SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Prophecy and the Insider (vs 1-19).
• Tongues don’t edify the Church but prophecy does (vs 2-4)
• Tongues don't benefit the hearer without an interpreter, but prophecy benefits everyone (vs 5-15).
• Tongues don't instruct the assembly, but prophecy does (vs 16-19).
(2). Prophecy and the Outsider (vs 20-25).
• The purpose of the gift of tongues (vs 20-22).
• The response to the gift of tongues (vs 23-25).
(3). Principles to follow (vs 26-40).
• The edification principle (vs 26)
• The procedure principle (vs 27a)
• The interpretation principle (vs 27b-28)
• The silence – subjection principle (vs 34-35)
• The dignity principle (vs 36-37)
SERMON BODY
Ill:
• Last week I was at a three day evangelists conference;
• One of the speakers there was a vicar called Jonathan Fletcher,
• Who was the vicar of Immanuel Church London.
• He was telling the story of how he sometimes gets things wrong;
• i.e. When the Mel Gibson film ‘The passion of the Christ’ came out in the cinemas;
• His Church decided to do some evangelism;
• By handing out some leaflets to the people coming out of the cinema.
• After a while he had given out all his leaflets;
• So he found another Church member and asked her ‘How many have you given out’
• Her reply was, ‘None, because the film isn’t over yet!’
• He had already given his fifty leaflets away;
• Before it dawned on him that he was giving out leaflets;
• To people who had been to see ‘Scooby Doo 2’!
• The leaflet they got started by saying,
• “If there is anything you did not understand in the film and if you would like further help, then please contact etc.”
• TRANSITION: We all at sometimes get things wrong!
• Classic example is the Church at Corinth!
• They had spiritual gifts in abundance;
• But they got it very wrong when it came to using those gifts!
• And many a Church since then has made the same mistakes.
Note:
• Last week we spent our timing defining the terms ‘tongues and prophesy’.
• If you were not here, then do listen to the talk which is available on the website.
• For the sake of time we are not coving that ground again.
• This morning we are carrying on the outworking of tongues and prophesy.
• In a local Church setting.
• We will look at this Church in Corinth and the instructions given to them.
Note: I also shared 4 principles last week that I want to remind you of:
• First: We are studying 1st Corinthians, not just tongues and prophesy.
• So do not expect every question answered on tongues and prophesy.
• Second: The main subject of chapters 12-14 is spiritual gifts
• And not just tongues and prophesy – do not miss out on the bigger picture.
• That is why this chapter is part of a section starting at chapter 12 finishing in verse 40.
• Third: Paul addresses chapter 14 to a local church, not an individual.
• So these instructions apply to a local Church setting.
• Not to somebody speaking in tongues in their own home or their private devotions.
• Fourth: the apostle Paul is primarily writing to correct a problem.
• That is why tongues and prophesy are emphasised more than the other gifts.
• Paul wants to correct a problem in the Corinthian church,
• He is not primarily writing to elevate the gift of tongues and prophecy.
• He wants to correct a problem that was dominating this Church at Corinth.
Notice:
• The main point of this chapter is that prophecy is superior to tongues
• Verse 1 the apostle writes:
• “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy”
• This first section of chapter 14 divides into two parts;
• Verses 1-19 and verses 20-25.
• In these two parts the apostle talks about tongues and prophecy to two types of people.
FIRST: Prophecy and the Insider (vs 1-19).
• The apostle Paul first writes to ‘insiders’;
• That is believers who belonged to the church.
• Christians who were ‘in fellowship’ (members) of a local Church.
Ill:
• Sign on a Church notice board.
• “When you were born, your mother brought you to church.
• When you were married, your wife brought you to church.
• When you die, your friends will bring you to church.
• Why not try coming on your own sometime”.
• TRANSITION: This letter (1st Corinthians) was not written to Church goers;
• But to the Church! Those on the inside.
• The term ‘Church’ inside does not mean the inside of four walls of a building;
• It means those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ.
• Those who are part of a local Church fellowship.
• It is great when people come along and enjoy the activities that go on in this building;
• But if you are a Christian you ought to be ‘in fellowship’ (a member of a local Church).
• That really is not an optional extra, the New Testament assumes;
• That those who come to faith in Jesus Christ;
• Join a local Church and not just attend a local Church!
• Want to know more about that then see me after the service!
• The apostle Paul first writes to ‘insiders’;
• He gives three reasons why prophecy is superior to tongues.
REASON 1: TONGUES DON’T EDIFY THE CHURCH BUT PROPHECY DOES (VS 2-4)
“For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.”
The main reason God has given his people gifts is to build up the Church:
• In fact the apostle Paul makes this point not only in verse 3;
• But also in verse 12, verse 17 and verse 26.
Quote:
“God has given gifts to us, his people:
These gifts are not toys to selfishly play with, or weapons to fight with!
They are tools to unselfishly build with.”
The main reason God has given his people gifts is to build up the Church:
• According to verse 4, when tongues are spoken only the speaker is edified.
• But when prophecy is relayed;
• Both speaker and hearer benefit;
• And so the whole church IS built up, strengthened, and encouraged.
REASON 2. TONGUES DON'T BENEFIT THE HEARER WITHOUT AN INTERPRETER, BUT PROPHECY BENEFITS EVERYONE (VS 5-15).
“I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding”
Once again Paul stresses in these verses edification, the need to build up:
• Tongues must be interpreted for the church body to benefit from them.
• To illustrate the importance of interpretation,
• The apostle Paul uses three analogies, three linked illustrations in verses 7-9:
• (a). musical instruments, (b). the battle cry of the bugle, (c). language itself.
• (a). Musical instruments:
• The point being if notes played on the flute and harp;
• Are not distinguished by tone & pitch & time, they are only noises, not music.
• (b). The battle cry of the bugle
• If the bugler just blows random notes;
• How can the troops know whether to march or retreat?
• (c). Language itself.
• And language must be clear and distinct for the message to be understood.
• Otherwise you will not know the meaning of the language,
• Summary: Verses 11-13:
• Interpretation of tongues is always necessary.
REASON 3: TONGUES DON'T INSTRUCT THE ASSEMBLY, BUT PROPHECY DOES (VS 16-19).
“Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an enquirer, say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
• The apostle Paul readily admits that he speaks in tongues:
• But he's reluctant to do so in public.
• To him, five words with meaning and clarity;
• Are more important than ten thousand words in a language;
• That doesn't enlighten those around him.
• Summary: The apostle Paul gives three pieces of advice to those who are on the inside;
• That is to the Church, to Christians;
• To those who have been ‘born again’ of God’s Spirit.
• (1). Tongues don’t edify the Church but prophecy does (vs 2-4)
• (2). Tongues don't benefit the hearer without an interpreter,
• but prophecy benefits everyone (vs 5-15)
• (3). Tongues don't instruct the assembly, but prophecy does (vs 16-19).
SECOND: Prophecy and the Outsider (vs 20-25).
• The word ‘outsider’ here refers to people who come to Church;
• But as yet have not come to faith,
• They are a bit like a child looking through a sweetshop window;
• They can see all the goodies on the inside but they are unable to get to them.
Ill:
• Listen, if that is you this morning you do not have to stay on the ‘outside’;
• You don’t have to stay ‘outside’.
• Jesus said: “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved”
• (John chapter 10 verse 9)
• YOU are invited this morning to come ‘inside’
Ill:
• DVD clip.’I ONCE WAS LOST (AMAZING GRACE II)’
• From: www.sermonspice.com
• If you f eel you are ready to respond then do that this morning – do it now!
• If you are prepared to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth;
• Why not pray this prayer:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins on the cross and that you rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Saviour. In Your Name. Amen”.
NOW BACK TO 1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 14:
• The apostle Paul’s main point will be:
• Prophecy a better teaching tool for believers than tongues;
• It is more helpful for unbelievers and church visitors too.
• Continuing his thoughts regarding tongues and how prophecy is superior;
• The apostle gives to this Church some necessary advice:
FIRST: THE PURPOSE OF THE GIFT OF TONGUES (VS 20-22).
“Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 21 In the Law it is written:
‘With other tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.
Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.”
The apostle Paul tells these Corinthian Christians to ‘Grow up!’
• This Church needed to mature and develop in their faith;
• They needed to realise that the Church is not about them (individually);
• It is about us (collectively)!
• The purpose of tongues in the Church is not to bless you individually;
• But to bless the fellowship as a whole.
• When God speaks through any verbal gift, preaching, prophesying or tongues;
• It is always the message which is important;
• It is not the person who speaks the message or even the exercise of the gift,
• It is the message which is always important;
• The apostle then quotes from Isaiah the prophet:
• (Isaiah chapter 28 verses 11-12),
• I think the point Isaiah the prophet was making to the Children of Israel was this:
• If you will not listen to God when he speaks clearly to you;
• Then you will be forced to listen to those who speak unclearly!
• Those who speak in foreign tongues.
• So the apostle Paul tells them to grow up;
• And not be like children.
• What matters is listening and responding to God’s word.
• And you can only do that if the message is understood.
• When God speaks through any verbal gift, preaching, prophesying or tongues;
• If the message is understood;
• It will be a sign to the unbeliever.
SECOND: THE RESPONSE TO THE GIFT OF TONGUES (VS 23-25).
Verse 23:
“So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and enquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?”
• At first reading it might seem that Paul is contradicting himself;
• But the context shows to us he is not.
• In verse 22 the apostle Paul said that tongues are a sign for the unbeliever.
• Now he appears to say the opposite – so what does he now mean?
• The Corinthians who practised speaking in tongues;
• Where not speaking in any known recognisable language,
• And there were no interpreters to translate or interpret their words.
• So the apostle Paul says think about what you are doing:
Ill:
• Suppose an unbeliever or visitor comes along to the Church at Corinth.
• They observe someone standing up and speaking unintelligible words,
• Then another person does the same, and then another.
• And no translation or interpretation is given,
• The apostle says that the unbeliever or visitor leaves the Corinthian church in confusion,
• In fact they leave concluding that these people are crazy.
• They are out of their minds!
Now notice in verse 24-25 we have the contrast between tongues and prophecy:
“But if an unbeliever or an enquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’”
• The apostle says prophecy;
• We noted last week that there are two ways this happens;
• One way being the forth-telling God’s Word.;
• God speaks primarily through the preaching of his word;
• This not only instructs believers but also convicts unbelievers;
• Because they can understand it in their own language.
• This understanding begins a process involving conviction of sin;
• Repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ.
Now I am not saying every sermon preached is prophetic:
Ill:
• Reminds me of the preacher who preached a sermon;
• A man commented at the end of service;
• “Your sermon was like the peace of God…it passed all understanding!”
• Or on another occasion a man commented to the preacher:
• “Your sermon was like water to a drowning man!”
• TRANSITION: Now I am not saying every sermon preached is prophetic:
• I am saying God speaks primarily through the preaching of his word;
THIRD: Principles to follow (vs 26-35).
FIRST: THE EDIFICATION PRINCIPLE (VS 26)
“What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.”
Notice:
• Paul's comment tells us something of the way the early Church worshiped.
• It was not just a one man show, different members of the congregation contributed.
• That type of service is what we have on a Sunday evening.
• It would be good to remind us all as we gather that:
• The important principle at that service is not ‘what am I getting out of this’;
• But rather, ‘what am I contributing that will help other people worship the Lord’.
• The Christians did not go with the intention of being a passive listeners;
• They came not only to receive but to give and to build each other up!
• So let me encourage those of you who attend;
• To come with the attitude to ‘take part’.
• So that you too can help in building each other up and honouring the Lord.
TWO: THE PROCEDURE PRINCIPLE (VS 27A)
“If anyone speaks in a tongue, two – or at the most three – should speak”.
• When simultaneous utterances are made, confusion results.
• i.e. That would even happen if you had two or three preachers;
• All speaking at the same time in the same language.
• So to prevent confusion regarding unknown languages;
• The apostle Paul explains some simple guidelines:
• Tongues should never be spoken by more than three people during a worship service;
• And never by more than one person at a time.
THIRD: THE INTERPRETATION PRINCIPLE (VS 27B-28)
“If anyone speaks in a tongue, two – or at the most three – should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret.
28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.”
• Like a Siamese twin;
• Joined together with the procedure principle is the principle of interpretation.
• A genuine message spoken in tongues was always to be followed by an interpretation;
• So that the whole body could be edified.
• The purpose of any spiritual gift is to build up the body.
• This was not happening at Corinth;
• It was a bit of a ‘free-for-all’,
• So the apostle Paul gives clear instructions that tongues are only to be used;
• When accompanied by the gift of interpretation.
FOURTH: THE SILENCE – SUBJECTION PRINCIPLE (VS 34-35)
“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to enquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
• In these verses the apostle Paul gives another guideline to regulate the use of tongues,
• As the apostle Paul has already permitted women to pray and prophesy;
• (Chapter 11 verse 5)
• This instruction in these verses;
• Must apply to the immediate context of evaluating the prophetic message.
• When it comes to the judging and evaluation a prophetic message:
• Then the apostle says that is the responsibility of the men;
Note:
• We have talked through in greater detail in past studies (i.e. chapter 11);
• That men and women are created equal (i.e. Galatians chapter 3 verse 28),
• We have also noted, again in previous studies;
• That women have been placed in subjection to men.
• The apostle is teaching that women are not to assume the role of authority;
• Whether it's a message of teaching from behind the pulpit;
• Or a message of tongues from the pew.
FIFTHLY: THE DIGNITY PRINCIPLE (VS 36-37)
• The Corinthian believers saw themselves as pacesetters, originators of truth,
• The first to receive God's instructions.
• The apostle Paul responds to their elitist spirit with a sarcastic bite.
“Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.”
• What audacity the Corinthians had to assume that it all started in Corinth!.
• Yet these conceited believers weren't even following God's instructions.
• As Paul told them, if they ignored the fact that his teaching was from the Lord, they,
• In turn, would be ignored (vs 38).
• “But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored”.
• After giving this warning,
• The apostle Paul distils his instructions into one final principle:
“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way”.
• A worship service ought to be a beautiful, meaningful experience.
• It should have a spontaneity that the Holy Spirit of God is delighted to prompt.
• All of this should happen, without a trace of confusion.
And finally:
• This chapter contains many talking points;
• But please do not get side-tracked!
• But there are two key statements that we cannot afford to miss:
• Verse 26:
• “Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.”
• Verse 40:
• “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”
Sermon Audio:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=tL6HodFYE83wXieh0s1OfjUgalrTYMkC&forceSave=Tongues_and_Prophecy_Part_2_-_sermon_by_Gordon_Curley.mp3
