by turning to 1 Corinthians chapter 14. You'll note that order is, of course, the thematic material of our text and of worship this morning. As you're turning there, if you could say a little prayer for me. I woke up and my stomach is a little disordered, and I'd prefer that it remain ordered instead of having to leave the pulpit. So if you could ask that the Lord would be gracious to me and let things settle. Our sermon text this morning will come from 1 Corinthians 14. We'll be reading from v. 26 down through the end of the chapter, which is v. 40. 1 Corinthians 14, beginning in verse 26, and reading through the rest of the chapter this morning. So listen along or follow along, but people of God, this is the Word of the living God. So give heed and hear the Word of the Lord. How is it then, brethren, whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or three at most, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be 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 the churches of the saints. Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. If they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is dishonor for women to speak in church. Or did the word of God come originally from you, or was it you only that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy and do not forbid to speak with tongues. When all things be done decently and in order. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord is forever. Well, here as we come to the end of chapter 14, we're actually coming to the end of a section of Paul's discussion, Paul's epistle to the Corinthians. At this time, when we come to chapter 15, he's going to move into the center and heart of the Christian faith, which is the death of Christ, but the resurrection of Christ as well. And how it is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is what gives to the Christian faith life and power. And so we're beginning then to transition into something else. He's wrapping up a train of thought that he's had really all the way since chapter 11, as he's been dealing with issues of public assembly. So we can see that beginning in chapter 11, all the way through the end of chapter 14, our much broader context of the topic material that we have is related to the ways in which that status-seeking nature of the Corinthian church has been presenting itself in their public assembling, in their coming together as the people of God. And he's been dressing that issue all the way since chapter 11. Of course, when we move into chapter 12, we kind of dig down and narrow down even a little bit more into another particular way beyond chapter 11, in which the status-seeking of the Corinthian believers is causing disruption and disorder within the Corinthian church. In chapter 12 we're told that when it comes to the spiritual gifts, that God is the one who distributes those gifts. That he distributes them to whom he sees fit, as he sees fit, according to his purpose and his design, his good pleasure. Then in chapter 13 we're told that primarily the Christian is to pursue love, that the spiritual gifts are something that is to be subservient to a love for God and for one another. So that love being supreme and love being necessary becomes the driving motive of the believer in whatever he does in public assembly or without. Then in verses 1 through 25 of 1 Corinthians 14, we've been seeing a case example of applying that principle of love. That love, the desires to glorify God and to edify neighbor, seeks to do that which is edifying. He's made the case how the Corinthians' youth of speaking unintelligible tongues has not been loving because it has produced disorder and chaos. It's unintelligible. It can't be understood. And so, therefore, it doesn't profit all. And he's been making the case that prophecy, because it is clear, because it is intelligible, is what they really should be pursuing more than the grace gift of tongues. And so love seeks primarily to edify. And now here in chapters 14, 26 through 40, we learn another truth related to all of this. And that is that order is necessary for edification. That there must be order if the people of God are to be edified as they gather together. And so we'll learn in our text that love seeks to worship in an orderly fashion so that all may be edified. Love seeks to worship in an orderly fashion so that all may be edified. And we'll look at that in two ways. First, we'll look at order in speaking in tongues. And second, we'll look at order in prophecy. Remember, he's focusing on that specific case example within the Corinthian believers and the use of the speech gifts in particular. And he continues that focus. So let's turn then to order in speaking in tongues and to verse 26 of our text this morning. How is it then, brothers and sisters, whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. Now, before Paul begins, he's going to continue and really set the stage for dealing with the chaotic condition of Corinthian worship. We've already established that the Corinthians are coming to the public assembly with each seeking to exercise gifts in a way that elevates their own status for their own selfish purpose and not for the edification of the body. Verse 26 lets us know that it seems that they're doing so in a way that the dadai is the way in which God distributes the various gifts to various people according to his purpose. Notice the question. How is it then, brethren, brothers and sisters? How is this the case? When you come together, each of you has every one of these things. Each one of you individually has this, that, and the other. When you're coming together, you all have the speech gifts. You all have all of the speech gifts. How is this a thing in the assembly is what he's asking. You might be wondering, well, why is it that he's asking that? Well, if we pay attention or remember what's happening in that chunk of chapters 12 through 14, he's dealing now specifically with the grace gifts and their operation in the Corinthian church. And if we compare where he says, whenever you come together, each of you who has a psalm, we should compare that with verses seven through 10 of chapter 12. where he says, but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. So there's that same phraseology. Each one is given a particular gift, but notice the way that it's given. Each one is not given all gifts. Each one is given a particular gift. For to one is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another, to another, to another. In other words, it seems that the Corinthian believers far from recognizing and following the fact that God orders His gifts and distributes each one to the various members in the body, they're appropriating to themselves all of them and saying that, I have all of these things. And Paul is saying, well, that's simply not the case. There are diversities of gifts in verse four through five of chapter 12 and differences of ministries. And so there's already immediately for us an issue present here in verse 26, that in their seeking to use the gifts for their own selfish status raising, to climb that social ladder, they're already beyond what Scripture says beyond what Paul says beyond how the spirit moves and because of that Because that are all claiming for themselves all of these things then they're creating a condition of chaotic Disordered wish-worship in which everybody is speaking at the same time and or speaking over one another Another, everyone is striving to have their moment in the limelight and competing with each other in order to have that moment in the limelight is what's happening here. Trying to monopolize the floor and to use the gifts better than everyone else and more than everyone else because that will be what sets them up as that uber Christian. And so Paul is dealing with the chaotic condition of Corinthian worship. And Paul is going to set all of this in proper order. And it begins with order in speaking in tongues. That begins for us in verse 27. He says, if anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at most three. There's the first stage in the order. Not everyone, two or at most three. drawing it in, drawing it down. Let there be at most two or at most three, and each one in turn, not speaking over one another, not speaking at the same time as someone else, so that there's 30 people all speaking in unintelligible tongues, and no one can understand anything that's being saying, and there's nothing but a chaotic environment. At most three, and one at a time. And then, let one interpret, which shouldn't surprise us. He's already mentioned that in the first 25 verses of chapter 14. So, at most three, one at a time, in turn, with interpretation. And there's something that's interesting to note, and we'll need to hold on to this for later. Notice that there are two gifts in operation in order for tongues to be edifying. There is tongues and interpretation. of tongues. If you remember chapter 12, both of those are gifts. In other words, in order for tongues to be edifying to the body, there must be interpretation. There must be a correlation. Tongues must have its counterpart in order that it be profitable to the body as a whole. And if this is not the case, if the counterpart gift is not present, if there is no interpreter, Then we have the first of what becomes a repeated phrase within Paul. He says, but if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the church and let him speak to himself and to God. What does it mean to keep silent? Let him stop speaking in tongues. That's another important tidbit to hold on to. Let him stop speaking in tongues. In other words, this is not a blanket prohibition on the one given the gift of tongues. It's a specific prohibition on his use of a specific gift. Let him stop speaking in tongues, but rather let him speak to himself and to God. And that provides order when it comes to the gift of tongues. Two gifts orderly, orderly used in order that all might be edified. And so there is order in tongues. Secondly, there is order in prophecy. And Paul spends significantly more time here when it comes to order and prophecy, which shouldn't surprise us because he's literally just made the case for 25 verses that prophecy is better in the public context unless tongues are interpreted. So don't let that surprise us that he's going to then spend a lot of time talking about prophecy and putting prophecy in order based on what he's already said in those first 25 verses thus far. And so he begins in much the same way that he did when it came to tongues. Verse 29 let two or three prophets speak. You notice kind of like with tongues two or most three here. It's a little different. We don't have the qualifier of at most three, so it might be there being rounds where two or three speak and then another round where two or three speak. Let two or three prophets speak. and let the other judge. And we should note then that there is the same structure here when it comes to the use of prophecy as there is when it comes to the use of tongues. That is that there are two gifts that are operative here. With tongues, it's the tongues and the interpretation of tongues. When it is prophecy, it is prophecy and the prophetic evaluation of prophecy. And let the others judge. This isn't the first time that this language of judge, of discernment, of weighing, of evaluation has made its way into Paul's discussion of the gifts. If you turn over to chapter 12 and verse 10. There we have listed to another the working of miracles to another prophecy to another discerning of spirits. It's the same word. Weighing of spirits, evaluating of spirits. In other words, there's the gift of prophecy and there is the gift of discernment. A spirit given evaluation of the prophecy that has just been given. Two gifts are in view here. And just as with tongues, one is the necessary counterpart or corollary to the other in order that there might be edifying that occurs within the body. And so then, let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh, let the others evaluate, let them discern. Those who have been given the gift in the context of that public assembly who can prophesy, generally speaking, are to exercise that gift of prophecy, generally speaking, and it needs to have a counterpart of those given the prophetic ability to evaluate. what has just been said, which shouldn't surprise us. Because the idea of testing prophecies and the idea of testing the spirits isn't unique to Corinthians and isn't even unique to Paul. If you go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, he'll tell the Corinthian believers at the end of his epistle to not despise prophecy and to test everything. If you go into 1st John, John himself there will say, test the spirits, because there are many false prophets that have gone out into the world. So it shouldn't surprise us that there needs to be a testing, a weighing, an evaluating, a discernment of the prophecy that has just been given. in order to see that it really is truly from God, that it's in accordance with the apostolic tradition that has been taught to that point in time, with the old covenant scriptures, with Jesus' teaching itself, in order that it might be determined both that this is the Word of God and how it is that this Word of God applies consistently to the body of believers, to the glory of God, and to the good of every member within the church. Two gifts operative here as well. Verse 30. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. We have sort of like a hypothetical application of what he's just said in verse 29. Let two or three prophets speak and let the others discern. Let those who are gifted discern. But if anything is revealed to one who sits by, let the first keep silent. So now there is a particular injunction once again of keeping silent, of stopping speaking. that if one has been given the general gift of prophecy, as in the first part of chapter 29, and then a discernment is revealed to another sitting there, that the first one ought to stop speaking in order that the evaluation, the discernment, might occur. Right? And it's important to note that, once again, let him keep silent has no direct object given but there's one implied let him stop what let him stop prophesying let him keep silent right so we have the tongues person who speaking in tongues if they have no interpreter needs to stop speaking in tongues if there is no interpreter the person who is given prophecy and is prophesying. If a message of discernment and evaluation has been given to someone else, then they need to stop prophesying and let the one who has been given the gift of discernment speak. For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged. Once again, it's that same idea as we see with tongues. one by one, so that it's intelligible, so that it's orderly, in order that all may learn and all may be encouraged, in order that all may be edified, that the church might be constructed, that it might be built up. And this is so because God is not the author of confusion but of peace. Verse 32 presents for us something that's interesting in which there are some various ways in which it's interpreted and it says, and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. The question is whether or not that means that Paul is saying that essentially, that as they are given inspiration, the prophets are able to control themselves. That they don't have to, that they're not, this compulsion that requires that they speak and never stop talking until they're done. That's one way of understanding it. But I submit to you, I think it's something different than that. That he's confirming in verse 32 what he says at the end of verse 29. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. That the one form of prophecy is subject to the other. That that prophecy must be submitted to the other evaluating prophecy in order for it to be confirmed. Notice that chapter 12, it is the discerning and the evaluating the weighing of spirits. It's the same word once again. The discernment of spirits is the spiritual gift in chapter 12, verse 10. And here the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. And so I think it makes it clear that what's being said here is that the one given that general gift of prophecy is to subject him or herself to the one given the discernment of that prophecy, the weighing of it, the evaluating of it. And so prophecy needs the counterpart of evaluation and is indeed subject to it. Because God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. The Corinthians are almost unique in this way. Paul is essentially, and he'll say it another way later, he's like, this is like, no one else does this, guys. What are you doing? Everywhere else you go, God's the author of peace. But for some reason, you're all chaotic and confused. There's anarchy, is really what he's saying here. And God is not the God of confusion. God is not the God of anarchy. God is the God of peace. And that's the way it is everywhere. God here is not different than God in all of those other churches. He's always the God of peace. What are you doing, guys? Is really what we could understand Paul saying. But what about women? As we come to verse 34, we come to what seems to be something that's disjointed from the rest of what he's said. In our modern context, there's much debate over verses 34 and 35 and what they mean and how they are to be applied. And even I admit myself that as I read that text, and verses 34 and 35 come before me, it hits me in a particular way. That may be well-doing to my cultural context or not, I don't know, but it just doesn't seem to fit. It doesn't seem to hit right, does it? And so what are we supposed to do with it? The first thing that we have to all acknowledge, and that I myself acknowledge, is that this is a difficult text. Interpretations abound, and they abound even within interpretive camps. There is nowhere one unified interpretation of verses 34 or 35, whatever camp of interpretation you happen to fall into. There are a whole host of competing theories and interpretations. But what I'm going to put before you is what I think is the best understanding of the text, knowing full well there will be many who disagree with me, and that's okay. So let's look at the text this morning and let's see how it is that in its context, it makes sense in light of what Paul has been saying thus far. Another clarifying thing that we need to get in mind before we get there is notice this. This is not about office. This text is not about office. It is not about elder. It is not about deacon. It is about gift. And that's important to keep in mind. What is Paul dealing with here? He's dealing with the use of gifts and their orderly or disorderly use. He's not talking about office. we clear on that and second he's not talking about speech in general he is talking about speech gifts all four things that have been mentioned are all gifts and they're all gifts related to speech tongues and interpretation of tongues prophecy evaluation of prophecy it's a particular type of speech that is in view here those two things must be held if we're going to properly understand what's being said here because we have to keep ourselves within the actual context and concern of Paul. Just like last week, we didn't get into the cessationist continuationist debate because that's not Paul's point. And so we have to make sure that we're divesting where our interests normally lie and how this text is so often used. Leave that to the side and look at what Paul is saying. It's not about office. It's not about speech in general. It's particularly about gifts and speech Yes. And so I believe that Paul is speaking particularly, not generally, about prophetic weighing. But let me of course put my argument before you. First, we need to recognize something. The context has not actually shifted from what he has been saying. He hasn't shifted context. In particular, he's still talking about prophecy. He's still in the prophetic pocket. He's still dealing with the orderly gift of prophecy, the proper use, the orderly use of the gift of prophecy. And there are a number of ways for us to understand that that's the case that he's still talking about the same thing that he's still regulating order in prophetic speech gifts. The first one has to do with the verb submissive in verse 34. We've already seen that word, and we've already seen that word pretty early on. That is to say, we've seen it in verse 32. The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. It's the same word. Women are called to be submissive, a particular type of submission. So that is to say that the general profits are to be submissive to the evaluative profits in verse 32. That's a submission that is in mind. You'll notice that in verse 34 there isn't actually a object of the submission. Submissive to who? Submissive to what? But nonetheless, that's the grammatical connection. Submission and submission. Both there. Both tying to one another. And we'll see the way they tie to one another in just a moment. Verse 37. Paul says, if anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, what's he still talking about? He's still talking about prophecy. And then finally, in the conclusion of verse 39, he reverses the order with which he began. And that's where we know now he's done talking about prophecy. Now he's done talking about all of this. Now we're getting ready to move to something else. Therefore, brethren, notice how he reverses the order. He begins with tongues. Now he begins with prophecy. Desire earnestly to prophesy and do not forbid to speak with tongues. And that concludes the matter. with a concluding comment about prophecy and then a final statement about tongues. And now we're going to go into chapter 15. Right? So the context hasn't actually shifted. He's still talking about prophecy, a particular type of speech. And so then this is not a general command for all women to keep silent at all times in the church. That's not the context. It has specifically to do with prophecy. And I would submit to you a particular type of prophecy. Not the first kind of prophecy. Read 29 verse A. Not general prophecy. That Paul is not enjoining silence or stop talking when it comes to general prophecy, when it comes to women here. Why is that? Well, there are a whole host of reasons. One, because Joel literally says his spirit will be poured out upon his people and your sons and daughters will prophesy. Joel didn't seem to think that it would be a problem that daughters would prophesy, right? And that that's part of the ushering in of the New Testament, the New Covenant epic in redemptive history. And then we actually see that playing out. When you think of Phillips or is it Peter's daughters? I forget which one. Peter's daughters who prophesy. We see women actually engaged in general prophecy in the New Testament. Likewise, we have 1 Corinthians 11, when another specific, and this is important to keep in mind as well, another specific ordering instruction is given in 1 Corinthians 11, in the first few verses. What is that? That women may pray and prophesy given the head covering. But what does it mean? They may pray and prophesy given the head covering. A lot of the problems that people try to deal with is how do you take 1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Corinthians 14 and make them not contradict? This is how. They don't contradict. They've never contradicted. Paul has two prophetic gifts in mind, and the first one is not something that was kept from women in the New Testament churches. It wasn't. They were to exercise it in a particular way. They were to have their head coverings, but nonetheless less they could prophesy. Not to mention the prophetic counterpart to the first, weighing submitting to evaluation. That's what I would argue that in verse 34 when it says for their but they are to be submissive that they are to be submissive to those who are weighing the prophecy in 29 be to those to whom the spirits of the prophets are to be subject to in verse 32, which by extension provides a tacit permission to speak in terms of prophecy type a. right? Submit your general prophecy to the evaluation of those given the gift of discernment and evaluation. Hopefully you're following me thus far. So we could understand that as when it says, let your women keep silent or stop speaking consistently with the way that he's done the entire time in this section, when he says, let the tongue speaker stop doing what? Stop speaking. He means what? Stop speaking in tongues. That's the context that determines what they're to stop speaking. When he says the prophet is to stop speaking, what does he mean? It means to stop prophesying. And so here, when he says to women to be keep silent, to stop speaking, he means stop speaking evaluative prophecy and submit your prophecy to those with the gift. There's a way that we ought to understand what's happening there. When he grounds this in a couple of different things, one thing primarily Says verse 34, but they are to be submissive as the law also says as the law also says. Which. Raises a question. What law and where? This is unique for Paul. Paul generally, if you look at other epistles, and even in 1 Corinthians itself, when he references the law, actually has a quotation, a specific place that he's talking to. And so what does he mean then when he says, as the law also says? I would say that he's actually referring back to 1 Corinthians chapter 11, because he's already quoted the law. As the law also says. I've already quoted it specifically in chapter 11, and the same principle that I use to apply the idea of head covering is the same principle that undergirds this idea of women with the gift of general prophecy submitting to the evaluation of those given the gift of discerning prophecy. as a way that we ought to understand that. 1 Corinthians 11 is the first regulation concerning the way in which women prophesy. Here, at the conclusion of the whole matter, is the second regulation given to women as to the way in which they may prophesy. Likewise, we find in chapter 11 the idea of dishonor. In chapter 11, the woman prays or prophesies with her head uncovered. What is that? She dishonors her head is the language of Paul. Here in chapter 14, he says, once in a while, it says, for it is shameful in the way that we should understand that it's the same way as in chapter 11, for it is a dishonor. It's the same word in both chapters. In other words, he's drawing on something that he's already referenced and not very long ago. It seems long ago for us because it takes me so long to get from chapter 11 through chapter 14. But in terms of actually reading the epistle, if you're reading the epistle, chapter 11 is not very far long ago. And Paul seems to assume that they know what he's talking about. And that's where it maps on pretty well. And then we have the appeal to the churches of God in verse 33 and in verse 36 when he says, or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? What's wrong with you Corinthians? Here you are being disorderly like this, pursuing the gifts like this, using the gifts like this in a way that's completely inconsistent with all the churches of God everywhere. Are you the ones from whom the Word originated, or did it only come to you? Is there something special about you? Which, of course, they think there is. Is there something special about you that means you can act in a way that's completely out of accord with all of the churches of God? And guess also in first Corinthians chapter 11, what Paul appeals to there as in all the churches, there are tight grammatical connections and thematic connections that make it most reasonable to understand Paul as looking back at chapter 11, taking that principle and applying it here. So the women are permitted to prophesy. They may prophesy in that general sense, but they are to submit their prophecy to the discerning evaluation to those given that gift. They're told in verse 35, and if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home. And this little section kind of gives us an insight into what actually is happening here, what the problem is, why he even has to say anything to the women in this church at all. Keep that in mind, specific context. This is happening in the first Corinthian church. The situation there is why he has to give this command. And so there's something unique to the context of the Corinthian church that is requiring Paul to have to make this regulation. And I think that it can be found in that idea of let them ask their own husbands at home. Because there's a particular connotation to ask there. We can think about it this way. It's the idea of hostile interrogation. It's the idea of cross-examination. The idea of putting the question to. So what it seems is happening in the Corinthian church is that you have some women, or more even specific, some wives, who in the public assembly, in the weighing of prophecy, are hostily interrogating putting the question to are cross-examining those who are engaged in that authoritative gift of discernment and that's the problem not that they're speaking at all because I guarantee you these women were singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and that certainly requires a degree of speech doesn't it they were certainly praying and Not that they had to be silent in general, but that they are exercising their gift of general prophecy in a disorderly way, and rather than submitting their prophecy to those who have been given the gift of discernment, are hostily cross-examining them, putting the question to them, speaking over them, and causing this disruption in the Corinthian church. And Paul says, knock it off. Stop speaking in this way. That's what's happening here. Rather than engaging in this cross-examination of those who have been given the gift of prophetic discernment in the public sphere, if you have these questions, if you've got these burning questions, then wait till you get home and ask your husband. Stop causing a disorder. Stop causing dishonor both to the prophets engaged in that gift and also to your husbands as well. In other words, the whole thing from verse 26 all the way through verse 40 is about rightly ordering the use of the speech gifts in a way that far from bringing chaos, confusion, disorder, and dishonor is made into something that teaches, exhorts, encourages, constructs, and edifies everyone. And so important is it for the Corinthians to get this, is that in v. 37, Paul's actually going to, interestingly enough, engage in prophetic discernment. As he says in verse 37 and tell them to engage in a little bit of discernment themselves when he says if anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual. Let him acknowledge, let him submit to. the things which I write to you as the commandments of the Lord. Paul himself is prophesying to this Corinthian church concerning order in the church, and he's commanding anyone who thinks he's a real prophet, anyone who thinks he's a true prophet, someone who's spiritual and has spiritual discernment. If you really are, submit to my prophecy. to my declaration of the commandment of the Lord to you and if you will not if anyone is ignorant let him be ignorant it's not a helpful translation if anyone is I think about a way to put this anyone is ignoring this if anyone ignores this right so it's not to say that they're ignorant that they don't possess knowledge but rather if they are ignoring failing to recognize if they fail to recognize the truth of what I said let them not be recognized and what does he mean let them be seen as what they are and that is a false prophet If they will not recognize the authority of the commandment of the Lord delivered through apostolic proclamation of the Word, if they will not recognize that, then they will not be recognized as a prophet, but as a false prophet. This is serious stuff. It's not the first time he's laid out a serious warning to them. He's told them that unless you discern the body and blood of the Lord in the Lord's Supper, then you can expect to be sick or to die. Because you're perverting and profaning the sacrifice of Christ in the way that you're participating in the table. And he's saying here that if you will not submit yourselves to the word of the Lord, then you will be seen and shown as what you are, as a false prophet. And so then, let all things be done decently and in order. These Corinthians needed to embrace the principle of love. And they needed to have that principle of love find itself expressed even in the way that they were using the gifts, both in what they prefer, but also in the actual order in which they're using them. that they should have as their chief desire an orderly assembly in which the gifts are used in an orderly way so that there's not chaos, there's not confusion, there's not anarchy, but that there is peace and there is unity and common edification and building up of the household of God. It's still about love, saints. That is, if we love God and we love one another, we'll worship Him together in our gathered assemblies in a way that brings glory to Him and builds up one another. Love seeks to worship in an orderly fashion in order that the body might be edified. So how do we apply this text? Well, to be honest with you, that's really hard in this context. I'll be completely frank with you as I rack my brain preparing this sermon about, well, how do I apply this text? Because let's be honest, how many of you have spoken in tongues in the last decade? How many of you have interpreted tongues? How many of you have prophesied as in the Corinthian context? How many of you have discerned prophecy as in the Corinthian context? We haven't done these things for a very long time. And so unsurprisingly, as I look out across the congregation, I would almost say that you're too ordered. You're certainly not disorderly. There's no one here vying for the floor. There aren't people here that are speaking over one another or putting the question to each other. You've all sat there docilely listening to me without much word at all. Right? Disorder is not what characterizes this congregation. And so it becomes really hard to actually practically apply it. But I'm going to try. I'm going to try in some very minor points, and listen to that word, minor points. These are not, thus saith the Lord, and discipline is a coming. And two more major serious points. Some minor points. One, you guys have been doing well with this. Let's make every effort to all be together seated when worship begins. We as a session understand that 10 o'clock is not a God-ordained time to start worship. We get that. We establish a time in order that we might all come together in an orderly fashion. And we don't even actually really adhere to that particularly well as elders. It's pretty loose. But let's all be together at the same time so we can all begin to edify each other at the same time. So find your way up here. Sit down when worship begins. I don't care about the announcement so much. When worship begins so that we're all edifying one another at the same time in an orderly fashion. Two, let me encourage you to attend the psalm singing classes as Daniel presents them. Because if I can find one way in which perhaps we're a little disordered, it's in our psalm singing. We all aren't on the same time signature. Let me just say it that way. So that's another way, a minor way in which we can improve upon a very ordered assembly. I would comment on our older children, but actually our older children do pretty well. It's the young ones that we expect to be a little disorderly that are loud, and that's fine. Right? So those are just some minor, very nitpicky little things. But what about the more major things? How can we apply this in a more meaningful way? Well, let me put this one before you. While we may not prophesy and evaluate prophecy prophetically anymore, as they are doing in the Corinthian and the New Testament comment, or epic, let me submit to you that that doesn't relieve the general rule that Christians should know God's Word well enough to compare the proclamation of God's Word to Scripture. In other words, saints, as you sit under the preaching of the Word of God, what I don't want you to do is to take de fide everything that I say, as thus saith the Lord. What you ought to be able to have the ability to do is through your own spirit-given growth in the knowledge of the Word as you study it and as you talk about it together, to evaluate what I say. If someone who is given the gift of general prophecy was to subject that prophecy to the discernment of someone else with a gift, how much more is what I say to be subjected to the evaluation of those with spiritual discernment? To be sure that what I say actually accurately reflects the Word of God. Know your Scriptures. I speak the truth of God's Word only so far as I speak the truth of God's Word, if you understand me. And that's important. It's what the Bereans did to Paul, isn't it? that as he's proclaiming to them the gospel of Jesus Christ, they were the fair-minded ones. And the way in which they were fair-minded isn't necessarily how we would generally look at fair-minded. They went home and they weighed his words against the Scriptures. And we think, well, if they're fair-minded, they should be like, yeah, you're good. We just realize it's kind of unfair-minded that you don't just believe what the guy says. You've got to go investigate it. They're fair-minded because they didn't reject it out of hand, but they actually went and they looked at the Scripture to see whether or not what Paul was proclaiming. The very Gospel itself, saints, under the inspiration of God, to see whether or not it was in accordance with the Scripture. And because it was, they believed. that hasn't gone away as a general principle in the assembly of the Saints and speaks again to the need and necessity for you all, all of you as people who possess the same spirit that I have and have access to the same wisdom that I have, know what the Word of God says. It's important, Saints. And secondly, likewise, we may not be exercising the speech gifts here today, but we can still edify with our speech. Isn't that Paul's real big point? Exercise these gifts of speech in such a way that everybody is exhorted, everybody is encouraged, everybody is comforted, everybody is built up. So no, we may not be speaking in tongues. We're interpreting those tongues. We may not be prophesying or evaluating prophecy, but we are speaking. We are speaking to one another. And our speech, whether it be a grace gift or whether it be the regular speech of everyday life, ought to edify each other. And so then as you engage in your conversations today, as you engage in your conversations throughout the course of the week, as you speak, let your speech be that which is conducive to edification. Let it be orderly, Spirit-guided speech that builds up your brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let's pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we are thankful that you are the God of peace. not least of which because you had made peace with us through your son. You extended the terms of peace. You did all that was required in order that we might have peace with you, even granting to us the gift of faith that we might accept and trust and believe those terms of peace and thus find ourselves restored to right relationship with you, adopted as your sons and daughters, citizens of your kingdom. Thank you that you are the God of peace. And thank you, Father, that you have not left us to the chaos and disorder of the remaining sin within us, of the selfishness that so often consumes us. But because you are a God of peace and not chaos and confusion, you grant to us your spirit. You speak to us through your word to show us the path of peace in order that we might leave off our chaos and our confusion on our anarchy. And submit ourselves to your good guidance in your good word. And so then, this morning, we ask for the pouring out of your Spirit upon us in ever greater measure, today and every day following, that we might know your peace, that we might live and reflect your peace. To your glory, to the good of our neighbors here, indeed to the good of the whole world, we ask in Jesus' name, amen.