Speak Clearly 1 Corinthians 14.1-25 November 20, 2011 Introduction: This week marks the 33 rd anniversary of what has become the most notorious event in the history of Star Wars. On November 17, 1978 a little over a year after the original release of Star Wars in the movie theatres CBS aired on television a two hour show entitled The Star Wars Holiday Special. Words fail to adequately describe how utterly atrocious this television monstrosity was. It was done as a variety show staring all of the original actors along with special guests such as Bea Arthur and Art Karney to name a few and it is painful to behold. Thankfully it was never aired again, although it lives on through poor-quality bootleg videos which George Lucas has been quoted as saying that he would like to track down every copy and smash it with a hammer. And in case you re wondering, yes I do own a copy of the Holiday Special because I m just a glutton for punishment. To give you just one example of why the Star Wars Holiday Special is so bad, let me tell you about how it begins. The first twenty minutes takes place on Chewbacca s home planet with his family. This may sound homey and nice until you recall that Chewbacca is a large hairy wookie who doesn t speak English and neither does his family. They just growl and grunt. So for twenty minutes you are subjected to wookies growling at each other with no subtitles to clue you in as to what they are saying. Watching wookies grunt and growl isn t terribly engaging, even if you re a Star Wars fan, although in light of how the rest of the Holiday Special went, I can t imagine it would have been interesting even if I could understand them. The point of all this is that clear communication is important. If you don t understand what s being said, then the television show or movie or conversation is going to get pretty boring pretty quick. Listening to Chewbacca s family speak in wookie for twenty minutes isn t terribly interesting; in a similar way, unintelligible language spoken in the church isn t much better. This morning Paul is going to specifically address the issue of speaking in tongues. The Corinthian believers were placing a premium on the exercise of this particular spiritual gift, but when practiced as part of their worship gatherings, it was about as useful as listening to wookies growling. If their worship services were going to have a benefit to others in attendance, then their use of tongues was going to need to be either severely limited or eliminated. So as you open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 14, let me try to summarize for you what it is that Paul want to communicate to us from our passage this morning, which is just this: Main idea: What is spoken in the church should be beneficial to the church. The common theme that runs throughout our passage today is that what is spoken during the times the church gathers for worship should build up those who listen. If what is said causes confusion and doesn t result in edification, then it shouldn t be done. Since we ve got a lot of ground to cover today let s get right into it. We will begin by looking at v. 1-5 which concerns our first point, which is 1
1. The superiority of prophecy over tongues (v. 1-5) Please follow along with me as I read the first five verses of 1 Corinthians 14 from the English Standard Version. Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. After his short digression on love in chapter 13, Paul now returns to where he left off at the end of chapter 12, encouraging the Corinthian believers to desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. This he contrasts with the gift of speaking in tongues, which is a far less desirable gift than prophecy due to tongues being incomprehensible to the gathered church. So he says in v. 2, One who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. Speaking in tongues is not a known human language according to Paul; instead it s spoken to God uttering mysteries in the Spirit. Perhaps this is part of what Paul had in mind in Romans 8 when he says the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. So speaking in tongues is speaking to God in manner that cannot be understood by others or even by the person speaking. But prophesying is different in that it can be understood. This can include what we might call a supernatural word from God, where God strongly impresses a thought or message on someone and they in turn speak it to the church, but it can also include messages given through careful preparation when teaching a class or writing a sermon. I don t have many experiences where I believe God is directly speaking to me, but I do believe he s very much at work as I study and write my sermons. Every week God grants me insight into his Word and convicts me and guide me as I try to decide what I m going to say. I ve had more than my share of Mondays where I ve read the passage and thought, How in the world am I going to preach on this for thirty minutes? and yet God has been faithful to always provide the mental manna I need so that I have something intelligent to say on Sunday morning. So prophesy can be a very direct word from God or it can be done through careful study and preparation of God s Word. Paul s point is that it s far better that I prophesy through preaching and teaching in the king s English than for me to come up here and speak in tongues. The reason is that prophesying builds up and encourages the church because you can all understand what I m saying whereas if I stand up here and say Yabba, dabba, do for a half hour the only benefit you ll derive from it is that you ll want to watch The Flintstones. To prophesy is far better than speaking in tongues because as Paul says in v. 3 it speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. By its nature, speaking in tongues doesn t do that. Therefore, it is better to seek out spiritual gifts that can benefit the whole church rather than one that has a much more limited application. 2
But before we move on, I need to make sure you understand that just because Paul regards prophesy as better than speaking in tongues doesn t make speaking in tongues bad. Consider what Paul says at the beginning of v. 5? Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. Paul isn t against speaking in tongues it has its place. It is after all still a spiritual gift. I think that s very important for us to keep in mind. We re not a church that emphasizes speaking in tongues, and I think that s a good thing in light of what Paul says here, but we shouldn t fall off the other side of the fence and despise it either. The apostle Paul regards it as a legitimate spiritual gift and says that he would be happy if everyone spoke in tongues, so we need to be careful not to be dismissive of it. The opposite error of thinking too highly of speaking in tongues is thinking too little of it. Moving on, Paul next will use a few analogies to demonstrate why prophesy is to be preferred over speaking in tongues in v. 6-12. So our second point this morning is 2. Analogies for the need of intelligibility (v. 6-12) Follow along as I read only v. 6. Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? The answer of course is that if he comes only speaking in tongues, it won t be of any benefit to them because his words will be unintelligible. In order for the church to be built up, believers need to understand what is being said. So then Paul utilizes three analogies to help illustrate his point. Look at the first one in v. 7. If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? We recently purchased a piano and of the temptations my youngest daughter gave into is pressing down a jumble of keys all at once. Needless to say it doesn t make a very pleasant sound when you do that. In order make music, you need to press down certain keys to create distinct notes. Speaking in tongues during a worship service is like randomly pressing down the keys on the piano; it doesn t make any kind of melody one can recognize. In the same vein in v. 8-9 Paul says, And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. The call to battle is recognized by a distinct sound being made; a jumble of sounds doesn t communicate anything. Again, the same thing holds true with speaking in tongues: if during a worship service you utter indecipherable words, it doesn t benefit anyone present because they can t understand it. The third analogy is found in v. 10-12. Follow along in your Bible again as I read, There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. 3
If you ve ever spent time in a foreign country, you know how this feels. You can hear the language and you know something is meant by it, but you can t understand it. And until you can communicate with the other individual in a language you both understand, you ll remain a foreigner to them and they to do. I remember going to Paris years ago with Karen and how we struggled because we didn t speak French. Our trip to London was much more enjoyable because we could understand what was being said. So is it in church: speaking in tongues can t build up the church body if what s being said is unintelligible. Therefore Paul says, if the Corinthians want to seek out spiritual gifts, then they should strive to excel [in those gifts that build] up the church. I think Paul has been pretty clear so far that of paramount importance for the church is that she be built up through the exercise of spiritual gifts that are intelligible. Tongues have their place, but far more important to the well-being of the church are the use of gifts that result in encouragement that can be comprehended by others. Moving on now, Paul s going to apply this to their situation and explain to them why intelligibility during their worship times is so important. So our next point concerns 3. Putting it into practice: for the sake of believers (v. 13-19) Look first with me at v. 13-15. Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Now Paul gets into the practical application of what he s been saying. Since the need for comprehension is so important, Paul says that anyone who speaks in tongues should also pray for the ability to interpret it. The reason for this is so others present can understand what s being said. According to Paul, when speaking in tongues, the mind isn t actively involved in what s being said. Praying and singing in tongues is beneficial to the person s spirit, but since the mind can t comprehend what is being said, it s better to not rely only on that but to also pray and sing with one s mind. This means while Paul isn t going to forbid speaking in tongues, he wouldn t want a whole church service to be characterized by unintelligibility. Worshiping God with the mind through propositional truth clearly articulated is essential for well-being of the church when gathered together for worship. Now look at v. 16-19 with me. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say Amen to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Paul now reminds them of the alternative. He says in essence, Look, you may very well be giving thanks to God with your spirit when you re speaking in tongues, but if those around you don t understand what you are saying, how can they possibly agree with you and join in saying Amen to your thanksgiving? They can t. So for Paul, the personal 4
benefit the tongue-speaker receives by practicing his gift does not justify its use when the church is gathered for worship. As soon as you join with other believers to worship God as a local church, it stops being about what benefits you personally and becomes a question of What will benefit the whole church? Since speaking in tongues without any kind of interpretation does not build up the church, Paul says they should avoid doing it when gathered together for worship. I think this is important to keep in mind when it comes to thinking about what we do when we gather together for worship. The most obviously application of this is of course in regards to speaking in tongues. Here at GBC, we don t place an emphasis on speaking in tongues. It s not a part of our worship services. And in light of what Paul says here, I think that s a good thing. Paul places a premium on intelligibility in worship and while he concedes later in this chapter for a very limited use of tongues in worship, I think it s safe to say it would be just as well if it never happened at all. So while I certainly have no objections to anyone who spoke in tongues being part of our church family, I d simply ask that it be restricted to a practice that was part of your personal devotional time and that you not insist on using it during worship gatherings for the very reasons Paul has given in the last couple of chapters. A secondary application of this passage is a little more indirect, but worth mentioning and that is the general principle that Paul upholds here for intelligibility in worship. What we do together on Sunday mornings should be intelligible for those present and should be of benefit to them. Thus when it comes to music, I want our times of singing to be intelligent in that you can understand what is being sung. I don t want the rock band worship team that plays so loud that you can t hear what you are singing. Nor do I want dumbed down lyrics with a bunch of na na na na na s in them (and sadly those exist). But I also want to be careful with using hymns that speak in overly archaic language. While I love the hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, I have to admit that whenever I sing the line, Here I raise my Ebenezer I can t help but think of the Ghost of Christmas Past. If what we are singing is unintelligible, we either need to retire the song, update the lyrics, or at least try to explain the meaning of obscure words before we sing them. This also has application to preaching. Part of my responsibility as a pastor is to give an intelligible message. Now that obviously means I shouldn t come up here and give the message in German, but beyond that, it should be my goal to be as intelligible to you as I possibly can. So I don t refer to Greek and Hebrew words very often, since most of you don t know the original languages. I try not to bust out twenty-five cent theological words, and if I do, I try to define them first so I m not confusing everyone. But I also try to be intelligible in how I organize my message. I do my best to avoid bunny trails; I provide an outline with clear points and a main idea so you know where I am in my message. I try to not only explain the text but use illustrations and make applications to our lives today. I m also very conscious in writing in regard to time. I rarely go less than 30 minutes and will almost never go more than 40. I do as much as I can to make it easy to follow me and have a realistic sense of when my message is going to end. All of that is so I can be of benefit to you who are listening. I know listening to a person talk for 30-40 minutes straight isn t easy, so I do my best to make it as understandable and hopefully interesting as possible for you. Since intelligibility of what is said is so important to Paul, then it 5
needs to be essential to me as the person doing a significant chunk of speaking in the service to be intelligible to you. So intelligibility in worship is essential for building up the believers who are present. But not only is Paul concerned about Christians, he s also concerned about the effect speaking in tongues can have on an unbeliever who might be present during a worship service. So let s turn our attention to the final point this morning, which is 4. Putting it into practice: for the sake of unbelievers (v. 20-25) Please follow along as I read v. 20-22. Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord. Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. After gently scolding them for being so childish in their thinking in regards to their over-emphasis on the gift of speaking in tongues, Paul quotes from the prophet Isaiah and uses that passage as the basis for what he says in v. 22, Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. Now we need to understand how Paul uses the word sign here in order to make sense of what he goes on to say after this. First, tongues are a sign for unbelievers in the same way that unintelligible language was a sign to Israel when in exile: it was a sign of judgment. The strange tongues of Isaiah s prophecy was a sign that God was judging them for their sin. Prophecy, on the other hand, was used by God for his people, to warn them of judgment and call them to repentance. So the term sign here is positive when it refers to intelligible prophecy that can be understood, but is negative when it comes to tongues because unintelligible utterance are a sign of judgment. With that in mind, we can now make sense of v. 23-25. Look at those verses with me. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. There are two scenarios that Paul presents. In the first scenario, the church is gathered for worship where everyone present is speaking in tongues. When the unbeliever enters, he hears a bunch of incoherent babbling, and thinks to himself, These Christians are stark raving mad! Speaking in tongues in this case is of no benefit for the unbeliever; all it does is confirm his unbelief. Instead of being a help, it s a hindrance. But in the second scenario, where prophecy characterizes the worship service rather than speaking in tongues, the unbeliever is convicted by what he comprehends. Paul says the secrets of his heart are disclosed which come either because someone is given a prophetic word that reveals some specific insight into the unbeliever s heart or he s simply convicted by the preaching of God s Word. Thus prophecy is for believers 6
because it encourages believers and can turn non-christians into believers through the clear proclamation of the gospel. But speaking in tongues benefits neither believers who can hear it but not understand it, nor unbelievers because all it does is give them further reason to reject Christianity as a religion for crazy people. Since our church doesn t practice speaking in tongues as part of our worship gatherings this of course is easy enough for us to apply. But moving beyond that, I think Paul s concern for how an unbeliever might perceive a Christian worship service should be a consideration in how we think about what we do on Sunday mornings. Clearly Paul doesn t want unbelievers present to be confused or get the idea we re out of our minds! While we are not a seeker-sensitive church in that we have our entire Sunday morning worship service geared around reaching unbelievers, nevertheless we should be aware of how our worship gatherings come across to those who aren t Christian who may be in attendance. We should be careful to avoid speaking in Christianese where we use terms and phrases that we all understand but are meaningless to outsiders. We might understand what it means to receive Christ as our personal Savior or accept Jesus into our hearts but it s not going to make any sense to an unbeliever. We need to be able to provide a clear explanation of who Christ is, what he did on the cross, and what it means to repent of sin and trust Christ in faith. What we say and do together should be of primary benefit to believers, but should also be intelligible to unbelievers who happen to worship with us as well. Conclusion So then, speaking in tongues has its place, but it should be practiced mostly as part of one s private devotional life. When the church gathers together, our services should be characterized by intelligibility so that the whole body might be built up, both for the sake of believers as well as unbelievers who might be present. May we be a church that neither despises speaking in tongues but yet is committed to the practice of clear and intelligible forms of worship when we gather together. Let s pray. This sermon was addressed originally to the people at Grace Brethren Church of Waterloo, IA by Pastor Rob Borkowitz. Copyright 2011. 7