SUMMER QUARTER SUNDAY SCHOOL 2014
THEME: PRIORITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD
Unit II – Living as a Community of Believers
“A CALL FOR ORDER IN THE ASSEMBLY…AT PUBLIC WORSHIP”
Sunday School Lesson No. IX – July 27, 2014
Presented by Rev. Frank A. Davis, III
Lesson Text: I Corinthians 14:13-26
Motto Text: I Corinthians 14:26, 33 (NLT) – “Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you…For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.”
Required Reading: I Corinthians 13 – 14
Reliable Resources: Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament; Standard Lesson Commentary; Union Gospel Press Expositor and Illuminator; MacArthur Study Bible Notes; Libronix Electronic Library; The Authentic Christian Life, I Corinthians by David Jeremiah; Life Application Bible Commentary by Tyndale House
LESSON INTRODUCTION
Beloved, as we conclude our study in I Corinthians, we examine thoughts from Chapter 14. Paul has answered several questions from this spiritually gifted, inquiring church. It appears that the immaturity of the members of the church at Corinth led them to be wise in their own minds, selfish at times, having spiritual knowledge without the exercise of discipline and Agapé (unconditional love as that of God). Read I Corinthians 13.
One of the gifts they practiced was the ability to speak in languages that one had never studied. It has been deemed “speaking in tongues.” Now from the days of the prophets Isaiah and Joel (Isa. 28; Joel 2) the prophets declared that Jehovah would use languages and prophecy to speak to Israel. These two prophets would speak the words of hope and of judgment to Israel. Now according to the book of Acts, Chapter 2, the Good News of redemption was heard from the mouths of redeemed men to those who were not yet redeemed. And when Israel heard the mouths of unlearned redeemed men speak languages and even dialects they had never been taught, it brought about unity, fellowship, salvation and joy to its hearers who would receive the message. (Read Acts 2:5-13). This fulfilled the promise from the prophets. Now the Gentile church at Corinth years later exercised their many spiritual gifts throughout their fellowship, and “speaking in tongues” became a highly coveted and practiced gift. Paul teaches us to examine it for its relevance to be practiced in the assembly of the saints without proper interpretation, for without interpretation came more confusion than edification to the believers.
Our lesson seeks to call for the orderly use of this gift by the saints. He teaches how best to use spiritual gifts in the public assembly in worship with one accord and without confusion.
Let us examine my Anticipated Power Points as we “Call for Order in the Assembly… at Public Worship”:
· The Preference of our Presentation in the Assembly. I Corinthians 14:1-5
· The Profit of our Presentation in the Assembly. I Corinthians 14:6-11
· The Point of our Presentation in the Assembly. I Corinthians 14:12-19
· The Purpose of our Presentation in the Assembly. I Corinthians 14:20-26
OUTLINE
I. The Preference of our Presentation in the Assembly. I Corinthians 14:1-5
According to Dr. David Jeremiah, “I Cor. 14 deals with two subjects: tongues and prophecy…Both were present in the early church experience from the Day of Pentecost through the founding of the church.
In the first five verses Paul says that among the sign gifts, prophesying is first and speaking in tongues is second. Prophesying takes priority over tongue-speaking. Why? Because of the one who is addressed. Tongues, as exercised in Corinth, was praise and prayer and thanksgiving. It was always addressed to God. It wasn’t understood by others because it was spoken in a language they didn’t understand. So unless an interpreter was there to explain the praise and prayer, it was not edifying to the church (assembly). That’s why Paul said prophesying takes precedence over tongues. Everyone understands prophecy…According to verse 5, prophesying benefits the whole church. Tongues benefits only one person.”
II. The Profit of our Presentation in the Assembly. I Corinthians 14:6-11
What good is anything to the Assembly if it is not understood? As a bugler who sends signals to a deaf soldier, it does no good. Or the notes of a song played out of order will only be noise and discord. So Paul describes the need for order to profit the Assembly. Tongues must always have interpretation in the public Assembly, otherwise no one is edified but the speaker and not the Assembly, so the speaker could have spoken only to himself. NO INTERPRETER, NO PROFIT!!!
III. The Point of our Presentation in the Assembly. I Corinthians 14:12-19
It is exclusively for the edification of the Assembly and for the glorification of God. God is not against tongue speaking, but not in the Assembly without proper interpretation, because what happens in the public worship should be a blessing to all who are in attendance. Keep it simple and humble. Verse 16 again emphasizes the public Assembly is the place for all to glorify the Lord and be edified. In verses 17-19, Paul’s personal testimony and admonition was, though he had the grasp of several languages (tongues), he understood that in order to edify the saints and glorify the Lord, he’d rather speak 5 words that could build the Assembly, than 10,000 words that did not edify the other worshippers in the room (.0005%, which is almost immeasurable)!
IV. The Purpose of our Presentation in the Assembly. I Corinthians 14:20-26
We should exercise our spiritual maturity in righteousness over our carnal immaturity in unrighteousness. The Corinthian church was “immature in the Lord but mature in the ways of the world. Paul wanted them to be just the opposite.” (Dr. David Jeremiah). Paul’s ultimate goal was that when the church is in assembly, the focus should be on glorifying God and the edification of all worshippers, even those who are visiting the worship. Keep it simple enough for a child to hear the truth, receive the truth and for God’s sake, act on the truth! We don’t assemble to show off, but we show up to honor our Lord, grow in His Word, and take some others to Heaven with us. Make it plain that the hearer of the Word would be convicted by the Word and Spirit to repent and follow Jesus.
CLOSING
Remember in the Assembly, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God!” Above all, let everything be done decently and in an orderly way in the Assembly, and that all will see and hear Christ alone.
Bibleway Missionary Baptist Church, New Orleans, LA and Little Bethel Baptist Church, Amite, LA
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Looking Ahead: August 3, 2014 II Corinthians 1:3-11
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I love you and may God bless you,
Pastor Frank A. Davis, III
The Sunday School Teacher