In this sermon, Pastor Joe Babij considers the miraculous, spiritual gift of tongues and explains from the Bible why, despite many claims today to the contrary, this New Testament gift is no longer in operation.
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okay this morning I’d like you to take your Bibles and we’re going to be looking at several passages of scripture but pretty much we’re going to be looking at Acts chapter 2 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and First Corinthians chapter 13 those are the major things this morning so be ready because I’m really speaking this morning uh about a controversial subject and if you notice in the bulletin the title of my messages tongues but let me pray Lord this morning as we look at your word just guide us and direct us through it for you given us instruction for all areas of life and godliness and even the ones that ended up being confusing and um are surrounded by a lot of controversy I just pray Lord that as we look look at your word today you would give us a sense uh of the truth surrounding this particular subject so we can understand it better to be able to articulate it to others and also just to be settled in our own mind about what is going on today based uh as opposed to what it says in scripture and I pray that you would guide us in this way in Christ’s name amen amen so it has been my observation that many of the proponents of the whole charismatic movement fall into the category of those who base their opinion about tongues mainly upon experience and emotions rather than the facts of scripture it seems that if a person wanted to discover the real meaning and significance of something they would go to a reliable source to inform their understanding if we are going to form an opinion regarding the person and work of the Holy Spirit there is only one reliable source to inform our understanding and that is the scriptures to study them without outside pressure causing one to redefine what it says or dismiss what is written in the text of scripture itself so this morning I would like to just put out there first of all the purpose of spiritual gifts the first purpose of a spiritual gift is God’s glory it’s says in 1 Peter 4: 10- 11 as each one has received a special gift employ it in the serving of one another as a good Steward of the manifold grace of God whoever speaks is to do it as one who is speaking the utterances of God whoever serves is one is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belongs glory and Dominion forever and ever amen so in other words we are to minister for God the gifts he’s given not to God second purpose of spiritual gifts is the common good of the church it says in 1 Corinthians 12:7 but to each one is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good so it’s always we’re given spiritual gifts for the common good of the whole congregation in other words gifts are given for others in the church a third purpose of spiritual gifts is the edification of the church in 1 Corinthians 14:12 it says so also you since you are zealous of spiritual gifts seek to abound for the edification of the church and that’s the building up of the church in the truth and then it also goes on in 1 Corinthians 14:3 it says but one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation in other words someone who is proclaiming the word of God in language that can be understood is always for the building up uh of the Church the exhortation of the church and the consolation or comfort of the church so that’s spiritual gifts in general but what is the purpose of tongues and of course if you translated tongues in the scripture as just languages you would be fine you would be fine so the purpose of tongues and this is what I like you to do is take your take your Bibles and turn to Acts chapter 2 because right in Acts chapter 2 tongues was an invaluable practical gift to help disseminate the message of the Gospel swiftly and correctly if you look at Acts chapter 2 you’ll find that what’s going on here is that the Jews were gathered together in jerus Jerusalem for the feast specifically the Feast of Pentecost and when they got there on this occasion they heard the Lord speaking to them with men of other tongues or other languages all who spoke with languages or tongues were Jews look at verse number six it says acts 2:6 and when they when this sound occurred the crowd came together and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language and then in Acts Chap 2:8 and how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born and of course in Acts 2:11 it says Christians and Arabs we hear them in our own tongues speaking the mighty Deeds of God now what is interesting in these passages that in two of the passages the Greek word for language is dialect we get the word it’s the word dialectos which we get the word dialect that means they were hearing the truth not only in their own General language but in their specific dialects just like us we know somebody who’s from the south right all right whether it’s a a change in how they say things uh or not or even in South Jersey or in New York City everybody has a certain way of speaking we know hey there are you from there are you from there are you from there right and that’s the that’s so in all countries they know where you’re coming from they know the sounds of your of how you speak so here we see that they were listening to these Jews speak in a language they never studied before and they were speaking in these people’s own dialects that’s even a greater Miracle to be able to do that so the different tribes of people the different nations were speaking in a Common Language and if you notice in Acts chapter 2 verse number n all that heard them speak with tongues were Jews out of 18 different nations of Jerusalem remember on these high holy days there was millions of people there in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast and what was so amazing about it as these people heard this their uh these messages in their own dialect it was being communicated to them by uneducated galileans where it says in verse number nine what were the 18 groups parthians and mes and elamites and residents of Mesopotamia Judea capid doia pontis Asia Persia pamilia Egypt and the districts of Libya around sirene and visitors from Rome both Jews and prosites Christians and Arabs we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty Deeds of God so this is what they were hearing now what’s going on here here we have you ever gone to a location where there was a new business starting and to get the attention of the people that lived beyond the local community the owners would rent these very big large powerful spotlights and they would Ro rotate them in different directions in the sky which could be seen for many miles away you ever see that letting people know that there’s a new business starting and that they were celebrating the grand opening of that business it always got my attention matter of fact it got my curiosity when I was a kid and what would you try to do you would try to go find where that light’s coming from right and that’s exactly what I did and that’s what you did too if either you walked there drove there you rode your bike there you want to find out what’s going on you felt the pool of wanting to follow the lights to see what was happening what was going on well that is what we see in the book of backs here that this is God’s grand opening for his church God is doing something new and at the Feast of Pentecost this is where the Lord in a sense turned on the spotlights and gets the attention of the men of Judea and all who lived in Jerusalem but not everyone responded favorably to what was happening some accused the Apostles of being drunk many did not believe and mocked just as Isaiah already said in Isaiah 28 and that Paul brings up in 1 Corinthians 14: 21- 22 and so what happens notice in verse 14 and 15 of Acts chapter 2 Paul really disproves the mockers and notice what it says verse 14 but or Peter I mean talk uh taking his stand with the 11 raised his voice and declared to them men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem let this be known to you and give heed to my words for these men are not drunk as you suppose for it is only the third hour of the day so why did Peter even address the mockers because the mockers were hearing something and they were hearing a Multiplicity of foreign languages being spoken at the same time so it did sound like gibberish so it it wasn’t far-fetched to accuse those who were speaking of being drunk with wine but in one authoritative swoop the preacher Peter says to these men these men are not drunk with wine for it is only 900 am.
in the morning no if you look at the scriptures in verse 16 it says but this what was spoken of through the prophet Joel that means approximately 622 years before this event Joel The Prophet told us this is going to take place and who was Joel he was one of the 12 Minor Prophets probably lived in the days of Uzziah and what was his message he declared the Terrible of God’s judgment he declared he denounced actually judgments against the enemies of God or the enemies of God’s people and he then he sets forth in Joel chapter 3 onward he sets forth the blessing that would come in the church when God would pour out his Spirit on the church and the church would be born now I need to go back to back up a bit and give you more of the background concerning in what is going on here and why the Lord decided to use the gift of languages the gift of tongues in at this particular time so the question I would really like to ask and answer is what is the purpose of the gift of tongues or languages so on the day of Pentecost God brought the church into existence and on that day the church exercised the gift of tongues for the first time in the presence of thousands of Jews who belonged to that generation and who had gathered to Jerusalem for many from many nations to observe the feasts there was more than one feast and during that time of year in particular it was the Feast of Pentecost so what was the message to the crowd that day well I’ll tell you what Peter wasn’t going to win people that liked him on that day after the tongue speaking had drawn the attention of the Jews to the tongue speakers Peter spoke to the crowd of Jews and said to them look at me and take heed what I say today that’s authoritative and notice in verse 14 of Acts chapter 2 it says he addressed these men of Israel but Peter taking his stand with the 11 raised his voice and declared to them men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem let this be known to you and give heed to my words look at verse number 22 he accused them of Killing Jesus he says in verse 22 Acts 2 Men of Israel listen to these words Jesus the Nazarene a man attested to you by God with Miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him in your midst just as you know you you yourselves know verse 23 this man delivered over by the predetermined plan and forn knowledge of God you nailed to the cross by the hands of Godless men and put him to death so he accused accused this these people of Killing Jesus and then verse number 40 he issues a warning concerning Judgment of Acts chapter 2 and with many other words he soundly testified and kept on exhorting them saying be saved from this perverse generation so therefore on the first day of the church’s existence the gift of tongues was associated with a concept of God’s judgment coming on the perverse generation of Jews who killed Jesus Christ So speaking in tongues or languages was a sign in other words God was turning on the spotlights so the miracle of speaking in a previously unlearned foreign language was given by God primarily as a symbol rather than as an aid in communicating with the hearers so here is the purpose of the gift of language for unbelieving Israel it was a sign of judgment and I must remind you that God regularly sent prophets to Israel to Proclaim to the people the word of the Lord but over and over and over again the people did not listen and they often AB used the prophets and even killed the prophets and because of that Isaiah 2811 this is what it says indeed I will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue and that expressed a principle that every generation of Jews to which God sends a prophet and then they reject him and they reject God’s word God would send judgment by forcing the people to listen to a foreign language of which they would not understand the ultimate Prophet spokesman which God would sent to Israel was his own son Jesus Christ and Jesus indicated often that he was a prophet where he even says to us in Luke oh Jerusalem Jerusalem the city that kills the prophets and Stones those sent to her Jesus also repeatedly claimed to be God’s spokesman all over the place he did that and Jesus said his words and his deeds would be greater than the Old Testament prophets in fact Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 18 said to the people listen God is going to send you a significant proph Prophet like me where it says there in Deuteronomy 18 the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you from among your countrymen you shall listen to him also Jesus in Matthew chapter 21 gave a parable specifically about the character of the nation of Israel to the leadership that he was speaking to at that time and jesus’ Parable remember was about the man who planted a Vineyard take your Bibles and turn there for a minute Matthew 21 verse 33-41 I just want you to take you through this real quick to get you to see the sense of what Jesus is saying here in this Parable in verse number 21 excuse me in Matthew 21 in verse number 33 says listen to another Parable there was a landowner who planted a Vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a Vine press in it and built a tower and rented it out to vine Growers and went on a journey verse four 3 34 when the Harvest Time approached he sent his slaves and to the vine Growers to receive his produce the vine Growers took his slaves and beat beat one and killed another and stoned a third verse 36 again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first and they did the same thing to them but afterward he sent his son to them saying they will respect my son verse 38 but when the vine Growers saw the son they said among themselves this is the heir come let us kill him and seize his inheritance verse 30 39 they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him and then verse 40 not notice what it says therefore when the owner of the Vineyard comes what will he do to those fine Growers Jesus asked the question look at verse 41 and he said to them he will bring those wretches to a wretched end and will rent out the vineyard to other Vine Growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper Seasons so who what’s going on here the owner of the vineyard represents God the vine The Vineyard represents God’s program of operation in the world and specifically God centered that program of operation primarily in the nation of Israel the tenant Farmers farmers who do they represent they represent the spiritual leaders of Israel and the owner’s servants represent God’s Old Testament prophets the spokesman for God and of course the owner son represents Jesus Christ so in Matthew chapter 21 if you notice in verse number 42 notice the ultimate Prophet spokesman whom God would send to Israel his own son Jesus Christ they rejected it says Jesus said to them verse 42 did you never read the scripture what a slap in the face that was to the nation of Israel to the teachers of Israel haven’t you read the Bible and then he says the stone which the builders rejected this became the Chief Cornerstone this came about from the Lord and it is marvelous in our eyes so in other words instead of continuing to Center his program on the nation of of Israel as his base of operation he would now Center it elsewhere and notice in verse number 43 of Matthew 21 therefore I say to you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing fruit of it that’s what Jesus is doing on Pentecost so Jesus warned that those who reject him and his message would be judged the generation of Jews which saw and heard him would be judged because they did the same thing that their ancestors did they killed God’s last prophet Jesus Christ therefore the gift of tongues in the New Testament Church functioned as a sign to that Wicked unbelieving generation of of Jews which had heard and seen Jesus Christ but then in the end they killed him so many did not believe and mocked just as Isaiah 28 told us in 1 Corinthians 14 he brings up this particular thing right in the middle of that passage in fact let’s turn there in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 he says he’s quoting Isaiah chapter 28 and this is what Isaiah 28 says indeed he will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue and when he does that it says they will not understand they will not listen but notice in 1 Corinthians 14 verse number 21 it says there in the law it is written by men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people and even so they will not listen to me says the Lord verse 22 so then tongues are a sign not for those who Bel who believe but to unbelievers but prophecy is for a sign not to unbelievers but to those who believe so you see who were the men of stammering lips and a foreign tongue at least in Isaiah in that time it was the Assyrians who spoke Assyrian so tongues was a Judicial sign to Israel because of Israel’s unbelief and the context of Isaiah 28 is set in the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah around 75701 BC the Assyrians invaded Palestine and had conquered and destroyed Israel that northern kingdom so so the prophet Isaiah admonished the leaders of Judah for their drunken ring and mocked him and Isaiah repi replied to that Mo mockery with a severe warning the Jews would not listen when God spoke to them in plain Hebrew so God would speak to them in a language they would not understand it was a judgment against them because of judah’s constant belief and the departure from the truth and from the faith God was going to bring upon her a judgment signaled by Languages by other tongues so the Lord long warned his people when he laid out before the people His blessings of obedience and his cursings of Disobedience and what were they as recorded in Deuteronomy the Lord will bring a nation against you from afar and the end of and and from the end of the Earth and the eagle will swoop down a nation whose language you shall not understand and Jeremiah said the same thing a nation whose language you do not know and you cannot understand what they’re saying so the warning and prophecy found its F fulfillment when the Babylonians conquered Judah in 8 586 BC and even greater judgment would come later against the nation in 70 AD when the temple was destroyed so Jesus himself said that behold your house is Left To You desolate and I say to you you will not see me see me until the time comes when you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord so in 70 add Titus the Roman sacked Jerusalem and killed 1,100,000 Jews scattering the rest of them all over the world it’s recorded in Luke’s Luke 21 is whenever it says Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies armies and they recognize that the Desolation is near and then he goes on to say in Luke and they will be led captive into all nations and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of Gentiles are fulfilled so the message to Israel was clear no longer would God confine himself to one people as a channel no longer would God operate his work of grace through one nation that speak one langu language their unbelief changed all that tongues then were the sign of removal of national blessing on Israel and God now would speak to All Nations and all languages so for Israel in general it was a sign that God the plan of God will now extend beyond them and that’s what the rest of the Prophet Joel said without going into the detail back in Acts chapter 2 if you f if you notice in verse number 16 he says in the last days and it shall be in the last days God says that I will pour forth my spirit and that’s exactly what he does on the day of Pentecost it was with the first coming of Jesus Christ that initiated the start of the last days that we have been in the last days for the last 2,000 plus years and the last days is that last period of the world which is ushered in by the first coming of Christ and continues to the second coming for judgment that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost also initiates the work of God as he wanted the church now to continue in it that particular work not Israel but all people groups that would come into the church that means during the this eror that God is continuing to bring Jew and Gentile into one body and that one body is called the church now we also know from Joel that that message will be a universal message of the Gospel that he will pour out his Spirit on All Mankind and then he also it will be also the universal universality of The Messengers of the Gospel who will they be and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams and even my bondslaves both men and women I will in those days pour forth my spirit so voicing the saving message of God will no longer roll off the lips of of Hebrews speaking prophets but the universal proclamation of the Gospel will come through a multiplicity of languages from every prep group on the earth and that’s what’s happening today we’re in it right now that God will call Gentiles to Salvation and at the same time will chasen Israel for her her unbelief and it’s clear from the passage of scriptures in Acts chapter 2 that the prediction of the Prophet Joel has not literally and fully been entirely F fulfilled for he tells us there that Joel’s prophecy in its ultimate fulfillment seems to be relating to the a future time known as the day of the Lord where there will be one Spirit baptism outpouring for the church beginning at Pentecost and another Spirit out pouring for the Jewish and Gentile believers who are alive during the day of the Lord in other words from the day of Pentecost until the Rapture the church will become the focus of God’s operation here on Earth and after the Rapture the nation of Israel will become will once again come back into Center Circle in the tribulation part of the day of the Lord the Israelites will turn to their Messiah and receive him whom they have pierced and the kingdom will be restored to Israel and then we see that the next thing that happens is the promise of a sure Harvest of souls for the kingdom will come that will be the climax so let me remind you that when you’re reading through the book of Acts you see that the gospel goes to uh it goes to the Jews it goes to the Samaritans it goes to the Gentiles and every one of those group they receive the truth of the word of God and they speak in languages because everywhere the Jews are found in the world God is proclaiming to them this is a sign against you for your unbelief and so it was clear no matter where you went in the world God’s program was changing in this transition error the ultimate for all people will be found in Jesus Christ so all will come and have to hear the gospel to believe in Jesus Christ as their lord and savior so the purpose of the gift of languages as a sign to the Jews is no longer needed and hasn’t been since Jerusalem was was destroyed in 70 AD the conclusion should not be looked at as limiting the Holy Spirit but as true to the teaching of the spirit and a more accurate understanding of the nature and the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit so that is the historical background for this gift of tongues now the question comes up okay what’s going on in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 so I’d like you to to turn there even though I’m not doing a verse by verse I just want to remind you that if you think of the book of Corinthians you have to understand this that probably it was one of the most messed up churches of all the churches because if you read Corinthians what is Paul doing he’s correcting the vision that they have amongst each other he’s correcting their carnality he’s addressing the adultery in the congregation he he’s saying you guys are going to court with each other so they have lawsuits against each other why are you doing that and then they they’re abuse of the Lord’s table some people were dying because of that and some even denied the resurrection in in chapter 15 so there’s a lot of problems going on in the congregation at First Corinthians so what we see we see the Corinthians abuse of the gift of tongues see it needed to be examined again it needed to be held in check there needed to be checks and balances in the church so the Corinthian Church was a place of carnality it was a it was a place of extremism it was a place of clicks of Do Your Own Thing philosophy which became a hot bit of confusion and right in the beginning of the epistle Paul was concerned about their baby Faith right here in actually chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians and verse 10-13 this is what he says to them he says I I exhort you Brethren by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you but that you be made complete in the same mind in the same judgment for I have seen I have been informed concerning you my brethren by Khloe’s people that you there are quarrels among you now I mean this that each one of you is saying I am of Paul I am of Apollos I of sephus I of Christ and then he questions them and he says has Christ been divided Paul was not crucified for you was he or were you baptized in the name of Paul so in other words there was immaturity there was confusion in the church and Paul is writing to correct them about their misuse of the gift of tongues that tongues were being used incorrectly in the church so if you use it incorrectly you will do harm and not good historically Corinthians was in the first century had a fair amount of mystery religions who made wide use of tongues as a static speech un un a speech that could not be understood no one could understand it it was a kind of a babbling and the Corinthians had apparently corrupted the gift of tongues by using the estatic counterfeit the Apostle Paul was writing to correct their Mis misuse of the gift of tongues and in 1 Corinthians Chapter 14 verse number two which before I read it this is not a commendation to the Corinthians but a condemnation to them and he uses satire when he says in verse number two for one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God for no one understands but in his Spirit he speaks Mysteries now the absence of the definite article in the original Greek it can be translated a god referring to a pagan deity or if translated he speaks to God is Not Meant to as an encouragement to do that it only points out that it is only God who can understand in the assembly and remember gifts were not to be ministered to God but for God because it was always to build up and so remember it’s the church is always to be edifying each other in verse number five of 1 Corinthians 14 it says now I wish that you all spoke in tongues but even more that you would prophesy and greater is one who prophets who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues unless he interprets so that the church may receive edifying what Paul writes now I wish that you all spoke in tongues this is a wish that will never come true for he already taught that God’s God purposely did not give the gift of tongues to everyone and then we also know that all do not have the gift of healings 1 Corinthians 12:30 do they all do not speak in tongues do they so this is hyperbole it’s exaggeration to make a point in order to remove any doubt about his feelings about the gift of languages he was not against the true gift of language the Apostle Paul tongues are from God he was concerned about the abuse of the gift and so what how are they abusing this gift of tongues there these gifts were being used for selfish ego building as you see in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse number four it says one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself but the one who prophesies edifies I the church see the Apostle Paul already used the same Greek word in 1 Corinthians 8:10 to refer to the wrong use of edification where he says in that chapter for if someone sees you who have knowledge dining in an Idol’s Temple will not his conscience if he is weak be strengthened that’s be edified to eat things sacrificed to Idols he’s saying that’s the wrong use of this particular word so remember that all spiritual gifts are not for personal use but for the building up of the church and then in 1 Corinthians 14:1 16 And1 17 otherwise if you bless in the spirit only how will the one who fills the place of the gifted say the amen at your giving of thanks since he does not know what you are saying for you are giving thanks well enough but the other person is not edified so the whole point is that prophecy or speaking in languages that could be understood as Superior than what a language that you didn’t study and then you uh communicate and then someone has to of course interpret in other words what Paul is saying is that the tongue speaker was being selfish ignoring the rest of the people of the congregation so the point the message of God must be understood by the mind in order to have any kind of value at all anything that was gibberish or estatic that couldn’t be understood couldn’t edify the church and therefore could not be understood by the mind that was used less if someone speaks in a foreign language with no one to interpret no one can understand no one will learn anything no one will be built up in the faith so in other words tongues there was a principle of no confusion in the church it’s God doing things decently in an order where tongues were to be assigned to unbelief Believers in verse 22 tongues were to be used for the edification of the church verse 26 no more than three people in the assembly were to speak in tongues during the service and then each in turn verse 27 there was to be no speaking in tongues unless they should be interpreted see there’s no profit apart from interpretation there’s no under understanding what God was communicating apart from interpretation any confusion or disorder in the Assembly of of Believers was an indication of something that did not originate from God in verse 33 for God is not a god of confusion but of Peace as in all the churches of the Saints also in the Apostolic Church women were to keep silent and not to speak in tongues that the women in verse number number 34 are to keep silent in the churches for they are not permitted to speak but are to be subject are to subject themselves just as the law also says So Silent submission the women is not to have an authoritative voice in the Christian Assembly also the recognize these regulations were a recognition of the command of God verse number 37 I write to you what I write to you are the Lord Commandments even he says in verse number 78 listen even lifeless things expect a sensible sound if you hear a harp you expect it to give a sound that you could understand that you could relate to if somebody is going to blow a trumpet and call people to war you want to make sure that the trumpeter knows the right t uh right noise to communicate through that trumpet so they would gather for war so that the Christian Christian truth cannot be communicated through meaningless sounds you have to know what it says you have to hear it and understand it so if it’s not able to be understood if it’s not done orderly it was just fleshly in maturity so they abused it they abused the gift now fourth thing I want to say that is the cessation of tongues in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 so turn back there and I want you to notice in verse number 8 through1 there’s a very temporary nature of the gift of tongues for it says in verse number eight love never fail but if there are Gifts of Prophecy they will be done away if there are tongues they will cease if there is knowledge it will be done away for we know in part and we prophesy in part but when the perfect comes the partial will be done away now the whole context of chapter 13 is really the superiority of love love has an eternal durab ability to it love will will never fail that is used in contrast with the gift of Prophecy and tongues and knowledge these will fall short but love won’t so again looking at that passage if there are Gifts of Prophecy they will be done away meaning what that prophecy is the oral communication of God’s truth before the books of Canon were written WR we have here that it is in a the passive here that means that um and then also in where knowledge is concerned it will be done away too that means that it will be rendered inoperative something is going to act in order to stop prophecy and knowledge but if you notice a different word used uh for tongues tongues will cease that is the middle voice and of course the middle voice the subject participates in the result of the action indicating that tongues will die out of its own accord the gift of tongues would cease before the gift of Prophecy and knowledge so scripture tells us us something is going to abolish prophecy and knowledge for it says for we know in part and we prophesy in part but when the perfect comes the partial will be done away so prophecy and knowledge will be acted upon by some other force and they will be done away so in our passage the other force is the perfect thing it will cause prophecy and knowledge to be inoperative while the gift of tongues will cease by itself before the perfect thing now that is why we we see tongues kind of disappearing from the text after verse number eight while the reference of Prophecy and knowledge go on now you you have to ask the question what does it mean when when the perfect comes well the perfect can be translated also that which is finished or something complete or something mature it’s not actually talking about absolute perfection well there’s many suggestions as to what this means the perfect thing some say it’s the maturing Church others the Rapture others the second coming others the Eternal State and some the completetion of the canyon of scripture so when that which is perfect is come which is in the neuter it is not the masculine so it probably is not talking about Jesus Christ I think the strongest interpretation is either the Eternal state where the new Heaven and the earth created after the kingdom in the millennial Kingdom there will be uh be there will be prophesying and teaching and a worldwide by an increase of knowledge as somebody’s holds to that where Old Testament Believers will be at the first resurrection for Christians will be at death or the Rapture it seems to follow things but I I I don’t I don’t lean to that I think the interpret the correct interpretation for this would be the completion of the cannon of scripture because we know in part as it says in the text and we preach in part that the gift of tongue was a revelatory gift in its nature it was revelatory and when the revelation of God was complete tongues ceased right we we uh before the completion of scriptures Christians saw themselves as imperfect like it says in Corinthians looking at a polished mirror you couldn’t see everything in the mirror but with the full revelation of God’s word everything became clear everything became clear so when the New Testament was finally complete prophecy and knowledge were rendered inoperative therefore it’s talking about the coming revelation of God which was the entirety of the Bible we have today a complete mature revelation all God wants us to know has been revealed right in the written word and if we contrast that with what he said in 1 Corinthians 13 now faith hope love abide these three but the greatest of these is love here is the contrast that these three abide Through the Ages those three tongues prophecy knowledge do not last through the age that prophecies and knowledge become inoperative with the completion of the revelation of God that he was giving to the church which is the whole Bible so because of that I believe that the gift of tongues had already ceased once the word of God in about 98 ad was complete and then you don’t see that uh that use of it for many hundred and hundreds of years never recorded in history so I know that was a lot but I felt I wanted to do it one time but let me just give you some concluding remarks and observations today tongues is not like the first century it’s not like the first century gift what is practiced as the gift of tongues in many churches today would not likely not be accepted by most of the church as the true gift of tongues practiced in the first century the ecstatic utterances predominantly heard in the Pentecostal and charismatic circles today was not typically equated with the Bible’s description of the gift of tongues so then you would have to ask well what’s going on then today tongues also in a prayer closet experience Bears no resemblance of the gift charismatics still commonly practice tongues as a private prayer language some assert that tongues is a prayer language to God and not meant to be spoken to others in the church they claim it is meant to edify the speaker privately however that contradicts the entire teaching of 1 Corinthians chap 12-4 which stress love and edification as the reason of the exercise of spiritual gifts edifying self is not the proper application of spiritual gifts any spiritual gift that is spiritual gifts are not the private edification but edification of the whole body is the goal of all spiritual gifts I had a good friend Pastor Tom leak went through Seminary with um when people used to ask him is the gift of tongues for today it’s still going on he would say well if it is going on then it’s going on but then he said however if all that is going on today in churches is the expression of various ecstatic sounds rattling off something highly emotional and nonsensical than all that is being heard is a cheap imitation of the real gift of the spirit it is not the real speaking in tongues so no matter how much someone claims it is going on it isn’t and they should stop claiming it likewise it is not wrong to forbid to speak in ecstatic utterances since it is not the true spiritual gift end quote and just a note if God makes an exception and gives some missionary the power to speak in a foreign language to communicate the gospel for the first time to a new group of people that is not a defense of the con continuity of the gift the exception actually proves the rule that the gift has largely ceased God still heals people today but that does does not mean the gift of healing from one person has continued because God may choose to do something periodically is not the same as the outpouring of the gift in the first century it’s just not so the gift of tongues for the purpose it was originally given has ceased if the New Testament teaches by precept and occurrence that this particular sign gift is not intended to be to be the continuing experience of the church we dare not ignore the weight of Biblical teaching and must presume presume that it is no longer in effect if you just go through the scriptures you find in Romans chapter 12 where Paul deals with the gifts of the Spirit the gift of tongues is not mentioned nor our sign gifts Ephesians chapter 4 where it talks about being filled with the spirit of God and living a spiritful life where he names the gifted men whom the Risen Christ had given to the church the gifts of tongues is not mentioned nor are the sign gifts in 2 Corinthians after First Corinthians the gift of tongues is not mentioned nor the sign gives in Galatians the gift of tongues is not mentioned nor are sign gifts Colossians is silent Philippians is silent second Thessalonians carries no account or command of Miracles healings and tongues second Thessalonians does mention the at the End of the Age signs and lying wonders after the working of Satan Jude warns us about false teachers and their teaching but nothing about the gift of son tongu nor signed gifts same as James and other places in scripture so if I just look at the scriptural evidence in my personal scripturally informed conclusion which is I believe based on sound Theology and historical gramar grammatical interpretation of the word of God I do not believe that the modern day tongues moving does belong in the church today it does not square with scripture nor does it unify the body therefore I do not see it as a work of God that exalts and honors Jesus Christ what is happening today is a far cry from what happened in the first century church so this telegraphic generation along with wrong teaching breeds people seeking more seeking estatic experiences as tongues but when these things are placed up against a historical grammatical examination they fail to support that tongues are operative today they fail to support it it’s actually contrary so with all that said that if you go back to scripture it’s hard to make a defense that’s what’s happening today is scriptural I have to leave it there let’s pray Lord this morning as we consider this subject and as we consider what’s happening today Lord from your word don’t see any evidence that it it is something that should have been continued so Lord somewhere down the line it crept in to the church and it is taken over many places as a high priority that even people say that if you don’t even speak in this tongue that you’re not even saved so Lord I pray that today would be a day of gathering the information from scripture that would cause us to make a sound biblical decision on whether these continue today these gifts or that they have passed off the scene as not being operative and even tongues having ceased not being useful for the edification of the church today because because we have the full revelation of God’s word so Lord please allow us to think through these things as we are informed as Christians not to be ignorant of what is happening all around us and I pray that you would just help us to continue to study continue to grow in the faith so Lord we understand the scriptures as they’re written and I pray this in Christ name amen let’s Stand Together