TONGUES
1. Many of us have been asked of we speak in tongues.
2. Members of the church are asked what they think about spiritual gifts.
3. Tonight I want to present some information about tongue speaking.
4. A few moments ago a few verses from Mk. 16 were read.
5. In this passage Jesus spoke about evangelism.
6. Since Christianity was a new religion those who presented it to others needed some help.
7. Some of this help came from miraculous signs.
8.
According to the Bible miracles “confirmed the word”
(Mk.
9.
The Lord’s disciples were to go into “all the
nations” (Mk.
10. This posed a difficulty.
11. In the first century there were multiple languages.
12. God wanted the gospel message to be taken to the world but not everyone spoke the same language.
13. How could God’s people tell the unsaved about the gospel if someone spoke a different language?
14. We
heard the answer in the scripture reading (Mk.
15. The Lord’s disciples would speak with “new tongues.”
16. In the Greek New Testament there are two different words for new.
17. The first word might be compared to a product that we buy in a store.
18. As we hold the package we have something that is new and fresh.
19. If Jesus had used this description for the tongues He would have said,
20. “Theses tongues are new, fresh, different, something the world hasn’t seen.”
21. He would have described what might be called “ecstatic speech.”
22. The Lord used the other word for “new.”
23. This second word described things that were known and already in existence.
24. Thus, the “tongues” were “tongues that were known” (spoken languages).
25. If you want to see this for yourself take out a copy of Vine’s Exposit. Dictionary.
26. Look up the word “new.”
27. Vine
cites Mk.
28. These tongues were “new” to the disciples but they were not “new” to others in the world.
29. Mk.
IF YOU WERE PRESENT LAST SUNDAY NIGHT YOU HEARD ME PRESENT 9 DIFFERENT REASONS FOR CONCLUDING THAT ONLY THE APOSTLES WERE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THUS ONLY THE APOSTLES SPOKE WITH TONGUES ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST.
A. This is information is helpful to us.
B. Acts 2 tells us a lot about tongue speaking.
C. Let’s look at some of the details.
D. In studying this chapter we want to be familiar with Acts 2:6, 8 – READ
E. What was coming out of these men’s mouths?
F. The text says the crowd heard these men (the apostles) speaking in languages.
G. The word in the original text is dialekto.
H. This seems to be the basis for our word dialect.
I. When we look at Acts 2 we know who was baptized in the Holy Spirit (the apostles).
J. We also know that these men were not making meaningless sounds.
K. They were speaking “dialects” (languages).
L. If you are taking notes you may want to jot down a couple of cross references.
M. The word translated “languages” in verses 6 & 8 is also found in Acts 21:40 and 22:2.
N. The first two New Testament references to tongue speaking describe languages.
O. These references are Mk. 16 and Acts. 2.
2. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS CANNOT BE OVERSTATED. WE LIVE IN A TIME WHEN THOSE WHO CLAIM TO SPEAK IN TONGUES NEARLY ALWAYS ALLEGE THAT THE SOUNDS ARE NOT A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. IT IS SAID THAT TONGUES ARE A FORM OF PRIVATE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE TONGUE SPEAKER AND GOD.
A. This view cannot be established from Mk. 16. It cannot be established by Acts 2.
B. The tongues in Mk. 16 and Acts 2 were unquestionably languages.
C. This fact leaves us with a very limited number of conclusions.
D. We might conclude that there was a type of tongue different than what we have just seen.
E. Those who claim to speak in tongues today have this second type of tongue but not the first type.
F. The second conclusion is that tongues were the ability to speak in languages one had never learned.
G. Any other type of “tongue” is gibberish that is based upon sheer emotionalism.
3. Let’s look at the other passages where tongues are described.
4. The next place we read about tongues is Acts 10 and 11.
5. Cornelius and his household received the gift of tongues.
6. This is specifically stated in the text (Acts 10:46).
7. This gift is then described in Acts 11:17 – READ
8. The Holy Spirit said Cornelius and those at his house received the “like gift.”
A. Thayer, a respected Lexicographer, says this means “the same gift.”
B. He may have said this because of how the original term is used elsewhere.
C. Do we remember the story in Mt. 20:12?
D. Several men were hired throughout the day.
E. Each man was paid the same wage.
F. In Acts 10 Luke says this was the same gift.
9. The significance of this must be grasped.
10. In Mk. 16 Jesus promised tongues—languages that were spoken in the world.
11. This is what the gift of tongues was on the day of Pentecost.
12. It seems that about 10 years pass from the time of Pentecost to the time of Cornelius.
13. What did Cornelius receive 10 years after the church has been established?
14. He received the “like gift” (same gift; the identical gift).
15. Within the first 10 or so years of the church tongues are only associated with foreign languages.
16. There is absolutely no hint, indication, suggestion, or implication concerning anything else.
17. Yet we are repeatedly told today that tongues are “mysterious sounds.”
18. This is absolutely contrary to what the New Testament says.
19. SOME WOULD BE QUICK TO POINT US TO THE CORINTHIAN CORRESPONDENCE. IT IS ALLEGED THAT THIS MATERIAL PROVES THAT A TYPE OF TONGUE (OTHER THAN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE) WAS USED AND IS AVAILABLE TODAY.
A. We will look at the material in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.
B. Before we do that bear in mind what tongue speakers are asking us to do.
C. They ask us to forget about the first 10 years of church history to substantiate their claim.
20. Before actually reading from the Corinthian letter it is important to make this point.
A. In any New Testament passage that describes tongues we can make a substitution.
B. If we take out the word “tongues” and insert “foreign language(s) the text always makes sense.
C. Many
passages do not make sense of we use the modern definition for tongue speaking.
If we mentally insert “unknown
sounds” in the “tongue passages” we have problems.
D. Here are a couple of examples.
E. Let’s start with Acts 2:4.
F. (READ using “gibberish” and “other languages”).
G. Let’s apply this same test to Acts 10:46 – READ
H. This test may also be administered to the Corinthian correspondence.
21. Since this is where much of modern Pentecostalism comes from let’s see how the text would read.
A. 1 Cor. 12:28 – READ
B. 1 Cor. 12:30 – READ
C. 1 Cor. 13:1 – READ
D. 1 Cor. 13:8 – READ.
E. The ability to speak in languages one had never learned was a miraculous gift.
F. The miraculous ability to speak in a foreign language without training has ceased.
22. To some in the religious world what has just been said doesn’t matter.
23. Many still insist on a gift that is a sound that is not a foreign language.
A. The Bible shows in a variety of ways that this is a false claim.
B. The New Testament has a word of ecstatic.
C. We are told that tongues are an ecstatic experience (ability).
D. There was a word that conveyed this very meaning.
E. Paul was familiar with this word because he used it in 2 Cor. 5:13.
F. When Paul wrote about tongues to the Corinthians he did not use this term.
G. Instead of using this word the apostle used an illustration.
24. Notice if you will 1 Cor. 14:21-23 – READ.
A. Paul spoke of “tongues.”
B. These were the tongues that the Corinthians had.
C. Paul made it very clear as to the type of tongue he meant.
D. Notice that Paul based his statement upon the Old Testament.
E. If you have good cross references you will see that he referred back to Isa. 28:11.
F. Isaiah said that people would speak with “strange tongues.”
G. Who was Isaiah thinking about?
H. Isaiah predicated the invasion of the Assyrians.
I. The Assyrians didn’t have Hebrew as their native language.
J. If we were a Hebrew and we were invaded by the Assyrians, what would be true?
K. Our captors and conquerors would have “strange tongues” (speech).
L. They would be speaking a foreign language.
M. By making use of Isaiah’s prophecy Paul showed that tongues were foreign languages.
25. This is absolutely consistent with Mk. 16, Acts 2, and Acts 10-11.
A. Further proof that this view is correct is in 1 Cor. 14:8 – READ.
B. Think about Paul in comparison to the Corinthians.
C. Who did more mission work?
D. Who had interaction with more foreigners?
E. It was Paul.
F. This man journeyed all over the place. He eventually went to Rome.
G. Because Paul had contact with scores of people he needed to speak in many different languages.
H. This is what he told the Corinthians.
I. He had the ability to speak in more languages than they did.
26. Many rush to 1 Cor. 14:2 in the KJV and say that tongues are “unknown.”
A. This passage doesn’t help people in their attempt to redefine tongues.
B. The KJV translators added the word “unknown” (it is italicized).
C. Let’s say that the word unknown were in the original.
D. Let’s also say that tonight we had a guest speaker who preaches in Spanish.
E. If none of us understand that language, would we know what this man said?
F. If people could not speak the foreign language that was being used it was an unknown tongue.
G. That it, it was “unknown” the people in the assembly did not understand it.
H. Those who spoke that language would have clearly understood what was being said.
27. As God’s people we need to know what the gift of tongues was.
28. We need to be able to defend the truth on this matter because many others are not.
29. As God’s people we need to be interested in the truth, know the truth, and teach the truth.
30. Tonight if we are interested in and know the truth have we obeyed it?