1 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,560 We are in the book of First Corinthians, so if you have your 2 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:11,440 Bible, you can open up there to 1st Corinthians chapter 14, 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,680 chapter 14. We're continuing this teaching 4 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:21,160 on spiritual gifts and the issue of spiritual gifts within the 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,680 church, the right teaching on spiritual gifts within the 6 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,080 church as well. Now the Corinthians are getting 7 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,080 it wrong in many ways. They're exploiting the gifts as 8 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:35,120 reasons for self glory rather than God's glory and the good of 9 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:36,920 those around them. And so that's kind of been the 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,040 key component here. In chapter 12, Paul showed us 11 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,720 that the gifts come from the same spirits and that they're 12 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:46,760 given for the common good of the body. 13 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:51,480 That was kind of the main point, if you will, of chapter 12, that 14 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:55,040 the gifts come from the same Spirit and they are given for 15 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:59,720 the common good of the body. In chapter 13, Paul reminded the 16 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:04,720 Corinthians that love is greater than any gift, and without love 17 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,160 as the foundation of the gift, the reason you use the gift, 18 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:12,800 then these gifts are worthless. OK, so without love, the gifts 19 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,040 become worthless. Why? 20 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,120 Because you prioritize yourself rather than God, rather than His 21 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,400 people. So that was kind of the main 22 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:23,760 point of chapter 13. And now what happens is Paul 23 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,640 moves into chapter 14 and applies this teaching to the 24 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,840 gathered worship of the church. So when they're coming together 25 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:37,360 for Lord's Day worship as we are now, they they're, they're miss 26 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:39,920 applying the gifts here as well. And so Paul's going to begin to 27 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:44,200 teach on those things, particularly how how these gifts 28 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,640 should show up in worship. And so this pattern, if you 29 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,760 will, kind of follows what Paul's been doing all along 30 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:53,880 throughout the book of Corinthians. 31 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,960 There's a concern that's raised, there's an issue that's raised. 32 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,280 He provides, you know, sound teaching on that thing, 33 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,920 doctrinal fidelity on whatever the issue might be. 34 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,479 Then he goes into, you know, something they should remember 35 00:02:09,479 --> 00:02:12,240 something that should think about something they should do 36 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:15,120 something to that effect. And then he just straight up 37 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,160 applies it, right? He, he, he goes on to show from 38 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:22,720 that point how it is that they're misunderstanding it. 39 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:24,960 How does their miss applying it? How does they need to be 40 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:27,640 corrected? OK, so chapter 14 is going to 41 00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:31,480 get a lot more corrective in nature than what you've seen in 42 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,800 12 and 13, though there has been some of that. 43 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,240 So just want to bring your awareness to that kind of set 44 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,640 the context for what Paul's doing here in Chapter 14. 45 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,720 So what we know about the Corinthians so far is that they 46 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:50,560 are a zealous, zealous for dramatic spiritual experiences, 47 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:52,120 right? They they want something that's 48 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,960 over the top. They want something that proves 49 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,720 their spirituality outwardly, right? 50 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,800 That shows that some sign, which is why sign gifts have been so 51 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:07,240 important to them, some measure of godliness that's perceived, 52 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,200 that can be seen as something greater than what other people 53 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,480 experience. What we also know about the 54 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,280 Corinthians is they are previously, as all of us are, I 55 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:22,240 suppose, a Pagan people, but their area of the world is 56 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,720 filled with idol worship. It's filled with men and women 57 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,600 who previously worshipped idols, previously practiced really 58 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:34,120 ecstatic experiences as in relation to to false spirits, to 59 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,760 demons. Even Paul brings that up, you 60 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,080 know, the worship of demons earlier on in the book. 61 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,000 And so they're they're they're zealous for these drat dramatic 62 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,960 spiritual experiences, especially speaking in tongues. 63 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,920 But but call Paul corrects them here and he says that the true 64 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,240 measure of spirituality is not how exciting the gift appears, 65 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:58,560 but how much it builds up the church. 66 00:03:58,560 --> 00:03:59,880 That's what he's going to get into. 67 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:03,320 It's not the measure of spirituality is not how exciting 68 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:06,600 your gift might be, right? Some of us have a gift that's 69 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:10,960 not perceived as exciting, maybe to us or to others. 70 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,880 But when you employ the gift right in a way that honors the 71 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:17,519 Lord and is good for his people, well, that's exciting. 72 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,480 That's doubly exciting, right, because we're honoring the Lord 73 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,680 with gift. We're honoring His people with 74 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,480 the gift, and so we're building up the church, and that's the 75 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,720 measure of spiritualities. How much does your gift, how 76 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:31,760 much does your exercise of the gift actually build up the 77 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:33,640 church? All right, so Paul's getting 78 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:36,480 into those things here in First Corinthians 14. 79 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,720 If you're able to, would you please stand and honor the 80 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,440 reading of God's Word this morning? 81 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:45,080 Again, we're in chapter 14. I'm going to read one through 82 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:47,280 12. One through 12 will be our text 83 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:51,920 today. Verse one, pursue love and 84 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:56,160 earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may 85 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,280 prophecy. For one who speaks in a tongue 86 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:03,600 speaks not to men, but to God, for no one understands him, but 87 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:05,960 he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 88 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:10,120 On the other hand, the one who prophesized speaks to people for 89 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,080 their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 90 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,960 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one 91 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,720 who prophesized builds up the church. 92 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,800 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to 93 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,840 prophecy. The one who prophesizes greater 94 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:28,640 than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone 95 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:31,880 interprets so that the church may be built up. 96 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,760 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I 97 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,240 benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or 98 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:43,360 prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments 99 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:47,560 such as the flute or the harp do not give distinct notes, how 100 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,800 will anyone know what is played? And if the bugle gives an 101 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,840 indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 102 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,280 So with yourselves. If with your tongue you utter 103 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:00,880 speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is 104 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:03,280 said? For you will be speaking into 105 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:06,240 the air. There are doubtless many 106 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,920 different languages in the world, and none is without 107 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:11,360 meaning. But if I do not know the meaning 108 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:13,920 of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and 109 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:18,040 the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourself, since you are 110 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:22,120 eager for manifestation of the spirits, strive to excel in 111 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,040 building up the church. This is the word of the Lord. 112 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:29,400 Thanks be to God, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come before 113 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:35,600 you now and we ask Lord, that you would use chapter 14 verses 114 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:42,120 one through 12 in a way that would encourage us to use our 115 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,800 gifts and the service of love for God and love for his people. 116 00:06:45,840 --> 00:06:49,640 That our gifts would be used in such a way that they would build 117 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,440 up the body of Christ, that they would build up the church. 118 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:58,160 Father, we are really powerless one to create a gift in 119 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,000 ourselves. We know that gifts come from 120 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,040 your spirits. And Lord, when we receive a 121 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:07,480 gift, the temptation comes for us to use the gift on ourselves, 122 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,680 to think inwardly. And Father, your word in chapter 123 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,960 13 calls us to love. It calls us to using the gift in 124 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:17,880 a way that would honor you and, and build up your church. 125 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:19,880 And so, Lord, would you help us in that. 126 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,840 And now as we come to 14, this point of building up the church 127 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:27,720 is being hammered home even further by the apostle Paul. 128 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,360 And we ask, Lord, that you would open our hearts and minds to 129 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:36,040 receive this word with humility, Father, to consider this word, 130 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,720 maybe to consider this word in light of our own gifts. 131 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,960 Lord, we thank you that your Spirit is with us, that your 132 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,160 word is living and active, that it's sharper than a double edged 133 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:53,360 sword, and it's meant for our growth and our maturity in 134 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:55,760 Christ likeness. And so we ask for your help this 135 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:57,360 morning. It's in the name of Christ, I 136 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:58,560 pray. Amen. 137 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:00,440 Amen. You may be seated. 138 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,560 Well, it's football season and football season brings about 139 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:14,760 marching band season as well. Now, if you think of A1 band 140 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:19,640 nerd. So if you think of a middle 141 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:22,200 school marching band that's gathered right now, middle 142 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:24,960 school, everyone's eager but new, right? 143 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,720 So middle school marching band gathers up for some of their 144 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,640 first practices and each musician's holding this 145 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:35,520 beautiful instruments. They've got excitement and joy, 146 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,200 but instead of playing the same song, they just begin blasting 147 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:42,039 different notes at the same time into the air. 148 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:47,200 The trumpets are blaring, the drums are pounding out random 149 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:49,880 beats, woodwinds are howling, right? 150 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,040 But the result isn't music. It's noise. 151 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:57,160 It's not music, it's noise. That's what Paul says. 152 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:01,520 The Corinthians Lord's Day gathering is like that. 153 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:05,920 It's not music, it's noise. Everyone is excited, everyone's 154 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,200 active, but no one is being built up. 155 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,800 No one's being encouraged or edified or strengthened in their 156 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:15,200 walk with the Lord. Their worship gathering had 157 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:19,840 become a confusing noise rather than a clear encouragement. 158 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:24,640 All right, here in First Corinthians 14, Paul calls us to 159 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:27,480 remember this truth. And if you're taking notes, you 160 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:32,000 can write this down. Use your spiritual gifts to 161 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:33,680 glorify God and build up the church. 162 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:35,680 It's very simple today. All right. 163 00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:38,640 Use your spiritual gifts to glorify God and build up the 164 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:41,440 church. That's the point of the passage. 165 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:45,240 Paul's going to reveal this. He's going to build it out over 166 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:49,640 the course of what I'm calling 4 Standards for using your 167 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:51,640 spiritual gifts. There ought to be there ought to 168 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:55,760 be standards or rules or guides to how we exercise spiritual 169 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,960 gifts, and Paul raises those in this passage. 170 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:02,680 The first one we come to is the priority of love, and I'll begin 171 00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:04,960 on that in a moment, but I'll go ahead and read these so you know 172 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:07,960 where we're headed. The second is the purpose of 173 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:10,600 gifts. The third is the problem of 174 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,000 confusion. And the 4th is the principle of 175 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,400 edification. So the first priority that we 176 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,520 see is the priority of love in verse one. 177 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:25,040 I'm going to read it again. Pursue love and earnestly desire 178 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:29,240 the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophecy. 179 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:33,600 Now Paul begins yet again. That's not going to work well 180 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:37,440 later for communion. I'll need a refill, guys. 181 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:47,200 My fault. Trish is used to that sort of 182 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:51,120 behavior. So Paul's got to reinforce this 183 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:56,120 point of love as he anchors everything in love, right? 184 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:58,840 He's coming out of chapter 12 out of 13. 185 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:01,200 It's a continuation of thought here. 186 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,480 Chapters and verse numbers were added for our benefit, for our 187 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:06,840 help. But this was originally just a 188 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:08,480 letter, right? Just straight through. 189 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,320 And so chapter 14, verse one, he's anchoring everything in 190 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:16,520 love. Pursue love and earnestly desire 191 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:20,000 the spiritual gifts, right? The Corinthians were obsessed 192 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,760 with spiritual gifts outside of the pursuit of love. 193 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:27,360 But Paul says chase love above all else. 194 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:29,960 Pursue it, right? Hunt it down. 195 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:33,120 That's that's the word. Pursue is a very strong verb. 196 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:37,600 It means to run after it, right? Sometimes as husbands, we use 197 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:40,240 the language of pursuing our wives, right? 198 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,960 And in the dating phase, I pursued Patricia, right? 199 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:50,080 It's this idea of hunting down love is not an optional add on. 200 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:52,920 And Paul wants to make that clear, right? 201 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:55,600 He's, he's further clarifying. Love is not some optional add 202 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:57,040 on. It's to be the foundation. 203 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,480 It's to be not only the foundation, but it becomes the 204 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,440 motivation for why you pursue anything else. 205 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:05,160 Love is not an optional add on to Christian maturity. 206 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,640 It, it's one of the primary marks of Christian maturity. 207 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:12,640 It's it's the atmosphere in which all ministry must breathe. 208 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:15,800 Right. All ministry breathes, should 209 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,240 breathe, ought to breathe in this atmosphere of love. 210 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:23,000 It's it's to be behind everything we do. 211 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:26,040 It's to be obvious in everything that we give ourselves to. 212 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:29,320 It's to be obvious in the way that we exercise the gifts that 213 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:32,080 the Lord's given us. So Paul makes it clear that 214 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:35,280 spiritual gifts are good. All right, I don't want you 215 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:36,680 hearing me say spiritual gifts are good. 216 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:39,040 I don't want you to hear Paul saying spiritual gifts are good. 217 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,280 He's saying spiritual gifts are good. 218 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:43,960 And he's saying not only are they good, but you should desire 219 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,360 them. But they may. 220 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:52,040 They must always be governed by love, All right, must be 221 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,360 governed by love. Love is the greatest gift of the 222 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:58,760 Spirit because it reflects as we've seen in chapter 13, the 223 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:04,960 very character of God reflects who he is in just in and out all 224 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:09,560 all of his being is love. Remember first John the Apostle 225 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:15,840 there describes describes God as God is love, right? 226 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,840 Chapter 13 made it clear to us that tongues and prophecy and 227 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:23,840 knowledge have an expiration date. 228 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:28,240 But love endures forever. Love endures forever goes on. 229 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,960 And so if you exercise a gift without love, all right, if 230 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:34,320 you're exercising your spiritual gift, maybe it's leadership, all 231 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:37,640 right. Anybody ever been to church with 232 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,680 unloving leaders? I'll raise my hand at that. 233 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:45,000 All right? Maybe you work with unloving 234 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:49,160 leaders. Maybe you have in your home 235 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:52,640 unloving leaders. All right? 236 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:57,040 An unloving leader is no leader at all, right? 237 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:01,920 They're just someone typically small, and there's a perception 238 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,000 of themselves demanding that everyone think they're big. 239 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:10,960 All right, so it's an unloving thing to lead without love. 240 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:13,360 But you can apply that to any other spiritual gift, 241 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:19,040 administration, tongues, prophecy, healing, acts of 242 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:21,800 service, you know, all these various gifts. 243 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:23,680 Without love, they're meaningless. 244 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:27,080 Without love, they're the, they're the clanging symbol, 245 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:30,000 right? Or the noisy gong, right? 246 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,480 They're, they're, they're beating these things for the 247 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:37,240 sake of being noticed, not for the sake of being a blessing, 248 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,880 not for the sake of serving God and serving his people. 249 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:49,000 So if you're exercising your gift without love, then you 250 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:53,880 cannot truly call that a spiritual gift. 251 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,440 That's a fleshly gift. You've made it about yourself, 252 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:00,520 right? So Matthew Henry common comments 253 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,240 on this passage. He says without love, the 254 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:08,560 greatest gifts are nothing. He's just restating what Paul 255 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:10,360 has said in First Corinthians 13. 256 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:13,840 One through 3. Love must be the spring, he goes 257 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,480 on. It must be the regulator and the 258 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,240 end of all that we do. It's the spring, right? 259 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:25,120 Not like the spring and you know, some sort of electronic, 260 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,800 right, It's the spring and that it gives life, right? 261 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,120 Spring like water that's giving a life to all around us. 262 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:36,440 The spring, it's what bubbles up inside of you, but it's also the 263 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:42,640 regulator, meaning it's, it's what makes you discern your 264 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:45,240 motivations. It's what makes you discern your 265 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:49,680 actions and your words. And it's the regulator for all 266 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:52,600 that you do it make sure that it's done in love. 267 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:56,840 And then it's also the end of all that we do, meaning we 268 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,960 operate in love. We carry out the gifts of God 269 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:03,360 that he's given to us in love because we want others to know 270 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:07,320 what the love of God, right? That's the end of it. 271 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:09,880 The end motivator of all of it is love. 272 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,840 One, we want you to know that God loves you so dearly that 273 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,360 he's gifted people around you to minister to you in your time of 274 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:21,240 need because he loves you, right? 275 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:26,520 Because you're valuable to Him. And two, we want you to know the 276 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:30,760 love of the body, right? We want people to know that we 277 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:37,320 do dearly love them. So those are two of the great 278 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,920 motivations. Love ensures that spiritual 279 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:45,880 gifts are used not for self glory, but for service, right? 280 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:49,640 I want to use these gifts in service. 1st Corinthians 13, one 281 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,280 through 3, without love, tongues, prophecy, knowledge, 282 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:54,640 even martyrdom, right? Even giving your life to be 283 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,680 burned, those things are worthless. 284 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:02,120 John 1334 through 35 makes it clear to us, as Christ is 285 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:05,760 explaining there, that love is the mark of true discipleship. 286 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,880 He said the world will know that you are my disciples by your 287 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,760 love for one another, all right? By the love that you have for 288 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:15,760 one another. So if you think of a man in his 289 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:22,280 home, right, a man in his home may be strong, he may be wise, 290 00:17:23,079 --> 00:17:28,520 he may be skilled, right? But if he doesn't show love, if, 291 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:32,360 if love isn't the foundation and the motivation of all that he 292 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,560 does, then all those gifts all the way that God, that God has 293 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:41,520 wired him in good ways, all those things fall flat, right? 294 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,320 Because a wife and a child would rather have a man in their home 295 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,920 who loves them faithfully than one who is able to dazzle them 296 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:53,480 with their abilities but neglect their hearts, right? 297 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:57,400 The same is true in the church, but the same is true in the 298 00:17:57,400 --> 00:17:59,760 church. So we must ask ourselves, am I 299 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:04,160 known more for my giftedness or for my love? 300 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:13,040 Am I known more for what I contribute and how amazingly 301 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:16,520 talented the Lord has made me, or for my love? 302 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:20,480 Another question. When I serve in the church. 303 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:21,920 Now these are introspective, right? 304 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,720 I'm writing these for myself, sharing them with you. 305 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:28,720 But when I serve in the church, do I ask, will this make me look 306 00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:33,200 good? Or will this help someone else 307 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:35,840 grow? Will this build up the body of 308 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:41,360 Christ? Love must always come 1st. 309 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:43,720 I don't want to belabor the point because I think we've done 310 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,920 a good job looking at that the last couple of weeks. 311 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:49,040 But Paul begins here, and so it's worth noting. 312 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:52,760 Then he goes on to clarify what the gifts are for. 313 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:56,080 And that's the second thing we come to is the purpose of gifts 314 00:18:56,080 --> 00:19:01,600 in verses 2 through 5. For one who speaks in a tongue 315 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:06,200 speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands him but 316 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:08,120 the others. Mysteries in the spirits. 317 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:11,640 On the other hand, the one who prophesized speaks to people for 318 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,880 their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 319 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:18,160 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one 320 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:20,480 who prophesized builds up the church. 321 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:23,840 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to 322 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:27,440 prophecy. The one who prophesizes greater 323 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,240 than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone 324 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:33,880 interprets so that the church may be built up. 325 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:37,720 So Paul goes into a comparison here of tongues and prophecy, 326 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:42,000 tongues obviously being the one that the Corinthians prize, all 327 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,040 right? That's why he's belaboring that 328 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:45,880 point. That's why he's going deeper and 329 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:47,200 deeper in this. That's why he's continued to 330 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:52,040 bring it up from, sorry, chapter 12 and 13 to now in 14, all 331 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:55,320 right? But he's going to highlight it 332 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:59,560 against prophecies to show what the gifts are meant to 333 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:02,720 accomplish, to show why they exist, right? 334 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,000 So he goes into this. The two things he brings up as 335 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:07,960 one tongues without interpretation. 336 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:13,600 All right. The speaker may be sincere, but 337 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,480 no one else understands what he's saying, all right. 338 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,680 No one else understands it. Paul says no one understands 339 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:22,000 him. He utters mysteries in the 340 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,880 spirits. Now that might feel spiritual, 341 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:32,640 might even sound spiritual, but we know that it isn't because no 342 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:37,360 one is edified, no one is strengthened by this. 343 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:41,520 Now, before we go further, I want to clarify again. 344 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:42,960 I've tried to do this throughout, but I want to 345 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,280 clarify again what Paul means by tongues. 346 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:50,240 That one uses the plural tongues here and Acts 2 and elsewhere in 347 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,920 the New Testament, mostly Acts 2. 348 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:59,200 You see it elsewhere in in Acts, I should say, and then you see 349 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,880 it again here in First Corinthians 12 through 14. 350 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,160 But tongues are always known human languages. 351 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:10,560 All right, so if you wanted a definition of biblical tongues, 352 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,840 you may write this down. Tongues are always known human 353 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:17,200 languages, miraculously spoken by someone who did not naturally 354 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:20,280 know them. Tongues are always known human 355 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:24,320 languages, miraculously or supernaturally spoken by someone 356 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:33,920 who did not naturally know them. OK, now tongues were a were 357 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:38,520 specifically, I should say, a sign to unbelievers that God was 358 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,280 at work and that the gospel was for the nation's. 359 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:46,040 That's what Acts 2 reveals to us as the Holy Spirit falls on the 360 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,240 day of Pentecost and the apostles go out proclaiming in 361 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:54,120 other tongues the mysteries of God and the good news of the 362 00:21:54,120 --> 00:21:58,040 gospel of Jesus Christ and everyone around them who have 363 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:02,600 gathered from all nations, Many nations have gathered in 364 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:06,880 Jerusalem. 4 Pentecost. Everyone hears them speaking in 365 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:11,360 their own tongue, and they begin to question, how do I hear him 366 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:13,840 in my own tongue? Aren't these men, you know? 367 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:15,800 And it goes off the name where these men are from. 368 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:22,480 So we see there the miraculous nature of this, that which Acts 369 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:29,880 reveals for us. And verses 2 and 4, Paul uses 370 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:35,240 the singular a tongue. Now Paul's using the singular a 371 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:40,480 tongue to refer to the the Pagan kind of counterfeit gibberish 372 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:43,240 that exists within the Corinthian church. 373 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:47,560 He sarcastically marks its selfishness as some kind of self 374 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:51,760 edification. Right again in verse 2, If I 375 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:55,880 have, oops, sorry, that's 13 for one who speaks in a tongue 376 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,440 speaks not to men, but to God. For no one understands him, but 377 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,040 he utters mysteries in the spirit. 378 00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:03,120 And verse 4, the one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, 379 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,520 but the one who prophecies builds up the church. 380 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:10,880 So Paul's speaking sarcastically, right? 381 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,200 The one who speaks in a tongue that no one understands is 382 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,200 really only serving to build up himself. 383 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:19,040 All right. And the building up of self in 384 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:23,720 the Scriptures is, is rarely a positive thing, right? 385 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:26,000 It's about building up the church, which is why he says he 386 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,000 builds up himself. But the one who prophesized 387 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:30,720 builds up the church. He speaks in a way that is 388 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:33,640 edifying for the church. Right. 389 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,120 So this illicit building up of self comes from pride induced 390 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:41,200 emotion, which only produces more pride, right? 391 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,800 It becomes more and more about the speakers, more and more 392 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:49,640 about their gift of tongues. What we often see in charismatic 393 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:54,960 circles today, this ecstatic, unintelligible, you know, 394 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:59,240 syllables without meaning, is not the same gift that Paul 395 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:03,400 describes. In fact, it's exactly the 396 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,680 opposite of what Paul's describing here because his 397 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:11,160 whole point is that true tongues had meaning and could edify, 398 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:14,800 could be, could edify if interpreted right. 399 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:18,320 So unintelligible gibberish brings the very confusion that 400 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,840 Paul condemns, and he's going to go on further into chapter 14 401 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:24,080 and condemn this sort of behavior. 402 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,600 And we'll look at that more so next week. 403 00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:30,560 But for now, what I want you to understand is that whenever God 404 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:33,840 gave the gift of tongues, when he gave the gift of languages, 405 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,680 maybe that's a more clear term because tongues is so 406 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,320 misrepresented today. When he gave the gift of 407 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:44,040 languages, he also gave the gift of interpretation, right? 408 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:46,920 It was followed by interpretation so that the sign 409 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:50,360 would also be edifying to those around. 410 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:55,240 Never was the gift to be used without such translation or 411 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:59,880 interpretation, so that the church would always be edified. 412 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,040 And that's why Paul elevates prophecy here. 413 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,520 Prophecy communicates clearly and strengthens the church. 414 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:11,160 So a definition of prophecy. Prophecy is speaking God's truth 415 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:13,880 in a way that is clear and intelligible. 416 00:25:14,360 --> 00:25:18,680 It strengthens, encourage, and consoles the church, all right. 417 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,680 Prophecy is speaking God's truth in a way that is clear and 418 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,720 intelligible, all right. Paul is not dismissing tongues 419 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:28,760 altogether, and so I'm not dismissing tongues altogether 420 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,760 either. He acknowledges its place, 421 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:32,840 right? It was a tool. 422 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:37,440 It was used as a tool for gospel proclamation to the nation's. 423 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,280 But he insists that prophecy is greater because it builds up 424 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:44,480 others. Now notice the end of verse 5. 425 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:51,040 So that the church may be built up, right, So that the church 426 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,240 may be built up. And that phrase is really the 427 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:56,880 heart of this passage. The phrase is the heart of what 428 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,840 Paul is teaching here. John MacArthur notes this. 429 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:03,640 He says the purpose of spiritual gifts is not to produce personal 430 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:07,800 ecstasy, but to promote, sorry, but to promote corporate 431 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,720 edification. All right. 432 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:14,960 So spiritual gifts are not one way you might say this. 433 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:18,840 Spiritual gifts are not private toys for personal enjoyment. 434 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:22,600 We've talked about this a few weeks ago. 435 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:26,320 It was Brother Dan who helped kind of use this illustration. 436 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:29,360 But gifts are tools. They're not, they're not toys 437 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:33,960 meant to be used on yourself. They're, yeah, toys meant to be 438 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,200 used on theirself. They're tools to be used for 439 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:40,560 building up the church, right. So quite literally, you might 440 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:44,360 imagine, maybe figuratively, I guess, that the Lord has given 441 00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:46,880 some of you a hammer. He's given some of you a saw. 442 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:48,880 He's given some of you the ability to pour concrete. 443 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,160 He's given some of you the ability to paint. 444 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:52,640 Right? Why? 445 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:54,880 For the building up of the church, right? 446 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:59,760 The gifts are used to build the church, not, you know, now we're 447 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:02,680 speaking figuratively, not not just physically. 448 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,720 Romans 12/4 through six points out that gifts differ, which we 449 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:13,960 saw in First Corinthians 12 as well, but they all belong to 1 450 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:17,280 body, which First Corinthians 12 also pointed out, right? 451 00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:19,160 So the gifts differ, but they're all for what? 452 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,440 They're all for the body. They're all meant to be used for 453 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:27,200 the edification of the body. Now Ephesians 411 and 12 tells 454 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:31,560 us that Christ gave gifts to the Church to equip the Saints, to 455 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:34,320 build up the body, and to bring unity of the faith. 456 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:36,400 Right. So the gifts are for what? 457 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:40,120 Equipping the Saints, helping them mature, helping them grow, 458 00:27:40,120 --> 00:27:43,880 helping them come to see Christ more fully. 459 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,880 It's also to build up the body to strengthen their walk. 460 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,800 It's to keep them in Ephesians 4. 461 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,120 It's literally to keep them from following every wind of cunning 462 00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:59,120 doctrine or to fall into the deceitful schemes of man. 463 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:04,520 And all of that is to bring unity and talks about there with 464 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:09,960 each part working properly. So it brings unity of the faith. 465 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:13,680 So if you think of a construction crew that's 466 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:17,400 building a house, each worker has a tool in his hand. 467 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,480 But instead of building the house, say they go over to the 468 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:26,080 side and they use the tools to play games by themselves, right? 469 00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:29,200 That that house would never get built, right? 470 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:32,520 Gifts must be used to build, not to entertain. 471 00:28:33,360 --> 00:28:35,040 It must be used to build, not to entertain. 472 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:38,520 So we must ask ourselves, when I come to church, am I focused on 473 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:43,000 what I can get or in what I can give? 474 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:46,240 When I come to church, when I focus on what I might receive, 475 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:50,560 do I have a consumer mindset? Or am I focused on what I can 476 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:53,880 give to others, what I can contribute to the body to help 477 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:55,920 build it up? All right. 478 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:03,280 Do you evaluate Sunday worship based on how blessed you felt 479 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:07,440 when you left, or on whether you helped bless others? 480 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,120 Right. Maybe it's a smile, maybe it's a 481 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:13,600 hug or a handshake. Maybe it's a moment of prayer 482 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:18,160 with someone, all right? Maybe it's just singing loudly 483 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:20,640 in the body, right? Just just being a part of the 484 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:23,440 corporate worship, singing loudly so that others are 485 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:27,400 edified by your singing. That doesn't mean you have to 486 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:29,920 sing good. I sing loudly down here and I 487 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:35,560 don't sing good at all, right? I want to contribute. 488 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:39,200 I want to contribute to the noise that's being made, right? 489 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:44,560 To the sound that goes forward. I want to bless others, all 490 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:48,080 right, by leading and singing next. 491 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,000 What we see is that when our gifts are not used with clarity, 492 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:56,640 they become confusing and they create a confusion that brings 493 00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,080 us to #3 the problem of confusion. 494 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:01,560 Look at verses 6 through 9 again. 495 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:05,960 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, he's 496 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:07,400 talking about the right gift of tongues. 497 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:10,760 How will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or 498 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:13,400 knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 499 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:17,760 If even lifeless instruments such as the flute or the harp do 500 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:21,640 not have distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 501 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:25,640 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get 502 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:29,120 ready for battle? So with yourselves, if your 503 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:30,880 tongue. If with your tongue you utter 504 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:35,440 speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is 505 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:37,840 said? For you will be speaking into 506 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:40,520 the air. All right. 507 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:46,040 So even an apostle, the apostle Paul, even an apostle who spoke 508 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:53,120 in tongues, did not benefit a congregation spiritually unless 509 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:57,360 it was through interpretation. His utterance was clarified 510 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:01,200 through interpretation so that the revelation and knowledge 511 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:04,640 could be understandably preached and taught. 512 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:09,880 So any private gift of any private use of this gift is 513 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:15,720 excluded for several reasons #1 it's a sign to unbelievers. 514 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:17,440 And we'll see more on that in the coming weeks. 515 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:22,120 But in verse 22 of chapter 14, Paul says thus tongues are 516 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:26,120 assigned not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy 517 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:30,080 is assigned not for unbelievers but for believers. 518 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:36,080 Secondly, private use of the gift is excluded because it must 519 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:39,400 have a translator to have any meaning even to the speaker. 520 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:44,400 So one who could speak in biblical tongues, right? 521 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:49,760 The use of another language did not know what he was saying, 522 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:52,080 right? It was the Spirit who was giving 523 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:57,520 utterance. And then #3 Another reason 524 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:02,200 against its private use is that it must be used to edify the 525 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:04,920 church. It's not used as personal 526 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:07,840 edification. It's used to edify the church. 527 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:13,480 So Paul gives everyday examples to clarify what he's trying to 528 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:15,400 say. He says a flute or harp playing 529 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,800 random notes or bugle that gives an unclear sound. 530 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:21,320 Without clear signal, music signals. 531 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:26,360 Music becomes noise and soldiers don't know when to charge, 532 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,280 right? The bugle sound is indistinct. 533 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:33,320 So Paul's point is simple, that unintelligible speech in worship 534 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:35,520 is like an instrument that's out of tune. 535 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,880 It may produce sound, but not meaning. 536 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:42,000 All right. Anybody ever picked up a guitar 537 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,720 or something and you know a little bit of how to play, but 538 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:49,040 like the first strum of it? I know like G&C&A and all the 539 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:56,080 all the basic old worship songs, but even when it's out of tune, 540 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:58,520 like my untrained ear can tell it's out of tune. 541 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:00,880 It's like that sounds real rough. 542 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,280 So it may produce sound, but there's no meaning to that 543 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:07,880 sound. You can't say, well, that's AG 544 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,440 chord because you can't hear the G chord in it. 545 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,480 The word he uses here for unintelligible literally means 546 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:18,440 without meaning. You're speaking in a way without 547 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:20,240 meaning all. Right. 548 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:23,800 So how much more than musical sounds? 549 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:27,400 That's not Paul's primary concern here, right? 550 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,320 His primary concern is not how the instruments are being used 551 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:33,880 in worship. No, that that's a side point. 552 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:36,800 So the main point, the main point is how much more the 553 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:39,640 musical sounds. Should human speech make sense, 554 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:42,440 especially when it deals with the things of God? 555 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:45,160 All right. Should make a lot of sense. 556 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:48,040 It should be clear to the listeners what we're saying. 557 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,680 It should be clear that it's prophecy and not tongues. 558 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:55,600 Right. And, and this can happen even 559 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:58,400 when I've probably been guilty of this, I'm sure, but even when 560 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:02,280 preachers study and study and study and you know, they have 561 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:07,120 those hours of study and they go into the pulpit with notes and 562 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:09,880 they're forgetting the hours of study that they will that it 563 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:13,040 took to get to that place. And they just leave the 564 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:15,159 congregation behind because they're going to begin to 565 00:34:15,159 --> 00:34:18,159 proclaim all these things that don't make a ton of sense, 566 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:22,239 right? Even that would be bad prophecy, 567 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:24,360 right? Speaking in an unintelligible 568 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:30,840 way, God is a God of clarity. We're going to see in later in 569 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:36,000 14 that he's a God of order, that he revealed himself in 570 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:40,239 words that we can understand, which again is the primary use 571 00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:44,920 of tongues, by the way, is to reveal the mysteries of God so 572 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:47,880 that people who speak another language can understand it. 573 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:51,520 All right. That's how God reveal reveals 574 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:53,560 himself. It's not in random syllables. 575 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:57,400 It's not unintelligible speech. You think about Jesus and his 576 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,280 ministry. He spoke in ways that were 577 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:02,600 ordinary, right? Where ordinary people could 578 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:06,400 grasp. His band of disciples were 579 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:10,000 made-up of tax collectors and fishermen and tradesmen. 580 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:18,480 Uneducated normal people, right? So to introduce confusion into 581 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:23,120 the worship service is to misrepresent the God of order 582 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:26,520 and peace and clarity. It's to misrepresent what he 583 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:30,680 what he wants because confusion and worship contradicts God's 584 00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:34,880 nature. John MacArthur comments here. 585 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,720 He said if words are not understood, they cannot edify. 586 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:44,000 Confusion in the church is never the work of the spirits. 1st 587 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:47,720 Corinthians 1433 God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. 588 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:54,600 Nehemiah 88. Love this verse here in Nehemiah 589 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:58,360 where we see Ezra stands up and reads the law, says he reads the 590 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:02,600 law clearly, and then he gave the sense of its meaning. 591 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:07,280 He explained it to his listeners so that the people understood. 592 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,560 That's prophecy, right? That's speaking in a way that is 593 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:14,800 edifying to the body. So think about being on an 594 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:19,520 airplane. The pilot makes an 595 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:23,240 announcements, announcement in a language and no one understands, 596 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:25,680 right? All the passengers perceive that 597 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:29,560 he's speaking with some urgency, but we have no idea what he's 598 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:31,680 saying. There's no clarity to what he's 599 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:33,280 saying, so no one knows what to do. 600 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:36,880 Well, that's the danger of confusion in Lord's Day worship. 601 00:36:37,720 --> 00:36:41,360 Lot of urgency, a lot of excitement, a lot of, you know, 602 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,080 potentially running around and jumping up and down and those 603 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:47,560 sort of things. But no clarity, right? 604 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:51,400 No order, no peace, and therefore no understanding. 605 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:57,720 So we must ask, am I aiming for clarity when I teach, right. 606 00:36:58,320 --> 00:36:59,880 And you may think, well, I'm not a teacher. 607 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:04,920 God hasn't called me to teach. Well, maybe your father, maybe 608 00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:07,400 your mother, God's called you to teach. 609 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,080 He's, he's called you to literally instruct your 610 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:13,720 children, right? And so aiming for clarity with 611 00:37:13,720 --> 00:37:17,400 your children is important when they come and ask a question. 612 00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:22,160 All right, I find it most helpful to either sit down in 613 00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:26,720 the chair or to get on my knee, to take a knee, right, And to 614 00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:32,040 get eye level and to explain the answer to whatever the question 615 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:34,520 is, to be thorough in that explanation. 616 00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:39,400 Maybe they're asking for clarity for the 20th time. 617 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:45,160 Your job is to patiently take a knee and explain it yet again, 618 00:37:46,200 --> 00:37:47,360 right? That's discipleship. 619 00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:51,680 That's part of how we nurture our children, how we raise them 620 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:53,360 in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 621 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:58,480 And we're called to that, right? Even when it's frustrating, even 622 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:02,120 when it's difficult, if we don't know the answer, it's OK to tell 623 00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:06,080 the children I don't know the answer to that question, let me 624 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:07,960 get back to you and then to get back with them. 625 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:11,040 All right? That's far better than saying 626 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:16,640 because I said so or because, you know, that's just what we 627 00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:19,960 believe, right? You are raising children who are 628 00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:23,360 curious and they're going to want no answers to questions. 629 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:26,880 And one day they're going to realize if you're not answering 630 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:30,240 questions that you're not answering questions, that you're 631 00:38:30,240 --> 00:38:33,440 not explaining these things, that you're not seeking to teach 632 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:34,440 them. And they're going to go to 633 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:37,360 college and they're going to meet someone who's willing to 634 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,840 explain those things from a worldly perspective. 635 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:45,200 And they're going to run to it because that person has answers. 636 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:49,200 It wasn't because I said so or because that's what we believe, 637 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:53,520 right? So it's important for us to know 638 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:57,640 even as teachers, whether it's as a parents or a teacher in the 639 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:02,160 church or whatever, that we want to have clarity when we teach 640 00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:03,720 all. Right we. 641 00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:08,800 Want to have clarity when we encourage others, All right, we 642 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:11,400 want to be clear and what we're encouraging them in. 643 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:16,880 I saw your interaction with your child the other day and I want 644 00:39:16,880 --> 00:39:19,760 you to know it encouraged me. I was strengthened by the way 645 00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:21,360 that you interacted with your child. 646 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:24,640 You know something to that effect or I heard you got a 647 00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:30,160 promotion at work and the bets tied to you know, your high 648 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:34,040 character and your values and the kind of man you're trying to 649 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:36,280 be in your job. Like I, I praise you for that. 650 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:39,200 I'm I'm grateful to the Lord for his provision right to being 651 00:39:39,200 --> 00:39:46,760 clear and how we encourage others when you pray, right, We 652 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:49,880 don't want to pray in a way that we're just trying to come up 653 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:53,720 with all the biblical words we can think of and one prayer, 654 00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:56,640 right. I've been guilty of praying that 655 00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:59,280 way, especially in my youth, right? 656 00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:01,760 Just trying to think of all the words, what were, what did I 657 00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:03,360 read today, what verses, blah, blah, blah. 658 00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:05,840 You know, just trying to run through that in prayer. 659 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:09,080 I want to pray in ways that are meaningful and clear, right? 660 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:13,000 Ask God clearly for things, but do it in a way that's edifying 661 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:18,960 to those around you. Another way to think about the 662 00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:22,800 sort of clarity and and not wanting to to cause confusion 663 00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:26,680 right But to be clear is do I use words that edify? 664 00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:31,160 I use words of Edifier to hide behind spiritual jargon that no 665 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:34,240 one really understands, including yourself. 666 00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:38,200 Ask questions. You know something said that 667 00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:41,520 you're not, you don't understand, but not and act like 668 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:45,840 you agree, like ask questions. OK, I'm I'm new to this. 669 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:47,120 What does that mean? Right? 670 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:50,080 Just be honest. Let let people teach, be 671 00:40:50,080 --> 00:40:54,000 encouraged in that way, right. So what principle then should 672 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:56,920 govern how we use our gifts? The gifts are meant to build up 673 00:40:56,920 --> 00:41:01,120 the church. What principle should govern 674 00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:02,960 that? So what we talked about love, I 675 00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:05,800 think Paul brings another principle into this and that's 676 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:08,920 the principle of edification. All right, the principle of 677 00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:11,280 edification in verses 10 through 12. 678 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:15,840 There are doubtless many different languages in the 679 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:17,560 world, and none is without meaning. 680 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:20,400 But if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a 681 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:23,320 foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker a foreigner to me. 682 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:26,360 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of 683 00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:30,440 the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the Church all. 684 00:41:31,200 --> 00:41:33,800 Right. So Paul concludes with the 685 00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:36,520 statement, Since you're eager for manifestations of the 686 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:40,160 Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. 687 00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:42,440 Now he's commending their eagerness. 688 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:47,440 Your eagerness is good, right? It's good to be eager to see the 689 00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:50,960 spirit at work among you. This is a good thing. 690 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:54,560 And so he's commending that. What he's not commending is 691 00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:56,360 their aim. He's letting them know like 692 00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:58,800 you've got, you've got great motivation. 693 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:01,360 Your eagerness is good, but your aim is off. 694 00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:04,360 Like you're, you're aiming at the the totally wrong target 695 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:10,680 here. And the goal is not display, but 696 00:42:10,680 --> 00:42:13,720 edification, all right? It's not to display ourselves, 697 00:42:13,720 --> 00:42:18,480 it's to edify those around us. So the purpose of every language 698 00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:22,400 is to communicate. It's not to impress. 699 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:25,120 Now, there are impressive languages, right? 700 00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:27,000 As you go to try to learn another language, you think, 701 00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:31,160 man, this is impressive. Language is impressive, but 702 00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:34,440 that's not the goal of language. Language's goal is to 703 00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:40,280 communicate. It's not to confuse, as the 704 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:42,400 Corinthians had been doing with their counterfeits. 705 00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:46,480 That was clearly the point in the first instance of tongues 706 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:51,000 when each heard the apostle speak in his own language there 707 00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:53,840 in Acts 2, right? The goal was communication. 708 00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:57,280 So this section makes an undeniable case for the fact 709 00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:01,120 that the true gift of tongues were never some unintelligible 710 00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:04,680 gibberish, but was human language that was to be 711 00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:09,000 translated for others, right? So Paul acknowledges that every 712 00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:13,400 language has meaning, but in the context of corporate worship, 713 00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:16,520 meaning must be communicated, right? 714 00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:19,160 We must know clearly what's being said. 715 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:23,680 Without understanding, the gifts become useless and become about 716 00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:26,120 building your own platform, right? 717 00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:30,760 Therefore, the one goal must be to strive to excel and building 718 00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:33,560 up the church, right? That's what he says. 719 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:37,040 Since you're eager for manifestations of the Spirit, 720 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:40,400 strive. Redirect your eagerness, right? 721 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:41,520 You're aiming at the wrong target. 722 00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:45,640 Redirect the eagerness. Strive then to excel in building 723 00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:49,000 up the church, right? This is the guiding principle 724 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:52,560 for all spiritual gifts to build up the church. 725 00:43:52,560 --> 00:43:55,520 Hopefully that's become abundantly clear in the last few 726 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:57,680 weeks as we've looked at spiritual gifts. 727 00:43:58,880 --> 00:44:03,200 So God gives gifts to individuals, but they are never 728 00:44:03,320 --> 00:44:06,960 for those individuals. They are for the body of Christ 729 00:44:06,960 --> 00:44:08,960 and the glory of God. That's not to say God doesn't 730 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:12,240 use the gift in a way that helps you mature, right? 731 00:44:12,240 --> 00:44:15,600 He gives you in some way and you begin to exercise that gift in 732 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:17,680 the body. He's going to use that the ways 733 00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:20,400 you, the ways you do it right, the ways you do it wrong. 734 00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:22,760 He's going to use those things to grow you and mature you. 735 00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:24,680 So in that way, the gift is for you. 736 00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:27,840 I don't mean totally that it's not, but the purpose of the gift 737 00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:30,640 is for the edification of the body of Christ, right? 738 00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:39,040 It's for building up the church. The spirits work right is always 739 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:44,960 aimed at unity and growth and maturity and peace, All right? 740 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:48,000 We, we see those things when the spirits at work among us, 741 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:51,000 MacArthur writes. Again, the only proper measure 742 00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:55,720 of any ministry is not did it feel good, but did it build up 743 00:44:55,720 --> 00:44:58,520 the body, right? It's not about how great it 744 00:44:58,520 --> 00:45:03,360 felt, although using the gift in the right way, building up the 745 00:45:03,360 --> 00:45:08,160 body of Christ often fills you with great joy, right? 746 00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:13,760 So it's, but it's not tied to like whatever made you the most 747 00:45:13,760 --> 00:45:17,680 emotional in your use of that gift, right? 748 00:45:17,680 --> 00:45:21,960 It's, it's tied to, am I using it to build up the body And then 749 00:45:22,240 --> 00:45:25,320 the emotion of praise or the emotion of joy or the emotion of 750 00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:30,320 sadness as you exercise this gift of love for one another, 751 00:45:30,720 --> 00:45:32,440 right? And in times of difficulty, 752 00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:36,120 right, those things come after the gifts are being used in the 753 00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:38,600 right way. So Matthew Henry says the best 754 00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:41,320 gift is that which does the most good. 755 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:44,360 The best gift is that which does the most good. 756 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:48,080 So thinking of your spiritual gift, how can you use it for the 757 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:49,960 most good? That's the question. 758 00:45:50,520 --> 00:45:54,160 How can I use this gift to edify the body of Christ? 759 00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:57,200 And you think again about a construction project. 760 00:45:57,920 --> 00:46:02,080 Each worker's job is different. One pours the foundation, 761 00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:05,560 another frames the walls, another wires the electrical. 762 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:12,040 But if each one asks, how will this help build the house, then 763 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:16,760 the result is beautiful, right? How can I do my job in a way 764 00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:20,760 that best helps build the house? Well, then you get beautiful 765 00:46:20,760 --> 00:46:25,360 home building, right? That that's true also in the 766 00:46:25,360 --> 00:46:27,320 church. And so we must ask ourselves, 767 00:46:27,320 --> 00:46:29,600 how can I use my gifts to build up the church today? 768 00:46:29,600 --> 00:46:33,720 All right, Perhaps it's offering encouragement to someone who's 769 00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:37,440 struggling. Maybe it's praying for someone 770 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:41,960 and it's serving in a quiet yet meaningful way. 771 00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:48,480 All right, or some other thing. Many spiritual gifts. 772 00:46:48,560 --> 00:46:53,120 All of these are spirit filled though, when they're done in 773 00:46:53,120 --> 00:46:56,360 love, when they're done for the edification of the body of 774 00:46:56,360 --> 00:46:59,880 Christ. So Paul's message is simple yet 775 00:46:59,880 --> 00:47:02,040 profound. Use your spiritual gifts to 776 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:03,800 glorify God and build up the church. 777 00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:08,360 Well, if you remember in this passage, he's showing us that 778 00:47:08,360 --> 00:47:12,760 love must guide them, right? Edification must shape them, 779 00:47:12,760 --> 00:47:16,560 clarity must govern them, and the body of Christ must benefit 780 00:47:16,960 --> 00:47:21,800 from them. Who's our greatest example of 781 00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:24,360 all of that? Jesus Christ. 782 00:47:25,160 --> 00:47:29,120 All right, as we looked at Jesus Christ, he's the perfect model. 783 00:47:30,280 --> 00:47:34,640 He did not come to impress us with displays of power, though 784 00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:40,840 he did some impressive works. He came, he says, to serve. 785 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:47,040 He taught with clarity. He spoke so clearly that 786 00:47:47,320 --> 00:47:53,440 children could understand him. He healed with compassion and 787 00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:57,400 ultimately he gave his life for his people that they may be 788 00:47:57,400 --> 00:48:04,040 reconciled to God. His whole ministry was for our 789 00:48:04,040 --> 00:48:06,920 salvation. His whole ministry was for our 790 00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:09,560 edification and our growth in godliness. 791 00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:14,880 It was to His life was used to establish the church and to 792 00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:19,280 build up the church, and it's still the same today as He 793 00:48:19,280 --> 00:48:24,400 stands before the Father and intercedes for us. 794 00:48:25,160 --> 00:48:29,520 He's offered His Spirit to us who regenerates us as we're 795 00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:32,080 filled with the Spirit. We're baptized in the Spirit, so 796 00:48:32,080 --> 00:48:36,120 to speak. We're raised a new life and the 797 00:48:36,120 --> 00:48:38,800 Spirit of God intercedes for us as well. 798 00:48:40,840 --> 00:48:43,640 The Spirit of God helps us put to death evil deeds. 799 00:48:43,640 --> 00:48:46,520 Like if you want to know about the work of the Spirit in your 800 00:48:46,520 --> 00:48:49,000 life. If you're unclear, you think, 801 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:50,800 man, I'm hearing all these things about the Spirit. 802 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:53,320 If you're unclear about the work of the Spirit, I encourage you 803 00:48:53,320 --> 00:48:59,040 to read Romans, particularly chapters 6-7 and eight, or 804 00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:02,480 become so clear. The work and the role of the 805 00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:05,600 Spirit in our life is to help us walk by the Spirit and no longer 806 00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:10,920 walk by the flesh and what all that means for us. 807 00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:15,080 So Church, I encourage you, I implore you, let's follow the 808 00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:19,120 example of Christ today. Let's use our spiritual gifts to 809 00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:22,480 glorify our Father in heaven and to build up the Church of 810 00:49:22,480 --> 00:49:23,840 Christ. What? 811 00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:26,520 Whatever your gift, whether it's teaching or serving, whether 812 00:49:26,520 --> 00:49:29,160 it's encouraging or giving, whether it's leadership or 813 00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:37,520 administration, whatever it may be, use it with love and implore 814 00:49:37,520 --> 00:49:43,120 it with clarity. And always have your eye on how 815 00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:46,880 can I use this gift to edify those around me? 816 00:49:48,440 --> 00:49:49,960 Amen. Would you pray with me? 817 00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:54,880 Heavenly Father, we thank you today for your word. 818 00:49:57,440 --> 00:49:59,960 God, we thank you for your kindness and giving it to us, 819 00:49:59,960 --> 00:50:05,400 for teaching us, for helping us to understand your words 820 00:50:05,520 --> 00:50:09,440 clearly, faithfully. And Father, I pray as we've 821 00:50:09,440 --> 00:50:14,760 looked at this passage on spiritual gifts and we have the 822 00:50:14,760 --> 00:50:17,360 encouragement in the beginning to pursue love, we have the 823 00:50:17,360 --> 00:50:24,280 encouragement throughout and at the end to to edify the body of 824 00:50:24,280 --> 00:50:28,760 Christ in the use of our gifts. Father, would you give us a deep 825 00:50:28,760 --> 00:50:32,600 conviction there? But I asked first that you would 826 00:50:32,600 --> 00:50:36,040 reveal to us what are our gifts? What? 827 00:50:36,040 --> 00:50:41,440 What are my gifts? How is it that you've wired me? 828 00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:47,560 What gifts have you given me to serve your body and Lord? 829 00:50:47,560 --> 00:50:51,960 When that becomes clear to us, would you give us the boldness 830 00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:55,200 to go serve? Give us the strength to serve. 831 00:50:55,200 --> 00:51:02,200 Give us the the joy to serve, to build up the body of Christ, to 832 00:51:02,200 --> 00:51:06,200 edify it and strengthen it, to help others grow and mature even 833 00:51:06,200 --> 00:51:12,720 as we are growing and maturing. Lord, would you forgive us? 834 00:51:12,720 --> 00:51:17,800 Or we've maybe looked down on the gifts that you've given us. 835 00:51:19,120 --> 00:51:22,800 Forgive us where we maybe have praised and prized other gifts 836 00:51:22,800 --> 00:51:26,480 that are not our own. Maybe we've been guilty of 837 00:51:26,480 --> 00:51:32,000 coveting another's gift. Father, would you forgive us of 838 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:35,320 those things? Help us to see the value and 839 00:51:35,320 --> 00:51:40,360 what You have called us to be, that we might yet again glorify 840 00:51:40,720 --> 00:51:48,640 You and build up the body of Christ Jesus and Father, We 841 00:51:48,640 --> 00:51:52,120 thank You for the perfect example that we have in Christ. 842 00:51:54,440 --> 00:51:58,880 He came not to be served, but to serve and to give us a life as a 843 00:51:58,880 --> 00:52:01,560 ransom for many. The Father. 844 00:52:01,560 --> 00:52:06,400 We know that by His death and resurrection, that 845 00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:11,440 reconciliation with God has been one, and that for all who call 846 00:52:11,440 --> 00:52:15,720 on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, they will be saved. 847 00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:22,320 And so, Father, I ask you now to save those among us today who 848 00:52:22,320 --> 00:52:28,320 may not know you, who maybe you're walking in the rebellion. 849 00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:31,440 They're going their own way. They're seeking to build their 850 00:52:31,440 --> 00:52:33,560 own Kingdom, to edify themselves. 851 00:52:34,080 --> 00:52:35,920 Lord, would you convict them today? 852 00:52:36,520 --> 00:52:38,840 Would you draw them to yourself by your Spirit? 853 00:52:38,840 --> 00:52:41,240 Let nothing hinder them from coming? 854 00:52:42,320 --> 00:52:43,960 Would you save them from their sins? 855 00:52:43,960 --> 00:52:46,240 Give them new life in Christ Jesus? 856 00:52:47,440 --> 00:52:51,600 Help them to walk by the Spirit from this day forward. 857 00:52:51,600 --> 00:52:57,360 I'm going to give you a moment now to pray there in your seat 858 00:52:57,360 --> 00:53:02,120 to respond to the Lord how He's leading you. 859 00:53:47,400 --> 00:53:51,120 Heavenly Father, we praise you today for your work among us. 860 00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:58,400 We thank you for Christ, and we thank you for your Spirit, which 861 00:53:58,400 --> 00:54:02,160 helps us to see your word clearly, to understand it, to 862 00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:06,080 live it out. We thank You that we have not 863 00:54:06,080 --> 00:54:10,440 gathered in vain today, but that you have been among us from the 864 00:54:10,440 --> 00:54:15,480 first word to the last. In a moment, you're working in 865 00:54:15,480 --> 00:54:19,160 US through corporate worship week in and week out, and we 866 00:54:19,160 --> 00:54:22,040 praise you for your kindness, your love toward us. 867 00:54:26,840 --> 00:54:28,400 We thank you for your word today. 868 00:54:28,680 --> 00:54:30,360 It's in the name of Christ I pray. 869 00:54:30,360 --> 00:54:30,760 Amen.