Tongues Were A Sign

Transcript

GR 1358
06-24-07
Tongues Were a Sign
1 Corinthians 14:20-25
Gil Rugh

1 Corinthians 14 in our study of the book of 1 Corinthians, and Paul has been showing the superiority of the gift of prophecy over the gift of tongues. And at first consideration, since you know that we believe the gift of prophecy involved receiving direct revelation from God and then communicating it to God's people, and the gift of tongues involved receiving revelation from God but speaking forth in earthly languages that you did not know and had not learned, since both of those gifts are not present today, why would we spend so much time studying 1 Corinthians 14, which talk about those two gifts. Are they relevant today? Is the situation relevant? In other words, you are aware we need to understand about the gifts and why these two gifts are not present, having understood what they were, what their purpose was. But under the sovereign determination of the Spirit of God the truth that is revealed in the context of these gifts is very, very pertinent to the church today, because the issue is the communicating of God's Word to the mind of God's people. And for genuine worship to occur and for the people of God to mature and grow, the Word of God must be presented to the mind of the people of God. There is no other way to do it.

And that's been Paul's argument down through the first 19 verses, that there is nothing of benefit accomplished unless there is understanding. The problem with the gift of tongues, unless it is interpreted, no one understands what has been said, and you cannot grow, even by wonderful experiences, which you have no understanding of. You cannot grow even sitting in the context of someone demonstrating a supernatural ability to speak in languages they've never learned if you don't understand what they are saying. There must be understanding for growth to take place. In verse 19 of chapter 14 Paul said he would rather speak five words with his mind than 10,000 words in a tongue. In other words, a very, very, very few words spoken with understanding are much more valuable and helpful than thousands of words which are not understood.

This is extremely important for the church today, the evangelical church as we would refer to it, Bible-believing churches where there has been a great move in our worship services toward an emphasis on our feelings and our emotions. We want to have services that make us feel good, that we enjoy. And so we have moved away from an emphasis on content, on biblical truth. And there is much less time given to a serious study of the Word of God. And yet this is God's plan for His church for its maturing and for its growth.

Verses 20-25 really conclude the discussion of the contrast between tongues and prophecy, as Paul has demonstrated the superiority of the gift of prophecy in comparison to the gift of tongues. And the point he is going to make, he has shown that the mind has to be involved if it is to be profitable for the church, if the church is to receive edification to be built up. Now in verses 20-25 he is going to show that the mind must be engaged, the Word of God must be presented in an understandable way if salvation is to occur for the unbeliever. This is very important. We have a whole movement in the evangelical world today called the seeker service. And it is in direct conflict to what Paul unfolds in the verses we are going to look at. For the unbeliever to experience the power of God's salvation, the Word of God must be presented to him in a clear and understandable way. And so if we want to have a church that is a testimony to God's grace where we grow and mature together as God's people and where the unbeliever can come and experience the power of God in salvation, we must be careful to follow the pattern and instructions that God has given us in His Word.

Look at verse 20, it begins with the word brethren. Paul uses this word often when he is going to move to a new section of the discussion. He used it up in verse 6, but now brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues. Now brethren, do not be children in your thinking. Yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. And that word brethren helps soften the rather stiff rebuke that he gives. Think about it. If I would address you and start out by saying, it's time you stopped being a bunch of big babies. You'd say, well that's a little bit offensive, I don't know that he needed to say that. But basically what Paul is saying, and here you could literally translate this, stop being children in your thinking. Stop thinking like little kids. Now remember, in chapter 1, what the Greeks loved was wisdom. They liked people to think they were great thinkers. Now Paul writes to the Corinthian church and says to them, stop thinking like little kids. Stop being so immature. Now in regard to evil, you be a small baby, totally inexperienced, unknowledgeable. There is an area it's all right to never grow up, and that's the area of sin, evil, wickedness. You just remain totally ignorant in that area. That's wonderful, that's great. In evil be infants, never mature, never develop in the area of wickedness. But in your thinking as God's people, you can't be childish, you have to be mature.

And what he is doing is showing that their activity in regard to the gifts has been childish. This is a problem in the church at Corinth, the church that liked to think so much of itself. Back in chapter 3 he told them that he couldn't write to them like mature people, they were still babies, still infants, still immature and fleshly. And now he tells them the have to stop being childish in their thinking. In what way are they being childish? Well Paul is comparing and contrasting the gift of prophecy, which involved receiving revelation and giving it forth to people in an understandable way, and the gift of tongues, which involved revelation, but speaking in languages that no one could understand. What's a characteristic of a child? Well, they are self-centered, they are vain, they want to do what they like, what they enjoy. That's why we don't bring small babies and little children into the service. Their minds are not oriented to seriousness, and it's all about them. And when they get hungry, it's now. When they want attention, it's now. And what draws their attention are the things that are flashy. You know you put those mobiles above the crib, the baby lies there and watches that. You say, what a boring life. But they love it. They can be crying and you start that thing going and they're happy. We say, that's all right, that's the way a baby and an infant are. But you put a 20-year-old in that crib lying there looking at the mobile and you say, we have a problem.

That's what Paul is telling the Corinthians, we have a problem. It's time for you to grow up. You're focused on that which is spectacular, visually attractive, and you need to focus on those things which are characteristic of maturity. Think about it, the prophet got up and said, I have a message from God, and speaks what God has said. That's all right. But then somebody gets up and starts speaking in a language he's never studied and the people of the congregation know he's never studied and they haven't learned, now that is spectacular. Paul says, you are just like little kids. You are looking for that which is spectacular, that grabs our attention, that looks more exciting, more interesting. You need to mature. It's all right for infants to be like that, and I'd like you to be like that when it comes to be evil, have nothing to do with it, no involvement. But you have to grow up, you have to come to maturity as God's people.

He follows that up with a quote from the Old Testament, in verse 21. It's a quote from the prophet Isaiah. In the law it is written. Now it's a quote from the prophet Isaiah, but Paul says, in the law it is written. The law often refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, written by Moses and they contain the Mosaic Law. However this expression, the law, since it was the first five books of the Old Testament scriptures, is often used also to refer just to the Old Testament scriptures, even when you are quoting from other portions, like the prophets. So when Paul says in the law it is written, this is not a strange way to refer to an Old Testament that is not in the first five books. It's an acceptable way to refer to anything found in the Old Testament. But the quote is from Isaiah 28:11, by men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers, I will speak to this people. Even so, they will not listen to me, says the Lord. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers.

Turn back to the book of Deuteronomy, that is in the first five books, chapter 28. And we are coming to the end of Moses' leadership in the nation and in chapter 28 the chapter begins by God promising blessings to Israel if they will obey Him. Note how chapter 28 begins, now it shall be if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord. Blessed shall you be in the city, blessed, blessed, and down through verse 14 God talks about all the blessing He'll pour out upon Israel if they will be faithful to Him and obey His Word.

Then with verse 15 Moses begins to unfold the curses God will bring on the nation Israel if they do not obey His Word. But it shall come about if you do not obey the Lord your God to observe to do all His commandments and His statues with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. Cursed you shall be in the city, cursed in the country. He unfolds down through, really, the rest of the chapter down through verse 68, the curses and judgments that God will bring on Israel for disobedience.

I want to focus your attention on verse 49, the Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth. As the eagle swoops down a nation whose language you shall not understand. Note that statement, a nation whose language you shall not understand. God says one of the judgments and punishments He will bring on the nation if they do not obey His Word is He will bring a foreign nation to conquer and subjugate them. And so when they hear a foreign language being spoken in Israel, they know they are under the judgment of God.

Now come over to Isaiah 28. As judgment on the nation, the ten tribes of the north, as they are known, came under the judgment of God when the Assyrians moved in, attacked and conquered the northern ten tribes. They carried them into captivity. That was in 722 B.C., then later in 586 B.C. the Babylonians conquered Judah, the southern two tribes, and carried them into captivity. Now in Isaiah 28 Isaiah is prophesying coming judgment on Israel for their unbelief and disobedience. And note the context here. Remember, Paul just did a comparison, stop being immature in your thinking, be adults. Look at verse 9, this is the response of the people of Israel, the nation Israel to the prophesies of Isaiah. To whom would he teach knowledge? To whom would he interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? Who does Isaiah think he is talking to? A bunch of babies? A bunch of those who haven't even been weaned yet? In other words, they are belittling Isaiah's message—it's beneath us, that's not what we need to hear, it's not what we want to hear and we're not interested in it. For he says, order on order, order on order, line on line, a little here, a little there. He teaches us like children. In other words, they thought they were beyond needing the Word of God as Isaiah was presenting it.

Indeed, he will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue. God was going to speak to this nation, but in a way they didn't want to hear. It was going to be a fulfillment of what He said He would do in Deuteronomy 28:49, I'm going to speak to this people with a language they don't understand. Isaiah is prophesying a coming Assyrian invasion and conquering of the northern kingdom, the ten tribes. And so he'll speak to them. You don't want to hear the clear message that the prophet has given? I'll speak to you in a language you don't want to hear, a foreign language, a language you don't understand. And you will know you were under My judgment. And then at the end of verse 12, but they would not listen.

Paul pulls this together in his reference in 1 Corinthians 14, referring to judgment. When God spoke to the nation with the Assyrian language, it was a declaration, you're under judgment. And Israel went out and everywhere they are speaking in the Assyrian tongue, they knew that God had brought judgment on them in fulfillment of the curses of Deuteronomy 28.

Now come over to the New Testament again to 1 Corinthians 14. Paul says in verse 21, be men of strange tongues, by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people. Even so they will not listen to me, says the Lord. You see the context here. He has just told them, brethren, do not be children in your thinking, in regard to evil be infants but in your thinking be mature. You know what happened? The Corinthians were in danger of inverting things, just like the Jews did in the Old Testament. They were looking for that which was really a characteristic of immaturity and rejecting that which they needed in maturity. And now the Corinthians are doing the same thing. They're looking for something spectacular. They didn't like the message of Isaiah, just the same thing again and again. And they are things I don't want to hear. He talks about sin, he talks about judgment, he talks about God's righteousness. Those aren't things that interest me. I want something that appeals to me more where I am. But you can't reject God's Word and get away with it. So God says, I'm going to speak to you and it will be in the Assyrian language. And that will be a sign you're under judgment.

Now Paul pulls that out and, why does he say that? Well, verse 22, so then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers. Okay. What are we saying? Tongues are not to build up and develop believers particularly, they are a sign to unbelievers, a sign to unbelievers of the judgment of God upon them, and particularly unbelieving Israel. Because remember the curses of Deuteronomy 28 pertain to the nation Israel. The prophecy of Isaiah that God would speak to those people with this foreign language, the language of the Assyrians, was to the nation Israel. Now Paul takes this use of tongues, which was clearly a foreign language in Isaiah, it was the Assyrian language, and says that this means that tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers. And I take it in the context, we're talking about unbelieving Jews.

Back up to 1 Corinthians 1. Now don't get lost in the details, remember we have to use our minds and sometimes with my explanations you have to use them a little more. Verse 22, for indeed Jews ask for signs, signs being that which prove or demonstrate that this is what God is doing. Back up to Matthew 16. Jesus has been conducting His ministry on earth for some time, He's taught many things and done many things. And yet Matthew 16 opens up, the Pharisees and Sadducees came up and testing Jesus they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. Jesus said, you are missing everything. Verse 4, it's an evil and adulterous generation that seeks after a sign. And the only sign that will be given is the sign of Jonah the prophet. And just like Jonah was three days and three nights in the bell of the whale, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. That's the sign of Jonah. You see what the Jews want? Show us a sign, prove it. The Word of God is not enough to us, the word as Isaiah spoke it, that's not good enough for us, we don't like it, doesn't interest us. The word that Jesus Christ taught, that's not enough for us, do something else. And you realize that what they're doing when they ask for a sign, they're testing Him, they're just looking for a reason to attack Him. They're not interested in truth. And so Paul writes to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1 and says the Jews seek for signs. It's a mark of unbelief. That's why Jesus says, an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. Why? They are saying the Word of God is not enough for us, we have to have other things.

Now in Acts 2 when the Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, He came and they spoke with other tongues. And what did that demonstrate to the nation Israel? That they were under the judgment of God, that God who had brought judgment on them for their unbelief, for their rejection of His Word, the rejection of His Son, the multiplicity of languages demonstrated that now the message of God and His work of salvation would be carried to all nations, not limited to the nation Israel as it had been. It was a testimony of judgment. Acts 10, the house of Cornelius with the Jews observing, as Peter preached and the Spirit comes and they speak with other tongues. And it's a demonstration judgment has come on the nation. Now God's program of grace and salvation will focus in the Gentiles and not in the nation Israel.

But how does this fit the church at Corinth? Corinth is a Greek city, a Gentile church. How would tongues be a sign in a Greek city, in a Greek nation, if it's a sign to Israel? Why would you have it going on like this in a Greek church? Well perhaps it helps us if we review what the setting of the church at Corinth is. Go to Acts 18. Acts 18 records the ministry of Paul at Corinth and the establishing of the church there. And I want you to note several things about his ministry there, and you'll note how Jewish everything is in the setting of this church. The chapter opens up, after these things he left Athens, went to Corinth. So what happened when he got to Corinth? First, he stayed with two Jews, Aquila and Priscilla. He found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them because he was of the same trade. He stayed with them. So when Paul came to Corinth, where did he go to live? He stayed with a Jewish couple. Secondly, where did he begin his ministry in the city of Corinth? Verse 4, and he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. The ministry in the city of Corinth begins in the synagogue, directed toward Jews and Greeks. The Greeks in the synagogue would have been Gentiles, non-Jews, who had become worshipers of the God of Israel, if not full converts, including circumcision, at least they had become worshipers of the God of Israel. Thirdly, when Paul finally had to leave the synagogue because of persecution by the Jews, where did he go? Right next door to the synagogue. Look at verse 5, but when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the Word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, your blood be on your own heads. I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. So what did he do? Move all the way to the other side of the city of Corinth so he could be as far away from the Jews in the synagogue as possible. No, he walked out the front door of the synagogue and walked in next door to the house next to the synagogue and set up his ministry. Verse 7, he left there and went to the house of a man named to minimize Titius Justus, a Roman, that's a Roman name, a worshiper of God. He was a Gentile who worshiped God. His house was next to the synagogue. So you see Paul doesn't remove himself from Jewish influence here. The opposition from the Jews in the synagogue was so intense, he had to leave the synagogue. So he just goes right next door and sets up his teaching ministry in the house of a Gentile, a Roman, who was a worshiper of the God of Israel. And the impact of Paul's ministry? Verse 8, Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all of his household. So you have the Jewish leader of the Jewish synagogue get saved with his family and become part of the church.

So here you have this nucleus of the church at Corinth, and what is it? Well, Gentiles who had been worshipers of the God of Israel and Jews who got converted. And then after Paul's ministry goes on for a period of time, the Jews don't want to tolerate him in the city at all. So verse 12, while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, saying, this man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law. And that goes on down through verse 17. And Gallio will have nothing to do with it. So the Jews' intense opposition is such that they even appeal to the Roman authority to deal with Paul.

So there is a strong Jewish context and setting to the church at Corinth, and that may be one of the reasons why tongues played such a prominent role here. The gift of tongues was used at Corinth, Paul used it, it was present in the church. But its prime focus was a sign to unbelieving Jews that God had judged them, and now the ministry was focused on Gentiles. This doesn't take away from the fact that tongues were a genuine gift used to communicate God's truth to God's people when they were interpreted. So think about it. Tongues involved receiving direct revelation, speaking it forth in a foreign language that had to be interpreted if the church were to benefit. Why did God even use tongues? Why didn't He just use prophecy?

Go back to 1 Corinthians 14:6, now brethren if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? Why didn't God just use that? Why go through the step of using foreign languages? Why didn't He just use prophecy and not use tongues at all? Because once tongues are interpreted, they are just like any revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching. Why even bring in foreign languages that need to be interpreted? That's Paul's explanation. Because tongues were a sign of God's judgment on unbelieving Israel. And even for the Gentiles at Corinth, in the context of the Jews, it was a sign to those unbelieving Jews and evidence to the Gentiles of God's new work in establishing the church. In light of that, I think it good reason to assume that tongues would have passed off the scene by around 70 A.D., when the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, and the judgment of God on the Jews was clear for all to see. Thus, tongues had served its purpose in that transition time of God's judgment.

So tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers. But don't get confused here. He didn't say, tongues are used to convert unbelievers. He's going to explain himself. Tongues are a sign of God's judgment on unbelievers, particularly now in the context of unbelieving Israel. They had not the way of conversion because the end of verse 21 says they will not listen to Me in spite of the tongues, in spite of the evidence of judgment. When the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom, it didn't result in mass conversions in Israel. When the Babylonians conquered the southern kingdom, it did not result in mass conversions among the Jews. It was simply the evidence of God's judgment on them for their unbelief, their disobedience.

All right, back in 1 Corinthians 14. Look at the last part of verse 22, but prophecy is a sign, not to unbelievers, but to those who believe. Prophecy stands in contrast to tongues. Tongues are a sign, they testify to the fact that God has brought judgment on the unbelieving nation Israel. Prophecy is for the benefit of believers, and he has argued that through the first 19 verses. It communicates with understanding the truth of God. So prophecy presents God's truth in an understandable way. Thus the church is edified, built up. That has been his argument through the first 19 verses, if you've been here for that with us.

Look at verse 23. Now he's going to show the relationship of prophecy to unbelievers as well as believers. Therefore, if the whole church assembles together, so times when the whole church assembles like we do. And evidently in the church at Corinth there would have been time when the church would have met together in smaller groups, like many of you met together in Bible studies through the past week, or other smaller meetings. But there are times when the whole church comes together. So Paul talks about when the whole church comes together for ministry.

And all speak in tongues. I don't think there is any support at all for the way that some want to interpret this. One writer who has a major commentary on Corinthians who is charismatic in his background says, this is an evidence and support that everyone in the church could speak in tongues. Then he has to also say in verse 24, but if all prophesy, it also could be that everybody in the church might prophesy. But Paul has already said in chapter 12 verses 29-30 that not everyone can prophesy, not everyone can speak in tongues. So I can't understand the thinking.

What he is saying in verse 23, if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues. In other words, the whole church is together and everybody who is going to speak, speaks in tongues. So you have five speakers and everyone gets up and speaks in a different foreign language that no one understands. What has been accomplished? There has been no understanding. So if the whole church assembles together and all the speakers speak in tongues, in effect, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? So those who don't understand these languages, unbelievers, come in and visit the service at the church, like some may have done this morning. Well, if we had five speakers get up and everyone spoke in a different foreign language, and no one here understood any of the languages, what would that person go out and say? They're crazy there. They’re out of their mind. That's what the word, are you mad is, are they out of their mind. I mean, what do the people do? They go sit there and everybody gets up and says things that no one understands, and then they all go home. It's the goofiest place you've ever been. I didn't understand a word of what was said. And no one else there did either. They're crazy. And we'd think the same thing. I mean, how many times would you want to go to a service where you heard three or four speakers stand up and go on in languages you didn't understand and then you all go out and say, wasn't that wonderful. You'd say, it wasn't wonderful, I didn't learn a thing. I didn't even understand one word of what was said. That's Paul's point. Unbelievers can't benefit by coming in, sitting down, and hearing something they don't understand.

I thought you said tongues were a sign to unbelievers. Yes, but it's a sign to unbelieving Israel of God's judgment on them. It's not a method of salvation for them. I realize in Acts 2 through the speaking of tongues people were attracted, but you understand Peter got up and preached the gospel in the language that was understood, and as a result multitudes were saved. Tongues aren't the method of salvation. Tongues weren't a gift given to evangelize the lost. In the early days of the Pentecostal movement they had people go overseas thinking they had the gift of tongues and could communicate to people in foreign languages. Well, they couldn't. That never was the intention of tongues. They were a sign for unbelievers. And so if unbelievers come into the service, all the Jews recognize that God has placed the nation Israel under judgment. But to be saved they had to hear with understanding the message of Christ.

Look at verse 24, but if all prophesy. Now again, that doesn't mean everybody in the church as it was assembled together was going to prophesy, because not all could prophesy, according to chapter 12. But all the speakers who speak have the gift of prophecy. Now they have revelation from God and it's being communicated in an understandable way. So if all prophesy, all the speakers prophesy, and an unbeliever or ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all. The secrets of his heart are disclosed. When it says he is convicted by all, by all those speaking, all those prophesying. He is called to account by all, by all the speakers who are prophesying. Because if you had four speakers stand up and they all prophesied, they all said what could be understood. They communicated the Word that God had revealed in an understandable way. Now that can impact the unbeliever. He is convicted by each of these speakers, because each of these is giving forth the Word of God in an understandable way.

Go back to John 16. Important connection here, because we have much being done in the evangelical church under the guise of wanting to reach the lost. And so we want to structure our services to reach the lost. Look at John 16. Jesus is preparing for His departure from the earth and He is telling His disciples that He is going to send the Holy Spirit from heaven. And we'll come down to verse 8, the Helper that God will send, Christ will send from heaven. Verse 8, and He, referring to the Holy Spirit, when He comes will convict. There's the word. When the man in 1 Corinthians 14, the unbeliever comes in when the church meets together and sits down and hears the Word of God presented, he is convicted by all that the prophets said. Each of the prophet's message communicated and understood convicts him. Why? Because the Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and convicts the heart and mind of this unbeliever of his guilt. The Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, concerning righteousness, concerning judgment.

Come back to 1 Corinthians 14, keeping that verse in mind. Verse 24, he is convicted by all, all the prophets who speak, speak in an understandable way. He is called to account by all. A word that means to bring under judgment. So the Spirit convicts his mind with the Word of God and brings him under judgment, as he is seen to be a sinner, guilty before God. And that's what the Holy Spirit does, he convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, showing that they are under the judgment of God for their sin. The secrets of his heart are disclosed, revealed for what he is. That's what the Word of God does, it penetrates into our inner being and reveals what? The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things. Men come with their own self-righteousness thinking--they are okay. I'm a good person, I'm a righteous person, and then the Word of God is presented and the Spirit of God takes it and drives it to their innermost being. And they are convicted and shown to be under judgment and condemnation. The secrets of their heart are revealed. Their inner being is exposed. Out of the heart, Jesus said in Mark 7, proceeds all kinds of evil. That's what the condition of the heart is.

Turn over to Hebrews 4, and here he is warning the Jews about the seriousness of failing to place their faith in Christ, failing to believe the Word that was presented to them. And he uses the Old Testament Jews as an example. Verse 2, for indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did, those Old Testament Jews. But the word they heard did not profit them because it was not united by faith in those who heard. They failed to believe the Word of God. And the warning is, don't you make the same mistake, verse 11, you don't want to follow their example of disobedience.

Look at verse 12, for the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, now note this, and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. What we're talking about when it says the secrets of his heart are disclosed, are manifested. Down in the innermost recesses of his inner being, that only his own thoughts know, now he is revealed and exposed. That's what the Word of God does as the Spirit of God pierces into the innermost being. That's why Paul says the Word of God must be presented in an understandable way. An unbeliever might turn up in your service. You'll note here, he's not saying now the whole service is geared to the unbeliever. The service is geared to present the Word of God to God's people, but you know what? When an unbeliever comes and sits with God's people, he, too, hears the Word of God. And perhaps by the grace of God, the Spirit of God will take that Word and carry it to his innermost being with convicting power, bring him under judgment, and revealing to himself what he really is—a man in need of God's salvation.

Come back to 1 Corinthians 14. What will be the result of that? Verse 25, so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. You see we don't take the work of God into our hands. We are servants. We are to be found presenting the Word of God in an understandable way, and God uses that Word to build His people to maturity. And He also uses that same Word to convict and bring under judgment an awareness of condemnation the lost condition of the unbeliever. As the Spirit opens his blinded eyes to see what he really is, discloses the secrets of his heart, he falls on his face to worship the living God, and acknowledge these are the people of God, because it's here he has heard the Word of God.

That's God's plan. I am sick to death of getting material in the mail telling me how we are going to reach the world, how the church can learn the methods that will draw the lost. I received a book free of charge, just turned up in the mail. I guess they got our name on a mailing list some place. You know what the title of it is? A hardback book, Entertainment Evangelism. Now if that's not an oxymoron. Entertainment Evangelism. Paul tells the Corinthians, you'd think he might say, now look, you use tongues because they are spectacular. You don't think unbelievers are going to want to come and hear a prophet just give forth a message. They'll treat him like they did Isaiah. No, we need something more than that. Think about it. If everybody gets up and speaks in languages, there is something spectacular. Paul says, that won't do it. That's just a sign of God's judgment on the Jews. You know what the unbeliever needs to be saved? He needs to hear the pure milk of the Word. That's all. You say, well, our services aren't geared to the unbeliever. They're geared to everybody. Yes, but do you think there is anything in 1 Corinthians 14 that an unbeliever gets saved by it? It's the Word of God. The Spirit takes the Word of God and pierces into the innermost being. I can't save someone. What am I going to do? Put on a show up here so unbelievers will come and say, I really enjoyed that. I think I'll come back. Is that Paul's purpose here? Create the kind of service that the unbeliever will enjoy? You think about it, you invite your unbelieving friend, he comes under conviction. You say, oh, no, talking about sin, talking about judgment. I wish he had talked about having a good marriage today, that would have been something they would have liked. Or maybe Ten Steps to Success in Business. That would be something they could use. Then over time we could work them in. You know what God does? If He is going to save someone, He brings them in and stabs them with the Word right in the heart. Other people are like the Jews that didn't believe. They just want to run away. The danger is, the church was becoming like the unbelieving Jews. They wanted to be like children. We want to focus on the spectacular. I want something interesting, I want something enjoyable, I want something that makes me feel like I worshiped. I don't come to church to work and concentrate and have to think, I come to church to relax and have an experience that will make me feel good to face the week. Well then you don't come to a biblical church to do that. I mean, we come to what? Have our minds stirred up with the Word of God, to think so that we might submit, so we might obey. I don't know if I'm going to bring an unbeliever. I sometimes have been asked over the years, what are you going to be preaching on next week? I say, well why do you ask? Well I was going to invite my unbelieving neighbor, but I thought if you were just going to continue or we would be on that, I might wait. Well you know I can understand the thinking, but really, what does the Spirit of God use? If the Spirit of God is working on that unbelieving neighbor, bring him. The Lord will stab him with any portion.

I'm sometime amazed where people say, the Lord opened my eyes. We were just going through, I've been coming, and all of a sudden it seemed clear. You know what? The Spirit had disclosed the secrets of his heart. That's something that only the Spirit can do. I can't come thinking, I hope I can get this across to the unbeliever. All I can do is pray, Lord, enable me to make this Word as clear as it possibly can be made so that the Spirit can carry it to the hearts of believer and unbeliever alike.

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:23, for you have been born again, not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, the living and abiding Word of God. We think we've become so clever. Charles Finney came up with the ideas many years ago that he could create revival with new methods, and you use the right methods you can get great results. You can get great crowds, but only God can bring about conversions. And the church is still struggling with it. We think we have methods that work, and we do if you're trying to get great crowds. But God's method has not changed. God is well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. That's how 1 Corinthians began in chapter 1. God is well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. I think the church ought to keep its focus on God's methods so that God can do the work that only God can do.

Come back to Isaiah 55 and we're done. Opens up with a gracious invitation from God, Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. You who have no money, come buy and eat, come buy wine and milk without money and without cost. In other words, what I have to offer you, you can have. Buy it, but there's no charge. You get it free. And it's His salvation. Verse 6, seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord and He will have compassion on him, to our God and He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”’ It is absolutely essential. I can say yes, I want to think God's thoughts after Him, but I cannot think God's thoughts before Him. I cannot come up with a better plan than God's plan. My thoughts aren't your thoughts, My ways are higher than your ways. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth, making it bear and sprout, furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth. It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. You understand the context of this. My ways are not your ways, man has many methods, many plans. I use My Word and it always accomplishes what I want.

People say, what happened when you preached that sermon? Only God knows. Everything God wanted to happen, happened. Well, that sounds arrogant. No, because all I did was give forth the Word that He gave to me, and God said His Word never returns void, never fails to accomplish His purposes. Well were people saved? I don't know. Did people grow? I hope so. What did you do? I presented the Word. Well don't you think there might be some more effective things to do? Well that depends on how you define effectiveness. Do I think we can do some other things that would get more people in? Yes. Do I think we should do anything else to accomplish the work of God in the world today? No.

So what are we to do? The church is the pillar and support of the truth. So what Paul is writing about, the contrast between prophecy and tongues is very pertinent to the way we function as a church, and what we are about. We are about presenting the Word of God in an understandable way, so that by God's grace unbelievers can hear the glorious message of a crucified Savior and be saved. And God's people can grow and mature according to His purposes and plans.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the richness of your Word, the treasure entrusted to us, earthen vessels, so that all the honor and glory comes to you. Lord, how privileged we are to come together as the church in this place and have your Word taught to us, have your Word proclaimed. Lord, we count it a privilege to have your Word presented in an understandable way so that our minds can function, we can take it in and ponder it and think upon it, to evaluate our lives in light of it, to contemplate how we might more effectively obey it and put it into practice. Above all we thank you that your Spirit takes this truth and nourishes and matures us so that we can bring honor and glory to you. Lord, I pray for any unbelievers who are here today, who by your grace have been brought under the sound of your Word. Our desire is that the Spirit would do the work of grace that He has accomplished in our hearts, and their hearts as well. We pray in Christ's name, amen.