Order In The Church | 1 Corinthians 14:26–40

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Amen. Amen. Please be seated. Grab your Bible if you have it. And let's find First Corinthians chapter 14. First Corinthians 14 is where we are in our study of Beauty and the Broken. And uh this is the final the final section, uh the final passage in a section that Paul has dedicated toward helping the church understand what it should be like when they gather together. I think about when I read text like this uh from a if I think about it from a perspective of somebody that that doesn't do this every week for their calling, who doesn't come to church every week, but this is relatively new. Maybe, maybe that's you. Maybe you're new to the church and this is this whole thing is kind of new and it's always kind of been a weird thing. Why do they gather? What do they do? Why are they doing that? What's the big deal? Is this like a rally? Uh is this a pep thing? Is this just kind of a conference? What's going on? And I just think if you kind of step outside of yourself and just kind of see a gathering uh of a church together in a worship service from an outside perspective, uh, you might see it differently. And I think that is to a certain degree what Paul has in mind here is to recognize that there is uh there is a potential for things to get weird. We talked about that last week, right? There's a potential for things to get weird. There's a potential for people to be like, those people are crazy. He even says it, they are out of their mind. And not only is there potential for the gathering of the church in a room like this, sitting and listening and singing and uh watching baptisms and all that, there's there's there's uh opportunity for it to be weird for some people, but it's also uh uh potential for it to be ineffective in accomplishing anything in the lives of the people that gather. So maybe as an outsider coming in, we saw that already, this could get weird, and like these people are crazy. I don't think I want to know the God that they worship because they're weird, and second, you may be a follower of Jesus, but not benefiting from the gathering of the church together in a worship service. And Paul has both of those in mind here. I want the people who don't know Christ yet to come and not be deterred because things are out of control, and I want the people who love Jesus to come and be helped because things are controlled and in order. And so I think that's what Paul's gonna get at to us here again, one last time, in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Now, this passage that we're gonna read in a second contains some interesting topics. In fact, I I want to ask you, thinking about this, what would don't answer me, don't write it down, it's not a test, but just real maybe two seconds, give thought. What would you say are some of the most controversial topics in the Bible? Just speak in your head. I think that probably was one or two or three, and two or three or four of them. I came up with about three or four. I uh I came up with uh the the idea of uh of spiritual gifts or tongues. That's a controversial issue in the church. Christian people uh debate over this. Uh another one that's pretty controversial these days, especially, is roles of women in leadership in the church. That's a big one. People debate over that, people have issues over that. Uh the doctrines of election would be on that list, eschatology might be on that list, and those are the top three or four that I think I put down. And here's the funny thing is that two of them are dealt with in our text today. So we're just gonna read it, see what God does in it, and help us understand that we're gonna have to make sense of all of this. Now, there are times in life when causing a distraction is a good thing, isn't there? Like when your friend's trying to get away with something and you don't want the authorities to see them, you make a distraction over there. I never did that. I just saw my brothers do that and learned not to do that. But listen, there's a time when creating a distraction is a good thing. Hey, March Madness, NCAA basketball is going on right now. They're playing games all throughout the week, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and today, and people are getting pretty creative at causing a distraction behind the basketball hoop of the opposing team's free throws, like waving arms. I mean, we're there's some there's some great ones. You should just do yourself some favors this day, today, later, and just just uh uh Google it. There was the in-game haircut, so right behind the hoop during a free throw, somebody was giving a haircut and sweeping up the hair clippings while the guy's shooting the free throw. There is the uh the speedo dancer. Don't look for that one, it's disturbing. But some guy convinced everybody else to sit down and he stood up in a speedo and danced right behind the hoop of the guy shooting the free throw. Now, I just put that mental picture in your head. I'm sorry. Let's get back to this. Uh there's the big daddy, he uses his really large belly, pulls his shirt up, and tries to distract the shooter. There's even one time Michael Phelps, the gold medalist swimmer, made an appearance in A Speed O behind the hoop to distract the guy. Listen, it gets crazy. They're getting creative and causing distractions, and in those instances, that's a good thing for the home team. But in most aspects of our lives, order is a necessity, right? I mean, driving for the most of us, for most of us, not all of us, but most of us, we drive orderly, and that's important. Batting orders, uh, orders at the DMV, right? Like your number gets called, as purgatory as that can feel. There's still an there's still an orderliness that is necessary there. And listen, when it comes to the church and the gatherings of the church in worship services, order is especially necessary. When a worship service loses its order, it becomes hectic and unedifying. And we have been in those instances, have we not? Have you ever been in a worship service where things just you just didn't know what was gonna happen? It was a risk even being there. I remember when I was in college, I visited as a college student on the weekend a church in Perump, Nevada. So a friend of mine and I drove there. I was the taxi, he was the one invited to do something in the church. I'm literally sitting there in the worship area in the auditorium. I even brought mismatched shoe and belt, which for me is a big deal, like brown shoes and a black belt. You just don't do that. And I did that that day, and I was like, I hope I'm so glad I don't have to get in front of people because I've got two different colored shoes and belt on. And uh, worship service had started, singing is happening. Think about it, we're singing. The the senior pastor, the lead pastor's walking around. I'm like, what is this guy up to? And sure enough, during like the second song, he comes up to me and he says, You ready to preach? And I'm like, uh no. He's like, Well, friend, be instant and ready in season and out of season. You're up after the next song. Literally, is like, I don't, I was I was a college student, I don't have like a bunch of sermons. I stood up and I did my best for the next five minutes and was like, that's all you got. You didn't pay much, you don't get much. This is what you get, right? Not much order in the service. Listen, it didn't help, I don't think. Now, I don't know. The Spirit of God could have done whatever he wanted to, but listen, orderliness creates the opportunity for effectiveness to thrive. And that happens in the church, and that is Paul's point. Paul's point is the church should have order. That's why I've entitled the sermon Order in the Church. Thought about bringing a gavel up here today. It's order in the church. Let's just put it back together, right? That's his point. There should be order. And so I'm gonna read the text, lengthy portion of scripture for sure, but you're gonna see it all flows together. I don't think it'll take us very long to unpack this together. Let's read it. Verse 26 through verse 40 of chapter 14. The words will be on the screen. These are God's words for us today. The next chapter, next paragraph, this is where we are. Let's read them, let's learn from them, and may they come to bear on our lives as he intends them to. Verse 26. What then, brothers? When you come together, there we know, worship service, right? Worship service, or at minimum, small group gatherings. When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only one, I'm sorry, two or at most three, and each in turn and let someone interpret. But if there's no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Just keep that to yourself. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent, for you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As in all the churches for the of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. Yeah, we're gonna deal with that. So for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but all things should be done decently and in order. Order in the church. It's gonna be fun, right? Like you're like, let's go. Can't wait. Glad I'm not you, right? Listen, the church is God's. The church is God's. This is his. Let's start there. That's the baseline, that's the governing principle. This is God's church. Therefore, we must order it according to his plan. That's the point. And so that's gonna lead us to our big idea for this text, which I think gets home what the author is intending to write to us, and that's this the services of God's church build up when all are submitted to his design, his order. So the church and the worship services of the church edify, they build one another up, they help make disciples, they help people grow, and they help the outsider, then the unbeliever come to know Christ when the worship services and those participating in them are submitted to God's design for order. So the point I think really is that's laying here for us is this idea of submission. Submission to God's order, submission to God's design. Now, there is something inside of all of us that just resists temptation, is there not? We just resist it. We're resist the temptation to submit. I mean, that's the point. Resist the temptation. We are tempted to resist submission. That's what I'm trying to say. We don't mind participating, we don't mind expressing ourselves, but we struggle when somebody says that's not how it should be done. Right? That there there now includes this level of I need to submit to something. I want to participate, I want to speak, I want to be engaged, I want to be involved, I want to participate. But when somebody says it should be done this way, now we're dealing with this issue of submission. That's exactly what's happening in Corinth. The church was active, the church was expressive, the church was gifted, but they had confused spiritual activity with spiritual maturity. They thought we're active, we're mature. So Paul writes this section not to shut things down, but to set things in order. Okay? That's what he's going after. Because here's the truth a church is not strengthened by how much happens in the gathering, but how rightly it happens according to God's design. So, how do we gather rightly? What's his design for the church? What do we need to submit to? What do we need to submit to? What do we need to resist the temptation to reject submission in? How do we need to submit to his design in our gatherings as a church? And there's five of them I want to give you. They're pretty easily laid out for us in the text. I want you to see him in the first place. We talk about it this way. We submit to his design when we prioritize edification. Now, have I been a broken record already throughout the last several weeks? Since chapter 12, this is the thing Paul keeps coming back to. This is the priority, this is the priority, this is the priority. Edification, building one another up. Now, this church was an active church. Everyone has something, everyone was bringing something, everybody was participating. So there was a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. We're only hearing one side of the phone conversation. So we're not in Corinth knowing exactly how this was happening, but the best we can tell is probably it was all happening in a disorderly way. So imagine this section over here is singing a hymn, and this section over here is speaking in tongues, and that section over there is speaking of revelation, and this section appears giving a lesson, and that group over there is doing something else, sleeping or something. I don't know what we do back there, but everything else was happening, everything was happening at the same time. And his point was not rebuking participation. He never said, Stop singing the hymn, stop sharing the lesson. He never says that. He says this when you come together with your hymns and with your words and with your revelation and with your tongues and with your interpretations, do it this way: let all things be done for building up. That's the priority. That's the governing principle, not personal fulfillment, not personal expression, not personal platform, but mutual corporate edification. So the question becomes no longer, what do I want to bring? The question becomes, what will this body be built up with? Imagine family dinner. You guys have dinners, you invite people over, and one of the questions when you're having a potluck style dinner is somebody asks, What do you want me to bring? What if that question was never asked and that information was never given? And the thing was, just bring whatever you want. You know what we probably would all end up with? A bunch of cinnamon rolls, apple pies, some ice cream. We'd have five or six desserts and no protein and certainly no greens, right? This is why somebody's got to say, hey, I know this isn't the sexy thing to bring, but will you bring lettuce? Because we need something green, right? What are we doing? We are creating an orderly potluck where people are not bringing just what they want to bring, they're bringing what is necessary for the fulfillment of the potluck dinner. That is the same thing. We're not asking, what do I want to bring? I want to bring this, so I'm gonna bring this. He says, no, let it be done decently and in order. And just because everyone brings something doesn't mean everyone is building something. That's why Romans 14, 19, we've already dealt with this multiple times in our study today or this month. Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Let us let us make for that, let us pursue that. Let the passion of our life be not personal exaltation, but mutual edification, right? That's his point. Again, there's no accident that Paul beats this drum again and again and again in these texts. So here's the shift. Submission begins when I lay down my preferences for the good of others. That's what we've got to walk away here with. Submission begins when I willingly lay down my preferences for the good of others. If it doesn't build up the body, it doesn't belong in the gathering. Remember that old commercial? If it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face?

unknown 16:28

No?

SPEAKER_00 16:29

Carl Jr., I think it was. Dripping all over the place. And if it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face. And I'm gonna say it that way. If it doesn't get all over the place in that it builds everybody up, it doesn't belong in this space. Not for personal exaltation, but for mutual edification. So once the goal is clear, that's point one, Paul moves to the method. Because it's not enough to say, I want to build people up, we must ask, how does this actually happen? So that's point number two. We uh submit to his design when we practice order. When we practice order. So Paul now gives something very practical. It's important because good intentions without godly structure still produce confusion. The Corinthians likely thought this. We're all contributing, the Spirit is moving, this is wonderful. And Paul says if it's not ordered, it's not edifying. So he wants them to order the worship services in three areas. Now remember that these orders that he gives are dealing with an issue that was happening in the church in Corinth. He's not necessarily telling us this is the way it must be every time you come together. He's saying, if when you come together, these things are there, here's the order and limits that we want to set for those things so that there's order and organization. So first in verse 27 and 28, he deals with tongues. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three. Two or three, and each in turn, not at the same time. So only two or at most three, not everyone speaking, each in turn, not all at once, and someone there to interpret. If there's no one there to interpret, verse 28, let each of them keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. Now, tongues was still very active in the church in Corinth, and if the Spirit chose to manifest his presence for the purposes that he established tongues to be used for, as we studied last week, then this is how you order them. One or two or two or three at a most, not everyone, each in turn, not all at once. Someone must interpret, and if there's no interpretation, let each of them keep silent in the church. Why? Because uninterpreted tongues do not edify. So silence was sometimes the most spiritual response in this situation, because it was not edifying. And he said, You keep that to yourself, you keep that to yourself. That's not for the good of the church because it's not helping the church keep that silent. And if the interpreter's there and it's a clear manifestation of the Spirit, and it's a language that's impacting the people there gathered for the purpose God intends it to, then here's how it should be ordered. There's order. Okay? Second, in verse 29 through 31, he talks about the order and prophecy. So let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent, for you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. So when the Spirit moves in someone with a word to share, this is how it should be ordered. He's not saying that every time you gather, two or three should always give a message or a share a revelation or whatever. He's saying, if that happens, here's what's gonna happen. One at a time, two or three should speak. Others weigh what is said. No one dominates one at a time. Wait for the other guy to stop speaking. So if the Spirit moves in you to say something, uh that his point is wait for the other person to stop speaking, don't talk over them. No one dominates. So that all may learn and be encouraged. God's truth is clarified then through ordered, accountable community, not individual dominance. This is not a one-man show, this is not an everyman show. This isn't just a everybody do what they want, work it out. Uh, this is one at a time, in an orderly fashion, according to the plan of God, uh, allowing others to evaluate what is said. I don't demand the floor, I don't assume I must always speak, and the message must be tested. Not because the message from the Lord is fallible, but because the messenger is fallible. For example, when I preach and teach, I am preaching and teaching an infallible word. But you should absolutely go and test what is said, because I am a fallible messenger. And the Bereans did that in Acts chapter 17. Paul and Silas went to Berea and they began teaching in the synagogue, and it says that they were noble because they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. What we should be, what life church should be, is a church of Bereans who says, Andrew said this, let's dig deep and make sure that he didn't get that wrong. The Bible's right. When the Bible doesn't line up with what Andrew says, the Bible's right, Andrew's wrong. Because the messenger is fallible, the message of the Word of God is infallible. So it should be tested. That's his point. So one at a time, two or three at the most, nobody's dominating, and everything that's said is run through the filter of scripture and tested whether or not it is true, like 1 Thessalonians 5 tells us. And listen, the charismatic Pentecostal movement has gotten itself in trouble when individuals stand up and declare, you must listen to what I'm about to say, because what I am saying is the word of God and it is non-negotiable. And what has happened is they've created this money grabbing prosperity wealth pursuit in telling you what they're saying is true and trumps what scripture says, and that is never right. Amen? Amen. So he says that. Then verse 32, he talks about self control. This is interesting. The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. What does that mean? Well, this corrects a major misunderstanding. The Corinthians may have thought, I can't help it. The spirit just took over. I had to speak. You ever been in a church where somebody does laps around the room? That's a thing. Come run, let's run. And they start running. I just couldn't. I watched a video one time where a guy did three or four laps and then ran up on stage and jumped into the baptistry. And his point was, the spirit led me to it. I just I couldn't help it. I just had to do it. That's never the case. In fact, Paul says this: he says, No, you are responsible for you. In other words, you are not out of control. That's not how the spirit works. You are not overtaken. You are not unable to stop because true spirituality is not losing control, it is spirit-empowered self-control. The Holy Spirit does not override self-control, he produces it. Galatians 5 23, the fruit of the spirit is self-control. So if the spirit's involved in it, it's not chaotic or it's not the spirit. It's not uncontrollable or else it's not the spirit. That's his point. And where's all that anchored in? So tongues, two or three macs, one at a time. Nobody dominated, make sure there's an interpreter. Prophecy, one or two at a time, three, uh one at a time, two or three at the most. No one dominating, uh, analyzing what is said, because God is a God of order. Look at verse 33. For God is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace. This is the anchor. Order is not just practical, it's theological. Disorder doesn't disrupt the service, only it misrepresents God. So when we as a people of God gather and have absolute chaos and confusion, we aren't just disrupting the effectiveness of the service. We are misrepresenting a God who is a God of order and control and clarity. God is a God of order and clarity, not of chaos or confusion. I don't know that this is anywhere better illustrated for us than on the T-ball field. Anderson, last year or so, played T-ball, and it is absolute chaos. And it is the cutest thing in the history of mankind, right? Everybody's playing whatever position they want to play. I hit the ball. Some of them chase the ball, some of them run to first, some just run to second. Some kid ran out to the outfield. Anderson doesn't move, he just stands there. The ball literally hit him and he looked at it. Didn't do anything. Absolutely not. I love it. My favorite is when they go tackle each other for the ball, especially when the other team tackles the runner and they tackle the ball for the ball and they're fighting. Listen, it's absolute chaos. But that should not be the case in the church. That should not be the case here. Spiritual power never produces spiritual chaos. And we see it exemplified for us in Corinth, and we've seen it in churches around our world and around our country. And that is not, that is not what God intends for it to be. Decent, ordered, controlled, helpful, edifying, evangelistic, manifesting the nature of God. We live in a culture that values expression over restraint. Say what you feel, share whatever comes to mind, post that, whether it's helpful or not. But in the church, maturity is not measured by expression, it is measured by submission to the order that God has established. So there's order, there's a service, there's a liturgy. That's the word we would use. There's a liturgy to what we do. There's certain songs we sing at certain spots, and there's a certain way we want the baptism to happen. We don't want to sing over the testimonies of baptism. We want the baptism testimonies to be clear. We don't want the message to be confusing because something else is happening over here. We want it to be edifying and helpful and encouraging. That's Paul's point. Order creates the opportunity for edification to happen. So Paul has shown us the goal, edification, the method, order. Now he goes deeper. Because underneath this order is often a rejection of authority. So I'll put it this way number three. We're submitted to God's design when we promote authority. That's the word I want us to get. We champion authority. We live in submission to authority. Now we get some of the favorite verses of the text. You guys are all waiting for this. You're like, this is what I came for. Let's talk about this. Yes. I thought about just reading it and saying it's true because of the angels, and then moving on, kind of like what he did earlier. Just because of the angels, let's move on. But at first glance, let's read it. It sounds absolute. As in all the churches of the saints, so let's be good students here. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. Okay, what's he mean there? Let's we gotta figure that out. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church because of the angels. So verse 36, let's go there. At first glance, here's what it sounds. It sounds absolute, right? Just sounds absolute. But but we've gotta we've gotta be students of the Bible and we've got to understand that it can't be absolute silence. Because we just studied 1 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 5, where it talked about women praying and prophesying in the church gathered. So clearly, either Paul has forgotten what he said a couple chapters ago, or there's something else here, and he's trying to qualify certain things. So he is not saying women can never speak. He is not saying that women should have no vocal participation. That would contradict what he already affirmed. So the only thing left that he hasn't fully uh qualified yet or applied it to was what he says in verse 29. And in verse 29, when a prophecy is given, he says, Let the others weigh what is said. So there was a place of judgment that was happening in analyzing the message that was being delivered on behalf of God. So what I believe and what I am in good company believing is that this text actually, when it talks about women not speaking, is referring to the evaluating of the prophetic message. It's the standing in judgment over doctrine and biblical accuracy, a function tied to doctrinal judgment and authority in the gathered church, which is something uniquely given, especially to the pastors of the church, to stand in judgment over the theological precision and the doctrine of the church. And so what Paul is restricting is not participation, but authoritative, maybe I could even say, I don't want to say it dogmatically, but even pastoral evaluation or teaching in the gathered assembly. So he's just saying, listen, what was probably happening, again, we're hearing one side of the conversation, but based upon our understanding of what's happening in Corinth, based on our study, is that there was probably some division between husbands and wives in the gathering. Some even said that he's probably got specifically in mind the prophecy or the speaking of the husband, and that the wives should not correct or stand in judgment publicly over what her husband is saying. You ever been there? Honey, that was wrong. You shouldn't have said it that way, right? That's probably what was happening. Like right now, if I'm up here teaching and Angela's down there saying, wait, excuse me, he said that wrong. Andrew, that was I would die, she would die. We would be like, What is going on here? It could be that, but it certainly has this application of standing in judgment, authority over what is being said, or bringing questions that were defiant of authority. Because he specifically mentions what he has in mind when he talks about speaking is questions. So it has this idea of questioning the authoritative judgment of what was said. So it's a standing in authority, it's a questioning, and he says, Listen, we are not going to allow that to be the norm here, that our wives are questioning the authority of the order that God has established in the church when dictating the theological accuracy of what is said. So let that happen in a more private way, let that happen in submission. So he says it's this way in all the churches, verse 33. This isn't unique to you. I'm not just giving you this because your women are out of control. That's not what I'm doing. I'm doing this in the general. This is how God structured the church. It's a church-wide practice, and he roots it in verse 34 as the law also says. So he's grounding this in creation order, not culture. So to say, well, that's culturally relevant because it's in Corinth. Well, Paul's like, no, I anticipated you thinking that was only culturally relevant. So I'm grounding this in creation order as the law says, most likely referring back to Genesis chapter 2, chapter 3. So creation order, headship. The issue is not ability, intelligence, and value, it is God's designed structure of authority in the church. And we men have been given the responsibility, as pastors especially, to make sure that we are clear and precise when it comes to theological precision. And we ought not get bowed up with arrogance about that. We should own that with humility and sobriety and say, I actually wish you had this opportunity and responsibility, because it's a heavy weight for us to bear. But we must, men, we must own this clarity in our church to make sure theologically we are right. And those conversations should happen with your wife because sometimes they know more of the Bible than you do. Amen. That's what he says. Have those conversations. Let her influence be there. But when it comes to the gathering of the church, let it be clear that there is an order of authority and that there ought not to be an exerting of that authority or a rebellion against that authority by any members, and all of us live in submission to authority. So it's not about silencing value, it's not about undervaluing or underappreciating, it's about preserving God-ordained structure. Because when structure is rejected, confusion enters, authority blurs, and edification suffers. God's church doesn't invent its structure, it receives it. It's the chain of command. And there are times in life where we are appreciative of chains of command, are we not? Emergency situations. I had a house fire that burned my entire, pretty much my entire house. I was super thankful for a chain of command. I'm thankful that at that moment the low guy on the fire truck did not rebel against the authority that was there, telling him to climb on that roof and get that thing taken care of. Everyone gives orders, there's chaos. If roles are unclear, there's danger. But when authority is defined, roles are clear, people are protected and help. Think about an air airline, an airplane cockpit. I certainly don't want everyone flying the plane. I read today that 68% of men think that they could land a plane if in an emergency they could get into the cockpit. Can you believe that? I think I could do it actually, you know. No, I'm joking. I don't think I can do it. I think I'm crashing into the closest thing that comes my way. But that's the reality. I'm thankful that there's a chain of command. This is your captain speaking. Yes. If the voice comes over the radio and says, This is Bill from 32C speaking, we're in trouble. Listen, the B movie is not a real depiction of landing a plane. If you don't know what that is, I'm sorry, I have a kid that watches that stuff. But that's the reality. Operating room. Man, I'm sure glad there are clear roles. I'm super grateful that there's an attending. I'm thankful that there's somebody that knows how to give the orders because when I'm bleeding out, I want somebody to say, this is what we're gonna do, do that, clip that, sew that, cut that off, whatever they gotta do. I want that to be the reality. Clarity of authority doesn't limit effectiveness, it makes it possible. God has designed the gathered church to function under ordered, qualified, and we know the Bible's clear, uh, the pastoral and male leadership, we know that it's not a knock on females, it is an order. It is God designed structure, it is authoritative teaching, and it's doctrinal governance should be ruled in that way. Paul is not saying women have no voice in the church, he has already affirmed that they do, and we are better for it. But he is saying that in the gathered church, when it comes to authoritative teaching and doctrinal judgment, God has assigned that responsibility to qualified men, especially at the top of that is the pastoral team who is set aside, called by God, to oversee the doctrine and direction of the church. Okay? We good? Nobody left. Few people went to the bathroom. I'm I'm hoping that's what they did, but that's okay. Potty breaks are allowed. Here's the reality creation establishes roles, fall fall distorts roles, the church restores God's design. So the church is not mirroring culture, it's displaying God's restored order, and now he talks about further submission. That's our point number four. We submit to his design when, number four, we prove submission. I'm gonna talk about that, why that word was used here. I think it's important. He does something pretty interesting here. Look at verse 36. Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? Do you hear the tone? This is confrontation. You think you set the standard? You think truth starts with you? This isn't instructional, this is corrective and exposing. He's uncovering the root issue. The Corinthians were acting like they are the authority. So then he says, verse 37, if anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, in other words, you claim to be spiritual, you think you are mature, you believe you're led by the Spirit, and you think you're the authority on the matter. Okay, here's the test, verse 37. Here's the test of whether or not you are spiritually mature. He should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. The word acknowledge means to recognize, accept, and submit to as true. This isn't intellectual agreement only, it's functional submission. So spiritual maturity is not measured by what you express. We're ex we're we're we're uh spiritual, we're mature, we're expressive. So he's saying that's not the mark of spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is proven by what you submit to. And then the warning: if anyone does not recognize this, verse 38, he is not recognized. That's a little bit vague. I'm not positive exactly what he has in mind there, but I think it's at best this, or at least this. If you reject the apostolic authority, then you are resisting God's word and you're refusing to submit, then your claim to spirituality and maturity is invalid. You will not be recognized as spiritually mature, you will not be recognized as spiritually elite. You're not. So, in other words, if you reject God's word delivered to them through the apostle, you disqualify your claim to spirituality. So, submission to God's word is the visible evidence of true spirituality. The most spiritual people in our church are not those who have the most ex uh the most wow factor gifts. They're not the ones that have the best ability to speak. The best speakers are not always the ones that are most spiritual. The most spiritual people, according to Paul, are the people who submit to God's word. Submission to God's word is the proof, it's the evidence, it's the visible evidence of true spirituality. The clearest evidence of spirituality then is not an expression, it is a submission. And I feel that every week. Listen, I want to model that and I want to live that for us. That's that's what our church does. We come to passages like verses 34, 35 in submission to say it's here, we're submitted to it, we don't write it, we just deliver it, we're letting God's word do the work. That's a submission to the authority of God's word, and that hopefully is a sign that we have at least the right direction in our church of getting this right. Think about the athlete and the coach. An athlete says, I'm committed, I want to win, I'm all in. I love the interviews following March Madness basketball games, doing whatever it takes to win for my team, just willing to do whatever it takes. I'm willing to dive on the floor after the ball, I'm willing to run through the cheerleaders, I'm willing to whatever it takes, I'm willing to do it, whatever I can to win. I love that. But imagine that guy who is all in, I'm committed, I want to do everything to win, but ignores the coach. The coach calls for a post and he runs a hook, he runs an out. I I I the coach calls to set up a play to get it to the post and he shoots a three from half court. He won't follow the plays, he won't train. The player is not actually committed to winning, he's committed to doing it his way, and he thinks his way is the better way, and he's not submitted to the authority that's placed in his life. This is proof. Not what they say, it's what they submit to. You don't prove your commitment by what you say, you prove it by what you submit to. So Paul gives them a test. Not how expressive you are, not how passionate you are, not how gifted you are. It's do you submit to the word of God because submission is the proof of spirituality. If you love me, keep my commandments. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and don't do what I tell you to do? Be doers of the word and not hearers only. See? All over the place. The fingerprints of this truth are everywhere. The Corinthians thought spirituality was seen in what came out of their mouths. Paul says it's seen or proven in what they bow to in their lives. Okay? That's the last one. That's the fourth one. The last one I'm gonna give you more quick here. Submission to the design is happening when, number five, we pursue balance. Quickly, it's pretty simple laid out for us, but Paul says, My brothers earnestly desire to prophesy. And do not forbid the speaking in tongues, but all things should be done decently and in order. Okay, so here's what he's doing. He doesn't shut it down. He says, Listen, you guys are out of control. Stop doing gifts. He doesn't say that. Stop practicing, stop desiring gifts. Instead, he says, desire them and direct them. Use them. So Paul is refusing two extremes. The first extreme is chaos. We don't want chaos in the church. We want order and structure and decency and not confusion. Everyone speaks, no structure, emotion-driven, confusing, and unedifying. That's an extreme. That's the ditch in one side of the road. And the ditch in the other side of the road is coldness, no expression. So chaos is no order, coldness is no expression. This is this is shut everything down. No participation, no zeal, no expectancy. Stop raising your hands, don't talk, sit there and be quiet and get up and leave. He's like, that's not what I want. So he gives two commands earnestly desire to prophesy, pursue what builds the church, desire to speak truth to strengthen others, don't lose the zeal for ministry, don't be passive, engage and be active, and do not forbid the speaking in tongues, even though tongues cause problems. Paul says, don't overcorrect, because overcorrection leads to fear and suppression and lifelessness. We must not correct abuse by eliminating what God has given. And then the summary: here's what governs it all. All things should be done decently and in order. So the goal is not coldness and less participation. No, it's right participation. The word decently carries the idea of that which is fitting, appropriate, andor honorable. In order means structured, intentional, and arranged. So the goal is not chaos and it's not coldness. It's ordered freedom. It's freedom to fulfill the purpose for which he had given us the gifts under the orderliness and togetherness of his good design. Think riverbanks. A river without banks floods, destroys, spreads everywhere, and causes chaos. But a river with banks flows powerfully, moves with purpose, brings life, sustains habitats. The banks don't restrict the river, the banks direct it for power. And what we're doing here is we're saying, we're not saying don't flow, we're saying flow. Just flow according to the river banks, not causing devastation, but bringing life and ability to the places where it goes. Think fire pit. Fire's great inside the pit. Outside the pit, it's a wildfire. Think train tracks. Trains are great on the tracks, off the tracks, there's death and destruction. Listen, that's what he's saying is order doesn't limit power, it channels it. So healthy churches avoid both the ditches, the ditch of chaos and the ditch of coldness. They pursue ordered worship that builds people up. So here's the key connection: balance like this is not natural, it's the result of submission. Left to ourselves, we drift towards extremes. Some drift towards chaos. Some of you love the chaos. More chaos. Let's go. Everybody at once. Speak a different language, do whatever you want in chaos. Others drift towards control. Stiff, stale, cold. Don't, don't, don't raise that hand over there. I see you tapping that toe. Don't do that. Don't talk that way. Don't listen. He's saying, I don't want any of that. I want it controlled, spirit empowered. Submission says, I will not run ahead. I will not shut down. I will stay within what God has designed. So Paul refuses to let the church choose between passion and order. He says, You need both. But submitted zeal. Okay? God's design is this way. Okay? Church is not strengthened because everyone participates, it is strengthened when everyone submits to God's plan. That's the power. That's what's happening here. So from our chapter in chapter 14 and 12, here's the thing. Realize that the Christian life is spirit-empowered life. It is. Value the spiritual gifts that the Spirit gives you, and other members value them. Be content with the gifts that the Spirit gives you. Use your spiritual gifts with love and pursue love by earnestly desiring the gifts that most build up the church and then build up the church by using your gift in an orderly way. Do everything you can to cultivate unity in the church. That's the reality of our text. Amen? Okay, so we've spent several weeks here. I know some of you are like, thank you, God, for getting us out of this topic of gifts. But he designed it that way because some of us, some of y'all, some of us, have a tendency to not understand this and apply it properly. Let's submit to it. Let's just say, God, I'm gonna submit to your plan. I want to submit to your way of using this. This is your good plan for us. Okay? Three quick truths to life. Let me throw them out to you. They're statements, not questions today. I need you to get them and engage with these. I want you to see these things. These are the takeaways from our time together. Number one, spiritual life begins with submission to Christ and his word. You have to know that. If you hear everything I say, you've got to take that home with you. The whole talk about spiritual gifts and being built up and building others up is all something that is true in one's spiritual life. However, naturally, all men are spiritually dead. There is not spiritual life and there is not spiritual gifts. Spiritual life and all of the things associated with it begins when one submits by faith to Jesus Christ and to his word. It happens when you recognize that you are a sinner without hope and dead spiritually, that you cannot pay for your own sins and that you need a savior. And you accept Jesus as your Savior who died and was rejected in your place for your sin, and then by faith call on God to forgive you in the name of Jesus. Then you come spiritually alive, and then everything about spiritual gifts and spiritual building up and spiritual manifestations, all of that becomes something of your reality. But it starts with faith in Jesus Christ. Don't get those out of order. That's number one. Number two, spiritual maturity is shown in self-control, not self-expression. Self-control is much more of a sign of spiritual maturity than spiritual expressions. Control yourself for the good of others and the glory of God. It's not about you, it's not about me, it's about him, and it's about others. And lastly, spiritual gifts are given to build others, not elevate ourselves. So use your gift for the purpose it was given. Services of God's church, build up when all are submitted to his design. Let's submit to his design. Let's pray. Well, Father, thank you for the text that we read again today that hits it again. Uh, the key to learning is repetition, we say that, and you are manifesting that to us in our text that we exist for the good of others and the building up of our brothers. So help us do that. I think the word I want to lean into, Father, and ask you to help me with is this idea of submission. Oh, we hate that word. Our will hates that word, our plans hate that word, but we want to live in submission to your design for our church and for our lives. There is not some of us that live in submission and others don't. All of us live in submission, we know that. In different roles and different ways, but I pray that this would be the reality. Your design for our church is clear. Help our our our uh preferences and our past experiences not to override your clear teaching. And if anybody in this room is saying, I want a spiritual life, I just don't have it, I pray that today you would save them and that they would come to faith in Jesus Christ, and you'd give them hope and the reality of a restored relationship with you. Help us to build our life in this way, as we'll sing now. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.