And tonight I feel impressed to share a
study with you on the gifts of the
Holy Spirit.
Specifically, I want to deal with the question
this evening.
Did the gifts of the Holy Spirit pass
away?
Are they for today?
Now, this may seem like a silly question
to some of you.
You may say, well, of course, they're for
today.
And, you know, you may have your own
reasons for thinking so, but you should be
aware that there's a significant segment of the
Christian community today that would say that the
gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for
today, that they died when the apostles died.
And the people who teach this and believe
this, they love Jesus.
They want to see the gospel of Jesus
Christ advanced.
And I would also say that I don't
think that they're stupid.
And so why would there be such a
substantial disagreement over such a matter?
Well, let's take a look at it scripturally
and I'll show you why there I believe
there is a disagreement.
But first, I want to deal with the
whole issue of the gifts of the Holy
Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit
in the church today.
You know, I think it's very important, folks,
for us to understand and to constantly come
back to two core principles.
That there must be the word of God
prominent among the people of God.
Line by line, verse by verse, the whole
counsel of God's word.
And then the second core principle is that
there must be a freedom and a power
in the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Among God's people.
And might I say that both of them
are absolutely essential, both of them.
You can't just say that one of them
is important.
Both of them are important.
And as I look at the church today
and by and large and and perhaps in
many ways that our own congregation, I would
say that the crying need is for the
supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.
You think of our own congregation, I think
that by and large we are well fed.
We do not have serious problems of heresy
or doctrinal debate or people wanting to throw
out their Bibles in our midst.
Yet there's a crying need and desire for
more and more of the Holy Spirit of
God in our midst.
Well, I think we need to have a
settled assurance in our hearts that God means
it for today and means all of it
for today, not just a aspect of it.
I think that this great emphasis on the
word of God and on the spirit of
God has been a distinguishing mark and a
wonderful characteristic of Calvary Chapel ministry and of
Calvary Chapel churches in general.
You should know that in the Christian community
at large, Calvary Chapel churches are properly known
for their balance in the matter of dealing
with the operations and the gifts of the
Holy Spirit.
You know, one way that I know that
Calvary Chapel's in general have a well-respected
balance is because at times we get criticized
from both ends.
It's sometimes been said that we're too Pentecostal
for the Baptists and too Baptist for the
Pentecostals.
That there really is a biblical balance in
there.
Well, let me say this about balance.
Balance is meaningless unless it's a biblical balance.
You don't want to strike a balance between
truth and heresy.
Here's truth.
Here's heresy.
Let's look for a balance.
And no, you want balance, but you want
it to be a biblical balance.
Now, if we're going to focus on this
question tonight, did the gifts of the Holy
Spirit pass away?
I need to really clarify and focus in
on this question, because virtually every Bible believing
Christian would answer that question one way.
No.
And I mean, everybody.
When you really think about it, I don't
know of a single pastor, of a single
church leader, of a single Bible commentary, commentator
who says that the gifts of the Holy
Spirit have passed away, that they're not for
today.
Let me show you what I mean by
that.
I may be confusing you, but hold on
for a moment.
Turn your Bibles to Romans chapter 12.
Let's take a look at verses six, seven
and eight.
Here is one of the places in the
New Testament where spiritual gifts are described.
Romans chapter 12, beginning at verse six, Paul
writes, having then gifts differing according to the
grace that is given to us.
Let us use them.
If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to
our faith or ministry.
Let us use it in our ministry.
He who teaches and teaching, he who exhorts
and exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he
who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy
with cheerfulness.
Now, what are the spiritual gifts that the
apostle Paul describes in that passage?
Well, prophecy, ministry, that's in the sense of
service, teaching, exhortation, giving leadership and mercy.
Now, can anybody quote for me a Bible
teacher that you know of, a pastor, a
commentator, a radio speaker who believes that the
gift of teaching is no longer for today?
Of course, they all believe it, they all
use it or hope to use it, at
least.
Can anybody name for me a single pastor,
Bible teacher, whatever commentator who believes that the
gift of exhortation is not for today?
The gift of giving good heavens, every minister
wants the gift of giving to be for
today.
We rejoice when God's people are blessed with
the spirit of liberality and give unto the
work of the Lord.
You see, what I want you to notice
in this is that there's all different kinds
or all different varieties of gifts of the
Holy Spirit.
So when I say that there's not a
single teacher that believes that the gifts of
the spirit have passed away, what I really
mean is that there's not a single Bible
teacher who believes that all the gifts of
the spirit have passed away.
Some Bible teachers, some pastors believe that some
of the gifts of the spirit have passed
away.
But again, you look at this list, teaching,
exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, everybody agrees that those
are for today.
Let's take a look at another list.
Turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter four,
looking at verses seven and eight primarily, but
we'll also take a look at verse 11.
Again, that's Ephesians chapter four, beginning at verse
seven, it says.
But to each one of us, grace was
given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore, he says when he ascended on high,
he led captivity captive and gave gifts to
men.
Now look at verse 11 and he himself
gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists and some pastors and teachers.
Well, look, here's the gifts or the offices
that are listed here.
Apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor teachers, by the
way, you should know.
And sometimes Christians speak today of the five
fold ministry.
That's an erroneous understanding of this passage, because
Ephesians chapter four, verse 11 does not list
five ministries.
It lists four ministries.
Apostle, that's number one.
Prophets, that's number two evangelists.
That's number three.
Pastor teacher is number four.
It's very clear in the grammar of the
ancient Greek that in that phrase, pastors and
teachers Paul is referring to one office described
by two terms.
I've seen some pastors who take that as
their title pastor teacher, and it's not an
accurate title, according to Ephesians chapter four, verse
11.
But again, what I would say is that
virtually every Bible believing Christian believes that one
or more of these gifts are for today.
Some people say that the gift of being
an apostle perhaps is today here in a
non authoritative sense.
In other words, we don't have people writing
scripture today as the apostle Paul did.
You don't have to worry about an appendix
being put into your Bible by an apostle
or a prophet who's authoritative in the same
way that the first century apostles and prophets
were authoritative.
But certainly people would say that evangelists and
pastor teachers are gifts given today.
Look at first Peter chapter four, verses 10
and 11.
That's another list describing spiritual gifts.
Most of the list that we have of
spiritual gifts in the Bible were written by
the apostle Paul.
This is one that comes from the apostle
Peter.
Again, in first Peter chapter four, beginning at
verse 10, Peter writes, and he says, as
each one has received a gift, minister it
to one another as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God.
If anyone speaks, let him speak as the
oracles of God.
If anyone ministers, let him do it as
with the ability which God supplies, that in
all things God may be glorified through Jesus
Christ to whom belong the glory and the
dominion forever and ever.
Amen.
Well, here Peter describes two gifts, the gift
of speaking and the gift of ministering or
serving.
Well, again, I would say virtually every Bible
believing Christian believes that these gifts are for
today.
Is God uniquely blessing or uniquely inspiring by
his spirit of people to speak, people to
serve?
Absolutely.
You would find this.
I think you could go into the most
well, I mean, I don't mean to associate
any one particular denomination with this, but I
think you'll understand what I mean when I
say that you could go into the most
Baptist of Baptist churches and they would believe
that the gift of teaching, that the gift
of speaking, that the gift of ministry is
for today.
Now, let's take a look at the most
controversial list of the gifts of the Holy
Spirit that we find in the scriptures.
And that's in First Corinthians, chapter 12, beginning
at verse four.
Go ahead and turn there.
First Corinthians, chapter 12, beginning at verse four.
Thank you.
First Corinthians, chapter 12, beginning of verse four,
Paul writes, there are diversities of gifts, but
the same spirit, there are diversities of ministries,
but the same Lord and there are diversities
of activities.
But it is the same God who works
all in all.
But the manifestation of the spirit is given
to each one for the profit of all.
For to one is given the word of
wisdom through the spirit, to another, the word
of knowledge through the same spirit, to another
faith by the same spirit, to another gifts
of healings by the same spirit, to another,
the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to
another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds
of tongues, to another, the interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same spirit works all
these things distributing to each one individually as
he wills.
Now we get in to the list that
many people say is not for today.
Look at the gifts that Paul is here,
the gift of the word of wisdom.
That's where God speaks to somebody's heart and
gives them a unique word of wisdom in
a particular place.
It's just supernatural wisdom from above, given as
a gift of God, the word of knowledge.
That's supernatural knowledge given to somebody from God,
where God just gives a person unique knowledge
that they wouldn't have known on their own.
Yet the spirit of God has revealed it
to them.
The gift of faith is described.
That's the ability to trust God supernaturally in
a situation, I mean, beyond the expectation of
faith.
Do you remember when the apostle Peter and
John, when they came to the gate, beautiful,
and they saw that beggar who had been
there for so many years and Peter looked
at him and he said, you know, silver
and gold, have I none but in the
name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and
walk.
Now, I don't think that took the gift
of faith to say that.
But when Peter reached down and grabbed the
man's hand and pulled him to his feet,
that took the gift of faith.
That is supernatural faith at that moment.
And it was given by the Holy Spirit
because it was fulfilled.
The man was healed.
Well, that brings us to the gifts of
healing where people are supernaturally healed, where somebody
prays for somebody or lays hands on them
and they are healed in a supernatural way.
As that man at the gate, beautiful, was
healed.
As other people were healed, as when the
apostle Paul was bitten by a snake on
the island of Malta and he shook it
off and he was not harmed by that
poisonous venom from that snake.
It's because God gave him a unique gift
of healing, a supernatural gift of the Holy
Spirit at that moment.
And on that same island, there was other
ministry going on in the same way.
And so supernatural healing in this way.
The next gift, he describes the gift of
miracles.
That's just kind of a catch all for
miraculous things.
The gift of prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues,
interpretation of tongues.
Now, there are many people within the church
today who would tell you God isn't giving
these gifts anymore.
The Holy Spirit is not distributing these gifts.
They are not for today.
And I would strongly disagree with those folks,
but I think we should phrase the question
accurately.
The question is not are the gifts of
the spirit for today, because everybody in the
church believes that the gifts of the spirit
are for today.
It's the question more accurately is, are all
the gifts of the Holy Spirit for today?
Or, as God said, I'm going to take
some of them back.
Some of them I'll give to the church
for a while.
Most people would say that God gave them
to the church.
Most people who disagree with what I think
is the biblical position, most people would say
God gave them to the church during the
days of the apostles.
But when the apostles died, God took certain
gifts back, certain miraculous gifts.
So the gift of teaching remained within the
church.
But the gift of miracles went by the
wayside.
The gift of leading stayed within the church,
but the gift of healing went out.
The gift of ministry stayed within the church,
but the gift of tongues vanished from the
earth when the apostles died.
Now.
What does the Bible say about this?
Well, I think the Bible speaks to us
very plainly and very clearly about the continuation
of the gifts that they did not cease
when the apostles or anyone else died, but
that the Holy Spirit desires to work them
in the church wherever there is a need
and wherever people are willing.
Look at the promise of Mark, chapter 16.
Go ahead and turn there in your Bibles.
Mark, chapter 16, beginning at verse 17.
Now, you should know that there is some
dispute among some Bible scholars whether or not
Mark, the evangelist, actually wrote Mark, chapter 16,
verses 17 and 18.
Let's leave that controversy aside just for a
moment.
But I just wanted to begin here to
take a look at these two verses where
it says again, Mark, chapter 16, starting at
verse 17.
It says, And these signs will follow those
who believe in my name.
They will cast out demons.
They will speak with new tongues.
They will take up serpents.
And if they drink anything deadly, it will
by no means hurt them.
They will lay hands on the sick and
they will recover.
Now, friends, I don't know about you, but
that's a simple and straightforward promise.
In context, it was given to the apostles
as they were commissioned to go out and
do the work of preaching the gospel.
In other words, and I hope I'm not
mincing words in the ears of anybody here,
but I don't think this promise really applies
is really fleshed out in the life and
in the heart of the Christian who's sitting
at home in their lazy boy recliner watching
TV.
But for the Christian who's out doing the
work of the ministry, for the Christians who's
out on the field, you know, being a
worker in the kingdom of God, that's the
context in which Jesus gave this promise.
And Jesus is promising a unique protection, a
unique blessing, a character being unstoppable in the
work of the gospel.
And God promises to at least at times
even use miraculous means to protect his people
and to make them effective.
Now, have you ever well, the time you
do it, you go buy milk at the
store and you do what I do, I
go and I look at all the milk
jugs and I get the latest data I
can find.
I start looking back behind, you know, two
or three jugs back, because if I can
get one, you know, with a later freshness,
I would, that's fresh and milk and, you
know, stay better in the fridge longer and
all kinds of things have freshness dates on
them.
You know, you find you get that box
of cereal and you take a look at
the best before used, you know, and it
says January 21st, you know, 2020.
You think, wow, there's a lot of preservatives
in this there.
Well, what I'm getting at here, there's no
expiration date on this promise.
Does anybody see any kind of expiration date
on this?
You just won't find it.
You're not going to find the expiration date.
Look at Acts chapter two, beginning at verse
33.
Here's another promise of the Holy Spirit made
to the world.
This was made in an evangelistic message.
This promise wasn't made only to believers.
It was made to the world at large.
It says again, Acts chapter two, look at
first at verse 33, then we're going to
look at verse 39, verse 33.
Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of
God and having received from the father the
promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out
this, which you now see and hear.
Peter's thinking in verse 33 is that Jesus
received this promise of the Holy Spirit from
the father, and now he has poured it
out upon his people who were gathered together,
the hundred and twenty disciples there gathered together
on the day of Pentecost.
And as they were gathered, the Holy Spirit
came upon them in a unique way.
There was the sound of a mighty rushing
wind.
There sat upon them what seemed to be
tongues of fire sitting above their heads, it
was strange phenomenon, and they were also given
the gift of tongues at that moment, not
to preach a message to the crowd.
You know, that's one of the biggest misunderstandings
that people have about the gift of tongues,
that the gift of tongues is meant to
give you or any believer the ability to
communicate to another person in another language, as
if I was going to go to Germany
and I should pray that God would give
me the gift of tongues so that I
could just speak German flawlessly, you know, supernaturally
by the Holy Spirit.
That's not what the gift of tongues is
at all.
The Bible makes it very clear in First
Corinthians, chapter twelve and in First Corinthians, chapter
fourteen, that he who speaks in an unknown
tongue does not speak to man, but to
God.
The gift of tongues is a tool of
interpersonal communication between the believer and God on
the day of Pentecost, they were not speaking
to the crowd in the gift of tongues,
they were speaking to God.
And the crowd overheard them, by the way,
the crowd said that they were declaring the
great things of God, they were praising God
in these tongues that were unknown to them,
but known to God and overheard by many
in this diverse crowd on the day of
Pentecost.
In any regard, when it came time to
talk to the crowd, Peter did it in
one language that they all understood, and that
was Greek.
It was no problem to communicate with the
crowd, Peter did it.
Anyway, you get the point here.
The promise of the Holy Spirit, specifically including
miraculous gifts that look at what it says
in verse thirty nine about this promise for
this promise is to you.
That's the crowd gathered there on the day
of Pentecost, right?
And to your children, that means to their
descendants and to all who are afar off
as many as the Lord our God will
call.
Who's that?
That's us.
That's everybody.
You get the point here.
Is there an expiration date on this promise?
No, quite the contrary.
This promise that you see fulfilled right in
front of you, Peter says this promise is
for you.
It's for your children.
By the way, children there is used in
the context of descendants.
It's not like it was good for their
children, but not for their grandchildren.
You understand what I mean?
It's for you.
It's for your descendants and for all who
are afar.
I don't know how you get any broader
than that.
Matter of fact, instead of having an expiration
date, it is if Peter was shouting at
the top of his lungs, no expiration date.
It's for every generation at every place.
It seems very clear folks.
Look at one other place here.
First Corinthians chapter 14.
Actually, why don't you take a look instead
of first Corinthians chapter 12, verse seven.
I think this verse expresses the point I'm
trying to make here even more clearly.
We may take a look at chapter 14
as well, but first Corinthians chapter 12, verse
seven says the manifestation of the spirit is
given to each one for the profit of
all.
Why does God give these gifts of the
Holy Spirit to profit the body of Christ
to benefit them, to build them up as
well?
Look at the same thought repeated in first
Corinthians chapter 14.
Let's say verse 26, where it says, how
is it then brethren?
Whenever you come together, each of you has
a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue,
has a revelation, has an interpretation.
Do we agree that supernatural and miraculous gifts
of the Holy Spirit are mentioned there?
Now look at what he says at the
end of verse 26.
Let all things be done for edification.
In other words, what is the purpose of
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the
miraculous ones?
It's for the building up for the edification
for the profit of the people of God.
It's for their benefit.
Now, let me ask you this.
Did the Corinthians or the first century church,
did they need to be built up and
profited and edified in their church body, but
we don't need it today?
That's nonsense.
The need for spiritual gifts did not die
out with the apostles.
Therefore, it's very reasonable to assume that the
supply of spiritual gifts did not die out
with the apostles.
If the purpose of these supernatural gifts is
to build up, to edify, to bless, then
friends, if that's the purpose, then that purpose
is still valid today.
The natural consistent testimony of the New Testament
is that the miraculous gifts described in the
New Testament have not been retracted.
And I have to honestly say that I
don't believe that anyone with a fresh understanding
of the scriptures could ever come to such
an understanding.
I just don't know how it could be.
I think that just plain natural reading of
the scriptures can lead us to that conclusion
that the gifts of the Holy Spirit died
out with the apostles.
There is no indication in the scriptures, none
whatsoever, that any one or all of the
miraculous gifts would die out when the apostles
died out.
Now, there is an indication that there was
something specially unique about the ministry of the
apostles and the prophets in the first century.
And that's a passage taken from Ephesians chapter
two, which says that the church is built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
That means that the writers of scripture had
a foundational work, a foundational inspiration that you
don't need to lay again.
We don't need another authoritative apostle like the
apostle Paul or Peter to write more books
of scripture.
That foundation is laid and Ephesians chapter two
tells us that.
Yet, if you want to say, are there
apostles or special emissaries of the Lord?
I would call apostles with a little a
prophets with a little p.
Are there those in the church today?
Well, yes, of course.
Again, there's no indication that miraculous gifts would
die out when the apostles died out as
well, I would say.
And I think you may have noticed this
when we look through all the different lists
of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
There is no distinction made between miraculous gifts
and other gifts or sign gifts and other
gifts.
In other words, Paul doesn't say, OK, it's
like the Chinese menu.
You know, here's column A and here's column
B and you get to pick three from
A but no from B.
B is no good today.
No, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are
not categorized by the Bible in those ways.
Now, I've seen teachings and worksheets and all
these things where they list all the spiritual
gifts, you know, or at least all the
ones mentioned in the Bible.
And there they are.
They're all mentioned and they're all categorized teaching
gifts, leading gifts, ministry gifts, miraculous gifts or
sign gifts.
You know, and they all have the categories.
They all have the rows and they say,
well, row one is for today.
Row two is for today.
Row three is for today.
Row four.
No, that's out of here.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, on what biblical basis
does anyone have for making such rigid categories
and saying that this category is no longer
for today?
Do you understand what I'm making?
They're making a distinction that the scriptures themselves
do not make.
And I would say that there is no
more specific scripture.
I think what we have is specific enough
in front of us.
For me, I find the Acts chapter two
passage extremely compelling.
But if you wanted something even more specific
and say, well, why is why is there
no passage where Paul writes?
And I want you to know that these
gifts will not pass away when I and
all the other apostles die.
Why?
I think it was just a nonissue to
them.
You might as well ask the question, where
is the scriptural evidence that someone can be
saved beyond the time of the apostles?
Is there a verse that specifically says that
someone can be saved after that?
Just of course they can.
That's what it's just in the whole tenor.
It's all woven throughout the scriptures.
That's why I think we don't have a
more specific scriptural example of this again, although
I would say that it's hard to get
more specific than Peter did on the day
of Pentecost when he said this promise is
to you, to your descendants and to all
who are far off.
Well, having said all that, I think we
have a very important question in front of
us.
Then why do some Christians believe that some
of the gifts of the spirit have passed
away from the church today?
I mean, if it's this compelling, if it
makes this much sense, then where's the disagreement?
Well, I would say that the first mistake
that those people make is, first of all,
they have a wrong understanding of history.
There are many Christians who believe that history
teaches us that the gifts of the Holy
Spirit vanished when the apostles died, that you
won't find records of miraculous gifts or sign
gifts, as they term them, happening after the
death of the apostles.
And they say, well, you know, we have
to explain this somehow.
After all, history says they vanished.
Folks, let me just tell you right off,
history does not say that they vanished.
Let me make this sufficient to say that
from all of my historical research, and I've
made it as extensive as I could.
I am firmly persuaded that if you were
to go up to a Christian, an everyday
Christian in the year 200, that's two or
three generations after the apostles died.
If you were to go up to a
normal, everyday Christian in the year 200 and
say, wow, I mean, things must really be
different now that the gifts of the Holy
Spirit passed away when the apostles died.
They'd look at you and they'd say, what
are you crazy?
What are you talking about?
You should know that it wasn't well until
more around the year 300 that Christians started
saying, hmm, maybe they passed away.
Nobody was saying that before that time.
Now, secondly.
Some Christians believe this because they have a
wrong understanding of First Corinthians 13, 8 through
10.
I want you to turn to that passage
because we need to take a look at
this.
First Corinthians chapter 13, verses 8 through 10.
This is in the mind of some people,
a proof text which says the gifts of
the Holy Spirit are not for today.
First Corinthians chapter 13, verse 8.
It says love never fails, but where there
are prophecies, they will fail where there are
tongues.
They will cease where there is knowledge.
It will vanish away for we know in
part and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect has come,
then that which is in part will be
done away.
And what's Paul's main point in this passage
of First Corinthians 13?
The main message of the passage is that
the gifts of the Holy Spirit are appropriate
for the present time, but they're not permanent.
In eternity, in heaven, you won't need the
gift of prophecy in the age to come.
You won't need these supernatural gifts.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are gifts
given for an imperfect time.
When the perfect has come, they won't be
needed anymore.
Now notice it exactly in verse 10, where
Paul says, when that which is perfect has
come, then that which is in part will
be done away.
There are Bible teachers who grab a hold
of that verse and say that based on
that, the certain gifts of the Holy Spirit,
the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit are
not for today.
They say in verse 10, that which is
in part means the miraculous gifts of the
Holy Spirit.
I scratch my head at that one.
I don't know where it says that.
But secondly, they say, verse 10, that which
is perfect, they say, refers to, again in
the minds of some, the most commonly heard
explanation I hear from this camp within the
Christian circle is that that which is perfect
refers to the completion of the New Testament.
And so once the New Testament was complete,
you didn't need these miraculous gifts anymore.
And they passed from the scene.
Well, I have to say that virtually all
commentators agree that that which is perfect is
when we are in the eternal presence of
the perfect one.
It's eternity.
I don't see any scriptural basis whatsoever for
saying that it refers to the completion of
the New Testament.
I could quote the many, many passages in
the New Testament where this same ancient Greek
word for perfect is used for exact reference
for the eternal state or the coming of
Jesus.
And so some people say that here's another
argument that some people bring out.
It's based on verse eight.
Look at verse eight, where it says love
never fails, but whether there are prophecies, they
will fail.
Whether there are tongues, they will cease.
Whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
Many who believe that the miraculous gifts ended
with the apostles claim that this says that
the miraculous gifts will pass away.
Specifically, they say the gift of tongues, because
notice verse eight, again, prophecies, he says they
will fail tongues.
They will cease knowledge.
It will vanish away.
The explanation that they give goes something like
this.
The verb translated tongues will cease.
They say that the ancient Greek grammar of
that verb, they call it the it's in
the middle voice, not in the passive.
They say that this could be translated.
Tongues will stop by themselves.
But friends, let me lay this out to
you.
That analysis may sound scholarly, but it's disregarded
by virtually every scholar of the ancient Greek
language.
Matter of fact, I can't name for you
a single Greek scholar who supports the idea
that first Corinthians, chapter 13, verse eight, says
that tongues will vanish from the scene after
the apostles are dead.
But I want you to know that even
if that translation is correct, it does nothing
to suggest when tongues will cease, even if
it does mean that tongues will cease all
on their own.
Does it say when is there an expiration
date on there?
Does it say tongues will cease when the
last apostle dies?
Does it say tongues will cease all by
themselves when the New Testament written tongues will
cease all on their own?
No, it's just not there at all.
But the bottom line is, this is that
this passage does not tell us that tongues
will stop by themselves.
Well, well, then what does Paul mean there
in verse eight?
Well, friends, sometimes you can make something out
of nothing in biblical analysis.
Look at it again.
Whether there are prophecies, they will fail.
Whether there are tongues, they will cease.
Whether there are knowledge, they will vanish away.
What is Paul saying?
Paul is just saying that these gifts won't
last forever.
And when the perfect has come, the return
of Jesus Christ, they will vanish away.
Paul's whole big point in first Corinthians 13,
because these things are destined to pass away.
Why don't you keep your real focus on
that which is going to last even into
eternity?
And that's love.
That's what the chapter is all about.
Don't let your interest in the gifts over
pass or Lord over your passion for a
got a love among God's people.
That's the whole lesson of first Corinthians 13.
Well, then why does Paul say we'll fail?
We'll cease.
We'll vanish.
You want to know why?
Because underneath the inspiration of Holy Spirit, he
was a good writer.
Good writers don't say the same thing in
the same words three times in a row.
They use slightly different words to describe the
exact same idea because it's good writing.
Paul means the same thing when he says
we'll fail, we'll cease, we'll vanish.
He's using slightly different words to describe exactly
the same idea.
So some people misunderstand what Paul writes here
in first Corinthians 13 and they take it
as meaning that the gifts of the Holy
Spirit, or at least some of them are
destined to pass away.
And let me show you one other reason
why some people believe that the gifts of
the Holy Spirit are not for today.
And that's found in Hebrews chapter two, verses
one through four.
This is a common misunderstanding.
Hebrews chapter two, verses one through four, we
read.
Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed
to the things we have heard lest we
drift away.
For if the word spoken through angels proved
steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a
just reward, how shall we escape if we
neglect so great a salvation, which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord
and was confirmed to us by those who
heard him.
God also bearing witness both with signs and
wonders with various miracles and gifts of the
Holy Spirit, according to his own will.
Now, do you see what it says about
signs and wonders, miracles and gifts of the
Holy Spirit about those things in this passage?
What it says about them is that those
things attest to the divine origin of the
message of Jesus.
In other words, one of the reasons you
know that Jesus really did bring a message
from God was that it was witnessed to
by signs and wonders, various miracles and gifts
of the Holy Spirit.
Now, the thinking behind this, the misunderstanding behind
this is to say, oh, miracles, signs, wonders,
gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The reason why God gave these to the
church was to authenticate the scriptures.
Well, friends, once the scriptures are authenticated, you
don't need signs and wonders and miracles and
gifts of the Holy Spirit anymore.
Do you see how that logic works?
So again, the idea is in their thinking,
and I think it's erroneous thinking that the
only real reason miracles and gifts were given
was to authenticate revelation, and there's no longer
a need for that.
This is the way many people explain along
those lines.
They say, if you look at the Bible,
you find three main times when revelation was
given, when scripture was written, so to speak.
You have during the time of Moses, you
have during the times of Elijah and Elisha,
and you have during the times of Jesus
and the apostles.
And they say, isn't it interesting that during
those three times when a lot of scripture
was written that you have so many examples
of miraculous works in the days of Moses,
in the days of Elijah and Elisha, the
prophets, and in the days of Jesus and
the first century church?
Well, friends, if miracles only happened around certain
times of revelation, then there's a substantial amount
of revelation that's then accounted for by miracles.
Scripture was being written all the way from
the time of Joshua to the time of
Solomon.
And you know what?
You do not have a spectacular record of
the miraculous all within that time.
Not that miracles didn't happen.
They're just not recorded in scripture.
You see the point?
The point is simply this.
We cannot think that the main reason or
the primary reason why miracles and signs and
wonders and spiritual gifts are given is to
authenticate revelation.
Matter of fact, I would say that if
miracles do authenticate revelation, we're in trouble.
Because false prophets can and do perform authenticating
miracles.
Remember that in the days of Moses, when
Moses came before Pharaoh and God said, listen,
you know, when Pharaoh doubts you, I'd tell
you what to do.
Throw that staff of yours on the ground
and it'll become a snake.
And then if he doesn't believe that, touch
your staff to the water and the water
will become blood.
Man, Pharaoh believed that.
So Moses did it.
What did Pharaoh's magicians do?
They did the same thing.
Isn't that scary?
How about this?
In Deuteronomy chapter 13, verses one through three,
it says this.
If there arises among you a prophet or
a dreamer of dreams and he gives you
a sign or a wonder and the sign
or the wonder comes to pass of which
he spoke to you saying, let us go
after other gods which you have not known
and let us serve them.
You shall not listen to the words of
that prophet or dreamer of dreams, because the
Lord your God has not spoken to him.
What's the test there?
Is it signs and wonders?
No, it's his faithfulness to the word of
God.
How about this?
The Bible says in second Corinthians chapter two,
verse nine, that when the Antichrist comes to
power, he'll come to power according to the
working of Satan with all power, signs and
lying wonders.
If signs and wonders authenticate revelation, if they
prove that revelation is really from God, then
you're ready to accept the Antichrist because he's
going to have signs and wonders behind what
he does.
Friends, let me put it to you this
way.
The primary purpose of miracles, especially as they
are seen in the New Testament, was not
to authenticate God's messengers, though that is a
secondary purpose.
I'm not saying that that was not a
purpose at all.
I'm just not saying it was the primary
purpose.
The primary purpose of miracles was to humbly
meet the needs of people.
You know, when you think about it, the
miracles that Jesus did were a great disappointment
to the Jewish people of his day.
Oh, they wanted to see miracles.
All right.
They wanted to see a miracle of calling
down fire from heaven upon a Roman legion.
That's the miracle they were looking for.
They were looking for real miracles that would
be ones of power and glory.
They thought virtually Jesus wasted his miracles on
healing blind people and lame people.
Come on, Jesus.
There's real political problems here.
Once you use your miracles to fix that.
But Jesus used those miracles to humbly meet
the needs.
And by the way, did the people of
Jesus's own day believe the signs which he
performed?
No.
If miracles are given to authenticate revelation, they
failed in the ministry of Jesus.
That is not their primary purpose.
Well, then what about Hebrews chapter two, where
it says that these were attested to?
Well, yes, yes, they certainly have a role
in that, but it's a secondary role, not
a primary role.
I think we can say confidently from first
Corinthians chapter 12 and 14 that the purpose
of the gifts of the spirit is not
primarily to authenticate God's messengers.
The purpose primarily is to edify and to
build up God's people.
And that need lives today.
Well, let me give one final reason, and
this is a quick one.
I think people are mixed up about this
because they make a wrong application of the
truth that various imitation or counterfeit miracles have
demonic counterparts.
In other words, I've heard people teach like
this and say, well, you know, speaking in
tongues isn't of God.
Look, certain occultic sects, they have speaking in
tongues or something like it.
Among certain Buddhists, they have speaking in tongues
or something like it.
See, it's not of God.
Well, folks, it is certainly true that in
certain cults and occultic groups, you have things
which seem or imitate the gifts of the
Holy Spirit.
I would just ask you this.
Does the existence of a counterfeit prove that
there's a genuine out there?
Or does the existence of a counterfeit deny
that there's a genuine out there?
In other words, nobody's making counterfeits of monopoly
money, folks.
But they will make counterfeits of hundred dollar
bills.
Why?
Because there are genuine one hundred dollar bills
and currency.
That's why they're counterfeited.
The fact that the gifts are sometimes faked
or counterfeited or show up in occultic or
other groups, it does not argue against the
true existence of the gifts one bit.
So, folks, I think that those who believe
that the gifts of the spirit have passed
away may be sincere, but they're sincerely wrong.
Now, you might say, David, what's the big
deal about this?
You know, is this the modern day equivalent
of, you know, how many angels can dance
on the head of a pin?
And are Christians going to divide over this?
Well, first of all, I would not divide
with any brother over this issue.
I have friends and pastors in this community
who believe that the gifts of the spirit
or at least the miraculous ones, they died
with the apostles.
And I count those men as brothers and
friends and co-laborers in Christ.
It's not a matter to divide over.
Friends, as I started out with, I see
no more urgent need in the church today.
And for an openness and an outpouring to
the fullness of the work of the spirit
of God.
I'm not just talking about miraculous gifts, I'm
talking about a matter of fact, I'll come
right out and say this.
I think sometimes Christians focus too much on
the miraculous gifts of the spirit.
And not enough on the life transforming work
of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, friends, we believe that the gift of
tongues is for today and that the gift
of healing is for today and that the
gift of prophecy is for today.
These things touch my life with regularity.
Ladies and gentlemen, what I have a passion
to see is I want to see an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit that radically transforms
people and churches and communities.
That's what I want to see.
And I believe that part of that means
an openness and a biblical understanding to the
person and work of the Holy Spirit in
general.
But let me leave you with this.
Some people, perhaps you tonight, you know the
truth about the gifts and the power of
the Holy Spirit.
You know it.
You may be part of the Amen corner
here this evening.
Amen.
Preach it.
Yeah.
Well, I don't know how people believe anything
different.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, that's great.
But I want to know, are you keeping
this as theoretical knowledge and not life knowledge?
Do the gifts and the power of the
Holy Spirit have operation in your life?
Or you may have all your facts in
order in your head and you can out
debate anybody.
You know it all in that regard.
Well, God bless you for all that knowledge.
Is it in your life?
Maybe you're plugging up the work of the
Holy Spirit in your life.
Maybe there is no real operation of the
gifts or the power of the Holy Spirit
in your life because there's sin and compromise
in your life that you won't get out.
And the Holy Spirit won't be poured out
upon you until you get right with God
in those areas.
You see, I'm not just asking you to
have your head on straight about this, I
want your life to be on straight.
You know how somebody can be a practical
atheist?
Oh, they believe in their head that there's
a God in heaven, but they live their
life as if there were no God.
There's a lot of people like that, right?
You would ask him, would you believe in
God?
Oh, yeah, yeah, there's God up there.
But the way that they live their life.
You would say, well, there must not be
a God.
Well, there are some people who, as a
practical matter, believe that the gifts of the
Holy Spirit died with the apostles because you
never see any evidence of the gifts or
the power of the Holy Spirit in their
life.
And friends, it doesn't matter if the Holy
Spirit takes it away from you, excuse me,
if the devil takes it away from you
by teaching you that they're not for today,
or if the devil takes them away from
you by just getting you to neglect and
ignore the gifts and the power of the
Holy Spirit.
If it's not in your life, it's not
in your life.
It's very important to know both the truth
of the Holy Spirit, according to his word,
but it's very important to know the experience
of the Holy Spirit.
My closing question for you is what do
you know of the Holy Spirit by experience?
And let me ask it one other way.
In your recent past, last week, last two
weeks, last month, in the recent past, what
do you know of the Holy Spirit by
experience?
He wants to be a part of your
life every day in his gifts and his
power.
Well, Father, I pray that you would seal
that message on hearts.
I pray, God, that you would send that
last idea home ringing in the ears of
all of us here.
You know, Lord, it is important that we
have our facts straight about what your word
teaches on this, but Lord God, oh, how
we need to know your Holy Spirit by
experience and not just by ideas in our
head.
Lord, I pray that you would prevail with
us, that you would move upon us to
prevail with you and seek you diligently about
these things.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.