1 Corinthians 14:1-25 – Edification, Prophecy, and Tongues
My sermon notes for Sunday morning, Sept 18th. Remember, these are my personal study notes and not a manuscript of the sermon. They are provided as an outline each week for our Tabernacle Church family. The church provides a live stream of the service each Sunday at 10:30 on Facebook. We also provide the services through YouTube by Sunday afternoon. You can find Sermon Notes, Family Devotional Guides, Prayer List, and other resources at our Church Website.
INTRO
- This is considered a view tough passage of scripture to preach and teach through.
- I think this is the case because we tend to overlook the context of Chp. 14
- Also, tongues and prophecy can be a divisive subject due to the nature of the charismatic movement.
- Yet, I truly believe that there is no controversy… if we will stay true to the Word.
The Situation in Corinth
- Consider the church of Corinth. They are a sanctified mess.
- New believers. Immature in their faith/understanding
- Consider their issues.
- Divided over leadership
- Sexual sin (incest)
- Suing one another
- Stumbling block in society (liberties abused)
- Improper observance of Lord’s Supper
- Misusing spiritual gifts
- They had lost their way. They were allowing their emotions and desires to guide their thoughts… rather than God’s Word and Will.
- Rather than building up the Lord’s Church they were dividing the it.
- Unpacking these three words will help us understand more fully this text
EDIFICATION
- The necessity of edification (building one another up)
- Upbuilding, Encouragement, Consolation – v. 3,5,12,26
- Upbuilding
- Edification, spiritual profit
- Bring closer to completion
- Lift up together
- Romans 14:19
- Eph. 4:12,16,29
- 1 Cor. 14:12 – Strive to build up the church
- 1 Cor. 14: 19 – Instruct the church
- Encouragement
- Calling to one’s side
- Consolation
- Console with the idea of tenderness
- When someone is going through a tough time
PROPHECY
- Sharing a divine truth to others
- Apostolic authority
- Build up the church – v. 5
- People speaking to Man
- Sharing God’s Word with man
- I believe it is different that “preaching” today
- Prophecy is much better than tongues, because all can understand prophesy.
TONGUES
- Acts 2 a sign gift. (Sign – this is from God)
- Spoke in foreign languages so that all could understand
- HERE…. It has turned into a private prayer language. A language unknown. Words that make no sense. ECSTATIC UTTERANCE
- Builds up himself – v. 4
- People speaking to God
- Striking the emotion… a personal encounter with God
- The tension is still there today
- Tongues as part of a filling of the Spirit.
- Private prayer languages
How tongues was dividing the church
- They were utilizing a gift that was not fulfilling its purpose.
- We must consider WHY THE SPEAKING GIFTS WERE IN PLACE IN THE NT TIMES
- Communicating God’s truth to the church
- The purpose of the gifts is EDIFICATION
- The church of Corinth was a divided and disobedient church
- The point of this section is FOR THE CHURCH TO BE MATURING not divided
- Tongues was not helping but hurting
- Must have interpreters for public setting
- Must be for edification
- Must me a known language
- Be careful in allowing an EXPERIENCE to take the place of the teaching of SCRIPTURE
Matthew 6:7–13 – “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
CONCLUSION
Be mature in your thinking – v. 20
- Let the Word guide you and not emotions.
- Be content with the truths we have been given… stop searching for the unknown and embrace the known
- Love God. Love His Word. Love His Church
Put the ministry of the Word at the forefront of our church – v. 24
- Allow the preaching and teaching of the Word to be at the center.
- Trust the Word to do its work.
- True change comes from the Word