Loving Church: 1 Corinthians 13v1-13

1,153, 1 Corinthians 13.

Okay.

Love.

And now I will show you the most excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,

I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love,

I gain nothing.

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

It does not envy.

It does not boast.

It is not proud.

It is not rude.

It is not self-seeking.

It is not easily angered.

It keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

But where there are prophecies, they will cease.

Where there are tongues, they will be stilled.

Where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

When I was a child, I talked like a child.

I thought like a child.

I reasoned like a child.

When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

Now we see but a poor reflection, as in a mirror.

Then we shall see face to face.

Now I know in part.

Then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain.

Faith, hope, and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

Thanks very much, Mary.

Well, please keep your Bibles open there to 1 Corinthians 13.

And we're going to pray.

Amen.

The greatest of these is love.

Father, please will you teach us afresh

what it is to be a loving people,

a loving church together.

Father, please show us, Father,

how we can serve one another in love

so that the church is built up in faith,

that it is motivated to reach out to our wider community,

and that together we would become the holy church of God

that you have called us to be.

Father, may everything that we look at this morning

be done in love

so that we are encouraged and strengthened.

we ask for your help to us today.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, it seems the church in Corinth

had everything they needed.

If you go back to chapter 1, verse 4,

in his introduction,

we'll see there that they had everything

that they could possibly need.

1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 4.

1 Corinthians 1:4

I always thank God for you,

so he's thanking God for the church,

because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

For in Christ,

you have been enriched in every way.

Verse 7.

Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift

as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ

to be revealed.

The church in Corinth

were a very gifted church.

But for all of their gifting,

it was a church that was in a mess.

Go back to chapter 12.

It seems that whenever the church gathered together,

they were measuring their spirituality

according to their gifts.

So, if you could heal someone

or work miracles,

and especially if you could speak in tongues,

you were thought of as superior.

You were above everybody else.

You were treated with greater value.

And of course, everybody else,

those whose gifts they deemed as ordinary,

like welcoming or set up,

were considered of no value.

And you were made to feel inferior.

And this kind of thinking was destroying

and dividing the church,

and it needed to be corrected.

So look at chapter 12, verse 18.

He reminds the church

that in fact God has arranged

the parts of the body,

that is, the people within the body of Christ,

every one of them,

just as God wanted them to be.

If they were all one part,

where would the body be?

As it is, there are many parts,

many gifts,

but yet one body.

So the eye cannot say to the hand,

I don't need you.

And the head cannot say to the feet,

I don't need you.

On the contrary,

those parts of the body

that seem to be weaker

are indispensable.

You see, there was to be no inferiority

and no superiority within the church body.

There is a diversity of gifts,

and they all needed one another.

You see, for all of their gifting,

and of all of their talents,

they were missing one vital ingredient.

Verse 29, chapter 12.

Are all apostles?

No.

Are all prophets?

No.

Are all teachers?

No.

Do all work miracles?

No.

Do all have gifts of healing?

No.

Do all speak in tongues?

No.

Do all interpret?

No.

But eagerly desire

the greater gifts.

So what are the greater gifts?

We'll have a look at the very end

of chapter 13.

Verse 13.

Look at the very last line.

of the greater gifts.

Of the greater gifts,

the greatest of these

is love.

You see, what we have in chapter 13

is not a nice letter

about how wonderful love is,

although it is.

It is a stern rebuke to a church

that is unloving.

He's reminding them that you have

every gift you need.

You are incredibly gifted,

but you don't have love.

Again, look at chapter 13.

Verse 1.

Chapter 13.

Verse 1.

And now I will show you

the most excellent way.

Let me show you

how love is essential

when it comes to the body of Christ.

Let me explain to you

how vital love is

when it comes to using your gifts.

He's going on to show us

how love and gifts

are inseparable.

Love doesn't replace our gifts.

It's like our gifts

must be wrapped up in love.

So we're going to look at three things

this morning in relation to our gifts

and love.

First, gifts without love

do nothing to build up the church.

Imagine we as a church

had every possible gift

we could think of.

Imagine that each one of us

had the most extraordinary

and amazing gifts

that we could ever desire.

We'll look at chapter 13.

Verse 1.

If, it's like,

imagine,

if I speak in the tongues of men

and of angels,

not just ordinary tongues

or ordinary languages,

but the tongues of angels,

some heavenly language

if it exists.

Imagine being able to speak

and pray like that.

Verse 1.

But if I have not love,

I am only a resounding gong

or a clanging cymbal.

Without love,

all I am is a dreadful,

irritating noise

to the rest of the church body.

Rather than build up the church,

I am a hindrance

to the church.

Or what about verse 2?

If I have the gift of prophecy

and can fathom all mysteries

and all knowledge,

not just the ability

to speak God's word

into people's lives,

but imagine

you had the gift

of knowing every divine secret,

all mysteries.

All mysteries.

Imagine being able

to understand

what God's plan is

in every situation.

All knowledge.

End of verse 2.

But if I have not love,

I am nothing.

Without love,

it doesn't matter

what I know

or what understanding I have,

it will be completely unhelpful

and unproductive,

I will be a waste of space

within the church

if I have not love.

Or look at the middle of verse 2.

If I have faith

that could move mountains,

imagine faith

so great

that you could uproot

Cairn, Tool and Kerry

and move it all the way

to Athlone Town.

Imagine the faith

to work amazing miracles,

to raise the dead even.

But if I have not love,

I am nothing.

Without love,

I might be able

to do amazing things,

but it will be of no value

or no worth.

Rather than build up the church,

I am nothing.

Or verse 3.

If I give all I possess

to the poor,

not just what I usually give,

but everything.

If I were to sell my house,

empty my bank account,

cash in my pension,

imagine the gift

of giving like this.

But not only that,

look at the rest of verse 3.

If I surrender my body

to the flames,

imagine you have the gift

of going to North Korea

with a box full of Bibles

and preaching the gospel

on the streets of Pyongyang

or going to ISIS territory

and speaking about Jesus

to the leaders.

Imagine you have the gift

to surrender your life

to death for Christ.

God has not loved.

But look at the end

of verse 3.

But if I have not love,

I gain nothing.

You see,

I'm quite sure we all dream

because I do.

And imagine about having

the great and spectacular gifts.

But whatever gift

has been given to us,

whatever gifts God

has determined the church

to have without love.

They're nothing.

All of our service,

all of our giving,

all of our speaking

amounts to zero,

zilch.

It does no benefit

for the church.

How sad is that?

We can be the most

busiest of people,

extremely talented.

We can have titles

and we can have roles.

We can be whatever gift

we want to have.

But without love,

we gain nothing.

And the people around us

gain nothing.

Rather than build up

the church,

it weakens,

breaks,

and divides the church.

So gifts without love

do nothing to build up

the church.

Second,

gifts motivated by love

will build up the church.

Remember,

this chapter 13

is a stern rebuke

to a church

who has every gift

but they lack love.

You see,

our love can be

so easily misplaced,

can't it?

We love ourselves

rather than loving others.

Instead of building up

the church,

we're more interested

in building up

our own egos.

So verses 4 to 7

are to be read

as a rebuke

to the church.

true love

never has its focus

on self.

It's always

focused

on others.

So it's as if

he's putting love

before us

and saying,

let's see how

our gifts,

when they are

motivated by love,

let's have a look

at what it would be

like within

the body of Christ.

And as we go through,

maybe there's one or two

you want to pick out

and pray

for God's work

in our own lives.

He breaks them

into three categories.

Love is,

verse 4,

love is patient.

Love is long

suffering

with each other.

We don't give up

on people.

Instead,

we continue

to use our gifts

to serve others

and build them up

in faith.

Love is kind.

That is,

love is gentle

towards people

who have offended us

and those who have

caused us hurt.

Rather than respond

in bitterness,

we use our gifts

to respond

with acts

of kindness.

So love is patient

and kind.

love is not.

Love does not envy.

So instead of

looking around

the church family

at the gifts of others

and wanting what

she has

or what he has,

well,

instead we give

thanks to God

and we celebrate

his good design

in the way

he's given us

a diversity of gifts.

Love does not boast.

When we serve

one another

we're not seeking

to draw attention

to ourselves.

Oh, look at me.

What great gifts

I have.

How would the church

ever survive

without me?

Well, we're not great.

God is the one

who is great

by giving us

the gifts

that we have.

Read on.

Love is not proud.

Love never says

or thinks

I don't need you

or

you know what

I can just manage

on my own.

No, we're not

independent people.

We are the body

of Christ

and each one of us

needs the other.

Love is not rude.

As we serve

we don't plough on ahead

with our own agendas.

Ignoring others

and taking over

even if

our way

might be

a little bit better.

It's not about

doing what I want

and the way

that I want.

Love

takes into consideration

others

and how our service

will bless

them.

Love is not

self-seeking.

You know

when we serve

or give

financially

or plan

an event

we don't go

looking for

people's praise

and thanks

and go

what did you

think of that?

We want

people to give

the Lord Jesus

all the glory

and praise.

Love is not

angered.

Love doesn't

lose control

or lose

its cool.

We don't

shout

or get

frustrated

or get

annoyed.

Love is

slow to

anger.

It brings

a sense

of calm

and peace

rather than

a whirlwind

full of

chaos.

Or what

about this

one?

Love does

not keep

a record

of wrongs.

love.

You see

we don't

withhold

our service

to others

because of

what they

said to

me last

week.

And we

don't think

things like

well I'm

not going

to help

you fill

in the

name

because of

the way

they treated

me all

those years

ago.

Love

covers over

a multitude

of sins.

We don't

keep records.

love does

not delight

in evil

but rejoices

with the

truth.

When we

speak to

each other

we don't

ignore

unrepentant

sin or

overlook

sinful

behaviour.

Love

speaks the

truth

gently

so as

to build

one another

up.

So love

is,

love is

not

and love

always.

love

is

look at

verse 7,

love

always

protects.

Love

is always

seeking what

is best

for the

other

person,

building

them up

rather than

tearing

them down

with our

gossip and

our

words.

Love

always

trusts.

it moves

beyond

questions

and

concerns

about

what if

that

person

won't

accept

my

gift

or

what if

they're

not

going

to

receive

my

help

or

what if

they take

my

encouragement

in the

wrong

way?

What if?

Well,

love

always gives

people the

benefit of

the doubt

and moves

towards

them

in trust.

Love

always

hopes.

It

acts

in

confidence

that God

will work

out his

purposes

and God

is ultimately

in control.

Love

uses

gifts to

reach out

to others

and

reaches

out to

building up

others in

Christ.

And

fittingly,

love

always

perseveres,

comes at

the end.

Love

always

gives.

Love

never

stops.

Love

keeps on

going no

matter the

knocks or

hardship.

Love

persists.

Love

never says

or thinks,

I'm

giving up

on you.

love

love

So are we

a loving

church?

Am I

a loving

person?

Put your

own name

where it

says love

in verses

four to

seven.

Just put

your own,

insert your

own name

here.

Johnny

is patient.

Johnny

is kind.

Johnny

does not

envy.

Johnny

does not

boast.

Johnny

is not

proud.

Johnny

is not

rude.

Johnny

is not

self-seeking.

Johnny

is not

easily

angered.

Johnny

keeps no

record of

wrongs.

Johnny

loves.

Or loves

does not

delight in

evil but

rejoices with

the truth.

Johnny

always

protects.

Johnny

always

trusts.

Johnny

always

hopes.

Johnny

always

perseveres.

Don't

come to

my

house.

You

see we

don't have

to go very

far along

the list

before we

all realize

how we

all need

to stop

and repent

and ask

God to

make us

more like

his son

the Lord

Jesus

the perfect

man

who truly

was

love.

We need

to stop

and ask

Lord

change

my

self-loving

heart.

Forgive

me for

not loving

as I

should.

Fill

me with

your

Holy

Spirit

that I

may love

others

as you

loved me

as you

gave your

life for

me as

you have

persisted and

pursued me

never failing

never giving

up

never keeping

a record of

my wrongs.

Lord help

me to love

with your

love.

No wonder

love is

called

the most

excellent

way.

You see

when our

gifts are

wrapped up

in love

and presented

in our service

to others

they build

up the

church.

So

gifts

without

love

do

nothing

to

build

up

the

church.

Gifts

motivated

by love

will

build

up

the

church.

And

then

third

gifts

with

love

or

gifts

wrapped

up

in

love

will

lead

the

church

to

perfection.

Have

a look

at verse

8.

love

never

fails.

Or

as some

of your

translation

will say

love

never

ends.

In

other

words

love

will

just

go

on

and

on

and

on

for

all

eternity.

But

as for

our

spiritual

gifts

that

God

has

given

to

us

and

to

his

church

look

at

the

rest

of

verse

8.

But

where

there

are

prophecies

they

will

cease

they

will

come

to

an

end

where

there

are

tongues

they

will

be

stilled

they

won't

go

on

for

eternity

where

there

is

knowledge

it

will

pass

away

for

now

we

know

in

part

and

we

prophesy

in

part

but

when

perfection

comes

the

imperfect

disappears

so

so

so

so

so

what

is

this

perfection

that

he's

talking

about

what's

the

perfection

that's

coming

and

and

when

will

it

come

well

I

think

it's

when

the

Lord

Jesus

is

going

to

come

again

when

he's

going

to

change

us

and

transform

us

to

be

like

Jesus

the

church

gathered

with

Christ

and

made

pure

and

holy

that's

some

of

the

things

he's

going

to

go

on

to

in

chapter

15

just

have

a

sneak

preview

chapter

15

verse

49

as

he

talks

about

the

coming

of

Christ

when

we're

resurrected

to be

with

him

look

at

what

happens

chapter

15

verse

49

just

as

we

have

born

the

likeness

of

the

earthly

man

just

as

we

are

like

Adam

full

of

sin

we

fail

so

shall

we

bear

the

likeness

of

the

man

from

heaven

one

day

the

Lord

Jesus

is

going

to

come

again

and

he

is

going

to

perfect

us

perfect

the

church

and

call

us

to

be

what

we

are

meant

to

be

back

to

chapter

12

then

we're

given

two

pictures

in

chapter

13

we're

given

two

pictures

as to

what

this

perfection

will

be

like

look

at

verse

11

chapter

13

verse

11

when

I

was

a

child

I

talked

like

a

child

I

thought

like

a

child

I

reasoned

like

a

child

when

I

became

a

man

I

put

childish

ways

behind

me

you

see

adults

do

not

behave

like

toddlers

well

we're

not

meant

to

at

least

they

mature

they

change

certain

behaviors

are

left

behind

they

grow

up

well

that's

like

our

spiritual

gifts

their

purpose

is to

grow

us

up

to

grow

the

church

body

up

so

that

we

become

the

holy

people

of

God

so

that

when

Christ

comes

again

we

will

put

childish

ways

behind

us

that

is

we

will

not

need

our

gifts

anymore

because

now

we

will

be

fully

mature

we

will

have

grown

up

we

will

be

like

Christ

he

gives

us

another

picture

in

verse

12

now

we

see

a

poor

reflection

as

in

a

mirror

then

in

the

future

when

Christ

comes

again

we

shall

see

face

to

face

now

I

think

it's

helpful

for us

to

know

that

mirrors

in

the

first

century

are

not

like

your

mirrors

today

they

were

made

of

polished

metal

so

it's

a

bit

like

looking

at

yourself

on

a

biscuit

tin

lid

do you

remember

doing

that

and

all

the

funny

shapes

you

could

get

you

could

see

your

reflection

but

it's

not

very

clear

it's

all

a

little

bit

hazy

well

God

has

given

spiritual

gifts

to us

and to

the

church

to

help

us

know

God

more

to

get

a

clear

vision

a

picture

of

who

God

is

but

for

all

our

gifts

and

for

all

our

knowledge

of

God

our

understanding

and our

clarity

of

God

is

all

still

a

little

bit

hazy

it's

like

looking

into

a

metal

mirror

it's

not

quite

clear

we

can

have

the

greatest

teachers

we

can

have

the

best

theologians

we

can

be

able

to

communicate

and

understand

all

kinds

of

things

about

God

but

we

will

not

know

him

fully

but

when

Christ

come

we

will

not

need

our

gifts

anymore

for

we

will

see

God

and

know

God

fully

look at

verse 12

we will

see

as to

face

to

face

look at

the end

of verse 12

now I

know

in part

then I

shall know

fully

even

as I

am

fully

known

just

think

about

that

just

as

God

knows

us

fully

and

intimately

now

he

knows

us

completely

a

day

is

going

to

come

when

we

will

know

and

experience

God

in

all

his

fullness

because

we

will

be

like

him

so

our

gifts

wrapped

in

love

are

leading

us

towards

our

final

goal

the

perfection

of the

church

and

when

that

day

comes

when

Christ

comes

again

we

will

not

need

our

gifts

anymore

no matter

how

spectacular

they are

instead

as a

church

gathered

with

Christ

we

will

live

in

a

life

of

eternal

love

look

at the

end of

chapter

13

verse

13

and

now

he

says

these

three

remain

faith

are

faith

today

is

in

Christ

trusting

that

his

death

is

sufficient

to

deal

with

all

our

sin

and

guarantee

our

future

with

him

hope

because

of the

resurrection

of

Christ

from the

dead

we look

forward

with

absolute

assurance

that

one

day

we

will

be

with

him

love

as

we

wait

for

Christ

return

we

seek

to

love

each

other

and

love

God

with

all

the

gifts

that

we

have

been

given

but

the

greatest

of

these

is

love

you

see

when

Christ

returns

not

only

will

we

not

need

any

of

our

spiritual

gifts

but

we

will

no

longer

need

the

gift

of

faith

we

will

no

longer

need

the

gift

of

hope

instead

we

will

have

the

gift

of

love

for

we

will

love

God

perfectly

and

we

will

love

each

other

perfectly

we

will

never

get

annoyed

with

each

other

we

will

never

fail

each

other

we

will

never

wrong

each

other

we

will

experience

the

love

of

God

and

the

love

towards

each

other

in

all

its

fullness

for

love

never

ends

so

until

we

get

there

let

us

take

the

gifts

that

God

has

given

us

to

each

one

individually

let

us

wrap

them

up

in

love

and

let

us

serve

one

another

as

we

look

forward

to

our

final

goal

the

perfection

of

the

church

may

God

help

us

to

love

as

he

loved

us

let's

pray

father

thank you

for

showing

us

through

your

words

what

love

is

like

father

would

you

please

forgive

us

for

the

times

we

do

not

love

as

we

should

and

so

we

come

to

you

not

only

asking

for

forgiveness

but

asking

for

your

enabling

for

the

transformation

of our

lives

filling

us

with

your

spirit

that

we

would

serve

one

another

in

love

that

we

would

do

everything

in

love

so

that

the

church

is

built

up

so

that

we

together

reach

that

goal

of

one

day

being

presented

as