The Amen: Biblical Framework

Opening Exhortations: Singing with Understanding and Expressing Gratitude

0:03 The following message was delivered on September 12, 1993, in the adult Sunday school class of the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now, while others are finding their seats, I do want to say just two things before we begin our lesson this morning. One is a very practical suggestion about our praise to God, since we are commanded to edify and admonish one another with psalms, with hymns, and with spiritual songs. If you are not in the habit of looking up at the left-hand corner of any particular psalm or hymn that we are singing, may I urge you to do that as the pianist plays through. And you begin to look at the words, just glance up at the left-hand corner, and where we are singing a paraphrase of a psalm, as we did this morning, a portion from Psalm 48, 9 to 14, you will then, with all the more conviction, be convinced that you are obeying the word of God, worshiping God in praises that are not only spiritual songs, but the very psalms that God...

1:26 himself has put in his word. And then furthermore, where there are certain thoughts that seem rather strange to you, the towers of Zion tell, her palaces survey, what in the world does that mean? You'll say, well, when I have the opportunity, I'll take a commentary on Psalm 48, and do a little study on my own, so that the next time I sing that portion of the psalm, I will sing not only with the Spirit, but with the understanding. So may I urge you, if you are not in the habit of glancing up right here, to see whether it is a portion of the psalm, or whether it's a hymn by...

2:08 such as 309 by William Cowper, that in itself will be helpful for those who know something of the background of the hymn writer, for those of us who know that the Wesleys were not noted for their love of what we would call the doctrines of grace, or Calvinistic theology. It's amazing, when you read a hymn of Wesley, in which he speaks of my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee. So if you've not been in that habit, may I urge you to get into that habit, and I believe it will enrich your praise. And then the second thing I want to say, before we turn to our lesson, and I'm able to say it without embarrassing the person who is more directly involved in my exhortation, namely Pastor Lamar Martin, I would urge upon you as the Lord's people, who already in great measure manifest a commendable obedience to Galatians 6 and verse 6, to excel yet more and more in that grace. Let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. And we have just greatly profited as a church

3:34 from the very careful, responsible, and yet almost amazingly clear and simple exposition of the book of 1 John that Pastor Lamar has given to us. And I'm not going to ask for a show of hands, but I wonder how many of you have obeyed this verse, have communicated, in all good things, to the one who has taught you. You say, that's what he's paid to do. Well, granted he is a fully subsidized elder in this congregation, but he could have very easily taken out his notes and outlines from the two previous times he has taught this book, both in the academy and in a church setting, but I happen to know he didn't either. He went right back to his Greek text, text, text, and began to study every passage, the overall thrust of the book, and did his background labors as though he had never taught it before. And some of us who are involved in this labor perhaps can appreciate more than others the measure of that labor, and I wonder if you have just taken three minutes to jot off a simple note, Dear Pastor Lamar, I have greatly profited from your arduous labor in the word for the profit of my soul in the teaching of 1 John. You say, well, that'll make a man proud.

4:59 No, no, it won't. It'll make a servant of God feel, well, I've not spent my strength in vain. Here is a mandate from the living God, which some of you are quite careless with respect to your obedience. Weeks and months pass, and there is never an express responsibility, a response from your lips telling the one who teaches you of your gratitude to God for his labors on your behalf.

5:30 And I would urge you, since it is not self-serving, but I'm urging you specifically with respect to Pastor Lamar. He has not asked me to do this. He has not slipped me $10 and said, please do it on my behalf. He has not hinted that he has been disappointed or discouraged that more of you have not done it.

5:53 So please don't read anything devious into my exhortation. It is an exhortation I give you because I can do it on behalf of another and in a context that for those of us who have been here over the past weeks and months, surely we can say we have greatly profited from our brother's labor. So may I urge you, some of you are very careful, to obey this injunction. To such I say, abound more and more.

6:25 To some of you who have been careless and very negligent, I say repent. Stop it. The sin of ingratitude or gratitude unexpressed gives the appearance of sin. And you need to repent of it and stop it and take the time to do what God says.

6:45 This is a new covenant law, not a suggestion. Let him who is taught in the word, is that you? Then you are to communicate unto him that teaches in all good things. Not merely to continue to be faithful as I support Pastor Lamar's labors with my tithes and offerings and my prayers and many of you, but also in words and expressions of gratitude.

7:14 So may the Lord help us as a people to abound more and more. You do abound, many of you. Visiting preachers tell me it's not only a delight to preach to your people, but they're so expressive of their gratitude. So I'm not here scolding.

7:31 And if anyone goes out and says, poor pastor really gave it to us. You're probably just the one who is sinning in this area. Now don't try to get off dealing with the issues by saying you got scolded. You didn't get scolded.

7:44 You were commended. Many of you. But some of you sit there self-condemned in rebuke. Now face your sin.

7:51 Thank God for pointing it out. Go to Christ for forgiveness. Repent of it and say from henceforth I shall begin to bring forth the fruits meet for repentance in this area. Now may the Lord help us in these matters.

Introduction to the Sermon Series: The Amen in Public Worship

8:06 Let us again pray and ask God to bless us as we embark today in what will be probably three lessons in our adult class. Of a transitional nature before we enter into our next more lengthy series of studies that will not be taught by me. But let us pray and ask God to bless as we begin this series of studies this morning. Our Father how thankful we are that we are found on another Lord's day gathered in the company of your people.

8:42 Already we have been reminded of our great privilege to mark the bulwarks of New Covenant Zion the Church. And there to behold your own mighty handiwork. How we thank you that by your grace we are found within her walls today. And we pray that your presence in Zion will be glorious.

9:07 For oh Lord what is Zion in all her beauty without the beauty of her King being seen by all her subjects. May we see the King in his beauty in royal state today. As he would come riding in the chariot of his word and in the chariot of his own ordinances. May we behold him.

9:29 And may it be our joy to bend beneath his scepter of grace. Bless us then in our study we pray in his worthy name. Amen. Now if you will please turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 14.

9:51 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Having turned to the chapter let me tell you what we will be doing God willing this morning and probably for two more Lord's Day mornings in this adult class. Back in the old days when Trinity Church was meeting in the Grover Cleveland Junior High School in the month of September almost exactly 14 years ago in fact it will be 14 years ago next two weeks I brought two sermons entitled the Amen in the public worship of God. At the time I was preaching the lengthy series entitled Here We Stand and was presently opening up the marvelous doctrine of adoption. And I know this because in going back over my old notes I had reference to the disappointment of some that instead of rooting around in the glorious doctrine of adoption we would be dealing with so apparently mundane an issue as the Amen in the public worship of God. However with the passing of time it has become the increasing conviction of your elders that with a whole new spiritual

11:17 generation among us the time was so short and soon upon us when this subject ought to be addressed in some public forum either of teaching or preaching and the elders decided that this transitional period between our studies in the book of 1 John and our next series of studies in the word of God in this class that this would be a judicious time to take up this subject and that in some ways it was more suited to the class context because it will allow for some interaction and questions particularly as we come to a catch-all session at the end of our studies. Now to set this entire concern in a solid biblical framework I want you to follow with me as I read from 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verses 12 through 19. Those of you who were with us a few weeks ago when we were establishing the centrality of teaching and preaching in the gathered assembly will remember that this particular chapter is one of three in a unit in 1 Corinthians dealing explicitly with the matter of spiritual gifts and chapter 14 in an even more focused way is dealing with the exercise of two gifts in particular in the midst of the gathered assembly

12:45 namely the gifts of tongues and of prophecy. And in the middle of the discussion of those two gifts and their exercise in the gathered assembly the apostle writes in 1 Corinthians 14, 12 So also ye since ye are zealous of spiritual gifts seek that you may abound to the edifying of the church wherefore let him that speaketh in a tongue pray that he may interpret for if I pray in a tongue my spirit prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful that is my understanding of that mystery of God imparted to me bears no fruit in others because others do not understand the language in which I am speaking. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit I will pray with the understanding also I will sing with the spirit I will sing with the understanding also. Else if thou bless with the spirit how shall he that fills the place of the unlearned say thee Amen at the giving of thy thanks seeing he knows not what thou sayest for verily you give thanks well

14:11 but the other is not edified. I thank God I speak with tongues more than you all howbeit in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding that I might instruct others also than ten thousand words in a tongue. Now much to the disappointment of some of you no doubt I do not propose to enter into a discussion on the subject of speaking in tongues or the subject of prophesying rather I want to direct your attention to a secondary issue which Paul mentions in his treatment of the subject of tongues and prophecy the issue suggested very clearly by verse 16 Else if you bless with the spirit how shall he that fills the place of the unlearned say thee Amen at the giving of thy thanks seeing he knows not what you are saying. Now in briefly opening up this passage for our purposes consider with me three things the situation envisioned the problem raised and the practice assumed.

The Biblical Framework of the Amen: Situation, Problem, and Practice

15:36 First of all the situation envisioned it is one in which Paul assumes that a member of the congregation who possesses a spiritual gift of speaking in a language that he did not acquire by ordinary means a language given to him by the spirit that this one feels that the possession of that gift and the exercise of that gift is a luxury that he can indulge in the public assembly whether or not there is an interpreter present. The fact that he possesses the gift he feels a spiritual impulse to exercise the gift he assumes is warrant to go ahead and indulge the exercise of that gift. However Paul says in such a situation if there is someone among you who occupies the place of the unlearned that is he is uninstructed regarding the gift and function of tongues and that's a whole subject in itself and unable to understand what is said and that's the pivotal issue. Notice verse 17 for you verily give thanks well

17:05 if you are giving thanks in this tongue but the other is not edified and why is he not edified? Because he does not understand what you are saying. You are blessing and praising God. You are ascribing worth and glory to God in the exercise of this particular spiritual gift.

17:32 But this particular person does not understand what is being said. So here you have a situation where the church is gathered one of the brethren is the mouthpiece of the congregation rendering praise and blessing to God. But here is someone who cannot understand that expression of praise. Now that's the situation envisioned now notice the problem raised.

18:01 The problem raised. Now when such a situation exists Paul asks this question verse 16 How shall this person who fills the place of the unlearned say thee Amen at the giving of thy thanks or the giving of thanks seeing he does not know what you are saying? How can this person say or speak and in the Greek you have the definite article and then the word transliterated into English from the Greek would literally be Amen you say Amen or Amen How can this person how can he say or speak the Amen at the giving of your thanks? Now you see the problem is this since all worship is to be intelligent and not mere form or superstition how can this individual add his Amen as an intelligent expression of shared sentiments of praise and blessing to God when he is ignorant of what this verbal outburst signified at the level of his understanding you see the problem that is raised

19:30 here's a man sitting in the congregation determined not just to do what everyone else is doing and go with the flow not simply to do something to be considered part of what's going on Paul assumes he is a conscientious worshipper and if what is expressed in prayer and praise is not the echo of the state of his own heart he's not going to say Amen because to him to say Amen is to express in an audible way the disposition of heart that is in affinity with the sentiments expressed in the prayer and in the praise directed to God so then Paul says you leave him both uninvolved he cannot say his Amen and you leave him unedified uninvolved unedified uninvolved unedified and to Paul that is a totally unacceptable situation in public worship to be uninvolved and unedified is to undermine the major purpose of the corporate gathering of the people of God so there's the problem raised but in the situation envisioned and in the problem raised

20:59 there is thirdly a practice assumed there is a practice assumed in this whole segment of pastoral argument Paul assumes the existence of a practice namely that every worshipping believer who intelligently perceives the content of the praises and blessing of God offered by another believer within the assembly will verbally assent to those expressions of adoration and praise by a verbal Amen at the giving of the thanksgiving or the blessing of God done by another do you see Paul assumes the practice to be so universal that he can bring it in as a powerful argument to press the Corinthians to show that they are not walking in love if they are going to indulge a practice that leaves but one brother uninvolved and unedified they've got to stop it because they are in love because love is committed to the course of optimum edification so he's not going to bring

22:26 in and instruct them in a new practice he is assuming an already existing universal practice in the church at Corinth and as we shall see in our subsequent studies what was apparently a universal practice in all of the churches under apostolic guidance that in the gathered assembly at least at least when thanksgiving and blessing of God were expressed by one individual the entire congregation affirmed its hearty identification by the saying now look at your Bibles how shall the unlearned not think it's not enough that inwardly the church be your thinking yes Lord how shall he say thee amen and what is the saying of thee amen but the corporate congregational amen which indicates that indeed the one who was blessing God or in the language of the text who was giving thanks to God was indeed the face of the corporate heart and mind of the

23:55 entire congregation now the practice was assumed you see that in the text Paul doesn't have to introduce it and say and by the way since you know there's no digression he does that in other epistles but here that he uses it as a powerful tool to seek to get to the conscience of these self-centered irresponsible people who only thought about what makes me edified and he says that may be the question for your closet but in the public assembly it is the very helpful little commentary on these two verses the man who speaks in the tongue when the church is at worship is guilty of unseemly behavior toward his fellow believers 1st Corinthians 13 5 because his unintelligible utterance forces them into a place where they can't understand a word of what was said

Addressing Objections: Why Study the Amen?

25:24 then it would be a meaningless mockery to express their audible assent to it by the usual amen Paul estimates the devotions of the church by a spiritually utilitarian standard the abstractly beautiful is subordinate and Wilson says by the usual amen it is the Pauline assumption now it is just this assumed practice of the corporate amen of the people of God in the public gatherings of the church of God that will form our study in the house of God and we are going to do that now I don't claim to be reading minds but I think I know human nature well enough that already some may be in the process of beginning to think well surely Pastor doesn't

26:49 books that are yet unexpounded in a formal, systematic way, and all of our practical pastoral problems. Some of us as husbands and wives can't communicate for ten minutes without being at one another's throats, and some of us are torn and beaten down and bruised, and we need comfort and consolation. You're going to take three weeks on a pittering little thing like the amen in the worship of God. Come on, pastor. Is this really reasonable?

27:18 Well, I wouldn't ask for a show of hands if anyone had begun to think that way, because love does not behave itself unseemly. Now, that would be behavior unseemly because it would put you in the awkward position, being torn between honesty and public embarrassment. And I don't like to be put in the place where people pressure me to either be dishonest or embarrassed. So I won't ask for a show of hands, but I'd be very surprised if there would not be some who were thinking that way. Well, I'm going to answer.

Reason 1: The Seriousness of Public Worship and God's Meticulousness

27:49 Is that objection? Why spend this time? Why make such a big deal? Good question. Let me give you again three strands of an answer. Number one, because of the seriousness of everything that pertains to the public worship of God. Because of the seriousness of everything that pertains to the public worship of God. Because of the seriousness of everything that pertains to the public worship of God.

28:25 In his masterful treatment on this whole subject of what is commonly called the regulative principle, that is, that the word of God in its positive injunctions must direct all of our expressions of approaching God, James Bannerman, in volume one of his classic work on the doctrine of the church, which, pages 325 and 326, says some of the most perceptive things I've ever read on the subject. I'm not going to quote him, but I'm going to give you the essence of what he says. And this is the point he makes. That before the fall, man had free, open-faced access to God continually.

29:07 He lived in his presence, he thought, he worked, he loved, he labored in the presence of God. But once man was banished from the presence of God, because of his sin, it was now up to God, and to God alone, to determine two things. Number one, would sinful man ever be welcomed back into his presence? It was for God to determine that.

29:36 And if so, to make a way of accessing to his presence. Secondly, it was up to God to determine by what means man would approach him, by what means man would express his penitence, his devotion, his faith, and his love. And God, and God alone, has the right to determine those two issues. Will sinful man be allowed back into my presence? If so, on what terms?

30:09 And when he comes into my special presence, in what way will he approach me? By what means will he express himself? His penitence, his praise, his gratitude, his adoration, etc.

30:26 And when we turn to the Old Testament, we see that from the very first manifestation of what we would call public worship, God made it very plain that he was very meticulous. Cain and Abel. And the scripture says, Unto Cain he had not respect, nor to his offering. Cain was rejected, coming as an evil man, coming with an unbelieving disposition, coming perhaps in a manner contrary to the way of God's revelation at that time.

31:11 But from there on in, every segment in the Old Testament in which God addresses the matter of his worship, he shows, he is a meticulous God. A meticulous God. All of the details concerning the tabernacle, and the function of the Levites, and the priests, and the offerings, and the washings, all of those things, God is saying, I am meticulous about my worship. Remember how God underscored it very early after the tabernacle was erected?

31:51 Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron, the high priest. Though there was no explicit statement given in the scriptures, you shall only offer the fire that I sent from heaven, and keep it perpetually upon the altars and bring no fire of your own. Nonetheless when they brought what the scripture calls strange fire, a fire other than that which God himself had established upon the altar, thereby declaring that my name is the Lord God. My fire shall keep the sacrifices burning upon the altar.

32:28 God struck them dead.

32:31 Struck them dead. And Aaron never complained. He said, well, God, you didn't make it plain. And isn't that being a little too fastidious?

32:39 Aaron was silent as he understood the message of God. And you remember the instance of Uzzah? The ark being carried, and he puts forth his hand, and God strikes him dead. And, well, we could demonstrate again and again throughout the Old Testament that God takes very seriously all that pertains to his worship.

33:03 And though the specifics and the details are not in the new covenant what they were in the old, because the new covenant is adapted to all of the nations, the concern of God is just as jealous. For Jesus said, under the new covenant, what is the Father seeking? In John 4, 24, he is seeking a people to worship him how? In spirit.

33:27 That's either in the Holy Spirit or in the full engagement of the human spirit under the influence of the Holy Spirit. And in what? Truth. That is, in the realm of God's revelatory data of how he will be worshipped.

33:48 And this is why under the new covenant, and here I ask you to turn to one more passage with me before we leave this heading, there is no lessening of the awesomeness of drawing near to God. For in Hebrews chapter 12, after setting up this contrast between what we come to under the new covenant and what our forefathers came to under the old covenant, this is the conclusion of the writer to the Hebrews. Notice, Hebrews 12 and verse 28. Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace whereby we may offer service. And that word, offer service, has priestly connotation. You may have a translation that says, let us worship well-pleasing to God. How?

34:50 With reverence and awe. For our God is a, consuming fire.

34:58 Not their God was a consuming fire. And our God in the new covenant is a tame little purring pussycat.

35:07 The pussycat God of the modern evangelical church is an idol who does not exist.

35:15 Our God is a consuming fire. Though we may approach him boldly in the righteousness and the merits and through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we nonetheless approach him boldly in the righteousness and the merits. And though we may approach him boldly in the righteousness and the merits, we nevertheless approach that God with reverence and awe. And the manner in which we manifest that reverence and awe is to offer service well-pleasing to him.

35:42 Well, how do I know what's well-pleasing to him? Do I spin it out of my own head and say, I think God will be pleased with this? No. I go to his word and say, Lord, what have you required of my hand?

35:57 So in answer to the objection, well, Pastor, isn't this a tempest in a teapot? Isn't this getting all worked up about something that is really irrelevant? No. And my first strand of answer is because of the seriousness of all that pertains to the public worship of God.

Reason 2: Confusion Regarding Congregational Participation Today

36:20 Second reason we need to address the subject is this. Because of the confusion which exists on this issue in our day.

36:32 Because of the confusion which exists on this issue in our day. Because of the confusion which exists on this issue in our day. On the one hand, we have some claiming that the time for ministry where one man leads in the worship and leads in the prayers and preaches, the time for that's over. We need to go back to a liturgical worship where everyone is involved.

36:57 And there is a great so-called liturgical revival going on in our day where people are going back to the old Anglican prayer book and to worship the Lord. to other proven standard guides of liturgical worship where there is much more patent, direct lay involvement in the reading of scriptures, in the verbal involvement in the worship. Some have gone in that direction and they say that's the answer to the deadness and to the lack of life in the worship of the people of God. Others say no, what we need is more just let it rip, hang loose, everybody do his own thing, climate.

37:40 That's what we need to do and they'll take a passage like 1 Corinthians 14 and they'll say this is the kind of public worship services we need to have and I could quote current authors saying this, verse 26, what is it then brethren, when you come together, each one, have us all. Have a teaching, have a revelation, have a tongue, have an interpretation. That's what we need. We need to restore all these gifts so on any given Lord's Day when we come, there's a sense of the excitement of the unexpected.

38:14 Maybe Norman will get a word of prophecy today, boom, he's on his feet, and maybe Ann will have an utterance in tongues and so she's going to take off in tongues and maybe Ernie's going to have an interpretation. And someone else is going to have a sudden impulse of the spirit and break out in this beautiful unrehearsed, unplanned song and sing in the spirit, oh boy, wouldn't that be wonderful? Never know what's going to happen, any given Lord's Day. A lot of people have bought that, some of you, your fans are dripping, shame on you.

38:50 They say that's the answer, that's the answer. And so they have the free for all. Let me say by waving aside, the one problem is. They have no proof that God is giving the gifts that were real spiritual gifts there at Corinth.

39:11 But there's no indication that those gifts were present in any other church as they were at Corinth. No proof from the New Testament whatsoever. That's just a fact. So there's confusion.

39:29 Others say, no, we don't want to go the direction of liturgy. We don't want to go the direction of do your own thing. Free for all, sort of a charismatic orgy. Others say, no, we want to go to participation by the specialist group.

39:46 So all the singers will do their thing and we'll have four or five different choirs and special musics. And then the people with the acting ability will do their thing and we'll have skits. And those who have unusual acting ability who can convey everything with their hands and their faces, they'll be the mind group. And so you have an even so-called spiritual group.

40:06 You have so-called reformed circles in certain parts of the world today, a return to mime and to drama and to dance. Oh, yes. And they claim to be dancing in the spirit, lovely, shapely young ladies with flowing gowns, in sensuous movements, dancing in the spirit. And then there are others who say, well, we're just going to do what we've always done.

40:35 And nobody ain't going to teach us nothing new. We're just going to do what we've always done. And so they sit like bumps on a log. And if they're instructed from the word of God, they say, we ain't never done it that way and we ain't about to start.

40:47 So there's great confusion in this whole area of what kind of congregational participation is warranted in the stated gatherings of the people of God. And I'm suggesting that in this matter of the amen in the public worship of God lies one of the major problems. One of the major keys to resolving that confusion. It might alone be true for a few people, but it might also be true for a few women, but it might always lead to a situation where it could go wrong or somebody who doesなら That confusion.

Reason 3: The Peculiar Complexion of the Congregation and the Goal of Unity

41:15 And so we're taking up the issue, not only because of the seriousness of all that pertains to the public worship of God, but secondly because of the confusion which exists on this issue in our day. But then thirdly, we are taking it up because of the peculiar complexion of our congregation, because of the peculiar complexion of the church. That 읽 Cyn atteinung пиш против imaginse es onn randomungoto par militarூ But secondly, because of the inلفese cominvisis on this issue, it might Santos, it's a� of the peculiar complexion of our congregation. We bless God that what the Lord has done in our assembly is, in a very real sense, to give us a local church that is the church universal in microcosm, in that we are not off in some insulated, culturally isolated part of our country where everyone is a, quote, Midwesterner or a deep rural Southerner, or I don't know what term I'd use for local dwellers in California. I'll leave that. Some of our former Californians, forgive me, I'm not sure I trust myself for some of the adjectives, all right? But whatever they would be, whatever they would be, and anyone listening to the tape from California, you'd see my face is sad.

42:38 I'm smiling. I'm not saying anything with any edge of bitterness, I assure you. But in this assembly, we have a tremendous mix of cultural backgrounds, religious and social influences, and temperamental inclinations. We have some who come out of backgrounds where saying amen was sort of part of breathing correctly in church. Your mind could be a thousand miles away, but if you didn't have a staccato amen along the way, you'd be just weren't part of it. So you picked it up as a little kid and amen. The pastor's giving the announcements. Tomorrow night we're going, amen.

43:18 And so-and-so is sick and in the hospital. Amen. And it's just amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. Just a mindless thing.

43:27 And you would not be confused if the level of the number and intensity of the amens in this congregation were increased a hundredfold. You were brought up like some of our people and I understand in certain oriental cultures they learn in a context where everyone recites out loud at once. Though it's not surprising in their prayer meetings everyone prays out loud at once and they don't find it confusing. They've been culturally conditioned for such a situation.

43:56 So we have a tremendous diversity of cultures, temperaments, religious experiences and backgrounds. Some of that baggage from the religious background is good from the social, the ethnic but some of it is unbiblical or if it's biblical, it's biblical in its practice without being biblical in its understanding and in its roots. And we are committed as your elders to the perspectives of Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4 we're committed by the grace of God to give diligence verse 3 to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. And if we're to have the unity of the spirit in a climate of peace we must not have some people irritated there's too many amens here and other people's equally irritated what's wrong with these bunch of deadheads that don't ever say amen. You see the bond of peace is broken when our hearts and our spirits are irritated by the lack or the more profuse expressions of these things in our common meetings. Whereas Paul's great concern

45:24 in maintaining the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace as it comes to this matter of verbal expressions is beautifully stated in Romans chapter 15 Romans chapter 15 this is our goal and aim as your elders to guide the congregation into just such a climate and experience. Romans 15 5 Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus Christ the Lord of all. The Lord of his church is the one whose will and word must regulate all of our hearts and all of our actions. We will then be of the same mind one with another according not to our background not to our temperament not to our previous experience not to our cultural orientation according to Christ Jesus and what will be the practical expression of that verse 6 that with one accord that's the inward disposition you may with and look at the imagery one mouth

46:53 isn't that beautiful one accord inwardly one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ envisions the congregation that takes all of its perspectives from the common Lord that they will be of one accord the inward disposition but they will be as one mouth glorifying God so that in this matter this very specific matter if all of our minds are subject to the basic principles of the word and will of the Lord Jesus as revealed in the word of Jesus in the Old and the New Testaments for it is the Spirit of Christ that speaks in the Old Testament as well as the Spirit of Christ who guided Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and Paul and Peter and Jude, etc. that as Christ is our standard as he reveals his mind in the word we will be a congregation that when we engage in the corporate magnifying and glorifying of God it is with one mouth now some of us have different sized mouths and a little bit further down different sized larynxes and different functionings

48:22 in our vocal cords and varying degrees of strength in our diaphragm and all of that is joined to God-given temperamental differences so that one mouth may sing the Amen like a basso profundo who could fill a 5,000 seat auditorium without a microphone someone else his Amen may be such that it's more fitting for the nursery where little children are going to sleep and while giving all due allowance for difference of volume reflecting, physiology, temperaments, etc. still the vision of having a congregation that is of one accord in its response to the prayers and praises that with one mouth glorifies God I want to demonstrate from the scriptures that in the biblically regulated use of the Amen in the public worship of God we have one of the most profound opportunities to express this apostolic vision of church unity one of the most profound opportunities to express our church unity now for the person who said well this is a such a big deal to take up three classes I hope I've convinced you it is a big deal because it has to do

49:51 with the public worship of God and God is meticulous with respect to everything that pertains to his worship furthermore since God is not the author of confusion and great confusion exists on this issue in our day it is the responsibility of those in public ministry to seek to sort out that confusion and point to that way which is the way of truth and then thirdly because of the peculiar complexion of our assembly the diversity of cultural and religious backgrounds the difference of temperaments if we are to attain to this biblical standard of maintaining the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace to be of one accord that with one mouth we may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ no little part of the attainment of that noble goal will be a corporately enlightened conscience concerning the biblical teaching on the amen in the public worship of God coupled with a corporate determination to do what the scripture says regardless regardless of what I've done up till now

The Nature of Obedience and Preparation for Next Week

51:17 you see both must be together we must not only have corporate enlightenment but corporate obedience and that will mean for some of you that you're going to have to give up the notion that anything I don't feel like doing but I do out of principle is being a hypocrite no my friend that's being an obedient disciple being a hypocrite is when you're doing something to give an impression with respect to that which is not true and for someone who is not temperamentally inclined to say the amen at the giving of a thanks of another whose mind has been wandering from Dan to Beersheba whose heart is not involved in the prayer that is being offered unto God and he says when he hears the prayer coming to an end in sort of the second or third level of attention while his mind is on a hundred other things and he says amen that's hypocrisy but the mild reserved person who's never said a verbal amen is following closely the lines of thought expressed in the one who leads in prayer following every confession of sin every petition in his or her heart coalescing with every expression going Godward the end of that praise and prayer for that person

52:46 not to say amen I hope to convince you is a matter of disobedience to the word of God and you must subject your temperamental disinformation to what God says is his will for you that's not hypocrisy and many in this present generation if they don't get that notion out of their system will never make progress in the Christian life it is not hypocrisy to do something you don't feel like doing because God's not doing it God says you're to do it that is Christian obedience and never is obedience more nakedly obedience than when it's obedience in a matter in which I feel disinclined and by the grace of God I say no to my disinclinations and give myself to my task well our time is gone what I'd ask you to do any of you have any time and you'd like to just prepare yourself what we're going to do next week God willing is look at the meaning and the significance of the word amen so you take any concordance look up the word amen some of the passages and see if you can come up with three or four specific things that the amen signifies in both the old and the new testaments and then we'll address the biblical patterns for the use of the amen in the worship of God

54:14 and then we're going to take up the biblical principles that ought to regulate the use of the amen then we'll take up the practical problems connected with the use of the amen so that's where we plan to go God willing in our study in the days to come let's pray together our father we thank you for your holy word we thank you that it is a lamp unto our feet and a light to our pathway and how we earnestly pray that as your people in this place over many years manifested the Berean spirit receiving the grace receiving the word with readiness searching the scriptures daily to see if these things be so grant us such a spirit in this matter that by your word and your spirit we may come to that oneness of conviction that will produce that one accord in our hearts that we may render worship to you with one mouth continue to guide us in our study we pray as together we affirm afresh our desire to be obedient to you our Lord Jesus Christ hear us blessed savior as we ask these mercies in your own holy name amen