The Sound of Doctrine

Category: Church

Seek Jesus Christ
Scripture Reading

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;
21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
22 Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus.
23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. (John 12:20–25, LSB)

Introduction
The entire ministry of Jesus Christ can come down to the realities presented in this short dialogue.

From this interaction with these Greeks, Jesus Christ demonstrates to us the requirements, and results, of following Him into eternal life.

If I could leave us with one message, it would be this one.

So, let’s examine this together.

The Greeks

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;
21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

20 Ἦσαν δὲ Ἕλληνές τινες ἐκ τῶν ἀναβαινόντων ἵνα προσκυνήσωσιν ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ·
21 οὗτοι οὖν προσῆλθον Φιλίππῳ τῷ ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδὰ τῆς Γαλι (John 12:20–21, UBS5)

Context
- History
  This was the folks from Macedonia and Achaia, who, coming in from the Alexandrian army, populated the known world.
  Their kingdom was spread as far as India and was known for its culture and new ideas.
- Culture
  Their culture was refined, orderly, and celebrated the arts.
  They were in now way righteous or right before God.
- Law
  
  The introduced ideas of law which complemented the Mosaic Law in jurisprudence.
  However, Greece never rose to the level of righteousness in the sense of the gods and God.
  As such, the Jews despised the Greeks and saw them as heathens and pagans…and rightfully so.
Therefore, these people coming into the Temple and wanting to participate in the worship of the Jews, puts them in a unique position.

They would be known as “proselytes.”

They would be people who want to worship the true God alongside the Jewish religion in the Temple.

“Bethsaida of Galilee…”

“The oldest historical references to Bethsaida are those found in the New Testament.”¹

“Apart from the New Testament our most abundant witness for first-century Bethsaida is that of Josephus.”²

“• It was a fishing village (בית ציידא) that was transformed by Herod Philip into a Greco-Roman polis named Julias.
• Philip increased the population and strengthened the fortifications of the city.
• Bethsaida contained both Gentile (Syrian) and Jewish populations (War 3:57; Jn 1:44). Among the latter were those who maintained a religiously observant lifestyle (cf. Acts 11:8).
• Accessible by boat (Mk 6:32), the city lay on the Sea of Galilee (Ant. 18:28).
• It was situated about 660 feet (200 m) from the Jordan River that coursed by it and emptied into the Sea of Galilee (Life 399).
• It was in lower Gaulanitis, opposite the higher hill country (War 2:168).
• The area nearby included a marshy plain (Life 403).”³

The city of Bethsaida is little known.

But, John’s reasoning that the Greeks came to Phillip because he was from Bethsaida of Galilee would indicate some kind of commonality with them that the others did not have.

However, Peter and Andrew were also from Bethsaida.

Did you notice who is NOT part of this event?

This other disciple is also from Bethsaida.⁴

Notice that these Greeks did not, and Philip did not, approach Peter.

Why not?

There is no way to know.

My guess is, though, that Peter was busy in some way with being with Christ, or was simply not approachable.

But, it is significant to me that they approached these two men, and one was the brother of the more prominent disciple, Peter.

The Disciples

**22 **Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus.

The approach demonstrated the difference between being free to approach Christ, or not.

The Greeks did not approach Christ on their own.

Rather, they approached His disciples, the one who might be more approachable culturally and geographically.

These Greeks were there to attend the feast and worship, which also shows their humility and genuine lack of ill-motive.

Both Andrew and Philip are from the city of Bethsaida, the house of fish.

The Messiah

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:20–26, LSB)

Most significant portion of this passage.

Here, Jesus responds to the request of the Greeks with what appears to be an unrelated statement.

The Greeks said that they wanted to “see” Jesus.

That could mean that they wanted to simply meet Him superficially.

But, it could also mean that they wanted to ask for something.

If we reconstruct what is happening around the Lord as this time, and what the Lord is doing as well, we can see a little more of what this small group of Greeks may have wanted.

The Crowd

Jesus had raised Lazarus, His friend, from the dead.

11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, •the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (John 11:1, LSB)

So when He heard that he was sick, He •then stayed two days in the place where He was. (John 11:6, LSB)

7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10 “But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
11 He said these things, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him.” (John 11:7–11, LSB)

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away;
19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them about their brother. (John 11:17–19, LSB)

28 And when she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.
31 Then the Jews—who were with her in the house and consoling her—when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to cry there.
32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus therefore saw her crying, and the Jews who came with her also crying, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,
34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”
38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. (John 11:28–38, LSB)

41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 “And I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the crowd •standing around I said this, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”
43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.
46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. (John 11:41–46, LSB)

47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Sanhedrin together, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is doing many signs.
48 “If we let Him go on like this, all will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” (John 11:47–48, LSB)

53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
54 Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk openly among the Jews, but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.
55 Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem from the region before the Passover to purify themselves.
56 So they were seeking Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That He will not come to the feast at all?”
57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him. (John 11:53–57, LSB)

The Greeks who came to the feast were those who wanted to also see Christ.

The Lord had dramatically raised Lazarus from the dead.

Now, Jesus was a celebrity, famous, and the talk of the entire country.

And yet, there was the reality that if anyone knew where Christ was, they were to report it to the Jewish leaders in order that those leaders might put Him to death.

9 Then the large crowd from the Jews learned that He was there. And they came, not because of Jesus only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead.
10 But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also;
11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. (John 12:9–11, LSB)

12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” (John 12:12–13, LSB)

17 So the crowd, who was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to bear witness about Him.
18 For this reason also the crowd went and met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.
19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing; look, the world has gone after Him.” (John 12:17–19, LSB)

Now, we can understand the tension surrounding the Lord’s presence at the Feast. It would be the last feast for the Lord, the fourth one in the record of the gospels.

It was the attendance, and death, at the Feast that would make Him the Passover Lamb of the New Covenant.

He came in order to die.

It was the decree of the Father that He would be put to death at the hands of the Jews and the Romans.

27 “Now My soul has become dismayed; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (John 12:27–28, LSB)

The Hour

And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. (John 12:23, LSB)

This “hour” is the moment of time wherein all the connections are made in order to carry out the plan of the Father.

His “hour” had to be at a certain time when all the factors were in place.

And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4, LSB)

So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always here. (John 7:6, LSB)

So they were seeking to seize Him; yet no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. (John 7:30, LSB)

These words He spoke in the treasury, as He was teaching in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. (John 8:20, LSB)

It was not His hour the prior 3 years.

But, at this Passover, it was His hour.

13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (John 13:1, LSB)

17:1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, (John 17:1, LSB)

The Jews, Israel, Rome, Pilate, the disciples, and the crowd.

The eternal plan comes down to, and issues from, this hour (and the subsequent resurrection from the dead).

The Illustration

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24, LSB)

And, as the leader that He is, He makes Himself the example to follow.

Agriculturally, the seed is planted and dissolves, and the chemical make-up of the seed with the soil, over time, breaks down, and God, from that reaction, makes plants.

The Example

25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:25–26, LSB)

This call to follow Him, ie follow His example, is repeated in every gospel:

Matthew

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.
25 “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! (Matthew 10:24–25, LSB)

38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10:38–39, LSB)

Mark

34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
35 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:34–36, LSB)

Luke

23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
24 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.
25 “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? (Luke 9:23–25, LSB)

Conclusion

If we are to follow Jesus Christ, we are to carry a cross, our personal cross.

This calling is to live the new life that Jesus made possible by means of His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead.

It is a denial of ourselves in this world.

Consider:

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3 For you died and your life has been hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1–4, LSB)

7But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, •I count all things to be loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own which is from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God upon faith,
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection •from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: •forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:7–14, LSB)

12:1 Therefore, •since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, fainting in heart. (Hebrews 12:1–3, LSB)
1. Anson F. Rainey and R. Steven Notley, The Sacred Bridge: Carta’s Atlas of the Biblical World, Second Emended & Enhanced Edition (Jerusalem, Israel: Carta Jerusalem, 2014), 357. ↩
2. Ibid, p. 357 ↩
3. Ibid, pp. 357-8 ↩
4. John 1:44 ↩
May 17, 2026
“Now Concerning Spiritual Gifts…”
Scripture Reading

2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,
2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
3 if you have tasted •the kindness of the Lord.
4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which •has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:1–5, LSB)

Introduction

12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
2 You know that when you were pagans, you were being led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:1–3, LSB)

We turn another corner in our study through 1 Corinthians.

We begin a section written by Paul in order to correct the experiences of the Corinthians and their meeting together.

It would be helpful to get a view of the meeting of the church, and their aberrations, but especially as it relates to the misuse of “spiritual gifts.”
1. The celebration of freedom of immorality.
2. The misconduct of marital relationship.
3. The participation in idol worship.
4. The use of lawsuits in the church.
5. The meeting together for the worst-selfish assembly.
6. Unloving assembly.
These fleshly, unspiritual, actions and motives caused horrible divisions and factions in the church, ones that, although useful for seeing who is right and who is wrong, are wrong and unnecessary nonetheless.

Yet, Paul’s larger section in this whole letter, and one that needed the most correction, is that of “spiritual gifts.”

In this section, we will be getting a very great and detailed grasp on:
1. The Origin of Spiritual Gifts
  1. The Use of Spiritual Gifts
  2. The Abuse of Spiritual Gifts¹
The Origin of Spiritual Gifts

“Now concerning spiritual gifts…”

The origin of spiritual gifts is that they are…from the Spirit.

That is to say, the Spiritual Gifts are from the Holy Spirit and are the result of the direct work of the Holy Spirit in the heart and soul of the believer.

7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is profitable.
8 For to one •is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
9 to someone else faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10 and to another the workings of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to someone else various kinds of tongues, and to another the translation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:7–11, LSB)

That makes the discussion about the spiritual gifts appropriate for the context of the Lord’s Supper, the New Covenant, and the sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus Christ for His people.

The origin of the spiritual gifts are from the coming of the Holy Spirit post-ascension.

Once we understand that, we are on good footing in order to scale the wall of understanding spiritual gifts.

The New Covenant

We have studied this topic significantly the last few weeks.

But, one aspect of this subject pertains to the topic of spiritual gifts and that is the part of the New Covenant which refers to the “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful •to do My judgments.” (Ezekiel 36:27, LSB)” portion.

The New Covenant includes the furnishing of the Holy Spirit “in” the person in order to compel the Israelite to finally keep the Mosaic Law.

In so doing, God will be able to then fulfill His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and bring the Jews to inhabit the land.²

This aspect of the New Covenant will be fulfilled when Israel repents.

However, as we saw, they did not repent.

Therefore, since the coming of Christ for the cross cannot be repeated, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit must resemble this New Covenant work of the Spirit, and yet, be something completely different.

As we will see, this work of the Spirit is something hidden in the Old Testament, and was only revealed with the coming, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, of the Messiah.

This leads us to our next consideration: The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

16 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, that He may be with you forever;
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. (John 14:16–17, LSB)

25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.
26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (John 14:25–26, LSB)

5 “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
6 “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and •righteousness and •judgment;
9 concerning sin, because •they do not believe in Me;
10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. (John 16:5–11, LSB)

Jesus Christ promised to His disciples that when He arrived back in heaven, He would immediately request from the Father that the third Member of the Godhead take His place among His disciples, and even in a new and different way.

Jesus Christ dwelt among the disciples.

The Holy Spirit will dwell within the disciples.

This coming of the Advocate, the Mediator, will work in the disciples in ways that the Old Testament did not clarify, and yet, of which it spoke.

That is because the church aspect of the Kingdom of God was not clarified in the Old Testament, but was vaguely referred to there.

22And what if God, wanting to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath having been prepared for destruction,
23 and in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory—
24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles?
25 As He says also in Hosea,
“I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’
And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”
26 “And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.” (Romans 9:22–26, LSB)

This coming of the Holy Spirit and His “gifting” of the saints was not prophesied of in the Old Testament.

14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.
15 “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day;
16 but this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour out •My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions,
And your old men shall dream dreams;
18 Even on My male slaves and •female slaves,
I will in those days pour out •My spirit
And they shall prophesy.
19 ‘And I will put wonders in the sky above
And signs on the earth below,
Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.
20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood,
•Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
21 ‘And it will be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—
23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.
24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
25 “For David says of Him,
‘I saw the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.
26 ‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;
Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;
27 Because You will not forsake my soul to Hades,
Nor give Your Holy One over to see corruption.
28 ‘You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’
29 “Men, brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to set one of the fruit of his body on his throne,
31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither forsaken to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.
32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you both see and hear.
34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35 Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.” ’
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:14–36, LSB)

The sending of the Holy Spirit was the result of the resurrection, and ascension, of the Messiah.

When that occurred, as the Old Testament said, the Holy Spirit would be “poured out” on the house of Israel (Joel 2).

However, Joel mentions the pouring out of the Spirit in reference to the miraculous, prophetic, and visionary.

Yet, that pouring out would be after the suffering of Israel for covenantal punishment (vv. 18-27), and would lead to the restoration of His people, Israel.³

The Ascension

You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives;

You have received gifts among men,

Even among the rebellious also, that Yah—God—may dwell there. (Psalm 68:18, LSB)
Ephesians 4:7–16 (LSB)
```
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 
8 Therefore it says, 
     “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, 
     HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, 
     And HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.” 
9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 
10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 
11 And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, 
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, 
14 so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, 
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, 
16 from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
```
The effect of the gifting of the Holy Spirit is to the edifying of the saints into the image of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

This is the same emphasis of Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14.
1 Corinthians 12:28–31 (LSB)
```
28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all translate? 
31 But you earnestly desire the greater gifts. 
And I will yet show you a more excellent way.
```
1 Corinthians 13:1–3 (LSB)
```
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 
2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 
3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
```
1 Corinthians 14:1–5 (LSB)
```
1 Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 
2 For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. 
3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and encouragement. 
4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. 
5 But I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy. And greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he translates, so that the church may receive edification.
```
1 Corinthians 14:12 (LSB)
```
12 So also you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.
```
1 Corinthians 14:14–19 (LSB)
```
14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 
15 What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. 
16 Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the uninformed say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 
17 For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. 
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all; 
19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.
```
A church like the one in Corinth who sough after the gift of languages, etc… but neglected prophesying and teaching, then that church, and that unbeliever is not helped.

1 Corinthians 14:23–25 (LSB)
```
23 Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and uninformed men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 
24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; 
25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that SURELY GOD IS AMONG YOU.
```
1 Corinthians 14:40 (LSB)
```
40 But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.
```
Conclusion

Summary:

Paul is now turning his attention to the use of spiritual gifts in the church at Corinth.

The meeting of the church has been chaotic and without order in every way imaginable for a church.

In order to correct this, we have to examine what Paul wrote to them.

This makes sense coming from the topic of the New Covenant and the Lord’s Supper.

They assembled, not for the better, but for the worst.

Their ungodly assembly generated greater sin and confusion, including the misuse of Spiritual Gifts.

The Holy Spirit is grieved by the misuse of the gifts.

Therefore, the coming of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of edification and maturing is hindered and misrepresented by these abuses.

Next week:

The Use of Spiritual Gifts

The Abuse of Spiritual Gifts
1. Ephesians 4:30 (LSB)
  30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ↩
2. Leviticus 26:40-41 ↩
3. Joel 3:1 ↩
May 3, 2026
Music In the Church
– 1. Introduction

– Review

1. Singing accompanies salvation.
1. Why?
  1. Because such a glorious reality as redemption and the truths about God oftentimes can only be sung as there is expression in singing that is unmatched in simple dialogue.
    
    This singing is not done haphazardly or in a maniacal manner.
    
    Singing itself is a medium that must match the content of the song.
    
    The style of music is meant to convey the words of the song as well.
    
    The words of the song must reflect biblical truth and teaching.
  2. Therefore, when we sing in the church it must be that we are doing so as a result of deep understanding and humiliation brought about by the Word of God.
    
    Gratitude must accompany our song.
    
    Fear of the Lord must accompany our song.
    
    Praise must accompany our song.
    
    Further instruction must accompany our song.
  3. Because of the differences between what God is doing in Israel and what God is doing in the church, a Temple no longer exists in which the Levitical singers can lead in instrumental pieces in order to promote contemplation and praise.
    
    Rather, the church takes the same components that were to motivate Temple services of worship, thanksgiving, praise, and teaching, and we also respond in song with instruments.
    
    Thus, the church continues the praise begun with the angels at creation.
    
    Further, the song will continue into the eternal state, as we will see.
  4. With full access to the Father personally, every believer can now join the heavenly chorus of living beings, saints, and angels, in the vocal, and even instrumental, proclamation of the excellencies of YHWH. He is worthy of that excellence in song!!!
  5. As we finish today, here is what we will see:
  1. Singing in the church is motivated by:
  1. Thanksgiving
  1. Teaching
  1. Praise
  1. These components must be accompanied by skillfully played instruments.
    
    We will structure our thinking around these three components.
- 1. Components of song in the church:
  1. Thanksgiving – 1 Corinthians 14:14-19
    
    V. 14 “For if I might pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.”
  2. What does this mean?
    
    Praying in another language might be necessary in a context where others from another country are present.
    
    However, since he does not know that language, he cannot understand, and learn from, what he prays.
    
    The goal is a fruitful mind.
  3. The obvious indication is that it is better to have the mind fruitful than the “spirit.”
V. 15 “What then is it? I will pray by the spirit, but also I will pray by my mind; I will sing by the spirit, but also I will sing by the mind.”
1. Beginning the sentence with interrogative: “What?”
  1. He is concerned with the outcome of the circumstances of V. 14.
    
    There is a resolve to pray by the spirit, his interest and will, but also to pray by his mind.
    
    The real intention by Paul is that people understand so that their minds are learning something.
    
    This is why he says that when he prays, which must refer to corporate prayer, he will do so with his mind.
    
    There is also a resolve to sing by the spirit, his will and emotion. But also a commitment to singing with his mind.
    
    His singing is purposeful, clear, edifying, and according to a sound mind.
    
    This indicates the kind of singing that Paul would instruct every church to conduct.
    
    Singing must be done with a controlled, sound, mind.
    
    Singing in the church is not to be out of control or filled with emotion. It must be sound and, since the context is edification, filled with doctrine.
    
    Otherwise, when praying or singing, when an unbeliever enters the church, he cannot be convicted by the praying or singing if it is emotional only.
V. 16 “Since if you might bless by the spirit, the one in the place of the unlearned, how will he answer the “Amen” upon your thanksgiving since he does not know what you say?”
1. If we continue the thought here, the idea of “the thanksgiving” must be in reference to prayer and singing.
  1. Thanksgiving is certainly in prayer. However, the Psalms are full of songs of thanksgiving as well. Thus, it would seem most natural that the singing that occurred in the church consisted of Psalms of thanksgiving as well as prayers of thanks to God.
    1. Notice Paul’s reference to “the Amen” in V. 16.
    
    See Deuteronomy 27:15–26; 1 Chr. 16:36; Neh. 5:13; 8:6; ; Jer. 11:5; 28:6; Rev 5:14; 7:12.
  - Psalm 106:48
    48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    From everlasting even to everlasting.
    And let all the people say, “Amen.”
    Praise the Lord!
  Nehemiah 5:13
  13 I also shook out the front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.
  1. See Revelation 5:11-14
  - Revelation 19:4
    4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
  1. The point is, the target of such singing and praying is the mind.
- 1. What I want us to see is:
  1. There was a public “giving of thanks” in the assembly of the church.
    
    Paul’s reference to singing and instruments indicates the use of such in the meeting of the church.
    
    The word for “sing” is the specific word for singing accompanied by instruments = “psalm.” (ψαλῶ – I sing [usually accompanied by instruments]).
    
    Paul makes reference to instruments in V. 7.
    
    This giving of thanks to God was meant as a tool for expressing to God a rehearsal of His work in the world (for redemption) and to teach that work to the church such that it would produce more contrition and gratitude, even in those who would attend and do not know Christ.
Psalm 33:1–5
1     Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
2     Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
3     Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4     For the word of the Lord is upright,
And all His work is done in faithfulness.
5     He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

Psalm 147:1
Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.
1     Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
Psalm 147:7
7     Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,

Psalm 107:1–3 (see also vv. 8, 15, 21, 31)

1     Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2     Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3     And gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

1. Teaching – Ephesians 5:19 & Colossians 3:16.

1. V. 16 “(Be) Redeeming out for yourselves ones the season because the days are evil ones.”
1. This is a description of the kind of person a Christian must be.
  1. Buy back from the market.
    
    Take it into your possession.
    
    This is a reference to righteousness.
    
    The season.
    
    What season?
    
    The season of the evil day
    
    This is repeated in Ephesians 6:13
    
    This season is now-the days in which Christ has come, the devil is not bound, and the anticipation of the end is near for the Devil and his angels.
    
    How?
    
    The indication is that the context tells us what this redeeming looks like:
    
    V. 6 = do not be deceived by false teaching.
    
    Do not partake in their teaching.
    
    Be learning what is pleasing to the Lord.
    
    V. 11 = Do not participate in the deeds of darkness.
    
    Expose them by means of the light of truth.
    
    Call the sleeper to awake by exposing their sins.
    
    V. 15 = walk carefully, wisely.
    
    Redeem the times from the evil ones.
    
    The days are evil as has been said.
    
    V. 17 = Do not be foolish.
    
    Understand the will of the Lord (Ephesians 1:5,11).
    
    Put away getting drunk (1 Corinthians 11:21).
    
    Fill yourself, instead, with the Holy Spirit.
    
    The product of that will be speaking, singing, making (melody), giving thanks, submitting.
    
    The filling up is in comparison to the filling up with wine that creates drunkenness. That is not to say that you drink the Spirit. However, it is to say that you learn, study, memorize, the Word of God as the whole argument began in V. 6, do not believe false teaching.
    
    Therefore, in order to redeem the season, we must fill ourselves (church-wide and corporately) with the Word of God (sound doctrine).
    
    2. V. 17 “because of this, do not become unthinking. But rather comprehend what the will of the Lord is.”
    
    “Because of this…”
    
    It is precisely because the days are evil that we must wise up.
    
    The believer must, the church must, understand, comprehend the will of the Lord.
    
    This is in reference to Ephesians 1:5, 11.
    
    In Ephesians 2:15-23 Paul prays also for the believers there that they would comprehend the will of God (i.e. the gospel).
    
    The church must learn and comprehend what God’s eternal will is.
    
    Abbott-Smith = “To know by perception, to join the perception with the thing perceived.” p, 429.
    
    See Ephesians 1:1, 5, 9, 11; 2:3; 5:17; 6:6.
    
    The idea of “will” in Ephesians is not the personal will for a person in the sense of what God wants from his life.
    
    It is the will of God, as evidenced in the preponderance of usage in that regard.
    
    The thing that combats the foolishness of ignorance is to learn-learn the will of God.
- 1. V. 18 “And do not make yourselves drunk (with/by) wine, in which it is reckless debauchery. But rather, fill yourselves up in spirit/by the Spirit.”
  1. Sentence begins with “kai.” Why?
    
    Main command: V. 1 “Therefore, be imitators of God…”
    
    What that looks like:
    
    Walk in love.
    
    Let no one deceive you.
    
    Do not participate in deeds of darkness.
    
    Do not get drunk with wine.
    
    The thought has been taken from the main exhortation.
    
    “Stop continuing to make yourselves drunk with wine…”
    
    With the negation and a present imperative, it has the idea of an action that is continuing on a linear scale, or that has already occurred, that needs to stop.
    
    The potential assumption is that this church, like Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:21; see Jude 12), had some participating in drunkenness at some point.
    
    Thus, as you look at the rest of the exhortations in Ephesians, we realize that the church in Ephesus actually had many problems.
    
    Ephesians 1-3 = introduction/prologue.
    
    Ephesians 4-6 = admonition and instruction.
    
    This passage falls into the writing that admonishes and instructs.
    
    Some were drinking.
    
    Some were still getting drunk.
    
    This is not unusual in that town.
    
    “in which is reckless debauchery…”
    
    Getting drunk = reckless debauchery.
    
    Paul teaches and explains here.
    
    4. “but rather, fill yourselves up in spirit/with the Spirit.”
    
    Might be best to see the parallelism here between μεθύσκεσθε & πληροῦσθε .
    
    One is being drunk with wine.
    
    The other is being filled with the Spirit of God.
    
    The passive sense in which the filling occurs is that which occurs by means of the Word of God.
    
    This filling is in reference to having a repository of the Word of God in your heart which is the same as being filled with the Holy Spirit?
    
    How?
    
    Because the Word of God is from the Spirit.
    
    John 6:63
    
    63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
    
    John 6:68
    
    68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
1. 2 Peter 1:19–21
- 19     So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
  20     But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
  21     for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
  
  1 Peter 2:1–3
  
  1     Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,
  2     like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
  3     if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
1. The correlation is that the nature of the Word of God is such that it is
  1. Eternal, and thus of the Spirit of God.
    
    From God.
    
    Has the properties of Spirit.
  2. Thus, the church corporately, is supposed to fill itself up with the Word of God – i.e. preaching, teaching, admonishing.
- 1. V. 19 “While speaking to one another in/with Psalms and Hymns, and spiritual songs; while singing and psalming to the Lord, with your heart.”
  1. This is, overall, a corporate undertaking.
    
    Notice the plural “yourselves.”
    
    Notice plural “of yours.”
    
    The effect of the filling of the church with sound doctrine is that it takes that doctrine and arranges it into psalms (usually accompanied by instruments), hymns (doctrinal songs), and spiritual songs (songs teaching and reflecting upon the Word and work of God).
    
    Psalms = songs accompanied by instruments.
- “ψάλλω perhaps meant orig. “to touch” (etym.6 akin to ψηλαφάω), then “to pluck” the string, to cause it to spring, of the string of a bow,”¹
“1. Hymns = songs of praise.
- 2. ὑμνέω means first “to sing a song” of praise,”²
1. “Spiritual songs = songs of Jesus Christ or of the redemption of God.
- The λόγος τοῦ Χριστοῦ means that ᾠδαὶ πνευματικαί are mostly songs about Christ, or about the saving acts of God enacted in Him. An example may be seen in 1 Tm. 3:16.”³
1. So, in order to sum up, Paul’s teaching for the church in their singing is the same as it was for that of Israel. However, since we are not Israel and we do not possess the Temple, yet we are a temple that is being built by sound doctrine, we must still sing.
  1. Psalms = instruments.
    
    Hymns = songs of praise.
    
    Spiritual songs = songs explaining the Messiah.
  2. Example of songs in the NT:
    
    Ephesians 5:14
-           Ἔγειρε, ὁ καθεύδων,
              καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν,
            καὶ ἐπιφαύσει σοι ὁ Χριστός.
  1. Itself probably based upon other OT passages and truths:
    
    Isaiah 26:19
    19 Your dead will live;
    Their corpses will rise.
    You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
    For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
    And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.
  2. Thus, this would most properly be considered a spiritual song.
  2. 1 Timothy 3:16
-           Ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί,
              ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι,
           ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις,
            ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν,
              ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ,
           ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ.
  1. Notice the repetition.
    
    Similar verb stems
    
    Similar noun endings.
  2. Notice the summary of ministry categories.
    
    Birth
    
    Baptism
    
    Ministry – from baptism to suffering.
    
    Ministry – Gentiles heard from Him in His ministry.
    
    Ministry – some from the world heard of Him and believed.
    
    Ascension
  3. This would be considered a hymn, and may have been accompanied with instruments. If accompanied by instruments, this would then be a psalm = a sung song with instruments.
- 1. One song is a call to unbelievers to “wake up” as it were to Christ.
  2. The other is an exposition of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
    
    Ephesians 5:14 was probably a kind of song that was extant in the church and quoted by Paul as familiar to them.
    
    1 Timothy 3:16 was probably sung by the church, made up by them, and taken by Paul from them and incorporated into Scripture.
1. Colossians 3:16 “Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you all richly in wisdom, while teaching and admonishing each other (by means of) psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, in gratitude/grace while singing in the hearts of you all to God.”
1. Notice “allow.”
  1. That is, do not neglect or shun Christ’s words.
    
    Receive them (James 1:21) and let them live among the church.
    
    Notice plural
    
    “You all” = everyone collectively (assumes individually).
    
    Do not, as a church, shun the Word of Christ as it is taught and talked about in the church.
    
    All the while, in love (1 Corinthians 13), teaching and admonishing one another
    
    By means of
    
    Psalms
    
    Hymns
    
    Spiritual songs
    
    In a condition of
    
    Thanks
    
    Grace
    
    Collectively singing together with gratitude in the hearts of each one collectively lifting your voices to God.
    
    Romans 15:5–6
    
    5 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,
    6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  1. The assembly of the redeemed must bring about our singing with hearts that demonstrate love for God and gratitude
Hebrews 13:15–16
15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

1. Praise –
1. Matthew 11:25 (cf. Matthew 21:16 = praise established from God through the mouths of infants).
  1. A summary of praise in the NT:
    
    The praise of YHWH among the Gentiles.
    
    Romans 15:9
    
    Romans 15:11
    
    The praise of YHWH among the elect:
    
    Hebrews 2:12
    
    Hebrews 13:15
    
    The praise of YHWH resulting from suffering:
    
    1 Peter 1:7
    
    1 Peter 4:13
    
    The praise of YHWH in regards to the future:
    
    Romans 14:11
    
    Revelation 19:5
- 1. Are any of these related to instruments, music, or song?
    
    Romans 15:9,11 are both related to the Psalms that speak of or relate to singing simply because of their arrangement as song by the Psalmist.
    
    Hebrews 2:12 says that that Jesus Christ will actually lead in song among His children. This may, or may not, include instruments.
    
    Given the same conditions as above, Revelation 19:1-5 and Romans 14:11 (as well as Romans 15:5-6), may all very well include instruments in order to accompany the songs of praise!
  2. In fact, it very well may be that when God speaks, His voice is actually in musical notes and tones as if a symphony of harps:
  1. Revelation 14:2!!!
    
    God’s voice sounding like the beauty and order of many harps playing in unison.
1. Revelation 1:15
- 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
  
  Revelation 19:6
- 6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,
  “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
1. The sound must have been magnificent.
  1. Revelation 15:2-3
    
    The sound of singing heard in heaven.
    
    Appropriate because of the sound of God’s voice = many harps.
- 1. Conclusion
1. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 490. ↩
2. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 490. ↩
3. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 165. ↩
April 19, 2026