Brethren, 1 Corinthians 14. Now in the early church, they
truly had the gift to be able to speak in tongues. They truly
had the gift of speaking in tongues. And Paul has been dealing with
the subject of spiritual gifts, and now that he's going to deal
with this specific gift, the gift of speaking in tongues.
Now I'm going to go verse by verse and just give you an exposition
of these verses. I think it's so clear. I don't know how anybody could
be misled on this or go into error on this unless it was willingly. Because you'll see how clear
this is when we read it. Let's begin in verse 1. He says,
follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that
you may prophesy. Now notice the order here. This
is what's very important. Before gifts, he says, follow
after charity. That's the proper order. Fervently
pursue charity. Love. The Apostle Paul said,
that you might know, this was his prayer for the Ephesians,
that you may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth
and length and depth and height, and to know the love of God which
passeth knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness
of God. The more you know of the love
of God, the more you'll be filled with the fullness of God. That's
what he's saying. So he says to us in our text,
fervently pursue love. First of all, knowing the love
of God in Christ toward his people. Follow fervently, pursue that,
tenaciously pursue knowing the love of God in Christ toward
his people. The love of God is in Christ. It's in the never failing Lord
Jesus Christ. Therefore, God's love is everlasting
love. He doesn't change. Christ doesn't
fail. Christ doesn't change. And God
loves in Christ. Therefore, God's love never changes. He loves His people in Christ. And He saves His people in Christ. That's what His love does. It
was the love of God that caused him to choose a people in Christ. It was the love of God who sent
His only begotten Son to this world to lay down His life for
His people, purge our sins and make us perfect by His one offering.
It was the love of God who sent the gospel to His people and
gave us hearts to believe Him and brought us to cast all our
care on Him. This is the love of God. The
love of God will preserve His people to the very end and redeem
us out of this world into His presence. What I'm saying is
when God loves somebody, He never ceases loving that person. That
tells you everybody God loves, God saves. Everybody. He doesn't love today and stop
loving tomorrow. Those he loves he saves. Paul
said, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall
be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus. And then, so fervently pursue
the love of God in Christ toward His people. Fervently pursue
knowing Him. And that love is going to control,
is going to be the basis for our motive. And our motive is
going to control our action. Why we want gifts and what we'll
use those gifts for. It's going to be controlled by
knowing something of this love of God. And then fervently pursue
your love toward God and His Christ, the Lord Jesus. You pursue
a love toward God, grow in love, Paul told the Thessalonians.
First of all, toward God and love toward God. Less in love
with this world, more in love with God. And then thirdly, fervently
pursue love toward brethren, toward those that God loved in
Christ. Fervently pursue, do anything
to increase that love and to express that love towards those
for whom Christ died, your brethren. So that's what he says first
of all. Because without charity, remember Paul said back in the
beginning, the reason this comes before gifts is Paul said back
there in 1 Corinthians 13 in verses 1 through 3, without charity
you could have all the gifts and even use those gifts. But
you'd be nothing, you'd use them wrong, you'd use them for a vain
reason. without the love of God. So it's
important, first of all, to follow after love. Now, then he says,
and desire spiritual gifts. We ought to desire spiritual
gifts. He said covet earnestly gifts. But not just any gifts,
the best gifts. the best gifts. And here he tells
us now, I can just picture the Corinthians, when they hear him
say, and desire spiritual gifts, I can hear them on the edge of
their seat thinking, he's fixing to talk about tongues. Because
tongues is what they valued as being the great gift. And it's
what they thought was impressive, was this great gift to speak
in tongues. But Paul says, desire spiritual gifts, but rather that
you may prophesy. To prophesy in this chapter means
the gift to declare the gospel of Christ in language that's
understandable to your hearers. That's what prophesy means in
this chapter. To declare Christ in a language
that's understandable to your hearers in a way that's plain
and clear so your hearers can understand, at least with the
head, what you're saying. Whether you're... He's speaking
specifically of preaching, but it doesn't apply just to preachers.
If you're a witness of Christ, which all believers are, desire
the gift to be able to speak to sinners clearly, understandably,
the Word of God, the Gospel of Christ. That's what he's talking
about. Now, I've titled this, Understandable Preaching. And
here's what I want us to see. This is Paul's point in this
message. If we have true, God-given, fervent love, then the spiritual
gift we should desire is the gift to declare Christ in understandable
language, because that is what is best for our hearers. If we have love, we're going
to desire the gift to speak of Christ truthfully, clearly, plainly,
because that's what's best for those that hear you. And love
seeks the best, seeks what's best for the church, and what's
best for needy sinners, what's best for those who God shall
call. That's what love does. Now, verse
2, he says, this is why he says, desire to prophesy, that I would
rather have you prophesy, he said. For he that speaketh in
an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God. For no
man understandeth him, howbeit, or even though in the Spirit
he speaks mysteries. Now, what is the gift of tongues? What was that in the early church?
He says there, He that speaketh in an unknown tongue. That word
unknown is added by the translators. That's added. You can take it
out and you get the original, the Greek text. But when it's
translated into English, they added unknown to try to convey
the meaning a little better. But you know there's whole denominations
that have built their entire denomination and their gospel
on that word unknown that's not even part of the Scriptures? They say it's a heavenly language,
unknown to man, indiscernible to man, even not known and understood
by the person who's speaking it. Let me show you again. I've showed
you this before. I want to show you this again,
Acts 2. And let me, while you're turning there, let me ask you
this. They talk about this being a heavenly language, this unknown
heavenly language. Christ is the Word. Christ is
the Word who was with God in the beginning, who is God, who
is the Word made flesh, who came down from heaven. How did Christ
preach the gospel? Did He ever use some unknown
heavenly language? He always spoke in the language
of the people, clearly, understandably. That's the only way He preached.
Why would He give us an ability to speak in a language that no
man knows and no man understands? Why would He even do that? Paul
said, I went to the third heavens and I saw things that aren't
even lawful to be uttered. But He didn't come back with
some unknown language. I showed you over there in chapter
13, he said, I'm giving you a hyperbole. In fact, in the end of verse
chapter 12, when he says, I'm going to show you a more excellent
way, the Greek word for more excellent way, I went back and
looked it up. It's hyperbole. That is, if you
were to just pronounce the Greek word, it is hyperbole. He said,
I'm giving you an exaggerated example here. He said, if I spoke
with the tongues of angels, Not saying I do, he's saying if I
could do that. He's saying if he didn't have
love, he wouldn't profit. But look here, this is so clear. Look, this is what tongues were,
right here. Look at verse 6, Acts 2 verse
6. The Holy Spirit was poured out
on the day of Pentecost and they began to preach. Each man began
to preach. Now listen to the reaction. When
this was noised abroad, the multitude came together and were confounded,
because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and
marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which
speak Galileans? They don't speak my language.
They speak Galilean. and how hear we every man in
our own tongue wherein we were born. Parthians, and Medes, and
Elamites, and dwellers in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,
Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya, about Cyrene,
strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear
them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. We hear them speak in our tongue,
in our language, in our language. But what did they preach? The
wonderful works of God. They said, we understand what
they're saying. We hear them preaching the wonderful works
of God. It wasn't an unintelligible language. They were speaking
the wonderful works of God. Peter said, verse 22, here's
what he was saying. Here's what they were preaching.
You men of Israel, hear these words. He didn't say, you men
of Israel, I'm going to speak something now that you're not
going to be able to understand. He said, you men of Israel, hear
these words. Understand these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man
approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs
which God did by Him in the midst of you as you yourselves also
know. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, by God's eternal purpose, God working everything after
the counsel of His own will, you've taken, and by wicked hands
have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up, having loosed
the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should
be holding of it." Why not? He satisfied divine justice.
That's why. He condemned death. He put an
end to sin, and death couldn't hold Him. Plus, He fulfilled
the everlasting covenant He entered into with the Father, and the
Father's covenant agreement was to raise Him when He had fulfilled
that work. Death couldn't hold Him. Death couldn't hold Him.
It says here, verse 33, Therefore being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this which you now see
and hear. And what did it mean? What did
it mean by them being able to preach in that language like
they preached? What did it mean that that Holy
Spirit was poured out on the Church of God? Verse 36, Let
all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made
that same Jesus whom you've crucified both Lord and Christ. That's
what was being stated by what was taking place at Pentecost.
that He's Lord and Christ. He's finished the work. His kingdom's
established. A new age has entered. The gospel
age. A new work is being done now.
Christ is calling out His people through the preaching of the
gospel. That's what was being taught. Now, go back to our text.
See, it's speaking in tongues. It's speaking in languages, in
a man's language, an existing language, a language that already
existed. A language you'd never learned, but now you can speak
it. And you can sit there and preach the gospel to that man
in a language that he can understand. But you suppose that here you've
got this Greek-speaking congregation at Corinth. They all spoke Greek. Say you've got this congregation
of Greek-speaking believers sitting there. And here comes a man that
God has saved and he stands up and he's got the gift to speak
in Hebrew. Never learned it. Got the gift
of speaking Hebrew. So he comes and he starts preaching
the gospel to this Greek speaking people, but he's preaching in
Hebrew. That going to do him any good? Look at verse 2. He
that speaketh in this tongue not understood by his hearers,
speaketh not unto men, but unto God. For no man understands him,
even though in the Spirit he speaks mysteries. He's preaching
the gospel of Christ. He says in the Spirit he speaks
mysteries. He's speaking the gospel. And
he's speaking an existing language. God knows what he's preaching.
God's the one who confounded the language at the Tower of
Babel. God knows the hearts of men. He can go beyond language. God knows what he's saying. But
those people sitting there to whom he preaches, they don't
have a clue what he's saying. Why is the gospel called a mystery?
It's not because it's supposed to be preached in a way men can't
understand it. It's called a mystery because
we're dead by nature. We're depraved by nature and
it takes God revealing that gospel to us. That's why it's a mystery. It's a mystery because men didn't
understand the unfolding of it until Christ came and brought
to light the hidden things and made the gospel manifest showing
that He not only had to elect people among the Jews, He got
to elect people among the Gentiles. That political nation was not
His people. This had to be revealed to men,
in the hearts of men. But even though it's a mystery
and has to be revealed, God will have it preached in the language
that a man understands. That's important. God will have
this gospel preached in words, in language that a man can understand. That when he hears it, he'll
understand it. Why? Why is that important? Whatever
cannot be understood by the hearer has no meaning to the hearer,
and therefore it can never edify the hearer. That's simple. Whatever a man can't understand,
it won't edify him one bit. I could stand up here. I don't
speak Greek, but I've got a Greek dictionary. I've got a strong
concordance and I can look the Greek up and I can stand up here
and tell you Greek words all day long and try to impress you
and that might impress somebody. Not any of you I don't feel like.
That might impress somebody that didn't know better. But I wouldn't
have edified you at all. Not at all. Verse 3, But he that
prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification and exhortation
and comfort. Now that's the meaning of prophesying
in this chapter right there. Prophesying is preaching, preaching
the gospel, preaching it understandably so that it edifies the hearers. You see, love, the man has got
love in his heart, he's going to preach as plainly and clearly
as he can because he wants to edify the hearers. The Lord said
He gave preachers to edify the church. And Paul said, so we
speak the truth in love that you might grow up. That's what
edify means, to be built up. To grow up into Christ, who's
the head, from whom all the nourishment and edification will have to
be ministered. But He does it through the clear preaching of
the gospel. This man who loves, he's going to speak clearly,
understandably in a language people understand because he
wants to exhort his hearers. Exhort means to draw near and
speak intimately to. He wants you to be exhorted because
he cares for your soul and cares for your welfare and your well-being
even in this life. Peter said, I exhort and I testify,
this is the true grace of God where in you stand. That's what
we exhort. And he says, by understandable
preaching, this man comforts his hearers. That's what the
gospel is. And that's what God's commanded
his preachers to do. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. That's the charge God gives to
His preachers. Comfort sheep. Comfort sheep,
my people. Don't whip them. Don't scare them to death with
the law. Don't try to beat a profession out of them or scare a profession
out of them or whip them into obedience. It won't work. He says, speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem and cry unto her. that her warfare is accomplished. Men say you can't say that. Preachers
will tell you, you can't say that to men. You can't tell them
it's accomplished. God said tell them their warfare
is accomplished. He said tell them her iniquity
is pardoned. It's pardoned. For she has received
of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. That's what true
understandable preaching is doing. Edifying, building you up into
Christ, exhorting you, calling you, teaching you, directing
you, and comforting you. That's what all good understandable
gospel preaching does. Look at verse 4. He that speaketh
in a tongue that people can't understand, he edifies himself,
But he that prophesies edifies the church. Now that's the difference
there between a man who shows off his gifts and a man who is
preaching the gospel out of love. The one who's showing off his
gift is edifying himself. He might truly be edified by
what he's saying. If he's preaching the truth,
he'd be edified himself by it. But he's not edifying anybody
else by it. He's doing it to show off. But the one in whom
love dwells, the one who's following after love, he preaches in the
language of the people and he edifies the church. He edifies
the church. Verse 5, I would, Paul said,
that you all speak with tongues. Now one that shows us not everybody
there spoke with tongues. Not everybody had the gift of
tongues. Not everybody did. And those
that did, didn't all speak a bunch of languages. At Pentecost, there were some
that could speak the language of the Romans. There were some
that could speak the language of the Jews. There were some
that could speak to the other place that was there. But they
couldn't all speak all those languages. But Paul said here,
I would that you all speak with tongues, not merely for the gifts
sake, not merely to go around showing off that you have the
ability to speak in a language you never learned, but rather
so that you could preach the gospel, but rather that you prophesy,
so that in every language that you all could speak, you could
go forth into any country and speak the gospel plainly, understandably
to them. He said, that's why I would that
you all had tongues, But that's not how they were using them.
They were showing off with them. They were all trying to speak
and impress one another with what they could do, even when
it wasn't edifying. He said, I would that you preach
the gospel with it. Now look at this. For greater
is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except
he interpret that the church may receive edifying. Now you
think about what he said there. If there's two men standing right
here tonight, First preacher gets up, he's going to preach
the gospel to you, and he speaks Zulu. And he preaches the gospel
in Zulu. Another man gets up, he preaches
the gospel to us in English. Which one is going to be greater
to you? The one who preaches in the language you understand.
You didn't get a thing out of the man, from the man who spoke
Zulu. Unless somebody stands here and can interpret for him,
and tell you what he's saying, and speak it in English, you
won't get a thing from that man. So it's greater, the greater
one is the one who's preaching understandably the gospel of
God rather than somebody... I mean, you think about it now.
You think about what he just said. If you knew somebody today
who just all of a sudden showed up... If Rob showed up at your
house, Kristen, and said, Kristen, you're not going to believe this.
I woke up this morning and I can speak fluent German. Listen to this. And he went to
speaking to you in German. That would be pretty impressive.
You and I would look at that and just our fleshly nature,
we would think, that's pretty great. Paul said, that wouldn't
be as great as this old South Arkansas boy stumbling around
preaching the gospel to you if you can understand it. That's the greater thing, to
be able to speak the gospel clearly. Look at verse 6. Now brethren,
if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit
you? except I shall speak to you either
by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine."
That right there is what's included in all gospel preaching. All
four of these things. He said, if I came merely speaking
with tongues, I wouldn't profit you at all. Except I speak to
you by God revealing Christ in your heart. That's the first
thing. None of us are going to get anything
out of anything anybody says. Even if they preach it in our
own language until God reveals it in our heart. We've got to
have revelation. We've got to have God revealing
the truth in the heart. Number two, by knowledge. Christ,
by the grace and knowledge of Christ, that's how you grow.
That is, first of all, by Christ our wisdom using His knowledge
and His grace to teach you. And then by Him teaching you
about the knowledge of Him, about the knowledge of God's gospel,
about the knowledge of how God chose His people in Christ, and
how Christ redeemed all His people, and how the Spirit regenerates
and preserves and keeps His people. The knowledge and grace of God
is first of all that knowledge Christ Himself is and the grace
He yields in teaching you. And then secondly, it's the subject
of Christ and the subject of God's grace that He teaches you.
That's the knowledge that we have to have. And then prophesying. That is what He's talking about
here. Just preaching the gospel in the language of the people.
You have to have divine revelation. You have to have knowledge. given
to you. It has to be in an understandable
language you can hear. And number four, it's got to
be doctrine. It's got to be the true teaching
of the Word of God. Those four things are involved
in all edifying gospel preaching. Those four things. Revelation,
knowledge, preaching, and doctrine. All four of them. All four of
them. Now verse 7. He's going to give an illustration
now. Even things without life giving, Sam. Now, I like the
converse of that. That means the gospel is life-giving
sound. It is life-giving sound. We don't
have any life till God gives it. And He gives it through this
life-giving sound, right here, the preaching of the gospel.
But even things without life-giving sound, like instruments, different
types of instruments, whether pipe or harp, Except they give
a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is
piped or harped? Sarah plays guitar for us when
we sing. When she gets up here and she
plays the distinct notes, the distinct chords for a particular
song, and we hear it and we know, that's amazing grace. We hear
it, we know it. But if she got up here and she
didn't hit the distinct notes. She just started randomly hitting
notes, just strumming here and there and whatever, doing anything
and nothing, no kind of even good guitar sound. We'd sit here
and go, what in the world is she playing? Have no idea what
that is. You have to, even a harp and
a pipe, you have to hit the right notes. You have to have the distinct
sound to convey the song that you're trying to play. That's
what he's saying. Verse 8 gives another illustration. He says, for if the trumpet give an uncertain
sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? Used to, during
a battle, they'd have a trumpeter there, and his job was he'd have
a certain set of notes he'd play, which meant charge. He'd have
a certain set of notes he'd play, which meant retreat. But if he
don't give the distinct sound, he just gets up there and starts
bugling something on his own one day. The soldiers are going
to sit out there and say, what? Are we supposed to charge? Are
we supposed to retreat? Well, I don't even know what that means.
He says, well, verse 9, so likewise, ye, except you utter by the tongue
words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is
spoken? For you shall speak into the
air. except I utter a language you all speak in words easy to
be understood, how shall you know the meaning of what I'm
speaking? Otherwise, I'm just speaking
into the air." Isn't that just so abundantly clear that he's
not talking about this mess that multitudes are going after? this unintelligible nonsense
that people speak. It's obvious. So obvious. I'm not wanting to make fun of
people there. I hope some of them hear this. I wish they would
just sit down and listen. I'm not on any denomination's
side. I'm on God's side. I want you to hear what God says. Now look here in verse 10. There
are, it may be so many kinds of voices in the world and none
of them is without signification. He's saying, I don't have any
idea how many languages exist in the world. There may be so
many languages in the world. That's what he's saying. It could
be so and so number of languages in the world. I don't know. But
this is what I do know. None of them is without signification.
Every language and every word in each language has a meaning
which it conveys to the person that understands that language. Emma and I were talking about
a word this week. I won't say the word because
we have some friends who watch and listen in another country.
But we were talking about a word in another country. This is an
English word. We use the word in our country
and it just means what it means. But in this other country, it's
a cuss word. But it has no negative connotation
to us whatsoever. And I told I said, isn't it amazing
how we can sit here and say that word and it doesn't mean a thing
to us. But if we didn't know that was
a cuss word and we were in some of my friends' house and we were
using that word, they would blush thinking, what in the world are
y'all, why are y'all cussing everybody? And my point is this,
a word, you have to know the word that's being spoken. And
the word must have a proper meaning to you in order to convey truth
to you. You take false religion for example.
They use the same words we use. False religion uses the word
grace. You know what they mean by grace? They don't mean unmerited
favor. They mean God saw something good
in you and so He chose you. That's what free will works religion
means by grace. That's works, that's not grace.
A word is only as good as the meaning if you give it the meaning
that it's supposed to mean. And according to the scriptures,
grace means if it's of grace, it's no more of works. God chose... God said, Jacob have I loved
and Esau have I hated. They were twins in the womb and
they hadn't done any good or evil. That means that the purpose
of God according to election might stand not of works, but
of Him that calleth. You take the word sanctification.
By that we mean to be made holy. We mean God the Father sanctified
us when He put us in Christ in divine election. God the Son
sanctified us when He perfected us forever on the cross by His
one offering, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us when He creates
a new spirit within us, and Christ is formed in you, and there's
a new man created in righteousness and holiness. You're holy. Can you get more separated and
chosen of God than separated and chosen of God? Can you get
more perfected than Christ perfected His people on the cross? Can
you get more holy than being regenerated and made holy by
the Spirit of God? You can. But false religion means,
they may give it those other meanings, but then they mean
now you're progressively becoming more and more and more holy by
works you do. That's not what the meaning of
it according to the scriptures. They talk about redemption. Redemption
is Christ successfully paying the price that was owed so that
no more is owed and he's purchased his people from the curse of
the law, from the power of death, hell and the devil, so that nobody
can have a claim against us again where Christ purchased possession.
We can't be condemned. because Christ redeemed us. That's
not what religion means by that. False religion means Christ attempted
to redeem everybody without exception and it's up to you to believe
Him to make it work. See what I'm saying? Words are
only as good as first they got to be understandable, spoken
understandably, then they got to have the true meaning applied
to them so that they have meaning to you. So that's so important. Now look here, verse 11. Therefore, if I know not the
meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian,
and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. What he's
saying there is like, you know how you feel when you're sitting
there trying to communicate with somebody, and they're trying
to communicate with you, and you speak one language and they
speak another one. Both of you look like crazy people trying
to talk to each other. Because neither one of you understands
the other one. That's what he's talking about. Let's just read
the rest of this out. Here's his application. Verse
12. This is the Spirit of God applying this to us. Even so
ye, for as much as you're zealous of spiritual gifts... He's not
saying don't be zealous of spiritual gifts. Be zealous of spiritual
gifts. But seek that you may excel to the edifying of the
church. Seek gifts that will let you
edify the church. Wherefore let him that speaketh
in an unknown tongue, in a tongue that is not known by others,
pray that he might be given a gift to interpret. Let him ask God
to give him a gift to interpret what he is speaking. For if I
pray in a tongue that my hearers don't know, my spirit prayeth.
I'm truly praying, but my understanding is unfruitful. Those around me
don't understand what I'm even praying. What is it then? I'll pray with the spirit and
I'll pray with the understanding also. I'll sing with the spirit
and I'll sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt pray
with the Spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the
unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth
not what thou sayest? I've had that happen to me down
in Mexico. One of the men prayed in Spanish
and everybody said Amen and I'm just standing there because I
didn't even know the prayer had ended. I didn't even know what they
were saying. Unless you understand it, you're not going to know.
He said, verse 17, For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other
is not edified. He can't hear you. We're blessed,
we're edified by prayer. But not only if you can understand
the prayer. Listen now, I thank my God, I speak with tongues
more than you all. Now Paul did have the ability
to speak more than one language. He could speak with many different
languages. He went to all these different churches, founding
all these different churches, God using him, and he went to
places where they spoke different languages. He could just walk
in there and preach the gospel in their language. He said, I
wish you all spoke with languages. Or he said, I thank my God I
speak with tongues more than you all, verse 19, yet in the
church I had rather speak five words with my understanding.
an understandable gospel, that by my voice I might teach others
also than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." A tongue
that my hearers don't understand. I'd rather speak five words that
you understand than ten thousand that you don't. Now watch what
he said. Brethren, be not children in
understanding. Seek to grow in understanding.
Be mature in your understanding in how you use God's gifts and
how you speak the gospel and seek to know the truth according
to God's Word that you might speak it according to God's Word
that you might edify others. Seek to be mature. Don't be children
in understanding. How be it in malice be ye children. He is saying that this thing
of using these gifts just to show off the gifts was malicious.
It was malicious. It was not edifying. On the contrary,
it was malicious. And he says, in malice, be children,
but in understanding, be mature. Be mature. Alright, brethren,
we'll close there. Brother Eric, you come lead us
in closing hymn.