Sermon – “Edification”

there are many foreign languages is there not than one take what besides David does anyone want to take a wild guess how many different types of languages there are today in the world

a wild guess 521-0000

Landon. 6000 you’re probably close to 7160 different languages in the world today that’s a lot of different languages isn’t there you know I think back the couple times that we’ve been in a foreign country we went to Italy you know when you’re in a country where a lot of those people do speak 2 languages I am not one of those people that speaks more than one language so you feel kind of out of place you are you know you don’t understand you’re a foreigner that’s what it means you don’t understand in a bog area you know it was this a rare E. different and unique experience to get up and preach and have to have an interpreter speak so that they could understand what you were speaking it it was I was a foreigner I was speaking in tongues to those people if it would not have been for that person that was an interpreter for me right you know tongues is a topic that many people would rather just not discuss. They naturally shy away from it by because of the unknown you feel uneasy you know in Italy we could be set near someone be looking at us and talking and they’re talking about us same day.

They’re saying I don’t like these foreigners we like their money but I don’t like these for you know we didn’t know that but so there is an uneasiness when you don’t understand we don’t know what’s going on right and that’s the way a lot of people look to terms it’s there’s an unknown so it makes naturally makes them feel uneasy

you know. There are some Turks bodies or some believers that believe if you don’t speak in tongues you don’t have the spirit of friends that’s a wrong teaching that is not true what did Paul say in chapter 12 and was talking about the gifts do all have to give the feeling of course not do all have the gift of prophecy no do all have the gift of miracles no do all have the gift of tongues buffet you know obviously not we all have our different gifts some may have multiple some may have one they’re not all going to speak in tongues so that is a false teaching to say that if you do not speak in tongues you’re not till the spirit because you may have the gift of healing but not tongues God will give you to get but we are to earnestly desired to give but most importantly use our gifts of love

in 1st Corinthians 12 he ended with but earnestly desire the best gifts and yet I show you a more excellent way and we learn of that more excellent way last week didn’t we that more excellent way is love that we would love our brothers and sisters that we would love our neighbors that we would love those that

are the hardest to love love those that are hardest to love there are the ones that need it the most right.

But Paul continues in chapter 14 to address proper order in the lives that are professing to be believers and in worship proper order of worship and we gather together in worship there should be order to it

you know tongues was in is obviously one of the gifts Paul said verses 1819 I thank my God that I speak with tongues more than all of you yet in the church Paul says now listen if I would rather speak 5 words with understanding

then 10000 words in a tongue

because no one would understand it I would rather speak to you 5 words today then a 1000000 words that you wouldn’t understand because how would you understand how would it build up the church or edify the church if you did not understand it

versus $2728.00 so I’m going to come feeding you to the rest of the chapter bit by bit and he says if anyone speaks in a tongue let there be 2 or at the most 3 and each in turn and let one interpret but if there is no interpreter let him keep silent in the church and let him speak to himself and to God So my friends does that not institute there is an order to it a very direct order if they are going to speak in tongues how it’s to be done 2 or 3 at the most and it needs to be an interpretation so there is order in the church.

Paul says If you pray in the spirit meaning if you pray in tongues or if you sing in the spirit if you prophesied a spirit how would the uninformed brother say Amen so they get up here and if I am singing in tongues and man I say man you’re going to sit around thinking you know I can’t say amen to that because when we say Amen what are we doing we’re speaking our agreement right we’re agreeing with what you have said to Gary just said amen right you agree with it so if I get up here and speak a bunch of stuff to jibberish and you don’t understand it you’re not going to say amen because you’re not going to know what I spoke right.

For Santa Anita

I’m going to give us a visual not a visual. Audible illustration I’ve asked her to come and play something.

Somebody please tell me what you play.

What’s that tune Come on then that tune it.

All right about another.

That. Amazing Grace right.

We recognize it we recognize the tune we can say meant to that because we know what she played

how will the man roster battle with the horn plays on familiar sound right

we know that Amazing Grace

verse 33 of chapter 14 says for God is not the author of confusion but of peace as in the churches of the saints our God is not an order author of confusion he wants us to calm him to be edified to be built up to have understanding.

What good would it do to come if that’s all she played every week and we didn’t have a clue what we were going to sing write

we want we walk away like wow that was a wonderful praise and worship service wasn’t it not.

Paul also says that tongues are a sign for unbelievers not for the believers that’s the main context of the passage when believers come together for worship the main purpose for coming together yes it is to worship but it is that we will learn God’s word that we would learn about how we can grow in our faith it we will learn how we can exalt him we will learn to grow in our relationship with him it’s to come together and learn if we’re not coming together in learning what is the point and coming together we are to come and to grow Paul’s use of the word edify is a wonderful choice of words edifies of an architectural word it means to build up

Paul uses it to mean to in the light and to benefit morally and spiritually

so whether we are gathered together for a Bible study on Wednesday night serve gather in our homes to study the Bible or warship or whatever we’re gathered together for in the name of the Lord we are gathered together to grow morally and spiritually to become enlightened in and the things of God right that’s what we should be coming together for

and how could one possibly be enlightened if they don’t understand one thing it spoke or played

That’s why I said especially desire that you might prophesied

the prophesied that Paul speaking of here is to give instruction in matters of faith it is being divinely instructed in speaking the purpose is in the will of God again to build up the church not to tear down.

I want to go back Ana

on a memory many years ago there was a gentleman that started 10 in a church that we was going to that and a service one they I’m not sure don’t remember was in the middle of the service but he gave a word in tongues and then he himself turned right around and interpreted it and everything that he spoke was to tear down the church it was to criticize and condemn he did not speak a word to build up in lift up the church the pastor handled it tremendously

he said Friends that is not of God because it does not edify it does not build up and Paul’s very clear that when we come together we speak of prophecy to build up our tongues it needs to be to build up the church not tear it down

so I commend the pastor the way he handled that.

We need to be careful not to misinterpret the meaning and usage of spiritual gifts it could be easily to bundle prophecy and preaching also into the same category now there is a little bit of difference between prophecy and preaching but there are times that they meant to get a mesh together because you know a modern day preacher the way they normally do is they’ll prepare they’ll search tool search commentaries on the word and concordances and dictionary encyclopedia and all these things to search out the context the biblical principle to form a message prophecy can be a divine word given to someone to share and encourage and build up and yes though preachers preaching also can and should be oftentimes a Divine Word from God that we share but it all needs to line up with this to make sure that it builds and encourages the people in the church.

We do have the benefit of having our Bibles and unlimited other resources you think back to the early church though they had the scrolls that they would read from

but they didn’t have all the resources that we had they had to rely on the Holy Spirit and what they learned from others

Luke 1211 and 12 says now when they bring to you bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities do not worry about how and what you should answer and what you should say for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say now I know that the context in this these couple verses is a little bit different

but he tells them I will give you in that very hour

what you will say brothers and sisters when we gather together it’s the same Holy Spirit so the word of prophecy is to the same Holy Spirit

to prophesies to receive a word or an understanding from God for individuals or for the church the Greek word for prophecy is true for tell events but also to speak under inspiration so that’s what prophecy is to speak under inspiration from God

So a pastor can speak a word of prophecy

if you would to if you are to study out the entire chapter of. 14 chapter 14 it would be err very evident that the 1st century church and there are order of worship and things probably looked a whole lot different than ours does today. When you think about even the thought that they would gather together and they would wait and he would listen as if someone had a word or message or a tongue and be interpreted so as I envision this I could just give myself a mental picture sometimes but it might be kind of quiet while they’re sitting there waiting to see if someone’s going to get a word from the Lord right send their way to maybe pray in and you know if I got up here today and I just stood here and didn’t say a word and we just waiting up after about 5 minutes some of them the problem with this is we are what’s going on why is he saying something well he don’t say something soon I’m getting up I’m going out of here

but that’s why I can envision the services back then were probably a lot different than ours they didn’t have all the resources that we have prepared that oftentimes they would gather together and wait to get a divine word from the Lord yes they would have the reading of the scrolls I mean today I mean we have that order I mean we got to start a precisely the right time I’m not condemning that but we do because we broadcast but everything has a new order you know we have a certain time in the service where we take up the offering we lighted candles we have a certain time where we ring the bell most of the time certain time when we greet you know we have an order so that their services would look a whole lot different than ours

but then again I said God is a God of order he wants us to have a word but maybe one of these days we’re going to mix it all off just to keep you on your toes right.

Also let 2 or 3 prophets speak then that the others judge what were they to judge so imagine that you’re in a service someone gives a word again we’re all focus on these differences are you guys let’s judge us what do you think it was out of God or not

you wouldn’t want to be that guy that we did it wasn’t right you don’t want to embarrass yourself. You would hope that you definitely want to hear from God If you’re going to speak a word in the church because they’re going to judge what you said is it true there’s a law

you know if someone came to a pastor today in a church most churches a pastor I have a word from the Lord I’d like to share where.

We don’t want to interfere with our rigid schedule now with a what let me take it before the board will vote on whether we what is the word let me take it to the board what the vote on whether or not we want you that the body here

a lot different back then I mean right in the service you have the word the others would judge that’s the way they operated so a whole lot different culture was it not but whether it’s the early church or today’s church with our water some have more water than others but with our church today it all needs to be for the edification the exportation and the comfort of others to build up and not tear down Romans 122 to 4 says we should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord

we should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord for even Christ didn’t live to please himself as a scripture saying the insults of those who insult you God have fallen on me and

the word understand or understanding was used 5 times in that short passage

that I read from Chapter 14 it reveals the true context of our passage Paul wants to ensure that the people receiving understanding receiving the understanding that they need to live a godly life to have an opportunity to know God and a personal way to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and the friend

when one thing is leading a congregation or comes before others. They should not speak above the level of the people they’re speaking to either because you know get up here and use a buncha.

Great big words that would be above your head but I mean I wasn’t going to do that because but what good would that do you but there are those congregations that need those big words but we need to make sure we’re speaking whether it’s a new whatever the language or even the words we use that it’s going to build up is going to edify this going to help others learn and grow closer to God

One thing that is so amazing about God that he has made his plan of salvation clear enough that even the youngest child can understand the basic principles of the message.

Isn’t that wonderful that the young child a child of some of them at the age of 5 or 6 can have understanding a clear understanding God loves them God sent His Son to die for them and all they have to do is believe on Him repair their sins and believe on Him

and they can have eternal life that they can have the hope of eternity with Him That’s how simple we made it yes there is deep things we need to search out and study to to grow closer and things to know how to live but the basic principles of it that I am a sinner that I need saved a child can understand

it’s very clear

it’s not confusing confusing.

But we can all understand that amen if one I’m not sure I don’t think again I did give them 21115221 says Therefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the sayings do not cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation and now in the knowledge of Him friends we need to pray that God will give us the Spirit of wisdom the spirit of knowledge to understand Him They are eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality in power and might into minion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come

isn’t it amazing by his mighty power and by his mighty work he has redeemed us all who believe all who will accept by faith his amazing gift

it is by grace that we are saved not of works this anyone should boast

we can know had we can know that we can have that assurance and we need to build others up and help others to understand we don’t want to confuse them we want to make it clear that they too can know Jesus Christ as a man.