Perhaps I have bit off a little
more than I can chew tonight, but there is no separation point
here between 1 Corinthians 12 and 13, or 14 for that matter. As you know, and as I have repeated,
the scriptures were not written in chapter in verse form, but
rather a letter, a long letter. And I'm convinced, I'm beyond
a shadow of a doubt, that 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 are a continuous thought. So I want to deal with them as
such. 1 Corinthians 12. Now, the purpose of the Church as
a body collective body and every individual member together. The purpose is primarily to glorify
God, the glory of God. And God's glory is accomplished
through the means of the use of the church and the things,
preaching of the gospel and witnessing and so forth, God's glory is
accomplished in saving of souls, bringing sheep into the church,
and also the edification of the saints of one another. God is
glorified in building up one another in the holy faith. Now, there are many different
members. The Church is one body, and that's
what it says here in verse 12 of 1 Corinthians 12. He says,
as the body is one and has many members, and all the members
of that one body, that is, he's talking about our fleshly body,
has many members, arms and legs and fingers and toes and so forth.
But it's still one body. Even so, being many. The members of Christ, being
many, are one body, so also is Christ. Now, let me illustrate
this. The body is one, although it
is many members, fingers and toes and arms and so forth. I want you to pray for me in
the privacy of your heart tonight. I've got a message that's so
vital and so necessary and needful. We all need it. And I've got
a lot to cover here, and I hope the Lord will bless it. But although
there are many members that make up this body, we don't acknowledge
our members as such. We acknowledge the body. In other
words, let me illustrate that. You would think a man a fool
if Brother Stan was walking down the street and I said, Well,
there goes Stan Anderson's nose. There's his nose. I said to my
wife, let's invite Stan's nose overnight and share his feet.
It's ridiculous. Their members make up the person.
When we acknowledge the person, we're acknowledging their members.
Well, look at verse 13. For by one Spirit, we are all
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether
we be bond or free. And we've all been made to drink
into one spirit. Now, although we were dealt with
by God Almighty individually in the saving of our souls, now
we're all joined together in Christ. Terry, we are not considered
individually by God Almighty anymore. We're considered in
Christ. God doesn't even pay any attention
to Henry Sword anymore. He sees Christ in him. The life
that he lives now is Christ in him. God doesn't think on or
talk about me, but he talks about Christ, my representative, you
see. And all of us are joined vitally
together in Christ. When he thinks on Christ, he
thinks on all of his people. Look at verse 14. The body is
not one member, though. It's not one special member either,
but it's many. The whole is comprised of many
different parts. Yes. Verse 15. Now, if the foot
shall say, because I'm not the hand, I am not of the body, is
it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because
I'm not the eye, I'm not of the body, I'm of no use, is it therefore
not of the body? Isn't every member of the body
regardless of its place or its duty necessary? And isn't one
member, regardless of what it is, just as necessary as the
other? Every little member works together,
comprising the whole. You know, there are some members,
too, even in our fleshly bodies, that are seemingly Useless. I don't think medicine today
has knows still what the use of the appendix is. Do they?
You may correct me if I'm wrong on that, but I still don't think
they know what to use it. Why did God put it in there then?
It's got to have a use, doesn't it? It's got to have a purpose.
The appendix? Well, I told Rick, I was tempted to name this message,
or title this message, God's Appendix. Are you willing to
be God's appendix, apparently of no use, yet still a member
of the body? Well, that's a thought, that's
a thought. But look at verse 17. If the
whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole
were hearing, where were the smelling? If every believer was
a preacher, there wouldn't be a church, would there? You know what I'm saying, a man
that stands behind a pulpit. If everyone played the piano,
nobody'd be singing. If everyone were elders, nobody'd
cut the grass. If everyone were deacons, there'd
be no need for deacons, because deacons are just servants. Deacons
are to wait on tables and so forth. In other words, if everyone
were an overseer of some sort, had a position of authority,
there would be no workers. That'd be like a beehive with
all queens, no worker. Well, and someone said this,
if all were young, where would the wise and the aged counsel
be? But you see the wisdom of God
in putting so many different parts into one body. If all were
old, where would be the youthful zeal and enthusiasm to get things
done and so forth? Well, look at verse 18. But now hath God set the members,
every one of them in the body, seemingly needful or useless,
God put them there. God set the members, every one
of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. See that? As it hath pleased him. Not us. we don't enter into the
picture. He didn't ask us where we would
like to be. As it hath pleased him. Look over at 1 Corinthians 7.
1 Corinthians 7. As it hath pleased him. Look
at verse 20. 1 Corinthians 7. Let every man abide in the same
calling wherein he was called. Are you called being a servant?
Then don't think anything else. Don't think, if thou mayest be
made free, fine. But use where you are, rather.
For he that is called in the Lord being a servant, he is still
a free man. Likewise, also he that is called
being free is Christ's servant. You are bought with a price.
Be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man wherein
he is called therein abide with God. with God. Now let me say
this, and I'm going to get off here a little bit. As it hath
pleased him. Everyone in the body of Christ
is where God intended to put them. Everyone, all are where
God is pleased to put them. Now by way of gentle rebuke for
all of us, all of us, we're all constantly murmuring and complaining. When we are discontent or restless
where we are, really now and truthfully examine
your own heart. Really, all we are doing is finding
fault with God's providence. Is that not right? Is that not
right? You say, but doesn't God create
a desire or a workings in a man or a woman, a zeal after other
things? Doesn't God put within a man
a restlessness to go after other things? No. No. God is not the author of confusion,
but peace. God, first of all, creates peace
and contentment. Peace and contentment. a thankfulness
and a desire for only the things that it has. I said the last
message we heard here, that faith never asks for more than God
gives it, for more than God has promised. Never. Christ said,
being content with such things as you have, food and raiment. But if God sees fit to open doors,
that person will run into it. But not until then. Won't be
trying to open doors and so forth. if the door is necessary. And
don't you think that the Lord knows when to open a door? You know, what we usually call
God's will for our life is usually just our will. I mean, I'm serious
now. This is why we're in constant
turmoil. That's it. This is why we're in constant
turmoil. The things we get into, generally, we just run and dive
into headlong ourselves. We haven't sought the Lord's
real matter, really. We human beings are the only animals on
earth that are not content with what we have. You know, the only animals on
earth that are not content with the things we have and the things
just what we need. Most animals, there are probably
a few exceptions, but most animals only gather and do the things
that are absolutely necessary for their existence. No more.
They're not out beating the bushes, making themselves miserable.
When they get something to eat, they lie down, don't they? They
lie down, rested and contented. But we say, I need this or I
need that. I'd like to be here. I'd like to be there. If, as
a child of God Almighty, A child of God now—you consider yourself
a child of God Almighty, the Son of the King? If as a child of God there was
something you really needed, don't you think God would give
it to you? Hmm? I'm talking God's Son now. If
you then, being evil, know how to give gifts to your children,
how much more, God? Lord, I need this. Do you now? If you didn't, Henry, if we did,
we'd have it, wouldn't we? Oh, he knows what things we have
need of. If a child of God and a servant, every child of God
is a servant of the Lord. If we're his servant, if there
was a place we could better serve him, don't you think we'd be
there? Does that make sense? And that's just it. You are there. You say, I wish I knew the Lord's
will for my life. You're in it. You're in it. I wish I knew where I was supposed
to be. You are. Where are you? Right here. That's
where you're supposed to be. That sounds simplistic, doesn't
it? That sounds simple, doesn't it?
But it's the truth, isn't it? We don't even have plain good
common sense when it comes to things like this. Listen to all
these scriptures. Don't take my word for it. Listen
to all these scriptures. Christ said, be content with your wages.
But wait a minute, wait a minute. How is the boss, how is management
going to know what I need? I just quoted a while ago, Christ
said the Father knows what things you have need of before you even
ask Him. Paul said, he said, I've learned
whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know how to
abound, how to be abased. You know where he said that from?
Prison. The man was in prison. I've learned
in whatsoever state I am to be content. Having food arraignment, let
us be therefore content. Be content with such things as
you have. Godliness with contentment is great gain. If there was only
one scripture, Henry, we'd be accountable to be content. Listen to this. See, this doesn't
prick your heart. It does mine. How many of us
have lusted after something so strong, so hard, and just convinced
ourselves that this is the Lord's will? It has to be. We've lusted
after it so hard and strived for it so hard, and finally we've
got it. Something different, only to
realize later on how good we had it before. How many? Every one of us. Every one of
us have been in that, haven't we? Every one of us. Joshua prayed this. See if I
can recollect the exact story. The Lord had told them to go
down and get Jericho. That's what it was, and they
conquered it, and then they lusted after another city, I believe
it was. They didn't seek the Lord, and they got defeated.
A bunch of people got killed in the process. Joshua sat back
a little while later and gathered himself and said, We've been
fools. Here's what he prayed. He said,
We'd been content on the other side of Jordan." Well, I got off on that, but
it's necessary. Look back at the text here in
verse 19. So every man and woman, every one of them, is in the
body as it pleased God. Verse 19. Now, if they were all
one member, where were the body? If they were all one member,
where were the body? Are they many members, yet one
body? We get back to this thing of
individuality. Yes, we all have different duties, different forms of service
and so forth. But it may be something unseen. It's like the woman that broke
the alabaster box upon our Lord. And the Lord said about her,
said that she's done what she could. That's all that's recorded
of her in the scriptures, that she broke that box on him. That seems so insignificant,
doesn't it? But the Lord, she did what she could. The widow
with the two mice. The Lord stood back and watched
all the great and vast sums that the rich people had been given.
He said, you just gave of your extra. God's given you so much,
you ought to give what you gave. But her, she gave of all that
she had. all that she had. It wasn't much.
It wasn't really worth paying attention to, was it? Didn't
buy anything. But the Lord acknowledged it
as being the greatest act there. Many strokes, the old saying,
many strokes till mighty oaks, you know. How many of us have
done a task, set out to do a task, and it's so difficult, and we
realize it's going to be so tedious and take so long, and we think,
I just don't even want to start. You know, you start in and you
Trudge along and trudge along and you think, I'm not getting
anywhere. I'll never get this done, you know. No, you won't,
unless you keep at it. Right? Keep hoeing the row. Right? It looks so long, but it's stroke
after stroke. Stroke after stroke. And many
drops make an ocean. And this is what I'm trying to
say, what the scriptures is saying, that the whole body functions
as a whole. As a whole. Look at verse 21.
But the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of you,
nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. What would
we be like without every member? We'd be incomplete, wouldn't
we? Without every single individual
member of our bodies, we'd be incomplete. We'd feel less than
whole. And it's the same with God's
body. No matter how insignificant a member may seem, we'd be less
than complete without them. Everyone is vital in this thing. And one can't say to the other,
I don't need you because you're not important as I am. What if old Joe Park said to
Sherry, I don't need you. I can sing without you. We can
get along just as well without you. I want to sing solo. And like Stan said, we'd probably
all say, wish he'd sing solo. Solo, nobody could hear him.
Tenor, he said tenor. Tenor 12 rows back, you know.
Well, we should be careful. Look at
verse 22. Nay, but much more, those members of the body which
seem to be more feeble, they are necessary. And those members
of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these
we bestow more of abundant honor. And our uncomely parts have more
abundant comeliness. The little toe is just as important
as any member here in our bodies. The unseen parts. How about the
unseen parts? The liver, the kidneys, the lungs,
and so forth. They are even more important
still. More important. They're the life
force. How many of you here know anything about a sump pump? Some
of you, a little bit? Well, I would have to say that
very few of you give much thought to it, though. Are you sitting
here right now? You're not thinking about that
sump pump down there, are you? I'll tell you what, though. We
couldn't get along without it. That sump pump, it's covered
up, too. Rick sufficiently covered it up, out of sight, out of sight,
out of mind, that sump pump. Boy, it's so vital. I was in
there one day studying, and it was raining real hard, a lot
of water evidently coming in the walls. And that sump pump
is what takes the water out to keep the basement from flooding.
And that thing was cycling every five minutes, just on and off,
on and off. I was getting a little bit tired
of hearing it, but I'm thankful for it. But most of the time,
that thing's out of sight, and we don't give it a thought, do
we? I'm sure glad it's around. Glad it's around when we need
it. Well, the quiet, even so, the quiet, steady, faithful members
are the backbone of the body, and they keep it standing. Every
little vertebra. These dear, the golden girls.
I wouldn't want to do without one of you. Oh my, just your
presence. Just your presence, Ellen and
Virgie, Violet, just your presence is—how about you all? You feel
the same way? Just their presence, just being
around here is an encouragement. We rejoice in the fact that they're
here. We miss them when they're not here. Miss them. It'd be
a big gaping hole, and there will be a gaping hole someday
when one of them is gone. And it's not if, it's when, too.
Oh, we ought to be more careful. It also says here in verse 23,
I say we ought to bestow more abundant honor upon these unseen
parts. We should be more careful, should
be careful to be more respectful and loving of the feeble members,
just as we should take better care of the more vital parts
of our body. In other words, we ought to take
more care. Stan, we ought to take better
care of our heart than we do our hands. You men that work
with your hands, you abuse them, don't you? You get them cut up
and beat up. But they're all right. They're going to be all
right. They've been beat up all along. But that heart, you don't
want to overdo it. You don't want to work it too
hard. You want to take care of that heart. That's the vital
area. Take care of it. Verse 24. Our
comely parts, the parts that show, they have no need. But
God has tempered the body together. He's given more abundant honor,
that is value, that word honors value, to the part that lacked.
The strong members can stand, but the weak need greater care.
And you see, that's why Christ came into the world in the first
place. He came to save the lost. If it wasn't even by loss, he
wouldn't have come. He came to help the helpless. If we could
help God help those who helped themselves, Christ wouldn't have
come, because he came to help the helpless. He came to cleanse
the filthy. You know, if we were just a little
bit dirty and could clean ourselves up, he wouldn't have come. And
the same principle is true for us. And look at verse 25 here. Here's a key word here in verse
25. He said, There should be no division in the body, but
the member should have the same care. Right there's the word. One for another. Should have
the same care. One for another. Now, we're getting
into the meat of this thing here. Scripture says we're not to please
ourselves. We're not to please ourselves, but we're to bear
one another's burdens. Does it not? We're to think on
things of others. All of the others. Not just the ones that, you know,
not just the pastor, not just the deacon. The same care, one
for another. We're all the same body. We're
all in this thing together. They're all equally as important
to one another. No, they're not important to
God. Nobody has any, can benefit God at all, but we sure are important
to one another, whether we know it or not. Think on things of
others, all of others. Let me ask you this. Do you want
to be a vital, and this is going to really hit home, do you want
to be a vital member of the body of Christ? If you are a member, you have
to say yes. Do you want to be of service?
Do you want to be a vital member of the body of Christ? I think
you do. You do, don't you? Everybody?
Do you want to be useful in God's kingdom? Do you? Do you desire
to be a servant of Christ? Henry, do you? I believe you
do. Then love one another. as Christ
loved you. Love one another as Christ loved
the church and gave himself for it. Gave himself for it. Now
let me ask you this. In light of that, say you want to be of service.
That is your reasonable service. To love one another. Look out
for one another. Care for one another. That's
our first duty. How many, if any, including this
fellow, can say we've done enough for this body, for this church?
How many? How many of us can say we've
done enough for this body and its members? How many of us can
really say we've done anything for one another? Forget it. We're in our own little
world. We're in our own little world, we weep over ourselves. We don't weep over one another,
we weep over ourselves, this man included. Most of the time,
except when God is gracious and gives us a little bit of the
Spirit of Christ in us. And only when we see Christ as
our servant will this inner and let this mind be in you. You
see, judgment must first begin at the house of God. Judgment
must first begin at the house of God. And Christ said, by this,
this is the way all men are going to know you're my disciple. You have love one to one another.
Does everybody know you're a member of this body? Stephen? This is how men are going to
know you're my disciple. That they know beyond a shadow
of a doubt that you love, Henry, that you love Terry Kinsley with
a passion. and would give your life for
him. That's what Christ said. This
is how many of you want to be a light, a shining light, want
to be a Christian? Christ said this is it. This
is how they're going to know you have loved one another. That's
not talking about just meeting together on Saturday nights.
No, no, no, no. Is it? Now, how many of us must
have loved each other in such a way that everybody can see
it? We need this, don't we? Don't we need this? This is vital.
This is not an option. This is a commandment. Christ
said, this is my commandment, that you love one another. This
is not an option, Jeannette. You love one another as I have
loved you. He says, do it. How did he love
us? He laid down his life for us.
I mean, thought nothing of his own things, but thought on the
things of others. Laid down his life for us. And we ought to
lay down our life for the brethren, John said. Look at verse 26. Now, if one
member suffer, all the members suffer with it. We got some folks
suffering. Are we suffering with them? One member be honored, all the
members rejoice with it. We need to suffer with them,
we need to rejoice with them. Not just to suffer, but we need
to try to relieve their suffering. And what am I saying is so. Now,
you're the body of Christ and members in particular. Now, remember,
you're part of the whole. You're not an individual. You're
a part of this whole thing. We're working together. Not an
individual. Yet, you have your role. You
have your role, even if it's just being here to be seen. Now,
I'll illustrate this once again. It's like the bricks that make
up these walls. If the bricks could talk, they'd
all be grumbling and complaining. I'm not much good, am I? All I am is being here. You take one brick out and you
see what it looks like. The rest of them may fall. The
rest of the bricks may come down eventually. Well, look at verse
28. The God hath set some in the
church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, third teachers, after
that miracles and gifts of healing, helps, government, diversity
of tongues. But are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers,
are all workers of miracles? Do all speak the tongues? Do
all interpret? Some are greatly blessed. Some
men and women are greatly blessed in particular areas with particular
and obvious gifts and ministries, and we ought to be thankful.
We ought to be thankful, but not desire several. Look at it,
verse 31. But he says, covet earnestly.
Yeah, go ahead, covet these things. Ask God to give you the gift
of prayer and helpful edification and witnessing and service and
so forth, yet, forget verse 31, I'm going to show you a better
way. And he's going to go into depth
here, Terry, about what we've just been talking about. He said,
covet this thing, but I'm going to show you something better. And you see why there can't be
a division here? There can't be a chapter division here. No
way. I'm going to show you something better. And then quit? Oh, no. Show us. All right, Chapter 13,
verse 1. If I spoke with the tongue of
men of angels and didn't have charity, that is, love, I'm becoming
a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. If I could preach like
George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Haddon Spurgeon put
together and didn't have love, true love for Christ, for God
in my heart, true love, For him, first of all, and for one another,
a real burden and a love for God's people. That's why I'm
here. If I didn't have that, I might as well be up here banging
a drum, a bass drum, or beating a big cymbal. We'd all be just
as well off. Especially, I'd be better off
instead of standing up here claiming to speak for God with God's people's
welfare in mind. I'd be a whole lot better off
than to stand up here and lie. And though I have the gifts of
prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though
I have all faith so I could remove mountains and don't have love,
I'm nothing. If I could reveal everything
this book has to say and expound upon mysterious scriptures and
was one of the greatest theologians to ever live, and even if I had
faith, I could remove mountains. I believe God for everybody like
old George—was it George Mueller? The fellow that had the orphanage,
that's a hypothetical, by the way. If I had all faith, if you
had real faith, you'd be humble. You'd love Christ. That's true
faith. But if I had all these gifts and so forth and didn't
love Christ really in my heart, didn't know him, the love of
Christ which passes mere knowledge and love for my brethren, I'm
worthless. I'm useless. I'm of no profit to anybody or
anything, especially God. Worthless, I'm nothing. Verse
3, and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, if I
went to Pakistan, well, if I did like Mother Teresa, that lady
they say just does nothing but travel all over the world and
try to meet the needs of the poor and so forth. If I did more
than five of her lifetimes in meeting the needs of the poor,
and I bestowed all my goods to feed the poor and know if I gave
my body to be burned, if I went to Pakistan as a missionary and
was burned at the stake and have not love, if I don't
have love, real love for Christ and love for Christ's people,
the things of God, I'm nothing. It profits me nothing. I might
as well not have done it. Might as well have stayed home.
Might as well stay at home. Now look at this. He's going
to describe real love. We need this. Verse 4. Charity. Incidentally, this word
love. Charity, I mean. It does mean
love. When you think of charity, the
word charity, what do you think of? You think of giving, don't
you? Everybody thinks of giving. What
did I just read by Brother Don Fortner? Committal. Committing. And real charity is sacrificial
giving, isn't it? None of us have given anything.
Christ did. He loved, didn't he? He gave
himself. You see? And that's the sense
of what this word says. Sacrificial commitment or giving. Wholehearted giving. Wholehearted affection, love,
compassion, mercy, tenderness, and so forth. And it says here, Incidentally, that word really
is a better word than love, but very few people know its proper
term these days, so we don't use it. But verse 4, love suffereth
long. My pastor gave this definition
of love one time, and it's good. Love, true love. is that which
bestows, seeks to bestow, the best that it has on the object
of its affection. True love, now, seeks to bestow
the best that it has to give on the object of its affection. Some of you know what I'm talking
about in reference to your children. You see? But he says here, love
suffers long. Love is patient. Love is patient
with others. Oh, how patient you mothers are
with your children. Oh, God's given a special patience to a
mother, more so than he has a father. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is tender, compassionate,
caring. Love envies not. See that? Love envieth not. There's
nothing more averse to love than envy, is there? Nothing. Nothing more contrary to love
than envy. In other words, somebody that
you love has something you don't have, and you're envious of it.
You wish you had it instead. That's not love. Not jealous, but it's joyful
for others. That's the reason a parent—and
I want to use this over and over because this is so illustrative
of our relationship with our Father, the way he deals with
us, and Christ. But you parents, you'd much rather
your children were exalted and honored much more than yourselves,
wouldn't you, Jeanette? You'd much rather Wendy be a
far greater pianist than you ever thought of being, wouldn't
you? Nothing would delight your heart anymore. Oh, let her have
the glory. You're glorified in that, you
see? Love envies not. Love bonneth not itself. Look
at that. Not itself. Never proud or cocky. I don't ever walk around Hannah
saying, honey, I'm a whole lot smarter than you are, and don't
you forget it. You better believe it. I'm bigger
than you, you little shrimp. That's ridiculous. Involvement's
not itself. We don't brag about ourselves
to our children. Uh-uh. Love's not puffed up. Not proud. What do we got to
be proud of anyway? 1 Corinthians 4, 7, one of my
favorite scriptures. If any man thinks he has anything,
well, there's no room for boasting. What do we have that we have
not received? That couldn't quote my favorite scripture. What do
we have that we have not received? If we received it, why are we
glorious if we had not received it? No, God gave us everything
we have, every little gift that we, every little talent we supposedly
have. Any man thinks he's something
when he's nothing, he's deceased himself, right? Not puffed up,
uh-uh. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. That's real Christlike attitude
and love. Verse 5, love does not behave
itself unseemly, misbehaving, rude, stuck up. There's nothing
worse than somebody that's rude and stuck up. Nothing worse. I'm guilty of this. Moody. There's no excuse for being moody
around God's people. Somebody comes in all bubbly
and happy and everything. How you doing? I'll be shot. You know what?
We want to ruin everybody else's day too? You're miserable, you
go ahead and ruin everybody else's. I ought to be tarred and feathered.
Love is not misbehaving. Fake it. That's the only time I will condone
hypocrisy. It's in this thing of an attitude.
You don't feel good? That's all right. Fake it for
everybody else's sake. That's good advice. Love's not
misbehaving. Doesn't misbehave. Doesn't seek
her own. Doesn't seek her own and all my soul. Let this mind
be in you. which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, in the form of God Almighty, equal with God Almighty, made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,
wiping dirty feet, my God, clean my dirty toenails." found in the fashion of man,
humbled himself, became obedient even unto the death of the cross."
The most despicable death on earth for you and me. Now, what
ought we to do for one another? Love doesn't seek her own. Sacrifice,
that's what the word means. Charity. Seeketh not her own,
but thinks on things of others. Love is not, look at that, easily
provoked. Oh, my soul. How much we put up with our own
fleshly families, those that don't even love God, don't even
know God. And our brother that we're supposed
to love, get put out with him in a hurry. That's hypocrisy
in the worst sense. Love is not touchy, defensive. Someone said, how can you offend
the chief of sinners? Oh, David, a man, this is it,
this is the attitude. David was a man after God's own
heart, wasn't he, Terry? That's what God said about it.
I found a man after my own heart. Thinks like I do. Think about
that. God said that about David. I
found a man after my own heart. All right, what did David do?
David was, I was going along one time, he was in exile from
King Saul, and he came down through there and some fellow along the
side of the road started cussing him. Remember old Shimei started
cussing David out? And one of David's captains said,
let me go down and cut that dead dog's head off. Who does he think
he is? They said, leave him alone. I
deserve it. I deserve it. And don't we deserve
everything that's coming to us, Henry? We deserve to be cussed,
spit on. Yeah, we do. But Christ did it
for us. He did. He did that. He did it
for us. You're talking about not easily
provoked, and I'm going to get to that in a minute, how this
all relates to Christ. Love, look at this, thinketh
no evil. He's not suspicious of others.
Those that you really love, you're not suspicious of them. What
does this convince you? Oh, my soul, it does me looking
for... Did you hear that? Did you hear
what she said to me? Real lovers say, she didn't mean
that. You see? You see the difference? Real love is that she was just
in a bad mood. That's all right. She didn't
mean that. You know, rumors, listen to this, rumors believed. Believing a rumor is as bad as
telling it. It is. Believing a rumor is just
as bad as telling it. You might as well have been the
one who started it, if you believe it. And we'll get to that here. Love
rejoices not in iniquity. True love is unhappy with the
falls of its brethren. You know what gossip is? Gossip? Gossip is rejoicing in
somebody else's falls. That's all it is. Yes, ma'am. Gossip is rejoicing in somebody
else's fall or somebody else's iniquity or whatever. Boy, you
know, we fake it, don't we? We fake it. Oh, did you hear
what so-and-so did? Oh, this is so sad. Now, she
just... Isn't that the truth? What we're
doing is we're bonding ourself, what it said there back in verse
4. What we're saying is, I wouldn't have done that, but she did it. I sure wouldn't have done that
under the guise of sorrow and sadness. Rejoice is not iniquity. Considering your own self, Paul
said, lest you be overtaken. Consider your own self, lest
you also be tempted. Look at this, rejoices in the
truth, the truth of the matter. You'd rather get to the truth
of the matter than to hear idle rumors and tales. Verse 7, love
bears all things, beareth up all things. You know what that's,
that word beareth means covers, means to cover it up, bear it.
Look over at Proverbs. Keep your place there and look
at Proverbs 10. Love, true love, beareth all
things, covereth all things. And this is mentioned three times
here in the Proverbs, three that I know of. Proverbs 10, verse
12. Look at this. I've got to hurry. I told you I got too much here. Proverbs 10, verse 12. Hatred
stirs up strife, but love covereth all sins." You know, I don't
publish the faults of my wife. I don't go around telling everybody
her faults. No, I go around lying about her. No, really, though. I go bragging
on her more than she deserves, probably. You see? I don't go
around telling everybody, you should have heard what she did
last night. Oh, no. Look at chapter 11, verse
13. A tale bearer reveals secrets,
but he that is of a faithful spirit conceals the matter."
Look at chapter 17, verse 9. He that covers a transgression,
oh, he seeks love. He that repeats the matter separates
very friends. Well, look back at verse 7, chapter
13 of 1 Corinthians. Well, love beareth or covers
all things, believeth all things. Listen to this. It's better to
believe the best about someone and be disappointed than to believe
the worst and destroy a friendship and be real ashamed of yourself
later on. You know what? It's better to believe the best
about someone and be disappointed later on than to believe the
worst and cut them off or whatever and be wrong and destroy a friendship
and be ashamed of yourself. Here's a good rule somebody gave,
whether to repeat a matter or not. You've probably heard it.
Three things, three good rules, whether or not you should repeat
something. First of all, consider, is it true? Do you know beyond
a shadow of a doubt what you're about to tell about someone is
true? Do you? That might shut our lips. Secondly,
is it kind? Is it kind? Thirdly, is it necessary? Is it absolutely necessary? I
repeat to you. That's a good, good, three good rules, isn't
it? Before you open your big mouth about something somebody's
done or said or whatever. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? My dad used
to say somebody come in to the, to the, to the office there and
start telling about somebody. He'd say, well, wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second. He grabbed the phone. And he
started dialing, and he said, let's call them up and hear their
side, too, while we're at it. I don't know, wait a minute,
Pastor. You know, I might have been wrong. Well, look at verse
7 again. He hoaxed all things.