Word of Salvation – Vol. 19 No.47 – September 1973
The Sound Of Silence
Sermon by Rev. A. I. de Graaf, B.D. on Matt.26:63a & 1Cor.13:1
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1Kings 19:1-13a; Mark 7:32-37
PSALTER HYMNAL: 316; 66:1,7 (after Law); 55:1,5 (after Grace)
351:1,2,3; 383; 169:1,2,3; 170:2,3 (after Ben.)
Brothers and Sisters, Boys and girls, Young people, Congregation of our Lord Jesus,
When Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth, they had some troubles there. One of them was what we now would call PENTECOSTALISM.
The church services used to be rather noisy in Corinth because lots of people had the gift of speaking in tongues and used it freely. Maybe some spoke in the tongues of men like on Pentecost Day – languages they never learned but could now use for the praise of God. Others perhaps added to the hubbub in what they thought to be the language of angels, the ecstatic sounds that are like no known language on earth. A lot of noise all to the glory of God. Yes, but it appears in the letter – also to the glory of the speakers.
Those who had the gift of tongues were proud of it, and had a way of showing off with it. Too bad for the poor sucker who didn’t have it. That must be one of God’s stepchildren, not quite ‘with it’. That was the danger at Corinth. Paul writes to them, not that it is outright wrong to speak in tongues, no, “I do it myself, too” says Paul, “it’s fine if you have this gift, but there are OTHER gifts too, you know, and maybe they are more important to build up the Church, the body of Christ.”
Nice, these spectacular gifts. But the church is not show-business, I tell you which road is more excellent than all of these gifts. I tell you what is the gift we must seek first and before all others:
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
but do not have love. . .
– love
– the kind of love that goes all the way
– like that of Jesus who loves His people to the very end…!
If you have not love, then all those tongues and languages, then all those loud shades of praise are hollow. Noisy gongs and clanging cymbals. Noise pollution, just noise pollution. AND MIND YOU: The Pentecostal, tongue-speaking enthusiast was PRAISING GOD ALL THE TIME! But praising God without love is just noise says Paul. And now you may already feel this Word come closer, too close for comfort. For maybe we have no tongue-speaking problem in our church (some of our churches have) but there is a lot of talk and song and discussion going on here. And we think it’s all greatly to the glory of God. And we come home after meetings, twelve, one o’clock feeling we’ve been very nicely busy for the Lord. But wouldn’t it be a frightening thought that all night we have been banging gongs, noise pollution, because. . . . there was no love in it?
You know, there’s a lot of talking going on in our Reformed Churches: it’s very much part of the system. A long sermon every Sunday – twice, could it be a noisy gong? Long prayers. . . could they be but clanging cymbals? Songs galore both here and at choir. The youth club, the Young Couples’ Club, well what about it? All but noise in God’s ear? And then there’s Synod, and boy, that’s a fortnight of talking straight-on. The Chairmen in our many, many meetings have a job and a half to make sure everyone gets a decent turn. What if it would all be expensive noise? And what about those Session meetings?
It’s strange but at the end of a long study about what professors and doctors write about the Bible overseas, even you can suddenly find yourself asking, is it not all a waste of time? Could it be like the hubbub of babbling tongues cluttering up the services of the youthful Corinth Church, frightening away the strangers and confusing the simple-minded? Well, says Paul, there is ONE ingredient in it all which can make the difference, one vital element: LOVE. When that is there noise becomes praise and clashing cymbals become real music, But when that lacks, when there is no love – love for Jesus and love for one another, then nothing in it makes sense at all. For you see. . .
Talk can be so easy.
There is much of that in the world.
We have our conferences and congresses, our parliaments and our law courts. Plenty of talk there, but if only we look at the endless conference in Paris on VietNam!
The parties come to outwit each other but there is no basic goodwill, no love and the expensive joke goes on ineffectively from the one year into another. . . The United Nations are the biggest talk body in the world where all the tongues of men are spoken. The Babylonian confusion is NOT overcome by slick interpreters whispering translations into servile microphones.
All this technology and all this manipulation is not getting us anywhere. .because there is no love. Love suffers in this world. Is it still alive? Or have we killed it. . . ?
– in the nations
– in the homes that break around us
– and in the churches, too?
Have we killed it, that poor shivering cold love? Well HAVE WE NOW? We would have if God would have let us. But when His time came Love came down and became a person.
Love personified
– love, burning love to God and love going all the way…
– love for people,
even the very people who killed Him.
And that love was Jesus, the Word of the Father. And note now, how He the Word of the Father, the Highest PROPHET to make known to men the will of God. When He could save Himself from the cross by only one word, He didn’t… but amidst all the noise… was silent.
He had spoken plenty. Word of life; words of utter love, “Come unto me, ye weary, I am the good Shepherd!” He had spoken plenty to weary souls and hardened hearts.
But the moment came that His love would be that of the lamb slaughtered silently for our noisy sins. The moment came that like a sheep is mute and does not open His mouth, yes the Shepherd becoming like a sheep for the slaughter, thus He did not open His mouth. The day came that His love was ACTION rather than words, so that we could – from Him –
– learn the secret,
– get the gift,
Yes the highest Gift of the Spirit,
of the heart that can love and hold,
the love that can again rise up
and – sins forgiven and conscience cleansed
can go all the way for God and the neighbour.
We could only make noise, heartless, empty noise, but Jesus can come and say: Quiet now, look at Me.
The therapy He had for unbelieving Zechariah…!
Jesus can give us that deep shamefaced repentance
in that we discover God to be …in the SOUND OF SILENCE.
The sound… NOT of the earthquake
that should swallow me up, miserable sinner that I am,
and not of the fire
that should devour me, disobedient rebel that I am,
but the sound of silence,
when we see Him, our Lord, loving to the end,
bearing our load, undergoing our crushing punishment.
The sound of silence.
Then, in that sound, our Lord can come to us and say what he said to that poor old deaf-mute in Mark 7: E PH PH ATHA = BE OPENED. . . !
Be no more isolated in all your noise. Be no more shut off by hatred from God and others, but now, having learned my secret of love, NOW speak…. sing… discuss… .praise…. meet! For when you DO have love, then YOU’re the guy I want to go on home visit, for then you will not clobber the poor sinner over the head in that ‘holier than thou’ style, but you will win him and draw him and hold on to him! Your words of love, even the stern ones, will then be oil on his head! Oh when you have learned that sound of silence, that sound of repentance, ‘Lord Jesus who am I that you should love me so and mutely be slain for MY sins?” then you’re the bloke He wants in Session and then YOU’re the one to go to Synod, knowing the problems of the world church and able to work at them that Christ’s flock is kept close to Him.
Love is not just any nice feeling to others, for sinners cannot really keep that up. Love is: the sound of silence.
It is: to be overwhelmed by the love of Jesus… that mute love when He was standing in my stead – taking the rap for miserable sinners.
Love is: the Gift of the Spirit
that I can see Jesus’ love for me,
and never really get over it any more.
Yes, and then Jesus touches my mouth and says EFFATHA
– come, my timid one,
LET ME OPEN YOU UP!
– come, my shy one,
LET ME GIVE YOU A TONGUE!
O FOR A THOUSAND TONGUES
TO PRAISE THAT GREAT REDEEMER’S NAME!
The GLORIES OF MY GOD AND KING.
For then, with that love driving me, I need the tongues of men and of angels to go into a suffering and needy world and make it hear the Good News of this Jesus! This King of Love who is My Shepherd! Then when I HAVE that love, then I can speak in the tongues of men and of angels by learning these tongues diligently.
And maybe it’s also the language of computers and telecommunications I then must learn to spread thru all the earth abroad the wonders of His grace! Then I must learn the languages of poetry or of music.
Then I must master the tongue of novel-writing which reaches so far in our paperback age. Then, when that love drives me on, then, says the Lord, you had better speak languages of men and of angels. For you have music and amid all the noise going on how much the world and the church NEEDS THAT!
When Jesus teaches you that love then speak of it to your neighbour and discuss about it in the youth club! Then the sound of silence becomes the very hallelujah of praise!
My gracious Master and my God,
O help me to proclaim
to spread thru all the earth abroad
the honour of Thy Name!
Jesus! The Name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
‘Tis music in the sinners’ ears,
‘Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of cancelled sin
He sets the prisoner free!
His blood can make the foulest clean:
His blood availed for me!
Hear Him then, ye deaf! His praise, ye dumb
your loosened tongues employ!
Ye blind, behold your Saviour come;
And leap, ye lame, for joy!
Amen.