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“COME JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION”“COME JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION”“COME JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION”
1 Corinthians 14:12b-20
If you’re ever had the experience of walking in on the middle of a conversation, you know how difficult it can be to try and catch up on what the topic of conversation is all about and what has already been said. It might seem for some that that is the case when it comes to the Epistle reading for today.
St. Paul is in the middle of discussing the matter of speaking in tongues. And, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if you were to say to yourself, “What’s that?” Many people are unfamiliar with the term. And even those who think that they know what speaking in tongues is all about, may, in fact, be misinformed about subject.
Very briefly, the term ‘speaking in tongues,’ refers back to an occurrence which first took place on Pentecost. It was on that day that the crowds of Jews in Jerusalem heard the sound of a mighty wind. And when they went to investigate what was going on, they came to where the apostles of Christ were gathered. Each of them had what appeared to be a flame of fire over their heads. And the crowds heard the apostles speaking in tongues. They said to one another, “how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
Now, what was unique about these languages, these tongues, in which the apostles were speaking, was that these were all Gentile languages, represented by each of those nations. They were declaring the mighty works of God in non-Jewish, foreign languages.
A lot of people look upon this as the beginning of the Gospel’s mission outreach—just as Jesus declared that He wanted His apostles to go and make disciples of all nations; which, they most certainly would be doing. That’s precisely what the rest of the book of Acts is about—it’s about bringing the good news of Jesus to the rest of the world.
But, in this particular case, that wasn’t the purpose for this miraculous sign. First, because instead of creating faith, this act of speaking in tongues only created bewilderment among those who were gathered there. What’s more, the apostle Peter followed this sign with the preaching of a stern, condemning sermon to the crowds about how they had rejected God’s Word and had crucified His Son, Jesus.
And when those words of the Law did their job, we are told that their hearts were cut to the quick, asking, “Brothers, what shall we do?” To which Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” (Acts 2:38). And God added three thousand souls to the Church that day—not through the speaking of tongues—but through the sacrament of Holy Baptism.
Now, that didn’t put an end to the practice of speaking in tongues. There were two other times in the New Testament when, in the presence of the apostles, that gift of miraculously speaking in other languages was manifested. But, on both occasions, there were Jews present—Jews who heard the mighty acts of God being proclaimed in Gentile languages.
And immediately following the words of our Epistle reading for today, St. Paul explains the purpose of tongues. Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, he says: “In the Law it is written, ‘By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers,” (1 Cor. 14:21,22).
Meaning, the gift of tongues was the fulfillment of an Old Testament warning—a warning concerning the stubborn unbelief of God’s chosen people, the Jews. You see, they imagined that they had exclusive rights to the kingdom of God; which not only prompted them to behave self-righteously but also caused them to reject God’s word preached to them—and, ultimately, to reject THE Word, Jesus Christ. The fact, then, that the Gentile people—whom the Jews despised—should be declaring the glories of God—was a sign of judgment against the hard-heartedness of the Jews.
“Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.” Prophecy—namely, speaking forth God’s Word (that’s what the word prophecy means) is how people are made into believers and kept as believers in Jesus Christ—through the Word of God proclaimed.
But, the members of the church in Corinth had things turned upside down. They placed the emphasis on speaking in tongues. They thought that the real sign of spiritual excellence and maturity was their ability to perform this sign. But tongues weren’t meant to build up and edify the church—rather, it was God’s way of saying, “Beware of spiritual pride; be careful not to think more of yourself than you should, or you’ll end up like the rest of those who refused to listen to the truth.” Rather, look to Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Find your spiritual assurance in what He did for you upon the cross.
So, what does all of this have to do with the Christian Church today? Is there a lesson here for us? There most certainly is.
It begins, first and foremost with the realization that, it doesn’t matter how many gifts you have been given by God in comparison to others, it doesn’t matter how deep you consider your spiritual walk be, or how strongly you view your dedication to the Lord. That is not where the assurance of your salvation lies. Rather, it is found in the cross of Jesus Christ. And all that the Corinthian church would have needed to do was to ask that simple question—“What does speaking in tongues have to do with the fact that Jesus Christ gave His life for me?”—and they would have quickly discovered that it had very little to do with it; for, again, tongues was a sign of judgment against unbelievers.
But, of much greater, more positive importance was the Word of God which was clearly spoken to bring the good news of salvation through Christ Jesus. That was the real gift that would change people’s hearts now and forever.
And the lesson for us today is a very simple one. We need to know that in the Christian Church, we have walked in on the middle of a holy conversation that has been going on for millennia. The conversation is, has been, and always will be about the love that God has shown to us in sending His Son Jesus to die for our sins. But, because the church is made up of sinful people, there will always be the temptation to take the conversation in another direction—to talk about us, about our likes, our dislikes, about what we personally think is important. There will be the temptation to change the focus of the Church from what God has done for us to what we imagine we are doing for Him.
That kind of ‘religious’ arrogance can only lead us down the same path of destruction that the Corinthians were heading. Do we really think that our acceptance before God is going to be based on what we could boast about in our lives in comparison to others around us—even spiritually speaking?
You see, when we finally find ourselves in the same situation as Isaiah did in today’s Old Testament reading, and as Peter did in today’s Gospel reading—where we are actually standing face to face with the Lord—anything that we had ever dared to claim for ourselves will all melt away in an instant. There have never been more spiritually impressive words spoken than when Isaiah said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” or when Peter said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For those words came from broken and contrite hearts, which God would not despise. And then both Isaiah and Peter were restored again to the joy of their salvation through the promise that their guilt had been taken away, their sin had been atoned for in Christ.
That is the message which, by the grace of God, will continue to be proclaimed here in this church. And God forbid there should ever come a day when the Gospel of Jesus Christ should strike us as though it were foreign language, as empty words, meaningless to our ears and to our hearts; for that will be the day when saving faith is no longer there.
Dearly beloved, you are not strangers to this divine conversation. God spoke to you in the waters of Baptism, calling you by name and claiming you to be His own. He then opened our lips so that our mouth could declare His praise. Just like Isaiah, who said, “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me;” and just as Jesus said to Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men,” so it is your privilege to declare the glories of God in our worship together and to speak the Word of Life to the world around you.
There is no more powerful message, no more spectacular gift, than the one that we have in Jesus Christ. Like Isaiah, we were men, women, and children of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips—and great was our woe in the presence of a holy God. But Jesus has touched our lips with His precious blood, so that our guilt has been taken away and our sin atoned for. So, now, we are able to say with confidence that Jesus Christ is our Savior! What incredible words! But it is a confession which we must never keep to ourselves. Each and every person you ever encounter in your life needs to know what you have already been blessed to know. They need to learn the language of salvation that you are already able to speak. They need to be welcomed into the Church’s conversation as well—listening, speaking, encouraging, and rejoicing with words taught to us by Christ Jesus Himself.
And so, God asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And by God’s Spirit, we respond, “Here are we, Lord, Your people of Good Shepherd! Send us! Send us!”
Isaiah 6:1–8
1In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
1 Corinthians 14:12b–20
12b[S]ince you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. 13Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
Luke 5:1–11
1On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on [Jesus] to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
1 Corinthians 14:12b-20
If you’re ever had the experience of walking in on the middle of a conversation, you know how difficult it can be to try and catch up on what the topic of conversation is all about and what has already been said. It might seem for some that that is the case when it comes to the Epistle reading for today.
St. Paul is in the middle of discussing the matter of speaking in tongues. And, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if you were to say to yourself, “What’s that?” Many people are unfamiliar with the term. And even those who think that they know what speaking in tongues is all about, may, in fact, be misinformed about subject.
Very briefly, the term ‘speaking in tongues,’ refers back to an occurrence which first took place on Pentecost. It was on that day that the crowds of Jews in Jerusalem heard the sound of a mighty wind. And when they went to investigate what was going on, they came to where the apostles of Christ were gathered. Each of them had what appeared to be a flame of fire over their heads. And the crowds heard the apostles speaking in tongues. They said to one another, “how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
Now, what was unique about these languages, these tongues, in which the apostles were speaking, was that these were all Gentile languages, represented by each of those nations. They were declaring the mighty works of God in non-Jewish, foreign languages.
A lot of people look upon this as the beginning of the Gospel’s mission outreach—just as Jesus declared that He wanted His apostles to go and make disciples of all nations; which, they most certainly would be doing. That’s precisely what the rest of the book of Acts is about—it’s about bringing the good news of Jesus to the rest of the world.
But, in this particular case, that wasn’t the purpose for this miraculous sign. First, because instead of creating faith, this act of speaking in tongues only created bewilderment among those who were gathered there. What’s more, the apostle Peter followed this sign with the preaching of a stern, condemning sermon to the crowds about how they had rejected God’s Word and had crucified His Son, Jesus.
And when those words of the Law did their job, we are told that their hearts were cut to the quick, asking, “Brothers, what shall we do?” To which Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” (Acts 2:38). And God added three thousand souls to the Church that day—not through the speaking of tongues—but through the sacrament of Holy Baptism.
Now, that didn’t put an end to the practice of speaking in tongues. There were two other times in the New Testament when, in the presence of the apostles, that gift of miraculously speaking in other languages was manifested. But, on both occasions, there were Jews present—Jews who heard the mighty acts of God being proclaimed in Gentile languages.
And immediately following the words of our Epistle reading for today, St. Paul explains the purpose of tongues. Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, he says: “In the Law it is written, ‘By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers,” (1 Cor. 14:21,22).
Meaning, the gift of tongues was the fulfillment of an Old Testament warning—a warning concerning the stubborn unbelief of God’s chosen people, the Jews. You see, they imagined that they had exclusive rights to the kingdom of God; which not only prompted them to behave self-righteously but also caused them to reject God’s word preached to them—and, ultimately, to reject THE Word, Jesus Christ. The fact, then, that the Gentile people—whom the Jews despised—should be declaring the glories of God—was a sign of judgment against the hard-heartedness of the Jews.
“Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.” Prophecy—namely, speaking forth God’s Word (that’s what the word prophecy means) is how people are made into believers and kept as believers in Jesus Christ—through the Word of God proclaimed.
But, the members of the church in Corinth had things turned upside down. They placed the emphasis on speaking in tongues. They thought that the real sign of spiritual excellence and maturity was their ability to perform this sign. But tongues weren’t meant to build up and edify the church—rather, it was God’s way of saying, “Beware of spiritual pride; be careful not to think more of yourself than you should, or you’ll end up like the rest of those who refused to listen to the truth.” Rather, look to Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Find your spiritual assurance in what He did for you upon the cross.
So, what does all of this have to do with the Christian Church today? Is there a lesson here for us? There most certainly is.
It begins, first and foremost with the realization that, it doesn’t matter how many gifts you have been given by God in comparison to others, it doesn’t matter how deep you consider your spiritual walk be, or how strongly you view your dedication to the Lord. That is not where the assurance of your salvation lies. Rather, it is found in the cross of Jesus Christ. And all that the Corinthian church would have needed to do was to ask that simple question—“What does speaking in tongues have to do with the fact that Jesus Christ gave His life for me?”—and they would have quickly discovered that it had very little to do with it; for, again, tongues was a sign of judgment against unbelievers.
But, of much greater, more positive importance was the Word of God which was clearly spoken to bring the good news of salvation through Christ Jesus. That was the real gift that would change people’s hearts now and forever.
And the lesson for us today is a very simple one. We need to know that in the Christian Church, we have walked in on the middle of a holy conversation that has been going on for millennia. The conversation is, has been, and always will be about the love that God has shown to us in sending His Son Jesus to die for our sins. But, because the church is made up of sinful people, there will always be the temptation to take the conversation in another direction—to talk about us, about our likes, our dislikes, about what we personally think is important. There will be the temptation to change the focus of the Church from what God has done for us to what we imagine we are doing for Him.
That kind of ‘religious’ arrogance can only lead us down the same path of destruction that the Corinthians were heading. Do we really think that our acceptance before God is going to be based on what we could boast about in our lives in comparison to others around us—even spiritually speaking?
You see, when we finally find ourselves in the same situation as Isaiah did in today’s Old Testament reading, and as Peter did in today’s Gospel reading—where we are actually standing face to face with the Lord—anything that we had ever dared to claim for ourselves will all melt away in an instant. There have never been more spiritually impressive words spoken than when Isaiah said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” or when Peter said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For those words came from broken and contrite hearts, which God would not despise. And then both Isaiah and Peter were restored again to the joy of their salvation through the promise that their guilt had been taken away, their sin had been atoned for in Christ.
That is the message which, by the grace of God, will continue to be proclaimed here in this church. And God forbid there should ever come a day when the Gospel of Jesus Christ should strike us as though it were foreign language, as empty words, meaningless to our ears and to our hearts; for that will be the day when saving faith is no longer there.
Dearly beloved, you are not strangers to this divine conversation. God spoke to you in the waters of Baptism, calling you by name and claiming you to be His own. He then opened our lips so that our mouth could declare His praise. Just like Isaiah, who said, “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me;” and just as Jesus said to Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men,” so it is your privilege to declare the glories of God in our worship together and to speak the Word of Life to the world around you.
There is no more powerful message, no more spectacular gift, than the one that we have in Jesus Christ. Like Isaiah, we were men, women, and children of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips—and great was our woe in the presence of a holy God. But Jesus has touched our lips with His precious blood, so that our guilt has been taken away and our sin atoned for. So, now, we are able to say with confidence that Jesus Christ is our Savior! What incredible words! But it is a confession which we must never keep to ourselves. Each and every person you ever encounter in your life needs to know what you have already been blessed to know. They need to learn the language of salvation that you are already able to speak. They need to be welcomed into the Church’s conversation as well—listening, speaking, encouraging, and rejoicing with words taught to us by Christ Jesus Himself.
And so, God asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And by God’s Spirit, we respond, “Here are we, Lord, Your people of Good Shepherd! Send us! Send us!”
Isaiah 6:1–8
1In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
1 Corinthians 14:12b–20
12b[S]ince you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. 13Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
Luke 5:1–11
1On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on [Jesus] to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
1 Corinthians 14:12b-20
If you’re ever had the experience of walking in on the middle of a conversation, you know how difficult it can be to try and catch up on what the topic of conversation is all about and what has already been said. It might seem for some that that is the case when it comes to the Epistle reading for today.
St. Paul is in the middle of discussing the matter of speaking in tongues. And, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if you were to say to yourself, “What’s that?” Many people are unfamiliar with the term. And even those who think that they know what speaking in tongues is all about, may, in fact, be misinformed about subject.
Very briefly, the term ‘speaking in tongues,’ refers back to an occurrence which first took place on Pentecost. It was on that day that the crowds of Jews in Jerusalem heard the sound of a mighty wind. And when they went to investigate what was going on, they came to where the apostles of Christ were gathered. Each of them had what appeared to be a flame of fire over their heads. And the crowds heard the apostles speaking in tongues. They said to one another, “how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
Now, what was unique about these languages, these tongues, in which the apostles were speaking, was that these were all Gentile languages, represented by each of those nations. They were declaring the mighty works of God in non-Jewish, foreign languages.
A lot of people look upon this as the beginning of the Gospel’s mission outreach—just as Jesus declared that He wanted His apostles to go and make disciples of all nations; which, they most certainly would be doing. That’s precisely what the rest of the book of Acts is about—it’s about bringing the good news of Jesus to the rest of the world.
But, in this particular case, that wasn’t the purpose for this miraculous sign. First, because instead of creating faith, this act of speaking in tongues only created bewilderment among those who were gathered there. What’s more, the apostle Peter followed this sign with the preaching of a stern, condemning sermon to the crowds about how they had rejected God’s Word and had crucified His Son, Jesus.
And when those words of the Law did their job, we are told that their hearts were cut to the quick, asking, “Brothers, what shall we do?” To which Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” (Acts 2:38). And God added three thousand souls to the Church that day—not through the speaking of tongues—but through the sacrament of Holy Baptism.
Now, that didn’t put an end to the practice of speaking in tongues. There were two other times in the New Testament when, in the presence of the apostles, that gift of miraculously speaking in other languages was manifested. But, on both occasions, there were Jews present—Jews who heard the mighty acts of God being proclaimed in Gentile languages.
And immediately following the words of our Epistle reading for today, St. Paul explains the purpose of tongues. Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, he says: “In the Law it is written, ‘By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers,” (1 Cor. 14:21,22).
Meaning, the gift of tongues was the fulfillment of an Old Testament warning—a warning concerning the stubborn unbelief of God’s chosen people, the Jews. You see, they imagined that they had exclusive rights to the kingdom of God; which not only prompted them to behave self-righteously but also caused them to reject God’s word preached to them—and, ultimately, to reject THE Word, Jesus Christ. The fact, then, that the Gentile people—whom the Jews despised—should be declaring the glories of God—was a sign of judgment against the hard-heartedness of the Jews.
“Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.” Prophecy—namely, speaking forth God’s Word (that’s what the word prophecy means) is how people are made into believers and kept as believers in Jesus Christ—through the Word of God proclaimed.
But, the members of the church in Corinth had things turned upside down. They placed the emphasis on speaking in tongues. They thought that the real sign of spiritual excellence and maturity was their ability to perform this sign. But tongues weren’t meant to build up and edify the church—rather, it was God’s way of saying, “Beware of spiritual pride; be careful not to think more of yourself than you should, or you’ll end up like the rest of those who refused to listen to the truth.” Rather, look to Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Find your spiritual assurance in what He did for you upon the cross.
So, what does all of this have to do with the Christian Church today? Is there a lesson here for us? There most certainly is.
It begins, first and foremost with the realization that, it doesn’t matter how many gifts you have been given by God in comparison to others, it doesn’t matter how deep you consider your spiritual walk be, or how strongly you view your dedication to the Lord. That is not where the assurance of your salvation lies. Rather, it is found in the cross of Jesus Christ. And all that the Corinthian church would have needed to do was to ask that simple question—“What does speaking in tongues have to do with the fact that Jesus Christ gave His life for me?”—and they would have quickly discovered that it had very little to do with it; for, again, tongues was a sign of judgment against unbelievers.
But, of much greater, more positive importance was the Word of God which was clearly spoken to bring the good news of salvation through Christ Jesus. That was the real gift that would change people’s hearts now and forever.
And the lesson for us today is a very simple one. We need to know that in the Christian Church, we have walked in on the middle of a holy conversation that has been going on for millennia. The conversation is, has been, and always will be about the love that God has shown to us in sending His Son Jesus to die for our sins. But, because the church is made up of sinful people, there will always be the temptation to take the conversation in another direction—to talk about us, about our likes, our dislikes, about what we personally think is important. There will be the temptation to change the focus of the Church from what God has done for us to what we imagine we are doing for Him.
That kind of ‘religious’ arrogance can only lead us down the same path of destruction that the Corinthians were heading. Do we really think that our acceptance before God is going to be based on what we could boast about in our lives in comparison to others around us—even spiritually speaking?
You see, when we finally find ourselves in the same situation as Isaiah did in today’s Old Testament reading, and as Peter did in today’s Gospel reading—where we are actually standing face to face with the Lord—anything that we had ever dared to claim for ourselves will all melt away in an instant. There have never been more spiritually impressive words spoken than when Isaiah said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” or when Peter said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For those words came from broken and contrite hearts, which God would not despise. And then both Isaiah and Peter were restored again to the joy of their salvation through the promise that their guilt had been taken away, their sin had been atoned for in Christ.
That is the message which, by the grace of God, will continue to be proclaimed here in this church. And God forbid there should ever come a day when the Gospel of Jesus Christ should strike us as though it were foreign language, as empty words, meaningless to our ears and to our hearts; for that will be the day when saving faith is no longer there.
Dearly beloved, you are not strangers to this divine conversation. God spoke to you in the waters of Baptism, calling you by name and claiming you to be His own. He then opened our lips so that our mouth could declare His praise. Just like Isaiah, who said, “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me;” and just as Jesus said to Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men,” so it is your privilege to declare the glories of God in our worship together and to speak the Word of Life to the world around you.
There is no more powerful message, no more spectacular gift, than the one that we have in Jesus Christ. Like Isaiah, we were men, women, and children of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips—and great was our woe in the presence of a holy God. But Jesus has touched our lips with His precious blood, so that our guilt has been taken away and our sin atoned for. So, now, we are able to say with confidence that Jesus Christ is our Savior! What incredible words! But it is a confession which we must never keep to ourselves. Each and every person you ever encounter in your life needs to know what you have already been blessed to know. They need to learn the language of salvation that you are already able to speak. They need to be welcomed into the Church’s conversation as well—listening, speaking, encouraging, and rejoicing with words taught to us by Christ Jesus Himself.
And so, God asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And by God’s Spirit, we respond, “Here are we, Lord, Your people of Good Shepherd! Send us! Send us!”
Isaiah 6:1–8
1In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
1 Corinthians 14:12b–20
12b[S]ince you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. 13Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
Luke 5:1–11
1On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on [Jesus] to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
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