Well, tonight, I invite you to turn in the Scriptures to the book of 1 Corinthians 12. 1 Corinthians 12, and we conclude really this section of chapter 12. And the next time, we'll begin the very well-known passage on love in 1 Corinthians 13. But tonight, verses 27 to the end of the chapter are very important verses, so I've decided to give an entire sermon to those verses because I believe Paul is building here and making a very important point at the end of 1 Corinthians 12 to the whole flow of argumentation that we have looked at in our study of 1 Corinthians in this section. So tonight, this is 1 Corinthians 12, beginning at verse 27. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts, and I will show you still a still more excellent way. May the Lord bless the hearing of His Word. Well, I have been posing this question and wanting to address this great issue, our signs and wonders for today. That has been something I have wanted to get to and something I've wanted to address. As I've told you before, I've never worked through this particular section of Scripture and even the whole book of 1 Corinthians. But chapters 12 through 14, I realize their incredible importance for the church today in light of all the things that are happening and in light of our struggle to want something more than the Word of God. I've been anxious to address this, but I wanted to make sure that when I addressed that important question that you were able to say okay okay there I see it there I see it from scripture I wanted you to feel confident about that Paul has been building in these chapters to answer a question that has been posed to him by the Corinthians about tongue speaking it really has been about tongue speaking which I surmised last time probably went something like this Paul we're seeing this tongue phenomenon sweep through the church in Corinth. We know it's a gift of the Holy Spirit. We know this happened at Pentecost. But what we're seeing here, we're confused about it. We're hearing gibberish. Nothing's being done in good order. The utter fascination with the whole thing has presented a real problem for us. For now we have super apostles. Now, our people are caught up with this, and we need your help on this issue. We need to know about the super spiritual gifts. We need you to explain how this works. We need you to help us, and is particularly what is happening here in Corinth, is this okay? Well, as I said, Paul didn't start there. What Paul has been doing is addressing the reason for gifts, and he's been addressing the reason that there are spiritual persons and he's been explaining for us how gifts function in the life of the body what was god's intention in pouring out gifts why god gave gifts and remember paul kept saying something very important here under the inspiration of the spirit is that these were given for the common good and he went into great detail in the last section explaining that God composes the body of many parts and you know this you know this by way of comparison to your own bodies you have all these parts on your bodies and they are important to the whole even the little toe I asked somebody at impact the other night who said that they broke a toe I said what did it do to your whole body they said it affected everything and we are all fit into the church just like our bodies are composed it's a real helpful metaphor it's a helpful way to think isn't it and so paul has been motivating us to use our gifts for the encouragement of the whole to understand that we're all vital to the whole we are the body of christ we are the church the body of christ is the church and paul has been explaining this through and looking at as we looked at last time that just as our bodies have many members so the church has many members but it's one body you're not in isolation you're not an individual you gave that up when you came to jesus you denied yourself you took up your cross and in union with him you were joined to him and you say as a christian you are no longer your own you forfeited that the very thing that we all fight against today in the church when explaining why people even need to come it's the thing that they say we don't need to and we say no you forfeited you are a member of the body of christ even the little toe matter now the local church will be healthy as the lord has his church all dispersed over the face of the world but but but we know it locally we live in a local place so we are joined to it locally we will be healthy as a church when every member contributes to the whole and just as you know just as we started out this tonight with prayer one member right now suffering we're all burdened for that member aren't we right now we all care for that member we love that member we're we want to see it go well for that member well the problem in Corinth was they were so caught up with all the extraordinary gifts that who those who were marked out as as having the special gifts and direct lines of communication with God this would later birth out all sorts of terrible things that happened in the early church and Gnostics and all sorts of weird thoughts. But something terrible happened in Corinth in the process. Not only were they being deceived by counterfeit gifts. Remember, the New Testament does tell us that there are lying signs and lying wonders. Those things did go on. But a sort of class structure developed when it came to gifts and the lesser gifts of the lesser people were so undervalued they were no longer even being used in the body of christ they were no longer even active in the body of christ and only the super spiritual only the really spiritual ones who where all the emphasis was put everything was valued there and it led to a whole undermining of the design that the lord had put in place for the body to function as a whole and to be every member equipped to be used by the Spirit in the day of Christ's power as willing servants to use their gifts for the service and enrichment of others. Or as Paul says in Philippians chapter 3, upon the sacrifice and service of your faith. That's why we use them. I become like a puff of esteem, he said. Only the super spiritual gifts were valued. And tonight, Paul gives what I believe is the answer we've been waiting for. Essentially, he says to them, now their question was different. Their question in those days, these extraordinary gifts were still in practice. Ours is a little different, but you see how he answers them the importance for our struggle today. He essentially says to them, you're desiring something God did not give to everyone. And in that, you're undermining how God composed the body. So think with me tonight about where your desires should be in the church as members. I want you to think about desire for a moment. I want you to think about desire where should your desire be as members and we'll look at this tonight with just two points what god has appointed and what we then should desire look at verse 27 what god has appointed and what we then should desire in verse 27 we read now you are the body of christ and individually members of it all of that harkens back to what he just explained about the body being composed together by christ we're not our own we just looked at that you honor him as members of the body individually and you compose and make up the whole you make up the body of christ you're members of that having explained all of that having now set the groundwork and explaining gifts and how the body functions i believe he answers the question about extraordinary gifts verse 28 and god God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongue. Now, that's a somewhat similar list to that in Ephesians, isn't it? We all know the Ephesians one well. In Ephesians, I want you to listen to the difference. And he gave, and he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. There he spoke of the offices together, didn't he? He put everything together. what i find fascinating here is that paul does not mention pastors elders or deacons does he which are mentioned throughout the new testament elsewhere first timothy does that in the pastoral epistles you get instructions you all know these you get instructions about what an elder should look like and what a deacon should be this is a faithful saying if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good word. In the early church, a bishop was another word for elder. In the pastoral epistles, he says, let deacons be this, let deacons be this, let deacons be this. What we find is that Paul instructed the officers, notice here, especially as they were going out, that what we find that would give way is that there would be the ordination of pastors, elders, and deacons that was the common form of church government that we know today that's familiar to us today where do we ever find in those pastoral epistles an emphasis on the continuous ordaining of prophets and apostles think about that what is the generally accepted view is that these extraordinary offices gave way to what we know today. And there was a reason for that. Paul will say that, I believe, later in 1 Corinthians. At least it's one view of 1 Corinthians where he goes on and says, for we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. reason like a child when i became a man i gave up childish ways we'll look at that for now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face now i know in part then i then i shall know fully even as i have been known so we'll look at that in in some detail as we get there but what probably this meant is that when the word came remember all scriptures given by inspiration it's god breathe When the word came and was received by the church, not created by the church like Rome said, when the word was received by the church and recognized and deposited there as the pillar and the ground of the truth, when that happened, there was no more need for the extraordinary offices. They seem to have given way to what we know now with the death of the apostles. So that the very common things that we know today, pastors, elders, and deacons, What was the ultimate design that the Lord had for His church? Paul said that elsewhere. Paul even said at one point very plainly, I am the last of the apostles. I admit. Today you're not seeing us laying hands on new apostles. You're not seeing prophets in the old apostolic manner. You're not seeing that happen. People may try to do that. But there's no New Testament warrant for that. They passed. They fulfilled a purpose. Now that's not as controversial, I don't think. That part's not as controversial. But it's important to say, because these guys could do remarkable things. Just listen to this in Acts. This is Acts 5. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to jerusalem bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits and they were all healed acts 19 now god worked unusual miracles by paul by the hands of paul so that even handkerchiefs i just love this verse i don't it's just always amazed me handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from His body to the sick and the diseases left them and evil spirits went out of them. God used all of these extraordinary gifts, didn't He, in the early church to do what? Confirm the message and the gospel going out. God did something wonderful to get it launched. After the resurrection, after Pentecost, What would happen if Peter had the ability, think about it, what would happen if Pastor Gordon had the ability tonight to start giving sight? Have you ever thought about that? What would happen if Pastor Gordon had the ability to pull out couches out in the parking lot and start healing? You think we'd need a bigger building? Oh, you wouldn't. You would have no idea. We would need a really big building. Would people come for the word? Would they want to hear me preach? Would the temptation be to make it a show? Would they want the word? The sad part is that even though these extraordinary gifts were used for a time and God allowed it, they caused major problems in the life of the early church. I mean major problems and they caused major problems for Jesus too. People were following them for all the wrong reasons. remember simon the sorcerer simon helped simon himself acts eight believed and when he was baptized he continued with philip and was amazed seeing the miracles and signs which were done wow that is really neat and when simon saw through the laying on of the apostles hands the holy spirit was given good grief you could you could get the spirit to come he offered them money saying give me this power also so that anyone on whom i lay hands may receive the holy spirit peter was beside himself what a mess how did that happen jesus dealt with this constantly in the gospels if you want to see it it's a big issue in john's gospel where the history of israel had a long problem with this where anyone who could charm them with lying signs and lying wonders anyone who said any kind of message they want and then accompanied it with false promises they were attracted to smooth words they were easily attracted to what that was delightful to see and jesus was the hometown hero when he came back to the hometown to do this stuff they wanted a show from jesus jesus saw right through it think of john 2 now when he was in jerusalem at the passover feast many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did but jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man for he himself knew what was in man he knew it was all artificial he knew they weren't there for the right reasons he knew they wanted to show so much so that by john 4 he throws down a severe indictment unless you people see signs and wonders you will by no means believe whoa and he had just commended the samaritans for hearing the word with no sign i believe it's in calvin's institutes in the early part to the french king where calvin in his day was being challenged where are all your miracles where are all your where's your stuff there's nothing to validate what you're doing and he says it's in the word that was the time that god gave it that's when we needed it but we have everything we need in the bible the only reason god allowed this stuff in the first place was to confirm the word their aim was to preach and teach and the supernatural gifts were merely there at the beginning the extraordinary gifts were merely there at the beginning to confirm the message as it took off to the ends of the earth and by the time you're at the end of acts it's already dying out now here's what i believe you had in corinth everyone's desiring this stuff in other words it was chaotic uh the word was not the focus and gifts were being abused by people who didn't even have them, and they're trying to do them. And they're drawing away, as Paul says, many disciples after themselves. He warned about that. But here's my point. God didn't just allow anything to take place in the early church. This was the problem. Even these extraordinary gifts were permitted for a time, but it was all regulated. Now that's a really important point tonight. it was all regulated. What do I mean? Paul is explaining in this entire section that there is an authority structure put in place for these extraordinary offices. And you'll see that here, that they weren't taking seriously whatsoever. It seems that, and others have made this point, that there were two authority structures in the early church. You had the extraordinary offices, and then you had more of the ordinary offices that would give way to that we know today. and there was a government for each. Everything he's dealing with in Corinth has to do with the abuse of the extraordinary offices while they existed among them. If you get that tonight, I really believe everything else that follows will make sense. Look again at verse 28. First there were apostles, then prophets, then teachers, and then he stops. And he doesn't mention pastors, elders, and deacons what does he do he switches right after mentioning these extraordinary offices and he links together the extraordinary offices with the extraordinary gifts did you see that that belong to the era then miracles whoa whoa whoa you just talked about offices now you're talking about gifts that doesn't make sense well it does make sense he says there were these and then he links them right together with their problem miracles then gifts of healing helping administrating and various kinds of tongues you had prophets in the early church who were able to preach in remarkable ways to show christ in the old testament and make him known you had apostles who established the churches after Pentecost. You had these teachers who were remarkable catechists in the early church, remarkable instructors in the Word. And what Paul is doing is tying all of these really extraordinary gifts to them. That's really important. Really important. Do you know why that's important? That means that when you have gifts of helps and administrations along with healings miracles and tongues he's explaining there was oversight and there was authority over this put it in this way it was not willy-nilly whoever felt spiritual whoever was led by the spirit to give a word uh-uh no whoever got up in the moment couldn't just do whatever they wanted to do. And that alone eliminated 99% of the problem in Corinth. I believe that. If that's accepted. Just like today, not everyone's a pastor. Not everyone's an elder. Not everyone has the gift to be a deacon. So too, not everyone had the gifts with being an apostle. Not everyone had the gifts of being a prophet. Not everyone had the gifts of being a teacher, a catechist in the early church. So if this was in our context, it would be like somebody saying, well, I can be a pastor. I can baptize. We can go out and I can give the supper. I can administer the sacrament. It's for everyone. What would that create? Chaos! That would create other chaos. And wherever that's gone on, it's created that. Not just anyone can teach today. We all know that would be disastrous if we just let anyone who felt moved by the Spirit to teach start teaching in the church. Do you know what you end up with? Harold Camping. Women claimed to be prophets and started speaking. Paul will address that. They don't have that right. People started speaking gibberish. Paul will address that. People started claiming gifts of healings and miracles who didn't have it. Paul will address that. That's one of my greatest complaints about the whole tongue speaking thing today is that it comes and if it were still, we accepted that if it were still in place and if it were still a continuing gift today, it looks nothing like what it should look like. It's gibberish. Tongue speaking in the early church were known languages. It's anyone who feels moved to do it and if it were still in place, it would only have been tied to apostles and prophets. But they're not in existence. So everything that they're doing is against what Paul is promoting here about order and value of the word of God. And so he says that in verse 29. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? What's the answer? No, you know that. So in the early church, not everyone possessed these things. It was very rare in the early church, to be honest with you. I think that's what we forget. This stuff was rare in the early church. And they were given for a specific purpose, for a specific moment, and nothing was ever to detract or confuse the worship of God or undermine the Word of God, which is what was going on. So if you see and accept that tonight, that the extraordinary gifts were tied to extraordinary offices, well, then that will answer whether we believe these things are still active in the church today. Who usually claims to have direct communications with God? Those strange people. You know, I had on a tablet, the angel Moroni gave me direct revelation, you know, and now we have another testament of Jesus, don't we? That's Mormon. you could go right down the line those who claim to do healings those who claim to speak in tongues those who claim to be spiritual if it were in place today let's say tongue speaking where would you find it you'd find it among well if it were pastors but again it's tied to extraordinary offices so it wouldn't work what we need to know is that there is a closed canon we have something that has been handed to us from god and it makes known everything you need to know we have the word and anything that anyone claims beyond that is it's so important for christian school students so important for our students because we almost universally hear people getting saying they're getting messages from god i just watched it on youtube again the other day you have everything you need those gifts serve a specific purpose for a specific time for specific offices that cease when the canon was closed and we're going to look at something that's going to surprise you in chapter 14 but they weren't considering that tongues are also a sign of judgment did you notice what gift gets the tail end here of the train the caboose? Tongue speaking. Paul did that on purpose. In the church, Paul says this in chapter 14, I would rather, listen to this, speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others than 10,000 words with a tongue. It's profitless. Whatever you're doing with gibberish has no benefit to the common good of the body. Remember the theme here, common good? I'm not promoting gibberish that profits nothing in the church gifts are about the common good and anyone who prophesies does something far greater for the edification of the body than what these gifts are for the church must receive edification and that leads to the sad problem of the little toe doesn't it where's the little toe in all this marginalized pushed to the side and not valued paul's whole point tonight is is that god fits together the body not for anyone to just go take glory for himself think of this morning think of the problem they were stealing from god to go take glory for himself in drawing attention with his gifts but to edify the whole to bless the whole and that means you are incredibly useful in whatever gift god has given you in his service and in his church. So God has appointed these for edification. These extraordinary gifts, not everyone has them. What then should be our focus? What should be our desire? This is what I'm closing with tonight. Verse 31. But earnestly desire the higher gifts to which you say, what? That doesn't make any sense. That just seems to undermine everything you just said. Well, it depends on how you read it. It's pretty hard to tell the difference between the imperative and the indicative there. It could read, but you desire the best gifts. But I'm going to show you a more excellent way. Now that seems to fit. This is where all your desire is. But your problem is that you're placing emphasis on what you believe are all the higher gifts. But yet, a far better way I have to show you. Instead, I have a more excellent way. Let me tell you what that excellent way is. Everyone ready for it? Love. Your hearts are all set on that stuff. But let me show you something far greater. More excellent than what you think is all high and mighty. Let all of your activity, all of your service be controlled by one thing. And we won't have any more problems in Corinth. Now, does 1 Corinthians 13 begin to make sense? Let me read it. Just let me read it for a moment. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I'm a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, And if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I'm nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is, here it is, patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. Well, that just takes on every kind of meaning now, doesn't it? It is not irritable or resentful. it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth love bears all things believes all things hopes all things endures all things love never ends as for prophecies they will pass away as for tongues they will cease as for knowledge it will pass away here's a way out of your obsession with wanting to be great here's a way out of your obsession with the being the me, me, me, me, me generation or the narcissistic generation. Here's a way before God that is greater than anything else. You want to know what it is? Love. Because love, you see, will require in all of your actions, whatever it may be, whatever gifts you have, when it's controlled by that principle, it will require a denial of your self. and the giving of yourself for the spiritual benefit of others. And the fruit of that will never be about you. You see, when Paul began this book by saying there was divisions and everyone was following their own superhero and super pastor, I'm of Paul, I'm of Apollos, I'm of Cephas, I'm of Jesus. That was really underlining it all an aspiration in their followers to become great like they were. I think a lot of people today aspire in the church to be something. To be an R.C. Sproul. To be somebody big. To make a real difference. And God's hands of blessing will not be on that. A far greater way is right in front of you. He who desires to be first in the kingdom will be last. A far greater way is to become a servant of all and love fervently with a pure heart. we should pray that we all would realize that whatever God has given us is the greatest gift. It is the greatest gift because He's given it to you as He composed you into the body to be a benefit of the whole, and that's a remarkable thing that He gave you a gift. So use it. The way I honor Him is to use that in love for the body. That brings the most glory and honor to Him and builds up His church. and doesn't tear it down. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we confess that often we are all about us and we're selfish. And You've shown us a way more excellent way tonight. May our eyes be fixed on Your Word. May our hearts love Your Word. May we be satisfied with Your Word. And as we are fed from that Word, then would we take what You have given us to edify and to strengthen and to encourage the body for the common good of the whole. Take away all selfish motives and help us to become servants of all. Loving fervently with a pure heart that has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. What shall we render to the Lord for all the benefits? Well, let us take our gifts and use them for Your glory and thankfulness for saving us and giving all of Your life, Lord Jesus, Your whole life, that we might live and become members of Your precious, glorious body. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.