Participants: Pastor Stephen P. Bohr
Series Code: SOP
Program Code: SOP000009A
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00:14 Well hello, everybody. Welcome.
00:16 We're glad you're here. 00:18 This is presentation number nine in this series, 00:21 The Secrets of Pentecost. 00:23 And tonight our topic is, Are Tongues Ecstatic Utterances? 00:29 And the subject of study will be 1 Corinthians 14. 00:34 And we're going to do pretty much a verse by verse 00:36 study of this chapter. 00:39 But before we do, we want to ask for the Lord's presence 00:43 and for His wisdom. 00:44 And so I invite you to bow your heads with me as we pray. 00:48 Father in heaven, thank You so much for Your many 00:51 blessings this day. 00:53 We thank You for those things that we take for granted 00:57 that many times we fail to thank You for. 01:01 One of those things that we want to especially thank You for 01:03 is Your Holy Word. 01:05 It's such a comfort to have Your Word in a world that is 01:08 so confused and so mixed up. 01:11 And we ask that as we study this very important chapter 01:14 on 1 Corinthians 14 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us 01:18 to guide our thoughts. 01:19 I ask that You will also bless those, not only who are 01:22 here in the studio, but those who are watching 01:26 this program on television. 01:28 We ask, Lord, that You will speak to each mind 01:31 and each heart. 01:32 And we thank You for hearing our prayer, 01:34 for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, amen. 01:39 As I mentioned, we're going to study today 01:42 1 Corinthians 14. 01:45 And as we begin, I would like to mention what the basic structure 01:50 of this chapter is. 01:51 And we're not going to give you a specific detailed structure, 01:56 but it has two main parts. 02:00 Verses 1-25 of 1 Corinthians 14 deals with the relationship 02:06 between tongues and prophecy. 02:09 And then verses 26-40 deals with proper order 02:14 in the worship service; rules for proper order 02:17 in the worship service. 02:19 And so we're going to work our way through this chapter 02:22 to see what the apostle Paul wants to teach us today. 02:26 So let's begin our study at verse 1. 02:29 And let's read this verse where the apostle Paul says, 02:33 "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, 02:39 especially that you may speak in tongues." 02:43 Ah, that's not what the apostle Paul says. 02:46 He says, "...desire spiritual gifts, but especially 02:50 that you may..." What? 02:51 "...that you many prophesy." 02:53 So you'll notice that in the mind of the apostle Paul, 02:56 speaking in tongues does not trump prophecy. 03:01 Prophecy comes before speaking in tongues. 03:04 And we're going to notice in our study the reason why. 03:07 Now let's go to verse 2. 03:10 There's no verse in 1 Corinthians 14 03:13 that has awakened more confusion in the minds of people 03:16 than this verse. 03:18 Because it appears to be saying that the Corinthians 03:21 were speaking in ecstatic utterances. 03:24 But when we study the verse carefully, we're going to 03:27 discover that the apostle Paul is not saying that this gift 03:31 is different than the gift that was given in the book of Acts. 03:34 So let's read this verse, 1 Corinthians 14:2. 03:38 He says, "For he who speaks in a tongue..." 03:41 That's the word, "glossa." 03:55 Now it sounds like a relatively confusing verse, doesn't it? 04:00 So it says... 04:10 Now this verse has led many people to believe 04:13 that the gift that the Corinthian church had 04:17 was a different gift than what we find in Acts 2. 04:21 That people in Corinth were actually speaking 04:23 in some type of heavenly or angelic language 04:27 that is spoken nowhere on planet earth. 04:30 However, we're going to notice that's not the case. 04:34 We're going to notice in our study that the gift in Corinth 04:36 was the same gift that God gave in Acts 2, Acts 10, and Acts 19, 04:43 and the same gift that Jesus referred to in Mark 16:17. 04:49 Now it's very important for us to realize that in this verse 04:54 the expression where it says here, 04:57 "...for he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, 05:00 but to God," there are some versions that translate, 05:05 "those who speak in an unknown," or, "speak in a strange tongue." 05:11 For example, the King James Version says, 05:14 "He who speaks in an unknown tongue..." 05:19 Now there's no warrant whatsoever for translating, 05:22 "unknown tongue." 05:23 Because the word, "unknown," is unknown in this text. 05:27 It's not there. 05:28 It simply says, "He who speaks in a tongue..." 05:31 Now other versions add another word to this verse. 05:37 For example, the Good News Bible says, "He who speaks 05:40 a strange tongue." 05:43 The New English Bible says, "He who speaks 05:46 in an ecstatic utterance." 05:48 The NIV is even clearer when it says, 05:52 "He who speaks speaks in a tongue." 05:56 Just like we read from the New King James Version. 06:00 Now it's important for us to realize that the word, 06:03 "tongues," is used twenty-seven times in 06:06 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14. 06:09 And in each case, the word, "tongues," is identical 06:14 to the word that is used in Mark 16:17, in Acts 2, 06:19 in Acts 10, and in Acts 19. 06:24 And so it's the identical word that is used 06:26 all the way through. 06:28 So there's no warrant for translating the word, "tongues," 06:32 as strange tongues or ecstatic utterance. 06:35 It simply means, "languages." 06:38 Now let me give you a practical example that will help us 06:41 understand this verse 2, which is very difficult to understand 06:47 if you don't study it carefully. 06:50 Let's use the example of supposing that 06:54 I speak only English. 06:57 And I travel down to Curaçao, which is in 06:59 the Netherlands Antilles. 07:01 They speak a language there called, Papiamento. 07:05 And I'm in a circumstance where the people need to hear 07:08 the presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 07:11 But I only know how to speak English. 07:14 And so the Lord, knowing that the people need to hear 07:17 a presentation of the gospel, by a miraculous and instantaneous 07:22 event God gives me the ability to speak perfectly 07:28 in the language of the people there. 07:30 He gives me the ability to speak in Papiamento, 07:33 which is more of a dialect than a language. 07:37 And so that would be the gift of tongues, right? 07:40 I speak English, but God instantaneously and miraculously 07:44 gives me the ability to speak Papiamento there in Curaçao. 07:48 But let's suppose that the following Sabbath I come back 07:52 to Fresno and I have to preach at Fresno Central Church, 07:56 and I start rattling off my sermon in Papiamento. 08:00 Now let me ask you, how many people would understand 08:03 what I was saying? 08:04 Nobody would understand anything that I was saying. 08:08 Because the people at Fresno Central don't speak 08:11 the language of Papiamento. 08:14 Now let's notice three expressions that 08:16 we find in this verse. 08:18 First of all, what does it mean when it says 08:21 that a person who speaks in a tongue speaks in the spirit? 08:25 Then we want to see why it says that only God understands him. 08:30 And then we're going to take a look at what it means 08:33 when it says that the person who speaks in a tongue 08:36 speaks mysteries. 08:38 Let's go, first of all, to the expression that a person 08:41 who speaks in a tongue speaks in the spirit. 08:44 Why would it says that he speaks in the spirit? 08:47 Simply because the gift of tongues is a gift of whom? 08:51 It's a gift of the Holy Spirit. 08:53 And so a person who speaks in tongues is speaking 08:56 in the spirit. 08:57 So when the apostle Paul says that a person who speaks 09:00 in a tongue speaks in the spirit, that shouldn't 09:03 surprise us because the gift of tongues is a gift 09:06 of the Holy Spirit. 09:07 Now what about the idea that he who speaks in a tongue, 09:10 only God would understand him? 09:13 Well, let's us my illustration. 09:15 I come back to Fresno Central Church and I start rattling off 09:19 my sermon in Papiamento. 09:21 Does anybody in the congregation understand 09:24 what I'm saying? 09:25 No. Does God understand what I'm saying? 09:28 Of course God understands what I'm saying because 09:30 God was the one who gave me the language in the first place. 09:33 So a person who speaks in a tongue, 09:36 God understands that person. 09:38 But if the people that I'm speaking to can't understand 09:40 the language that I'm speaking, it's unintelligible to them. 09:44 Are you with me or not? 09:46 Now what does the apostle Paul mean when he says 09:48 that a person who speaks in a tongue in the spirit 09:51 speaks mysteries? 09:53 Now, you know, the word, "mysteries," in 09:56 the New Testament has a different connotation 09:58 and meaning than it does for us in the 21st century. 10:03 The word, "mystery," in the writings of the apostle Paul 10:06 has nothing to do with something secret, or something esoteric, 10:11 or something mysterious. 10:13 No. The word, "mystery," in the writings of the apostle Paul 10:17 simply refers to the preaching of the gospel 10:20 which was hidden in ages past, but now that mystery 10:25 from ages past is revealed in the preaching of the gospel. 10:29 I want you to notice a text where this meaning 10:32 comes through clearly. 10:34 Ephesians 6:18-20 has many common words to the text 10:40 that we just read in 1 Corinthians 14:2. 10:44 Notice what the apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:18-20. 10:56 Is that a phrase that we find in the text that we just read? 10:59 Absolutely. 11:11 "...utterance..." That's an interesting word 11:13 that is used in relation to the gift of tongues as well. 11:21 Who would give it to him? 11:23 God, right? The Holy Spirit. 11:36 So what is the mystery? 11:37 Is it some mysterious language that nobody understands? 11:40 No. It's the preaching of what? 11:42 Of the gospel which was hidden in ages past 11:46 because it was only understood in types. 11:48 But today it has been brought to light. 11:51 And so he says once again in verse 19, 11:53 "...for me, that utterance may be given to me 11:56 that I might open my mouth boldly to make known 12:00 the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador 12:04 in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, 12:09 as I ought to speak." 12:11 So are you understanding verse 2? 12:13 It appears to be complicated, but it's not complicated 12:16 when you realize what each phrase in the verse means. 12:21 Now let's move on to verse 3. 12:23 Here, the apostle Paul says, "But..." 12:25 He's making a contrast, right? 12:28 Let's notice once again what we read in verse 2, 12:31 and then let's notice the contrast in verse 3. 12:33 It says... 12:44 But now comes the contrast. He says... 12:49 See, prophecy is in contrast to tongues. 13:03 Let me ask you a question. 13:05 When you exhort and when you edify and when you 13:09 comfort people, must you speak in a language 13:11 that they can understand? 13:12 Of course. 13:14 The apostle Paul is saying, "Hey, if you're going to 13:15 speak to the church, speak for edification, 13:18 exhortation, and comfort. 13:20 That's what a person who prophecies does." 13:24 Now let's go to verse 4. 13:36 Now what does the apostle Paul mean by that? 13:38 Let's go back to my illustration. 13:40 If I were speaking in Papiamento at Fresno Central Church, 13:45 would I be edifying myself? 13:48 Of course. Why? 13:50 Because I can understand what I'm saying, right? 13:53 So I would be benefited by what I'm saying, 13:56 but would the church be benefited? 13:58 Not at all. 13:59 Incidentally, Ellen White tells us that we are impacted 14:04 by our own words. 14:05 We are edified or destroyed by our own words. 14:07 Let me read that statement. Desire of Ages, page 323. 14:11 She says... 14:25 So if I were speaking in Papiamento in a church 14:28 where that language is not spoken, I would not be edifying 14:32 the church, but I would be edifying myself 14:35 because I am impacted by my own words. 14:37 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 14:40 So what is the purpose of the preaching of the gospel? 14:44 It's that the entire church might be benefited, 14:47 not only myself. 14:48 The gift of tongues is not primarily for self-edification, 14:52 it's for the benefit of the church. 14:55 Now notice verse 5. 14:57 Here, the apostle Paul says... 15:03 Ah, he wanted everyone to speak in tongues. 15:06 But notice what he says... 15:11 So what is more important as a gift, tongues or prophecy? 15:15 Prophecy, in the thinking of the apostle Paul. 15:18 He says... 15:31 So if you speak in tongues, and you interpret what you're 15:34 saying, "...that the church may receive..." What? 15:37 "...that the church may receive edification." 15:40 So if I were speaking in Papiamento, and then 15:43 I interpreted what I was saying, that would edify, not myself, 15:48 but it would edify whom? 15:50 It would edify the church. 15:51 Are you following me or not? 15:53 Now let's notice verse 6. 16:00 That means with languages, by the way. 16:15 In other words, he's saying, "You know, if I'm going to 16:17 come and speak to you, I'm going to speak to you 16:19 by prophecy, by revelation, by knowledge, or by teaching. 16:23 Something that you can understand. 16:26 Not in a tongue that you cannot understand, 16:28 because that does not benefit you at all. 16:31 It might benefit me, but it does not benefit you." 16:34 So far so good? 16:36 Now notice verse 7. 16:38 Here, the apostle Paul is going to further develop this idea. 16:42 Actually in verses 7-11 the apostle Paul is going to 16:45 use three example to show how important it is 16:49 for a person to speak in a language 16:51 that people can understand. 16:52 The first example is the example of a flute or a harp. 16:57 Notice what he says in verse 7. 17:01 He says there, "Even things without life..." 17:04 He's speaking about a musical instrument. 17:19 So when you play a flute, do you have to play a tune 17:22 so that people understand what you're playing? 17:24 Or do you just make a bunch of noises? 17:27 The apostle Paul is saying, "Listen, making a bunch of 17:29 noises in a language that people can't understand 17:32 is worthless. 17:33 It's like a flute or like a harp making a bunch of sounds 17:37 that don't have a tune. 17:38 Are you following me? 17:39 Now notice verse 9. 17:41 He uses the example of the trumpet. 17:43 He says, "For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound..." 17:51 Let me just give you an example. 17:52 I'm a trumpet player, so let me use the example of the trumpet. 17:57 Let's suppose that you want people to go to sleep. 18:02 And you play the tune that says, "Da da da dat datahh." 18:08 That doesn't make much sense. 18:11 Or let's suppose that you want an individual, you know... 18:13 You go to a funeral, you know... 18:16 And you know what you're suppose to play at a funeral, right? 18:19 But you start playing, 18:20 "Da da datada, da da datada, da da datada, da da datahh." 18:24 It doesn't fit, right? 18:26 You know, the trumpet, in order for people to understand 18:31 what it's speaking or what it's saying, 18:33 it must be a tune that is comprehensible to people 18:36 and fits the occasion, is what the apostle Paul is saying. 18:40 And then he says in verse 9... 18:52 So let me ask you, are these languages that the apostle Paul 18:55 is talking about, or is it gibberish? 18:57 It's languages, folks. 18:58 He says... 19:11 In other words, your words will be meaningless 19:14 if they don't have any sense to them. 19:17 And then the apostle Paul uses a third example. 19:20 The example of the languages that are spoken by nations; 19:24 the communication between nations. 19:26 Notice what he says in verses 10-11. 19:38 That means, none of them is without meaning. 19:41 Is the apostle Paul here talking about real languages 19:43 that are spoken in the nations? 19:45 Of course he is. He says... 20:00 Are you following what he's saying? 20:01 "If I don't know the meaning of the language 20:03 that a person is speaking, by the way, I shall be..." What? 20:07 "...a foreigner to him who speaks..." 20:16 In other words, he's saying that these tongues 20:19 in the church of Corinth were real tongues. 20:22 But what the people were doing, they were speaking in a language 20:24 that nobody in the congregation could understand. 20:27 But they were real languages from the nations. 20:30 The same gift as in Acts 2, but the gift was being misused. 20:35 It was used to show off the gift that God had given 20:38 to the Corinthians. 20:40 And then the apostle Paul says in verse 12, 20:43 "Even so you, since you are zealous..." 20:49 Here is again the same point. 20:58 So the apostle Paul says the gift of tongues is not for 21:01 you to show off or for your own self-edification, 21:04 or so that people think that you have a spiritual high. 21:08 No, the gift of tongues is for the edification of the church. 21:11 Are all gifts of the Spirit for the edification 21:14 of the body of Christ? 21:15 Absolutely, no gift is for selfish purposes 21:19 or for your own self-edification. 21:23 And then we find in chapter 14:13-17 the apostle Paul 21:29 continuing his argument. 21:32 He's going to speak here about praying in a tongue, 21:35 about singing in a tongue, and about blessing in a tongue. 21:40 And he's also going to talk about the importance if you 21:44 sing in a tongue or if you pray in a tongue 21:47 or if you bless in a tongue, it's indispensable that 21:50 you interpret what you're saying. 21:52 Now notice what he says beginning with verse 13. 21:59 These are languages, right? 22:01 According to what we've just studied. 22:06 And who gives the gift of tongues? 22:09 By the Holy Spirit. 22:13 So if you pray in a tongue, 22:16 either you or somebody must what? 22:18 Must give the interpretation of what you are praying 22:21 so that people can understand. 22:23 Verse 14, "For if I pray in a tongue..." 22:27 That is, a language unknown by the congregation. 22:31 Why does it say, "my spirit prays"? 22:33 Because the gift of tongues is a gift given by whom? 22:37 Given by the Holy Spirit. So it says... 22:46 "I will pray with the spirit..." 22:48 That means, because the Holy Spirit has given you the gift. 22:55 Why would he pray with the understanding? 22:56 Because when he's praying in a tongue, 22:58 he's also providing what, according to the context? 23:01 He's providing the interpretation 23:03 to what he's saying. 23:05 And then I want you to notice what he continues saying. 23:09 Because singing is a spiritual gift as well. 23:16 Now you know, if I sang, for example, a hymn from the hymnal 23:22 in Spanish, you might know what the hymn is by the tune. 23:27 Like for example, if I sang, The Old Rugged Cross. 23:29 But you really wouldn't understand the words 23:31 if you'd never heard the hymn before. 23:32 Right? 23:34 And so, if I should sing in a tongue, 23:36 I should also provide what? 23:38 The interpretation of what I'm singing 23:40 so that the church can be benefited. 23:42 So the apostle Paul says... 23:45 That is, because singing is a spiritual gift. 23:50 By interpreting, in other words, what I'm singing. 23:53 Verse 16, now notice what he says... 23:59 Once again, because the Holy Spirit gives us this 24:02 ability to bless others. 24:18 Are you understanding what Paul is saying? 24:20 He says, you know, "If you're blessing and you're using 24:22 a language that nobody can understand, 24:24 then how is anybody going to say, 'amen,' 24:27 to what you're saying?" 24:29 And then he continues saying, "...since he does not 24:32 understand what you say?" 24:38 The other is not edified because you didn't interpret, 24:41 and the other person can't understand. 24:43 Are you following me? 24:44 Now let's go to verse 18. 24:52 The apostle Paul says, "I speak in tongues 24:55 more than any of you." 24:56 Now let me ask you, why would God have given 24:58 the apostle Paul more languages, the ability to speak 25:02 more languages than any of the others who were there? 25:05 Folks, because the apostle Paul went on missionary journeys 25:09 all across the Roman Empire. 25:12 And he had needed to know the languages 25:14 of all of the nations in the Roman Empire. 25:17 And that's why the apostle Paul says, "I speak with tongues 25:20 more than you all." 25:22 Because Paul spoke many languages that were given to him 25:25 by the Holy Spirit so that he could share the gospel 25:28 all over the Roman Empire. 25:31 And then notice verse 19. 25:34 And Paul says here, "...yet in the church..." 25:50 Once again, what is the apostle Paul's concern? 25:53 That the church will what? 25:55 Will understand. 25:57 In other words, speaking in gibberish. 26:00 You know, some of you might have seen, for example, 26:02 that program where Kenneth Copeland blurted out in tongues. 26:08 You know, when Tony Palmer went to this charismatic convention. 26:12 You know, I was amazed at what he said. 26:16 I don't know what he said. 26:17 I don't think anybody there knew what he was saying. 26:20 I don't think that he even knew what he was saying. 26:22 The Lord didn't know what he was saying. 26:25 Because he was speaking simply gibberish. 26:27 Now is that the gift of tongues that is referred to 26:30 in the Scriptures? 26:32 Absolutely not. 26:33 The gift of tongues is the ability to speak a language 26:37 that others understand. 26:38 But you're not to use it like the Corinthians 26:40 to show off and speak in a language 26:43 that people cannot understand. 26:45 Now the apostle Paul then says... 26:56 And then in verse 20 he's going to tell the people to grow up. 26:59 He's saying, "Quite acting like kids." 27:01 He says... 27:06 You know, children babble. 27:09 Babies babble. 27:10 You don't know what they're saying. 27:12 He's saying, "Grow up. 27:14 Because you should be able to speak like an adult." 27:17 So he says... 27:22 In other words, don't be into evil like an adult. 27:26 Because as we grow up we become more and more evil, 27:28 generally speaking. 27:30 So it says... 27:40 In other words, don't talk in languages 27:42 that nobody can understand. 27:44 You know, use the gift to communicate with other people. 27:48 And then notice verse 21. 27:49 And I'm going to read, first of all, from the 27:52 New King James Version. 27:53 Here, the apostle Paul says, "In the law it is written..." 27:57 He's going to prove his point now. 28:07 He's speaking about God's people. 28:14 Now you say, "Why does Paul use this particular verse?" 28:17 By the way, it comes from Isaiah 28:11. 28:20 Paul is quoting Isaiah 28:11 to prove his point. 28:24 Now what is Paul referring to? 28:27 If you look at Isaiah 28:11, you're going to find that 28:30 God is prophesying to Israel that they're going to go 28:35 into Assyrian captivity. 28:38 And of course, they could not understand the language 28:41 of the Assyrians. 28:42 Let me read you the translation as it appears in the 28:45 New International Version. 28:47 Chapter 14:21. 28:49 Here it says in the NIV... 29:07 Now is the apostle Paul saying here that God is going to 29:11 speak to His people through gibberish? 29:14 Did the Assyrians speak a real language? 29:17 Of course they did. 29:19 Could the people understand the language of the Assyrians? 29:21 Could Israel understand the language of the Assyrians? 29:24 No. 29:25 They spoke Hebrew. 29:27 They did not speak the language of the Assyrians. 29:29 So God is saying, "I am going to speak 29:32 through men of strange tongues." 29:34 Incidentally, the word, "strange," there 29:36 is, "heteroglossos." 29:39 Which means, tongues of another kind. 29:43 Of a different kind than the one that they spoke, specifically. 29:47 Now let me ask you, who would these tongues be strange for 29:50 when it says, "through men of strange tongues," 29:53 God was going to speak to His people, to Israel? 29:55 For whom would they be strange? 29:57 For the Assyrians or for the Jews? 30:00 Of course for the Jews. 30:02 But was it a known language? A world language? 30:05 It was definitely a world language. 30:07 So this is not speaking about gibberish. 30:11 Now the apostle Paul then goes on in chapter 14:22-25 30:17 to speak about tongues as a sign for unbelievers. 30:20 Did you know that the gift of tongues is a sign 30:23 for unbelievers? 30:25 This is what he says... 30:39 So prophecy is for those who believe, 30:41 and the gift of tongues is a gift for those 30:44 who do not believe. 30:46 Now we're going to notice in a minute the reason why. 30:48 Verse 23... 30:52 Notice that the whole church is gathered together in a building. 30:55 "...and all speak with tongues..." 30:57 What was happening in Corinth? 31:00 They were all gathering together in one building, 31:03 and everybody was speaking in a tongue. 31:07 Or in a language. 31:08 Because God had given that gift. 31:10 Now notice what the apostle Paul continues saying. 31:23 And an unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, what happens? 31:34 Are you understanding what the apostle Paul is saying? 31:36 Yeah, if an unbeliever comes in and he hears 200 people 31:39 each speaking in a different language, 31:41 they're going to say, "These people are crazy." 31:43 Because that person is not going to understand that 31:45 they're speaking in languages. 31:47 Then the apostle Paul continues saying, once again verse 23, 31:50 "Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place..." 32:04 Could people understand when they were prophesying? 32:07 Yes. 32:26 In other words, if the person that comes in understands 32:28 what you're saying, he'll be converted. 32:30 But if he comes in and you're all speaking with pandemonium 32:35 in different tongues that the unbeliever does not understand, 32:39 he's going to say, "You're out of your mind." 32:41 And he's not going to give that place a second chance 32:44 for him to come to visit it. 32:47 So let me ask you, on the day of Pentecost 32:50 was the gift of tongues a sign for unbelievers? 32:55 It most certainly was. 32:57 Because the apostle spoke in the languages of the nations. 33:01 And when those who were present there heard the apostle 33:04 speaking in their own language, they were convicted. 33:08 It says that they were convicted in their hearts. 33:10 And 3000 unbelievers were baptized that very day. 33:14 Because the gift of tongues showed them 33:18 that what the disciples were preaching 33:21 was truly God's message. 33:25 So what was the problem in Corinth? 33:27 The problem in Corinth was that people were speaking in tongues. 33:32 And by the way, remember that once the gift of tongues 33:34 was given, it stayed with people the rest of their lives. 33:37 That's a very important point. 33:39 So these people in Corinth had received the gift 33:42 of speaking languages, and they were in church 33:45 and everybody was speaking in the language 33:47 that they had received. 33:49 And it was pandemonium. 33:51 Because nobody could understand anybody else. 33:55 And so this would certainly not reach unbelievers 33:58 with the gospel. 33:59 As we have seen, the gift of tongues, as well as all other 34:02 gifts, have the purpose of reaching unbelievers 34:06 for Jesus Christ. 34:07 It is not to exhibit our own gift that God has given us. 34:13 Now we need to go to speak about the interpretation 34:17 of tongues. 34:19 Paul covers this specific subject in 1 Corinthians 14:5 34:24 briefly, and then verse 13, and verse 26, and also 27 and 28. 34:31 What is meant by the gift of interpreting tongues? 34:36 The apostle Paul makes it clear that interpreting tongues 34:39 is a spiritual gift, by the way. 34:42 Basically what it is, is the art of translation. 34:46 That's what the gift of interpretation is. 34:49 Let me give you two or three biblical examples. 34:52 Acts 9:36 uses this same word, "interpret." 34:57 It says, speaking about that charitable woman known as, 35:03 Dorcas, the following... 35:09 Tabitha. That's Hebrew, by the way. 35:12 "...which is..." What? 35:14 "...translated," or interpreted, "Dorcas," in Greek. 35:19 So what is the gift of interpretation? 35:21 It's the gift of what? 35:23 Of translating a tongue. 35:25 That is also a spiritual gift. 35:28 Notice in the Old Testament Genesis 42:23 35:32 in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of 35:34 the Old Testament, speaking about Joseph 35:36 and when his brothers came to visit him... 35:46 So somebody was interpreting what Joseph was saying. 35:50 And then Daniel 5:26-28 speaks about the 35:54 handwriting on the wall. 35:56 And it says there, "This is the interpretation of each word." 36:00 Notice once again, the interpretation. 36:02 It's explaining the meaning of it. 36:16 Let me ask you, was there any need for interpretation of 36:19 tongues on the day of Pentecost? 36:21 There was no need to interpret tongues. 36:24 Because the apostles were speaking in the 36:26 tongues of the nations there. 36:28 And the nations that were represented there 36:30 could understand what the apostles were saying 36:33 without needing an interpretation. 36:35 Are you following me on that point? 36:37 Now, the apostle Paul also gives regulating principles 36:42 for the use of the gift of tongues in church. 36:45 I want you to notice that the apostle Paul is interested in 36:49 not turning away unbelievers from the church. 36:51 You know, I don't know if you've ever been to 36:53 a Pentecostal church where people speak in tongues. 36:58 I'll tell you, I have been to several. 36:59 And it's kind of a scary experience. 37:02 You know, usually the minister gets up and he starts out 37:06 real soft and slow. 37:08 And these days, you know, of course they use drums 37:10 and they use music. 37:12 And then the pastor gets revved up more and more, 37:15 and the music gets louder and louder, 37:17 and the drums get louder and louder. 37:19 And pretty soon everybody is hyped up, 37:21 and everybody is speaking in a tongue that nobody understands. 37:24 Not languages of the world. 37:26 But everybody, it's pandemonium, everybody is talking at the 37:30 same time in the church. 37:32 You know what? 37:34 I was not converted when I went to those churches. 37:38 I said, "This is crazy." 37:40 You know, God wants us to share the gospel 37:42 in a way in which it can be understood. 37:45 But if I was an unbeliever entering there, 37:48 I would definitely not come back. 37:51 Now notice what the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:26-29. 37:58 He says, "How is it then, brethren?" 38:16 Edification of whom? 38:18 Of the person? No. Edification of the church. 38:30 That's being violated by the charismatics today. 38:33 Because everybody is speaking. It's not two or three. 38:35 And notice what the apostle Paul continues saying. 38:44 In other words, not everybody speaking at the same time. 38:51 So if you speak in a tongue... 38:53 Say, for example, if somebody came from China to visit 38:57 Fresno Central Church and wanted to give a testimony, 39:00 and I had somebody in the church who was able 39:02 to interpret Chinese, you know, it wouldn't be the case of 39:05 a person from China coming up and giving his 39:08 testimony in Chinese. 39:10 A very small segment of the people would understand. 39:13 But when you have somebody who can translate 39:16 the testimony from Chinese to English, 39:18 then the church is benefited. 39:20 So the apostle Paul says, if you're going to speak 39:23 in a tongue, or you're going to give a testimony in a tongue, 39:24 or you're going to pray in a tongue, 39:26 or you're going to sing in a tongue, 39:27 make sure that there's somebody that will interpret 39:30 what you're saying so that the entire church 39:32 can be benefited. 39:34 And then the apostle Paul says in verse 28... 39:47 Is that clear? 39:48 I mean, it's as clear as the noon day. 39:51 Now notice verses 33-40. 39:55 Here the apostle Paul says... 40:19 So let's summarize what the apostle Paul says concerning 40:22 regulations of the use of the gift of tongues. 40:24 Number one, it must be for the edification of the church. 40:27 Number two, a maximum of two or three can speak. 40:31 Number three, it has to be one at a time. 40:35 Number four, there has to be translation 40:38 or interpretation of what the person is saying. 40:40 If there is no interpreter, the person who speaks in tongues 40:44 must be quiet. 40:46 And everything must be done decently and in order. 40:49 And the apostle Paul says that this command is for 40:52 all of the churches. 40:55 Now let me mention this: 40:58 Let's take for example a preacher that gets up and starts 41:01 speaking in a strange language that no one understands. 41:05 Does that benefit the church? 41:07 Let me ask you, how do you know what that individual is saying? 41:10 Would that necessarily be a message from God? 41:14 No. 41:15 You say, "Well, but what if he speaks in a language 41:17 that nobody understands, but then you have somebody 41:19 who interprets what the person is saying?" 41:22 You say, "Now how do you know that the interpretation 41:24 of what that person is speaking is a true interpretation?" 41:27 Folks, God gives us an external test for us to check out 41:32 to see if an individual is speaking in the name of God. 41:36 And that is whether the person speaks in harmony 41:39 with God's Holy Word. 41:41 So if an individual stands up and he starts 41:43 speaking in a tongue and he's teaching that the 41:46 dead aren't dead, and that we're suppose to go to church 41:48 on Sunday, you can be certain that it is not 41:51 the biblical gift of tongues. 41:53 Now, some charismatic groups believe that the gift of tongues 41:58 is a test of spirituality. 42:02 In fact, they make members feel guilty 42:05 if they don't speak in tongues. 42:08 They are told that if they don't speak in tongues, 42:11 they don't have the Holy Spirit. 42:12 And I've known Pentecostals that feel very guilty 42:15 and they do their utmost to receive the gift of tongues, 42:19 to speak in tongues. 42:21 But according to the Bible, folks, the test of your 42:24 spirituality is not in the ability of speaking tongues. 42:28 It is in the fruit of the Spirit in your life. 42:32 That is the test of your spirituality, 42:34 according to Jesus. 42:36 Now, the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit 42:41 are related, because they both come from the Spirit. 42:45 Now I want you to notice Matthew 7:21-23. 42:49 Matthew 7:21-23 42:52 Here, Jesus is speaking about a group of Christians 42:55 in the last days who will be performing supernatural acts. 43:01 And you would say, "Well, if they're performing 43:02 supernatural acts, they must be followers of Jesus. 43:05 They must be the real deal." 43:07 Let's notice what Jesus said. 43:09 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord...'" 43:12 Would those be Christians, by the way? 43:14 Only a Christian would say, "Lord, Lord." 43:48 It's the same word that is used in 1 John 3:4 where it says, 43:51 "Sin is transgression of the law." 43:54 It could have been translated, 43:55 "Depart from Me, you transgressors of the law." 43:59 So let me ask you, is it possible for a supposed 44:02 Christian to cast out demons, and to give prophecies, 44:05 and to perform miracles, and not to be a true follower 44:08 of Jesus Christ? 44:09 And what is the litmus test? 44:11 Is it whether you speak in tongues or whether you 44:14 live a lawless life? 44:15 It's whether you live a lawless life. 44:18 Whether you insist on transgressing the law. 44:20 You say, "Well, what if I keep nine of the commandments?" 44:23 Not good enough. 44:25 The Bible says that God has given ten commandments, 44:27 including the Sabbath commandment. 44:29 And He expects Christians to keep those commandments, 44:32 not in order to be saved, 44:34 not so that they're better than other people, 44:36 but because they love Jesus. 44:38 Because Jesus said, "If you love Me, 44:41 you will keep My commandments." 44:43 Now, I want you to notice Luke 6:46-49, 44:47 because this passage links with the statement 44:53 of those who will call Jesus, "Lord, Lord." 44:55 Now let's notice Luke 6:46-49. 45:07 It's one thing to say, "Lord, Lord." 45:09 It's another thing to do the things that God says 45:11 we're suppose to do. 45:13 And then Jesus is going to give an illustration. 45:53 So what is the test of a person's spirituality? 45:56 Is it that he performs miracles? 45:58 Is it that he casts out demons? 46:00 Is it that he does many signs in the name of Jesus? 46:05 Is it because he speaks in tongues? 46:07 Absolutely not. 46:09 The test of an individual's spirituality is if that person 46:13 does the will of the Father who is in heaven. 46:16 And if the person teaches that we can transgress the law, 46:20 even in one of the commandments, we can be sure that the gifts 46:24 that person has are not gifts of the Holy Spirit. 46:27 Now let's go to Galatians 5:19-23. 46:31 Here, the apostle Paul is going to speak about the fruit of 46:34 the life as an evidence of the real deal. 46:38 He says this... 47:26 By the way, if you look at that list, every one of those 47:29 things on that list are violations of one of the 47:32 ten commandments. 47:34 If you look carefully. 47:35 Murders, adultery, lying; you know, all of those are 47:38 violations of the ten commandments. 47:40 So the apostle Paul is saying, those who break God's 47:42 commandments and live in this way, they're not going to 47:45 inherit the kingdom of God. 47:46 No matter how much they say that you're saved by grace 47:49 through faith, if your life doesn't show the fruit 47:51 of the spirit, you're not going to enter the kingdom of God. 47:53 That's what the apostle Paul is saying. 47:56 And now notice the contrast. 47:58 Verse 22, "But..." 48:00 In other words, in contrast to this long list that he's 48:03 just given of transgressions of the ten commandments, he says... 48:22 Let me ask you, do you know of any law that forbids goodness? 48:28 Do you know of any law that forbids kindness? 48:33 Do you know of any law that forbids gentleness, 48:36 and faithfulness, and temperance? 48:38 I don't know of any law that forbids those things. 48:40 So the apostle Paul is saying, the fruit of the Spirit 48:43 are this list of things. 48:44 And he says, "There's no law that forbids these things. 48:47 But there is a law that forbids the other things." 48:50 Now go with me to Ezekiel 36:25-27. 48:55 Ezekiel 36:25-27 48:58 This is speaking about God's people after the Babylonian 49:00 captivity and what God is going to do for them. 49:03 Notice what God says. 49:33 What happens when we gave the Holy Spirit? 49:35 Is the test that we have the Holy Spirit speaking in tongues, 49:38 and casting out demons, and performing miraculous healings? 49:41 No, no, no. 49:43 Here we find the prophet Ezekiel saying, God is speaking... 49:52 "...to walk..." That has to do with behavior. 50:01 So what is the evidence that you have 50:02 the Holy Spirit in your heart? 50:05 The fact that you walk in God's statutes 50:07 and you keep His judgments to do them. 50:11 In other words, the fruit of your life. 50:13 Notice Romans 6:22. 50:16 Here, the apostle Paul once again speaks about the fruit. 50:19 And by the way, I'm not saying that you're saved by your life, 50:24 by the lifestyle that you live. 50:26 What I'm saying is that when you truly know Jesus Christ 50:29 as your Savior, and you have Jesus Christ in your heart, 50:33 the fruit of your life will show it. 50:36 And if you don't have any fruit, 50:38 there's something wrong with the root. 50:41 Notice Romans 6:22. 50:44 Here, the apostle Paul says... 50:58 So what is the fruit? 51:00 The fruit is holiness. 51:09 So when you have been delivered from sin 51:11 and you have become a slave of Jesus Christ, 51:13 what are you going to show in your life? 51:15 The fruit of holiness, is what the apostle Paul is saying. 51:18 That is the litmus test of whether 51:20 you have the Holy Spirit. 51:22 It's not whether you speak in tongues. 51:24 Notice what we find in Matthew 3:10. 51:27 Here, John the Baptist is preaching, and he says this... 51:43 Do you see how time after time after time 51:46 you have the idea of producing fruit as the signal that 51:49 you are truly in Christ Jesus? 51:52 Notice also Acts 5:32. 51:57 Acts 5:32 51:59 Here, Peter is speaking to the members of the Sanhedrin, 52:03 the governing body of the Jewish nations, 52:05 and he says... 52:13 "...whom God has given to those who have the gift of tongues." 52:20 To those who cast out devils. 52:23 To those who heal the sick. 52:26 No. 52:27 It says that He also has given His Holy Spirit 52:31 "to those who obey Him," according to Scripture. 52:35 Obedience is the litmus test that you have the Holy Spirit 52:39 in your life, not speaking in tongues or any other gift. 52:43 Notice John 14:15-16. 52:46 Here you have connected love, commandments, and Holy Spirit. 52:50 Notice what it says. Here, Jesus is speaking. 52:52 "If you love Me..." 52:58 How do we show that we love Jesus? 53:00 By keeping His nine commandments, right? 53:03 Oh, ten commandments. 53:05 Do we show our love for Jesus when we spend 53:07 the Sabbath with Him? 53:09 So if you don't want to spend the Sabbath with Him, 53:10 that would be a problem, right? 53:12 Do we enjoy spending time with someone we love? 53:15 So if Jesus says, "I'm coming every Sabbath 53:17 and I want to spend all day with you," 53:19 and you say, "Thanks, but no thanks. 53:20 I have to go shopping," there's something wrong 53:23 with your love relationship with Jesus, isn't there? 53:26 And so it says there... 53:39 Do you notice the three steps? 53:41 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 53:43 And I will pray to the Father that He will give you..." What? 53:46 "...that He will give you the Holy Spirit." 53:49 Jesus also, in John 15, and we're going to read 53:52 verses 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, and 16, Jesus spoke about 53:57 the importance of fruit. 53:58 He says, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit..." 54:46 What is the evidence that we abide in the love of Jesus? 54:49 That we keep His commandments. 54:51 Then Jesus says... 55:07 So what is the litmus test that we have the Holy Spirit? 55:10 Is it the fact that we have the gifts of the Spirit 55:13 or is it the fact that we have the fruit of the Spirit? 55:16 It is the fruit of the Spirit that shows whether we are the 55:20 real deal or whether we are a counterfeit or a fake. 55:26 If you claim to be connected with Jesus 55:28 but you don't bear any fruit, your relationship with Jesus 55:32 is a counterfeit. 55:34 Do you remember once Jesus cursed a fig tree? 55:39 Why did He curse the fig tree? 55:42 He cursed the fig tree because the fig tree 55:45 had no fruit. 55:48 Notice Matthew 21:19, our last text. 55:52 What happened with the fig tree? 55:54 He cursed it because it had no fruit. 55:56 It says there... 56:07 So it was a beautiful tree. It had lots of leaves. 56:10 But, you know, if you have an avocado tree 56:13 and all it has is leaves and never produces one avocado, 56:16 you'll say, "Now wait a minute. 56:17 There's something wrong here." 56:19 And so it says... 56:32 So what happens with a person who does not 56:35 have fruit in his life? 56:36 What happens with his spiritual life? 56:38 His spiritual life withers away, according to Scripture. 56:44 So folks, let's not focus on tongues as the litmus test 56:48 of the presence of the Spirit in our lives. 56:51 We have to focus on loving Jesus, keeping His commandments, 56:56 and bearing fruit in our lives for His honor and for His glory. 57:00 This is the litmus test that we truly know Jesus Christ 57:05 as our Savior and as our Lord. |
Revised 2016-08-02