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.
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