 Okay, so we'll just continue from where we stopped. Yeah, so we were looking at, let all prophesy, the spiritual prophets are subject to the prophets. God is not the order of confusion but of peace as in all the churches of the saints. And so this is why we want order in the worship when we gather as a church, that there be order, that things are done in a way that allows for things to happen peacefully, that there's no confusion. All that is because God himself is a God of order. He doesn't do things in a way that is confusing. He does things in ways that enable peace. And so that's how the church should be, how our gatherings should be conducted. Verse 34 and 35. Can somebody read that please? Verse 14 verse 34 and 35. Let the old woman keep silent in the churches because they are not permitted to speak but they are not to be submissive as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home for it is shameful for women to speak in church. Thank you. Okay, so yeah, verse 34. Let women keep silent in the churches. So we know earlier in 1 Corinthians 11-5, Paul talks about women praying and prophesying. He says they should cover their heads when they are praying or prophesying because if they uncover it, then they are dishonoring their head. So dishonoring themselves, dishonoring their husband by keeping their head uncovered when they are prophesying. So in the same book, this is what we mean by looking at other teachings within the same book, right? So here he's saying women keep silent, but in verse chapter 11 verse 5 he's talking about women praying and prophesying in the church. So let's understand why he's saying women keep silent. He continues to say more about it. They are not permitted to speak but should be submissive as the law says. If they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home. So we understand here that he's talking about a husband and wife because he's saying women keep silent. If they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands. He's not talking about unmarried women. And why is he talking about this? So women were not as educated in the law. They didn't have a general education and they didn't have a spiritual education either. So when they were coming to the church gatherings, their understanding of what was being shared or being taught would be much, much less than the men who were gathered there. And so instead of in that place starting to ask maybe very basic questions that would be things that wouldn't be relevant to the rest of the church gathering because where the women were coming from was in a very different place from the rest of the men gathered there. So instead of them asking their questions in that context or even trying to ask their husbands questions in the church because the men and women would be sitting separately. So to ask their questions from where they are sitting, to talk to the men on the other side and ask their questions to be very disruptive. Then continuing to talk about order and worship, keeping peace in our gatherings. So in this context, he's saying, don't talk in church. Don't ask these questions in church. Go home and talk to your husbands and ask your questions when you're at home because if you are asking in this context, it's going to be disruptive. It may not be relevant to the gathering. He's not discouraging them coming to the church. He's not discouraging them understanding and growing in their faith. He's only saying, don't do it in the church because we want to keep this. We want to keep a certain level of order and decorum within the church. And it is not appropriate in this context for you to ask questions that may be irrelevant or to ask questions to your husband who is sitting in another part of the room. And so he says, for the shameful for women to speak in the church. So understanding that this is between, he's talking to a husband and wife. So when you have questions, go home and ask your husbands in the context of your house because if you're asking within the church, it will be disruptive to the church. Any questions on this? So in this chapter, Paul says he uses these words, keep silent three times. One time is when they're speaking in towns and there is no one who can interpret. So if there's no one who can interpret, keep silent. Another time he says it is take turns to prophesy. When you finish sharing your prophecy, then keep silent so that someone else can share their prophecy. And then the third time is women if you have questions, keep silent and ask your husbands at home later. So this is not to discourage women preaching or teaching in the church. The context is very different than what Paul is talking about. It has nothing to do with whether women can preach in church or whether women can teach in church. Let's move on from there, verses 36 to 40. More in someone read those verses for us please. Verse 14 verse 36. Or did the word of God come originally from you or was it you only that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. Therefore brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy and do not forbid to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order. Okay, so he's just reminding them that if you think yourself to be truly spiritually mature, then you can see that what I am sharing is for the spiritually mature. And what I'm saying is coming from the Lord himself. So he's encouraging them receive what I'm saying as teaching as wisdom from the Lord. Don't be stuck in your ways of thinking in your ways of doing things. Verse 38. If anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. Or on the other hand, it's also translated if anyone wants to ignore this, let them themselves be ignored. This is similar to what he says earlier, knowledge pops up, right? But if you love, if you love God, you will be known. So he's saying, don't let your knowledge make you so proud that you're not willing to hear what I have to say. If you ignore what I have to say, then you yourself will be ignored. Rather, pay attention and then he goes into verse 39. Desire earnestly to prophesy, do not forbid to speak with tongues. So here, just to make sure that they've understood is not saying, don't speak in tongues, right? Either in the church gathering or in your personal time, don't forbid the speaking in tongues. But speaking tongues with the right order. So he says verse 42, let all things be done decently and in order. We can move into chapter 15. Someone read verses 1 to 8, please. Can you just explain the verse 36 again, whom it signifies and what's the meaning of it? Or did the word of God originate? Are you the only people it has reached? This is just to tell them that you are not the source of God's word or you're not the only people who know God's word. So don't be in a place of spiritual pride where you're unwilling to receive what I am saying. So if anyone thinks they are a prophet otherwise gifted by this will let them acknowledge that what I'm writing to you is the Lord's command. So to say that what I am teaching you is coming from the Lord, don't feel like you already know everything that God says. Or you already have complete knowledge and don't need to hear what I am saying. So what I'm saying is also coming from God. And if you have the spirit of God, then you will understand that this is of the Lord also. So just to help them be receptive to what he's saying as authoritative from God and as God's will for the church gatherings. So this is not to be taken lightly. It is important that when we gather we are following the certain way of doing things. So yeah, he's just kind of giving reiterating that this is from God, not just a human word. Does that make sense? Still unclear? Yeah, it makes sense. Okay, so chapter 15 versus 1 to 8. Can somebody read that for our screens? Yes. First Corinthians chapter 15 versus 1 to 8. More often than I declare to you the gospel which I preach to you, which also you receive and which you stand. By which also you are saved if you hold fast that word, which I preach to you unless you believe in vain. For I deliver to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried. And that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures and that he was seen by savers and then by the 12. After that he was seen by over 500 brethren at once of whom the greater part remained to be present, but some have fallen asleep. But after that he was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all he was seen by me also as by one born out of due time. Thank you. So here he's finished this whole section on order in worship and order in our church gatherings. And now he's moving into a new topic that he wanted to address with the Corinthians, which is their understanding regarding the resurrection from the dead. And he'll continue to talk about this in the rest of the chapter. So he's starting with a reminder of what was the gospel. So the first thing that he had declared to them was the gospel itself. And that is the gospel which saved them. That is the gospel that they had believed. And that's a gospel on which even at present they continue to remain. So he's reminding them of what are the truths of that gospel. So verse 3, Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures that he was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. So that is the core of the gospel. Christ died, was buried and he rose again. And if they don't hold on to that core teaching that was preached to them, then their faith is going to be useless. So hold fast, he's saying keep secure, hold firm possession on that truth that was preached to you. Don't let go of it. So there will be, he's implying two things here, that there are enemies or influences that will try and take away this truth from us. And the other side of it is if we let go of the truth, then we have believed in vain. So even if we at one point did believe in it, if we let go of it, then our faith will have what we believed at one time will have no effect. That means just because we believed before, now if we let go of it doesn't mean that we can still be confident of our salvation. We have to keep holding on to the truth of the gospel, keep believing in the truth that Jesus died for our sins, that Jesus rose again and in that is our hope of salvation. And then from there he goes on to verse five to eight. So the proof of Jesus' resurrection is undisputable. He was seen by Peter, he was seen by the rest of the disciples, he was seen by over 500 other believers who had come to the Lord. And most of them at that time when Paul was writing this letter were still alive. This is something that actually he's writing it as very important for them to know at this time the Corinthian church, but also even for us when people, when it's questioned did Jesus really rise from the dead? How can we believe the Bible, what's written in the New Testament specifically, is that there were so many witnesses to Jesus' resurrection, it cannot be even questioned whether it really happened. Anything today if it goes to the court of law and there were so many witnesses like we have here, it would go to judgment without any question because so many witnesses were present. The other point of it is that when the New Testament was being written, so many of those witnesses were still alive. And so if the disciples, if Paul was writing things that were untrue about Jesus, they were writing things that had not happened, these witnesses could easily have brought that up and could have come against what was being written. But because what they were saying was true, the fact that all of these people who were alive during Jesus' ministry were also standing with what was being said in the New Testament in the Gospels means that they were saying what is true. They were truly recording what Jesus had done, they were truly recording what Jesus had said or had taught and these witnesses were proof of what was being said. They had also seen Jesus say those things, they had also seen Jesus do those things. So basically in these first few verses he is talking about the resurrection of Jesus being a very core belief for the church and that the resurrection cannot be disputed. There were so many witnesses and those witnesses were even alive at the time of this writing. And so if the Corinthian church was in any way unsure about Jesus' resurrection, they could go to those witnesses and talk to those people who are still alive. We go on from there, verses 9 to 11, can somebody read that for us please? Verse 15 verse 9 to 11, So he just goes into a brief description of his own role as an apostle. So he was not one of the first 12, but he was someone that God chose later. And so in humility he recognizes that he is not one of the greatest apostles. On the other hand he is one of the least and he recognizes that he himself was against the church, was persecuting the church. But only the grace of God is what saved him and that grace had such a great effect on him because he recognized how unworthy he was of that grace that it pushed him to work harder than the rest of the apostles. So that is something for us as well. Why is the gospel so poor for us as believers even now? Whether we've been believers for 3 years or 10 years or however long we've been believers, the gospel and the grace of God in the gospel is so important because that when we remember that it is only by grace, that we have been saved, that grace should push us to a place of giving our all for God, for sacrificing our everything for the sake of Christ. And so to see that grace have effect on our lives to push us to a place of serving, of sacrifice, of giving our all for God. But even in that he recognizes that it is God's grace, even in that. So I pushed harder than the rest of the apostles, but it was God's grace with me, even in that that enabled me to work so hard. And then he says, but whatever we did, we all preached the same gospel. So whether it was them or me, we all preached and we preach the same gospel. And this is the gospel that you believed as a church. Let's go on from there versus 12 onwards. Can someone read versus 12 to 19 please? First Corinthians sample 15 verse 12 to 19. Now if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead, how does someone whom you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen. But if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes. And we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom he did not raise up if in fact the dead do not raise. But if the dead do not rise, then Christ does not risen. And if Christ does not risen, your faith is still kind. You're still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are all men, the most pitiful. Okay. So here he's coming to the core issue that he wants to address within the church. Some of them are saying that there is no resurrection of the dead. So somehow that teaching had come in or that conversation or discussion had come into the church that there is no resurrection of the dead. And so he wants to address this wrong thinking within the church, wrong understanding within the church, which is why he starts this whole thing with, this is the gospel that we preach to you. The gospel that you believed was that Jesus died. It was better than he was raised from the dead. That is what saved you. That is what is keeping you standing now. But now if you are saying there's no resurrection of the dead, then you're denying that gospel itself. You're denying that Jesus was raised from the dead. Because if Jesus was raised from the dead, then that means there's resurrection for everyone. But if there's no resurrection for everyone, the opposite is also true that Jesus was never raised. But he's already said that there were witnesses to Jesus' resurrection. I myself saw it, the disciples saw it, 500 other believers saw it. And so it is indisputable that Jesus came back from the dead. Jesus was raised from the dead, which means that resurrection for the dead of the dead is available to all of us as well. Verse 14, if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. So more than that, we have found to be false witnesses about God, for we've testified that God raised him. So he's saying if in fact Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then our testimony to you was something that was false. Because we told you that Jesus did rise from the dead. Verse 16, if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised either. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins because this is what the resurrection is. Resurrection gives us a hope that we too will be raised and we will be raised alive in Christ. We'll be dead to sin alive in Christ. But if you're saying that Christ has not been raised, that means you are still in your sins. There is no hope that you can live a life that is free from sin and death. Christ's resurrection shows that Christ overcame sin and death, that he paid the price for our sin and he has given us victory both over sin and death. And so if you're saying Christ didn't rise, that means that hope of life free from sin or life free from death does not exist for us as believers. So this is why keeping the truth of the gospel, keeping the truth of that core of the gospel is so important. If you let it go, that means you're letting go of that hope of victory over sin and victory over death for Christ himself and for us as believers. Verse 18, those who fall in sin Christ have perished. If in this life only we have opened Christ, we are of all men the most pitiful. So if all of these sacrifices, all of the suffering that we are doing in hope that there is an eternal glory for us. If there is no eternal glory and all we have is this life, then why are we suffering the way we are suffering? Paul talked about his own suffering as an apostle in the previous chapters. He talks about all that they have given up for the sake of the gospel because they believe in this eternal reward that is us. That eternal reward is Christ himself. And so it's worth all of the sacrifices that they are making for the sake of the church so that more people will come to Christ. And even for their own sake, because they believe that there is a reward that is so much greater than this life at present. But if all we are living for is this present life on earth, then why are we suffering the way we are suffering? Why are we doing all the things we are doing? We are the most pitiful of men if this is all there is. If we are going to just suffer and then that's all there is to life. And then he goes on from there verse 20 to 28. Will someone read that please? Verse 22. 28. Okay. Verse 15 verse 20 to 28. But now Christ has risen from the dead and has become the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all died. Even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order Christ the first fruits. Afterward, thus were Christ at his coming. Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom of God to the Father. Then he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For we must ring till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is the death for he has put all things under his feet. But when he says all things are put under him, it is evident that he who put all things under him is accepted. Now when all things are subject to him, then the Son himself will also subject to him who put all things under him that God may be all in all. Thank you. So Christ's resurrection, he was like the first fruit. What is the first fruit? The first fruit is the beginning of the harvest. So when you get the first harvest, that beginning harvest, it's a guarantee that the rest of the harvest is going to start after this. And so Jesus was like that first fruit, the first one raised from the dead. And is he acts as that assurance that the others following him will also be raised from the dead. Since by man came death, by man also came resurrection of the dead. So because death came through Adam, there had to be another man who lived, who would bring life, who would bring resurrection and that came through Christ. In Adam all died, but in Christ all will be made alive. And so Christ is the first fruit of that new creation. And so our hope is in Christ in that resurrection. But each one in his own order Christ the first fruit afterwards those who are Christ at his coming. So when Christ returns, those who are in Christ, those who died in Christ will be made alive first. So there will be order even in the second coming of Christ in the resurrection of the dead. There will be an order that is followed. Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father. He puts an end to all rule, all authority, all power. But he will reign till he puts all enemies under his feet and the last enemy to be destroyed will be death. So this is talking about the millennial reign of Christ when all enemies will be brought under his feet. And verse 27 he has put all things under his feet. But when he says all things it doesn't mean God the Father. So Christ himself has submitted himself willingly to the Father. And the Father has put all things under the feet of Christ. He's given Jesus place of authority, of power. He's given him this reign and this rule. And so God himself, God the Father himself will not be subject to Jesus. But all other things will be subject to Jesus. And then Jesus himself will give all things over to the Father. Will put all things under the Father's authority that the Father himself will be all in all. So we move on from there verses 29 to 34. Will someone read that for us? Otherwise what will they do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead do not rise at all why then are they baptized for the dead? And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? I affirm by the boosting in you which I have in Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus our Lord. If in the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived if a company corrupts good habits, awake to righteousness and do not sin. For some do not have the knowledge of God. Take this to your shem. Amen. Thank you. So verse 29 Paul is talking about a practice of people who are baptized for the dead. Now it is not clear where that was being practiced. It is not that he is saying this is something that we should do in the church. But he is just using that as an example that people itself we believe that there is a life after this. There is a natural belief within us like he says elsewhere God has placed eternity in the hearts of people. That is a natural belief that exists within people that there is more to life than just this present life. And so he is using that example of the fact that there is more to life, that there is a resurrection. People have this faith within them. Verse 30 he says what about we ourselves we are giving everything we are sacrificing so much like I talked about earlier his own examples from his life of all that he sacrificed for Christ. He's giving his life daily for Christ in this faith that there is more. But if there isn't more then why should we do all these things? Why should we make these kinds of sacrifices? Why he should be so in verse 32 he's saying I fought the beast at Ephesus. So in the church in Ephesians he had made so much sacrifice and this is where he's writing this letter from. But what advantage is it to me if at the end of it we're all going to just die? We might as well just eat and drink and die right? Sorry about that. So he says verse 33 do not be deceived evil company corrupts good habits. So yeah I'll just try and finish us off. So he says yeah do not be deceived evil company corrupts good habits. Awake to righteousness. So he's saying don't surround yourselves with people who are promoting this false teaching. Because you will be deceived and then you'll start to live the way they are teaching which is yeah just live for this life. Forget about eternity forget about forget about what is coming just live this life as if there is nothing else. If you're living in that way then you will not make any sacrifices for Christ. You will just start to live as if the present is all there is. And then verse 34 awake to righteousness and do not sin for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame so that's just a concluding statement to everything that he's been saying so far. So we can move on from there verses 35 to 49. I don't know if we actually have time to go into all of this. Maybe we'll just stop here and we'll continue. So I will try to do a video tomorrow and post it for the rest of this chapter and chapter 16. And see if I can start a little bit on second Corinthians as well. Yeah, really close.