Amen is a big word. It's just full of theology, full of God, full of promise, full of faith.

And it is supposed to be on our lips.

What is the meaning and significance of amen in corporate worship?

That's the question John Piper answers from 1 Corinthians 14, 6 to 19,

and this episode of Light and Truth. This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on February 1, 1998.

Most of you know, I think that in virtually every language of the world where Christianity has taken root,

one Hebrew word has been taken over, namely, Amen.

You listen to a Chinese, Japanese, or Swahili, or Manica, or French, or German, or Russian, or Spanish,

person pray, and you may only get one word, but the word you will probably get if not Jesus is, Amen.

Well, I mean, or I mean, or whatever the pronunciation is in that language.

And the reason why this word is making its way throughout the world into all the languages of the world,

basically untranslated, is fundamentally because the New Testament, Greek, took it over from the Old Testament Hebrew untranslated,

but rather simply transliterated. So in Hebrew, the word is Amen.

And when it came into the Greek New Testament, they just used Greek letters to spell that sound, Amen.

And that's the way it goes into every language now.

This word, this Hebrew word, Amen, is used to mean a strong affirmation and agreement of what's been said.

There are curse, or blessing, or praise, prayer, preaching, for example.

Deuteronomy 27-16, the Levites say, curse it is He who dishonors father or mother, and all the people shall say, Amen.

Meaning, we take that. We take that. We believe that. We agree with that. Amen.

Ezra 8.5.6 has a beautiful scene of reverence and worship. Listen to the function of Amen in this setting.

Ezra opened the book of the law in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above the people,

and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord God, the great God.

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