Alright brethren, let's go back
now to 1 Corinthians 14. Our subject tonight is the God
of peace and edification. The God of peace and edification. God's church is always to conduct
our services in the way that God orders the
service. That is, in peace and for the
edification of His people. That's how God does everything
He does. It's to bring peace to His people. It's to edify His people so that
they have peace. That's what God does in everything
He's doing for His people. But contrary to this, the services
at Corinth were anything but peaceful and edifying. They were
full of confusion and edified nobody. Look down at verse 26. Paul says, How is it then, brethren, when you come
together Every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath
a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all
things be done unto Edifying. Every person at Corinth was showing
off their gifts. And it was a big show. Everybody
talking at once. You can imagine how confusing
that would be. Somebody stand up to preach.
Somebody in the congregation stand up and start talking. Somebody
else start singing. I mean, just all this confusion. Now in our day, people call things
like that a very sanctified and holy service. They say it's evidence
that God's presence is with them. The preacher, a great many preachers
these days speak so lofty in their language that the people
can't understand what they're saying. And then you have this
new so called contemporary Christian music. And it's so bad and it's
so loud that you can't even understand what they're saying. And when
you do understand what they're saying, you might as well have
not understood it. I had a friend that wrote songs.
He was a country music songwriter and he was a so-called Christian
music writer. And he told me the best song
is one that can appeal to both markets. He said, you write it
so vaguely. that the person hearing it, if
he wants to hear it as being spoken of Christ, he can hear
it that way. And if the person hearing it
wants to hear it spoken of a woman, he can hear it that way. And
if you listen to those so-called Christian songs and think about
it being spoken to a woman, you'll see just what I'm talking about.
That's how they write them. The Pentecostals and others like
that claim to have the same gifts that they had in the early church.
And they do this thing show. And then all these things, they
call it a great sign of a sanctified holy service anointed by the
Holy Spirit. God's telling us right here,
He's nowhere near any of that. He's not in it. He's not in it. They're hoodwinking the people
by stirring up their emotions with this nonsensical vain show
and they're playing on people's emotions and people's... That's
the kind of thing a sinner likes, a sign, something that is a signification
to him. Now on the contrary, God says,
let all things be done unto edifying. Now that's God's rule and that's
the rule for His people. Let everything be done unto edifying. I want to preach in such a way
that everybody that hears me will understand what I'm saying,
at least with your head. You may not be given a heart
yet to believe it, but I want you to at least understand what
I'm saying in your head. Now you take the electing grace
of God, for instance. If you speak on the electing
grace of God, speak it clearly. Don't mince words. Don't make
it vague to where it can mean this or that or the other thing.
Speak it clearly. Declare that God chose a people
in Christ and blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places before the foundation of the world. And in doing so,
He made us accepted in the Beloved. When you preach on limited atonement,
preach it clearly. Preach it clearly. Preach that... And I'm speaking to you who are
witnesses of Christ. When you bear witness of Christ,
speak it clearly. Those elect that God chose are
the only ones Christ died for. Not more, not less. And He accomplished
their eternal redemption and purged them of all their sins
before He ever sat down on the cross. And then when you preach
on the Holy Spirit's irresistible grace, don't leave anything in
the hands of the sinner. Declare that the Holy Spirit
has to give us life, faith, repentance, seal us, and preserve us so that
God gets all the glory and we don't get any. Speak it clearly. Now, what I just said, does everybody
here at least understand what I said with the intellect? It was clear. It was understandable. That's what God's saying. Speak
clearly. Speak clearly. God says edify
my people with the gospel by telling them that their warfare
is accomplished. That's the message God sends.
That's the message God blesses. speak of Christ's accomplishments
and God's success in everything He does. And our total failure. Preach up God and preach down
man. Now secondly, He shows how services are to be conducted
which God will bless to our edification. Now concerning tongues, now this
is a gift we don't have today. There's nobody... I've never
met a soul who could start speaking in an existing foreign language
that they had never learned. They can just suddenly speak
it by the gift of God. I've never met a person that
can do that. We don't have this gift in our day. But... we do
have the principle that's being declared here. Look at verse
27. If any man speak in an unknown
tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that
by course. And let one interpret, but if
there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church,
and let him speak to himself and to God. Now you think about
what the Lord's teaching us here. Now if speaking in tongues was
this non-existent heavenly language, which it's not, but if it was
that, God says here that they're not to speak it unless there's
an interpreter there. And that's not what they do.
That's not what they do. They claim to speak something
that nobody understands. God has not sent preachers who
rebel against His Word. To do that would be to rebel
against this very Word right here. God has not sent preachers
who rebel against His Word. God is not going to bless the
preaching that's rebelling against His Word. People are the preachers. He just won't. He just won't. God's a God of edification, and
He will have His service in His church conducted in a way that
edifies His people. Now for those at Corinth who
had the real gift, God says, if there be no interpreter, then
there to remain silent. And you know what that means?
That means that there's not to be any kind of language spoken
that the people can't understand. No kind of language is to be
spoken that the people can't understand. I don't get up here
and quote Greek to you. I don't speak Greek. I don't
speak Hebrew. I have a concordance and a lexicon
I can use to look up words and give you the meaning of them.
But to sit here and say those words at best, all I do is try
to be impressing you. I want to speak language you
know and language you understand. That's what God says to speak
clear, intelligible, scriptural doctrine which God blesses to
the edification of His people. Now concerning prophets. Now
again, we don't have prophets in our day. Prophets, well let's
read it, verse 29. The principle applies though.
It says, let the prophet speak two or three and let the other
judge. That means, let the other use
spiritual discernment as he hears, judging by the word of God if
what's being spoken is true. Now, if anything be revealed
to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace, for
you may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may
be comforted. See, God used the New Testament
prophets to write the New Testament. He would reveal to the prophets
what he would have written. And they would know, thus saith
the Lord. And when they said, thus saith the Lord, it meant,
thus saith the Lord. And they would write the New
Testament Scriptures. God, through the Holy Spirit,
revealed to them what they were to write. Peter said over in
2 Peter 1.21, For the prophecy came not in old time, by the
will of man. It wasn't man's will. He didn't
just write what he pleased. But holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost. This book, brethren, is God's
Word. This is God's Word right here. That's what it is. Not the Word
of men. It's the Word of God. But when the prophets stood up
to preach, when they stood up and preached what God had revealed
to them, They were to take turns speaking. Not all at once. And only a few were to speak.
During one service, God says, one speak or two, and at the
most, three. But no more than that. God knows
us, doesn't He? He knows we're dust. He knows
we have a limited ability to take in His Word. And God says,
one or two. At the most, three. At the most,
three. Again, notice the reason. That
all may learn and all may be comforted. Again, that's the
rule. That's the rule of God's church.
That's the rule of God, how He works, and that's the rule of
those He works in. To do everything that the people
may learn and be comforted. Now, you think on this, and this
is so. Whatever I do, whatever I say
toward my brethren, if it does not edify, If it tears them down,
if it hurts rather than comforts, then I should not say or do it.
Being truthful does not mean we're to be hurtful. It never
means that. Let your speech be always with
grace, God said. Season with salt that you may
know how you ought to answer every man. If something needs
to be corrected for a believer's benefit, Try to find a way to
speak to them that won't hurt them, but will cause them to
learn and be comforted. That's how we're to deal with
one another. Not scolding and whipping one
another. Try to edify and comfort one
another. And remember this too, not everything
is so important that it has to be corrected. There's a lot of things with
our children that we don't correct. You know, we try to deal with
the things that are very important, but the things that are just,
you know, they'll grow out of that. Believers will grow out
of it. God's ruling, He'll grow them
out of it. So trust God. Everything doesn't have to be
corrected. God's sovereign. God's working in His people.
He's going to teach His people. Now he gives another important
word to the prophets, and this applies to preachers in our day,
verse 32. And the spirits of the prophets
are subject to the prophets. Here's what it means. The revelation
that were given to these New Testament prophets, they were
subject to the Old Testament prophets. subject to what God
had already revealed by the Old Testament prophets in the scripture.
In other words, they weren't to preach some new thing. They
were to preach that which was in perfect harmony with the Old
Testament scriptures. The only thing that was new was
that the fact that Christ fulfilled the law for his people so that
we're not under the law now. That was some of the old things
that passed away and the ceremonies that passed away. We serve God
now in spirit. We worship God in spirit and
in truth by His grace. That was a covenant of works.
The new is a covenant of grace. But the gospel is all in the
Old Testament. It's not an old book to do away
with. It's all in the Old Testament.
When God announced in the garden that the seed of woman would
bruise the serpent's head in His seed, that was the gospel being declared.
You have election declared there. He's talking about Christ and
His seed, and He's talking about the devil and his seed. That's
election. You have election and reprobation
spoken of right there in the garden. He's talking about Christ
doing the work that only Christ could do. Making atonement for
His elect people by crushing Satan's head. And then he showed
how that he spoke of irresistible grace, because he showed a picture
of it. He showed how that God must give
us life and bring us to cast our care on Christ, and through
Him, Christ's righteousness, His robe is put on us. And he showed it by slaying an
animal and taking skins of those animals
that substitute that died in their place and clothing them
with it. That's a picture of grace, faith
being given whereby you're given a heart to believe on Christ
and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to you. That's what
we have pictured there. So, the Old Testament is the
gospel concealed. The New Testament is the gospel
revealed. Now there have been a lot of
folks who come along that say they have a new revelation. Something
new has been given to them. And there has been a whole denomination
started over that. The Mormons started with that.
A man claiming he had a new revelation. Wrote a whole new book. They
claim to be the Bible. or an extension of it. That's
just not so. That's not so. The last words
of this book is, if any man adds to it, or any man takes away
from it, God's going to put the plagues of this book on him. God's settled His word. He's accomplished His word. It's
right here. It's right here. And he said
this, this is how, he's very clear, he said this is how you
know if it's true or not. Right here. This proves to you
that there's no other word but this word. God said to the law
and to the testimony, to his word and to his testimony, that's
what this word is, his testimony. If they speak not according to
this word, there is no light in them. What are they then? He said in Isaiah 30 verse 9,
this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that
will not hear the word of the Lord, which say to the seers,
see not, and to the prophets, prophesy not unto us right things,
speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits to us, get you
out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One
of Israel to cease from before us. That's what you see and hear
going on in religion today. No speaking of Christ, because
the people don't want that. Speak something smooth to us. Come up with something that's
smooth. Rather than we're to preach Christ, whether it's in
the Old Testament, whether it's in the New Testament. We declare
His person being the God-man, the Son of God and man in human
flesh. We declare His holy, sinless
humanity as He walked this earth, not born of the corrupt seed
of Adam. We declare that everything He did was pleasing to the Father,
the only one that ever pleased the Father. That He did it for
people. And He went to that cross and
He accomplished the work of redeeming His people. We don't declare
Him everywhere. Because the word of the Lord
is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is
pure, enlightening the eyes. Now, doesn't it seem that when
God says that about His word, doesn't it seem that we would
just preach His word then? Sure it does. If that's what
he does through this Word, it's not a big secret. It's not a
big dilemma on what we're to preach. It's right here. Just
right here. If I wrote a letter, that's what
the epistles are, a letter. If I wrote a letter, I said,
Eric, take this letter and take it over here across the street,
take it to the Kellers and give it to Scott. And you took my
letter and you started over there and you looked at it and read
it. And all the way over there you decided, I'm not going to
tell him what this letter says. And you told him what you wanted
to tell him? You hadn't told him what I sent you to tell him.
We're just supposed to read God's letter and say this is what God
said. That's it. That's it. Now lastly, He gives
the reason why all this is true. In verse 33, For God is not the
author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the
saints. God does not work confusion.
That's Satan's business, to work confusion by sin. God does not
work confusion, God works peace. And He does it in every church
that God has truly sanctified. and only those. The Lord will
give strength unto His people. The Lord will bless His people
with peace. The psalmist said again, the
meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves
in the abundance of peace. Now here's why. It's because
God our Father is the God of peace. He's the God of peace. Look at Jeremiah 29. Jeremiah
29. This is a familiar scripture,
but I just want you to read it. Jeremiah 29 verse 11. God said this, I know the thoughts that I think
toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil. to
give you an expected end. Now that is the Word of God to
His chosen people. And you want to talk about peace?
Peace is knowing that God thinks on every individual elect child
of God. Isn't that amazing? We can't
think on all our children and we don't have many children.
We can't think on all of them at once. God thinks on all His
children all the time. And it's peace knowing that.
And it's peace knowing that God's thoughts are thoughts of peace
towards us, not evil. Don't you like that? You see
the evil in the world. You see the evil in men. You
see the evil in religion. You see the evil everywhere.
And that's against us. God's not against us with evil. But He's for us with peace. And God's so sovereign, now that
wouldn't matter at all if God wasn't sovereign enough to give
me that peace. But God is so sovereign, He will
see to it that every one of His children are brought to that
expected end. And we shall have an abundance
of peace. That's God now. And then to Christ,
the Lord, He's called the Prince of Peace. The Prince of Peace. When the Lord Jesus gave Himself
on the cross to God in place of His people, not only did He
make atonement to God, not only did He purge the sins of His
people, but Christ, that was a peace offering by which Christ
perfected peace between God and His people. That's why God's
always thought on His people with thoughts of peace and not
evil. because he's thought on his people
in Christ. And then he comes through the
gospel. Christ accomplished that work of making peace for his
people with God. Then he comes in the gospel and
he sanctifies us in the heart and he gives us that peace in
the heart so that we quit trying to be God's enemy in our minds
and now we're at peace with God. God's at peace with us and we're
at peace with God. And there's no greater peace
than that. I didn't make my peace with God.
You hear men say that, have you made your peace with God? I didn't
make my peace with God. Christ did. Listen, He was wounded
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. And with His stripes
we're healed. For He is our peace, Paul said,
who hath made both one and broken down the middle wall of partition
that was between us. He is our peace. Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. He is our peace. There is no
greater peace than when Christ gives you that blessed peace
with God. To know that Christ has made
us righteous and holy so that God accepts us, delights in us,
just like He delights in His Son. That is the greatest peace
that one can have and He gives it by sanctifying you in the
heart so you have it. You have it. The work of righteousness
shall be peace. That's scripture. The work of
righteousness shall be peace. And the effect of righteousness
shall be quietness and assurance forever. That's what it gives
us. That's when Christ said, My peace
I give unto you. That's it. Quietness and assurance
forever. But you know what God says about
the natural man? You know what God says about
a man who's naturally in self-made religion, calls itself Reformed,
calls itself Armenian, whatever it calls itself. You know what
God says about that, man? The way of peace they know not.
The way of peace they know not. And there is no judgment in their
goings. They've made them crooked paths. Whosoever goeth therein
shall not know peace. That's pretty clear, isn't it?
God doesn't speak in ambiguous language, does He? He speaks
clearly. He's going to have His people to be edified, and He
won't speak to us in ambiguous language. And then the Holy Spirit,
through this message, through the clear, simple preaching of
the Gospel, He's talking all through this passage about edification.
Edification. I wish I could edify you. I can't
edify you. I might can say something to
help you physically in this earth, but I can't edify you spiritually.
Only God can do that. And it's done by the Holy Spirit
making this word effectually in your heart. That's what's
going to edify you. He gives us peace in believing
on Christ, in spirit and in truth. He guides our feet into the way
of peace. And He unites us with one another
with that bond of peace, which is Christ, His precious blood.
And He does it through the gospel of peace. If I preach that Christ
died for everybody, but He's not able to bring all His people
to believe on Him, so that some for whom He died will go to hell. Would you find any peace in that? Could you call that the gospel?
Could you call that good news? That Christ tried but He just
couldn't be successful? Or to say it's up to you to believe
to make His work a success? There's no peace in that. That's
not the gospel of peace. Oh, but how beautiful are the
feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad
tidings of good things. You know what the result is?
When he does this work in the heart, our triune God in Christ
makes with us a covenant of peace. A covenant of peace. It's the
everlasting covenant of grace that declares to His people when
He makes you to be born again and gives you faith to receive
it, He teaches you all the work is finished in Christ. All the
work is finished in Christ. He said in Ezekiel 37, 26, I
will make a covenant of peace with them. And it shall be an
everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them, and I
will multiply them, and I will set my sanctuary, my holy place
in the midst of them forevermore. His church, His Christ, our sanctuary
sets Him in our midst so that we can gather in the church and
worship God. God doesn't change now. He's immutable. He said, I'm
going to make with you a covenant of peace and it's an everlasting
covenant. It's everlasting. That teaches
us rather than that, whoever God loves, whoever Christ died
for, whoever Christ makes this covenant unto, He's always loved
them. Christ died for them. And that
covenant He makes with them won't ever change. all the works finished,
he'd have to insult Christ, he'd have to degrade Christ, he'd
have to count the blood of his beloved son vanity in order for
him to go back on his everlasting covenant of peace. And God won't
do that with his people. Now he broke that covenant of
works. You know why? You'll read that in the Old Testament.
Because when he made that covenant of works, and by the way, that
covenant of works dealt only with physical, earthy things.
That's all it dealt with. God did everything he said he
would do to them. He fulfilled it. They didn't
do anything that they said they would do to God. And God said,
I've broken my covenant with them. They're not going to be
my people. Not going to be my people. That's
showing you, you don't want to be under a covenant of works.
We want to be under this covenant of peace. That's what we want
to be under. Now turn to Psalm 55 and I'm
going to close with this. Psalm 55. This right here, one verse, is
what we try to declare. This right here. We try to declare
this clearly, understandably, in every service, and to everybody
that will listen to us. This is the result of God's grace.
This is our testimony right here. Psalm 55, 18. He, not us, He,
hath delivered. That means past tense, it is
finished. He hath delivered my soul in
peace from the battle that was against me. For there were many
against me. That's what it means. There were
many against me. That's what we try to preach.
That right there. Remember God said, I'll give
you pastors after mine own heart which shall feed you with knowledge
and understanding. That's the knowledge and understanding
that God sends His preacher with. That's the knowledge and understanding
that God blesses to the hearts of His people to edify His people
and give us peace. In Christ our peace. In God our
peace. And be sure to remember this,
brethren. That's the only message God sends and God blesses. The
message that gives Him all the glory and gives His people none. And we don't want it any other
way. Amy.