LOVE, THE GIFT THAT NEVER FAILS
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
JUST NOISE WITHOUT LOVE
V:1 "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."
A. The English word
"though" is from the Greek word "ean" which is a
conditional
particle. It is conditional on something else
in the sentence, charity or love.
1. The English
word tongue(s) is a translation from the
Greek word "glossais",
which
means naturally un-acquired languages
(the word is plural).
a. There are
many different languages of men, therefore there are many different
Gifts of
languages or tongues of men.
b. Those who have the gift of language would
not all be speaking the same language.
2. Notice Paul
said, though I speak, not you.
3. The direct
object of glossa is men and angels.
a. Men is men
or anthropos.
b. The word
"angel" is from the Greek word "anggelos" which in this
context is
messenger
or pastor.
4. The ability to
speak is what you were born with, but you had to learn.
5. To speak with a
tongue is a Spiritual Gift of an un-acquired language of men,
not learned by
you.
B. Notice, The
Apostle Paul said what makes this gift of language effective is how it is
used in charity.
1. Charity is from
the Greek word "agape" which means love, affection or benevolence.
2. If we do not
use this gift of language to love another person, it is just unintelligent
noise.
3. If I use my
gift of language in the Church of believers who speak a common language, who am
I loving on?
4. The use of a
Spiritual Gift has to have a direct object other than me!! Eph 4:12
V: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, and have not charity, I am nothing."
A. Notice the gift of
prophecy is a God given ability to understand the deeper mysteries
of the Bible.
1. Some of God's
Word is easily understood.
2. Some of God's
Word require you to do some research to understand.
3. This research
has to have as its' objective, the edification of the body of Christ.
B. Prophecy is the
ability to understand the Bible.
Faith is the
ability to trust God while putting the Word in practice.
1. It is our
faith in the truth of the Word that drives us to put it into practice.
2. The Gift of
prophecy and a strong faith are useless unless they are used to exercise
our love for
others in the Church.
3. Since God is
love, He expects us to act with love.
Eph 4:16
V:3. " 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
profiteth me nothing"
A. It is only what you do for the Lord that counts and
stores blessings in heaven.
1. An act of
generosity without love does not count to the Lord.
a. Any help you
do is beneficial to the receiver.
b. God does
not direct us to do anything without love for others as the objective.
B. Offering yourself
up for some great cause does not count in heaven unless it is done
out of love for
the good of others.
1. Love keeps all
Spiritual Gifts working in unity. Eph
4:13
2. Love is the
foundation of the Christian faith.
3. Love is the key
element in the Christian family.
4. Love gives the
ministry of gifts it's value.
A COMPARISON: LOVE FOR GOD VERSES LOVE FOR SELF.
V.4 "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity
envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up," Eph
4:2
A. Love is not
affected by my personal problems or the difficulties I face.
1. Love separates
the person from his/her actions.
2. Love sees the
person as a creation from God and his/her actions as a product
of his/her
thoughts and environment.
a. I do not
have to like or agree with what a person does to love the individual.
b. Love
understands that people have issues that causes them to act rationally or
irrationally.
B. You don't have to
be kind to me, for me to be kind to you.
1. What someone
does or does not do, should not affect my love for them.
2. Any actions on
my part should be what is in the best interest of the individual.
C. Love is content in itself and does not want what someone
else has.
1. There will all
ways be someone with more than you have and something bigger
and newer
than what you have.
2. Love rejoices
when others excel.
D. Love always sees
the other person as important and equal.
1. When you lift
others up, Christ will lift you up.
2. Christ said if
I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me.
V:5. " Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her
own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil."
A. Love never acts
out of place or out of character.
1. Love seeks a
lifestyle of righteousness.
2. In Love, you
should treat everyone the way you want to be treated and
everyone
should be treated the same.
B. Love is
considerate.
1. In Love, we
should make it our aim not to cause anyone pain or distress.
2. When people
are already in pain, we should in love seek to comfort them.
3. We should not be boastful or hold
ourselves to be more up right than
others.
C. We should be slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to
anger.
1. When some
people are having a bad day, they sometimes will take their
frustrations out
on you.
2. Being slow to
speak and quick to listen will allow you to come up with an
appropriate
response that may comfort and calm the person down.
D. It is easy to say something bad about someone because we
have been programmed
by the world to
find the negative.
1. It takes the
same amount of energy to find something good and uplifting to say
to someone as
it does to say something negative.
2. The trick is,
to see everyone as a child of God with some serious issues that
Word of God
can comfort.
3. The best of us can
have a bad day and in need of a Word from the Lord to calm
us down.
V:6. " Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the
truth."
A. When you have
that close relationship with Lord, you do not get involved
in things that
do not please Him.
1. A Christian
should not get involved in gossip or negative talk about another person.
a. We should
find it in our hearts to pray for those who are suffering, as a result of
their
wrong doings.
b. None of us
are so good that we can't fall into temptations of some sort.
2. We should
never get involved in spreading lies and
untruths. Eph 4:29
B. We should find joy
when the truth is told and is uplifting.
1. None of us are
insulated from the hurt of inconsiderate words that
down play or
over look our devoted participation.
2. With that in
mind, we should find joy in spreading the truth about others.
WHAT LOVE DOES
V:7. " Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things."
A. Love always
protects the reputation of others.
1. Love does not
broadcast wrongs done.
2. Love may know
something that is true but negative and keep silent about it.
3. Love does not
talk about another person for selfish gain.
B. Love believes the
best about another person.
1. Love believes
that whatever a person sets his/her mind on, can be accomplished.
2. Love supports
and encourages others.
C. Love knows that
God can do the impossible.
1. Love knows that
all things are possible for those who love the Lord and are called
according to
His purposes.
2. Love never
gives up hope.
3. Hope is the
assurance that God will do exactly what He said.
D. Love endures the
discomforts of life.
1. Love endures
the disappointments of life.
2. Love knows that
if we endure, we will soon reap what God promises.
V:8. " 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."
A. God is love.
1. God is Alpha
and Omega. He has no beginning and no ending.
2. God does not
change. He is the same today as He was in the past and will
be in the
future.
3. God's love is
manifested in what He continuously does for us.
B. The Bible is
closed.
1. The New and Old
Testaments are complete.
2. There will be
no new revelations.
3. Some of the
prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled and some are yet to be
fulfilled.
4. There will be
no new prophecies.
5. You can't add
anything to the Word and you can't take anything away from it.
C. The Gift of
languages was given to the early Church to translate the Gospel in
every known
language.
1. We no longer
have a need for that gift.
2. We now have
computers, cell phones and Ipads that can translate our voice
into another
language immediately.
a. I can speak
in English and my cell phone can repeat in any language I chose.
D. We have numerous
Bible Commentaries and language tools that help us gain a
good
understanding of God's Word.
1. We have the
super natural knowledge in front of us to use at our will.
2. This
supernatural gift of knowledge is no longer required..
WHAT WE WILL BECOME
V:9. " For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.10
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away."
A. The Bible contains
so much wisdom that we can never grasp all the knowledge that is
contained in it.
1. The Bible is
the living Word and therefore constantly provides insight into our
daily lives.
2. We can study
day and night and not know all there is to gain from the Word.
3. Our minds can
only absorb a limited amount of the wisdom that is contained
in the
Word.
B. While we are in
the flesh, we are constantly under the influence of the world's
thoughts and
ideas.
1. The world's
thoughts can distract from the Word and distort our understanding.
2. We live in the light of Jesus surrounded
by darkness.
3. When Jesus
comes again to receive His Church, we will be in total light with
no influence
of darkness.
a. Because we
will be with Jesus in heaven, we will then have total knowledge.
b. We will be
transformed into immortality. Our Spirit will be released from the
flesh
and we will be one with Jesus.
4. Being one
with Jesus we will have all knowledge.
V:11. " When I was a child, I spake as a child, I
understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put
away childish things."
A. This verse speaks
to the maturity of the Church.
1. A child is
immature and filled with foolishness.
2. A child has to
be taught the wisdom of the Lord to make wise decisions.
3. A child has to
be taught the righteousness of God to know God.
B. When the church
was in its' early stage, spiritual gifts such as language, prophecy
and instant
healings were needed to draw men to the Word.
1. Now that the
Church is mature, some of the spiritual gifts given to the
early church
are not needed.
2. We have no need
to claim one gift is more important than another.
V:12. " 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". Eph 4:13
A. Every one of us
will has an appointed time to die to be with the Lord.
1. All of our
gifts are temporary, because we will not take them with us into heaven.
2. We were born
naked and will take nothing out of this world.
THE GREATEST CHARTERISTIC
V:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but
the greatest of these is charity.
A. The greatest Gift is Love.
1. We were born in
Love and we will die in Love.
2. God is Love.
3. To be one with
Jesus, is to be one in Love.
DO EVERYTHING IN TRUTH AND LOVE
Rev. M. Mitchell, Asst
Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist
Church
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