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4th August 2013 - Evening - Revd. Paul Snape

Sermon for Evensong - 4th August 2013



1 Corinthians 14 vv 1-19

This chapter is very difficult to understand because it deals with a phenomenon which is outside the experience of most of us.
Firstly there is speaking in tongues - a phenomenon very common to the early Church. A person became worked up into a frenzy, and in that state would come out with an uncontrollable torrent of sound in no known language. So unless these sounds were interpreted, no one would have any idea of what they meant. Strange as this sounds to those of living in 2013, speaking in tongues was a coveted gift.

It was dangerous though. Firstly it was abnormal and admired, so the person who possessed this gift would get a sort of spiritual 'pride', and for those others who would desire this gift a false sense of self-hypnotism which produced a 'synthetic' speaking in tongues.

Against the gift of speaking in tongues we have the gift of prophecy. Usually this is not used to foretell what God is going to do, but rather forthtell the will and message of God.

Paul then perhaps is warning people of the danger I have outlined in speaking in tongues, but rather we should concentrate on foretelling what God wants.
Paul says that there is little point in speaking in tongues, because the hearer does not know what he is on about. On the other hand the gift of forthtelling is helpful to the listener, because he can understand what is being said.

Paul goes on to use certain illustrations and analogies. Take music for instance, under the normal rules of harmony it produces a pleasant sound, if not a chaos of sound is produced. Take the Trumpet, it can give a clear and definite message to the men, if a meaningless sound is produced they won't know what to do.
Out of this difficult passage there are valuable truths which emerge:
Every sermon should build up and encourage.

2.
Verse 5 tells us of what was the background and substance of all good preaching. He tells us that it comes from a direct revelation from God.

There can be no better sermon than that which includes personal experiences.
And, of course, every preacher should use anecdotes and other personal examples to supplement his preaching, and of course every sermon should include an element of teaching.

From this difficult passage tonight two broad principles emerge regarding Christian Worship:
1) Will this help everyone?
2) Worship must be intelligible

Get these things right and we are making a start with God's great commission to the world.

AMEN.