1ST CORINTHIANS 13 // A MORE EXCELLENT GIFT
Notes
Transcript
LAST WEEK
LAST WEEK
We looked at your value
We looked at the various gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to the people of God
Gifts that are meant to bless the church
Gifts that are given to glorify Christ.
THIS WEEK
THIS WEEK
We are going to continue that conversation and look at a more excellent gift.
What some headings in your Bibles may call, The Greatest Gift
THOUGHTS
THOUGHTS
What I want us to ask ourselves this week is this:
How do we know someone loves us?
How do we know we are in love?
What are some of love’s behavioral metrics?
TURN TO
TURN TO
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
PRAY
3:1
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
THESE FIRST 3 VERSES ARE A CONTINUATION OF THE LAST VERSE OF 12
PAUL IS SHOWING US A MORE EXCELLENT WAY
WHAT IS THIS WAY?
Paul is encouraging the Corinthian Believer to develop their gifting
But to not ever forget the greatest gift we can distribute here on this earth
In Chapter 12 he encourages us to desire the gifts
But in 13 he states that the gifts are not to supplant our greatest virtue
He says:
Yes, I can speak in tongues
But if I don’t love people, my heavenly language sounds like clanging cymbals.
Why would Paul use this illustration?
Throughout the Corinthian Culture, the worshippers of the Wine God, Dionysus
Would galavant around their city worshipping their god by clashing cymbals
For Paul to speak in tongues, but not practice love, would expose the lack of differentiation between the Christian and Pagan Culture.
There would be no difference between the Pagans and the Christians
Yes, I can prophecy into your life, understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, have all faith and be able to move mountains
But if I don’t have love for people, I am nothing
Friends, in Chapter 12 Paul made it clear that all of us have value
We all have worth in the kingdom
Here in Chapter 13, he clues us into how WE can actually devalue ourselves
Church, functioning in our gifts isn’t the greatest gift we can give to the church
Loving people is the greatest gift
Loving one another
Caring for one another
Being there
Being present
One thing that can really bum people out, is when someone who is really gifted, is a literal jerk outside of that gifting
They are great within the function of their gift
But they don’t love people
They don’t care for people
They aren’t present in the conversation
And they use their gifting as a way to make up for the lack of love they have for people.
Paul not only warns us against this, He goes on to explain what Love actually is
But why?
Obviously to give us a deeper understanding of love
Yes, to give us a glimpse of what practical love looks like
But also to define love for the Christian
At this time in History, Classical greek had a few ways to describe love
Eros: A Physical love
Phileo: A Emotional love
But here, Paul uses a different word
A word foreign to the Greek Intellectuals
It was the word Agape
It was a different type of love
A different type of affection
A different regard for one another
Like any greek scholar, whenever you introduce a new term, you have to define it.
So let’s take a look at how Paul defines this term
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
AGAPE IS DIFFERENT
It suffers long
It is kind
It rejoices in truth
It bears all things
It believes all things
It hopes all things
It endures all things
ON THE FLIPSIDE
It does not envy
It does not parade itself
It is not puffed up
It does not behave rudely
It does not seek his own
It is not provoked
It thinks no evil
It does not rejoice in iniquity
FRIENDS THIS TYPE OF LOVE IS PRACTICAL
IT IS SACRIFICIAL
IT DOES
IT IS NOT STAGNANT
IT IS NOT SELFISH
IT IS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF LOVE
I believe our families will be better
Our marriages will thrive
Our kids will flourish
Our friendships will be strengthened
But most importantly
The world will know we are the children of the King when we love people this way
THERE SO MANY VERSES REGARDING LOVE
JESUS SAID THIS:
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
JOHN
17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
I LOVE WHAT OTHER APOSTLES HAVE SAID ON THE SUBJECT
PAUL IN
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
JOHN SAID IN 1ST JOHN
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
FRIENDS IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE LEARN TO LOVE PEOPLE THE BIBLICAL WAY
NOT ONLY PRACTICALLY
BUT SERVING PEOPLE WITH YOUR GIFTING
PEOPLE THAT HAVE LEFT HERE HAVE MESSAGED ME SAYING THIS:
“THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME WITH YOUR PREACHING”
“THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME WHAT LOVE IS BY BEING FAITHFUL TO YOUR GIFTING”
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP FRIENDS FROM OUR SENDING CHURCH… ALL I DID WAS HELP THEM WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGY AND LAUNCHING A NEW DOMAIN
At the end of the day, I set them up nice
And it came down to the awkward part
Where they want to pay you for helping them
I said, look fam, it was a blessing helping you
Honestly, this took less than an hour
Don’t trip, I got you
If they hadn’t given me any money, I would have been blessed anyway
Just helping people kick start their new adventure was a blessing
Then I got a check in the mail.
I was shocked and thankful
Why?
Because love was the motive
My gifting was the action
CHURCH
I firmly believe that our gifting makes it easier for us to love people
I can’t tell you how many designs I’ve created
That took me less than a few hours to create
But blessed the socks off the people who hired me
IT IS EASY TO SHOW PEOPLE YOU LOVE THEM THROUGH YOUR GIFT
WE CANNOT PUT A PRICE
Challenged my knowledge
Which I would have paid to have the opportunity to do
BUT LOVING THEM OUTSIDE OF YOUR GIFT IS PROBABLY THE BEST GIFT ONE CAN GIVE.
And paid massive returns
LOVING THEM PATIENTLY
WE MI
When we develop our gift, in order to show people how much we love them
Your gifting is not binary
It is not either or
It is both and
It is this:
LOVING THEM IN SUFFERING
LOVING THEM WITHOUT ENVY
LOVING THEM QUIETLY
LOVING THEM HUMBLY
LOVING THEM SELFLESSLY
BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER
HOPING FOR THE BEST WITH THEM
CHEERING THEM ON
ENDURING THE HARDSHIPS
GOES SUCH A LONG WAY.
IT IS THE GREATEST, MOST EXCELLENT GIFT WE CAN GIVE TO ONE ANOTHER.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT
Because there will come a day when our gifts will fail us.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
There will come a day when I wont be able to design anymore
When I won’t be able to preach anymore
When I wont be able to teach anymore
And all that will be left is Love
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
1 cor 13:8
FRIENDS,
And what happens when if I didn’t develop that?
When I didn’t learn what Agape means?
When I didn’t practice it
When I chose to only love people the easy way
On my terms
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
:11
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
CHURCH, IN ORDER TO LOVE BIBLICALLY, WE NEED TO MATURE IN OUR PRACTICE OF LOVE.
WE ARE NOT CHILDREN ANYMORE
WE ARE GROWN ADULTS AND TIME IS FLEETING
May we put away the Childish things
May we focus on what we have been called to steward
Abiding
Remaining
Staying Faithfilled
Staying Hopeful
Remaining in Love
Loving everyone no matter what.