"26 What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
34 The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. 35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. 36 Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?
37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. 38 But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
39 Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. 40 But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner."
I Corinthians 14:26-40
Good Morning Beloved,
Welcome to worship, we're so glad that you're here today.
Thank you for joining us
Have you ever found yourself in a confusing situation?
As you know, we have been studying I Corinthians 14 for sometime. It is a difficult study, that is why there a number of preachers, who just skip over it and go right to chapter 15. Which, I believe, that if you are called to teach the Word of God, you cannot just avoid difficult chapters or verses.
I like to compare teaching I Corinthians 14, to stapling jell-o to a tree.
Every time you think you grasp it, it manages to slip between your fingers.
However, as challenging as this text is, there are principles contained within it, that we can gather and apply to our lives. And, if by way of the Holy Spirit, God has included it in His Word, which He has, by what authority has any man, much less a man of God, been given to disregard it.
Let's bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your Word for us today, for our fellowship, for Your Spirit leading our worship, speaking clearly through Your written Word. Lord, we pray that You would help us to be the kind of church that worships in beauty and symmetry, that You may be made manifest as a God of peace and of love, not one of confusion.
Lord, we pray that we would never to be in disorder. That we may never be found fighting each other for preeminence, but always be at peace with one another, so that Your holiness, Your majesty, Your wisdom is manifest in our feeble human effort. May we give to You and Christ, the glory, the honor and dignity of which You are so worthy, that which You deserve.
Father, praise You in Jesus’ name
Amen.
Today's Message: Orderly Worship
The worship in Corinth was chaotic. Corporate worship was out of control.
We see the key word for the church in Corinth Paul used, was not edification as it was supposed to be. It was instead, an exhibition.
When it came right down to it, they were showing off, or as we say today, trying to one up the other.
The focus of their worship, was in all the wrong places.
We know this…worship is primarily directed to God.
When we gather for worship, it is not for ourselves, it's for God
It is not to be a time of entertainment, as with a play or concert, it is not something for the paid players to put on a good show. Worship is not something you watch, its something that you do.
We assemble together to honor and glorify God.
We gather to get our perspective, in the realization that God is to be the center of our lives.
Worship is not about what God can do for us, it is about what we can do for God.
When God is not the center of our worship, it places us at the mercy of every temptation, of every advertisement, and every seduction.
When we fail to worship, we live manipulated lives, and manipulating lives. We move about in either frightened panic or state of deluded lethargy. If there is no center, there can be no circumference. People who do not worship are swept into a vast restlessness epidemic in the world, with no real direction and certainly no sustaining purpose. It is by knowing God, loving Him, and worshiping Him that gives us, the desperately needed direction for our lives. And, it puts us together, on the same path. Therefore, how we worship affects each other.
Beloved, this means that we must give careful consideration to what we say and do, as well as how it will affect those around us. Each church has its own personality, just as each one of us has our own personality. Some might say we don’t clap enough during service, though some may not like doing it. Now, we know that Scripture instructs us to clap our hands. And I am certain, no one will say you are forbidden to clap here or that you are required to clap.
However, just be advised, that if you choose to clap, be prepared, you may be the only one doing so.
I have heard some claim, worship is too formal, while others say, it is too informal. Fortunately, none of these issues are a dividing line in our fellowship. However, I have known there to be many in some other churches and congregations.
Therefore, we must always remember that though worship, which is to be directed to God, how we do it when we are together is important as well. We are called to corporate worship, we are called to gather to be of one voice, one mind, in one Spirit, of the One true God.
Open with me your Bibles, to the book of I Corinthians chapter 14, as we conclude our study of this chapter. Follow along with me, as I read to you from our text today, I Corinthians 14:26-40.
"What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner."
So, Paul says, "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."
Here, Paul says, "What is the outcome then, brethren?" In other words, "what a thing is this?" Paul begins by addressing yet another disorder among the Corinthian believers.
"When you assemble," a time in which all hearts should be united, each of you is desirous himself to officiate publicly in such a manner as best suits his present inclination, without any regard to decency and order. He then, goes on to show the way in which they may remedy those evils.
Whenever there is communication, it is to be clear. So, the apostle Paul begins this section by listing various means of communicating a message. And in doing so, he emphasizes that it is all to have an unwavering purpose. The word is literally "house-building." It conveys the idea that the purpose of the message is to grow, improve and mature the one that hears it. We are to be ever increasing in our fullness and completeness as a result of hearing the message. However, the Corinthians were not doing this. They were disinterested in helping each other. Instead, they were competing for attention and preeminence.
And, because each one was considering their experience as more legitimate than others, they became unaccepting and even condescending of others. How do we reach out if all we do is edify the saints? Well, it’s actually quite easy to see the answer to that if you look at Acts 9:31. There's really no need to turn there, allow me to just quickly read it to you.
"So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase."
In other words, growth is a direct result of edification. And, as the church is being built up, it will reach out, and evangelism will be the by-product. So we meet together to be edified, beloved. When we meet together it is to be taught the Word of God. When we meet together, it is to be exposed to God’s truth in a way that it will cause us to grow to maturity. So, edification is the issue in the church.
This was the issue in the early years of the church, however, we know, this was not what was occurring in the church at Corinth. In fact, in Corinth, the whole procedure of edification had ceased to exist, it had come to a screeching halt. Edification was non-existent. This was all because of the confusion and the disorder with which that church was functioning.
Rather than edification, it was pandemonium, a bedlam.
And, at the center of this, was the use and abuse of the spiritual gift of tongues.
And according to Paul’s instruction…when it comes to the gift of tongues, it is to be interpreted, so that it might be understood.
Again, the gift of tongues is an unlearned foreign language that would be understood by those who knew the language, and not by the person speaking it. It is a gift that is to be expressed publicly, for it is a sign to unbelievers to captivate their attention, so that they might know that God’s love is for them as well. However, as far as the church is concerned, the purpose of tongues is to edify the church. But, in order for that to happen, the gift of interpretation must also be present. And according to Paul, if there is no interpreter, it is to be held back so as to not confuse the unbeliever who does not speak the language.
Paul, wants us to understand that tongues is not some sort of an irresistible impulse of the Holy Spirit.
It can be controlled. And this is why Paul admonishes the Corinthians, to use the gift sequentially, and not simultaneously. In so doing, orderliness, understandability, and courtesy will aid the individuals involved, to build up the church, rather than tearing it apart. Therefore, Paul is trying to call a halt to the perversions, to call a halt to the counterfeit, to call a halt to the chaos and confusion, and return the Corinthians back to a place of order that would grant them edification.
In verses 29-33, Paul says, "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."
In these verses, Paul hits on the gift of prophesying, which was so very vital in those days. And he wants to regulate this because, apparently, there were people jumping up all over the place and saying they had a word from the Lord they wanted to proclaim, and they wanted to preach a great truth. And so you had this stuff going on all over the congregation. And in order to bring it into some kind of order so that people could be edified, Paul writes some procedure for this.
When God is bringing thoughts to our mind, we are to exercise patience. Paul now turns to the spiritual gift of prophecy, and the principle is largely the same. As we have noted before, the gift of prophecy is the ability and the responsibility to speak the things God brings to mind. But it is not to be done out of the realm of patience, self-control and love. When it comes to the use of any communicative gift, we are to be concerned about other’s needs over my own. Prophecy is not to be used by the self-absorbed and ego-driven.
Paul also clues us in about the nature of prophecy, especially as it relates to Old Testament prophecy.
Each message is to be weighed carefully and evaluated. Because we all possess the Spirit of God at our salvation experience, each one of us become potentially competent to evaluate what is said.
We know that if it contradicts Scripture, it is to be rejected. And, if it agrees, we take it, meditate on it and apply it in the ways which God leads us to.
When prophecy is shared in the church, we are to practice submission to one another.
We do so because God is about order. And, God is not honored where there is disharmony, hysteria and competition.
Wherever there is chaos and discord, the Spirit is not in control. But, where the Spirit rules, there is always a great peace. We should never believe that order is beyond us, because, it is always within our grasp when we have control of our tongue.
In verse 34-35, he says, "The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church."
Now, this may really seem out of place with what has come before. In fact, Paul has even been accused of being a bitter old bachelor that was intimidated by women exercising their gifts.
However, such a conclusion just does not fit chapter 11, in which the conclusion is, that women are to have vocal participation in worship. And, in particular, Paul described women praying and prophesying within the congregation. So what was really happening here that caused Paul to have such strong words?
We must admit we do not know exactly, but our best conclusion is that, there were some women who were causing disorder in the church. Apparently, there was some outrageous behavior occurring that was a huge disruption in the gathering. And these disruptions were at odds with the order and purpose of creation in Genesis 2.
Because the word for speak has as its base meaning "to chatter," many commentators have come to the conclusion that because women, whether Jewish or Gentile, were largely uneducated, that worship was being interrupted with inappropriate talkativeness. Perhaps they were asking questions and debating during the services. We just do not know for sure. But it does appear that whatever was happening was creating a large amount of unneeded dissension. Regardless of our gender, it is a lesson for us all.
The bottom line is, whether male or female, we have a responsibility to keep our tongue in check.
Worship is to be a time of order and peace, not confusion and disruption. Worship is not a time for incessant talking. Worship is not a time for coming and going. Each of us are responsible to see that the environment of worship gatherings is conducive for each other’s growth in the faith. Any outbursts or disruption must not be tolerated, regardless of how well intended it may be.
Paul says in verses 36-38, "Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized."
We are to recognize that our reception of the truth is not unique. Paul wants them to clearly understand that no one can claim special revelation. None of them could claim a unique spiritual status. No one had gifts that were superior to those that anyone else had. And, in addition, tongues, interpretation and prophecy will not add anything to the Word of God. Unfortunately, the Corinthians had the audacity to place themselves above Scripture and above the apostle Paul.
But Paul refutes this soundly, and with a touch of sarcasm, I might add. Truly spiritual people always recognize the authority of Scripture and will submit their experiences to it.
In Closing....
There are some people, even today, who assume that they have the original meaning and inspiration of Scripture, and they will even set aside the Scripture to sustain that.
Allow me be very clear on something, no matter how special you think you are…There is no believer has the right to overrule, ignore, alter, or disobey the Word of God. None!
Verses 39-40, "Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner."
Corporate worship is to be characterized by thoughtful care. In Corinth, spontaneity had succumbed to chaos and self-indulgence. However, Paul wants them to know that the proclamation of the truth, the Word of God, is the most important. As this is what builds, comforts, and encourages.
In other words, gathered worship is not to be a free for all. Paul says it was not to be unplanned. A balance between freedom and structure must be found and applied. Everything was to be done respectfully, decently and in the proper order.
It has been in my experience that whatever God has brought to mind, you are to share, so that we will all grow as a result. We will build successfully when we are properly motivated by love.
It doesn’t matter what our position is about tongues. It doesn’t matter what our position is about prophecy. Nor does it even matter what our position is about women in the church.
Because, we are to build each other. Again, Paul encourages the church to use the gift of prophecy.
When we are motivated by love, we will be able to achieve unity, so that the church will exude joy and life.
Beloved, may we always remember that our primary focus is God Himself; life makes much more sense when He is at the center. Let us also remember, that our focus must include a desire to build one another; our worship should be characterized by encouragement, comfort and uplifting.
And each time we gather, let us always be motivated by love! A love for God and love for one another, so that we might achieve a true unity of voice and mind.
Now may your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best; and may you be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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