Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. The founder and perfecter of our faith. If we could rewind the tapes of our lives and hear all we've said, we'd be shocked. We'd all wish we could press the erase button. Yes, our tongues can be lethal weapons.
Only under God's control can they bring blessing rather than cursing. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Turn with us to the book of Acts, where we'll learn that God owns our tongues. Pastor Lutzer, for some, the topic of tongues raises red flags.
Help us understand what happens when God is first, both in the early church and in our day as well. You know, Dave, the way in which you frame the question makes me realize that there are really two things going on when we speak about tongues. One has to do with the tongue that you and I use every single day as we talk, but also in the book of Acts, as you rightly pointed out, we have tongues. That is, the people in the book of Acts in Acts chapter 2, they spoke in tongues. They spoke various languages.
that they did not have to learn.
Well, that's a very controversial subject, but in a single sentence, let me remind you that the purpose of tongues was to show that the gospel was now going to the Gentiles in all the different languages of the world and was no longer simply going. to those who understood Hebrew or Aramaic. It's a miracle of God. That being said, What's very important to recognize is that the blessed Holy Spirit of God belongs to us as God's children. And we don't have to speak in tongues in order to be filled with the Spirit.
But what we do need to do is to yield to the Spirit.
so that we might be under his control. At the end of this message, I'm going to be giving you some contact info and also reminding you of a special resource that we have for you. It has to do with living the Christian life, advancing in your own understanding of the Christian faith. For now, let us go to the pulpit of Moody Church. Yeah.
One day a harsh word harshly said Upon an evil journey sped, And like a sharp and cruel dart, It pierced a fond and loving heart. It turned a friend into a foe, and everywhere brought pain and woe. A kind word followed it one day, Sped swiftly on its blessed way. It healed the wound and soothed the pain, and friends of old were friends again. It made the hate and anger cease, and everywhere brought joy and peace.
And yet the harsh word left a trace The kind word could not erase. And though the heart its love regained, It left a scar that long remained. Friends can forgive, but not forget, Nor lose the sense of keen regret. Oh, if we would but learn to know how swift and sure our words can go. How we would weigh with utmost care each thought before it reached the air.
And only speak the words that move like white-winged messengers. of love. The power of the tongue. You've heard the little jingle. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
I want you to know today that that is false. Don't believe it. There are some women who are listening to this message who would rather have a broken bone than listen to harsh, uncaring words from an angry husband, words that are intended to cut. and to bruise. Words have tremendous power.
In James chapter 3, James gives some examples of the power of the tongue. He says that just like a bit in a horse's mouth, he says it is a little piece of metal, but it controls the whole animal, and some horses are strong and big. And they're all controlled by one little bit of metal. He says, in fact, the tongue is like the rudder of a ship. Big ship, small rudder, but it controls the whole ship and the direction that it goes.
And then comes the last illustration, even more powerful than the other two. He said it is like a spark that begins a forest fire. A year or two ago, my wife and I were in Colorado and we saw that huge fire. Do you remember? You remember that burned hundreds of thousands of acres in many homes, all set, if I remember correctly, by an angry woman who wanted to begin a fire for some reason.
And imagine. What a little spark kindled. James says likewise the tongue, it is a small part of the body, consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person.
It sets the whole course of his life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell. Before this message is over, I'm going to challenge some of you to get the hell out of your heart because you won't speak rightly. until you do. But now we begin to understand why There's such a battle for the tongue, and we'll be speaking about that battle in a moment. And in the meantime, though, we're going to understand also why, on the day of Pentecost, when God wanted to show the unity of the church and how the church was going to spread out to all the nations of the earth, why the Holy Spirit of God took people's tongues and controlled.
those tongues. That's the agenda for the next few moments.
Now, in order to understand this, you may be surprised, but I'm going to begin today by the book of Isaiah. We're going to turn to Acts chapter 2 in just a moment, but. If you have found the passage in your Bible, most assuredly, we are going there, but we're going to go to the book of Isaiah first of all, and then to Corinthians, and then to Acts 2, and then to your heart and mind. Isaiah chapter 28, verse 11. God is talking to Israel here about the fact that they're not listening to his word.
And thank you, by the way, for turning to it in your Bibles. I can hear the leaves of your Bible rustling. Is that what leaves do? At least yours did. Thank you.
Verse 11: Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues, God will speak to this people. Who are this people? The Jews. And then it says, this is a resting place. Let the weary rest.
And this is the place of repose, but notice it says, but they would not listen. Hebrew is a very beautiful language. It's almost musical. And the Jews believed that whenever the words of God were spoken, they were supposed to be spoken in Hebrew. Hebrew was the language that God spoke because it was to the Hebrews that he revealed himself.
And we are the custodians of the word of God. And as far as the Gentiles are concerned, they are like dogs and they do not deserve God's most holy revelation and his word. God says, the day is coming, I'm going to speak to you folks. in foreign languages. Do you know what the Hebrew actually says here?
The guttural sounds of Gentile languages, because they said, your Gentile languages don't sound as beautiful as ours. God says, I'm going to speak to you in those. languages of foreigners. Because the good news is going to go beyond the borders. of Hebrew.
Now turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 14. It's the great passage on tongues, on the gift of tongues. And how I wish we had time to go through it verse by verse, but that will not happen, most assuredly not today, maybe in some other context. But Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, as he is trying to rein in the gift of tongues, which is being abused, he does not tell them they should not exercise the gift, but he gives various ways in which it should be controlled. Seven different ways that the gift needed to be controlled.
But notice, he says that he himself speaks in tongues, and then he says in verse 20, brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil, be infants, but in your thinking be adults. In the law it is written, through men of strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners, I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord. And he's quoting Isaiah chapter 28, the passage that we have just read a moment ago. Tongues, he says in the next verse, verse 22, are for a sign.
Not for believers, but for unbelievers. He says, prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
Now, he goes on to say that if some barbarian comes in, some man who is unlearned, he comes in and he sees you speaking in tongues and hears you, he's going to say you are mad. But as far as the Jews are concerned, they will understand that this sign predicted by Isaiah is happening as proof that the gospel. is going to go out in all the different languages of the world. With that background, Acts chapter 2. Acts 2, unfortunately, has been somewhat of a battleground.
People ask themselves the question: do I have to speak in tongues to be filled with the Holy Spirit? What's going on here in the text anyway? You have all of these strange phenomena taking place. Yeah. It says in chapter 2, verse 1, when the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. You know what God was saying, by the way, is that the Holy Spirit was now going to be individually given to all those who believe.
So every one of them had something like the tongue of a fire above them. What do you get when you get wind? and a fire. You get a blaze. God was doing something very, very special.
And it says, verse 4: All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit. enabled them. And what were they saying, and what was this miraculous gift? Verse 5, now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
Utterly amazed, they asked, Are not these men who are speaking Galileans? How then is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? And then the languages are listed. We won't read them all, but Parthians, Medes. Almakites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Egyptians, people from Libya.
It says that visitors were there from Rome, Cretians. And in verse 11, it says, That all of these heard the wonders of God in their own heart. Language. What was God saying? God was saying, guess what, folks?
The day when you think That the only language that can be used to declare the wonderful works of God is Hebrew. The day that you folks think that you've got it all sewed up. That the gospel is just for the Jewish people, I want you to know that I asked you to go to the ends of the earth to proclaim the gospel, and I'm giving you a little indication right here of what that really will look like as the gospel goes out in the different languages of the world. God is reversing Babel. You know, sin divides, and so at the Tower of Babel, you remember, they all spoke one language, and they were all united, and God said, I don't like what you're doing, and yet he gave the gift of tongues there.
Suddenly, people started to speak in languages that they had not been brought up in, and so this language group had to go in this direction, and this language group had to go in that direction, and God says, I'm scattering you throughout the earth because you can't understand each other. You're going to have to belong to your own little tribe. God says in the second chapter of Acts, what I am doing now is to show how the Spirit is going to unite. How the Spirit is going to be the great equalizer. And from now on, all the nations of the earth We'll be hearing God's holy.
Word. I'd like to make four or five observations regarding the passage that we have just read. First of all, number one, they all spoke actual languages. Actual languages. They're listed there for us.
And do you know what it says in verse 8? It says, then how is it that each of us hears them in his own? The Greek word is dialecto. What does that sound like? Dialecto, in his own dialect.
Now most of these people I'm sure understood Aramaic. Which was a derivative of Hebrew. As they went throughout the land and they talked among their families, they used Aramaic. But all of them growing up in different countries obviously would be bilingual. And what they're saying is: we're hearing the good news of God spoken in languages of our birth, our particular dialect.
And furthermore, we're hearing it from Galileans. And they always said that the Galileans were largely uneducated, and because of the way in which they talked, they found it very difficult to form words in other languages. These are Galileans, and we're hearing them speak our own. Dialect.
So these were actual languages. Second. Apparently, they didn't need interpreters. And there are two ways to understand this. One might be that Peter stands up, he's not learned a word of Egyptian in his lifetime, but he's standing up and he is preaching in the language of the Egyptians.
And so they all gather around him and they say, Come here, Peter, he's talking our language.
So those folks gather in one group. And then John stands up and he's speaking the Cretian language, which he never learned. But they're saying, John is preaching in our language. Let us, who are Cretians, go over there. And so you have these different groups gathering.
And maybe that's why they didn't need interpreters. But there's something else in the text that maybe happened. We can't. be sure. Maybe there was a miracle that took place in their hearing.
Because you'll notice it says, if I may read it one more time, verse 8: How then is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? I can just imagine that Peter is standing up and speaking Egyptian, and suddenly all the different language groups, there's a miracle that's taking place in the way in which they hear it, they are hearing it in their own dialect, even though he is speaking in a different dialect. Maybe that's what happened.
So there was. Two miracles, the miracle of tongues and the miracle of hearing. But apparently they did not need interpreters. when God was doing this. There's a third observation, and that is this.
Every time now that you have the gift of tongues in the book of Acts, there are Jews who are present. who are being reminded of the fact that the gospel is now going out to the Gentiles. If we had time, I'd take you to Acts chapter 11. Exhibit A of what I've just explained to you. You remember Peter, he doesn't even want to go to the Gentile Cornelius.
God has to give him a special vision to let him know that these Gentiles are not unclean, that they are being included in the program and the plan of God. Reluctantly and believing he's heard God correctly, he sets out and he goes and he visits Cornelius, who is a God-fearing man, explains the gospel to him. Cornelius believes, and the gift of tongues is received. When Peter gets back to Jerusalem, the first thing that he gets is criticism. Why are you going to those Gentiles?
You know that the gospel is supposed to stay within the Judaistic community. You know what Peter says? He says, when it was explained to them, That they also received the same gift as we. Then they held their peace and they said, well, God then also has granted to the Gentiles the gift of life. Acts has several stories of speaking in tongues.
There may have even been more stories than the book of Acts records. Because during this transitional period, God says, I want to give you some shock and awe. to show you that the gospel is for everyone. When Peter gives an explanation, by the way, he's quoting the prophet Joel because they're saying, many people, the scoffers are saying, these people are drunk.
Well, that's an interesting assessment. I've never known a drunk person to speak accurately a language he has never heard. I've heard a drunk person speak, but it was something else that was going on there. But he says, this was what was spoken by the prophet Joel. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. And he talks about the Spirit coming, and he says, I will show wonders in heaven above and on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness, the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. What's going on there?
Notice that Peter does not say this. fulfills Joel's prophecy, because there are things in this prophecy that did not happen. There are things in this prophecy that refer to the future coming of the kingdom. What Peter is doing is he's saying, This should not surprise you that these people are speaking in tongues, because there are prophecies in the Old Testament that when the Messianic era comes, When the era of Messiah comes, there will be an outpoured spirit. And most assuredly, these other signs will take place.
In the millennial kingdom, in preparation for what we call the millennial kingdom, but the Holy Spirit's coming to his people, which began back there, the last days are at least 2,000 years long and maybe longer. This is an indication of the kind of thing that God does. And in the future, the rest of the prophecy. will come to pass. But I want you to notice today, folks, that It is again to verify the fact.
that God is going to everyone. And Peter ends his quotation by saying, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Yeah. Um My friend, this is Pastor Luther. Whenever I think of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, I'm reminded of the words of Jesus who said, He who believes in me.
From him. From within him shall flow rivers of living water. And then John adds, This he spoke of the Spirit. the Holy Spirit of God. is given to us to reproduce in us all of the characteristics, all of the fruit.
of the spirit.
Now many of you have walked with God for many, many years, and I understand that. But we have a resource that we think will be a great blessing to you and a great help and a great reminder. It's a book written by George Sweeting, who at one time was president of Moody Bible Institute and also previous to that was the pastor of Moody Church. And this book covers many topics regarding Christian living. such as how to grow in the Christian faith, The Holy Spirit.
your Bible, how to pray, Bible study, and so forth. For a gift of any amount, we're making it available for you. I hope that you have a pen or pencil handy, so that you can write this down. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com.
That's rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888. 218 9337.
Now perhaps you didn't have an opportunity to write that down. I'll give that to you again. Go to rtwoffer.com. Or call us at 1-888. 218-9337.
You and I always have to go back to the basics. Ask for the book, How to Begin the Christian Life. Right now, go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-4. ninety three thirty seven. It's time again for another opportunity for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life.
Today's question, Dr. Lutzer, comes to us from Ken, and Ken lives in Wisconsin. According to the scripture, is it okay for a divorced person to remarry others when there's been no adultery? Am I living in sin because I remarried after my first wife and I divorced, although there was no adultery?
Well, Ken, you know that the issue of divorce is very controversial, and I certainly don't think that I have the last word on the subject. But I believe that when you married your wife because of your previous marriage, I do believe that you committed adultery. uh because there was no breaking of the previous relationship, I think that you did commit adultery, but now that you're married to her You can't take a scrambled egg and unscramble it. I believe that at some point God simply accepts the new union. and you need to be able to accept it.
and move on from there. I encourage you to talk to your pastor about this. to get some counsel and wisdom regarding your whole situation, but at the end of the day, You need to be able to give yourself to God to receive His forgiveness and His pardon. and move on. Thank you, Dr.
Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, you can go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer. Or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614.
Running to Win comes to you from the Moody Church in Chicago to help you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Speaking in tongues was practiced during the church's early days.
Next time on Running to Win, Pastor Lutzer will have more details on this gift and on letting God control what we say to each other. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
