For our scripture reading tonight, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 14. 1 Corinthians 14, as we read together that chapter in connection with Article 32 of the Belgic Confession of Faith, found on page 85 in the center of the page, dealing with the order and discipline of the church, continuing our consideration of the confession's treatment of the doctrine of the church. 1 Corinthians 14 obviously follows that familiar chapter on love, 1 Corinthians 13, and talks about now a way to put that love into practice in the midst of worship of God's people. 1 Corinthians 14, as we begin at verse 1, reading the chapter, hear now the word of God. Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him. He utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues unless he interprets so that the church may be edified. Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds such as the flute or harp, How will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. Undoubtedly, there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. For this reason, anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say, Amen to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you, but in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil, be infants, but in your thinking, be adults. In the law it is written, through men of strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners, I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord. Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, God is really among you. What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two or at least, or at most, three should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said, and if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn, so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. Did the Word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command. If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored. Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. Beloved in Christ the Lord, we need rules in all of life, don't we? As we've said before, though, we don't always like the rules that are imposed upon us, but we understand, I trust, that we need them. Even the boys and girls, even you boys and girls who are here tonight, I trust that you understand this too. Even if you don't always like and don't always agree with the rules at home or in school, you understand how important they are. As we think of the troubles, especially in New Orleans, Louisiana, Again, if you've seen the news, it's plain to see what happens when people think that the rules no longer apply. There's been looting, shooting, killing, raping, all kinds of riotous living. When everybody makes their own rules and decides what's okay and what's not, then there is nothing but chaos and disorder. We need rules for citizens to live by for proper order in our country. Schools have rules both for teachers and students to abide by. Parents set rules in the home to provide a safe place for their children to grow up. Employers and employees follow certain rules for the success of the company. And of course, with all of these, there are rule makers who make the rules for the benefit of all who are involved. And then there is the church. And the truth is, the church as she exists on this earth is no different. And because the church is made up of sinners who still struggle with sin, the church needs rules. And there is a rule maker also for the church. Our confession teaches, as we have considered in the past, and we believe that Jesus Christ is the only king and head of His church, and therefore He makes the rules for behavior. in the body of christ now just to recap a little bit in article 29 you may recall that we talked about the marks of the true church what does the church look like or what should the church look like in the world and then articles 30 and 31 considered how that true church should operate how should it be governed and who is called to govern the church and we talked about the offices instituted by Christ. And now then, Article 32 talks about order, discipline, and rules to make sure that all of these things that we've already considered, to make sure that all of these things take place. Article 32, page 85, if you've got the Psalter hymnal open. The order and discipline of the church. In the meantime, we believe, though it is useful and beneficial, that those who are rulers of the church institute and establish certain ordinances among themselves for maintaining the body of the church, yet that they ought studiously to take care that they do not depart from those things which Christ, our only Master, has instituted. And therefore we reject all human inventions and all laws which man would introduce into the worship of God, thereby to bind and compel the conscience in any manner whatever. Therefore, we admit only of that which tends to nourish and preserve concord and unity and to keep all men in obedience to God. For this purpose, excommunication or church discipline is requisite with all that pertains to it according to the Word of God. And beloved, even in the church, the rules are for the benefit of all involved. And then that means that behavior in the church is to be for God's glory, for the believer's edification, and for the church's preservation. And now before we go any further, we need to understand that all of this will only make sense and it will only be comforting for those who know themselves, without a doubt, to be a part of the body of Christ. You see, only if you have true faith in Jesus Christ will you know that His order and His commands do apply to you? And then you will also see the beauty and the necessity of His rules and they will not be a burden to you and me. And now this call, this call for rules and order to govern our behavior in the church is not a man-made invention. Paul says again in verse 40, but everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. We also remember that verse has translated that everything should be done decently and in good order. And as you picked up, I trust, we know that Paul is addressing a particular situation in the life of the church in Corinth. He's talking in this chapter about worship. And about the proper and the improper use of the gifts of speaking in tongues and prophecy. He's talking about orderly worship. But you see, beloved, this worship impacts the life of the body of Christ, and therefore His command is also fitting for the life of the church, which has at the center the worship of her only king and head. Now we have for our church here, in agreement with all the churches of our federation, the United Reformed Churches in North America, we have what we call a church order. And already in the introduction to this church order, We use this very verse, 1 Corinthians 14.40, as a foundational verse, if you will, as a rationale, if you will, for having a church order. And this church order is made up of 66 articles which are divided under four main headings. The offices of the church, the assemblies of the churches, the functions and tasks of the church, and ecclesiastical or church discipline. All things that we find in Scripture. And now, of course, this church order is a man-made document, but again, it is made up of scripturally sound rules and regulations. In other words, the church, through those who lead in Christ's name, takes the rules given in Scripture and determines how to carry out those rules faithfully in a fitting and orderly way. For example, as we have considered before, Christ appointed offices in the church. And there are to be office bearers, obviously, to fill those offices. Well, the church order then summarizes the teaching of Scripture with regard to what duties are to be carried out by ministers, elders, and deacons. And it outlines how they are to be brought into office in an orderly way. Another example is that God's Word calls for corporate worship. And the church order outlines then what belongs to orderly worship. And then with church discipline, the church order outlines orderly discipline, again according to what Jesus has said. But of course we know that not every detail of the life of the church, of church life, is included in the church order. The elders, and at times the elders along with the deacons, make decisions for the life of the church based on wisdom. At times, even based on the culture of the day. And all of this, of course, is then with the goal, as Article 32 says, for maintaining the body of the church, to nourish and preserve concord and unity, and to keep all men in obedience to God. The office bearers in any given church at any given time determine things such as the times of the services, what language is to be used. What I mean by that is when this church started, I believe, the services were in Dutch. And there came a time when it was more reasonable, it made more sense to have the services only in English. They determined, for example, what Bible version is to be used in the pew, the place of the choir, Bible studies, how many and what they will be, youth programs, and many other things which just follow from common sense because of what the Bible has given. But again, all of it, beloved, is meant to govern our behavior in the body of Christ, to lead us as a congregation in behavior that glorifies God, that edifies the believer, and serves to be used by God to preserve the church. And that which then in the first place glorifies God is that which is done in a fitting way. That which is done decently. And the idea here is that which is done appropriately or properly. Well, what makes life in the body of Christ and the worship of that body fitting and appropriate and proper? As we've already said, when it is according to what God commands. According to the rules of the rule maker. Now we know, probably each one of us knows from experience, that when it comes to man's rules, there is no agreement. There's no agreement. My way is better than your way. That's the way it always has been. That's the way it always is. Isn't that kind of our attitude? Sometimes even in our marriages with our husbands and wives, my way is the best. And even if we know that the other way is really the best, we don't want to concede that. My way must be the best, you see. But God's way is always the best. It's always the wisest. And it is always for our good. And beloved, we are called to follow God's way whether we agree with it or not. Of course, this is true in our individual Christian lives. He's given us His law to govern and to guard and to guide us. And He also governs believers corporately in the life of the church. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul makes it clear that the gifts of prophecy and tongues must edify God's people. We're jumping ahead just a little bit here. But they must edify God's people. Paul says if there was no one present who could interpret the speaking in tongues, which tells us that these tongues were not just gibberish and babbling, but if there was no one present to interpret, then the tongues were to take a back seat in the worship services. If God's people are not edified, if they are not, as Paul says in verse 3, strengthened, encouraged, and comforted, then God is not glorified. You see, the direction of our worship is always to be upward toward God. And the life and the worship of the body of Christ glorifies God when it is according to His rules. Well, when it comes to the rules for the church, What has Christ commanded? Actually, there are only a few things that he said himself. He called for worship in spirit and in truth. He also gave instructions for what to do if one wrongs us, sins against us privately, and if we can't get it worked out, what we ought to do in going to the elders of the church. And then finally, he also gave the church the keys of the kingdom, to be used faithfully by the elders, not to hang on a hook, as it were, inside a door somewhere, but to be used faithfully, the key of preaching the Word of God, and the key of discipline. These are the three main things, we might say, that Jesus gave us while He was on this earth, and to these He added His promise that where two or three are gathered in His name, there He would be also. And beyond these commands, though, Jesus continued His teaching through the apostles those who were inspired to tell the New Testament church how people ought to behave in the church, which is the house of God. The office bearers have been given a great task, an awesome, and a not always easy responsibility. And all of the rules that the office bearers set up are to be based on what God has given us in His Word and wise applications of His Word to the life and the worship of God's people. As Article 32 says, And therefore we reject all human inventions and all laws which man would introduce into the worship of God, thereby to bind and compel the conscience in any manner. Again, beloved, in the life of the church, some things are indifferent. Flowers, choirs, the time of the services, the term links for elders and deacons, And many other things. And John Calvin said that in these matters of indifference, let us walk a middle way. In other words, if you and I don't like the way something is done, if we don't agree the way something is done, unless we can prove from Scripture that it is wrong, we must be careful not to disturb the peace and the unity of the congregation by causing grief about it just because of our own preferences. Now understand, we're not talking here about the elements of worship. Those are fixed according to the Word of God, but we're talking about things that are matters of indifference. Behavior in the body of Christ that conforms to the Word of God, pleases and glorifies Him, and then that will necessarily edify the believer. Again, Paul was addressing disorder in the worship service when it came to speaking in tongues. And especially if there was no one to interpret the tongues, it was nothing more than chaotic. And it was far from edifying. It did not serve to build up fellow believers in the faith. Instead, it was meaningless. And he made it clear that good order included not only interpreters, but if there were more than one speaking in tongues or more than one prophesying, they should take turns and give opportunity for the church to weigh carefully what is said, according to verse 29, with the goal that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. Beloved, good order is the opposite of chaos and confusion, which is not edifying. And God Himself is our pattern of order. Paul says in verse 33, For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. And we know that order promotes peace. But disorder destroys peace. God is a God of order. We see it in creation. God created the heavens and the earth in an orderly way. The waters had to be arranged. There had to be dry ground in order for there to be plants and vegetation. The environment had to be in place and food had to be available before birds and animals could survive. There is order in nature. God created the laws of nature that govern the seasons, the growing of plants. There's cosmic order. God ordered the planets as well as day and night. And He gave His people laws to order their life and worship, again, to be for His glory, for the edification of each other, and to promote their welfare. Again, in our church, we follow good order, for example, for the nomination and the election of office bearers as well for receiving and dismissing memberships and especially our worship service we follow an order of worship and our liturgy is arranged in the biblical way of a dialogue between god and his people if you look at the order of worship whether from this morning or tonight you see that our order of worship it's not bulky it's not confusing and it includes elements we find prescribed in the Bible. And all throughout, if you look, it's like a conversation, a dialogue between God and us. For example, He speaks to us, His people, in His call to worship. We respond with silent prayer. He speaks, again, in His greeting. We respond in the morning with a song, in the evening with a creed. He speaks through his word in a variety of ways, in the law, in the assurance of pardon, in the reading of scripture, in the sermon, we respond with confession, with singing, with praying, with giving. And then he has the final word as we are sent away with his benediction blessing. God speaks first. God speaks last. And in between, there is a dialogue. And as God is glorified and as His people are edified, then we know that He also uses His fitting and His good order to preserve the church. Beloved, as God's people are united in their behavior, in the body of Christ, focusing not on their own individual ways and ideas, but instead are joined together in obeying God's rules for life in the church, they then enjoy peace with each other and with the Lord. They work together for the same goal, the glory of God, the building up of His church, and the advancement of His kingdom. And together, in the strength of the Holy Spirit, they fight against sin that would seek to tear the church apart. And that's where church discipline comes in. Now, of course, all along we've been talking about a disciplined life in the body of Christ governed by His rules. We all, in some way, live some sort of a disciplined life. Whatever that life may be, whether it's disciplined by eating healthy or not, by exercising or being a couch potato. We all live some sort of a disciplined life. And we've been talking about that disciplined life in the body of Christ. But there's that other kind of discipline, isn't there? Until Jesus Christ comes again. And while we continue to struggle with sin, and there are still hypocrites and imposters in the visible church, our Lord preserves His church on this earth through discipline. And just as discipline is necessary for regaining and maintaining order into the home, bringing those who disobey mom and dad into conformity, boys and girls, in line with the rules of the house, Rules meant for the benefit of the whole family. In the same way, discipline is necessary for ensuring and maintaining that the body of the church is kept in good order and for promoting harmony and unity under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Discipline, you see. Again, as we see in New Orleans, bringing in the guard and the military to restore order, Discipline is necessary for those who seek to be a law unto themselves and not follow the will of God for the life and the body, and instead they create disorder. Church discipline, we know, is one of the two keys of the kingdom. Preaching the Word of God is the other one. Again, beloved, each one of us sins. And the Lord may choose to correct one through a small part of a sermon, And in that way, preaching serves as a tool of discipline. And as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to our hearts and lives, individually and corporately, He brings us in line with that which God requires. Or God may choose to correct one through a private word from a fellow member, through one of you, or through a minister, through an elder, or a deacon. You see, those are the ideal ways, through the preaching of the Word and through a private word from a brother or sister in Christ. Those are the ideal ways in which discipline or admonition may work and sometimes does work. And beloved, we are called to exercise mutual discipline. We are called to love each other. And that love includes restoring the brother or sister who is in error and living in sin. You see, love does not tolerate the sin of a fellow believer. We know that because otherwise we would never discipline our children, right? But because we love them, we do not tolerate when they sin, when they misbehave. In the same way as brothers and sisters in the family of God, love does not tolerate the sin of a fellow believer. Neither is it heavy-handed in addressing that sin. But love does address it. It must address it. Again, for the glory of God, for the edification of believers, and for the preservation of the church and the brother or sister. Now, of course, we must confess that this isn't easy. We often look the other way, don't we? Instead of confront. Often because we're afraid of how that one might react. But you see, beloved, we need to be more concerned about God's glory and the purity of His body and the spiritual life of the one who needs to be confronted. You see, discipline begins with the congregation, with you and me participating in mutual discipline, holding each other accountable and desiring to be held accountable with regard to our profession of faith. Sometimes when I have the opportunity to question young people, for example, before the elders for profession of faith. I try to make it clear to them, do you understand what you are saying by answering to the questions that are in the back of the Psalter hymna? By making a public profession of faith, do you understand what you are doing? You are telling each and every one of those who witnesses that, of course, God above all, but each and every brother and sister, you are saying, hold me accountable. You are saying, watch over my life. Help me to make sure that I don't fall into error. And if I do, please, please, please come to me and help me and confront me. You see, believers serve the communion of saints in no minor way but a very major way when they take heed to each other for the sake of each other's salvation. But then sometimes there are public sins of which people will not repent. And the elders must deal with that because of the unity of the church which is involved. And beloved, our church order follows our Lord's instructions in Matthew 18 in dealing with sins from brother to brother as well as exercising discipline all the way to excommunication if necessary for the preservation of the church. But it also applies wisdom in the process with the goal always to be that we pray for, that we hope for, and that we desire the repentance and the restoration of the erring brother or sister. Article 51 of this church order says, under ecclesiastical discipline, it says, since Christian discipline is spiritual in nature and exempts no one from trial or punishment by the civil authorities, so also besides civil punishment, there is need of ecclesiastical censure that God may be glorified, that the sinner may be reconciled with God, the church and his neighbor, and that offense may be removed from the church of Christ. Now, beloved, we must confess that sometimes we still want to fight against rules and think that our way is best when it comes to so many things. But when it comes to those who have been given new life in Christ Jesus with a new heart, and a new mind and new understanding. They begin to see and understand that those who reject God and His perfect way that they are living in and they can only live in chaos and confusion which will end in the chaos and the confusion and the torment of hell. But in Jesus Christ, because of His perfect life and His sufficient sacrifice, those who look to Him, all those who look to Him, We have peace with God. And more and more we see that indeed His rules are perfect. They glorify Him. They are for our good both now and forever. Beloved, God's rules are best. His way is best. It's for our good. He provided the best and the only way of salvation. We can see His order in salvation. He provided the best and only way of salvation which involved His work first. He didn't leave it up to you and me. Because we would fail. We would make a shambles out of it. We would confuse the whole process. He chose to bring us to faith in Him. And then He provides the best and the only way to live in and enjoy such a great salvation. But then when we are in Christ Jesus by faith, then we are not only saved, indeed saved, but not only saved. We are a part of His body. Which means, beloved, we are involved in His body. And that includes behavior. And boys and girls, just as in a family, you begin to see that your parents' rule to not talk to strangers is for your protection. And their rule, not to have a snack before dinner, is for your health. And their rule that you not hit or call your brother or sister names is for the peace of the family. In the same way, Christians begin to see how our Lord's rules for life in His body, the church, work toward cleansing her and preparing her to be without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but instead holy and blameless. Beloved, what is our behavior in Christ's body. Time to do a little self-examination. What is our behavior? What is your behavior in Christ's body? What is my behavior in Christ's body? Do we desire and do we seek to behave according to God's rules? With a goal of building each other up. With a goal of encouraging one another. With a goal of praying for one another. not tearing each other down, not trying to divide the body, not always trying to get our own way because we think that our way is best. Beloved, do you love the body of Christ, especially here in this place, and do you show it by your involvement? May God richly bless us that our life and behavior as a congregation would indeed bring glory to Him, that it would edify each other and be used by Him to preserve this church in His way. You see, He truly has our good in mind. And one day by His grace, we with believers of all ages will not fail to glorify God perfectly even as we are edified perfectly in His presence because the church is preserved forever in the glory of heaven. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we pray, O Lord, that You would help us to see and understand these practical things from Your Word. To understand that indeed for those who belong in the body of Christ and the family of God, that indeed there are household rules. There is a good order which You call from Your people. And it has a purpose. A wonderful purpose. And may we keep our eyes on that purpose of Your glory, O Lord, and the edification of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and as well the preservation of the church of Jesus Christ. Father, we pray that You would give us a desire in our love for one another, that we would seek to build each other up in the most holy faith, that You would use us to exercise that mutual discipline which isn't easy, is rarely easy. But Father, may we each have hearts and spirits that will be willing to accept discipline and admonition from our brothers and sisters in Christ and those that are willing to give it in humility. And in this way, O Lord, may you be praised and may you continue to prepare your people for glory. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.