Participants: Pr. Jac Colon
Series Code: RN
Program Code: RN000018
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01:04 In Mark chapter 16, verse 15, he said to them
01:08 this is Jesus speaking, he said, 01:10 "Go into all the world, and preach the good news to 01:12 all creation whoever believes and is baptized will be 01:16 saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned 01:19 and these signs will accompany those who believe. 01:23 Now those, these signs will accompany those who believe, 01:27 in my name, they will drive out demons. 01:30 They will speak in new tongues. 01:31 They will pick up snakes with their hands 01:37 and when they drink deadly poison it won't hurt them. 01:41 And then they will place their hands on sick people 01:44 and they will get well, the gift of healing. 01:52 What a precious gift that God has given! 01:56 They will get well. And over and over again 01:59 throughout the New Testament there are promises, 02:01 over and over saying if you ask for anything 02:04 in my name I will answer you. 02:07 Is it God's will for everyone to be healed, absolutely? 02:11 Does God want anyone to be sick, 02:13 never, it's not God's will? 02:16 In fact, in James, look with me, 02:18 in James the fifth chapter, in verse 14, James writes, 02:23 if any one of you is sick, then he should call the 02:25 elders of Church to pray over him and anoint him 02:28 with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer 02:31 offered in faith will make, notice, the prayer offered 02:34 in faith will make the sick person well 02:36 and the Lord will raise him up. 02:39 If he has sinned he'll be forgiven, 02:40 therefore confess your sins to each other 02:42 and pray for each other so that you may be healed, 02:45 the prayer of a righteous man is powerful 02:47 and effective and I'll never forget the day 02:49 we sat in the doctor's office and that doctor 02:51 told me that my wife had cancer. 02:54 The first thing I thought of was James. 02:57 And so we called the elders of the Church. 02:59 They came together, had a big group of people in our house. 03:02 All of my friends, people that had served 03:04 together with me through the years and we prayed. 03:06 We anointed her with oil. We prayed and I knew 03:10 that God was going to heal my wife. 03:11 After all it wasn't a selfish thing; it was like 03:14 I need her. I need her to do God's work and so 03:17 I knew He was going to answer that prayer 03:19 and two days after we anointed her with oil, 03:22 we went back to the doctor to get the final test 03:24 of all the different testing that they had done 03:26 and I went in there really believing 03:28 that those tests were going to show zero. 03:30 The cancer was gone. There was no doubt because 03:33 my God is powerful enough to do that and we sat there, 03:37 the doctor came in and he shook his head. 03:41 He said, you know it's worse 03:44 than we thought, it's even in her bones. 03:49 We can't do radiation it's too wide spread. 03:53 Chemo doesn't work on this 03:54 kind of cancer and there is no cure. 04:01 Why didn't God answer? 04:03 I believed; why didn't He answer? 04:07 And you know what it brought me back to a passage 04:10 in Second Corinthians, chapter 12, in verse 7, 04:12 Paul wrote; 'to keep me from becoming conceded 04:16 because of these surpassingly great revelations there was 04:19 given to me a thorn in my flesh,' 04:22 so Paul was afflicted, why? 04:24 To keep him from becoming conceded. 04:27 A messenger from Satan to torment me, 04:30 three times I pleaded with God, take this away 04:33 from me, but he said to me, "my grace is sufficient 04:37 for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, 04:41 therefore I will boast all the more gladly 04:43 about my weakness, so that Christ power 04:46 may be rest on me, may rest on me." 04:49 So, here was Paul with an 04:50 affliction, a thorn in the flesh. 04:52 We don't know what it was, it doesn't matter. 04:53 Whatever it was, he wanted it out of there. 04:55 He wanted it off. He prayed. 04:57 I don't know any one more spiritual in the Bible 04:59 than Paul was, except Jesus, Amen. 05:00 He prayed, he said God take it away three times. 05:03 And God did not take it away. 05:05 He said it's better for you to live with it because 05:07 if not you might get puffed up and proud. 05:11 And if case that's not enough, our Savior prayed. 05:16 "Father, let this cup pass for me. 05:22 Nevertheless not my will, let thy will be done." 05:25 Jesus did not want to go up the hill to Calvary. 05:30 He did not want to die on the cross. 05:33 He was saying father, let it pass. 05:35 I don't want to go. Take it away from me, 05:38 but you're will, not my will be done. 05:40 God did not answer that prayer 05:43 the way Jesus wanted Him to answer it. 05:46 He didn't want to go and God said, no, you need to go. 05:55 So, what about James? 06:00 Is it always God's will to heal, absolutely? 06:03 Is it always God's will to heal 06:04 and answer our prayers right now, no. 06:08 Because remember God had to give 06:09 the devil a little room to operate. 06:12 He had to give him room to show what sin is really 06:15 like and if he every time a Christian or believer 06:19 was sick and afflicted then if he healed them 06:22 then everybody wanted to be a Christian because 06:26 they could get healed and by the way every 06:29 Christian in the New Testament is dead today. 06:34 Why did they die? They didn't want to die. 06:38 But, the Bible says if any one of you is sick, 06:41 God will hear the prayer and 06:42 He will raise him up and the word "raise him up" 06:45 is the same word used for the resurrection day. 06:49 And so when we pray, we pray like Jesus, 06:51 father, not will, my will, let thy will be done, Amen. 06:56 Okay. The day finally arrived the town 07:02 had been looking forward to with eager anticipation 07:05 for weeks because they promised God 07:07 was going to do something special. 07:09 God was going to work miracles. 07:11 The big tent was set. The time for the meeting 07:14 to begin packed with people from over town, 07:17 the Evangelists came out and just as he was about 07:20 to deliver his opening words a gentleman in the 07:22 front row stood up and began to speak in tongues. 07:27 The Church was quite. He sat down and everyone said, Amen. 07:32 A gentleman, elderly gentleman in the rear of 07:34 the tent stood and said, I am a Hebrew, I am Jewish. 07:39 I speak Hebrew and that man spoke perfect Hebrew. 07:44 The man in the front row stood and said I don't know 07:46 a word of Hebrew and everyone said 07:48 praise God we've heard a miracle. 07:51 The gentleman in the back said that man cursed 07:53 the name of God in Hebrew and the big tent went silent. 08:01 For every good gift that God has 08:03 Satan counterfeits and deceives. 08:08 And we need to learn how to tell 08:10 the difference between the genuine and the false. 08:17 The Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, 08:23 tongue is by far the most popular of the gifts of the 08:25 Spirit and it's also the most, the least understood. 08:32 Sooner or later you're going to hear 08:33 someone ask the question, have you ever received 08:36 the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? 08:38 evidenced by speaking in tongues. 08:41 I hear it all the time. 08:42 And the implication is that if you have not 08:44 spoken in tongues then you have not 08:46 received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 08:51 That comes from the failure to recognize the 08:54 purpose of the gifts of the Spirit. 08:59 What is the purpose of the gifts? 09:02 The very last words that Luke recorded in the 09:05 Book of Acts before Jesus ascended to heaven. 09:08 The last words of Jesus in Acts, chapter 1, verse 8, 09:12 he said, you will receive power 09:15 when the Holy Spirit comes on you. 09:20 Now, why does God want us 09:22 to receive power from the Holy Spirit? 09:25 He tells us and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, 09:30 Judea, Samaria and to all of the Earth. 09:33 The purpose of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, 09:37 the purpose of the power of God's Holy Spirit 09:39 is to empower us, enable us to be his witnesses, 09:44 to share the Gospel to the world. 09:48 That's Jesus yardstick for measuring the gifts. 09:52 Does it enable us, empower us to preach the Gospel? 09:59 Paul said the same thing, Paul said the same thing 10:03 in little book of Ethesians, his letter to the Church at 10:06 Ephesus, fourth chapter, seventh verse, to each one 10:10 of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned, 10:14 notice Christ is the one who makes the decision 10:17 as to what each one of us receives. 10:20 This is why he said when he ascended on high, 10:23 he led captives in his train and he gave gifts to men. 10:28 What were the gifts that Jesus gave? 10:31 Verse 11, he gave some to be apostles, some 10:33 prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. 10:37 Why did he give these gifts? 10:38 In order to prepare God's people for works of service 10:44 so that the body of Christ may be built up. 10:48 The purpose of the gifts of the Spirit, 10:50 the purpose of the Baptism of the Spirit 10:52 are one and the same, to build up, empower 10:56 the body of Christ, so that the Church can be built up. 11:02 Jesus said it again in Mark at the end of the 11:05 Gospel of Mark, 16th chapter, in verse 15; he said, 11:10 "Go into all the world and preach the good news, 11:13 that's the Gospel to all creation, whoever believes 11:17 and is Baptized will be saved, but whoever does not 11:21 believe will be condemned and all of these signs will, 11:26 and these signs will accompany them. 11:31 In my name they will drive out demons, 11:34 they'll speak in new tongues, 11:36 they'll pick up snakes with their hands, 11:39 when they drink poison it will not hurt them at all. 11:42 They will place their hands on 11:43 sick people and they will get well." 11:47 Now this is an interesting passage. 11:49 He has just finished saying, go to all the world with 11:53 the Gospel and then talks about the manifestation 11:57 of the Holy Spirit, never is the manifestation 12:00 of the Holy Spirit apparent without the proclamation 12:03 of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 12:05 They always go together. 12:08 But, he did say you will speak in new tongues. 12:14 Now what does new tongues mean? 12:18 The word tongues in Greek is Glossa, 12:20 which actually means languages, 12:23 you will speak in new languages. 12:25 What does the word new mean? 12:28 You see there are two Greek words for new Kainos and Neos. 12:34 The Bible here Jesus used the Greek word Neos. 12:38 Kainos, means something he used the Greek word Kainos. 12:43 Kainos means something new only to the person, new to me. 12:50 For me to start speaking to you in Swahili 12:53 would be Kainos that's a new language to me. 12:56 Neos, means new and that it never existed before, 13:02 but Swahili existed before so it's not new 13:05 in the Neos sense that it never existed before, 13:08 it's new because it's new to the one speaking it. 13:12 And that's the word the Jesus used. They will 13:14 speak in languages that they had never learned before. 13:19 Now some would point to this as proof 13:22 that everyone who receives the Holy Spirit will 13:27 speak in new tongues or new languages. 13:30 But the text also goes on to say 13:32 they will pick up snakes with their hands. 13:36 And I have never heard anyone say, 13:38 everyone should pick up deadly snakes 13:40 with their hands or drink poison. 13:43 In fact, there was a time when down in the South, 13:47 in the Bible Belt, there were some evangelists 13:49 who were preaching that we can with the power of 13:52 the Holy Spirit pick up deadly snakes and they won't 13:54 hurt us and they used to have snake worship services 13:56 where they'd stick their hands in the basket and pull 13:59 out a deadly snake and it went on for a little while 14:02 until they started getting bit and dying and that stopped. 14:07 The point is, he is not saying 14:10 that everyone will do all of these things. 14:13 He is just describing some of the miraculous 14:16 gifts that will be given to the Church as she 14:19 proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 14:24 We find the fulfillment of this prophecy 14:26 in the book of Acts of the second chapter. 14:29 In Acts chapter 2, verse 1, the day of Pentecost 14:33 had come and they were all together in one place 14:38 and suddenly like a sound like, and suddenly a sound 14:41 like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven 14:44 and filled the whole house where they were seating. 14:46 So, here were the disciples about a 120 in number 14:49 and they were all together in one place and 14:52 the Holy Spirit came like the rush of a mighty wind. 14:57 In verse 3, they saw what seemed to be 15:02 tongues of fire coming down separating and resting 15:06 on each one of them and all of them were filled 15:12 with the Holy Spirit and began to speak 15:15 in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 15:21 Now, notice it's always the Spirit enabling one 15:25 to speak in other tongues or languages. 15:29 Wouldn't you love to have been in that room 15:33 on the day of Pentecost and to feel the Spirit 15:37 coming in like a mighty wind and to see the 15:40 tongues of fire and experience everyone there 15:43 speaking in tongues, wouldn't you like to 15:45 have been there on the day of Pentecost, Amen. 15:49 Get excited this morning folks. 15:50 We are talking about the Holy Spirit and 15:52 that's something to get excited about, Amen. 15:55 Alright. Good. Now why did the 15:59 Holy Spirit give them other languages? 16:01 Why did He able them to speak in other languages? 16:05 He tells us in the next verse. In verse 5, 16:07 now they were staying in Jerusalem. 16:09 God-fearing Jews from every nation 16:11 under heaven and when they heard this sound, 16:15 a crowd came together in bewilderment. 16:17 Now, notice here they are for the day of Pentecost 16:20 representing every nation on earth, every tongue, 16:22 every languages there and they heard this sound. 16:25 They came together and they were amazed. 16:28 They were bewildered because each one heard 16:32 them speaking in his own language. 16:37 Can you see what's happening at Pentecost? 16:39 They spoke in the language of the people that were 16:43 hearing them speaking in their language from all the 16:47 different countries on the earth and he list all the 16:50 different nations that were present there and they said, 16:52 again declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues, 16:59 so they were declaring the wonders of God 17:03 in the languages of all of the people that were 17:07 present and everyone there understood what was being 17:12 said in their own language. What a miracle! 17:17 All of the people from all nations gathering together 17:20 to hear the Gospel in their own language, 17:23 so they could go back to their own countries 17:26 and spread the Gospel to the world 17:28 just like Jesus said it would happen 17:31 and it would build up the body of Christ. 17:35 And then Peter stood and preached the Gospel sermon. 17:40 And after he talked about Jesus being crucified, 17:42 buried and raised up again from the dead, 17:46 the men came to him and said brothers 17:48 what shall we do in verse 37, 17:51 that must have been a powerful sermon, 17:54 filled with Holy Spirit, preaching the Gospel 17:57 what shall we do he said; they said, Peter replied, 18:02 repent and be baptized everyone of you. 18:07 In the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your 18:10 sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 18:16 Repent and be Baptized and 18:20 you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 18:25 Verse 41, says those who accepted 18:29 his message were baptized and about 18:31 3000 were added to their number that day. 18:36 Now, that is the evidence, 18:39 of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 18:43 Three thousand people added to their number 18:46 and the Church was being built up. 18:50 You see the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit are 18:54 always and forever to build up the body of Christ. 18:59 I want you to notice something else. 19:01 It says that they did repent, 19:03 they were baptized and Peter said, 19:06 if you repent and are baptized 19:07 you will receive the Holy Spirit. 19:09 They did repent. They were baptized. 19:11 Did they receive the Holy Spirit? 19:14 Absolutely; but it does not say 19:18 that any of them ever spoke in tongues. 19:23 Now, they may have, but the point is 19:27 we just don't know whether they did or not. 19:31 Therefore, it is not correct to say that every place 19:37 in the Bible that mentions the Baptism 19:40 of the Holy Spirit they always gave evidence 19:43 by speaking in tongues because it just isn't true. 19:52 Let's look at some other examples 19:53 of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 19:54 In fact, I want to look at all of them in the Book of Acts. 19:56 The next one is found in the fourth chapter, verse 31. 20:00 After they prayed, the place where 20:02 they were meeting was shaken and 20:04 they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and 20:05 spoke the word of God boldly. 20:08 Two points; number one, the same people that were 20:12 filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost 20:14 prayed and were filled with the Holy Spirit again. 20:18 This means that the Baptism of the Spirit 20:21 is not a one time thing. 20:23 It's not just some miraculous thing 20:25 that happens once and goes on. 20:27 It's a continuing ongoing process. 20:30 The more you know about God, 20:33 the more you can you tell about God 20:36 and the more God enables you to tell about God. 20:40 So, we can be baptized more than once. 20:42 We should be baptized more than once. 20:44 We should be baptized with the Spirit every day. Amen. 20:49 Notice something else. They were baptized with the Spirit. 20:51 It does not say they spoke in tongues, it says they 20:54 spoke the word of God boldly and I pray everyday. 20:59 I pray God fill me with your spirit, enable me, 21:03 empower me to speak your word boldly. 21:07 And that's just as much a manifestation 21:09 of the gifts as speaking in tongues. 21:13 So, here are two examples; 21:14 one, 3000 baptized on the day of Pentecost 21:17 and here the disciples filled with the Spirit 21:20 and preaching the word of God boldly. 21:22 It does not mention that they spoke 21:25 in tongues after the Baptism of the Spirit. 21:28 Here is another example, this time we find it 21:33 in Book of Acts chapter 10, verse 40; 21:36 again in chapter 10, Peter this time is preaching a 21:40 Gospel sermon to the Gentiles at Cornelius' house. 21:44 He spoke to them the Gospel and 21:46 then in verse 44, while Peter was still 21:49 speaking these words that is the Gospel, 21:51 notice the Gospel is always together with the Spirit. 21:55 While Peter was speaking these words, 21:57 the Holy Spirit came on all who heard 21:59 the message and the circumcised believers 22:02 who had come with Peter were astonished 22:05 that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been 22:08 poured out even on the Gentiles. 22:12 Now, how did they know it was poured out on the Gentiles? 22:15 Because they heard them speaking 22:17 in tongues and praising God. 22:20 And so Peter said, can anyone keep these 22:24 people from being baptized with water? 22:26 They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have. 22:32 Now, why did God pour out the Holy Spirit on those 22:36 Gentile believers at Caesarea Philippi in Cornelius' house? 22:41 Why did God do that? For two reasons, 22:44 number one, Peter, if you read through the 22:48 New Testament had a very difficult time acknowledging 22:53 and accepting the fact that you do not have to be 22:57 a circumcised Jew in order to be saved. 23:01 Peter had problems with that. 23:03 He even discriminated at the Church of Galatia 23:06 against those who were circumcised, 23:08 against those who were not circumcised yet. 23:11 And Paul had to call him down. 23:13 Peter had trouble with it. 23:15 So, God is kind of like taken a 2/4 and blapping 23:20 him over the side of the head to get his attention 23:23 saying, Peter I want you to know that the Gentiles are 23:27 equally, have equal access to the Church as the Jews do. 23:31 So, he really got his attention with the 23:34 vision of the sheep and saying do not call 23:37 any man common or unclean and then pouring 23:40 out the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles, 23:41 they began to speak in tongues the same way 23:44 the disciples did on the day of Pentecost. 23:48 That means that everyone understood in their own 23:51 language because that's the way it happened at Pentecost. 23:56 The second reason God poured out the gift 23:58 of tongues not just to get through Peter, 24:00 to break through the barriers and build up 24:02 the Church by letting Gentiles come in. 24:04 The second reason was that Caesarea Philippi 24:06 was a major, on a major route, 24:09 a major cross roads where people from 24:11 various different countries and dialects and tongues 24:14 came through and now they had the gift of tongues. 24:16 They were enabled to speak in the languages 24:19 of the people that came through, 24:20 thus facilitating the preaching of the Gospel to 24:23 the world and building up the Church of Jesus Christ. 24:28 But, they did receive the Spirit and it was 24:31 evidenced by speaking in tongues. 24:34 So far, two times on Pentecost and at Caesarea 24:37 the gifts of the Spirit was evidenced by speaking 24:39 in tongues and we have seen two times when it was not. 24:42 There's a third example and that's this time 24:45 in the Book of Acts, the 19th chapter, 24:49 Paul went to Ephesus and he found some disciples 24:53 there, in verse 2, he asked them, 24:55 did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? 24:59 And they said, no. We don't know even know what that is. 25:03 And so Paul taught them and then 25:08 he taught them and told the people 25:10 in verse number 4, he taught them 25:12 to believe in the one coming after him 25:15 that is Jesus and on hearing this they were 25:17 baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus 25:20 and Paul placed his hands on them the Holy Spirit 25:23 came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 25:28 So, here again, is an example of them receiving 25:32 the Holy Spirit and then speaking in tongues 25:35 as evidence but they also prophesied as evidence. 25:40 So, they did speak in tongues. 25:43 Why did God enable them to speak in tongues at 25:46 Ephesus, because Ephesus was another major trade route. 25:50 It was at an intersection, a crossroad where people 25:54 from all various different countries came through 25:57 trading and this speaking in the languages of the people 26:01 would enable the Church to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus 26:04 and again the Church would be built up. 26:08 The gift of the Spirit speaking in tongues 26:11 or any gift is always manifest in along side 26:15 with the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 26:20 So, we have seen on the day of Pentecost, 26:22 they did receive the Spirit, 26:24 they did speak in other tongues. 26:27 We have also seen that at 26:30 Cornelius house in Caesarea Philippi, 26:32 they received Holy Spirit and they spoke in tongues. 26:35 And now at Ephesus they received 26:37 the Holy Spirit they spoke in tongues. 26:39 Five times, the Bible, the Book of Acts 26:42 mentions the Baptism of the Spirit. 26:44 Three times they spoke in tongues those 26:46 other two times it just doesn't say. 26:50 Now folks, these are the only three places 26:53 in the entire New Testament that describes God 26:58 using the gift of tongues, just three, that's all. 27:06 Now, there is another place where he deals, 27:10 Paul deals extensively with speaking in tongues. 27:14 And we are going to take a look at that now 27:17 because it's at the Church of Corinth in Corinth, 27:22 but before we look at Paul dealing with tongues 27:26 in Corinth, we have to ask ourselves a question. 27:30 What was going on in the Church at Corinth 27:35 at the time Paul wrote this letter? 27:39 What was going on there, a surprise? 27:42 In First Corinthians chapter 3, verse 1, 27:45 Paul said, brothers I could not address 27:49 you as spiritual, but worldly. 27:54 Mere infants in Christ. 27:57 You were not yet ready, mere infants in Christ. 28:01 I gave you milk, not solid food 28:04 because you are not yet ready for it, 28:06 indeed you are still not ready. 28:09 You are still worldly. 28:13 Now here is a Church and there were believers 28:16 in Jesus, but yet Paul calls them unspiritual 28:20 and worldly, hardly a model Church. 28:26 Are you with me? Corinth was not a model Church. 28:29 They had serious problems. 28:31 In fact, the problems were so serious 28:34 that Paul wrote in chapter 11, verse 17, 28:38 in the following directives I have no praise for you 28:43 because your meetings do more harm than good. 28:47 So, here is a Church that had such serious 28:50 problems that when they came together for 28:52 Church meetings, their meetings did more harm 28:56 than good, hardly a model Church. 29:02 Should we pattern our worship services and 29:07 our Church worship meetings after the Church of Corinth? 29:12 Their meetings did more harm than good. 29:16 I hear when you come together 29:18 as a Church there are divisions among you. 29:21 Now, we have to ask ourselves why were 29:25 there divisions among them in Corinth? 29:27 What was dividing the Church of Corinth? 29:30 And we are going to discover 29:32 as we go through the next two chapters. 29:34 That they were divided over the gifts of the Spirit 29:37 specifically the gift of tongues. 29:43 Now what does this mean? 29:45 This means that whatever Paul writes to Corinth 29:54 we have to be very careful that we don't take it 29:59 as a model for what we are supposed to do today, 30:04 because Paul is dealing with a problem in Corinth. 30:10 So, when we study the next two chapters, 30:12 we've to always ask ourselves with every piece 30:15 and every verse and every word 30:17 we've to ask ourselves, is this the true way to 30:21 worship God or is this a part of the problem. 30:25 We cannot take everything that was going on in Corinth 30:29 and say that's what God wants us to do today because 30:33 if we do our meetings will do more harm than good. 30:38 So, we have to ask ourselves, 30:40 is this the problem or is this the truth? 30:45 You follow me? That's the most important thing, 30:47 is it a problem or is it the truth? 30:49 So, what was going on in Corinth, 30:51 first of all in chapter 12, 30:52 he gives us a background to the gifts of the Spirit. 30:55 Chapter 12, verse 1, now about spiritual gifts 30:58 brothers, I don't want you to be ignorant, 30:59 I want you to understand this. 31:02 In verse 4, there are different kinds of gifts, 31:04 but the same Spirit, the unity is in the Spirit 31:08 with different kinds of gifts. 31:09 Verse 7, now to each one the manifestation of the 31:12 Spirit is given for the common good, that is 31:15 for the good of the church, to build up the church. 31:19 To one there is given through the Spirit 31:21 the message of wisdom, another knowledge, 31:23 another faith, another healing, 31:25 another miraculous powers, another to the ability 31:28 to distinguish between Spirits, 31:31 so another prophecy, and another speaking in tongues, 31:36 and to still another interpretation of tongues. 31:39 Now watch all of these are the work 31:43 of the one and the same Spirit. 31:48 And, He gives them to each one just as He determines. 31:58 Who decides which gift of the Spirit 32:02 you should receive, God decides that. 32:06 Remember that, verse 12, the body is a unit 32:11 though it is made up of many parts 32:13 and though all of its parts are many, 32:15 they form one holy, they form one body 32:20 and so it is with Christ, for we were all baptized 32:25 by one spirit into one body. 32:30 Note that, we are all baptized 32:33 by one spirit into the one body. 32:36 So, anyone who is a part of the body of Christ 32:40 has been baptized by the Holy Spirit, 32:45 because that's how we become a part of the body. 32:48 We're baptized by the Spirit into the one body of Christ. 32:52 So, everyone that's a part of the body of Christ 32:56 has been baptized by the Holy Spirit. 33:00 Therefore, if one is not a part of the body of Christ 33:04 then they're not baptized by the Holy Spirit. 33:08 Remember that, we're gonna come back 33:10 to that important point in a few moments. 33:13 Verse 14, and this one gets to be a little fun, 33:17 he says now the body is 33:18 not made up of one part, but of many. 33:23 If the foot should say because I'm not a hand 33:25 I don't belong to the body, it wouldn't for that reason 33:29 seize to be a part of the body. 33:30 The body is not a big foot, 33:33 nor the body is not a big hand, 33:35 the body is not a big ear, 33:38 and it's not a big tongue, 33:41 but it's made up of all of the parts put together. 33:45 The body is not made of one part, 33:47 but of many and then in verse 15, 33:50 if the whole body was an ear where would 33:53 the sense of smell be, but in fact 33:56 God arranged the parts of the body everyone 33:59 of them just as He wanted them to be. 34:05 You see God is the one who decides 34:08 which gifts should be present in the body. 34:12 That's the second time that he said that, verse 21, 34:17 the eye cannot say to the hand I don't need you. 34:21 Do you see what he is saying the foot can't say since 34:24 I'm not a hand, I must not be a part of the body. 34:26 You can't tell yourself since I don't have one 34:29 particular gift, I'm not a part of the body. 34:32 Why not? Because God arranges the parts the way 34:35 He wants them and therefore the eye cannot 34:39 say to the ear you're not a part of the body. 34:41 No one can tell you because you do not a particular gift, 34:44 you're not a part of the body. Why not? 34:46 Because God arranges the gifts and the parts 34:49 the way he wants them to be. 34:53 So, no one can tell you, if you've not spoken in tongues, 34:58 you're not a part of the body 35:01 because the body is not one big tongue. 35:06 Now, for some people it may seem like that. 35:09 Sometimes, we wish we could improve on what God has done 35:14 there were times when I wish I had an extra eye on the 35:17 back of my head, but if I did 35:20 you would feel sorry for me. Why? 35:22 Because God made us in a way to function 35:25 absolutely the best way that we can. 35:28 We can't change what God wants to do, 35:31 we should be satisfied what he wants. 35:33 Now, what God has combined the members 35:37 of the body and He has given greater honor 35:39 to the parts that lacked it, in verse 25, 35:41 so that there would be no division in the body. 35:45 Now, that's interesting because in Corinth 35:49 they were divided Paul said, and 35:51 the division came over the gifts of the Spirit. 35:56 Now, verse 27, you are the body of Christ 35:59 and each one of you is a part of it. 36:02 And, in the church God has appointed 36:06 first of all Apostles, second Prophets, 36:11 third teachers, then workers of miracles, 36:14 also those having gifts of healing, 36:16 those able to help others, those with gifts of 36:19 administration, those and finally 36:22 those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 36:25 And, in significant that he said first Apostles 36:29 and finally those speaking in tongues, 36:31 he was kind of ranking them to make sure 36:34 that nobody put tongues over any of the others, 36:38 because that's exactly what they were doing at Corinth. 36:45 Then, he asked a series of questions 36:47 in verse 28 and verse 29, are all Apostles? 36:51 What's the obvious answer to that? No. 36:54 Are all prophets? No. Are all teachers? No. 36:59 Do all work miracles? No. Do all have gift of healing? No. 37:03 Do all speak in tongues? No. Do all interpret? No. 37:14 But, eagerly desire the greater gifts. 37:16 Now he did say we're all baptized by the Holy Spirit 37:21 into the body of Christ, but he makes it clear 37:25 that we're not all to speak in tongues. 37:28 Therefore, speaking in tongues cannot be 37:32 the only evidence for the baptism of the Holy Spirit 37:36 because we're all baptized but we don't all speak 37:39 in tongues, it can be an evidence that's clear the 37:42 Bible is clear, but it is not always the evidence. 37:45 Therefore, since someone has not spoken in tongues, it 37:48 does not mean they would not been baptized by the Spirit. 37:52 In fact, to say so is the most unchristian thing to say 37:58 because it's basically saying that 38:00 you haven't even been baptized, you're not even a 38:03 part of the body of Christ, you're not even saved. 38:05 And I've had people tell me that, if you've been baptized 38:08 by the Spirit, its evidenced by speaking in tongues. 38:11 Then, I say well, I've been baptized by the Spirit. 38:13 Yeah, but if you spoken in tongues. 38:14 No, well then you're not baptized by the Spirit, 38:16 you say you mean I'm not a part of the body of Christ, 38:18 that's right, you mean I'm not saved, 38:20 that's right, why not? 38:21 Because you haven't spoken in tongues, folks we're not 38:23 saved by speaking in tongues we're saved by 38:26 grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, Amen. 38:34 So, we are beginning to get 38:36 a glimpse of the problem in Corinth. 38:39 They were divided over the gifts and they were 38:42 emphasizing one gift over all the others. 38:45 Now, let's see if we can figure out 38:47 what gift they were over-emphasizing and 38:50 how did Paul deal with it in the 14th chapter, 38:54 in the 14th chapter First Corinthians, 38:57 follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, 39:04 especially the gift of prophecy. 39:09 Is Paul emphasizing especially that we should 39:14 all speak in tongues, if he's singling out 39:18 any gift at all, we would have to say 39:20 he is singling out the gift of prophecy. 39:25 Now, why would he do that? 39:28 Why would he single out the gift of prophecy? 39:32 Do you want to know the answer to that question? 39:34 Be back here tonight at 7 O' Clock 39:37 and we'll answer it for you tonight. 39:41 Follow the way of love eagerly desire spiritual gifts, 39:44 especially the gift of prophecy. 39:46 Now, watch this. For anyone who speaks 39:49 in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. 39:55 Now, let's remember our principle 39:59 that we established at the beginning. 40:01 Something was going on in Corinth 40:04 that was dividing the church so badly 40:08 that their meetings were harmful and not good. 40:15 So, we have to ask ourselves anytime 40:17 we see him describing what was happening in Corinth, 40:20 was this a part of the problem 40:22 or was this what God wants us to do? 40:26 Anyone who speaks in a tongue does not 40:29 speak to men, but to God. 40:31 We could say that here Paul is telling us 40:35 that we should speak in tongues to God, 40:40 but the question we have to ask first is, 40:43 was that a part of the problem at Corinth? 40:46 If it was then he is not telling us to do that today. 40:51 If it was not a problem or a part to a problem 40:54 then may be he is telling us to do it today, 40:57 you understand, the test has to be, 40:59 was it a part of the problem? 41:01 So, anyone who speaks in a tongue 41:03 does not speak to men, but to God, 41:05 but there is a little bit of a question here 41:07 because the purpose of speaking in tongues 41:10 was to build up the church and preach the Gospel. 41:15 Here he says, those who are speaking 41:17 in tongues in Corinth are not speaking 41:18 to men, they are speaking to God. 41:20 There is something a little different here 41:22 then what happened at Pentecost, 41:23 indeed no one understands him, 41:26 but he utters mysteries with his Spirit. 41:29 Oh! He's got Spirit, he is pumped up, 41:32 he is excited about what's happening, 41:34 but nobody understands what he is saying 41:37 that did not happened at Pentecost. 41:40 Pentecost everyone understood what was being said. 41:45 Now watch this, but everyone who prophesied 41:48 speaks to men for their strengthening, 41:50 encouragement and comfort. So, is he 41:53 saying that we should all speaking in tongues to God? 41:56 He is saying, he who speaks in a tongue especially 41:59 at Corinth, they were speaking only to God, 42:00 the purpose of the gifts are to speak to man, 42:02 he who prophesies is speaking to man, 42:05 he says for the building up of the church. 42:07 Can you see how it all fits together now? 42:12 Verse 4, he speak, he who speaks 42:14 in a tongue edifies himself. 42:16 So, is Paul telling us to speak 42:19 in tongues in order to edify ourselves? 42:23 The purpose of speaking in tongue 42:25 is not to edify ourselves; 42:27 it's to edify the church to build up the church. 42:32 Is it possible that speaking in tongues to edify 42:36 oneself was the part of the problem at Corinth? 42:39 We've to ask that question 42:40 about every piece of what's happening here. 42:44 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself but, 42:48 'but' can be a mighty big word, can't it? 42:51 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself 42:53 Oh! Good I'll edify myself, but, oops, but he who 43:00 prophesies, edifies the church because prophesying 43:07 builds up the church, tongues was building up self, 43:11 the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit are not 43:14 to build up self, but to build up the church. 43:18 Can you see how things were getting confused at Corinth? 43:23 So, is Paul telling us to speak in tongues 43:25 to build up ourselves or is that a part 43:28 of the problem in the church at Corinth. 43:32 Then, in verse 5, I would like 43:34 for everyone of you to speak in tongues. 43:35 Ah ha! There it is, you see he wants us 43:38 all to speak in tongues, but he has already said, 43:41 we're not all to speak in tongues. 43:43 So, what is he saying? 43:45 It's followed by the word 'but' again. 43:50 I would like all of you to speak in tongues, 43:52 but I would rather have you prophesy, 43:55 because he who prophesies is greater 43:57 than the one who speaks in tongues. 43:59 Unless he interpret it, so that the church 44:01 may be edified and built up. 44:04 You see how it all fits together, 44:05 sure I would like for you all to speak in, 44:08 because remember they were teaching 44:09 that everybody had to speak in tongues. 44:11 Oh! Yes, I wished you all would, 44:14 but I'd rather have you prophesy, 44:16 does it mean that he wants them all 44:17 to speak in tongues, no. 44:18 Because he has already said not to. 44:20 He says it's better to prophesy, 44:22 it would be like me saying I wish 44:24 that you could all be evangelists, 44:26 I wish that you could all quit your jobs, 44:30 buy yourself a trailer, sell your house and go 44:33 traveling around preaching the Gospel, but if everybody 44:35 did that there wouldn't anybody to preach to. 44:40 Sure, I wished you all could, but it's better 44:42 for you to use the gift that God has given you. 44:46 And, that's not all that Paul is saying here. 44:50 Now brothers, now listen, now brothers, 44:53 if I come to you and speak in tongues what good will I 44:55 be to you unless I bring you some revelation 45:00 or knowledge or prophecy or a word of instruction. 45:05 It's not going to do any good unless you can understand 45:07 what I'm saying and you're built up in fact he says, 45:10 he says in verse 9, so with you unless 45:12 you speak intelligible words with your tongue 45:16 how will anybody know what you're saying, 45:18 you'll just be speaking into the air. 45:22 Undoubtedly, there are all sorts of languages 45:24 in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 45:28 So, what is he emphasizing here that whatever you say in 45:31 church should be with meaning so that people can understand 45:35 what you're saying and the church can be built up. 45:38 There are all kinds of languages, but none 45:40 of them is without meaning, if I then do not grasp 45:43 the meaning of what someone who is saying 45:46 I am a foreigner to the speaker and he is a 45:49 foreigner to me, so it is with you. 45:54 What was going on in Corinth? 45:57 They were speaking in tongues, 45:59 but no one understood what they were saying 46:02 because they had no meaning to what they were saying. 46:05 Then he goes on to say, since you're eager to have 46:09 spiritual gifts, try to excel in the gifts that build up the 46:12 church, tongues were not building up the church 46:16 in Corinth, it was dividing the church. 46:19 Then, for this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue 46:23 should pray that he may interpret what he says and 46:26 then you have meaning again for, 46:29 if I pray in a tongue, my spirit praise 46:32 Oh! Yes, I'm excited, I'm in enthused, 46:35 I'm speaking in tongues, I'm praying in tongues. 46:37 Wow! It's powerful, but my mind is unfruitful, 46:42 I don't know what I'm saying. 46:45 So, what do I do, do I quit praying in the Spirit? Nope. 46:50 So, what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, 46:54 but I'll also pray with my mind. 46:57 See sometimes we can get so spiritual 47:02 and so emotional and so powerful that 47:05 nobody even knows what's going on. 47:09 Oh! They're excited and they're rejoicing 47:12 and they walkout, I remember one time 47:14 I went to a worship service and they had a big band 47:16 and it was loud and people were dancing in the aisles 47:20 and singing and they were tongues and nobody even 47:22 knew what was being said, but boy on the way out, 47:25 one fellow said, whew! Man we worshipped. 47:31 Is that worship, when nobody 47:34 understands what's going on? 47:37 We're only in the Spirit, but not the mind, you know, 47:42 what does he say? I'll worship in the Spirit. 47:44 I mean God made us with feelings, folks. 47:47 Sometimes people come up to me and say 47:49 Pastor you get too excited up there, 47:51 I can't help it, God put feelings in me 47:55 and he put them in you, 47:56 sometimes you suppress Him so much that 47:58 you sit there like the frozen chosen. 48:02 Because we're so scared of the happy clappies. 48:05 We need to be the happy chosen. Amen. 48:10 I'll pray with my mind, but I'll pray with my Spirit. 48:13 So, they understand what's going on. Verse 18, 48:18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 48:23 Now, there it is Paul speaks in tongues 48:25 more than all of them, but, there's that little word again, 48:29 but in the church I would rather speak five intelligible 48:33 words to instruct others than 10,000 words in a tongue. 48:38 Was he really saying that we need to 48:40 be speaking in tongues all the time? No. 48:41 what is he really saying? We need to understand 48:44 what's being said in church, that comes clear 48:47 and it's obvious that the manifestation of tongues 48:50 in Corinth was done in such a way that no one 48:54 understood what was going on, 48:55 in fact he concludes in verse 22, tongues then 48:58 are assigned for believers, tongues then are assigned 49:03 not for believers, but for unbelievers. 49:07 Remember that's what happened at Pentecost, 49:08 it wasn't a sign for the believers, 49:10 it was for the unbelievers, 49:11 they heard it and then they became believers, why? 49:14 Because they understood what was being said, 49:16 tongues are assigned not for believers, 49:19 but for unbelievers, prophecy however 49:21 is for believers not for unbelievers. 49:23 So, if the whole church comes together and 49:25 everyone speaks in tongues and some who do not understand 49:29 or some unbelievers come in, they will, will they not say 49:32 you guys are out to your mind, I'm out of here. 49:36 I don't know what's going on, 49:37 everybody just babbling away, 49:38 I can't understand this, I'm out of here. 49:41 That's what was happening in Corinth. Verse 24, 49:45 but if an unbeliever or someone who does not 49:47 understand comes in while everybody is prophesying 49:50 you will be convinced by all and that he is sinner 49:52 and he will be judged by all and his soul will be saved 49:56 and the church is being built up. 49:59 You see the same message comes through over and 50:02 over, loud and clear, the purpose for the gifts 50:05 of the Spirit are to build up the body of Christ. 50:11 Wasn't doing that in Corinth? 50:13 In Corinth their meetings did more harm than good, 50:17 but what were their meetings, have you wondered? 50:19 What were their meetings like, have you wondered? 50:23 Not yet, raise your hand, say Amen or something, 50:25 so I'll know you're awake out there. 50:28 Have you wondered what their meetings were like? 50:30 Yeah, well let me show you there's a peek right here. 50:33 Verse 26, what shall we say then brothers when you 50:38 come together everyone has a hymn or a word 50:41 of instruction or revelation, a tongue or an interpretation 50:44 and they were doing all of this together, 50:46 all at one time, it is like a big three ring circus 50:49 going on in Corinth for their worship services. 50:53 So, what does he do, he said 50:54 I want you to stop all of that. 50:55 Nope, that isn't what he does. 50:57 He says all of these must be done for the strengthening 51:01 of the church, all of it must be done, if anyone speaks 51:06 in a tongue or two at the most, three should 51:07 speak one at a time and someone must interpret. 51:11 If there is no interpreter the speaker should keep quiet 51:13 in the church and speak to himself and God. 51:17 You see what's happening here, there were some 51:20 people speaking in tongues in Corinth that should not 51:22 have been speaking in tongues. Isn't that obvious? 51:26 One at a time, two, at the most three no more, 51:28 but there everybody was doing it. 51:30 So, some people were speaking in tongues in 51:33 Corinth that should not have been speaking in tongues. 51:37 Now, you can't speak 51:38 in tongues unless the Spirit enables you. 51:41 So, follow me, was Paul when he said two at the 51:48 most three and one at a time, was Paul saying 51:51 Holy Spirit, you're moving too fast in Corinth. 51:56 Holy Spirit you're enabling too many people 51:59 speak in tongues at the same time 52:00 in Corinth, Holy Spirit slow down. 52:03 Would Paul do that? I don't think so. 52:07 Something else must have been happening in Corinth. 52:11 I know, they're probably some here 52:12 they want me to say they were all possessed 52:14 by demons and it was just the devils. 52:17 It is true that there are Pagan cults in their worship 52:23 services who speak in tongues and it sounds just 52:26 exactly like what we hear in some Christians services. 52:30 But, Paul did not say you're all possessed by the devil, 52:34 he didn't say that because they were Christians. 52:37 They were believers, they had a problem in church, 52:39 but they were still believers, 52:42 he didn't say brother your gift is genuine 52:44 and sister yours is false, he didn't even do that. 52:49 He gave them instructions, one at time, two, at the most 52:54 three and there better be an interpreter there. 52:58 I think there is another option the Holy Spirit 53:01 does enable people to speak in tongues and 53:04 it's true that being possessed by devils can enable speak, 53:08 people to speak in tongues and counterfeit 53:10 the true gift of tongues, but I think there 53:13 was a third option at Corinth, think about it. 53:16 If you were a member of a congregation 53:18 in Corinth where they were emphasizing that 53:19 everybody need to have this one super gift 53:21 that is speaking in tongues and if you haven't done it 53:24 yet, you're not even a part of the body. 53:29 How would you feel? What would you want more 53:33 than anything else? Wouldn't you want that super gift, 53:38 so that you too could become a part of the body. 53:42 Of course you would and that's 53:43 what was happening in Corinth. 53:45 When you combine that intense desire for something 53:49 that you don't have, couple it with an emotional 53:53 worship service where people are singing 53:55 in the Spirit shouting and making noise and speaking 53:59 in tongues, going on all around you and you have a 54:02 desire to speak in tongues more than anything else, 54:06 it's possible to get caught up in a trans like state and 54:10 come up with something that sounds like tongues. 54:13 Now, I've had people tell me so many times 54:15 you know, Pastor I've always wondered 54:16 if that was God speaking through me, 54:18 if I was just doing it on my own. 54:21 And when they follow the instructions one at a time, 54:25 two, at the most three and there must be an interpreter. 54:28 He is taking away that exciting extra emotional 54:31 environment, so that the whole thing can just die out 54:36 and God can exercise the gifts the way 54:39 He wants them to be exercised. 54:42 Pray for it, seek for it, 54:44 but seek the Baptism of the Spirit and like God 54:46 decide which gift we should have. 54:50 The purpose of the gifts of the Spirit 54:52 are to build up the body of Christ. 54:54 Why don't you speak in tongues in your church? 54:57 I hear this question many times, 54:59 the answer is we do, we do. 55:05 I know, some people that have been to other countries 55:08 and when they've spoken after the message was over, 55:10 people came to him and said we do know you 55:12 understood our language, I don't. 55:14 You spoke to us in perfect Swahili or 55:17 whatever language it was, I don't know that language, 55:20 that's the miracle gift of tongues. Amen. 55:23 It doesn't happen a lot, it doesn't happen often, but 55:28 it only happened three times in the whole New Testament. 55:32 God uses the gifts when He needs to for the purpose 55:36 of building up the body of Christ. Amen. 55:41 And I always liked to ask my friends if the purpose 55:43 of speaking in tongues or any other gifts is to build 55:47 up the body of Christ to win men and women to Jesus, 55:50 then how many people have you won to Christ? 55:54 Oh! But, I can speak in tongues, well that's okay, 55:57 but how many have you won to Christ? 56:00 You see that's the point, let's pray together. 56:08 Lord, we just thank you and we praise you for Jesus, 56:15 having the foresight to establish a church, 56:20 consisting of all of those who believe in him 56:24 and empowering us through the Holy Spirit 56:29 to use the gifts of the Spirit in order to reach out 56:33 to men and women for Jesus Christ, and so 56:37 this morning as we sit here in this comfortable church 56:40 auditorium, my prayer is that God will pour out His Spirit 56:46 upon each one and that He will bless us and anoint us 56:50 with gifts to be used by him in any way that he sees fit. 56:55 And, so if the desire of your heart this morning 56:59 is to receive a baptism of God's Holy Spirit 57:03 to fill your heart with his love and his power. 57:07 So, that you can reach out with the good news 57:09 about Jesus and lead men and women to follow the lamb, 57:13 won't you just raise your hand with me this morning, 57:16 and so doing you're saying Lord, send me, use me, 57:21 empower me, I ask in Jesus name. Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17