When I was a child, around nine years old, my family went on a summer vacation. We visited several national parks, including Grand Teton National Park. When we were in Grand Teton, we went on a hike at the end of the afternoon. The trail took us around to the other side of a lake that had temporarily been drained. On the way back, I saw some people walking across this lake bed. And in my childish way of thinking, I thought it would be a great adventure to walk across the lake bed. How often can you walk across the bottom of a lake? I've never seen a drained lake before. And I asked my parents if we could do this. But they did not think it was such a good idea. Wanting very strongly to do this, I put together a logical argument to try to persuade my parents. I said the sun would be setting soon and walking across the lake bed would save us time. Out of love, my dad agreed for us to take the shortcut. It turned out that dad had good reason to be hesitant about my idea of walking across the lake bed. When we got to the middle, it became extremely muddy. Our shoes started getting all muddy and sticking in the mud. And by the time that we made it to the other side, we all regretted taking the shortcut. My thinking had been childish, which is what you would expect of a nine-year-old. Now, if I were still thinking in the same way today as an adult, that would be a problem. All of us have to mature in our thinking. I am glad that Dad allowed us to take the shortcut for two reasons. First of all, it was a learning experience for me. And second of all, God worked through it in an amazing way. We had been planning to go to a campfire that night, held by the National Park Service. But after getting all muddy, we changed plans and went straight to the motel, skipping the campfire event. When we arrived at the motel, there was a message waiting for my dad. The message was that this man's wife had left a message that his wife had just died and gone home to be with the Lord. My dad was a pastor and this was a man in the church that my dad pastored. And so he's just left a message for his pastor that his wife has died and gone home to be with the Lord. Now, My dad, almost immediately upon getting that message, called the husband to care for him. Now, if we had not taken the shortcut, we would have gone to the campfire, and gotten back to the motel late at night, and it would have been too late to call Mr. Whipple. But in God's all-wise providence, we had taken the shortcut, gotten muddy, skipped the campfire, and got back to the motel in time for dad to call Mr. Whipple. God is sovereign over all our decisions and I learned that that night. But His sovereignty over all of our decisions does not nullify our responsibility to grow up and to mature in our thinking. I share this story about my childish thinking because we have come to a passage that instructs Christians to grow up and mature in their thinking. specifically in their thinking about worship, corporate worship. It is a passage that challenges all of us as believers, as we will find out as we study it this morning. Our text is 1 Corinthians 14, verses 20-25. I would ask that you would stand in honor of the Word of God if you are able. 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 20. Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the law it is written, by people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people. And even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord. Thus, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If therefore the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. This is God's holy word. Please be seated. In this chapter that we have been studying for some weeks now, the Apostle Paul has been correcting problems in how the Corinthian church was thinking about the gift of tongues and how they were using the gift of tongues. We have seen that the Holy Spirit has given various gifts to the members of the church. Each member of the church has been given a spiritual gift for the edification of the whole. And we are to use those gifts in service to the Lord Jesus Christ and His church. Now in the apostolic period some miraculous and revelatory gifts were given. Including the gift of tongues. We see the gift of tongues in Acts chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost. The gift of tongues was a supernatural ability. to speak of the things of God in a foreign language, a real foreign language that the speaker had never learned or studied. And that gift of tongues had an important role to play at the beginning of the church during that apostolic period. And we're going to talk a little bit more about that later on. But there were individuals in this church in Corinth who had this gift. And the church as a whole had a very distorted understanding of the place that that gift had and how it was to be used. And it really was being abused in the church. And so Paul is writing to correct that in this chapter. Now in the passage that we're looking at this morning, we're going to see two main ideas. First of all, we're going to see the imperative of thinking maturely about worship. And then we're going to see in the following verses, mature understanding of tongues and the worship service. First of all, the imperative of thinking maturely about worship. Look at verse 20 closely. Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. We see here that there is something in which you and I should be infants. We should be infants in evil. We should not develop further in practicing evil. But you and I are not to continue being children in our thinking, in our understanding. We are to mature in our thinking. Specifically, the Apostle has in mind the Corinthians' understanding of tongues and corporate worship. They were thinking about these things in a childish, immature way. And they needed to grow up. They had an immature understanding of these things as they did of other Christian matters. Back in chapter 3 verses 1 and 2, Paul wrote, But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it, and even now you are not yet ready. Paul writes what he does here in chapter 14, so that believers will mature in their understanding of tongues and corporate worship. Now, this imperative here, not to be children in their thinking, but to be mature in their thinking, this imperative would have stung the Corinthians' pride, and may sting our pride as well. Many of the citizens of Corinth prided themselves in their intellect, just as some of us may do. And Paul is saying it is not okay to continue thinking about worship in the way that you are. Worship is too important of a matter to think about in a childish, immature way. And in the rest of our text, the Apostle seeks to impart mature understanding of tongues and the worship service. In doing so, He imparts three truths. The first truth is the incongruity of tongues in gatherings of believers. The incongruity of tongues in gatherings of believers. We see that in verses 21 and 22. Take a close look at verse 21. In the law it is written, and then Paul quotes from Isaiah. Here the term the law refers to the whole Old Testament. In the law, in the Old Testament scriptures, it is written. Now before we look at the quotation, I want you to observe the connection between verses 20 and 21. In verse 20, the apostle instructs believers to stop being children in their thinking and to become mature in their thinking. And what does he then point to as the source of mature thinking? He points to the Scripture as the source of mature thinking. To mature your thinking, you do not need experiences. Experiences are subjective. Rather, you need to study the Scriptures. Mature thinking comes from the Bible. This is one of our purposes in studying the Bible on Sunday mornings. It is to mature in our thinking, to mature in our understanding unto the glory of God. You cannot please God if your thinking is unbiblical. Let's see where the Apostle goes in Scripture. Look at verse 21. In the law it is written, by people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord." Paul is quoting here from Isaiah chapter 28 verses 11 through 12. And the fact that he quotes this here shows us how very familiar he was with the Old Testament. And it challenges us to be a student of the Old Testament along with the New Testament. He quotes from Isaiah 28, verses 11-12. Now, let me give you the background of this quotation. Both the northern and the southern kingdoms of Israel were living in unbelief and apostasy. In Isaiah chapter 28, the Lord foretold how He would judge both the northern and the southern kingdoms of Israel using Assyria. He was going to bring the nation of Assyria against the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel. Assyria would invade both the north and the south. In Isaiah chapter 28 verse 22 we read, A decree of destruction from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land. God is going to bring destruction through the Assyrian army, through the nation of Assyria. This was spoken of as a warning to Judah and to Jerusalem. Now, in our text, in 1 Corinthians 14.21, Paul says, The people of strange tongues, the foreigners, were the invading Assyrians. The language they spoke is called Akkadian. Israel's false prophets had failed to speak the word of the Lord. And when the Lord's true prophets spoke His word, the people did not listen. And now the Lord would speak to Israel by people of strange tongues, by the lips of foreigners. He would speak judgment. God's purpose behind the Assyrian invasion would be to turn Judah and Jerusalem from their wicked ways. Yet they will not listen. Look again, 1 Corinthians 14.21, "...In the law it is written, by people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord." Now why does Paul quote this passage? We'll go on in our text to verse 22. We'll find out why. He says, Thus tongues are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers. Well prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers, but for believers. Paul is making a point about the gift of tongues in the apostolic period. He quoted Isaiah 28 because it spoke of God speaking to Israel through people of strange tongues. The reason that Paul can use this passage to make a point about the gift of tongues is that the gift of tongues was an ability to speak in foreign languages. If instead the gift of tongues was an ability to utter ecstatic speech, Paul could not use this passage in Isaiah to make his point. Paul points out that in the Old Testament, God spoke to Israel through foreign tongues. And Paul wants us to see what is said about those Israelites to whom God spoke by foreign tongues. Observe it in verse 21 of our text. In the law it is written by people of strange tongues, and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord." Who is spoken to by God through these tongues in Isaiah? People who do not listen to the Lord. People who do not believe Him. Unbelievers. It was to unbelievers that God spoke by foreign tongues in this passage. The passage says, even then they will not listen to me. God spoke by foreign tongues to unbelieving Israel. And so Paul says in verse 22, thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers. The New American Standard is a little bit more literal here. Thus tongues are for a sign. In verse 22 Paul is talking about the purpose of tongues. The purpose of tongues is to be a sign to unbelievers. Tongues were meant by God to serve as a sign to unbelievers. And Paul can use the Isaiah passage to make this point because there is a consistency between what God does throughout the ages. Now there are also differences between what God does throughout the ages, but there is a consistency that allows Paul to make this point. We see in the book of Acts the very thing that Paul states about tongues here. that tongues was intended by God to be a sign to unbelievers. There are three instances in the book of Acts of people speaking in tongues. And every time it was in an evangelistic context. In Acts chapter 2, verses 4 through 12, on the day of Pentecost, tongues were spoken in the hearing of unbelievers. Those tongues were a sign. In Acts 2 verse 12, when we read, And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean? They heard people speaking in tongues, and their question was among unbelievers, What does this mean? And it gave Peter a platform to preach the gospel, and it authenticated what he preached. The second time in Acts that people spoke in tongues was Acts chapter 10 verses 44-46. In that passage tongues were spoken by Gentile believers when they heard the preaching of Peter and were converted. It was a sign. It confirmed that Gentiles could be saved by believing the gospel apart from works of the law. The third time that tongues were spoken in Acts was Acts 19, verses 5-7. Tongues were spoken by individuals who had believed the message of John the Baptist when they heard the teaching of Paul and believed in Jesus Christ. Again, it was a sign. Again, it was in an evangelistic setting. Paul says here in our text, in verse 22, Thus tongues are assigned not for believers, but for unbelievers. Well, prophecy is assigned not for unbelievers, but for believers. Now, later in this chapter, Paul will say that if tongues are interpreted, they can be spoken in the worship service under certain conditions. But here in our text, He wants the church to understand that tongues were never meant by God for gatherings of believers. The gift was given to be a sign for unbelievers, for certain evangelistic settings in the apostolic period. It really is incongruous in gatherings of believers. It's incongruous in the worship service, which is a gathering of believers intended for the edification of the body of Christ. Paul says what belongs in the worship service is prophecy. He says prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for believers. He's talking about the main purpose of prophecy. The main purpose of prophecy is for believers. What is prophecy? Prophecy is the Spirit-empowered proclamation of God's Word. And this is what the Old Testament prophets did. Empowered by the Spirit of God, they spoke the Word of God. Before Scripture was complete, prophecy included speaking new revelation from God. The importance of speaking God's Word continues today, and today speaking God's Word is entirely speaking Scripture. What has been once for all delivered to the saints. When God's Word is rightly proclaimed in the worship service, we could say it is a sign of God's presence with His gathered people. What we see in verses 21 and 22 is that a mature understanding of tongues in the worship service includes understanding The tongues are incongruous in a gathering of believers, that what is fitting is the proclamation of God's word in a way that is understandable to all. Tongues are foresigned to unbelievers, while prophecy is for believers. The apostle also imparts a second truth that is part of a mature understanding. And the second truth is in verse 23. It's the insanity of uninterpreted tongues in the worship service. The insanity of uninterpreted tongues in the worship service. Look at verse 23. If therefore the whole church comes together, and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, Will they not say that you are out of your minds? When Paul speaks here of all speaking in tongues, either he speaks of what the Corinthian church was seeking to do, or he is speaking hypothetically in order to make a point. In this scenario, in verse 23, everyone in the congregation speaks in tongues without interpretation. Not necessarily at the same time, but eventually all speak in tongues without interpretation. And Paul says outsiders or unbelievers enter the worship service. We saw this word outsider earlier in the chapter in verse 16. Go back to verse 16 to see this word outsider. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, he's talking about speaking in tongues without interpretation. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say amen to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? Here in verse 16, Paul is saying that speaking in uninterpreted tongues puts the other members of the congregation in the position of an outsider. They are not an outsider, but they are put in the position of an outsider. Now here in our text, in verse 23, Paul is talking about actual outsiders. People who have no prior knowledge of what is happening in the worship service. He says in verse 23, If therefore the whole church comes together, and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, Will they not say that you are out of your minds? He's saying that they will recognize, when they come in, they will recognize that the congregation is acting in an insane way. Who in their right mind, gathers together to speak unintelligibly. The outsiders or unbelievers who enter would recognize that the gathering is filled with confusion. When you take the gift of tongues, which was designed by God to be assigned to unbelievers, and you use it in the worship service, without interpretation, as if the gift was for the congregation, someone who is on the outside, and not under the same delusion, and witnesses this, will see it for what it really is. Insanity. This is what this verse means. This gift, which was meant to be assigned to unbelievers, will actually, when misused, make the church look insane to unbelievers. The apostle is saying in his verse that a mature understanding includes recognizing the insanity of uninterpreted tongues in the worship service. Now, as a side note, we do see that There is a place for unbelievers to come into a worship service. And we're going to see that again in verse 24, and we're going to talk about that when we get there. There's also a third and final truth that Paul imparts in our text in order that we would have mature understanding. And that is the power of the clearly spoken Word of God in the worship service. The power of the clearly spoken Word of God in the worship service. We see that in verses 24 and 25. In these verses, Paul gives a second scenario that strongly contrasts with the scenario we have just seen. Look closely at verse 24. Paul says, but if all prophesy. He is giving a hypothetical scenario. This would be all prophesying one by one, not at the same time, because Paul will give instructions later on in this chapter that it must be given one by one, not at the same time. If all speak God's word by the power of the Holy Spirit in a way that is understandable to all, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, the worship service should be open to unbelievers, It is designed primarily for the believer, but unbelievers are welcome to come in to the church worship service. And therefore, we as a church, we should be mindful in our worship service that unbelievers may be present. And an unbeliever outsider enters. He is convicted by all. He is called to account by all. The secrets of his heart are disclosed. And so falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. The result here of prophesying in the worship service is just the opposite of the result of speaking in tongues. Now, if what is said here in verses 24 and 25 as a result of prophesying, of speaking the word of God in the service, if this can be the effect on unbelievers, it talks about them being convicted, held to account, The secrets of their heart being disclosed, falling on their face, worshiping God, declaring that God is truly among you. If this can be the effect on unbelievers of the clear proclamation of the word of God, what is the effect on believers? The primary people to whom God's word is spoken in the worship service. Paul is saying that when what is spoken in the worship service is the Word of God, and it is spoken clearly in the power of the Holy Spirit, even outsiders and unbelievers will recognize the truth that God is among the gathered believers. Now think of how wonderful are the spirit-wrought effects of the Word of God that are spoken of here. First of all, we read, the unbeliever or outsider is convicted by all. That is, the unbeliever or outsider is convicted by the spoken Word of God. This is part of what the Word of God does. In bringing sinners to a saving knowledge of Christ, the Word of God brings conviction. A sinner will never truly believe in Christ in a saving way apart from the conviction that is spoken of here. Conviction is a function of the Word of God in our lives. Turn with me to 2 Timothy 3, verse 16. 2 Timothy 3, verse 16. This verse would be well worth memorizing. We read in verse 16, all scripture is breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Now, notice the word reproof. That scripture is profitable not only for teaching, but also for reproof. This word reproof is very closely related to the word conviction. In our text, our text says that this believer, unbeliever, or outsider who comes into the service and hears the Word of God spoken by all, that he will be convicted by all. In Greek, this is the same root. We could translate this verse here before us, all scriptures breathed out by God are profitable for teaching, for convicting, or for conviction. for correction and for training in righteousness. Conviction, called here reproof, is a function of the Word of God. Turn over to James chapter 2 for another example of this. The book of James chapter 2. We'll begin in verse 8. Verse 8 says, If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. Notice the word convicted. We're trying to understand this idea in our text, that this unbeliever or outsider is convicted by all. Here we see, James says, if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. Scripture convicts us as transgressors. Scripture convicts us as sinners. Scripture convicts us of being guilty before a holy God. Further, the Word of God produces a sense of conviction in our hearts when the Holy Spirit works through the Word in our hearts. Turn over to John chapter 16. The Gospel of John chapter 16. We've seen in James that the Scriptures convict us as transgressors. We saw in 2 Timothy 3 that the Word of God is profitable for conviction. Now here in John 16 we read about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. John 16 beginning in verse 7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. Jesus was just about to go to the cross. So He was leaving His disciples. He was not going to continue in their midst. He would die on the cross for our sins. He would rise on the third day. He would show Himself alive over the course of 40 days. And then He would ascend to the right hand of the Father. Jesus says here, Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Helper, the Helper is the Holy Spirit, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me. Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see Me no longer. Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. So notice in verse 8, that Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would convict the world. He would bring conviction concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. The Word of God produces a sense of conviction in our hearts when the Holy Spirit works through the Word in our hearts. And there are two aspects to the Holy Spirit's work of convicting a person of sin and guilt through the Word. The first aspect is that through the Word, the Holy Spirit proves that the sinner is guilty before God. Through the Word, the Holy Spirit proves that the sinner is guilty before God. The person may or may not be ready to admit and confess his guilt, but the Holy Spirit brings the Word of God to bear upon the heart and life, revealing that the person is guilty before Holy God. Revealing that they are a transgressor of God's holy law. And the second aspect of the Holy Spirit's work of convicting, is that through the Word, the Holy Spirit awakens the sinner to consciousness of his guilt. The person to whom the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God, to prove that they are guilty before God, they may or may not be ready to admit and confess their guilt. But the Holy Spirit, He awakens the sinner to consciousness of his guilt. Their guilt before God is brought home to their conscience so that they feel it. That's the second aspect of the Holy Spirit's work of conviction. Now in the case of the elect, such conviction will lead to repentance. Conviction leads to repentance. But not so with the non-elect. Some suppress this conviction with the result being a further hardening of the hearts. Let me ask you, has the Word of God convicted you of sin? So that you have seen your sin for the terrible offense it really is to God. We have a tendency in our pride to justify our sin. To call our sin something else other than what it really is. To blame someone else for what we have done. Has the Word of God convicted you of sin so that you have seen your sin for the terrible offense it really is to God? In our text, the Apostle speaks of this conviction in the heart of the unbeliever who enters the assembly. But the Word of God continues to convict the Christian of sin throughout the Christian life. It's not just prior to conversion, leading up to conversion, but in love the Holy Spirit continues to convict the believer of sin. So that we might recognize it, confess it, repent of it, and grow in Christ. Now let's return to 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 24. We read here, But if all speak the word of God, And an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all. Note that last phrase, he is called to account by all. The Greek verb that is used here, Greek is the original language that this was written in. The Greek verb here is often used of being examined in a court of law. As all the congregation in this scenario spoke the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, this unbeliever is examined by the Word of God. You see, when you sit under the Word of God, all that you are is searched and examined by the Word of God. Your conduct is examined by the Word of God. Your speech is examined by the Word of God. Your heart is examined by the Word of God. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 speaks of this function of the Word of God. And I want you to turn to Hebrews 4. It was the scripture reading last Sunday. I want you to turn to Hebrews 4. We're going to be reading verses 11 through 13. But before we read those verses, you need to understand that in the previous verses, mention has been made of the Israelites in the wilderness. who failed to enter God's rest because of disobedience. The previous verses quoted Psalm 95, which says, today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. And in verse 11 we read, let us therefore strive to enter that rest. so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." We read in verse 12 that the Word of God pierces to the deepest depths of our being. It discerns and evaluates the thoughts and the intentions of our heart. Those things that no one else can see, and sometimes we deceive ourselves about, but God sees. The Word of God discerns and evaluates the thoughts and the intentions of our heart. It calls us to account. It holds us accountable for every thought, for every intention of our heart. You see, God is supremely holy. And God commanded His people Israel in Leviticus chapter 19 verse 2, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. Because this is His standard for all people. All people are to be holy, because God Himself is holy. And the eyes of this holy God see all things outward, and see all things in man. The Lord said in 1 Samuel 16, verse 7, For the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. He rightly requires both outward and inward conformity to His holiness. And His word reveals His holy standard and exposes everything that is not holy, calling us to account. Which is the idea here in 1 Corinthians 14. You can come back to our text. Let's look again at 1 Corinthians 14 verse 24. God's people, who speak His word by the power of His Spirit, are the Spirit's agents. The Holy Spirit works through the spoken word of God. Our text goes on in verse 25 and says, The secrets of his heart are disclosed. Now it's very important that you understand that the secrets of his heart are not disclosed to the preacher. The secrets of his heart are not disclosed to the congregation. The secrets of his heart are disclosed to this unbeliever. This is the result of God's Word working in his heart. The sinful purposes of his heart are disclosed to him. The sins of his past that no one else knows about are disclosed to him. His sinful nature and corrupt moral state of which he was ignorant before are disclosed to him. His alienation from God caused by his sin is disclosed to him. For the first time he sees himself as he really is. For the first time he sees himself in the eyes of a holy God. Verse 25 goes on, The secrets of his heart are disclosed and so falling on his face he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. It says that he falls on his face. This is not speaking about the charismatic practice of being slain in the Spirit. There's nothing spiritual about that practice. It's all emotion and show. Rather, what Paul is talking about when he says he falls on his face, is he's saying this man is completely convinced of his sinful and filthy condition. He is completely convinced of the offense that it is to God. He is completely convinced of the judgment that is rightly due him. And knowing of the grace and the mercy that are found in Christ, he falls on his face before God. Throughout the Bible, falling on one's face before God expresses humility. It expresses unworthiness. It expresses submission. And this person in verse 25, he humbles himself before God in sorrow over his sin. He humbles himself before God in hatred of his sin. He confesses his sin to God. He completely turns from his sin. He renounces all dependence on his own righteousness and goodness. And knowing his own unworthiness, he casts himself upon the grace and the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. He submits himself entirely unto Christ. He falls on his face. And so falling on his face he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. It says he will worship God. The verb in the original language translated here, will worship. This verb was used many times in Greek literature of prostrating oneself before a high authority figure and kissing his feet, or kissing the hem of his garment, or kissing the ground on which that authority figure stood. This person whom Paul describes in our text, trusting in the reconciling work of Christ at the cross, approaches God through Christ in reverence, love, and submission. He worships God. He joins the rest of the congregation in worshiping God. This is a worship service. The believers are gathered together to worship God corporately. And this man that's spoken of here, who has been converted by the Word of God, He falls on his face and joins the rest of the congregation in worshiping God. It says, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. Unlike the outsiders or unbelievers who enter the church where all are speaking in tongues and say that they are out of their mind, this one enters the church where the Word of God is being spoken in the power of the Holy Spirit and declares that God is really among you. Having been convicted by the Word of God and called to account by the Word of God, having had the secrets of his heart disclosed by the Word of God, having been brought by the Word of God to fall on his face before God, having been brought to truly worship God for the first time, he cannot help but declare to others in the congregation that God is among them and has done great things for him. You see, true conversion of the heart will always lead to profession with the lips. These are the Spirit wrought effects of the Word of God upon an unbeliever. Such effects continue in believers as they gather together to hear the Word of God proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God continues to convict us of sin. The Word of God continues to call us to account. The Word of God continues to disclose our hearts. The Word of God continues to move us to repentance. The Word of God continues to humble us before God, to move us to worship Him, to move us to declare Him to others. This is the power of the clearly spoken Word of God as used by the Holy Spirit in hearts and lives. This is what Paul had in mind back in chapter 2. I want you to go back to chapter 2. Look at verses 1-5. In chapter 2 verse 1 we read, And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom, If I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. He says, my message was in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. He's not talking about anything different from what he's talking about in our text. It's the same thing. The power of the Word of God as used by the Spirit of God in the hearts and lives of the elect. Paul preached the Word. And the Spirit worked powerfully through that Word in hearts and lives. Bringing about conversions. Bringing about salvation in hearts and lives. Go back to chapter 1, verse 23. We see more of this. Chapter 1, verse 23. But we preach Christ crucified a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." In our text, that unbeliever or outsider who was convicted, who was brought to account, whose secrets were disclosed, who fell on his face, who worship God, who look back and say, that is the power of God. What happened in my heart, what just happened in my life, that's the power of God. Paul spoke of these things to the Thessalonian church. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 4-5 he says, That's the work of the Holy Spirit. Convicting of sin through the Word of God. Converting the soul. Turning a sinner into a worshipper of the true God. That's the power of the Holy Spirit. It's the power of the Word of God. If you come back to our text, Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 14 verses 24 and 25, that mature thinking recognizes the power of the clearly spoken Word of God in the worship service. What is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is present in a worship service? Our text indicates that the evidence is not speaking in tongues. The evidence that the Holy Spirit is present in our worship is not physical healings. The evidence that the Holy Spirit is present in our worship service is not high emotion. No, the evidence that the Holy Spirit is present in our worship service is the working of the clearly spoken Word of God to convert souls and to sanctify Christ's church. In 1 Corinthians 3.16 we read, Do you not know that you are God's temple, and that God's Spirit dwells in you? The Spirit of God dwells in the church. And the Spirit manifests His presence when the scriptures that He inspired are spoken by His gathered people in His power for the honor of Christ and the glory of God. He is present in the faithful proclamation of His Word. Our desire should be that every one of our worship services would lead people to say the words of 1 Corinthians 14.25, God is really among you. Because they hear the word of God, and the Spirit of God works powerfully in their heart through that word. In our text, we have seen the imperative, do not be children in your thinking, but in your thinking be mature." And we have seen three elements of a mature understanding of tongues in the worship service. We've seen the incongruity of tongues in gatherings of believers. They're a sign to unbelievers, not to believers. The incongruity of tongues in gatherings of believers. We've seen the insanity of uninterpreted tongues in the worship service. The unbeliever will say, you're out of your mind. And we have seen the power of the clearly spoken Word of God in the worship service. The power of the Word of God to convict, to hold to account, to lead to repentance, to convert, to save. How should we respond to this passage? We have to be careful that we do not respond to this passage in a self-righteous way. Self-righteousness compares yourself to others and thinks, God, that you are more righteous than another. The Holy Spirit has not given us this passage so that we, as a church, would compare ourselves with other churches and tell ourselves how much more mature we are in our thinking. Rather, the Holy Spirit has given us this passage so that we will compare ourselves with Christ designed for the church and seek further maturity. Seek further conformity to that design. No church has arrived in their thinking. No church has arrived in their living. Let me ask you, when God's Word is as powerful as this passage teaches, why am I, Steve Sherman, not more like Jesus today? When the Word of God, used by the Spirit of God, is as powerful as we see it is in this passage, why do I, Steve Sherman, not walk in a closer communion with Him? Why are you not more like Jesus today? Why are we not more like the unbeliever in our text who, upon hearing the spoken Word of God, is convicted, is called to account, his heart is disclosed, and so falling on his face, he worships God and declares that God is really among you. Why don't we see more of this in our lives each Sunday morning? It is not due to some deficiency in the Word of God. The Word of God is perfect. It is not due to some deficiency in the Holy Spirit's ministry. The Holy Spirit's ministry is perfect. It is not due to the absence of the Word of God in our services. It is not absent. It is due to our own hearts. So it is not for us to conclude from this passage that we are so mature. Rather it is for us to seek God's grace that we as a church would be as affected by the spoken word of God as God intends. My friend, let me ask you a very important question. Has the Holy Spirit worked through the word of God to bring you to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? Has the Word of God converted your soul? It starts with conviction of sin. I want you to see Galatians chapter 5. You do not need to hold on to our passage. Turn over to the right to Galatians chapter 5. I want you to see what Paul says in verses 19-21. Galatians 5 verse 19, the Apostle Paul writes, Now the works of the flesh are evident, sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. There's no one living today who can say, I've not done any of these things. This is not an exhaustive list of sins, but it's a representative list of those things that dishonor God. Those things that are contrary to His holy law, that are contrary to His right demands for how we must live before Him. After a similar list is given in Colossians chapter 3 verse 6, the Apostle says, On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. On account of works like these, the wrath of God is coming. In the Bible, God has revealed that He is holy. That God is holy is so important, and it means that He delights in all that is good, and He hates all that is evil. He's absolutely pure. He's absolutely set apart from all that is evil. He delights in all that is good. He hates all that is evil. The Bible says that God is also a just judge. He rewards good and He punishes evil. And the Bible says that the wages of sin is death. That is eternal death. God's eternal judgment in hell, in the lake of fire. All of us, apart from Christ's saving work, are sinners by nature, sinners by intention, and sinners by deed, and deserve God's eternal judgment. Romans 3.23 says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 1 Kings 8.46 says, For there is no one who does not sin. Ezekiel 18.4 says, The soul who sins shall die. James chapter 2 verses 8 and following say, If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. Ephesians 2 verses 1-3 speaks in very strong terms. It says, And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. Children of wrath. Those upon whom God's wrath lies, who deserve God's wrath, who have God's wrath coming to them. The Bible does not teach that people are drowning and need someone to throw them a life preserver. No, the Bible teaches, as I just read in Ephesians 2, that all people are spiritually dead and need God to raise them to life. Man cannot save himself from the judgment to come. Neither can man find his way to the Savior, and choose on his own to take hold of the Savior. Man is dead in trespasses and sins. In John 3 verses 5 and following, Jesus answered Nicodemus, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again." What every person needs is the new birth, a new heart given by the Holy Spirit. Apart from the new birth, you will never truly hate your sin and love the Savior. Salvation is an act of God's sovereign grace. And the gospel of Jesus Christ calls sinners to repent of their sin and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Knowing that Jesus died on the cross for sinners and rose on the third day. Jesus warned in Matthew 7, verses 21-23, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. In other words, there are many people who are self-deceived, believing that they are Christians, believing that they will go to heaven because they believe something about Jesus, and they do different things to serve Jesus. And they gather with Christ's church. So I'm going to heaven. But there's going to be many on that last day. that will hear those words from Christ, away from me, I never knew you. They will say, Lord, Lord, I did all these things in your name. And He'll still say, away from me, I never knew you. Unless you are made new by the Holy Spirit, unless you are born of the Spirit, Unless the Holy Spirit removes your heart of stone and gives you a heart of flesh, you will never love Jesus. And you will never hate your sin. The gospel calls you not to pray a prayer. The gospel calls you to repent of your sin. To confess your sin for what it is. To recognize your sin for what it is. An offense against a holy, holy, holy God, who is worthy of your complete obedience and worship. The Gospel calls upon you to repent, to confess your sin, to turn from your sin, to forsake your sin, knowing of the mercy and the grace that are found in Christ, and take hold of Christ in faith. Trusting in Him as your Savior. Believing in Him as your Lord. Submitting your life to Him to follow Him as your Master the rest of your days. The Bible does not teach just keep living how you have been living and then just ask for forgiveness and hope to get forgiveness. No, the Bible calls for repentance. The Bible says unless you're converted, Unless you are born of the Spirit, you will never enter the Kingdom of God. And so, I urge you, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you, knowing of His death upon the cross for sinners, knowing of His resurrection on the third day, to repent of your sin, to turn from your sin, and turn to Christ. Believe in Him. Trust in Him. Lean the full weight of your soul upon Christ. To follow Him as your Lord, as your Master the rest of your days. And you will be saved. And all glory will go to our sovereign and gracious God. Be a result of the Spirit of God. graciously and sovereignly working in your heart through the Word of God. Do not delay. Today is the day of salvation. If you know Christ as Lord and Savior, may this passage encourage you. The Holy Spirit is working through His Word when God's people gather together. So we are to gather together to worship the Lord with expectancy that the Holy Spirit will work through His Word in our hearts, to convict us of what we need to be convicted of, to humble us where we need to be humbled, and to teach us to live a new life of worship unto our great God and Savior. Let's pray. O Heavenly Father, We want to be mature in our thinking. We want to leave behind childish thinking. We pray, Father, that You would use this passage of Scripture for this purpose. We pray, Father, that we would be people of Your Word. Lord, that our worship service would truly be a place where the Word of God is central. where your Word is clearly proclaimed, a place where your Spirit works through the spoken Word powerfully in hearts and lives to save and to sanctify. And Lord, may you continue to work through your Word as we go forth from here, as this worship service is just the beginning of the week. We're just setting the tone for the week. Lord, we pray that our lives would be lives of listening to your word and responding to your word in faith, repentance, obedience, worship unto your eternal glory. We pray these things in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.