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Corinthians chapter 14, verses one to 28. Before we go to the Lord, before hear from a little less go to Him in prayer and as his blessing upon the reading in the hearing of his word, Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, we do indeed. Thank you and praise you this morning. We thank you for your word. Lord, we thank You for Your mercy. We ask your God that you would let the meditations of all of our hearts be pleasing in your sight. We confess that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from your mouth. And so we asked your Lord, it was a great appetite for this your word, that I mean nourish our souls this morning, ways of eternal life, for Your glory. Yes, all these things through the bread of heaven, Jesus Christ Himself in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Was Corinthians 14 starting in verse one, please give your full attention. This is the Lord’s word. Pursue love and earnestly the desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesied, for the one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their up building, and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesized builds up the church. Now I want you to be I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesied. The one to prophesize is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. Now brothers, I have come if I come to you, speaking in a tongue, how will I benefit you unless I bring someone some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If you unlicensed instruments, such as a flute or a harp, do not give the sneak notes. How will anyone know What is played? If a bugle gives it indistinct sound? How will we get ready for battle? So with yourselves, if with your tongue you are speech that is not intelligible? How will anyone know what is said, For you’ll be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and not as without meaning. But if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to speak to the speaker and the speaker, a foreigner to me. So with yourselves, since you’re eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel and building up the church. Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also. I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will see praise with my mind also. Otherwise, if you Give thanks with your spirit. How can anyone in the position of an outsider say amen to you, thanks to your Thanksgiving, when he does not know what you are saying, for you may bring, you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. I think God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church, I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others than 10,000 words in a tongue. Brothers Do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil but in your thinking, be mature. In the Lord is written by people of strange tongues, and by the lip lips of foreigners will I speak to the people and even they will not will not listen to me, says the Lord. Thus tongues are assigned not for believers. But for unbelievers. Well, prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers, but for believers. If therefore, the whole church comes to together and all speaking of tongue and outside or unbeliever enters will not say that you’re out of your minds. But if all prophesied, and all and an unbeliever and outsider comes in key is convicted by all he has called to account by all the secrets of his heart are disclosed. And so a falling on his face he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. What then brothers, when you come together, each one has a him a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speaking of tongue, let their only let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silence in church, and speak to no one that speak to themselves self into God. So for the reading of God’s word, as we look at this text, It’s interesting, I thought, I was reminded of that that time in seminary when we first get there. And regardless of your theological background or position on this text, all new young seminary students pray for the gift of tongues when they study Greek and Hebrew, very difficult task. Regardless of your theology, many of us desire that gift of tongues, I say tongue in cheek, but anyone who studied another language understands that if they studying language, it’s not a native tongue. They know that is difficult task. There are no shortcuts. Regarding language learning. It is simply difficult and it requires very, very hard concentration and study. And so in spite of our desire, we had to just study and study we did become this morning to First Corinthians chapter 14. And it is difficult to understand because it’s talking about something that we never experienced, personally. Remember reading, reading the epistles sometimes reading first reading the Corinthian letters. In particular, it’s kind of like listening to one side of a phone phone conversation, because there was other correspondence that we don’t have that the Lord in His providence decided not to have us handed down to us. But it’s talking chapter 14 is talking about tons about prophecy and the interpretation of tongues. These are gifts which are no longer in effect in the church. These gifts, prophecies, tongues and the interpretation of tongues have ceased, and I hope to be able to show you that this morning. So we we have not or cannot experience what Paul is talking about directly here. As he writes this, his letter answering this question of a problem for the Corinthian church, and that being in the case, oftentimes, people assume that because these gifts of the Spirit are no longer present in the church, they assumed that this chapter chapter 14, doesn’t have any meaning or relevance to us. It’s like an appendix in the body, right? chapter 14 has no real reason for being there. But that’s not entirely the case. It is true that these revelational gifts prophecy, Tom’s interpretation are no longer operative in the church today in Christ Church. We shouldn’t try to teach or to desire or to hold out of the problems, the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy and interpretation. those gifts were for a particular time for a particular epoch in history that has gone away that has passed but nevertheless, there is a significant aspect in this chapter that has direct route relevant relevant for us today in the year 2020. And that aspect of principle is this is instructive for us. This chapter No. Nevertheless, it shows us How we are to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are still in operation today. Right? It shows us how to use the gifts that are in operation and in Christ Church. And that thing, that principle is the principle of edification. That’s the point or the punch or the principle that we are to draw from this chapter regarding spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit, I, as I say, say very often doesn’t give us filler in His Word. Right? You know, sometimes you’re writing school papers, and they have to be a designated length and we sometimes fluff them up and put filler in there to extend the length. The Holy Spirit in it is inspiration. The words not do that, that there’s no filler in God’s word. Chapter 14 has a reason and it is for us to draw out what that reason is. We can explain the principle in chapter 14 in this way. Whatever we do in the body should edify the body, right whatever we do in the body, in Christ Church should build up Christ Church, whatsoever things we do in church in the body of Christ, they should build up or edify the brothers and sisters in the church. I that’s why I titled this sermon. bodybuilding, right? It’s not a reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger or Lou Ferrigno, but to the body of Christ body building, building up the body of Christ, because that’s the point that Paul is making in the application that we draw off from this chapter. bodybuilding, right not muscle man, but building the body of Christ. You and I, all of us together. And when we come together, brothers and sisters, when we assemble as a congregation, were to use our gifting whatever it is for bodybuilding, for edifying for encouraging and build building one another up. Whenever does not build or edify the body of Christ should not be done in church, simple principle. Look at verse 12 chapter 14, if you would. So with yourself Since you’re eager for manifestations of the parrot of the Spirit, strive to excel and building up the church, body building. He says since you are eager, you’re eager for manifestation of the Spirit. In this here again, we get an insight into the Corinthians. Right? He says they were eager for demonstrations of the Spirit. They were obsessed with spiritual gifts as we’ve seen, again and again and again. And that being the case, Paul says, strive to excel in building up the church. Strive, seek long for that gift, that gifts which will build up the church. And that’s the principle right building up the body body building edification, building up the Church of Christ. And look at verse 26. Paul gives the same principle. What then brothers, when you come together, each one has him a lesson revelation, a tongue interpretation. And then he says that all things be done for building up right for building up. And there it is that all things be done for edification, right. And that’s the principle that we draw from this. Whatever you do in church should be done for the purpose of building up your brothers and sisters in the Lord. And if we get that we understand and grasp and remember that, that that’s the point the main point of the text. It will help us as we work through the rest of the chapter that can be quite confusing. building up the body, mature edification, Paul takes and he applies that to the specific problem that the Corinthian church that they were facing. Remember, the church was obsessed with the gift of tongues. That was the valuable gift in their eyes. That was the important one, it was more than other gifts. And they assumed that those who possess the gift of speaking in tongues were better than others. They were superior to people who cannot speak in tongues. Right and if we back up and acknowledge that this can be confusing topic, speaking in tongues and remember this principle, it’ll help us understand what’s going on. Right. I’ve already made some claims right at the outset that others dispute, right. And this is perhaps one of the more difficult chapters, as I said, to nail down first Corinthians. Again, it’s this, this this phenomena of listening to one side of a telephone conversation. But it’s not confusing. We’re not critical. We’re not critics. God gave us his word and we can know what it says and understand that. And there are various views regarding what Paul is talking about what the Bible means when it speaks of speaking in tongues. We have to recognize the whole structure of this chapter as you just heard it is is a deliberate contrast between prophecy and tongue speaking. And of course, we have time this morning to look at to unfold all the different theories and the different views of the speaking in tongues in the history of those theories regarding this gift, but simply put, it’s the word that we get our English word gloss from, like glossary, right? That’s the word in Greek and glossa means tongue or language or dialect or speech. Later in verse 21, the chapter says this. In the law it is written by people of strange tongues, right? And by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord strange tongues there is a word that you all recognize. It’s combination of two words head Eros right difference. And gossips which is hetero different tongue, right, different tongues, strange tongues, it says, and I believe I pointed out some time ago, the gifts of tongues had to do with speaking in foreign languages. Right here in chapter 14. And previously in Acts chapter two, what we find in Scripture the most full discussion or description of speaking in tongues. I’d like to discuss this topic resident in the Sunday school hour in the future because there is rich material here. But for now, remember that in the book of Acts, recall in chapter two was the day of Pentecost, right? This is the birthday of the church. The disciples were filled with Holy Spirit. And they began to speak in other tongues and other languages, foreign languages, languages they had never heard, learned. And they were miraculously and instantly empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak in foreign language. Right, Acts chapter two, verse four says this. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and As a result, they began to speak in other languages. And notice it says, as the Spirit gave them utterance, right? It’s spirit driven. The Holy Spirit gave them utterance or gave them the ability to speak out. I think the New American Standard translates that were God the Holy Spirit gave them words to say, and the words that they spoke into the inspirational Holy Spirit did not originate in their own minds, but with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit spoke under, they spoke rather under the direct impulse and inspiration, God the Holy Spirit. The speaking in tongues was Spirit inspired speech. And the gift of tongues in Acts two is the same gift of tongues in First Corinthians 14. Both of those chapters are talking about human languages that were understood, understood by people who knew those languages. And this point needs to be stretched a little bit because our charismatic friends Something different if you know anything about the charismatic or Pentecostal theology, it is their view that the gift of tongues discussed in Acts acts two is different from the tongue speaking in First Corinthians 14. Indeed the Pentecostals and the charismatic believe that x two is talking about real human languages. But in First Corinthians it’s talking about a heavenly or angelic language. No human languages, they say, but we disagree with that. First Corinthians like x is in front of human languages that can be understood by people who knew and spoke those languages. And this is clear, of course, in our chapter this morning, 14 verses starting verse 10, or right there verse 10, Paul says, There are doubtless many different languages in the world, languages of man human languages, he says a non is without meaning. Right? You see that in verse 10, then it goes on but if I do not know the meaning of the language, the human language will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. And so in verses 12 and 13, he says so with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel and building up the church. Therefore, the one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. See, Paul here is telling them that if, by the Holy Spirit, you’re speaking in a language that is known to some people in the world, but unknown to me, that I would be a foreigner. I cannot understand what is being said. And therefore I could derive no benefit from it. There’s no building up of the church without that interpretation, without that revelation. And so if a person has the gift of tongues, and they could speak in one of those many foreign languages in the world, they should pray for the gift of interpretation. That is the complimentary gift to tongues. I hope this is becoming clear. So that other people, right Why is that so other people who don’t know the Which could benefit from what is being said is when the Holy Spirit enabled someone to speak in one of these foreign languages, the speaker didn’t know what he was saying. And that is an interesting point. And it’s a point we have to get or under understand it, if we’re going to understand this chapter. For us to really see what what we’re talking about its special revelation, it’s indeed divine revelation. It’s a case where words are coming from the speaker’s mouth, but they didn’t originate with the person with the speaker, than the original native in his mind. They came from the Holy Spirit. He spoke as a Spirit gave him utterance. It says, he was speaking as the Holy Spirit gave him he was under the direct inspiration of God, the Holy Spirit and because he didn’t understand what was being said, what he was saying, cannot interpret what was being said. And still so Paul says what pray for the gift of interpretation and that was another gift of the Spirit complimentary again, connected gift with tongues, two gifts that complement one another. Both are spiritual gifts. Both are gifts of the Holy Spirit. Both of those gifts were given by the Holy Spirit, both supernatural gifts enabling gifts, enabling the recipient to speak in a foreign language and then the enablement by the Spirit to interpret the foreign language. Right You see where the bodybuilding comes in, right? why that is critical here. When a person interpreted a message from one of those foreign languages. It resulted in what what is the result of these gifts, it was prophesied was revelation from God. And that had the effect of building up the body edifying the body. And there it is, you see we need to keep in mind when we read about prophecy and tongues and the interpretation of tongues, they are different forms of what different forms of revelation from God your communications from God God speaking words to directly through the mouth of the speaker, prophesy tongues interpretation, there are different forms of special revelation. And notice how the gift of tongues when it is supplemented with interpretation. It was just like prophecy. So our passage this morning is commanding the gift of prophecy to the church because it built up the church. Again the structured Oh notice that the whole chapter is distinguishing between these two and one of them is greater it’s prophecy that’s greater prophecy edify the church have built up the church, speaking in tongues without interpretation did not build up the church. Because no one can understand what’s being said by the speaker. And so the key to understanding this passage is just that if, if that is understood, we see that the passage hammers this home. If you get it in the passage makes sense. Prophecy edifies the church mere speaking in tongues did not bodybuilding By tongues alone did not happen. It must be accompanied by interpretation. So when this passage talks about prophecy here, it’s it’s meant to speak words that were given given directly by the Holy Spirit. And the Prophet spoke as the mouthpiece of God, right as the mouthpiece of God. And that’s the reason why the word as we read it, it’s often preface with the phrase, Thus saith the LORD, or the Holy Spirit says, right, everything that came after that was directly from the mouth of God, he was speaking the Prophet as the mouthpiece of god of the Lord. And sort of prophecy meant to speak, words that were given directly miraculously by the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit expiring, breathing out, words that came directly from the mouth of God. We step back and we asked, well, what’s the difference between those two gifts? Well, again, prophecy is speaking the Word of God from a known land. English tongs, on the other hand is speaking the Word of God in a language that is unknown to the speaker. And that’s it. That’s the difference between the two gifts. Other than that they are identical. They’re both forms of divine special revelation. Now with that, let’s turn back to our chapter once again chapter 14. And we see the apostle there is exhorting the exhorting the church in Corinthians of Corinth to do what he’s telling them to eagerly pursue love to pursue love about all else, right, he has just gone over this, the hymn of love and chapter 13. pivotal to understanding this section verses 12 chapters 12 to 14. And he says this, the nature and the value of love is permanent is eternal. It is the ethic of heaven itself. And Paul encourages them to love to pursue love above all else, because without love, the holy the gifts of the Spirit are nothing that was the point of chapter 13 the Corinthians were obsessed again with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they neglected they failed, they failed to exercise love towards one another. And that’s what Paul’s rebuking them in chapter 13. And he this whole section, and he tells them above all the spiritual gifts, seek after earnestly desire, pursue love. And then 14 one we read that we are told to pursue, particularly gifts, the Holy Spirit, especially bodybuilding gifts, the gifts that would edify and build up the body, not tear the body down into factions and divisions, right. It wasn’t what they were doing. Their pursuits had the opposite effect of what they should have had was tearing the body into rather than building the body up. They were using their gifts for status rather than service. They created a two tiered system, dividing those with the cool gifts, right and those with the lane gifts. If you didn’t have the spectacular gifts, you were last in Their eyes. In verse one here, Paul tells them to pursue the gifts that would build up the body. prophesy over tongues. Right? pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesied. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men, but to God for no one understands him but he utters mysteries of the Spirit. Right You see the contrast there and it’s carried through the chapter. As we notice these two are very closely related. prophecy is a gift that should be desired they should be desiring prophecy, because it had the body building benefit right the built up the body. Words to understand to edify Bhutan’s, without interpretation only edify the member, right not the whole body. And this would have been staggering to the Corinthians this would have been abrupt for them, as Paul tells them, not tongues prophecy Because they have prioritized to get the tongs as the ultimate gift, those who had that gift where the spiritual superstars, but what’s wrong with that? Are we to have superstar saints in the Church of Christ. Jesus alone is our superstar Savior, King and Lord. pitting the saints against one another is repugnant to God. It is gross in the body of Christ, separating to tears. Paul’s not demeaning the gift of tongues. He’s merely putting tongues in its place, which is not the top tier because without the interpreter, it does not want any does no good. tongues is not the aid one first priority, gift. Right? Notice again he says pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts especially she may prophesied prophesy again to speak words directly given by inspiration or expiration, breathe out by God through the person of the Holy Spirit working and in some have tried to equate you may have heard this preaching and prophesied. Right indeed There’s a famous, very well known book book by the Puritan William Perkins called the art of prophecy and he’s talking about preaching. prophesying and preaching are not the same thing. Paul’s not talking about preaching here. This is not a reference to preaching rather Paul’s talking about what the supernatural gift of divine special revelation and those two prophesying and preaching are not identical to the to each other. Though there are some similarities, not identical. When both prophecy was given, and preaching takes place, it is what is the word of God that is proclaimed? In both instances, the Prophet and the preacher their speakers are the mouthpiece of God is a word of God, it is spoken. And the voice of God is heard in both the prophet and in the preacher. But prophecy is not the delivery of a carefully planned sermon, their difference. prophecy is speaking into the direct impulse and inspiration, miraculously given by the Holy Spirit. The preacher is different from the Prophet. Right? What’s the difference? Well, the preacher is not divinely inspired. Anyone today who claims to be so is a false teacher or a false prophet. And if you find yourself in a place where that suggestion is made, that the speaker is a prophet, divinely inspired, you should get up and leave that place. Because he is not. He’s a false teacher is a false prophet. The person You’re unlike the Prophet is not divinely inspired. He hasn’t given God’s people a new revelation from the Lord. That’s what the Prophet did in that time period when he prophesied. That’s not what the preacher is doing. I think Well, our instincts we know the difference between these two. The preacher does what he takes a passage of scripture, and he studies that and he prays and expounds that text to the people of God. He doesn’t receive a message directly from God. The message he receives is here in the Bible. He hears from God and God’s completed word, the canon of Scripture, old and new covenants, the preachers and get a new word from the Lord. And again, if you hear that claim, get up and leave, not at not a healthy place. The preacher deals with the Holy Scriptures. That is what the preacher proclaims. The preachers daughters proclaim the written word of God, right. So these are different. They’re similar, but they’re different. Prophecy and preaching, that the effects can be identical, right? We believe that God works through His Word. He works through the preached word, he works to faithful preaching of that word that he’s given us. It is not a dead letter is not a not a desti book. It contains the word of life. It is sharp and is active, able to cut through bone and marrow. piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit of both joints and marrow is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of man. Spirit working through His Word. That is what the preacher is called to proclaim, is what he must proclaim, must proclaim if he’s not, he’s not doing his job, the written word of God. And we look at the history of the church and we look at the great Protestant Reformation, the reformers restored the world to its rightful place. They trusted the Spirit working through the world. So much. And they placed the highest value on the ministry of the word. Right, not the minister of the word, but the ministry of the word they held in such high esteem. They said that when the word is faithfully preached, then the preaching of the Word of God is the word of God. It is the word of God. But it is, of course derived. Is it a derived sense, but there’s no less the Word of God and an actual sense. One of the great confessions of the Reformation historically, is the second whole Vedic confession. The second whole Vedic confession 1566 around I believe, and it says, in there in the confession of the Word of God, the chapter it says, the preaching of the Word of God is the word of God. Right. It’s the Spirit working through this word. That is why historically the most Presbyterian ministers and reformed minister When we’re done even gown when they preach when they entered the pulpit, it would have the the Geneva gown when they minister the word and sacrament. And some people think that was a way of exalting the man. But far from it, it was the practice was to hide the man and exalt the ministry of the word. The man is not important in the situation. Right? The man is not important, the word is imperative. We all know the well known story, in number of God can make a donkey talk. You can use the donkey he can use donkeys of man to preach as well. Anything that the minister does is derivative. It comes not from himself. Again, if we ever find ourselves sitting under someone who isn’t comfortable being invisible and isn’t comfortable pointing away from himself to Christ, you should take pause and we’re speaking with some pastors recently at the Presbyterian meeting. And they were talking about qualifications for minister and qualifications for elder in the church. And one of them the commented that one of the main, the most important qualifications is for the man to recognize that he is not qualified. That’s one of the main qualifications. There was wise observation, to recognize these non qualified that he doesn’t want the office because he feels inadequate for the role that’s a good qualification was wise observations from seasoned godly men. The Word of God, from the preacher is derived. Right, it’s derived. For the Prophet he spoke the word in a non derived manner, the Lord speaking through the prophet, Prophet gave a word from God directly. preacher does not do that. The prophets spoke directly from God to the people. But the preacher has to take a text of Scripture with chapter and verse and expound that word of God for God’s people. When he does that faithfully, the feast that he prepares for the people is the word of God. preaching is second hand nature, it’s not inspired. And that, by the way, is the only kind of preaching will ever hear in our day. And this not inspired second hand nature of preaching does not alter the nature of the word as the Word of God. What Paul is talking about here is the gift of prophecy. Right now look at verse two and see how he goes on to say that a person who speaks in a tongue speaks not to man, but to God. he utters mysteries says in the spirit. Notice again, that tongue speaking is a form of divine revelation right? It says the one who speaks in tongues, others mysteries of Spirit. Is that what the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that tongue speaker speaks mysteries, and we read of mysteries in the New Testament, that word is used for new special revelation. Something that was hidden in the past is now revealed. That person honors mysteries in the spirit. verse three says, on the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their a building and encouragement and consolation. I didn’t notice here this is important as well, well just misunderstood. Paul, there is not in verse three defining what prophecy is. what he’s doing is giving the result of a fact of prophecy. Right Paul, here in verse three, where defining prophecy it would be nothing more than a motivational speech. That’s not what Paul’s doing. He’s not defining the term prophecy. But Paul’s doing is describing the effects of the gift, the gift of prophecy. prophecy has the effect of edifying encouraging a constellation of comforting God’s people. And this is the very thing that Paul is giving the church there to do in Corinth seek after this gift prophecy, because it is the fact that this is the effect that will have on the congregation it is bodybuilding gift, bodybuilding, and he kind of the contrast continues in verse four, the one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesized builds up the church. Now, I want you to also speak in tongues but even more prophesied, right that is distinguishing is contrasting the two. You want to prophesize he says in verse five is greater than the one who speaks in the tongue, unless someone interprets so that the church may be built up. Once we grasp the concept and the point of this passage, we see it again and again and again. Paul mentions it. And then Paul, in verse six, he gives himself his example as a hypothetical example. And he says now brothers, if I come to you Speaking in tongue, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? Right? He won’t let an interpreter. There’s no benefit from speaking in tongues. So Paul uses himselves that example of what he would not do. Right? That’s That’s it. He says, if he were to go back to Korea, it he would go back speaking the language they could not understand. They would have no benefit is using himself as an example, to encourage them regarding what they’re supposed to do when they assemble for worship. It shouldn’t speak in tongues. It’s not helping the body when they do that, not helping anyone, unless there’s an interpreter. Paul goes on to illustrate the teaching from examples of day to day life in his day he uses examples of wind instruments and stringed instruments right there in her 70s. If a lifeless instrument such as loot or harp, does not give the sneak notes How will anyone know what is played. This is like speaking in an unknown language that no one understands. If the bugle gives an indistinct sound and first aid, he says, who will get ready for the battle? He moves on to this military illustration, the use of a bugle if a camp needed to communicate or assemble or to move, join with another camp and the people gives an interesting sound. What uses it? No use? It’s actually confusion. In the point again, is hearing without understanding benefits helps no one and he moves to the Corinthians in their lives. It says if you utter speech that is unintelligible How will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. Interesting. He says in verse 10, there are doubtless many different languages in the world and not as without meaning But if I do not know the meaning of the language I will be a foreigner the word there is where we get barbarian from I will be a barbarian before the speaker and the speaker will be a barbarian to me. And so with yourself since you’re eager for manifestations of the of the Spirit, dear Corinthians, strive to excel in building up the church. That’s the point. It’s not status its service. And therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. And Paul’s talking about the important component of the mind. right this is this is critical for us are we are people of the book we don’t disengage our mind. We don’t leave, leave our minds at the church doorstep when we come in. We aren’t people because God doesn’t want us to be people who disengage our minds. Our minds are grounded in the truth. Right in our hearts are fat as a result. We are We are delighted in our hearts and our spirits. When we are grounded in God’s truth, they work together. He says, I will pray with my spirit but also with my mind. Now sing praise with my spirit, but also with my mind. It’s a very important conference, too much teaching in our day. Well, for centuries actually. Were never to divorce the two. Right? God gave us both a mind and heart. Man, we always brothers and sisters be people with big heads and big hearts. Right, anything less is out of balance. Which is the stereotypes of the of the family tree of Christianity, right. The charismatics have a big heart and a little head and the reformed have a big head and a little heart. Maybe never be people. Such May we be people with big minds and big hearts, loving, humble serving The point is the service to the building up of the body of Christ. This is important to the Lord, he wrote much about it here should be important to us. And he mentions the important importance of our witness to the outside world, the stranger who comes by tongues uninterrupted, I’m sorry, uninterpreted are of no help to the body or an outsider. And in verse 16, he says, and then once more in verse 19, Paul repeats nevertheless, in church, I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others than 10,000 words in a tongue. If that tongue is uninterpreted, it doesn’t edify the church. Paul says, I don’t do it. And then he says, Let all things be done for building up. If any speaking of tongue limited to two, two, or perhaps three at the most and each in turn, and let someone interprets And we’ll go on next week and we’ll see the, that Presbyterian verse let all things be done decently and in order. But he’s building up to that. That’s the point. Someone needs to interpret for it to make sense if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent. He says, speak to himself and to God, because it’s not going to profit anyone else. And again, that’s the point of the text, right? These gifts of the Spirit belong to a different age to the foundation Lang stage of the church. fusions to 20 tells us this has been laid by the apostles and prophets, Christ as the chief cornerstone. The Foundation has been laid already. We aren’t to try to lay it again. They belong to a special era in history and redemptive history, and they can’t be repeated anymore, then the resurrection can be repeated. Also, special revelation ceased to the accomplishment of redemption we need we need to recognize this. When reading scripture, special revelation has come to culmination. As far as the accomplishment goes, special revelation ran concurrent with redemptive history with the work of Jesus Christ, the complex of what he did. That redemptive history is accomplished. Prophecy, tongues interpretation of tongues have ceased, because all those different forms of special revelation which have ceased, that are no longer gifts, functioning in the church. And this is important to assert otherwise, is to call into question the sufficiency of Scripture. Right God has given us a sure word. And we people come along saying I have a new word of the LORD, your response to me what’s the chapter in the verse because God has given us His Word. All that is needed for life and godliness in His Word is sufficient. is complete, is authoritative it is inspired as necessary. It is sufficient to assert that special revelation is still going on is to say that God has left his people with the deficient witness with the deficient guy. That’s not the testimony of Scripture. What’s the testimony of Scripture about scripture? Is that it is a more sure word is the sacred writings are able to make you wise for salvation. Through faith in Jesus Christ. It is profitable for teaching for rebuke, reproof, correction and for training to make competent and equipped for every good work, right, we could go on and on. The Lord has given us all that we need is wonderful is glorious. Love your Bibles, puzzle, scissors, love the word of God. Get into it, get it into you. And I’ll say it again, this book will keep you from sinning and sending will keep you from this book. flee to the Lord go to his word, hide it in your heart. This means that any attempt or claim to new words or new revelation is an attack on the sufficiency of Scripture. It’s an attack on the concept God has provided all that we need. He’s provided all from the Spirit working through this word that he’s given us. His most holy and perfect word. We’re in a better era because we have this word. We have the completed canon of Scripture. The Paul in Corinth is promoting prophecy. As a supreme gift of the Spirit, different arrow. We bring this gift of the Spirit that brings a bodybuilding edification for the body of Christ. We said up front that the gift of prophecy has ceased. It is no longer active. No new special revelation, the ramifications for asserting that. We also pointed out some similarities between prophecy and preaching. Right? They’re not the same but there are similarities between the two. In both prophecy and preaching we have the word of God being proclaimed. The prophecy was directs new revelation from God. But as with Timothy and all preachers after him, preaching is the word of God written and expounded for the people of God. But notice something of a similarity as well. Brothers and sisters, notice the effect on on from prophesied and from preaching is the same. It’s the building up with the church, edification of the church. What is more, what more than anything else edifies. The body of Christ is the reading and the preaching of Holy Scriptures. said earlier this is why brothers and sisters the word is so central to our corporate worship so central to all that we do corporately as we come together and assemble as the body of Christ. The word preaches given the primacy, because it is the word that edifies and builds up the church, the Spirit working through that word. Again, it’s not the minister of the word, but the word that has ministered. The spirit uses to have his way with broken and twisted, weak, feeble centers like you and I. As we close let’s look at a few places where we see this in Scripture. Ephesians chapter four, Chapter Four. We see something of this. We see that a Paul tells the Or when Christ ascended into heaven. He gave gifts to the church he gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, right? This is Ephesians four, verse 11, first 10 and 11. Right, he gave these gifts and some of those gifts are no longer in function in the church and no longer in the church, the apostles and the prophets, in particular have ceased. They laid the foundation, the foundation link stage, he says in verse in Ephesians, 220. Right there they were part of that. Laying of the foundation was Christ himself as the chief cornerstone. But why is it that Jesus gave these gifts to the church? Why is it it tells us there for keep reading? He gave these gifts to equip the saints, for the work of the ministry, for what for the building up of the body of Christ, right. This is a gift he gave to the church for that reason. Why did the Lord give pastors and teachers, ministers of the word to the church for the purpose of bodybuilding for the building up the body of Christ until we attain to the Unity unity of faith in the knowledge of the Son, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Why so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine by human cunning by craftiness and deceitful schemes. But rather, he says, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head noticed that all of this description flows from those gifts of the Ministry of the word, I had the preaching of the word which comes at the beginning of the text. And then turn over to second Timothy chapter three, and we’ll close with this Second Timothy chapter three, verse 30. We’re 16 speaking of the sacred scriptures, it says All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing in His Kingdom, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and teaching. Right and there we have it again. The Holy Scriptures which are expired there, they’re breathed out by God, they’re profitable for what for teaching, for correction, training and righteousness and so on. these scriptures must be preached that the church may be reproved and rebuked when needed and exalted and edified and built up as the Lord sees fit. As we do so, in God, the Holy Spirit works through that word. And he has is perfect the fact it does not return void, right. And the bodybuilding will continue more and more and more until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, isn’t it a marvelous and wonderful thing? That our father loved us so much that He gave us his only Son to die in our place. And that he gave us in the spirit and his word, all that is needed for faith in life. What a marvelous wonderful thing is done what an amazing father we have. What an amazing savior we have. These are but just some reasons why Presbyterians and reformed churches, historically have always placed such a priority on the ministry of the word in the corporate assembly of the church. Oh how we love his word. It is a delight to our souls. And that is a supreme gift that God God uses to convict sinners. The Spirit working through the word, read and preached and heard, to console and edify his people, his people that are precious to him. not leave us to grow around in the dark. He’s given us His Word. Maybe praised Above all, now even unto glory.