preaching through 1 Corinthians,
but in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, he's speaking of the Corinthians
abusing this gift to speak in foreign languages. And I want
you to see what the Bible has to say about this. Turn to Acts
chapter 8. Now, Philip had preached the
gospel and many people believed. Verse 14, now when the apostles
were at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word
of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who when they were
come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For as yet, he was fallen upon
none of them. only they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on
them and they received the Holy Ghost." Now, this is not talking
about them being born again at this time. This is talking about
them receiving this power to speak in other languages, to
heal the sick. I was thinking in that reading
of Blind Bartimaeus, the Lord really gave him saw it from the
blind. And that happened all the time
in the New Testament. They were giving power to perform
these miracles. Now look in verse 18, and when
Simon saw that through the laying on of the, what? Apostle's hands. If Philip would have laid his
hands on these people, nothing would have happened. It was only
through the laying on of the apostles' hands that this supernatural
gift was transferred. And when the last apostle died,
there wasn't anyone who could lay their hands on someone and
give them this gift. The Holy Spirit points this out
through the laying on of the apostles' hands. Now, as you
know, there are many people who claim to have this gift today.
The Church of Corinth really had it. I mean, the people who
claim to have it today, they don't. Do they really think they
do? They may, I don't know. I don't
know the psychology behind it, but they don't have this gift.
That's clear from the scriptures. But the Church of Corinth did,
and they were abusing this gift. They had this gift to speak in
another language, and they just all of a sudden start speaking
in another language. Everybody goes, wow, listen to
him. He's got the ability to do this. And I'm sure people
were impressed. But did anyone benefit from it? Was this gift ever for that in
the first place? The reason for the gift of tongues
or being able to speak in other languages was to go into a different
country and go in and speak to those people and it would be
in their language. This is a supernatural gift.
You have an example of it in Acts chapter 28 when Paul went
into Malta and they're called barbarous people. That's what
God the Holy Spirit called them, barbarous people. That's how
he inspired Luke to let them know these people didn't speak
Greek. But Paul went in there and he spake their language,
and he healed many of the sick people there. And there was a
great revival that took place through this gift of tongues. Now, the Church of Corinth, they
were using this gift for a reason that it was never meant to be
used. Just like they abused the Lord's
table, they would actually become intoxicated at the Lord's table,
and they would not share their food. Paul actually said you're
not meeting for the better but for the worse when you come together
to partake of the Lord's table. And they were abusing these gifts
they had in the worship services. So let's keep that in mind as
we look at this passage of scripture back to 1 Corinthians chapter
14. Verse 10. There are, it may be, so many
kinds of voices in the world. And none of them is without signification
or meaning. Do you know right now there are
7,100 languages in the world? That's a lot of languages. And
every one of those languages, the words have a meaning. But
if, that happened, began at the Tower of Babel when the Lord
confuse the languages, that's where these different languages
came from. But if I don't understand the meaning of the language,
I'm gonna get no benefit from it. So he says in verse 10, there
are and may be so many kinds of voices in the world and none
of them is without signification. 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. If I don't know the meaning,
I'm a barbarian to the one who speaks. I don't know the language,
and the one speaking to me is a barbarian. Now, I've many times,
25 times at least, I've gone to Mexico to preach, and they
speak Spanish there. And if I started preaching like
I am to you, everybody'd look at each other, and they had no
idea what I was saying. When they're speaking to me,
I have no idea what they're saying. Every year, I determine I'm going
to get Rosetta Stone or something like that and try to learn Spanish
language and it slips past me. One of these days, Lord willing,
I'll do it. I should, just to communicate better. But at any
rate, I'm a barbarian to them. They're a barbarian to me. They
don't understand a word I'm saying. Austin Groover will interpret
for me. That's what Cody did for so many
years. He has this gift to interpret and he'll, I'll speak, they'll
look at him, he'll speak, they'll nod, they'll understand. I'll
speak, over their head, he speaks, they nod, they understand. And
they'll come up to me and they'll tell me, I don't know what they're
saying. I think they're thanking me for
the message, you know, but I, you know, and then, then someone
would say, here's what they said. Oh, okay. So in this thing of,
you got to understand is what he's saying. You've got to understand
these people had these gifts to speak in Russian or Chinese
or whatever language it was. And they were speaking in the
services, these languages. The only reason I can think that
you do something like that is show off. That's what they were
doing. They were showing off their gifts. They'd become competitive
with their gifts. And 1 Corinthians chapter 14
actually is Paul rebuking them for this. This whole chapter
is a rebuke. Now he says in verse 12, even
so, you, for as much as you're zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that you may excel to the
edifying of the church. This gift of speaking in other
languages, that doesn't edify the church. If you're wanting
a gift, seek a gift that edifies and builds up and is a blessing
to the church. That is not a blessing when you
start speaking another language. No one knows what you're saying.
Verse 13, wherefore, let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue,
in another language. And this was always an intelligent
language. This was not some kind of heavenly
gibberish prayer language that God understands that you don't
really understand it, but you're doing it and you're being blessed
by it. That's foolishness. That's all that is. This is a
language that can be understood. That's what the purpose was.
You'll remember in Acts chapter two, they all, 18 different dialects,
people said, we hear the gospel in our own language. That's what
they were so amazed by. So he says, wherefore let him
that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret and
give the proper interpretation of it, otherwise don't say anything.
For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding
is untruthful. Does that mean you can pray in
an unknown tongue and your spirit is blessed within and yet you
have no idea what you said? Now that is where a lot of the
charismatic doctrine comes from this passage of scripture where
Paul is rebuking them for this. He's not saying, oh you're praying
in a language that you don't understand and your spirit is
edified and you feel real good and warm but you have no idea
what you're saying. That's foolishness. It's impossible
to do something like it and that's what Paul's dealing with. What
is it then? What is it then? Here's what
needs to be going on. I will pray with the Spirit and
I'll pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the Spirit
and I'll sing with the understanding also. You see, those two things
cannot be separated and they were trying to separate them.
Verse 16, else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit, How shall
he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say, Amen, if I
give him thanks, seeing he understands not what you said? He doesn't
have any idea what you said. He occupies the room of the unlearned. I think this is interesting.
I don't know what all that's supposed to mean, but that's
where we get the word idiot from, if that's what it is in the Greek. But he occupying the room of
the unlearned, he can't say amen without giving a thanks, seeing
he doesn't have any idea what you're saying. For thou barely
give us thanks well, but the others not edified. What if I
gave thanks in Greek, flawless Greek? What if I brought a great
message in Greek? You may be impressed I'm able
to do this, but you wouldn't have any idea what I was saying. There
would be no benefit at all in that. And yet, that was what
was going on in this church, and these people actually did
have this gift, and they were abusing this gift in order to,
I guess, promote themselves in some way. Thou verily givest
thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God,
I speak with tongues more than you all. Paul was a traveling
missionary. He was going to all kinds of
different places where he had to be able to preach another
language for them to be able to hear the gospel from him.
He went all over the known world, three different times on three
different missionary journeys. Not everybody spoke Greek. Not
everybody spoke Hebrew. Everywhere he went, he would
have to have this gift to go preach the gospel to these people.
Like I said, Malta in Acts chapter 28 is a beautiful example of
that. Verse 19, yet in the church I'd
rather speak five words with my understanding that by my voice
I might teach others also than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue. Let's say I give a 10,000 word
discourse in Russian. Flawless, great message, great
doctrine, all truth from the scripture. I doubt that anybody
in here understands Russian. That's what he's saying, I'd
rather speak five words than 10,000 if people can just understand
those words. Now brethren, verse 20, be not
children in understanding, how be it in malice be ye children.
And what that's talking about is a little kid hasn't really
developed as he will one day in malice. Be like little children
in malice. Don't be understanding of men
as be in malice like a little child, but in understanding be
men. Verse 21, in the law it's written,
with men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto
this people. And yet for all that they will not hear me, saith
the Lord. That's a quotation from Isaiah
28. Wherefore, tongues, other languages,
are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe
not. Somebody coming into my country, and all of a sudden
they start speaking my language, and I am able to understand them.
That's a sign. Tongues are a sign, not to them
that believe, but to them that believe not, but prophesy. serveth
not for them that believe not, but for them which believe."
Now prophesying, that word means several things. There were prophets
who could foretell the future. Remember Agabus saying what exactly
would take place, the gift of prophecy to foretell what the
future would be. the prophetic meaning of thus
saith the Lord. And before we had the full canon
of scripture, they could say thus saith the Lord and it really
was the Lord speaking through them. It was infallible doctrine
from God. This is like I said before, we
had the Bible. We don't need that now because
we have the Bible, but they could say thus saith the Lord and prophesying
sometimes and oftentimes just refers to what's going on right
now, preaching from the word. Preaching from the word. Now
he says, tongues are for sign not to them that believe not,
no, to them that believe, but to them that believe not, but
prophesying serveth not for them which believe not, but for them
which believe. This is what we're doing right
now. And this is for the edification of the church. Verse 23, if therefore
the whole church be come together into one place and all speak
with tongues. What if we had 50 different languages
going on right now? Everybody's speaking. Have you
ever been in a charismatic service where something like that happened?
I've been in two of them. I was once in college and once
I was going to Danville when I was in college. And they had
moved buildings. I didn't know it, Diane. Remember
you all met in that school? And when the next time I came
there, everybody was speaking in tongues. What in the world,
what's happened to them? And I got out, I was scared.
I mean, both times when I've been in places like that, I could
feel the presence of evil. I felt like a thunderbolt was
gonna come down from heaven and zap me for even being there.
And it is bedlam. Everybody's speaking different
languages and so on. You hear all that. If therefore
the whole church be come together into one place and all speak
with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned or
unbelievers, Will they not say that you're mad? You're insane. This is bedlam. This is chaos. This is anarchy. And if they
said that it'd be right, wouldn't it? All kinds of different people
speaking in different languages, nobody knowing what they were
saying. But verse 24, if I'll prophesy and there cometh in
one that believeth not or one unlearned. He hears the message. He understands the message. He
is convinced of all. He is judged of all. And thus
are the secrets of his heart made manifest. They weren't before.
And so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report
that God is in you of a truth. Now I've entitled this message,
Preaching or Hearing the Word in Power. And that's what happens
when someone hears the word in the power of the Holy Spirit.
He's convinced of all. He's judged of all. He hears
the word. Preaching in the power of God,
the Holy Spirit. Let me read a verse of scripture
to you from 1 Thessalonians 2, 13. For this cause also thank
we God without ceasing, because when you received the word of
God, which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of
men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually
worketh also in you that believe. Now, what is this? convincing
that's going on. He's convinced of all. He's judged of all. What is this
convincing that's going on? Well, we don't have to speculate
because the Lord tells us in John 16. I'd like you to look
at this with me. John chapter 16, verse 8, when he God the Holy Spirit is
come. He will reprove, and that word
reprove is the same word translated convince in our text. He will convince the world of
sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. This is what this man
was convinced of, of sin, because they believe not on me. of righteousness,
because I go to my Father, and you see me no more, of judgment,
because the prince of this world is judged. Now, let's think about
what he's saying. This man was convinced. There's
a reason that word is used. This man's convinced. He's overwhelmingly
convinced. He's made to see the truth. He's convinced. Now, the first
thing he says, he's convinced the world of sin. The unbeliever does not understand
sin. Now he has seen the wretchedness
that sin brings. Nobody's denying that. He's seeing
the problems and the trouble sin brings, the sad problems
and the sad trouble. Sin's a sad thing, isn't it?
But he doesn't understand. He is sin. He sees bad things. He sees if he does bad things,
it gets him into trouble. He sees those things, but he
doesn't understand the sin of his heart. He doesn't understand
that sin is a nature. You commit sins because you're
a sinner already. You don't become a thief when
you steal. You steal because you're already
a thief. You don't become a liar when you tell a lie. You tell
a lie because you're a liar. Have you understood sin? Now,
I love this. Look at his comment on sin. And when he has come, verse eight,
he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and
of judgment of sin because they believe not on me. When you're convinced of sin,
you see That unbelief is the greatest sin. And you see that you can't even
believe. Did you know you've never believed until you see
you cannot believe? I'm telling you that's so. As
long as you think you can believe, I can turn it on. As long as
you think you can believe, you don't have any idea what faith
is. You believe first when you see you cannot believe. And it's
not before you see you cannot believe that you start believing.
You know, I don't remember if it was up here or in the back,
somebody read Ephesians chapter two, verses eight and nine, by
grace you say through faith and that not of yourselves, it's
the gift of God, not of works. If you believe the faith came
from you, you believe in works. That's what Paul says right there,
of sin, because they believe not on me. When he has come, he'll approve
the world of righteousness. Look at 10 verse 10 of righteousness,
because I go to my father and you see me no more. Now you hear
this in the preaching. You hear this, you're convinced
of righteousness. Just as a natural man is ignorant
of sin, he's completely ignorant of righteousness. Hold your finger
on John chapter 16 and turn to Romans chapter 10. Verse one. Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. Now, Paul says this is my heart's
desire. This is what I want for them.
He didn't have some kind of harsh attitude toward these people.
My heart's desire before God is that they might be saved. That's what I want for them.
I hope the Lord puts that in our hearts, to be fishers of
men, where we want to see men saved, the people God brings
into our influence, may we preach the gospel to them, every one
of us, and have a desire, my heart's desire. Oh, I hope that's
my heart's desire. My heart's desire. The Lord said,
follow me and I will make you fishers of men. I wanna be a
fisher of men, don't you? Just like Paul. My heart's desire
and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Now, he's saying they're not
saved. They don't know the Lord. They've
never been brought to a knowledge of Christ. Now let's see what
else he says. For I bear them record, that
they have a zeal of God. He's talking about the God of
the Bible. They're very religious. They have a zeal for God, but
not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness. Now, what's going on when somebody's
ignorant of God's righteousness? Well, number one, they're ignorant
of what his righteousness is in the first place, his righteous
character. You see, you only understand the righteousness
of God when God gives you the grace to see what was going on
at the cross. That's when you understand the righteousness
of God, not before then. But they're ignorant of God's
righteousness. They're ignorant of God's righteousness in their
condemnation. Why? If it's not fair, they're
ignorant of God's righteousness. How could this be fair for him
to not die for everybody? How can it be fair to him in
all the questioning God, sinning and judgment on God? Most especially,
they're ignorant of God's righteousness and salvation. Now let me show
you why I say that. Let's go and read. for they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness."
That's what you do when you're ignorant of God's righteousness.
You try coming to His presence with your own. They have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God, for Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Now
go back to John chapter 16, verse 10. of righteousness, because I go
to my Father, and you see me no more. Now, you're convinced,
when you're convinced of righteousness, you're convinced that the only
righteousness there is, is Jesus Christ, His righteousness. Are
you convinced of that? He's the only righteousness,
and when He goes to the Father, that's your righteousness going
to the Father. You're convinced of that. You're convinced that
the only way you're accepted is by Him going to the Father
as your righteousness, and you're accepted and you're complete
in Him. Now, this is the ABCs of the
gospel. This is the fundamentals. This isn't high, deep doctrine.
This is, He shall convince the world of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment. And look what he says in verse
11 with regard to judgment, of judgment, Because of the prince
of this world, it says his judge literally has been judged. Has
been judged. You see, you understand that
all judgment took place on the cross. The devil was judged and
condemned. The unbeliever is judged and
condemned for the murder of the Son of God. The believer is judged
and justified because Christ died for their sins and was raised
from the dead for their justification. You understand that all judgment
took place on the cross. Now that's what's going on when
this man is hearing this prophesying, this preaching. He's convinced
of all. Now go back to our text in 1
Corinthians 14. Verse 24, but if all prophesy
and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he's convinced
of all, he is judged of all. Now what's that mean? Does that
mean everybody's sitting in judgment on him? Yeah, you're an unbeliever,
you don't know anything. No. He comes in as a judge. That's
the way every natural man is. He comes in as a judge, judging
God, judging what he's hearing, agreeing, disagreeing. He comes
in as a judge. When he hears the gospel, he's
the one who's judged. He understands that. Like the
man Paul spoke of in Romans 3.19 when he's speaking of every believer,
and we know that Whatsoever the law saith, it
saith them who are under the law, that every mouth may be
stopped. And all the world, not judging
God, but stands guilty before God. He goes from being the judge
to being the one judged. He's convinced of all by all. He's judged of all. Verse 25. And thus are the secrets
of his heart made manifest. He didn't know what they were
before now. He didn't know the wickedness and the evil chambers
of sin that were in his heart. He was ignorant of them until
he heard the gospel. And then all of a sudden the
secrets of his heart are revealed. And so falling down on his face. Now, whether you fall down on
your face literally or you're doing it in your heart, when
you hear the gospel, you're just like that leper. When he heard
of Christ, the scripture says, he fell down on his face, saying,
Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. That's the way a sinner
comes to Christ. No other way. Lord, he knows
he's the Lord. If you will, I'm not saying,
Lord, I will that you make me clean. I'm saying, Lord, if you
will, you can make me clean. That's what this man does when
he hears the gospel. Now, all he heard was foreign
language. He'd never do any of this. But he hears the gospel
and the power of the Holy Spirit. The secrets of his heart are
revealed. He falls down on his face and
he worships God. And this thing of worship, like the leper, he worshiped
the Lord Jesus Christ before the Lord Jesus Christ declared
him being clean. You worship him for who he is without reference
to what he does for you. He's to be worshiped because
he's worthy of worship. If you come into his presence
and say, well, I won't worship him if he doesn't do something
for me, you don't know who he is. If you know who he is, you
will worship him for who he is. And this is what this man does.
He falls down on his face and he worships. You know, I love
the first time the word worship is used in the Bible with God
Abraham. Abraham, in Genesis chapter 22,
verse 5, when he said, I and the lad will go yonder and worship. Remember, God told him, take
your son, your only son whom you love, offer him up as a burnt
offering to me on a mountain that I'll show you of. And he
said to those two fellows, he couldn't tell them I'm gonna
go up and kill Isaac, they would've stopped him. He was an old man at this
time. So he says, me and the lad are gonna go yonder and worship. And we're going to return. He
knew after killing his boy, God would raise him from the dead.
He knew God couldn't lie. God said the promise seed is
going to come through him. He believed God. So what is involved
in worship? Two things in this passage of
scripture. Number one is sacrifice. You have never worshiped God
if you've not seen the need of the blood atonement, the sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, God's character is known
in the sacrifice of Christ. God's character is known in the
cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what else did he have? Faith. He believed that God would raise
his son from the dead. Now that's what's involved in
true worship. You understand the need of a
sacrifice. We're going to offer a sacrifice
and faith. Thus are the secrets of his heart
made manifest. And so falling down on his face,
he'll worship God and report that God is in you of a truth. After hearing the message that
you've preached to him, he's going to say, God's in you. This
is the truth. I've just heard the truth. Now,
one of the things that I love about the truth is when you're
hearing the truth, you know it's the truth when you're hearing
it. It bears witness with your spirit because of the Holy Spirit.
You know, this is the truth. This is the truth. This is the
very truth of God. And this is what this fellow
will report. The truth of God is in you. You know, we really believe the
truth of the gospel, don't we? I believe all the gospel says
about the character of God, about my own character, about salvation.
We really believe the truth of the gospel. When we hear it,
we say, God's in you, of a truth. This is God's truth. Christ,
the way, the truth, and the life. Now, could somebody learn this
through hearing a language they can't understand? Absolutely
not. You can't believe what you've
never heard any more than you can come back from a place which
you've never been. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. And if I'm a believer, And I
hear the truth, I say, that's the truth. God's in you. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
gospel of thy dear son. Lord, we ask that you would convince
us of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. And will you
allow us this blessed privilege of falling down on our face and
worshiping you, knowing that this is the truth. Lord, as we
prepare to observe that table, enable us to rest joyously in
the accomplishments of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Lord, to think that he was delivered for our offenses and raised again
for our justification, we give thanks. We ask that you would
enable us to truly do this in remembrance of thy dear son.
In his name we pray, amen.