Prophecy, Tongues “Measure Up?” 5-19-24
Overview
Do You Measure Up? Understanding Prophecy and Tongues
Many Christians have felt a quiet anxiety when a fellow believer says, "God told me…" or describes a private prayer language given by the Holy Spirit. The unspoken question follows quickly: Am I missing something? Do I lack the Holy Spirit? 1 Corinthians 14 is the passage often cited in these conversations, and its careful reading offers reassurance rather than a higher bar to clear.
Prophecy in Scripture is direct revelation from God communicated to His people. We see it when Elizabeth and Zechariah are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak Luke 1, and supremely in the revelation given to John Revelation 1:1. But this gift was foundational and temporary—replaced by the completed, written Word of God. Peter calls Scripture "the prophetic message more fully confirmed" 2 Peter 1:19-20, and Jude urges us to contend "for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" Jude 3. Hebrews 1:1-2 confirms that God has now spoken definitively in His Son. We are not called to seek fresh revelation apart from Scripture; when we open the Bible, we are already hearing God's voice.
Tongues, likewise, was a foundational gift with a specific purpose. The same Greek word used in Acts 2 and Acts 10 appears in 1 Corinthians 14, and it consistently means a known human language—one the speaker had not studied. At Pentecost, the disciples were heard proclaiming God's works in the native tongues of those gathered. The purpose was to demonstrate that the gospel is for all people, of every language and nation. Scripture nowhere describes tongues as unintelligible babbling, a private prayer language, or a special second blessing required to prove one possesses the Spirit.
So if you have wondered whether you "measure up" to other Christians' spiritual experiences, take heart: you are not lacking a gift that was given for a particular moment in the early church's foundation. The deeper question—whether any of us measure up to God's holiness—is answered not by extraordinary experiences but by the cross of Jesus Christ, who bore our sin and our every failure to measure up. In your baptism, the gospel was personally applied to you, and the Holy Spirit was given to you in His fullness. As Luther confessed, the blessings of baptism are so boundless that timid hearts can scarcely believe them all. You lack nothing. Live in that grace.
Transcript
As we continue our series this morning on the hard saying, some of them in Holy Scripture 3s
would you open up your Bible's please to 1 Corinthians the 14 chapter. 10s
If you're using a Puedition of Holy Scripture 1 Corinthians, chapter 14 is page 154, page 154 16s
in the New Testament. 25s
Do you ever feel as if you just don't measure up? 30s
I don't feel like you just don't measure up. 37s
Maybe it harkens back to your childhood. 41s
When the bar just never was quite able to be reached and when you think you were measuring 46s
up the bar just got higher. 52s
It wasn't a gracious atmosphere in the home. 57s
It was just this expectation that you could never ever reach. 61s
You just felt like you just couldn't measure up. 68s
You were like you couldn't measure up in school. 74s
There was always somebody smarter, always somebody that got better grades. 76s
Sometimes you could think, I just don't measure up or how about it work. 84s
You try your hardest, but you just can't seem to please those that are your supervisors. 93s
And you try hard, but all it seems is that you just get more work. 102s
And you just feel like you just can't measure up. 108s
You ever feel that or feel that? 114s
Let me hone the question even more specific. 119s
Do you ever feel like you can't measure up to fellow Christians? 123s
You ever feel like you can't measure up to fellow Christians? 135s
You're driving along, for example, with somebody. 140s
I mean, I say conversation, then all of a sudden in the conversation, here she just says, 144s
you know, the other day God told me, that catches your attention. 149s
Is it? 156s
God told me and then related what God had told him or her about some kind of situation 157s
or some type of decision that needed to be made? 163s
This wasn't the sense of God told me through the study of the word of God, 168s
because when we open up the pages of Scripture, the voice that we hear is God's voice. 176s
This is his in-errant and in-fallible word. 182s
So when we read the pages of Scripture, the voice is God's voice that we're hearing. 187s
No, this is different. 193s
This one, the person says, you know, God told me and what they're meaning is, 197s
is that they've heard the audible voice of God. 203s
Or it's a vision that they had or it's a voice in their mind or it's an impression 210s
that's separate from the study of the word of God. 220s
You think to yourself, that's not my experience and then you wonder, 230s
am I lacking something? 241s
I just don't feel like I like a major up to that. 244s
Is there something that I'm with my faith? 250s
Am I lacking the Holy Spirit? 254s
Or a person turns to you and says that they have the gift of tongues. 260s
You want to do yourself? 266s
What's that? 267s
Maybe even ask them. 268s
You say, you say, what is that? 270s
Then go on to describe this language they say that God gives to them. 273s
You say, well, well, what language is it? 282s
They say, well, it kind of sounds like babbling, 286s
but it's a special infilling of the Holy Spirit, they say, 292s
that then expresses itself in this kind of unintelligible speech. 296s
You say, what was the understanding what you're saying? 302s
No, but it's a speech that just kind of comes out of you. 306s
Then they might say, in order for you to know for sure that you have the Holy Spirit, 314s
you have to have that experience or they might say, in order for you to be sure that you're say, 324s
you have to have that experience. 337s
You think to yourself, well, that's not my experience. 344s
It's not my experience. 348s
What's met with me? 351s
Do I lack something? Do I lack the Holy Spirit? 354s
I just don't feel like I'm in your own. 358s
I can measure up. 366s
Have you felt that? 369s
You possible in first Corinthians the 12th chapter. 373s
He talks about nine gifts of the Holy Spirit and verses eight to ten. 377s
Then when you get to verse 28, he adds another gift. 382s
Then when you move into chapter 14, he focuses on two particular gifts. 388s
Look at me, please. 394s
At chapter 14, verse 1, Paul writes this, 396s
per se love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy. 400s
For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God, 410s
for nobody understands them since they're speaking mysteries in the Spirit. 415s
On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement 422s
and consolation. 428s
Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves but those who prophesy build up the church. 432s
Now, I would like all of you to speak in tongues but even more so to prophesy. 439s
One who prophesy is greater than one who speaks in tongues unless someone interprets so that the church may be built up. 446s
Oh. 457s
Can you see why this section wound up in this series? 461s
On hard say? 465s
Well, we have to define some terms here. 467s
So let's define terms because two things are mentioned. 470s
Prophecy and tongues. 474s
Let's look at verse 1. 477s
Persu love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy. 479s
The ability to prophesy relates to the person who says, 489s
God told me. 495s
It's a direct relation. 498s
One, because prophecy is direct revelation from God and then communicate. 499s
So it's not direct revelation through the word. 511s
This is direct revelation from God to the person. 516s
A key to understand that is take a look at verse 29 of chapter 14, please. 521s
Verse 29 of 1 Corinthians 14, Paul says this, 529s
Let two or three prophets speak and let the others weigh what is said. 532s
If a revelation is made to someone else sitting nearby, let the first person be silent. 539s
See, it's receiving the direct revelation of God and then communicating it. 546s
Here's some examples. 552s
Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Luke the first chapter. 554s
The scripture says, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, 558s
Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 566s
That's a prophetic word, direct revelation and then communication. 573s
Same chapter. 578s
Luke the first chapter. 579s
Then his father, John the Baptist father, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit 581s
and spoke this prophecy. 586s
Perhaps the best example is the book of Revelation, right? 590s
Very beginning of the book of Revelation. 594s
It says, the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him, 596s
and that's John, the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. 601s
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant, John. 609s
So prophecy then we see is direct revelation to the person and then communication of that. 616s
Here's the thing. 631s
Here's the thing. 633s
The gift of prophecy that we see in scripture was replaced. 637s
And what was it replaced with? 645s
It was replaced with the written word. 650s
The gift of prophecy we see in scripture, Paul's oxma. 659s
It went out of business. 666s
When? 669s
When there was the written word? 672s
Peter puts it this way. 676s
Second Peter the first chapter. 679s
So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. 683s
And what is he talking about? 688s
He's talking about scripture. 689s
He goes on to say, you will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place. 692s
First of all, you must understand this that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation. 698s
Paul says in our text, I wish I was there everyone good prophesy. 711s
What do we see? 717s
We see the gift of prophecy go away. 720s
Why? 725s
Because it was replaced by the written word. 726s
Prophecy then is what is called a foundational gift in the early church. 734s
It was a foundational gift. 741s
Prior to the written word, it was a foundational gift. 744s
It was a temporary gift. 750s
No where. 754s
No where. 756s
Are we called to listen now for a new revelation? 758s
Apart from the word of God. 766s
No where. 768s
Can't find one verse about it. 769s
We are not to seek out so-called prophets of the day and say, 773s
And what is the Lord telling us now? 778s
No. 781s
No. 782s
Jude, verse 3 tells us, 784s
content for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saint. 788s
In Hebrews, we hear, in many and various ways God spoke to his people of old, 800s
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son. 805s
Here's the point. 811s
There is no need to feel. 816s
Like you just don't measure up. 820s
If you don't have a gift, 824s
that was only given to the early church. 830s
What about this? 838s
Let's look at verse 2 of chapter 14. 841s
Paul says, for those who speak in a tongue, 845s
do not speak to other people, 848s
but to God, for nobody understands them 851s
since they are speaking mysteries in the spirit. 854s
Okay, when you get to Acts the 10th chapter, 860s
we read this. 864s
While Peter was still speaking, 865s
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 867s
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded 871s
that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 876s
for they heard them speaking in tongues and extoling God. 882s
And we heard that before. 889s
Acts the 2nd chapter. 892s
That's what we remember on this pentacosundae, 894s
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 897s
And in Acts the 2nd chapter, 899s
we read all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit 902s
and began to speak in other languages 906s
as the spirit gave them ability. 910s
Remember, what was occurring at pentacosst, 915s
they were speaking in known languages 918s
that they hadn't studied. 920s
That was the tongue that we're given. 925s
Tongues then is the ability to speak 932s
a foreign language, a known language 935s
that you haven't studied. 941s
It is not an intelligible speech. 949s
It is not a private prayer language. 956s
It is not a special in-filling 964s
of the Holy Spirit only to some 969s
that they then can speak in this language 974s
that is not known. 978s
It is never that in the Bible. 985s
Never. 992s
The same word that's used in Acts for tongues 997s
is the same word that's used in 1 Corinthians 1001s
the 14th chapter. 1006s
And the word means a common human language. 1009s
When you go to Hebrew, 1016s
when you go to Aramaic, 1018s
when you look at those languages, 1021s
they had a phrase and they would say 1023s
about people speaking in tongues 1026s
and what does the word mean? 1028s
It means speaking a common human language. 1031s
It is not. 1042s
It is not. 1044s
It is never. 1045s
In Holy Scripture. 1051s
Tongues was a foundational gift 1054s
in the early church, 1058s
what was the purpose of the gift. 1060s
The purpose of the gift was 1062s
Acts 10 and other places 1064s
the purpose of the gift 1066s
was to show that the gospel 1067s
was for all people, all people. 1069s
Point made? 1074s
What then do you see in Scripture? 1075s
That gift goes away. 1078s
It goes away. 1081s
What's the point? 1085s
Don't feel like you're not measuring up. 1090s
If you don't have a gift, 1095s
that was only given. 1098s
To the early church. 1103s
Don't feel like you don't measure up. 1107s
It's so interesting, isn't it? 1117s
That we can be so concerned with regard 1118s
to measuring up with others. 1121s
What about our measuring up to God? 1126s
I think we know the answer to that, right? 1131s
We don't. 1135s
We don't. 1136s
Is our sin and thought word indeed 1138s
what we've done and what we've left undone? 1139s
sins his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ 1145s
and at the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ 1147s
and bears all of the sin, 1150s
bears all of our not measuring up 1153s
to what He desires and what we hear 1157s
is the glorious, gracious word of forgiveness. 1163s
removes from us the concern that somehow. 1172s
We're just lacking the Holy Spirit. 1180s
Martin Luther, I wrote this. 1187s
About the promises given in baptism. 1191s
He said, we receive victory over death in the devil. 1195s
For a given of sin, God's grace, 1198s
the entire Christ, 1202s
and the Holy Spirit with His gifts. 1205s
In short, the blessings of baptism are so boundless 1208s
that if our tinnitus can sit or them, 1212s
it may well doubt whether they all could be true. 1215s
Beloved, God has given you everything. 1221s
Everything in your baptism. 1227s
Your baptism was the personal application of the gospel. 1230s
And in your baptism, 1236s
the Holy Spirit was given to you 1239s
in all of the Holy Spirit's fullness, 1243s
all of the Spirit, given to you. 1250s
You lack 1258s
who not. 1266s
Nothing. 1269s
let's live. 1280s