(#071) 1 Corinthians 14 - The Successful Christian is a Master of Self-Control
Our guidance is in the best hands when we live as doulos in Christ.
Welcome To
BARAH MINISTRIES
a Christian Church
Rory Clark
Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. Welcome to this Bible lesson! Who is Jesus Christ? At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that Jesus Christ is God. Colossians, Chapter 2 Verse 9 makes it clear…
COLOSSIANS 2:9
For in Jesus Christ, all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form…
The Bible refers to Jesus in so many ways…He is the Messiah…He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…He is the King of Israel…He is the Alpha and the Omega…He is the GREAT I AM…He is the Sovereign God of the Universe…He is the Light of men, and in Him, there is no darkness at all. It is a pleasure and a blessing to worship the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD.
Why does Barah Ministries exist? At Barah Ministries, we make a
difference by teaching the Word of God, Verse-by-Verse, from God’s perspective and not from man’s perspective. We are Christians and we have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord through the study of His Word.
SECOND PETER 3:14
Therefore…beloved (divinely loved believers in Christ)…while you look for a new heaven and a new earth to come from God…keep on being diligent to be found by Him in peace…spotless…and blameless…
SECOND PETER 3:15
…and regard the patience of our Lord as His desire for you to come to salvation…just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you (letters that became Biblical)…
SECOND PETER 3:16
…as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these same things…in which letters are some things that are hard to understand…which the untaught and unstable distort, just as they distort the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
The Bible is not just a bunch of stories…it has no contradictions…it is the absolute truth. Just because it is hard to understand does not mean it is confusing. It may just be that you are easily deceived! The Bible requires effort on your part to learn! We implore you to always compare what is taught here at Barah Ministries to what the Bible says. That’s not just an invitation, it’s a responsibility!
Who is God’s enemy? It’s Satan, whom God made ‘the ruler of this world.’ In John, Chapter 12, Verse 31, the Lord says…
JOHN 12:31
“Now judgment is upon this world…now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out (he will be dethroned at a future time).”
Satan exists. He is a creature. He is not a “symbol of evil.” He is not a concept. He isn’t a cartoon character with a red epidermis and a pitchfork. He is a perfect, gorgeous, well-dressed, former officer angel, and a brilliant genius. The sad thing is Satan is an impostor…a creature who pretends to be as powerful as God to deceive others for his own fraudulent gain.
Satan encourages you to reject the idea of God, which is called atheism… saying there is no God…and Satan encourages you to reject the idea that anyone can be clear about God…agnosticism…claiming the “mysteries of God can’t be known.” God is not mysterious. He is crystal clear and always predictable in His approach to the human race. If not for God’s protective power, we would be defenseless against Satan.
Satan's purpose is to ruin your life. His strategy against the human race is
religion. He deceives people into following false teachers and gets them to worship false gods. The spiritual life is warfare, and your soul is the battleground. As believers in Christ, we follow the Lord’s suggestion in Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 10…
MATTHEW 4:10
Then Jesus said to Satan, “Get out of her Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
Amen?
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON
The Successful Christian is a Master of Self-Control
LESSON INTRODUCTION
Christianity is a great name for the discipline of which we are a part… mainly because it begins with the most important word in any language… CHRIST.
The mistake many people make, including Christians, when they think about Christianity is that it’s something we perfect through human effort. It's similar to what people think about losing weight … "I really want to lose weight but I don't have the self-discipline to do it." That's a lie. If you have the self-discipline to put a piece of cake in your mouth, then you have the self-discipline to replace it with a salad.
Fortunately, Christianity doesn’t require self-discipline. God would never entrust something as amazing as Christianity to people who are described this way by James in his letter…Chapter 4, Verse 14…
JAMES 4:14b
You are just a vapor (a mist…a puff of steam) that appears for a little while (here on earth) and then vanishes away.
The mastery required to be a successful Christian is produced by God the Holy Spirit. He places into us a single unity of thought…called the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT…as detailed in Galatians, Chapter 5, Verses 22 and 23…
GALATIANS 5:22
…the fruit of the Spirit is unconditional love, joy, and peace (in yourself) …patience, kindness, and goodness (toward others) …
GALATIANS 5:23
…faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (in our relationship with God)… against these virtues there is no (prohibition of) law.
Therefore, as Christians, we simply enjoy God the Holy Spirit’s work in us… =Ephesians, Chapter 5, Verse 18…
EPHESIANS 5:18
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation (the behavior of a person who is out of control)…instead, keep on being filled with the Spirit (the behavior of a person controlled by the Spirit…
The Holy Spirit impregnates us with qualities that defy human understanding. We treat ourselves and others in ways that astound the human logic that seems to be called for in a situation. When we are filled with the Spirit, we reflect God’s qualities, the fruit of the Spirit, to the whole human race.
In today's lesson, we close a three-chapter passage where the apostle Paul has been encouraging members of the first-century church at Corinth to avoid the misuse of spiritual gifts. He concludes his argument by telling them how to use spiritual gifts in public worship services. How are Christians to behave in public worship services? We are to manifest the fruit of the Spirit!
SONG INTRODUCTION
We often overestimate human power…here’s an example in Mark, Chapter 9, Verse 24…
MARK 9:24
Immediately the boy’s father…whose son was possessed by a demon…cried out and said, “Lord I believe…help my unbelief.”
Our power is limited. God’s power is unlimited. Over time, God the Holy Spirit changes us. He teaches us to use God’s power in every circumstance. Until then we cry out for help from God with words like the ones in our opening song…CHANGE MY HEART O GOD.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
CHANGE MY HEART O GOD
Maranatha! Praise Band
<INSERT VERSES HERE>
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
CHANGE MY HEART O GOD
Maranatha! Praise Band
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father, thank you for being delighted when you see the success and prosperity of Your righteous ones…Your believers in Christ…thank you for not giving us what we deserve…instead, we thank you for giving us the mercy and grace and forgiveness and unconditional love that is in the very fiber of Your very being… thank you for showing us over and over again that You are for us, therefore no one can be successful against us…
…give us Your attitude toward those who dig a pit for our souls…our enemies…encourage us to be like You, not want our enemies to get what they deserve…cared for our enemies with Your mercy and grace…help us understand the difference between those who are on our side and those who are not…remind us, that no matter how we bend to the will of those who are against us, they will simply levy a new set of demands against us…let us see their efforts with spiritual eyes and help us to turn them over to Your care…
…we ask this through the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON
The Successful Christian is a Master of Self-Control
Christians master self-control when we let God the Holy Spirit do the work in our lives. That's the encouragement and instruction the apostle Paul directs toward the believers in the first-century Corinthian church. He wants them to follow God's instructions in the matter of using their spiritual gifts.
In First Corinthians, Chapters 12 to 14, the apostle Paul is answering a question that has been posed by Chloe’s people. Some believers in the Corinthian congregation were claiming to be more spiritual than others because of their spiritual gift. These "spiritual elite" wanted others to know that because their spiritual gift was a communication gift, the gift of tongues for example, that their gift was better. First Corinthians, Chapter 12, Verse 1…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 12:1
NOW CONCERNING the "spiritually gifted ones"…(the spiritual elite)… brethren (believers in Christ)…I do not want you to be ignorant (of how to handle them since you're so smart and so knowledgeable).
In the final part of Chapter 14, the apostle Paul sums up the instruction he has been giving the Corinthian believers for the last ten or so lessons of our study. Let’s take a look at the passage and then we’ll study it verse-by-verse…First Corinthians, Chapter 14, Verses 26 to 40…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:26
What is the outcome then (in public worship), brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:27
If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and
each in turn…and one must interpret…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:28
…if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:29
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:30
But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:31
For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:32
…and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:33
…for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:34
The women are to keep silent in the churches…for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:35
If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:36
Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:37
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:38
But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:39
Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:40
But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.
When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll study the passage verse-by-verse.
FIVE MINUTE BREAK
NOBODY
Casting Crowns
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON
The Successful Christian is a Master of Self-Control
Believers in Christ in the first-century church had each other’s back in the matter of giving. Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 32 says…
ACTS 4:32
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and of one soul…and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own…but all things were common property to them.
They were not socialists…they didn’t believe in the redistribution of wealth…they simply looked out for each other. Acts, Chapter 4, Verses 34 and 35 say…
ACTS 4:34
For there was not a needy person among them…for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales…
ACTS 4:35
…and lay them at the apostles' feet, and the proceeds would be distributed
to each as any had need.
Thank you for giving to Barah Ministries so we can look out for those who want to learn the Word of God free of charge…those who have need all around the world. We’re looking forward to the day when the impact of our giving can be even greater. Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING
Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
EPHESIANS 4:31-32
Let all bitterness and rage and anger and brawling and slander, and ill will (malice) be put away from you.
OFFERING VERSE
EPHESIANS 4:32
Instead, keep on being kind to one another…keep on being compassionate to one another…and keep on forgiving each other…just as God the Father in Christ also has forgiven you.
OFFERING SONG
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
Don Moen
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON
The Successful Christian is a Master of Self-Control
In the final section of First Corinthians 14, the apostle Paul offers guidelines for public worship. If you have ever been to a Pentecostal church service, it is all over the place! The services are complete chaos…singing, praying, shouting, raising hands, begging, kneeling…anything for participants to whip themselves into an ecstatic frenzy of pretending worship. If I'm being judgmental. I'd say that High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) began as a Pentecostal church service. J You have to be in shape to be a Pentecostal.
Paul has a different recommendation! Instead of showing off…instead of making public worship an elitist competition…what should unified believers in Christ led by the Spirit do? That’s how Paul concludes this three-chapter passage…First Corinthians, Chapter 14, Verse 26…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:26
What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, whether you have a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation (to contribute to worship)…let all things be done for edification.
Paul instructs the believers in Corinth to worship in a way that is not chaotic…to worship in a way that is others-focused, thus considerate…and to worship in a way that builds up everyone in the worship service, believers and unbelievers alike, instead of individualistic, selfish, ego-driven "my spiritual gift is better than your spiritual gift" conduct. Public worship is best when it has a protocol. What is protocol?
PROTOCOL
A set of guidelines governing a procedure
What is your spiritual gift? Do you use it to build others up in your church?
Success is defined by restriction…SELF CONTROL. Here are the public worship restrictions Paul suggests…First Corinthians, Chapter 14, Verses 27 and 28…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:27
If anyone wishes to speak in tongues (in a public worship service), it should be spoken by two people or at the most three…and each in turn…and afterward someone must interpret…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:28
…but if there is no interpreter, the one who speaks in tongues must keep silent in the church…instead, let him speak to himself and to God.
“Keep silent” in Greek literately means “hold your tongue” … no pun intended! Too much charisma spoils the broth! J Paul is saying that if people speak in tongues in public worship, the message must be understandable to all…the way this happens is through someone with the spiritual gift of interpretation. Paul also encourages the public worship service to be absent of the ecstasy, the frenzy, and the uncontrolled emotion that is typical of the gift of tongues being expressed in services.
In the matter of the spiritual gift of prophecy, Paul concludes in First Corinthians, Chapter 14, Verses 29 to 32…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:29
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others appraise what is said.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:30
But if a revelation (from God) is made to another who is seated in the public assembly, the first prophet speaking must keep silent (deferring to the new speaker).
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:31
For you can ALL prophesy one by one…so that ALL may learn and ALL may be exhorted…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:32
…and the spirits of prophets are to be controlled by the prophets…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:33
…for God the Father is not a God of confusion (a God of disorder and chaos) … He is a God of peace…and in all the churches of the saints (His Spirit is producing fruit).
Paul concludes by addressing a problem that was happening in the Corinthian congregation…the conduct of married women in the church. It’s the second time he addresses the issue. First Corinthians, Chapter 14, Verses 34 to 40…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:34
The (married) women are to keep silent in the churches (to hold their tongues)…for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Mosaic Law also says.
Not only were they not covering their heads in church, as Paul addressed earlier in the letter…at times they were embarrassing their husbands.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:35
If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their OWN husbands at home… for it is improper for a woman to speak in church (in a way that might shame her husband or cause him to lose face).
Now lest you men think you are special…Paul addresses it…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:36
Was it from you (men) that the word of God first went forth (no…it was from God)? Or has it come to you (men) only?
No! So women are a valuable part of the worship service. Paul makes it clear that the direction he is providing are God’s thoughts, not his.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:37
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:38
But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:39
Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:40
But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.
Protocol.
It has to be obvious to us in this last section of the passage that God is not a respecter of gender. He would never intimate, in any way, that women are inferior to men. They are not. So when women get their backs up about gender, ignoring the protocol in God’s plan, it is Satan inspired.
Paul’s whole point in the matter of public worship is that it should edify all who attend, it should be organized and not chaotic…and it should avoid conduct unbecoming of a Christian. According to Paul, he best public worship services are peace inspiring…a sentiment the apostle James echos in James, Chapter 3, Verses 16 and 17…
JAMES 3:16
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist (like spiritual elitism)…there is disorder and every evil thing.
This is the Corinthians public worship service and their approach to Christianity!
JAMES 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first pure…then peaceable…gentle… reasonable…full of mercy and good fruits…unwavering…without hypocrisy.
Amen?
Two chapters to go in First Corinthians! We’ll pick up our study of Chapter 15 after the Resurrection Day service next week.
GOD WANTS YOU!
Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
GOD WANTS YOU!
Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
If you don’t yet have a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you have the chance to be precious in God’s sight…Psalm 116, Verse 15 says…
PSALM 116:15
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones (His saints… believers in Christ).
The fact that GOD WANTS YOU is a great thing to know as you get older because there will be a day when it is apparent to you that no one gets out of this life alive. What's going to happen to you when you close your eyes in this life? Will you go to heaven or will you go to hell?
God has an enemy…Satan…the ruler of this world…and he has distorted Christianity by creating counterfeits to Christianity…religions…designed to mislead you into thinking you’re saved when you might not be. Roman Catholicism is one of those counterfeits. Here is an excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church…
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (Paragraph 2010)
Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can MERIT FOR OURSELVES AND FOR OTHERS the graces needed for our sanctification…
Through religion, Satan wants you to think you can work your way to heaven…he wants you to think you can earn your own salvation…and he wants you to think you can pray for the dead to help them earn salvation. He's lying. Hebrews, Chapter 9, Verse 27…
HEBREWS 9:27
…it is appointed (by God) for men to die once…and after physical death comes judgment (God’s evaluation) …
You can’t work for salvation. Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6 says…
ROMANS 11:6
But if salvation is by grace, and of course it is, it is no longer on the basis of your works…otherwise grace (as a free gift from the source of God) is no longer grace (free).
If you have to work for a free gift then the work makes you deserve the gift. In salvation, there is no work you could do that is impressive enough to God to let you save yourself.
The Lord provides us with the Bible to illuminate the path to heaven…John, Chapter 20, Verse 31…
JOHN 20:31
…these things written in the Bible have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (The Jewish Messiah) … the Son of God (in human form) … and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life in His name.
The Bible contains the Lord’s exact thinking. It is your “owner’s manual”
for life, and it obliterates the delusion that any of us are good people in God’s eyes. The Bible says we’re all “bad people!” Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23 says…
ROMANS 3:23
…all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…
ROMANS 3:10
…it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one…”
First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a
…all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human being) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
Your condition at physical birth IS NOT YOUR FAULT, but it is your circumstance.
The good news is that the Lord Jesus Christ did something about your problem…He has a plan for your life because He doesn’t want anyone to go to The Lake of Fire…Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 says…
SECOND PETER 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of...instead He is patient toward unbelievers…not wishing for any to perish (in the Lake of Fire) but for all to come to repentance (a voluntary change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
So, how can you get to heaven? Right where you sit, RIGHT NOW, you can tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the moment of eternal life for you. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
The ONE WAY…the ONLY WAY to get to heaven is through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ…John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
JOHN 14:6
Jesus said to the doubting apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation), and I am the truth (through the Word of God), and I am the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”
Who is this God who saves you? The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3
For I (Paul) delivered to you as of first importance the gospel message I also received… that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Scriptures…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4
…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Scriptures…
Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgment that you can't do a thing
to get to heaven on your own. It's your confirmation that being “a good person” does not get you to heaven.
It's wise to let God save you because once God does something, He never changes His mind. John, Chapter 10, Verse 28 says…
JOHN 10:28
“…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ, and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
You can’t lose your salvation. If ANYONE tells you that you can lose your salvation, they are lying to you.
So, heed the warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36
“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
You can join me and a host of your believer friends in heaven when you close your eyes in this life! Choose it now! Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
SONG INTRODUCTION
The Word of God is filled with promises from God concerning what He will do for us in times of trouble…among them Psalm 50, Verse 15 where the Lord says…
PSALM 50:15
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble…I shall rescue you…and you will honor Me.”
June Murphy tells us what the Word of God does for us in her song YOUR WORD TAKES ME!
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
YOUR WORD TAKES ME
June Murphy
<INSERT VERSES HERE>
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
YOUR WORD TAKES ME
June Murphy
CLOSING VERSES
A Doxology of Praise to Our God
ROMANS 8:37
…in every situation imaginable, believers in Christ keep on overwhelmingly conquering through the Lord who loves us unconditionally.
ROMANS 8:38
For I (Paul) am convinced that neither death nor life...nor (elect) angels nor principalities (demons...fallen angels), nor things present nor things to come...nor powers...
ROMANS 8:39
...nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to sever us from the unconditional love of God the Father, who is for us through our union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray...
Thanks for coming!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for listening!
www.barahministries.com
WHEN YOU PRAY, FIND A PLACE IN SCRIPTURE
WHERE GOD IS DOING WHAT YOU’RE PRAYING FOR
We have unbelievers in our lives that are special to us. God is able to get to unbelievers!
JOHN 3:1-3
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, (a religious unbeliever) named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, and this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher…for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (the spiritual birth) he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
God has done what we are asking for with many people in many ways.
Find such a passage and be encouraged!
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