(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

1 Corinthians chapter 14, quite a long chapter, we'll try and get through it in good time though. Right, from verse number 1, follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. So obviously as we saw last week, the charity is something that we follow after, yeah? So something that we need to follow after for our whole Christian lives. But there's also nothing wrong with desiring spiritual gifts, is there? Nothing wrong with desiring spiritual gifts. But if we're going to desire spiritual gifts, then we should desire the gift of prophecy or preaching, yeah? As it would be today and is most of the time in the Bible. Now, obviously we all have different roles. 1 Corinthians 12, 18 to 19, where we were a couple of weeks ago, says, But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? So the spirit divides severally to every man severally as he will, yeah? So everyone has different abilities, different gifts, and it's not just one each. People have different ones, yeah? Sometimes there might be one that's stronger than something else. But no one is obviously better or more important than anyone else, yeah? So it's not what he's saying here. It's not the person that's got the ability to preach better than anyone else. But if there's one to desire, if there's one to desire, it should be to preach. Why is that? Well, verse 2, he says, For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God. For no man understandeth him, howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. So speaking in an unknown language could look pretty impressive, couldn't it? Would look pretty impressive. We could all probably like to do that and like to show people our skills and, you know, that we know this language that no one else does. But if no one understands it, obviously only God understands it, what's it benefiting anyone? Obviously he's not talking about special prayer language here, is he? So this isn't this special prayer language. He's just talking about a language that other people don't understand. Tongues we looked at. Obviously, I think it was last week that tongues being another language. Now, a mystery here, so he says speaking mystery is just something not understood. It's not these great mysteries he's talking in his special prayer language. He's just talking about something that people don't understand because it's a language that they don't understand. Now, he's using tongues languages here, isn't he, as an example, as we see in these verses. And it's something that's desired but not for the right reasons, okay? Because that must have been pretty impressive at Pentecost and especially that miraculous gift of just being able to speak a language without learning it is an impressive thing, isn't it? But his point, verse 3, is that, but he that prophesies speaketh unto men to edification and exhortation and comfort. So the whole point of the prophesy and the preaching is for others, isn't it? And this is straight after chapter 13 on charity and the charity of giving to others and for everything we do to be for others, to be thinking of others, to be giving to others. And the point is that if we're going to desire gifts, it's not saying, oh, you're nothing if you don't have this gift. It's saying if you're actually going to desire something, then the gift to desire is the one that is going to positively affect the most people if we're in the right frame of mind. It's not saying anyone is lesser if they don't have the gift of preaching but it's saying that that should be the one you desire because that affects the most people at once. Because there are some great gifts, aren't there? Ones that still apply from 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. We've got the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, discerning of spirits, teaching, helps or ministering, governments or ruling, exhorting, giving, mercy, languages and that's likely not exhaustive like we said. There are many, many gifts that we all have and there are some great gifts that people have that can benefit the church. But for the church, that's the point, isn't it? It's for the church and preaching the word of God effectively to a church is going to benefit the most people at once, isn't it? And that's the point, isn't it? It's to benefit people. That's what preaching is about. It's to benefit people. And like I said, solely because it affects the most people at once, doesn't it? Imagine some of these churches, maybe some of these early churches or just think about churches we know that are busy running 300 plus people. I mean that's a lot of people that are being affected by that one person preaching, isn't it? Preaching the word of God. And that's the point, isn't it? It's to benefit people because if the purpose of preaching, if it's to be the main man and I'm sure there are and will carry on being people that want to preach because they want to be the man up the top, don't they? The man at the front, the man at the pulpit, the one that everyone looks at. They want that position. Or maybe it's because nowadays it's to be that man on YouTube. I want to be that one. I want to be that one that everyone's looking at, that everyone's talking about and one day I'm going to be this top famous guy on YouTube. Maybe it's seeking fame because that's quite popular nowadays, isn't it? Maybe because they think that by becoming a preacher they'll then eventually be a pastor and that's a good job. Maybe it's a fun job they think or something along those lines. It's going to be enjoyable. Maybe they don't quite fancy their job anymore. Maybe it's to get the slaps on the back, the acclaim, thinking that people are going to be coming up going, great preaching and you're going to feel like you're a million dollars or whatever else. But if that is the motivation and again that could be people here that maybe think one day they want to preach and if that is the motivation for that then firstly you're going to make a lousy profit, aren't you? Because the whole point is to edify the church. So if it's all about yourself then you're not going to edify anyone really. Nowhere near like you should. The Word of God sure is going to do something but it's nothing like if really your goal is to preach and help the church. You'll make a lousy profit. You'll also likely quit because if your motivation is to get slaps on the back, it ain't happening. You don't get many slaps on the back. The thing is it is a thankless task most of the time because the truth is it's not that everyone's like, hey man, great, you can spend hours writing a sermon, studying. You don't even know how you're new to it. The truth is you won't get a load of people coming up going this has benefited my life and maybe it has, maybe it hasn't. But the truth is people just get on with it. Maybe you do if you're the best preacher, maybe you will but from what I hear from the good preachers, they say the same. They could spend literally weeks writing a sermon. It's one that's been in the pipeline and they're thinking this is going to really make a difference to my church and it's like preaching. It's like, yeah, anyway, everyone gets over there and you're just, whoa, and that's how they feel and that's the truth and if that's what you're doing it for, then you'll be disappointed and you'll probably quit. If it's to be the main man, you'll soon realise really you're just serving other people because that's what you're really doing. You're spending your weeks trying to basically uplift and serve other people and even if you're not trying to do that, that's what you're doing really. So you ain't no main man up there. If it's to be on YouTube, well, you know, truthfully, all kinds of churches, you ain't getting millions of hits. If you are, you're probably a false prophet. So the truth is you ain't going to get nothing out of that either. So it's got to be that, hasn't it? And that's something we desire after though. We follow after. I'm not saying I'm this great charitable person. I'm not saying every preacher out there is. What I'm saying is it's something that should be the motivation, something we should seek after and follow after. Okay, but the goal here, so what is the goal of preaching? The goal, verse three, one was edification, wasn't it? So the he that prophesies speaks unto men to edification, which is the act or practice of exhorting, of inciting, sorry, sorry. Edification of building up in a moral and religious sense instruction, improvement and progress of the mind in knowledge, in morals or in faith and holiness. So that's what you're trying to do when you're preaching to people. And again, like I said, you know, a lot of the times you're preaching and you're trying to build people up and sometimes that can be taken personally, can't it? It can be taken personally. And it's only because you're seeing it in the word of God and sometimes the egos can come up, who are you to tell me how to live? Or how can you be telling me? Or whatever it is that starts going through people's minds. But the truth is you're just preaching the word of God to them, but it can affect people, can't it, negatively, sadly, but it should be. The point, the goal is to build up in a moral and religious sense instruction, improvement and progress of the mind in knowledge, in morals or in faith and holiness. That's the goal. That's why we're preaching the word of God. That's why anyone who gets behind a pulpit, ten minutes at a men's preaching night, that's the same thing. You're preaching for that reason, for exhortation, the act or practice of exhorting, the act of inciting to laudable deeds, incitement to that which is good or commendable. So it's not just you encouraging people. Some people listen to the word exhorting and they think you're just there meant to be just telling people how great they are and encouraging them in that way. No, it's you're trying to encourage them into good deeds, encourage them to do good things. And that might be by giving them a spiritual kick in the backside. That might be by shouting some truths from the pulpit, but it also might be gently. And there are many ways of doing that. That's the exhortation. And the comfort. Okay, he said here as well, and comfort. That's relief from distress of mind, the ease and quiet which is experienced when pain, trouble, agitation or affliction ceases. Implies also some degree of positive animation of the spirits or some pleasurable sensations derived from hope and agreeable prospects consolation. It's not all just whipping people from the pulpit, is it? So there is some comfort that should come from the word of God, that should come from preaching. Comfort from in your lives, from knowing that you've got God with you, for knowing that you're going to be helped through persecution, tribulation. Knowing, you know, reminding you of the promises of God, reminding you of those blessings, reminding you that you make a difference in people's lives when you're going outside. All those things, isn't it? That's the comfort that should come as well. I mean, famous verse, you don't have to go there, 2 Timothy 4, 2 says, Preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. And that should be the goal. Anyone that wants to preach, anyone that wants to preach, it should be for those reasons, it should be for other people. It should be to reprove, rebuke, exhort for their own good, shouldn't it? And that's what I myself here is preaching regularly should be doing, that's anyone who gets behind the pulpit should be doing, and that's anyone who in the whole world who's preaching the word of God, that should be their goal, shouldn't it? And that's why prophecy then therefore becomes, that's the one to desire often because when you do all of that, it should affect the most people at once, yeah? Verse 4 says, He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself, but he that prophesyeth edifieth the church. So edifieth in the building upsents the word, isn't it? And that's the whole church. So the whole church should be edified by prophesy and that's the goal with it. Verse 5 says, I would that ye all speak with tongues, but rather that ye prophesyeth, for greater is he that prophesyeth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret that the church may receive edifying. So there's a point of it, isn't it? It's because of the edifying. So Paul wants them all to speak with languages, he's not saying he doesn't, he's not saying it's a bad thing, but it's putting it in the right order. Nothing wrong with speaking with languages, great, but not because that's what you put at the top because that's going to make you look good, it's because if it's for edifying people, because he's saying here that greater is he that prophesyeth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret that the church may receive edifying. So you're preaching and it's being interpreted and it's edifying the church, you're basically preaching from another language and that's good. And that's a translation, isn't it? So verse 6 says, Now brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation or by knowledge or by prophesying or by doctrine. So again, it's not just a, you know, well have a chitchat or show people how great your language skills are, there has to be a point to it, hasn't there? Now obviously the main point at Pentecost in Acts 2 was for people to get saved, wasn't it? It was for people to get saved. And then obviously if you're speaking in a language or there's someone in a different language or you're speaking, you know, to someone new in a church, yeah sure, we want to welcome them in, but on top of that we want to also be trying to teach them. So revelation, that's revealing things of God, it's not always a future, not just a book of revelation, it's just revelations of God's Word. Knowledge, we know what knowledge is, prophesying. So that's foretelling and preaching, okay? Doctrine, that's the teaching of principles and truths, yeah? And like we said, there could be a tendency, couldn't there, to want to show off your language skills, but it's not just with language, it's the same with other gifts, isn't it? And like we said before, you might have the gift of knowledge, you might be able to just recall information but what's the point in that if you're not actually using that to someone's benefit, yeah? And it's not just, I would say, not just even with the spiritual gifts. You've been gifted in something, you know, use it to the benefit of others, use it to the benefit of the church especially, and we're going to see why in a second with that. Verse 7 says, So basically, sound for the sake of it is pointless, isn't it? So you're not just going to play any old nonsense, there's a point to it. When you play an instrument, it's something specific, you're playing a specific song. Okay, so when the trumpet is blown for battle, it's a specific sound, isn't it, that the army respond to? Okay, if they just kind of did a bizarre sound, no one will know what they're meant to be doing. Verse 9, Now, you could also apply this to preaching, couldn't you? You could apply this to preaching. There are preachers out there that purposefully use long words that most people shouldn't understand and don't understand, aren't they? And they do it on purpose. They're not just, when they're writing it, going, I'll just use this really long theological word that no one knows. They're doing that on purpose, but they're speaking into the air. For you shall speak into the air. If you're uttering, by the tongue, words that aren't easy to be understood, then you just speak into the air. And we see that, obviously, across churches like the Catholic Church. We're just preaching or speaking Latin. What's the point in that? Most people don't understand it. Long theological words, you see that a lot. And when you get those churches like that, so when it's things which can't be understood, they're not preaching simply, because there can be a temptation, can't there? As a preacher, you know, people, especially with the kind of pressure that will come, especially if you're involved in the community of false Christian churches and stuff, there's this encouragement that somehow us sort of simple Baptist-type preachers are somehow unlearned men and, you know, what do we really know about theology? And you'll see debates are low when they start coming out with the longest terms and the most ridiculous theories and everything. And they just puff themselves up and try to basically disqualify you based on some sort of theological knowledge. But they don't even get John 3.16, do they? They don't even get Ephesians 2.8 and 9. But then there could be a tendency of a preacher to try and make him sound more intelligent, can't there? To try and then lift themselves up a bit more, to try and qualify themselves more in the eyes of those people. But like we saw earlier, they're not going to get saved by that, are they? In fact, you know, the preachers most of the time are reprobates, but even the people that you're trying to appeal to there, really, they're going to get saved by the word of God, aren't they? And, you know, there's nothing wrong with some deeper points, but most of the time, to edify a whole church, there's nothing wrong with the basic points, the basic principles, the basic doctrines, basic truths from the Bible. We don't all have to, you know, hear the most in-depth doctrine to get edified each week, because sadly a lot of people then won't get edified, will they? Okay, it says here, it said here, sorry, So how shall it be known what is spoken, for you shall speak into the air? And if you think about that, it's basically with these theological type, you know, preachers, where they're just trying to get too complicated, what happens? Their churches then don't prepare themselves to the battle, do they? Because when you look at the churches, they don't really understand what really is going on, what's being preached, and none of them are going out and doing anything anyway. Verse 10 says, There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Now, basically, there are many languages in the world, and they all result in some specific communication, yeah? Verse 11 says, Therefore, if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh the barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. And a barbarian is someone that doesn't speak Greek, okay? That's someone who speaks one of the languages that doesn't speak and understand Greek. So it's basically saying, if you don't understand what's being said, you might as well just be from an unknown language. So it's just a waste of time. Now, look at verse 12 here. Even so ye, for as much as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. So our spiritual gifts and our excelling or achieving of great things in our spiritual life should be for the building up improvement of the church, yeah? You see that there, doesn't it? Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. And there you have yet another verse in the book of Corinthians which highlights the necessity of the church and highlights the importance of the church and highlights, as we as Christians, the whole thing is about the church, isn't it? Or it all comes from the church. Yeah, we all have separate lives we have to lead, but it's all about the church and going out from the church, doing the work of God from the church, isn't it? And this whole book itself, especially from chapter 12, just debunks all of this sort of, I don't have to go to church to be a good Christian stuff, doesn't it? Just debunks it. You know, it's all about the church. It's all about using your gifts for the church. It's all about coming to the church, edifying the church, doing things for each other, loving your brother at the church, et cetera, et cetera. We've been reading that for the last however many weeks and then you still get these Christians, saved Christians out there going, you know, I don't have to go to church. Well, you know, I'm still a good Christian or whatever. Oh, it's my personal walk with God. No, it's my personal walk with Christ or something, you know, these kind of nice little buzz things. But no, it's all about the church. Your excelling should be about the benefit of the church. So then, you know, this has been hard, hasn't it? It's funny, I was saying this last night, we were just chatting about it. I was saying, how much this truth has kind of really sunk into me is only in the last, whatever however many weeks we've been going through Corinthians and this church has been going. Because I think had it been before that, it would have been really difficult for me. I don't know about anyone else, if it's really dawned on them. I don't know, as long as I'm preaching this right and it's coming across how I'm seeing it, then I'm assuming everyone else to be sitting through this is sitting here dawning on them the importance and the magnitude of the local New Testament church. And because before that, if I'd really understood this, that would have been a hard old task to be, wouldn't it? Because every single church that anyone here has been to in this country has basically been put up with, haven't they? If you're able to stay at that church and they haven't been preaching against you every single week and really desiring you to leave for daring to even challenge them on their, on basically what is their wicked walk, because it is, because most of them are doing absolutely nothing for God at all. That if they're putting up with you there, how on earth can you apply all this? How do you do it? A church that doesn't even want you there, they don't want to give you any roles in the church. They don't even want you talking to the other church members. I was at a church where every time the church ended, the pastor just beelined me to make sure that I didn't talk to anyone else in the church, in case I might have mentioned soul winning or anything else. It's just like, how can you be a blessing to that church? It wasn't because I was there just pushing all my views. As you're at those churches, you literally can't talk about almost anything, can you? You can't talk about homeschooling because you don't want to offend someone. You can't talk about something else. You can't talk about how you want women to dress and men to dress. You can't talk about any of it, because you're going to offend someone, because none of them are trying to live for God. None of them are seeing those truths in the Bible, and none of it's being preached. So that's been really hard for us, isn't it? Really hard. But now that we have the church here, now I'm starting to really understand this more and more and more, and praise God it's now, because before, like I said, it would have been hard. Yeah, our gifts are for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. That's what they're for. That's the main thing. So, therefore, the church is more important than your job prospects, isn't it? Is it not? The church is more important than the area you want to live in, than that pretty area that's three hours from church, and you can only make it however long. The church is more important than your family connections. The church is more important than your family connections. And it's clear, isn't it? And if we can't be a part of that church and be there to edify each other, to use our gifts for the church, then we're failing in that part of our life. And it's so clear, isn't it? The more you read through this book, it's so clear. But it's a hard thing, and it's not that we want people here. I prefer someone coming here once every six months and not coming at all. But ideally, really, we need to question ourselves and say, how much do we want to live for God? Because if we want to live for God, we want to be coming to every service. And when we had a third service, three to thrive, you want to be coming, three services a week. You want to be soul-winning when we're soul-winning. I'm not saying you have to balance life. You have to still have a family or whatever else. But there are soul-winning times as well, other than a Sunday. And there's going to be more and more stuff for the church, isn't there? And even turning up to whatever, a women's get-together or a men's preaching night just to listen to it. That's to edify the church. That's going to help those people preach. Help those guys who are up here. They've written, they've spent a long time, written a ten-minute sermon. And sometimes it can be harder to write a ten-minute sermon than our sermon because you can't ramble on like I am right now about this because you've lost your ten minutes then. But to write that can be hard, and then it's like they're looking out and there's five guys, the other guys that are preaching. And part of that, being there, is an encouragement, isn't it? Being there is exhorting people. And yeah, it might be easier for those that live closer or it might be easier for people with a job can get in the way. I'm not saying you've got to all write, that's it, just jack in your jobs and make sure you're here. But that should be something we should be aspiring towards, shouldn't it? Because a job doesn't matter compared with the church, yeah? Okay, and then if you're here, if you're at church, yeah, you're in church to benefit the church, aren't you? Okay, so it's not, okay, well I've done all that, I've come to church now, great. And then I treat church like it's there to serve me because we've all had to do that to a degree because we haven't been able to get involved in any other church, have we? Pretty much. I mean, they might let you do a bit of this and that there if you're lucky. But most of the time it's like you're there and it's kind of, you're just treating church as a service. But no, you're there to benefit the church, to work for God, yeah? So ideally everyone's coming to church as wanting to work for God, do things for God, be a part of the church, not just to tick the box and hope you receive a blessing. Because I've heard that preacher, I always hope we all receive a blessing. Well no, you're there at church to edify each other. You're there at church to do stuff for God, to help the church, to benefit the church. So we should be coming to church not just thinking, oh well, I'm here now, what's the preacher going to give me today? No, what am I going to give other people today? How am I going to encourage others today? How am I going to be their father? How am I going to show love to other people? How am I going to help other people? That's how we should be, shouldn't it? Every single one of us. OK, verse 13, he says, Wherefore, let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. So whatever your skills, they should be for the benefit of the church, yeah? OK, you might desire a spiritual gift of prophesying. You might not get that. But whatever your gifts are, it should be for the benefit of the church. Verse 14, for if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. So I think this would be a public prayer in church. Notice he says, my understanding is unfruitful. That's his understanding. He understands it. He's not just talking a load of gibberish. He understands it, but it doesn't benefit anyone else. He says in verse 15, what is it then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also. And that's the understanding. It's talking about other people's understanding. So when we're praying and singing, it should be so that there is understanding, yeah? OK, and that's the understanding of others. Verse 16, else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the rur of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily give us thanks well, but the other is not edified. OK, so when we're praying and singing in the spirit, as well as giving thanks, we're also blessing with the spirit those around us. And that's an interesting point, isn't it? That praying is blessing other people, singing is blessing other people. I love this phrase here, he that occupieth the rur of the unlearned, which is just a nice, polite way of saying something that doesn't understand, isn't it? He that occupieth the rur of the unlearned. I'll try and use that a bit more often. And it's saying then, well, you know, so someone that doesn't understand, yeah, how will someone that doesn't understand then say Amen? Remember, like, Amen, Amen, however you want to say it means truth, doesn't it? You're kind of verifying what's said. And it's starting to remember when we're sitting and, you know, sometimes you get an habit of just saying it, can't you? If you don't really agree with the prayer, don't say Amen. If you don't agree with the preaching, don't say Amen or Amen or however you want to say it. Brilliant. Because we don't just want to say, it's got meaning, hasn't it? It's got a point, you know? OK, but when we're praying and singing, we want to edify each other, yeah? OK, and obviously that was from verse 15 where he says, I will sing with the spirit, I'll sing with the understanding also, yeah? And obviously you don't have to turn it, but Colossians 3.16 says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. So in singing we are teaching and admonishing one another and I'll say one thing you're teaching someone just by singing loudly is you're teaching them to just praise God without worrying about what people think. Because if you are just kind of in church, and forget the doctrine and the words, obviously you're teaching and admonishing each other without, that's why we'll only sing doctrinally sound hymns here and not things like, and I repented of my sins, and victory of Jesus, man, that winds me up. But when you're singing as well, you're also showing people that you love God. When you're in a church you're showing, I don't care if I squawk like a parrot, I don't care if I'm completely out of tune, I don't care if I just sound like someone, you know, some growling motorbike or something else. We had a nasty one earlier, didn't we brother? Wow, some of these kids. But anyway, forget all that, you should be singing to God, shouldn't you? We should just be singing, sing your heart out. And anyway, verse 18 he says, I thank my God I speak with tongues more than ye all. So, just to add here, this isn't one of those bitter guys that just can't speak any languages. One of those bonjour, bonjour mate, you know, or ciao bello, you know, or something else. This is someone who can actually speak languages, but he's still saying, look, you know, languages are good, yeah, and obviously the gift of being able to just miraculously learn a language is great, but it's all about the church, yeah. He says, so even though he speaks tongues more than ye all, he says, yeah, in the church I'd rather speak five words with my understanding that by my voice I might teach others also than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue. So, obviously, to benefit the church, it's not just about pointless gift flexing, yeah. Okay, verse 20. Brethren, be not children in understanding, howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, with men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people, and yet for all that they will not hear me, sayeth the Lord. Okay, so it looks like, does it, the Corinthian church are showing off their language skills, probably other spiritual gift skills and things, but their understanding is pretty childlike, I think is what he's saying here. He's saying be not children in understanding. Okay, and we're not knocking your kids here, by the way, so kids, you know, your understanding might be childlike, but we do aim to be like you in malice, yeah. We do, you know, we look up to the way that you guys are in terms of malice, and malice is extreme enmity of heart or malevolence, a disposition to injure others without cause for mere personal gratification or from a spirit of revenge, unprovoked malignity or spite, and basically children are just a little less likely to have that pure nasty streak in them. Now I know you get the toddlers do funny things and kids do do funny, and they can be mean, but that pure just enmity, nastiness towards someone else, which people do get, don't they? And it's not just reprobates that get that. People can be like that. They just get to be in their bonnet with someone and they just start hating them. They just start hating on people, and we as Christians can do that as well, can't we? And we want to aim to be more like the children in that, because a child can literally have just had a chunk bitten out of them by a kid the day, you know, an hour before, and then they're best friends with them straight after, aren't they? You know, and they don't. They don't have that enmity and that malice that a lot of the time we would have, wouldn't we? Because if I walked up to one of you like now and bit a chunk out of you, or whacked you over the head with a hard toy, I don't know. I don't think it would be forgiven so quickly, would it? Okay. All right. So here in verse 21 he said, In the Lord is written, With men of other tongues, other lips, So I speak unto this people, And yet for all that they will not hear me, saith the Lord. Now this is from Isaiah 28. So if you want to turn to Isaiah chapter 28, in fact, I've got it on my notes here. So Isaiah 28. And although it's verses 11 and 12, we're going to start in verse 9. It kind of goes with the verse before where it says, Isaiah 28, 9, Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast. So these are those men, not children, understanding, yeah? Okay. Verse 10 he says, For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little. So to be basically in understanding men, he's made it clear it's precept upon precept, line upon line, yeah? Now precepts are commands, but as Christians with line upon line as well, that's a knowledge, isn't it, from the Bible. We have to build knowledge, don't we? To jump into things in the faith and the truths of God. For example, I was thinking about a couple of these that we see a lot now in sort of circus of at least what seems to be saved Christians. It helps to understand that Christ went to hell, doesn't it, to make sense of all of the burnt offerings in the Old Testament. Yeah? It does. They go hand in hand. Or it helps to understand the reprobate doctrine, which I do think is quite a basic doctrine, really, isn't it? Because it's pretty much just clearly there in Romans 1. It doesn't need some in-depth study. And it's hard to understand. I don't know exactly where that line is with rejection and lust of your own heart and everything else, but it helps to understand at least the basics of the reprobate doctrine, that there is a reprobate doctrine, to understand that there are no guarantees of a changed life after salvation. Because that can be a stumbling block, can't it? I remember talking to a pastor who was basically confused. Well, you know, who am I? A homosexual. I'd assume he'd have to at least repent of that sin because they don't understand it, do they? Because you think, well, how on earth could you do something as wicked and vile as that, yet still be a saved Christian and not have to do any work? So they go hand in hand, don't they? Because without the reprobate doctrine, it doesn't make any sense, does it? OK. How about the basic doctrine of replacement theology, the one that we've gone over a bit recently, yeah? Because without that, or, yeah, without it, you know, you then have to start fitting in this weird third coming of Christ before the second one to explain the gathering of the elect in the second one, don't you? So again, they go hand in hand. You need to understand it. You need to just understand what the Bible says. So, basically, to be adults and not these sort of pre-trib, Zionist, hell-rejecting babes in Christ, we need to build knowledge from the Bible, don't we? OK? And it all comes from the Bible, and it's all there, it's all clearly there, but you have to build, build, build, not just have some commentary of some man, started by Darby or Scofield or, you know, whichever way round it was, and start, you know, just following all this nonsense. If you just read the Bible and had it just preached clearly from the Bible, then you should be able to build and build and build, shouldn't you, yeah? And then if we build our knowledge from the Bible, then in understanding we can be men, which is adults, yeah? Verse 11, he says, and we're in Isaiah here, for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. Now, maybe that's because some languages can sound a bit like stammering and stuttering, can't they? I don't know, some languages do sound a bit like that, or maybe like in 1 Corinthians 1.28, where it talks about base things of the world and things which are despised have God chosen, yeah, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are. Yeah, maybe it's just with people that do stammer and stutter, I don't know, but verse 12, he says, to whom he said, this is a rest wherewith ye may cause a weary to rest, and this is a refreshing yet they would not hear, and that's alluding to the Gospel, isn't it? The rest, the refreshing. And that's the point of these languages, isn't it? Yet they would not hear. So the point of the languages was for people to get saved through them, wasn't it? Okay, verse 22, wherefore tongues, back to 1 Corinthians, wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not, but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. So the tongues are a sign for those that believe not, okay? And the prophesying here is specifically preaching the Church now, not talking of preaching the Gospel, something we should all do, yeah? We should all be preaching the Gospel, whether or not you think you've got the gift of preaching or anything else, we should all be preaching the Gospel. And if you practice it enough, for some people it doesn't come as naturally, does it? But practice it, practice it. Your goal should be to be able to preach the Gospel. You might be a silent partner for five years, you know, and silent partners, you know, we couldn't do it without silent partners. Yeah, you could go out on your own, but I tell you what, it's a lot different when you've got someone with you, isn't it? And that's how we're told to go two by two, and nothing wrong with that, but your goal should be eventually at some point to be able to preach the Gospel, and for some it might be after one week, for some it might be after one year. Regardless, that should be our goal, shouldn't it? Verse 23 says, if therefore the whole Church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? So obviously this isn't talking about preaching the Gospel to unbelievers, in their own languages, like in Acts 2. Remember Acts 2.11 said, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. Okay, that's what they're talking there. But instead it's the Church together speaking just all these different languages amongst each other. And someone comes in, everyone's just speaking all these different languages, and in a world where Greek was the main language, yeah, and everyone's just speaking all these different languages, even though they can probably most of them speak Greek, there would just be, what on earth is going on in here? So then the less mature Christians and the unbelievers will basically think that they're mad, and that would be the same here, wouldn't it? If everyone here was just speaking their own different languages, we've got a bit of a multicultural mix here, and if everyone was just speaking their own different languages, people would just come in and think, what on earth is going on there? You don't know what's going on. Okay, verse 24, he says, but if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all, and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest, and so falling down in his face, he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth. Okay, now obviously if they're prophesying, they're preaching the word of God accurately and boldly, okay, if they're prophesying. The new believer then, and the unknowledgeable Christian, are going to get convicted, aren't they? Judged by the word. Well, how are they going to get convicted and judged by the word? Well, Hebrews 4.12, go there if you like. Again, it's a famous verse, but such a powerful verse. Hebrews 4, verse 12 says, for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Okay, so verse 25 there said, and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest, and so falling down in his face, he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth. That should be the result, shouldn't it? That should be the result when we hear the word of God and it cuts to our heart, and that word of God is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart, we should be then humbling ourselves before God, not grumbling and moaning and complaining about whoever's preaching or whatever else that sadly does happen. Because the word of God discerns our thoughts and intents, doesn't it? Doesn't it just? When you hear the word of God, it can be hard, can't it? Hearing the word of God preached, it can be hard reading the word of God as well, because it does. It discerns our thoughts and intents, and that's why so often preaching feels personal, doesn't it? So often preaching feels like it's personal at you, and every preacher around the world will say that they'll often have people going, was that me? Or a lot of the time it's come up to them, are you preaching at me again or whatever else? And it's not, it's just the word of God. The word of God just cuts, doesn't it? And it does feel personal. The result should be humbling before God. The result should be that we humble ourselves before God. That's what we should do. Verse 26 says, How is it then, brethren, when you come together, every one of you have the psalm, have the doctrine, have the tongue, have the revelation, have an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. So it sounds like they're just coming together to show off their abilities, doesn't it here? That's what that looks like in that verse. And is that really to edify the church? Or is it to lift themselves up? And something obviously we should keep in mind, shouldn't we? It's easy to read these things, spiritual gifts, start then thinking, oh yeah, I've got some spiritual gifts. And then you kind of feel like you need to show people your spiritual gifts. But that's not what we should be doing, should we? Verse 27 says, So I believe that Paul's saying that if anyone speaks an unknown language, it's only to two or three at a time with someone translating it. So it's not just taking over the whole church. You're calling out, but no one understands what you're talking about. Two or three people, someone's translating it. So basically if we had someone that came in here that spoke another language, instead of him just speaking this language and then it kind of taking over the church service or taking over the fellowship time, really it should just be to a couple of people at a time, not that everyone's waiting, wondering what this guy's saying while he's trying to almost hold court and talk out to everyone and be the centre of attention there. It's not to be a big show because the whole point is to be a benefit for others. We should be in church to benefit each other. And if it's a language that no one knows, it's not going to profit the church, is it? Verse 28 says, So again, and even if there was someone here that literally didn't speak a word of anything else, instead of the whole thing revolving around him and trying to get him to understand, he should just be here speaking to God, still listening, still singing, enjoying the music, the Holy Spirit, everyone here, the preaching, try and get some of the word of God and learn our language rather than everyone, right? We're going to have to, everyone translate to this guy and then what he wants to say back, that wouldn't edify the church, would it? Verse 29 says, So this sounds a bit like a men's preaching night, doesn't it? Okay, one by one there, it sounds like a men's preaching night. And I mean, here you'd imagine, maybe there are quite a lot of people that are preaching here, maybe he is just talking about those times they come together and they take it in turns to preach. And obviously he's saying here that we should be judging, preaching the word of God. He's saying here in verse 29, let the prophet speak to us and let the other judge. So we should be judging by the word of God. We shouldn't just be taking what's said, oh, well, that's it. We should be judging it by the word of God. If there's something you're unsure about, then by all means make a note if there's a scripture reference or something and go home and have a look and look in the word of God and then come to the preacher and say, I'm not sure about that. There's nothing wrong with that, yeah? It's all because it's done in a humble and polite way as well. Verse 31, it says, So the preaching should teach us and should comfort us, shouldn't it? That's the whole point in the preaching, that it teaches us and comfort us. Verse 32, So I think that same prophet should preach according to the word of God. That's how I see that. They should preach according to the word of God. And then he says, So obviously primary application here is that there shouldn't be confusion with different people preaching at the same time, others talking unknown languages, and all this kind of weird stuff just going on in the church. No one really knows what's going on, who's saying what. But this could apply to many areas, can't it? So God is not the author of confusion. He's not saying only when it comes to languages, but of peace as in all churches of the saints. So confusion about salvation, about confusion about salvation. God is not the author of confusion. It's not confusing, is it? And if you're going into a church and no one seems to know how to get saved, there's a big problem there, isn't there? There's a load of unsaved people sitting in a church and all got a different idea of salvation. There's a problem. Confusion about what the word of God is. Confusion about which Bible is the word of God. You go to these churches and everyone's got their own flavor of the month Bible. God is not the author of confusion. Confusion about what God says. Well, thus saith the Lord is in my Bible. And if you don't know that, if you're not saying that, well, I don't know if he really meant that because the RSV or whatever, the NIV or NASV or whatever it is, all these silly Vs, if that says something and this says that, well, I'm not sure I'm going to go with that. Again, he's not the author of confusion, is he? You're not making you wonder and have to check 50 different translations and make your own mind up. God is not the author of confusion and especially not in a church, but it's not just in the church, is it? So God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. So a lot of people get confused about the will of God, don't they? So a lot of people, oh, I just don't know what God's will is for my life. I don't know what the will of God is. Well, number one is will is that everyone would get saved, okay? That's pretty clear, isn't it? 2 Peter 3, 9 says, the Lord is not slack concerning his promises, something counts slackness, but his longsuffering to us were not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, okay? That's clear. And you don't have to turn to John 6, he says, and this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Now, after that, that's a clear will of God, isn't it? After that, because people, oh, I don't know, it's a bit confusing. What is God's will? Well, Ecclesiastes 12, 13 just sums it up, doesn't it? Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Now, it doesn't have to be confusing, but what happens is people don't really want to fear God and keep his commandments, so they kind of avoid that bit, and then they say, oh, I just don't know, God's made it so confusing, I don't know if I should do this or do that, no. Follow God, yeah, I know, it can be hard sometimes, you know, you need to read your Bible to understand what his commandments are, you need to first find out what his commandments are, how to fear him, how to keep his commandments, that's your whole duty, but once you do that, then I think it's much easier to find God's will and you do have peace, don't you? God's will, that's God's obvious will, get God's obvious will straight first and then the things that aren't so clear should become clear. Okay, God's not the author of confusion. Now, with that in mind, verse 34 then says, let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. Many men's hears, memory verses, and we did look at this last week, didn't we? We looked at this brief last week, so it's nice that we could just hit it second week running, yeah? Really hammer this point home. Okay, so, and if you weren't here last week, please go back and listen to this, ladies. I mean, everyone. Okay, so, 1 Timothy, chapter 2. Let's go to 1 Timothy, chapter 2. Okay, verse 11. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection, but I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression, notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. Okay, so, he obviously expands, doesn't he, that the part of the reasoning is that Adam was formed first. So, number 1, it's not just the deceiving. Adam was formed first, wasn't he? Okay, Eve was formed to be and help meet for Adam, wasn't she? And in the same way, that's what women were formed for. Now, that's not, like we said, saying that women are lesser people or anything else, that's just the order, that's how it's meant to be. And Eve was deceived, though. So, Eve was deceived. And he does make that point, doesn't he? Like I said last week, women are more easily deceived, as a general rule, with things such as spiritual things and lies and everything else. Okay, but regardless of the reasoning, so regardless of whether we can get in tune with God's reasoning here, whether or not he even wants us to understand it, God makes it clear, verse 34 of 1 Corinthians there, that they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. Okay? So, how does it say the law? Well, in fact, it was basically one of the first ever commands. Genesis 3.16 says unto the women, he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. He shall rule over thee. Okay? So, it's pretty clear, isn't it, that? It is pretty clear. Now, let's, while we're on this subject, go to Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 22. Ephesians 5.22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Okay? It's clear, isn't it? It's clear as day in the Bible. And with that in mind, I'm sure that most women here don't have a problem with their husbands obeying some ungodly boss at work. Do they? Do men come home, especially if you're really relying on that money, you're relying on that paycheck, and when they come home and start moaning about the boss, if your husband started going, you know, I'm just, how dare he talk to me? They go, yeah, you shouldn't have to put up with him. You go and tell him, you know, I'm not putting up. They probably wouldn't, wouldn't they? Probably be like, look, he's your boss, you know? That's a hierarchy at work. That's what happens. But in the same way, that's a hierarchy in the house. Now, is that boss any better person than you? No. Is that boss more important? Does God look down and go, oh, I prefer that boss because he's your boss at work? No. In exactly the same way in the house, that's just the way it goes, because without a hierarchy, without a leadership, without a final authority, like we just spoke about with the word of God, then it's always going to be a problem. There's always a problem in every walk of life without a final say, a final authority, yeah? And ultimately, the final authority is the word of God, but in the home, when it comes to the family, it's a man. Now, when he says this, he says, so why is then a submissive woman told to be in silence then? So what's that about? Why to be in silence? Well, firstly, obviously not preaching, okay? Obviously, she can't be preaching if she's in silence in the church. And obviously, if she was deceived, like we saw, then a woman preaching for the pulpit, there's likely going to be problems, aren't there? Okay? No offence, just that's the way it is. And like I said the other week, in exactly the same week, you leave most men here a week on their own with the kids all day every day, and it's going to be a problem, isn't it? And you'll be lucky to find the house still in one piece, the children probably still in one piece, and we're just not very good at that. And we can admit to that. And hopefully, I hope all women here could admit to the fact that yep, leading a church or leading the family or making those big decisions and everything else is not their fault either, okay? That's just the way it is. Now, just because the world says that running a family isn't some sort of, isn't a good job and it's not a respectful job, being a stay-at-home mum, well, the Bible and I beg to differ on that because for me, that's possibly one of the most important jobs in the world. I mean, what a massive job. What a massive job. What a massive job. And for those that, okay, well, we don't have a family, so even just supporting a man who's then to be a spiritual head is a massive job, isn't it? And there are many, many other parties. That's not just the only thing a woman does. To serve in a church is massive as well. But it is a massive, massive job. And teaching children is hard. And being at home with a child day and day is hard, isn't it? And being that help and that guidance for kids is a hard job. Okay, so if I'm sitting in the church with my wife, yeah, and she's just calling things out in the preaching, she's amening, you know, while the preaching's going on, is that showing submission to me? It's not really, is it? She's not showing submission to me there. She's trying to get her voice heard. But she's meant to be submissive to me. Okay, it's for me, isn't it, to agree or not agree with the preaching. I'm the spiritual head of the house. I was, you know, again, Eve was the one that was deceived. It should be me saying, yeah, truth, amen, or not, yeah? Or, for example, if there is a part where people can get involved, some churches are a bit more, you know, interactive with stuff, surely it's for the spiritual head to do that. That's a hierarchy. What if I don't agree? What if I don't agree with the preacher? My wife's, amen, yeah, preach it, you know, and everything else. And there's then a problem there, isn't there? Now, why asking the husbands at home is because wives are meant to submit to their own husbands, aren't they? So not to then go and ask someone else's husband at the church or, you know, start, it's for her to go home and submit to her husband as the spiritual head. Okay, and then that helps cement that position, doesn't it? Okay, and it cements that, that she submits and she asks him at home. But then how tragic, if I don't fulfil my responsibility as a leader, how tragic is that? If my wife asks me at home and I can't answer, I didn't even bother listening, I was too busy, you know, thinking about what I'm doing tomorrow, you know, or whatever else, how tragic that is. How tragic if I'm a bad leader at home. How tragic if my wife's being told she's got to submit to me as a leader, yet I'm just, you know, I'm just some joke at home who just, you know, lying around doing nothing all day, you know, I'm just like, yeah, get on with you. She wants to see a lead. You've got to lead to be a leader, don't you? For them to follow you. Okay, and what if I'm just flying off the handle every minute or whatever the rest, I'm doing so many things that are out of God's will, then that's a lot harder for her then, isn't it? So we should be living, living for God. We should be as men, then we have a big responsibility. That's a massive responsibility, to be a spiritual leader, a spiritual head at home. Verse 36 says, what? Came the word of God out from you or came it unto you only? Okay, so I think Paul's saying it, don't change God's commandments. So the word of God came unto you. We're not then to change it to suit us in society, to then, well, the word of God comes out from us. We decide what God says, like all these churches around the country and around the world do. Oh, yeah, no, it's up to me what God does. It's up to me. Well, yeah, because this version says that, this version says that. Oh, well, no, actually no, because at the time that meant something different. So when he said actually about women that shouldn't be speaking at church, oh, that was to do with the Jewish custom at the time. Thank God that I understand that more now. And lucky that we can tell you what the word of God meant to say. And no, the word of God came to us, didn't it? The word of God came to us. That's how I see that. Verse 37 says, if any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. That's a good point, isn't it? If you think that you know it all, and there are people there that probably thought they know it all, they need to accept that these are commandments of God, don't they? And there are many Christians that think they're ultra-spiritual, don't they? And we come across them, we come across a lot of fake Christians who aren't even saved that think they're ultra-spiritual. They think that they've just got it all down and everything else. But then they can't even attempt to follow the most basic commandments, can they? So you get these people that think that this is spiritual power, you knock on the door and they're, Oh, yeah, yeah, well, you know, I'm so spiritual. And they're standing there like some woman in a pair of hot pants or something. You're just like, what? You know, while trying to tell me what a spiritual mecca you are. It's just ridiculous. But, yeah, for us, you know, we should, if we think ourselves to be spiritual or a prophet, we need to acknowledge the commandments, don't we? And that's the first part. And the same when you're preaching, you need to acknowledge what the word of God's saying. He says, but if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. I think it's just accepting. If you don't have the knowledge, accept you don't have the knowledge. Don't try and be something you're not. Don't try and tell everyone what you think the Bible says when you've got no idea. Don't try and tell everyone, you know, some truth that you just don't even understand. Verse 39 says, Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy and forbid not to speak with tongues. So back to the main subject here. It's a good thing to preach, isn't it? It's a good thing to preach because if you're preaching a way to fire the church, to uplift the church, to exhort the church, to comfort the church. But he's not saying there, he's not saying you can't speak with tongues or languages. OK, so he didn't end it by going, OK, so never, that's it. It's just going to be for the right reasons, isn't it? So it's nothing wrong with it. Don't forbid people to speak in different languages. If people have that gift and skill, that's good, but it's got to be for the right reasons. Then verse 40, Let all things be done decently and in order. And that is a nice motto for a church, isn't it? Decently and in order. And something hopefully everyone here is learning as time goes by. Because we are all learning, we all haven't been really a proper part of a church to that point where we're really involved, you know, and we're learning how things decently and in order are. And everyone here is. And there is an order to doing things, it should be done decently, it should be done how the church wants it done. And with us, that's how Pastor Thompson wants it done. And we should all be learning to do that. And some things we're going to step out of line now and again. And, you know, I'm going to pull you up on that if I see that. And he's going to pull me up if I don't see that or it's something that I do. And we should all just be doing our best to do things decently and in order as the church wants it done. And really how the word of God wants it done, really. With that, let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word. Thank you for all the many truths that we're getting out of the Book of Corinthians. And again, just that truth that everything we should be doing, everything that we should be desiring to do should be for the edifying, for the exhorting, for the comfort of the church. We should be trying our best to just to make this church work, to make everyone here to uplift them, to improve them, to help them, to support them. Help us to just have that right frame of mind towards each other. Help us to seek to do things as you want them done here, decently and in order. Help us to just be a blessing to everyone here. Help us to pray for each other in the week. Help us to also, as a church now, do what the church is meant to do and go out and get people saved from this church. And to just fulfil your will in every area of our life as well. In Jesus' name we pray all of this. Amen. Thank you.