Looking here in 1 Corinthians
14, continuing our look through this, beginning in verse 31,
it says, For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn,
and all may be comforted or encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets
are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of
confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let your women keep silence in
the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak. But they
are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if
they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home,
for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What, came
the word of God out from you, or came it unto you only? If
a man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge
that the things that I write unto you are the commandments
of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let
him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to
prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things
be done decently and in order." Now Paul emphasizes that. matter of order among the saints
of God. He said that God is not the author
of confusion, but of peace, and so therefore that is the reason
that he set forth these instructions for the children of God. And he says here, speaking primarily
of prophecy, for ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn,
and all may be comforted. And so there is a great importance
placed upon this matter of prophecy. And prophecy, as he speaks of
it here, is not specifically speaking about telling the future. I mean, obviously he's not talking
about all, you know, the brethren all standing up and telling what's
going to happen next week. I mean, that's not what he's
talking about. But the prophecy that he's speaking about here
is telling forth the Word of God. That was primarily what
the prophets did in the Old Testament. Now, they did from time to time. The Lord gave them insight into
what was going to occur, but the primary purpose of the prophets,
if you study in the Scriptures, was to deliver the Word of God
to the people. Now, sometimes that word was
a prophetic word in the sense of letting them know what was
going to happen, but primarily it was to tell them who God was. And if you don't believe that,
you'll see the greatest prophet that ever lived, the greatest
among men as far as the Old Testament prophets were concerned until
the time of John. Now, John was the greatest of
the Old Testament prophets. Elijah is, of course, set forth
in the Scripture. If you want to see the embodiment
of an Old Testament prophet, it is Elijah. He was one of the
ones who appeared with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration
with the Lord. So Elijah is a prophet of the
highest order. And the one thing, if you had
to boil down what Elijah did, I mean, if you wanted to have
the highlight of Elijah's ministry as far as I can see in the Scripture,
you would have to come to the conclusion that it took place
on Mount Carmel whenever he declared who the living God was as God
gave him grace to do so. And so that's what prophecy primarily
is. It is telling forth who God is. and setting forth the truth of
God. So that's what he's talking about
when he said, you may all prophesy one by one. There is a place
among God's people for those who are given those gifts of
prophecy to tell those things that they have been taught and
they have been given by God to help the children of God with.
Now, the gift of prophecy does not bestow with it some
place of honor among God's people in the sense that, you know,
the prophets are to sit in certain seats and do certain things,
and that's not the picture here. He said ye may all prophesy one
by one. So there is, I mean, prophecy
is not something that's limited particularly certain individuals. Now, a man does not need to speak
if he does not believe what he has to say is from the Lord.
And, of course, he goes on to say that the spirits of the prophets
are subject to the prophets. Now, we spoke about that some
last week, but we're not like a lined-up toy. Prophecy is not
like somebody that just gets started doing something and they
can't quit. You know, it's not something
that can't be judged by others. In fact, Paul said, if something
be revealed to one while another one is speaking, let the first
one be silent and let the other one speak. So what there is,
I believe what Paul is encouraging, is a robust discussion of the
Word of God among the saints of God. I mean, we're not primarily
coming here to be lectured to, but rather to enter in to those
things that are said. But God is not author of confusion,
and so it's not, you know, we're to be mindful of that. So there
is a balance in all these things, and we are to be You know, however
we approach these matters, if it's a confusing thing and causing
discord among the brethren, it's not of the Lord, according to
what he says here, because God is not the author of that, but
of peace. This is to be a time when God's
people are benefited. Now then, he says something that
in some ways, if you didn't read the context of all that he has
said, and you didn't have any understanding of the Word of
God. If you just came to the Bible
and you had no understanding of things and reason behind why
Paul said the things that he said, and you picked this verse
out, let the women keep silence in the churches. Now, some people
have built a whole culture around that. Paul is not building a
culture around this. He is merely extenuating what
he says here that God is not the author of confusion. Now,
one thing that we know in the Scriptures, and whether this
is a thing that fits in well with modern society or not, is
that God has a specific order in all things that He has set
forth in the earth. And as He has made the man to
be the head over the wife, and the wife to be subservient to
the husband in the sense that it is typical of the relationship
that Christ has to the church. That's the whole purpose, as
we've discussed in times past as we look through the book of
Ephesians, that this is the whole purpose of marriage, is to show
the relationship of the church to Christ. And so it is that
this is not Paul doesn't just bring this statement here out
of thin air, but he brings it forth to show that even in such
times as the churches gather together, this is still an operable
matter, that there is an order. And so when he says, Let your
women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto
them to speak. For they are commanded to be
under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn
anything, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a
shame for the women to speak in the church." Now, I am thankful
today that the Lord led Sheila to do what she did, because that
is not what Paul is talking about. When Paul said, let the women
keep silence in the church, he did not mean let them put a piece
of tape over their mouth. He said, Don't let them stand
up and be instructors of the church, because that's exactly
what he says over in the book of Timothy, one of his letters
to Timothy. He said, Suffer not a woman to
teach, nor to usurp authority over the man. That's the issue.
The issue is authority and order, not whether or not women are
permitted to open their mouths in the assembly. And so Paul
is not saying here that women don't have any place, time at
all among the saints of God to speak forth things that God may
have laid upon their heart. He has not given to women the
role of prophecy even though in the Scripture there are some
women prophets, but they are the exception rather than the
rule. Now the Lord did say that in the last days He would pour
out His Spirit upon all flesh and your young men would dream
dreams and the women would speak forth these things. So these
are not things that are in conflict with one another. But what Paul
is setting forth here is how the church is to conduct itself
and the order that is supposed to take place in the church.
And so it is not proper, according to what Paul is saying, for women
to stand up and preach and teach because preaching and teaching
in this assembly carries with it the concept of authority because
we are speaking the Word of God. And that is just not the role
that God has given to women in general. Now, you know, this
does not go over well the modern crowd and you would be hard-pressed
to be able to preach this in an open setting and have anything
other than booze and being accused of being a sexist or a male chauvinist
or whatever. But we recognize that there is
an order that is a proper thing. Now the world has gone crazy.
And it doesn't recognize that at all because now men have decided
whatever we decide is proper and orderly is going to be acceptable.
And if we want something that's contrary to the way of God, then
it's going to be okay. But it can't be okay. It doesn't
make a difference what we think about it. It doesn't make a difference
how society has supposedly progressed or whatever, it can never progress
beyond what God has set forth as the order in which these things
would be done. And so, what he's saying here,
let your women keep silence in the churches. It is not permitted
unto them to speak. He's speaking about prophecy
and he's speaking about entering into a discussion perhaps of
a debating type nature. Now the church is not primarily
a place of debate, but it is a place sometimes where differences
of opinion might be expressed, and that's okay. But it's not
a place for argument and argumentativeness. And he's saying for the sake
of order it would be better if women did not enter into that. Not because they might not be
smarter than the men. They might be smarter than the
men. In a lot of cases, they are smarter than the men. But
still, that doesn't change the fact that this is what we're
taught in the Word of God, whether we can reason it out or whether
it fits in with what people like to say or not. It's not permitted
unto them to speak. That is, not to enter into a
debate in the open forum. But they are commanded to be
under obedience, as also saith the Lord. And if they will learn
anything, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a
shame for women to speak in the church." Now, I don't think that
needs a whole lot of explanation. I mean, it's pretty straightforward.
And one of the things that, you know, it helps two things. It helps the marriage bond for
a man and a woman to talk about spiritual things and questions
that might arise. It is not a time and a place
to, you know, get things out in the open in the church, but
it is a time that might be stimulated to cause a husband and a wife
in the privacy of their home to discuss things that might
not get discussed otherwise. So it is, he said here, Let them
ask their husbands when they get home. Now, I didn't say let
them tell their husbands, but let them ask their husbands.
Now you know sometimes you can tell your husband something by
asking him something. And it probably goes over better
than it would if you tell him something. And that men can learn
the same thing. You know, sometimes it's better
to ask something than it is to tell something. And I think Paul
was wise in what the advice that he's setting forth here. It's
not that women are to be left out of the operation of the assembly,
but there is an order in which they are now. What are things
that are proper for women to do? Scripture indicates that
women prayed openly. They're to teach younger women.
I mean, those are things... You know, it's amazing to me
that that is somehow considered to be a lesser thing. And, of course, there are denominations
and people that claim to be following the way of the Lord that they
don't have any second thoughts having women to be preachers
and places of leadership and all of that kind of thing. And
because that's just an acceptable mindset. I don't know what they
do when they come over here to this passage of Scripture. You
know, I don't understand how they can look at this and not
disregard it in some fashion or other. You know, if a woman
said, well, I've just got the spirit of prophecy within me
and I can't control it. Well, the Lord said that the
spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. So it can be
controlled and it is to be controlled according to the order in which
the Lord gave it. But what women are able to sing,
to pray, to give testimony of the things God has done in their
lives. to the benefit of God's people,
and Paul does not prevent that. He's not seeking to say that
cannot be done, should be done, and must be done, because God's
people can benefit for sure from those things that the Lord is
pleased to do in the lives of the women who are in the church,
and especially husbands of their own wives. And then he says,
what? Came the Word of God out from
you? Or came to you only? Because
there was some opposition, no doubt, to the things he said
here, as there would be in just about any place if men are operating
in the way of the flesh. He said, wait a minute, you don't
think what I'm telling you is true? He said, did the Word of
God come from you? I mean, do you have a better
understanding of these things than those things which God has
given to me, who has taught me them directly? Now, Paul was
one who was taught by the Lord, was he not? I mean, as an apostle,
he did not consult with men. The Lord gave him the truth,
and he wrote it down for us. Did it come unto you only? If
any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, Let him acknowledge
that the things I write unto you are the commandments of the
Lord." So what he's saying basically is this. If you don't agree with
what I'm saying here, then you're ignorant. And there's no other
way around it. You're wrong if you think I'm
wrong. Now, either we believe what Paul
says here to be the Word of God, or we don't. And that kind of
takes away all those arguments. Well, that was just Paul. I've
heard that before. You ever heard that? Oh, that
was just Paul saying that. Well, it was just Paul, but it
was just Paul saying what the Lord told him to say. And he
was saying it. And there is no disputing it.
But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. I mean, you
know, if somebody persists on in saying those things, there's
not anything. You cannot change people's minds. Now it's taken me a long time
to come to that conclusion, but you cannot, you can't do anything
to change another man's mind. You cannot do it. Now that doesn't
mean that you don't need to tell him the truth. It doesn't mean
that you don't need to witness to him and tell him what the
facts of the matter are. But you will bark up the tree
for a long time before you get somebody to agree with what you're
saying if the Lord doesn't change their mind to see it. It can't
happen. So he says, you know, the man's
going to be ignorant. Let him be ignorant. It doesn't
change the truth. And so it's not our place or
our responsibility to go out here and change the minds of
other people and cause them to see these things like we see
them. It's just the way that it is. Wherefore, brethren, desire,
covet to prophesy. Let it be a thing that you delight
in. Let it be a thing that you value.
Prophesying is a wonderful thing. It's not to be discounted in
any way. And God's people should be desirous
of being able to prophesy, to tell forth the Word of God. I
mean, isn't that a glorious thing? He said, Desire it and desire
to hear prophecy. I mean, what a blessing it is
for the Lord to teach us through those whom He has given the gifts
of teaching. And then He says something here
where He says, Wherefore, brethren, desire to prophesy, But notice
that he didn't say, desire to speak in tongues. Now, does that
mean that he discounted speaking in tongues? No. But what he's
talking about is in the assembly of the saints. He said, covet
the prophesy and do not forbid to speak in tongues. In other
words, it's not for me to tell a man You don't have the gift
of tongues. It's not for me to say you can't
speak in tongues even in the assembly. Now there is a restriction
on that as he said a couple of different times. He said if there's
no interpreter present or you can't interpret it, don't do
it. But he didn't say don't speak in tongues, did he? Now I know
this is a mysterious thing. in great measure. And you know,
if the Lord is pleased to give a man those gifts, then I believe
He will give them to him. And there is not anything I can
do about it to keep it from happening, and there is not anything that
I am going to say that is going to say to him, you do not have
that gift. Because the Lord gives gifts
to whom He wills, and the gifts and calling of God are without
repentance. And so Paul says, don't forbid
to speak in the tongues. So what I get from that is that
we don't have a restriction. We don't have a big sign on the
door that says, don't come in here speaking in tongues, okay? Now Paul said, if you come in
here speaking in tongues, interpret it or be sure somebody can interpret
it. Otherwise, don't do it. to me
is as plain as the nose on your face as to what he's saying here. And so, you know, I don't have
any argument whatsoever with anybody that would speak in tongues. Don't have a bit. I mean, if
they want to do that, I don't have a bit. Now, you know, when
they don't do it how Paul said it's supposed to be done, then
I'm saying, You know, it ain't scriptural. I mean, you might
not have the gift of tongues. I don't know. But you're not
doing it scripturally. So that's how we're to look at
it. Let all things be done decently and in order. That's really what
it comes down to. Let it be done in a way that
will benefit the people of God. And you know, there's a decent
way in which prophecies should be done. There's a decent way.
in which speaking in tongues is to be done. There's a decent
way in which women are to speak in the church. There's a decent
way. There's also an indecent way.
An indecent way to prophesy is to get up and prophesy and tell
everybody else to stay down and shut up and, you know, if you've
got something to say, don't say anything until I'm through. That's
an indecent prophecy. There's an indecent speaking
in tongues, and it's speaking in tongues without an interpreter.
It's speaking in tongues to draw attention to ourselves. And there's
an indecent way for women to speak in the church, and that
is to try to run the show or to tell, you know, men what to
do. Now, I'm not saying that. I mean,
tell them whatever you want to when you get home, but in the
church, that's not the time to do it. So those are the things I think
Paul says here. I mean, this is all really pretty
straightforward, and unless somebody has an agenda of their own that
they want to promote, why would they fall out with anything that
he said there? Now, you know, if a woman is
convinced that she's a woman preacher, and she has the agenda
to promote women preaching, you know, she's going to disregard
this. And that's just the way that
it is. But, you know, these things can
all be done according as the Lord would have it.