WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.719 Okay, so we're looking this evening at the, we're going through a list of the different 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:10.560 gifts of the Spirit, and this evening we're looking at the gift of tongue speaking. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:14.919 So we read a passage in Acts which spoke about that, and now we're going to read another 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:22.800 passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and verses 1 to 19. 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:28.400 In chapter 12 actually, before we get to that, chapter 12 it lists out the spiritual gifts, 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:33.759 and it says, to another faith by the same gift, to another gifts of healing, by the 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:38.399 one Spirit, to another working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another ability to 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:44.039 distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:45.039 of tongues. 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:50.000 And then we come to chapter 14, which speaks a little bit more, it's the only place, the 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.560 other place in the Bible that speaks about this, and we're going to read verses 1 to 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:59.160 19 and then I'll preach about this theme this evening. 00:00:59.160 --> 00:01:06.120 Pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:11.200 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:14.359 him but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:18.960 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and 00:01:18.960 --> 00:01:21.159 courage and consolation. 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:25.079 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself but the one who prophesies builds 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:26.079 up the church. 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:31.599 Now, I want you all to speak in tongues but even more to prophesy. 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:36.759 The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues unless someone interprets 00:01:36.759 --> 00:01:39.079 so that the church may be built up. 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:44.719 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in a tongue, how will I benefit you unless I 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:50.280 bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:55.239 But even lifeless instruments such as the flute or the harp do not give distinct notes. 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:57.400 How will anyone know what is played? 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:01.980 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will be ready for battle? 00:02:01.980 --> 00:02:07.120 So with yourselves, if you, with your tongue, you utter speaks that is not intelligible, 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:09.800 how will anyone know what is said? 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:12.479 For you will be speaking into the air. 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:16.439 There are doubtless many different languages in the world and none is without meaning. 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:20.800 But if you do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker 00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:23.280 and the speaker a foreigner to me. 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:30.400 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:33.400 in building up the church. 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:37.599 Therefore one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:42.159 For if I pray in a tongue, my Spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:43.439 What am I to do? 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:47.479 I will pray with my Spirit, but I will pray with my mind also. 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:52.719 I will sing praise with my Spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:57.560 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your Spirit, how can anyone in position of an outsider 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:02.680 say amen to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:07.280 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:10.400 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:16.039 Nevertheless, in church, I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:18.680 others than 10,000 words in a tongue. 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:24.120 Okay, we will stop there and we are going to look at this theme this evening. 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:29.599 Okay, quite a controversial chapter for us, maybe, quite a difficult chapter and quite 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:31.879 a difficult theme. 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:38.280 And this is possibly where there may be a little bit more divergence in our thinking 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:44.800 in terms of controversies within the wider church between what we believe in Reformed 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:51.800 theology and what charismatic theology, as it is so called, will believe. 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:59.319 We therefore go in different directions in many ways when it comes to particularly these 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:04.120 what might be called signs and wonder type gifts of the Spirit that are being spoken 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:11.840 of, miracles and tongue speaking and healing particularly these kind of gifts. 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:17.840 So I realize and I know that I will not be settling the matter this evening, okay, but 00:04:17.840 --> 00:04:19.639 there are certain things that I would like to aim for. 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:26.920 The first is that it is really important that we engage with Scripture, that we engage with 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:31.560 the Bible, not being afraid to do so even when it is difficult, and understand and know 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:34.399 where the emphasis of Scripture lies. 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:38.399 That's really important for us as believers in this or in any other subject that we're 00:04:38.399 --> 00:04:39.399 looking at. 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:45.759 Also, I think when we are looking at an area where there is a difference of opinion and 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:50.519 a different way of interpreting Scripture, then we need to be generous in our critique 00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:57.120 of other people because there's no doubt we can learn from them and learn from nearly 00:04:57.120 --> 00:04:58.120 everyone we disagree with. 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:03.600 I think that's a good principle in life generally and particularly in this area. 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:10.680 And also, as we do so, be aware of our own weaknesses, the weaknesses of our own position, 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:19.920 of our own lives maybe, which sometimes do not necessarily reflect well on what we believe. 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:24.399 So we're aware of our own weaknesses, we are generous in our critique of others, and we 00:05:24.399 --> 00:05:31.560 seek to understand the emphasis of Scripture in this as in all other areas. 00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:37.439 So any way of introduction, I just want to give a brief overview, a very brief overview 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:39.519 of the strengths and weaknesses. 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:43.159 And by its very nature, it needs to be a generalization. 00:05:43.159 --> 00:05:45.799 So I apologize because it's a generalization. 00:05:45.799 --> 00:05:50.399 All generalizations will have some truth, but they are nonetheless generalizations. 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:56.279 I hope that there's at least some kind of sense of usefulness in so doing. 00:05:56.279 --> 00:06:02.319 The strengths and concerns maybe that I would highlight in the charismatic movement, and 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:06.639 I know that that is in itself very broad. 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:10.959 And also some of our own, in our own reform tradition, some of the strengths and some 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:13.679 of the concerns that we would have. 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:20.360 With regard to the charismatic movement, these are general observations. 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:29.879 Many who have, or base, have a charismatic theology that undergirds their faith, are 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:34.199 tremendously godly people and very passionate about their faith. 00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:41.519 They stress very strongly the reality of God in their lives, in their worship particularly. 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:47.959 They believe in the power of God and the willingness of God to convert people and to see lives 00:06:47.959 --> 00:06:49.039 transform. 00:06:49.039 --> 00:06:54.319 And they themselves believe very strongly in the power of sharing their faith and seeing 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:56.199 the lives of other people transform. 00:06:56.199 --> 00:07:03.719 They have, I have found certainly in my experience, tremendously committed prayer lives. 00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:13.320 And they worship with Pentecostal passion, and I have a great personal love and respect 00:07:13.320 --> 00:07:20.480 for many within the charismatic tradition, and for how they live their lives and how 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:25.320 they glorify and serve Jesus in their lives. 00:07:25.320 --> 00:07:31.200 Some concerns I would share, and it's maybe not so much with individuals, but more with 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:37.560 a, if we can call it a worldwide movement, the charismatic movement, there will sometimes 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:44.959 be an emphasis of experience, Christian, or a spiritual experience overriding Christian 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:51.680 truth, or that truth is moulded by experience rather than the other way around. 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:54.919 They can be guilty of encouraging a two-tier Christianity. 00:07:54.920 --> 00:08:01.280 I'm going to speak a little bit more about that when they, when they emphasize a, a, a 00:08:01.280 --> 00:08:06.120 later experience to conversion, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, where you receive 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:10.960 the Holy Spirit later than you receive Christ, and the mark of that is speaking in tongue. 00:08:10.960 --> 00:08:13.639 So I'm going to come on to speak about that in a little while. 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:22.800 But really, sometimes the, the focus on signs and wonders, external manifestations of the 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:29.400 truth in very dramatic ways can sometimes be problematic. 00:08:29.400 --> 00:08:34.000 But for me, the greatest concern I would have with the worldwide charismatic movement is 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:40.159 its emphasis on the prosperity gospel, and it would preach very much, particularly in, 00:08:40.159 --> 00:08:52.759 in Africa, where the gospel is, is, is exponentially growing, but often through television, evangelism, 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:58.159 evangelists such as Benny Hinn or Kreato Daller or Joel Osteen from America, and they've 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:08.120 got really expensive and really flash kind of presentations of the gospel, but who genuinely 00:09:08.120 --> 00:09:18.000 are generally express a gospel that focuses on, on prosperity and, you know, health, kind 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:25.360 of health, wealth and prosperity gospel, and in its, its, in its rawest form is no gospel 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:28.639 at all, the prosperity gospel. 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:32.559 Trust Jesus and it will make you rich and healthy and well. 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:37.480 There are very little mention of the atonement or the cross or carrying your cross or humble 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:44.679 obedience, suffering and perseverance, and it is an attractive gospel, and it is one 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:50.239 that is powerfully moving in the world in which we live, and I would say, I would be 00:09:50.239 --> 00:09:55.199 very concerned by that, very concerned by that particular emphasis. 00:09:55.199 --> 00:09:59.359 But in our own reform tradition, what are some of our strengths? 00:09:59.359 --> 00:10:04.679 I think will we value the primacy and the significance and the importance of God's 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:11.199 word for faith and life, and we recognize the fundamental truth of, of what God has 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:18.560 given us in His word as the final word, we look for truth and for truth as it's revealed 00:10:18.560 --> 00:10:22.640 in Jesus Christ to renew our minds as well as our hearts. 00:10:22.640 --> 00:10:28.640 We do focus I think on miracle, I hope, but particularly the miracle of grace to transform 00:10:28.640 --> 00:10:30.680 life and society. 00:10:30.680 --> 00:10:36.480 We believe in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit for all people, and their emphasis 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:41.720 on the glory of the sovereignty of God is significant. 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:48.120 Our concerns, oh well, I could speak all night about our concerns, as an insider, it can 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:53.440 be that we are too cerebral, that we just focus on the intellect too much. 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:59.680 We rely too much just on knowledge rather than on experience and on the reality of Jesus 00:10:59.680 --> 00:11:01.519 Christ in our day-to-day living. 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:09.399 There can be in our tradition a discontinuity between faith and life, a lacking of fervour, 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:11.759 the frozen chosen. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:18.799 We rest on the pride of our knowledge at the expense of the urgency and the passion for 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:24.159 reaching out to the lost, our prayer lives, our witness. 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:35.319 Both traditions can be guilty of separatism and being divided and having that kind of 00:11:35.319 --> 00:11:40.839 mentality which is unhelpful and often proud. 00:11:40.839 --> 00:11:46.679 So a very brief summary of some of the strengths and weaknesses of the different traditions 00:11:46.679 --> 00:11:47.679 that we're thinking about. 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:55.399 But I want to look at two areas briefly here this evening with regard to the gift of tongues 00:11:55.399 --> 00:11:56.519 as it's given to us in the Bible. 00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:58.000 Two areas for consideration. 00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:04.139 One is the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which I mentioned at the beginning, which Colin 00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:12.679 read about in Acts chapter 2, and is the basis for the charismatic theology behind a second 00:12:12.679 --> 00:12:16.519 blessing that the disciples were converted, they belonged to Jesus, and then they had 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:18.519 to wait until the Holy Spirit was sent. 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:23.919 When the Holy Spirit came, the evidence of that was they all spoke in tongues. 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:31.279 And they have taken that as being a principle as a mark of this empowering that the Spirit 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:37.600 gives in the second blessing, and the mark of that is that you speak in tongues. 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:41.360 I'll say a little bit more about that. 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:46.000 That two-stage experience, conversion and then empowering. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:53.840 And that empowering gives you the fullness of the Spirit, and it makes you able to work 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:56.799 and serve Jesus Christ. 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:00.720 Some Christians don't have it, and they're encouraged to wait on the Spirit and pray and 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:08.960 plead and tarry until the Spirit comes and baptizes them with His presence. 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:12.559 And the evidence of that is that they will speak in tongues. 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:13.559 Okay. 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:19.799 So, what can we say about that account in Acts, and how do we apply it in our own lives 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:20.799 today? 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:25.639 What we find is that it's a very different passage, because what's happening there is 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:30.479 really that the Holy Spirit is being poured out on the Christian church for the first 00:13:30.479 --> 00:13:33.199 time in the New Covenant. 00:13:33.199 --> 00:13:36.119 Jesus said, you know, in Christ in the upper room, you will wait. 00:13:36.119 --> 00:13:40.039 I will depart, I will ascend to heaven, but I will send the Holy Spirit. 00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:44.519 And the Holy Spirit was to be given to the whole church. 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:49.360 And in Acts chapter 2, we read there the prophecy, I don't know if we did that, actually read 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:50.360 the prophecy. 00:13:50.360 --> 00:13:55.480 We did, we read the prophecy from Joel in these last days that God declares, I will 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:57.599 pour out my Spirit on all flesh. 00:13:57.599 --> 00:14:00.480 And this is what happened at Pentecost. 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:01.719 It was a unique event. 00:14:01.719 --> 00:14:07.639 It was a once-for-all event for the Holy Spirit, as God's gift to the church was poured out 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:10.360 on all of the church as it was then. 00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:13.120 The whole of the church was gathered together. 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:19.879 And it was ushering a new era where there was not only speaking in different languages, 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:22.799 because there was people from all over the world and they all heard the gospel in their 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:23.799 own language. 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:28.080 It wasn't an ecstatic language, it was just different languages. 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:35.360 It was also accompanied by what looked like tongues of fire and what felt like a mighty 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:36.360 powerful wind. 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:43.960 So there was this whole concept of the gospel coming with power, with purity, and with universality. 00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:48.039 The gospel wasn't just as Thomas was talking about this morning, it wasn't just for the 00:14:48.039 --> 00:14:51.279 Jewish people, it was for the whole world. 00:14:51.279 --> 00:15:00.800 And so the gift of different languages were poured out at Pentecost as a mark of this change 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:09.799 and of this newness and of the gospel going out to every part of the world, in Judea, 00:15:09.799 --> 00:15:16.559 in Samaria, and in the whole world, the gospel was to go out. 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:17.959 So this was a unique event. 00:15:17.959 --> 00:15:22.439 It was the evidence that we had moved into the age of the Spirit. 00:15:22.439 --> 00:15:24.120 Mission was for all. 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:29.799 You remember what happened at Babel, the Old Testament, where God confused our languages, 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:33.839 because they wanted to set themselves up as being those who could reach heaven and they 00:15:33.839 --> 00:15:35.879 wanted to make a name for themselves? 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:41.039 Well, this is kind of, ironically, this is the opposite of Babel. 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:49.000 It is God not confusing their language, but making the gospel clear to every different 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:55.519 language and people who were at Pentecost and that a sign that the gospel was going out 00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:56.879 to the whole world. 00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:04.360 As Peter goes on and preaches, he says to them, Repent and believe in verse 38. 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:07.000 And that was the gospel message. 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:16.159 The gospel message was to go out with this great message which was revealed to all these 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:22.639 people in all their own tongues and to bring the gospel to them. 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:26.120 And the Spirit then was for all of them. 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:27.960 The Spirit went into every Christian. 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:32.960 They were all baptized in the Spirit on that day, as we read and have read in Romans 9, 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:37.000 for you ever or not, in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:38.000 in you. 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.600 Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:43.720 Every believer has the Spirit of Christ. 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:50.919 And this baptism in the Spirit was the unique first event that was a reminder that the gift 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:56.360 of the Holy Spirit went out to the whole church and to the whole world. 00:16:56.360 --> 00:17:04.079 So I would argue very strongly against the whole concept of a second blessing as a distinct 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:11.960 and separate stage where some people are lower class Christians as it were, they've only 00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:14.279 got Jesus. 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:23.039 And then others are empowered to serve in this once for all filling when they receive 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:27.359 the baptism of the Holy Spirit and they therefore speak in tongues. 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:33.000 That teaching isn't given to us in the New Testament. 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:39.319 It has been extrapolated from this passage here. 00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:46.480 I do recognize we all need to be kept to keep on being filled with the Spirit as Ephesians 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:50.359 chapter 5 verse 18 tells us. 00:17:50.359 --> 00:17:56.519 And there's no doubt that that is important and significant for us that we are those who 00:17:56.519 --> 00:17:59.279 grieve and quench and resist the Spirit. 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:02.480 We need to keep on being filled with the Spirit. 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:08.519 But we don't see in Scripture teaching that says you receive Christ in a later stage, 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:13.400 you receive the Spirit and the mark of that is speaking in tongues. 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:22.680 So that is one area, baptism in the Spirit, which is a fairly fundamental area in charismatic 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:23.680 theology. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:31.359 The second is a little bit different and not quite so, I don't think so, clear cut is the 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:35.799 gift of speaking in tongues, which is different. 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:42.799 I think even in charismatic theology, it's different from baptism in the Spirit as it 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:45.559 is spoken of here. 00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:50.599 And for that we look to 1 Corinthians chapter really 12 to 14. 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:55.079 We have the different gifts spoken of in chapter 12 and the gift of speaking in tongues is 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:58.519 one of them and then the gift of interpreting tongues is another. 00:18:58.519 --> 00:19:03.720 I think the whole passage 12 to 14, you should go and read it if you have time, because it's 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:04.919 very interesting. 00:19:04.920 --> 00:19:11.039 And it's a difficult section of the Bible for both charismatic theology and reform 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:14.640 theology, reform thinkers alike. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:21.480 But we recognize that there are some very important things spoken of in this section. 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:25.039 It is different from baptism in the Spirit. 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:26.600 This is the gift of tongue. 00:19:26.600 --> 00:19:30.320 Just as we've talked about the different gifts of the Spirit, this is the gift of tongue 00:19:30.320 --> 00:19:33.320 speaking. 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:37.960 Now, among lots of commentators, there's a difference of opinion even in chapter 14 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:46.159 in the section we read exactly about what tongue speaking was in this account. 00:19:46.159 --> 00:19:49.319 And it seems to be unclear. 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:53.439 You can take some parts of the chapter and it looks like it's just different languages 00:19:53.439 --> 00:20:00.599 again, foreign languages that God gave some people an amazing spiritual gift to be able 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:05.319 to speak and then someone else to interpret. 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:12.279 And both can be said, you know, different languages, chapter 12 and verse 10, it says 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:17.000 to another, the workings of minute, another prophecy, to another, the ability to another 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:21.480 various kinds of tongues or various kinds of languages that could be interpreted to 00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:24.319 another interpretation of these languages. 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:30.000 But then in chapter 14 and verse 2, we have, for men who speak in a tongue speak not to 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.359 men but to God, for no one understands them, he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:41.079 And that would tend to suggest that it might be more of an ecstatic spiritual language. 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:46.960 So there's differences of opinion and although the word tongues is the same in acts as it 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:54.000 is in Corinth, but we do recognize that there are differences, although it's still regarded 00:20:54.000 --> 00:21:00.180 by those from our charismatic tradition, our brothers and sisters, that it is an absolutely 00:21:00.180 --> 00:21:04.680 important spiritual gift for today. 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:10.920 But even then, we have a little bit of confusion about what is the purpose of the gift, because 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:17.559 in verse 4 of chapter 14 that we read, sorry, in verse 2, it would seem to be that it is 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:24.480 a private language that someone in a tongue speaks not to men but to God, and just is 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:27.319 something for personal edification. 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:32.639 But then in verse 5 it speaks about if someone's going to speak in tongues, let someone interpret 00:21:32.639 --> 00:21:34.960 it so that the church may be built up. 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:38.759 So is it for the building up of the church as it's interpreted, or is it just for the 00:21:38.759 --> 00:21:43.559 individual in this private language, in an ecstatic private language before themselves 00:21:43.559 --> 00:21:46.679 and God? 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:49.120 These are some of the difficulties that are in the passage. 00:21:49.120 --> 00:21:53.720 What can we say about the gift of tongue speaking in Corinth and maybe for us? 00:21:53.720 --> 00:21:55.799 Well, can you say one or two things? 00:21:55.799 --> 00:22:00.080 One is that not everyone had it, okay, that's fine, that's a gift. 00:22:00.080 --> 00:22:04.200 Like all the other gifts, not everyone had the gift, so it's different from baptism in 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:09.720 the Spirit, which the whole of the church had at the beginning. 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:15.440 It was experienced in a church, Corinth, the church here, it was an immature church. 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:18.200 It was a divided church. 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:21.640 It was a church that wasn't spiritually mature. 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:23.480 It was an early church. 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:30.759 It seems that tongue speaking, whether ecstatic or different languages, was overvalued by 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:35.680 this church, and some people were proud that they were better than other Christians because 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:38.840 they had this gift and other people didn't have it. 00:22:38.840 --> 00:22:43.960 And Paul's speaking into that context, and he concludes the whole section, really in 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:50.559 verse 39 of chapter 14, and said, So my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:52.559 speaking in tongues. 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:59.319 So it really, it doesn't give it a huge ringing endorsement even at the end of this section. 00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:05.440 However, Paul did speak in tongues, and he wished that others spoke in tongues. 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:08.160 And we need to recognize that Paul does say that. 00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:13.319 He himself spoke in tongues, verse 18, and he encouraged others to do so. 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:18.639 However, the emphasis very clearly in this passage is that when tongues were experienced 00:23:18.639 --> 00:23:26.119 by the church, by people in the church in Corinth, the value that was really on these 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:29.159 tongues being interpreted. 00:23:29.159 --> 00:23:32.879 And that's why he speaks about prophesy and the importance of God revealing truth. 00:23:32.879 --> 00:23:36.879 Remember, all of this is before the Bible was completed, before they had the word of 00:23:36.879 --> 00:23:39.759 God completed for them. 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:46.519 And Paul is really insistent in public that tongue speaking, and this would, for me, tend 00:23:46.519 --> 00:23:52.319 to suggest that it's more like another language rather than something ecstatic, because it 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:57.039 could be interpreted, and therefore a message came from God. 00:23:57.039 --> 00:24:02.400 It was to be edifying, and edifying for the whole church, for the building up of believers. 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:06.559 Remember, these were the days before the canon of Scripture was completed. 00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:10.000 The church needed to know what God was saying, they heard that through prophesy, and they 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:13.559 heard that through tongue speaking that was interpreted, and they heard that through teaching 00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:17.799 and preaching and the apostolic foundations that were being laid. 00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:20.119 So remember that when we think about Corinth. 00:24:20.119 --> 00:24:25.759 But also remember, I'm going to come back to this, Paul's emphasis in Corinth, this 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:30.039 early New Testament church, which had tongue speaking, which also had a lot of crazy things 00:24:30.039 --> 00:24:37.519 going on, that I desire to know nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified. 00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:46.119 Chapter 2 verse 2, that was absolutely crucial to what Paul was emphasizing in this church, 00:24:46.119 --> 00:24:51.079 the supremacy of grace and truth, and I'm going to come back to that because you'll 00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:56.399 see there's a love sandwich in this section, there's a love sandwich. 00:24:56.400 --> 00:25:02.360 But also just before we come towards the conclusion of it, we do remember that the New Testament 00:25:02.360 --> 00:25:05.000 church did have miraculous foundational gifts. 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:07.440 We've already looked at some of them. 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:16.000 The apostolic gift which ceased with the death of the apostles was a foundational gift, and 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:20.560 in Ephesians 2.20 we have that the church was built on the foundation of the apostles 00:25:20.560 --> 00:25:22.160 and the prophets. 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:28.960 So we recognize that there was these foundational gifts that were really important, they were 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:32.920 given at the early part of the church before the Scripture was completed. 00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:38.200 And we also recognize that they seem to have been authenticated because there was no finished 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:39.200 Scripture. 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:44.440 They seem to be authenticated by signs and wonders, which I think some of these gifts 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:45.440 refer to. 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:52.640 I'm going to move on from that one. 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:59.640 In Romans 15, Paul says, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of 00:25:59.640 --> 00:26:03.960 God so that Jerusalem and all around the Elyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel 00:26:03.960 --> 00:26:04.960 of Christ. 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:11.620 He's speaking about his own apostolic authority, and he's saying that his ministry, his teaching 00:26:11.619 --> 00:26:18.679 was authenticated by signs and wonders, miracles, tongue speaking, healings, all of these kind 00:26:18.679 --> 00:26:19.679 of things. 00:26:19.679 --> 00:26:24.079 And then again in 2 Corinthians, the signs of a true apostle, he says, were performed 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:28.559 among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:33.119 So it seems as if that the early church and the foundation of the apostles and the prophets 00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:40.399 and what they were bringing was authenticated by amazing signs and wonders. 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:48.120 And again in Hebrews, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles 00:26:48.120 --> 00:26:51.080 and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his word. 00:26:51.080 --> 00:26:57.200 There's this sense in which the authentication of the message was given in signs and wonders 00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:04.120 to, as it were, back up the witness that the apostles had to the death and resurrection, 00:27:04.120 --> 00:27:06.640 resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:13.440 And I think Paul here in Corinth is addressing some of the uses and abuses of these signs 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:15.640 and wonders. 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:16.640 So the gift of tongues. 00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:21.640 What can we say about speaking in tongues today? 00:27:21.640 --> 00:27:29.440 As far as I can make out in the charismatic tradition, tongue speaking is almost exclusively, 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:37.120 as far as I can make out, is almost exclusively seen as a private, ecstatic language between 00:27:37.120 --> 00:27:39.440 the individual and their God. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:47.200 I am not aware of tongue speaking in charismatic circles being seen as foreign languages that 00:27:47.200 --> 00:27:51.680 are miraculously given and then interpreted. 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:58.200 It is seen almost exclusively as a, almost like a private language between the individual 00:27:58.200 --> 00:28:01.279 and their God in order for them to draw closer. 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:07.200 I'm not sure how often tongue speaking in a charismatic context would be interpreted. 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:13.680 It is connected with the Holy Spirit empowering and it is for many a very real and meaningful 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:18.680 experience as it draws them closer to God. 00:28:18.680 --> 00:28:25.600 As it's done humbly and as that's done for the common good, as it's done in humility, 00:28:25.599 --> 00:28:31.279 in whom my God is sovereign in His gifts and in His use of gifts, I have not much really 00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:33.279 to say into that. 00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:39.399 Personally, my communion with God is sweet in whatever language. 00:28:39.399 --> 00:28:41.519 I've only got one. 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:45.159 So well, it's that and groaning. 00:28:45.159 --> 00:28:47.480 So these are the two languages that I have. 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:53.599 But for me, the evidence and the assurance and the blessing of the Holy Spirit is sensing 00:28:53.599 --> 00:29:01.159 His love in my heart and knowing His transforming power as I seek to serve Him in grace and 00:29:01.159 --> 00:29:02.879 humility. 00:29:02.879 --> 00:29:09.079 And communication and sharing that truth with others is hugely significant. 00:29:09.079 --> 00:29:14.919 I am aware of constantly being in need of being filled with the Holy Spirit and of knowing 00:29:14.919 --> 00:29:23.199 more of the precious gift I have that I was given at conversion, that I was given the 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:27.240 gift of God's presence in the person of this Holy Spirit. 00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:33.120 So I'm going to just close with a couple of things, just speaking about the emphasis of 00:29:33.120 --> 00:29:34.120 the New Testament. 00:29:34.120 --> 00:29:36.720 What's the emphasis of Paul here and of the New Testament? 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:38.319 Well, it's that love sandwich. 00:29:38.319 --> 00:29:41.039 Okay, so you've got chapter 12, which speaks about the gifts. 00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:45.920 You've got chapter 14 that expresses a bit more about these gifts of healing. 00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:51.680 And then in chapter 13, there's a love sandwich, the one that we all know so well, the one 00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:53.640 that's often read at weddings. 00:29:53.640 --> 00:30:00.920 And it starts with, I will show you the most excellent way, and it finishes, pursue love 00:30:00.920 --> 00:30:03.519 and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:11.080 So the emphasis of Scripture, the emphasis of God's word always is this significant reality 00:30:11.080 --> 00:30:13.400 of knowing God's love in our hearts. 00:30:13.400 --> 00:30:21.200 That's the emphasis of Scripture, knowing God through His grace and through His salvation. 00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:25.240 Because I think signs and wonders can take away from that. 00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:31.759 If you remember, it's the knowledge of God that Jesus says, and then I will declare, 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:34.720 I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:40.759 And if you remember, the precursor to that is them saying, Lord, Lord, did we not do 00:30:40.759 --> 00:30:42.240 great miracles in Your name? 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:43.680 Did we not raise the dead? 00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:46.120 Did we not do amazing things? 00:30:46.120 --> 00:30:47.120 Great signs and wonders. 00:30:47.120 --> 00:30:49.440 But He said, look, you didn't know me. 00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:50.440 You didn't know me. 00:30:50.440 --> 00:30:56.600 It was the knowledge of God through grace and through His greatest gift of salvation 00:30:56.600 --> 00:31:00.320 is absolutely crucial to us in knowing His love. 00:31:00.320 --> 00:31:05.880 That is the most important thing for the common good of the church, is that we live lives 00:31:05.880 --> 00:31:07.880 of grace and love. 00:31:07.880 --> 00:31:13.960 And they're in His miracle and they're in His power, and they're in His great significance. 00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:22.400 I think the placement of 1 Corinthians 13 is absolutely divine and important, because 00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:27.400 it reminds us that this is the most excellent way. 00:31:27.400 --> 00:31:28.440 Why is it important? 00:31:28.440 --> 00:31:36.319 Because God's focus is on character, first and foremost, as we reflect what Jesus has 00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:42.160 done for us, and as we follow Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit is more significant than the 00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:48.120 gifts of the Spirit, because the fruit of the Spirit says who we are. 00:31:48.120 --> 00:31:51.160 The gifts of the Spirit is what we do. 00:31:51.160 --> 00:31:57.560 And if we get our character right under Christ, then we know that we will use the gifts He 00:31:57.560 --> 00:32:03.360 gives us in the right way, whatever and however we understand these gifts. 00:32:03.360 --> 00:32:09.000 His sovereign gifts will flow when we are bearing the fruit of the Spirit. 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:13.960 And this is what's most important for you and me tonight, is love, joy, peace, patience, 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:18.119 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 00:32:18.119 --> 00:32:24.799 The gifts of the Spirit, sorry, the fruit of the Spirit, which He says that is the most 00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:26.480 excellent way. 00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:28.359 The gifts are will or sovereign. 00:32:28.359 --> 00:32:30.279 They're God's gifts. 00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:34.839 But how we live our day out, the focus is on our character. 00:32:34.839 --> 00:32:41.720 And I think that's outplayed in Scripture to self as we understand its infallible truth 00:32:41.720 --> 00:32:44.039 for us and its revelation. 00:32:44.039 --> 00:32:48.720 In itself, it's progressive in what it reveals. 00:32:48.720 --> 00:32:53.599 And you'll find that there's very little mention, there's no mention after this chapter. 00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:57.439 In any of the later epistles, in any of these important epistles, particularly the one to 00:32:57.439 --> 00:33:00.439 Romans, there's no mention of these spiritual gifts. 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:08.799 There's no mention of tongue speaking, interpretation, and in all the problems of the churches, the 00:33:08.799 --> 00:33:12.000 second blessing is never given as a solution. 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:13.920 Speaking in tongues is never given as a solution. 00:33:13.920 --> 00:33:16.759 Doing miracles is never given as a solution. 00:33:16.759 --> 00:33:19.880 Raising people from the dead is not given as a solution. 00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:23.640 It is living out the love of Christ. 00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:26.880 And we recognize that emphasis. 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:33.160 But we also recognize the huge emphasis on the Holy Spirit in every believer. 00:33:33.160 --> 00:33:37.920 We certainly must do that because the Holy Spirit points us to Jesus Christ. 00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:42.240 Jesus says that himself in John 16 when he's offering the gift of the Spirit. 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:46.640 He will go, the Holy Spirit will glorify me for he will take what is mine and he will 00:33:46.640 --> 00:33:49.080 declare it to you. 00:33:49.080 --> 00:33:56.040 He has this great work in our lives of declaring Jesus and of making Jesus known to us. 00:33:56.039 --> 00:34:00.200 And he does empower us for service, for mission. 00:34:00.200 --> 00:34:05.759 He was given in the context of mission, of the good news of the gospel going out to the 00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:06.759 whole world. 00:34:06.759 --> 00:34:08.000 That's our calling. 00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:09.400 We have great good news. 00:34:09.400 --> 00:34:16.239 We have so much to learn from our charismatic friends and the passion and the commitment 00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:19.519 they have to reach out to the gospel far more than we do. 00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:24.119 And they're seeing far more conversions than we see because there's a deep-seated belief 00:34:24.119 --> 00:34:26.239 in who they are and what they do. 00:34:26.239 --> 00:34:29.480 And that is absolutely challenging to us. 00:34:29.480 --> 00:34:36.079 And we need to seek to recognize the emphasis of who the Holy Spirit is and what he does 00:34:36.079 --> 00:34:40.440 and we're not to quench him, we're not to resist him, we're not to oppose him in our 00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:42.199 lives and hearts. 00:34:42.199 --> 00:34:44.679 He is the Spirit of truth. 00:34:44.679 --> 00:34:45.679 Remember that. 00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:50.719 And in conclusion, remember that the gifts of the Spirit are the gifts of a sovereign 00:34:50.719 --> 00:34:52.759 God. 00:34:52.760 --> 00:35:00.680 He knows the needs of the church and the disposal of his gifts or otherwise are with him. 00:35:00.680 --> 00:35:07.200 So we don't make any final judgment on these because the needs of the church may change 00:35:07.200 --> 00:35:09.880 and God may change things. 00:35:09.880 --> 00:35:18.480 But as we understand Scripture, we know where its emphasis lies and its emphasis lies on 00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:24.760 character and the gifts, the fruit of the Spirit and the most excellent way, faith, 00:35:24.760 --> 00:35:27.360 hope and love, the greatest of these is love. 00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:29.559 Let's bow our heads and pray. 00:35:29.559 --> 00:35:35.559 Father God, we ask and pray that you would help us to understand better your truth. 00:35:35.559 --> 00:35:41.920 We recognize that we understand only as you open our eyes to see and that we must, as 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:45.199 we were reminded this morning, put our trust in you. 00:35:45.199 --> 00:35:50.039 Help us as Christians, young Christians, old Christians, immature Christians, mature 00:35:50.039 --> 00:35:51.480 Christians. 00:35:51.480 --> 00:35:56.639 Help us to look to Jesus and to find our wisdom and our strength and our help. 00:35:56.639 --> 00:36:01.839 May we know the great gift that He has given us, that given all of us, amazing gift of 00:36:01.839 --> 00:36:07.919 the Holy Spirit that enables us to love you and enables us to love one another. 00:36:07.919 --> 00:36:13.439 New commandment I give unto you, that you love your neighbor as yourself. 00:36:13.439 --> 00:36:14.960 What is the great commandment? 00:36:14.960 --> 00:36:17.320 What is how are the commandments summed up? 00:36:17.320 --> 00:36:20.320 Love God, love your neighbor, says Jesus. 00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:27.320 Help us to live that and may that emphasis and that crucial centrality be ours and may 00:36:27.320 --> 00:36:32.039 we not become proud in our tradition or proud of our thinking. 00:36:32.039 --> 00:36:38.159 I thank you this evening so much for so many of our charismatic friends in this city who 00:36:38.159 --> 00:36:44.840 reach out with the gospel, who love the church, who love the gospel, who are holy and prayerful 00:36:44.840 --> 00:36:49.720 people, and who worship with passion and zeal. 00:36:49.720 --> 00:36:57.240 And we pray for them, we pray that they would remember the emphasis of Scripture as we would 00:36:57.240 --> 00:37:04.640 recognize the emphasis also and that we would remember that we head together in the same 00:37:04.640 --> 00:37:08.720 direction with Jesus as our Lord and King. 00:37:08.720 --> 00:37:14.360 We do thank you for them and pray your blessing on them and on us in our lives and our worship 00:37:14.360 --> 00:37:15.360 for Jesus' sake. 00:37:15.360 --> 00:37:44.360 Amen.