Recently, we looked at 1 Corinthians
12 and the Lord's purpose in giving gifts or particular abilities
to individuals within a church. My hope is that we saw that these
gifts or abilities were given to believers within the church
for the benefit of the body of the church as a whole. And it's just one of those wonderful
ways that the Lord provides for his people here on earth. In this first letter to the Corinthians,
Paul's addressing internal issues which had arisen amongst them,
issues which are common to every faithful church of God. This
letter is as much written to us as it is written to the original
Corinthians church. See, we need to remember that
even though we truly are converted believers, even though we all
have a new creation within each of us, our Adam flesh both remains
and influences everything that we do. In a sense, 1 Corinthians
12 is a rebuke in regard to how these abilities were both seen
and used within this body of believers. As we move on to 1 Corinthians
13, a passage that's famously known for its description of
what true love looks like, we need to also remember the context
in which this chapter is set. Whenever we read the scriptures,
wherever we find ourselves in the word of God, it's really
important to remember context, because so many people have gone
astray throughout the ages simply by ignoring context. This idea that Norman spoke of
earlier on about God loving everyone and Jesus dying for everyone
and the Holy Spirit wishing that everyone would be saved, is because
words or verses have been taken out of context from the scriptures. So basically there's two things
about context that we need to remember as we look at the scriptures. The first is the overall Bible
context or biblical context. The fact that the gospel is preached
in every passage of scripture in some way. the provision of God in his son,
by his spirit, toward his chosen children. And wherever it is, whether it's
the redemption by his blood, whether it's the robe of eternal
righteousness, protection from our enemies, the daily refreshment
to our souls by his presence, every passage would tell us something
about the gospel. The second consideration regarding
context is the immediate context of the passage we're in. In this
case, while it is a detailed description of what true love
really looks like, when it's considered in regard to the context,
which is the rebuke of the misuse of these gifts, it's actually behind the right and proper purpose
in the distribution of these gifts within the church. Now, we don't need to look too
far to what the purpose of these gifts is. In Ephesians 4, Paul
tells us that the Lord bestowed these gifts for the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying
of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The trouble with the Corinthian
church, as is at times the trouble in any church, was that these
gifts were being used for the opposite of what we just read
in Ephesians 4. These gifts were actually being
used to promote self, for boasting both before others and sadly,
whether we realize it or not, before the Lord himself. This in turn caused pride in
some, and envy in others, and rather than promoting the unity
it had been intended for, it only promoted division. So I want to begin by reading
1 Corinthians 13 through, but as we read through, I just want
you to keep that context in mind. Verse one, though I speak with
the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity. Charity
just means love. And have not charity, I am become
a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 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,
and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not charity, it profit me nothing. Charity suffereth long and is
kind. Charity envieth not. Charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, Thinketh no evil, rejoiceth
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth. But whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, they
shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it
shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy
in part. But when that which is perfect
is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 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. For now we see through a glass
darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then
shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith,
hope, charity, these three. But the greatest of these is
charity. In the first three verses, Paul
gives us an illustration of the problem and of its futility regarding
the true purpose of these gifts. He says in verse one, though
I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity,
I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. See, this
isn't just talking about speaking ability, it's about declaring
the gospel. It's about reciting the word
of God to each other. It's about recollecting and sharing
scripture that's relevant to both our conversations and our
individual situations. And yet, if the motivation behind
it isn't love, he says all our talk is unprofitable. It's just
like the sound of an instrument you hear at one moment, and it's
gone. There's no lasting effects. Verse two, and though I have
the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and though I have all faith, so that I can remove mountains
and have not charity, I am nothing. See, we may not only know the
Gospel, we may be able to recall much, much Scripture. We may
also have great understanding, knowing the application of the
Word regarding things of the world, our own life situations,
and even spiritual applications that have been gained through
personal faith. And also these attributes may
be great. Look at the alls there. All mystery,
all knowledge, all faith. And yet without love, it means
nothing. There's no substance in us or
our abilities regarding the benefit of the body of the church. There's
no effectual input. And even more than that, as verse
three tells us, and though I bestow all my gifts to feed the poor
and give my body to be burnt and have not charity, it profits
me nothing. On top of all these gifts and
abilities, we may also have a great commitment. We might have a practical
Christianity, a generosity. we might have a morality involving
personal sacrifice. And yet while we naturally think
that it's some sort of gain for us in the eyes of others, in the eyes of others, without
love, it doesn't actually help us at all. True love brings mutual
edification. In fact, your growth is directly
related to my growth. And yet Paul reminds us again
that without love, all our religious activities profit us nothing. Before we move on, there's just
one other thing I want to point out in those three verses. Do
you notice that they're all personal? They're all addressed to the
one that has the gifts. He says, I am become a sounding
brass. Verse two, I am nothing. Verse three, it profit me nothing. In Genesis three, when Adam walked
out of the garden, all humanity walked out of the garden with
him. And at that point, I walked out of the garden and my flesh
from that moment on was seeking the esteem of men and of God. And I spent my life, whether
you realize it or not, whether we notice it or not, whether
it's subtle or not, fighting for superiority, proud, selfish. And other people and their needs So did it change when I found
religion? Yeah, it did. It got worse. I
found more subtle ways to hide false humility, different ways,
more clever ways to be noticed of men. Who do you think people were thinking
about? Were they thinking about the
Lord, do you think, and how amazing His grace was? Or do you think
they were thinking about me, how I'd grown, or what I knew,
or how good my religion is? You see, I wasn't doing anyone
any favours, and I could have been accurate in what I said,
and I could have been helpful in what I did, but the reality
is I wasn't helping myself. I wasn't helping my brothers
and sisters. I wasn't helping lost souls. And I wasn't doing
anything for the glory of our Lord and Saviour. My motivation
was me. It wasn't the glory of God and
it wasn't the needs of His church. So what's the right motivation?
How can we play an effective part in the body of believers? And the answer is simple. It's
there in our passage. It's love, isn't it? In verses
four to seven, we have this beautiful description of the characteristics
of true love. And again, in context of the
great motivation behind the distribution and the application of these
gifts in all our Christian service. Perfect love is one of our great
God's characteristics, and His love, like Himself, is everlasting,
it's eternal, it's infinite, and all our salvation depends
on it. Our God is love, 1 John 4. And this perfect love is revealed
in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only one who's ever
loved perfectly, and really, He's the only one described in
this passage. However, he does indwell his
people, and as we also see in 1 John 4, his love is manifest
in his people as he ministers to his people through his people. Which means that this is also
a description of the characteristics of the love that he works within
his church. The love by which he motivates
our service towards one another. So I just want to read this list
of characteristics of love and then just look at each one just
briefly in regard to how they relate to our context and to
the right use of these gifts or abilities. Charity suffereth long and is
kind. Charity envieth not. Charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemingly. seeketh not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth
in the truth. Beareth all things, believeth
all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. When we minister to one another,
whether in word or deed, when true love to God and his church
is our primary motivation, These particular characteristics completely
change both the experience and the results of our interactions. So let's just have a brief look
at this list. Love suffereth long. See, love involves listening
to where people are at in the Christian walk. It involves being
patient with people's shortfalls. and the religious baggage that
we all carry around in our Adam flesh. Love involves waiting
for the Lord to reveal both the opportunity and the necessary
words or actions in the course of our conversations. Love is
kind. Love cares for the understands the difficulties
of our flesh and the world we live in, love has compassion
regarding to the circumstances that these very conversations
may have originated from. Love envieth not. It doesn't
want to be the center of attention. It doesn't want preeminence or
esteem. In fact, love puts others first. and is concerned with care for
one another. Love vaunteth not itself. That
means it doesn't brag, it doesn't boast, it doesn't wish to cause
guilt or envy in others. Love is not puffed up, it's humble.
And it's humble, especially in these circumstances or opportunities
within the church. Love doesn't see itself as important,
does it? It's not arrogant and it's not
pompous. Love doth not behave itself unseemingly. When love reigns and rules in
your hearts, love's not improper. cause offense to others. Love seeketh not her own. It
doesn't look for any self gain, but it actually makes others
and their spiritual well-being an act, it's priority. It's not easily provoked. Love's
not defensive. It doesn't have to be aggressive.
And it doesn't turn these acts of ministry into battles of the
flesh. Love thinketh no evil. Love only
ever has good intentions. It seeks the benefit of others.
Love rejoiceth not in iniquity. It doesn't promote, it doesn't
encourage, and it doesn't intend to commit sin, but rejoices in
the truth. It esteems, it declares, and
it promotes both the truth and faith in the truth. See, love Love beareth all things. Love
tolerates people's failings. It tolerates difficulties in
others. It even tolerates negative attitudes
of others. And why? For the sake of their
souls. Love believeth all things. It
gives the benefit of the doubt to people. It doesn't challenge
others on their accuracy. Rather, it looks to gently guide
people into a more accurate understanding of the truth. Love hopeth all
things. Love hopes the Lord will come
and minister to his people in grace, no matter what their needs. Love trusts the promises of God
regarding his gospel and its power to save. Love endures all things. Love
tolerates every obstacle, and it will go the distance for the
sake of the church and for God's glorious gospel. Do you see,
suddenly, if the love of Christ is our motivation, our conversations
and our interactions take a new meaning. Our adultery towards
each other is transformed, and the result is a mutual growth
within the church. Growth for ourselves, growth
for others individually, and growth for the church as a whole.
And this growth isn't just limited to how we cope physically with
the difficulties of this world. It's a spiritual growth, isn't
it, for all of us? It's a growth that at its height
brings further glory to God in his church, which is why Paul
begins the next verse with the most amazing gospel promise. Charity never faileth. Now that's the gospel in this
passage right there. Last week, Angus told us about
the security we have in the new covenant. the fact that salvation, every
single facet of it, is of the Lord. Ben just read that list
from Colossians 1, and it's a detailed list of how these characteristics
of love were displayed perfectly in the life and service of our
Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf as he fulfilled that covenant. The characteristics he just read
for us explain why charity never faileth. So these works of ministry
within the church, when they're motivated by the love of Christ,
they're actually his works. They're not our works, they're
his works. They're his provision amongst us. And how can he ever
fail? He's God, Norm just told us that.
He's God, he doesn't fail. And in fact, all these works
were completely finished from the foundation of the world. And yet, when our motivations
are self-seeking, They're just that, aren't they? They're our
motivations, they're guided by our wisdom, and they're driven
by our strength for our own purpose. Which is why in the next few
verses, Paul makes a stark comparison. In verses eight to 10, there's
a comparison made between the effective results of true love
and the temporal, flawed, and flesh-affected abilities of men.
as they apply these gifts within the church. Verses 8 to 10. Charity never faileth, but whether
there be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether there be tongues,
they shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it
shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy
in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away. Brothers and sisters, our God
is infinite in every one of his characteristics. We just don't
have the capacity to know all there is about our God, and we
shouldn't ever think that we do. As we've been saying in John's
Gospel, anything we do know of our God has to be revealed by
His Holy Spirit. And what He does reveal to us
is only ever given to us in measure and distributed according to
our needs and the needs of those He would have us minister to.
Salvation is of the Lord, every single detail. But Paul uses
this word but here to draw a contrast between our abilities and the
Lord's. Love never fails, but whether
there be prophecies, they shall fail. We need to constantly remind
ourselves that we're just sinners saved by grace, that we are nothing
and know nothing of ourselves. Galatians 6.3 says, For if a
man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives
himself. We also need to remember that
all we have, all we know, all we receive is going to be contaminated
in some way by our flesh. Love never fails, but where there
be tongues, they shall cease. This world and the things in
this world are temporal. Sure, they serve a purpose while
we're here. They're given by our God, as
we read in Ephesians 4, to bring gospel unity amongst the church. But we also need to remember
that they're only given in measure for a particular need, and in
the end, when they've served their purpose, there will be
no more need for them. Love never fails, but where there
be knowledge, it shall vanish away. There's a time coming when
we'll all be in the presence of our God. We'll all be gathered
to him in eternity, and he'll minister to each one of us personally. We'll see him face to face. When
this happens, we'll see him as he is, And what we thought we
knew of him and his gospel is going to fade away in comparison.
And why? Verse 9 and 10. For or because
we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which
is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done
away. When the time comes that we're
in intimate union with our God, we're unimpaired by Satan, the
world, and our own rebellious flesh, Then, and only then, there'll
be no more need for these gifts of ministry. And Paul puts it
this way in 11 and 12. He says, when I was a child,
I spoke as a child, I understood it as a child, I thought as a
child. And that's how we're described
in the scriptures, isn't it? We're children. We're God's children. We're still growing in faith.
We're still growing in the grace and knowledge of our great Lord
and Saviour. But when I became a man, I put
away childish things, Paul says. For now we see through a glass,
that means mirror, a mirror darkly. Our view of our Lord in this
world and of ourselves is always impaired by our flesh. But then,
when the Lord comes and wraps this world up like a cloak and
gathers his children to himself, but then we'll see him face to
face. And at that time we'll know with
a clarity we could never have imagined here on this world.
Now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I also am
known. John tells us in 1 John 3 that
we shall be like him. And why? For or because we shall
see him as he is. So this example of Paul's should
humble each one of us, shouldn't it? It should cause us each to
realise that these gifts, the gifts that we sometimes boast
in, the gifts we sometimes envy in others, that these gifts,
as much as they're needed at the moment, they're just a shadow
compared to what awaits the children of God in eternity. It should
cause us to realize that these ministerial gifts are God's gift
to his church as a whole. They're not a possession. They're
not something to be boasted about, and they're not something to
be envied. They're a necessity, and they have a particular purpose,
but only while we're here in this world. Which is why Paul goes on in
verse 13 to say, And now abide of faith, hope, charity, these
three. But the greatest of these is
charity. Why is love the greatest? Soon there's not going to be
any need for faith or hope. will be in the presence of our
God and all our hopes will be fulfilled. But love? Love's going to continue to be
the bond between the Lord and his people. And it'll be a bond
which sustains us in his presence for all eternity. God's love is an everlasting
love. It passes all knowledge. And it's a love that we can never,
ever be separated from. Wherever we remain in this world,
we have a great need of this love. We have a great need of
these gifts. We have a great need of each
other. God promises that here in this
world, he'll equip every single one of us with something desperately
needed by his church. Every gift, no matter how small
or how great it seems in our eyes, is essential for our growth,
both individually and collectively. Which is why when it comes to
applying these resources, place for boasting. There's no
need to envy. It's a possession of the church
as a whole. So when we gather together, we
need to come and consider our own motivations. We need to come
looking for the Lord to be active amongst us, to bless his people,
and not looking for the esteem of men. Just turn in your Bibles to Luke
14 and finish. When we gather together and when
we have conversations or interactions with one another, sin is always
going to be in the mix. It lies within our flesh and
it frustrates everything we do. But we need to remember that
our God's sovereign even over our fallings and failings. He
watches his church like a jealous husband and father. And ultimately
nothing, not us and not our sin, will ever be allowed to frustrate
his purposes. Luke 14, I just want to read
from verse seven. And he put forth a parable to
those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out
the chief rooms. Our God sees all. He reads our
hearts. He sees the times when we act
in pride, and he sees the times when we esteem ourselves above
others. And he said to them in verse
eight, when thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, That's
what church is, it's a wedding feast, isn't it? Sit down not
in the highest room, don't try to elevate yourself, lest a more
honourable man than thou be bidden of him. And he, that babe thee,
and him come and say to thee, give this man place, and thou
begin with shame to take the lowest room. The Lord elevates each one of
us at different times in different ways, always for his purposes. I'll give you a great example
of how this operates, a good example of this. There's been
many a time when I've really sort of nutted out a particular
passage of scripture or a particular principle in the scriptures. And I was pretty sure that I
thought I knew something pretty well and I'd walk in and I'd
start a conversation with someone and out of the mouths of babes
would be a depth of understanding that I'd never even considered
in the passage. It was good for me to have my
knowledge turned on my head. It's a good thing to be humbled
by our God. It's a good thing to see our
brothers and sisters elevated. Verse 10, but when thou art beaten,
go and sit down in the lowest room. It's a good reminder to
come to church in humility. We're desperate sinners, and
we're in desperate need of a great savior. So we should humble ourselves
when we come, that when he that bade thee cometh, which is the
Lord, he might say unto thee, friend, go up higher, and then
shall thou have worship in the presence of them that sit and
meet with thee. See, this is real worship. This is real fellowship. When God equips you with a gift
or an ability, and then he applies that gift to a poor, needy sinner
in church, in his great provision, then all of us have reason to
rejoice together in him. And verse 11, he just reminds
us, and it's a warning in a sense, not to exalt ourselves, but to
come in humility. He says, because, or for, whosoever
exalteth themselves shall be abased, and he that humble himself
shall be exalted. Love comes humbling itself. and love only seeks God's glory.
May our great God humble us as he gathers us together. May he
remind us that only he makes us to differ. May he cause esteem
for both his glory and our brothers within each one of us. And when
we do glory, May any ever allow us to glory in the Lord. Let's
pray.