morning? You say, well, 00:29:35.210 --> 00:29:39.190 that's wonderful. That's informal. It is not 00:29:39.190 --> 00:29:42.670 wonderful. It may be informal. It is not godly. 00:29:43.559 --> 00:29:46.160 Now, there's a time to have favors. Don't misunderstand 00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:50.400 me. But we are to do that in the context of planning, 00:29:51.160 --> 00:29:56.039 in the context of order. But you say, I believe 00:29:56.039 --> 00:29:59.200 in spontaneity. So does God. And I think that 00:29:59.200 --> 00:30:01.759 we always have to be ready for God to hijack 00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:05.539 a service. But it doesn't give us an excuse for 00:30:05.539 --> 00:30:08.160 not planning the service and planning and trying 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:13.170 to carry it out well. And by the way, I think 00:30:13.170 --> 00:30:15.670 we have a man who plans our services, who's one 00:30:15.670 --> 00:30:18.150 of the best, who is the best I've ever worked 00:30:18.150 --> 00:30:20.670 with, and that's Paul Van Der Werf. He's the 00:30:20.670 --> 00:30:28.990 best I've ever worked with. And that's not to 00:30:28.990 --> 00:30:31.690 denigrate anybody else, I'm just being very transparent 00:30:31.690 --> 00:30:33.910 about that, and I appreciate the thought and 00:30:33.910 --> 00:30:37.630 the heart that he puts into these services that 00:30:37.630 --> 00:30:41.980 he's responsible for. Now how do we do this in 00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:45.220 graceful order? One way by being here on time, 00:30:46.700 --> 00:30:49.759 by being in our place when it's time to begin 00:30:49.759 --> 00:30:53.380 the service and not wandering in later, by showing 00:30:53.380 --> 00:30:56.619 good manners in the service. I sat here a few 00:30:56.619 --> 00:30:58.759 Sundays ago when someone was singing up here 00:30:58.759 --> 00:31:01.440 on the platform and watched a whole family with 00:31:01.440 --> 00:31:04.059 a line of kids come in and be seated while this 00:31:04.059 --> 00:31:06.960 person is trying to communicate a song. That's 00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:12.529 rude. It's disorderly. It's not pleasing to God. 00:31:13.769 --> 00:31:16.130 When someone is in the front trying to do something, 00:31:16.690 --> 00:31:19.170 when the congregation is singing, then that's 00:31:19.170 --> 00:31:21.529 one thing to come in. But when someone is up 00:31:21.529 --> 00:31:25.109 here seeking to communicate with giftedness and 00:31:25.109 --> 00:31:27.269 by the Spirit of God, but it's been laid on his 00:31:27.269 --> 00:31:30.009 or her heart, we need to respect that and show 00:31:30.009 --> 00:31:33.769 good manners. He says that we're to gather ourselves 00:31:33.769 --> 00:31:36.470 to edify the body with respect for the greater 00:31:36.470 --> 00:31:40.160 gifts. graceful order and to be sure that we're 00:31:40.160 --> 00:31:42.680 not disruptive but being sensitive to what God 00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:48.279 is doing. There needs to be peace. Peace is the 00:31:48.279 --> 00:31:50.599 deliberate adjustment of my life to the will 00:31:50.599 --> 00:31:55.460 of God, somebody has said. Paul here pleads for 00:31:55.460 --> 00:32:00.259 peace in this body of believers. God has provided 00:32:00.259 --> 00:32:03.759 for that peace But now it was up to them, to 00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:06.779 each one of them, to choose how he or she would 00:32:06.779 --> 00:32:10.400 live so as to bring about that peace. And ladies 00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:12.960 and gentlemen, it hasn't changed in 2 ,000 years. 00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:17.220 God wants us to be at peace as well, not disorderly, 00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:24.279 not confused. He wants us to be at peace. But 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:26.700 that's a choice that you make and I make with 00:32:26.700 --> 00:32:30.450 respect to our gathering together. So it's a 00:32:30.450 --> 00:32:33.289 very practical chapter, isn't it? It talks to 00:32:33.289 --> 00:32:36.250 us about gifts. It talks to us about roles. It 00:32:36.250 --> 00:32:40.150 talks to us about worshipping together and how 00:32:40.150 --> 00:32:44.069 we need to respect the presence of Him who is 00:32:44.069 --> 00:32:50.410 a God of order and not a God of confusion. Let's 00:32:50.410 --> 00:33:00.470 pray together. And now Father, I pray that the 00:33:00.470 --> 00:33:04.309 Holy Spirit will help me and each of us to see 00:33:04.309 --> 00:33:09.630 what we need to do to be at peace with your Word. 00:33:11.210 --> 00:33:15.049 Lord, if peace comes when we conform ourselves 00:33:15.049 --> 00:33:19.430 to your Word, then I pray that we will conform 00:33:19.430 --> 00:33:24.730 where there isn't peace right now, where there's 00:33:24.730 --> 00:33:28.640 a problem. and that we will do that individually 00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:32.480 and as a group, as a congregation. Teach us, 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:36.000 I pray, to be sensitive to what the Spirit of 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:40.420 God desires to do in our hearts and through us 00:33:40.420 --> 00:33:43.779 in the lives of others that we worship with. 00:33:45.900 --> 00:33:48.839 In Jesus' name I pray, amen.