1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:01,860 Now, I hope that you will open your Bibles 2 00:00:01,860 –> 00:00:04,820 at First Corinthians and chapter 13 3 00:00:04,820 –> 00:00:07,120 which is going to be our focus today. 4 00:00:07,120 –> 00:00:10,800 This is of course probably the best-known chapter 5 00:00:10,800 –> 00:00:13,180 in all of the Bible. 6 00:00:13,180 –> 00:00:15,580 But I suggest to you and I think by the end of the series 7 00:00:15,580 –> 00:00:16,940 you’ll probably agree with me, 8 00:00:16,940 –> 00:00:19,780 it is almost certainly the least understood. 9 00:00:20,940 –> 00:00:24,780 The love that is described here is so different 10 00:00:24,780 –> 00:00:27,580 from what we experience in this world 11 00:00:27,680 –> 00:00:31,320 that it will take us a lifetime to learn it. 12 00:00:31,320 –> 00:00:32,860 Though if we are Christians, 13 00:00:32,860 –> 00:00:36,820 we will have eternity to put it into practice. 14 00:00:36,820 –> 00:00:39,240 And that is why I’ve given this little series 15 00:00:39,240 –> 00:00:42,959 the title Love, A Beginner’s Guide, 16 00:00:42,959 –> 00:00:47,439 because we are really all beginners when it comes to this 17 00:00:47,439 –> 00:00:49,919 and remain as it were beginners 18 00:00:49,919 –> 00:00:52,279 throughout our Christian lives. 19 00:00:52,279 –> 00:00:54,380 And I hope by the end of this series 20 00:00:54,380 –> 00:00:56,820 that you will feel that this title, 21 00:00:56,820 –> 00:00:59,299 A Beginner’s Guide applies to you 22 00:00:59,299 –> 00:01:03,259 as I very much feel that it applies to me. 23 00:01:03,259 –> 00:01:06,879 But I hope that you will also be able to thank God 24 00:01:06,879 –> 00:01:09,379 for this beginning of his love 25 00:01:09,379 –> 00:01:11,660 that is indeed in you 26 00:01:11,660 –> 00:01:14,180 through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 27 00:01:14,180 –> 00:01:16,139 and by the Holy Spirit. 28 00:01:16,139 –> 00:01:18,620 It is a wonderful thing 29 00:01:18,620 –> 00:01:22,379 to know the beginning of the work of God 30 00:01:22,379 –> 00:01:24,059 that will be brought to completion 31 00:01:24,099 –> 00:01:26,879 and will radiate for his glory 32 00:01:26,879 –> 00:01:30,099 and for the blessing of others to all eternity. 33 00:01:31,139 –> 00:01:33,139 Now, just so that you know where we’re going 34 00:01:33,139 –> 00:01:35,480 over these next week’s God willing, 35 00:01:35,480 –> 00:01:37,419 we’re going to approach this chapter 36 00:01:37,419 –> 00:01:39,339 by asking three questions 37 00:01:39,339 –> 00:01:42,180 that are all answered and addressed here. 38 00:01:42,180 –> 00:01:43,279 This morning, the question, 39 00:01:43,279 –> 00:01:45,300 as we focus on verses one to three 40 00:01:45,300 –> 00:01:48,519 and also verse 13, the beginning and end of the chapter. 41 00:01:48,519 –> 00:01:52,019 The question today is why does love matter? 42 00:01:52,019 –> 00:01:54,019 Paul says, at the end of this chapter, 43 00:01:54,019 –> 00:01:57,260 that faith, hope, and love remain but the greatest is love. 44 00:01:57,260 –> 00:01:59,000 Now, why is love the greatest? 45 00:01:59,000 –> 00:02:00,540 Why is it better than faith? 46 00:02:00,540 –> 00:02:04,199 Why is it more important than hope? 47 00:02:04,199 –> 00:02:06,040 Why is love the greatest thing? 48 00:02:06,040 –> 00:02:09,720 That is the question that we are addressing today. 49 00:02:09,720 –> 00:02:11,100 Now, next week God willing, 50 00:02:11,100 –> 00:02:13,500 we’ll move onto verses four to seven 51 00:02:13,500 –> 00:02:17,779 and there, the question is, what does love look like? 52 00:02:17,779 –> 00:02:19,419 That’s a very important question. 53 00:02:19,419 –> 00:02:21,679 Some of us had the great privilege and blessing 54 00:02:21,740 –> 00:02:24,160 of being brought up in an environment 55 00:02:24,160 –> 00:02:26,860 where you were surrounded by love. 56 00:02:26,860 –> 00:02:30,399 A godly mother, a godly father, 57 00:02:30,399 –> 00:02:34,639 their love wasn’t perfect but it was a good model 58 00:02:34,639 –> 00:02:36,139 and from your earliest days, 59 00:02:36,139 –> 00:02:38,600 you really did learn from your own experience 60 00:02:38,600 –> 00:02:41,919 something of what true love looks like. 61 00:02:42,800 –> 00:02:45,059 But the reality is that for a growing number 62 00:02:45,059 –> 00:02:49,139 in our congregation, you have not known that blessing. 63 00:02:50,020 –> 00:02:52,179 You grew up in an environment 64 00:02:52,179 –> 00:02:55,059 where you really needed to learn to fight for yourself. 65 00:02:55,059 –> 00:02:57,440 It was an environment of selfishness 66 00:02:57,440 –> 00:03:00,259 and an environment of indulgence. 67 00:03:00,259 –> 00:03:02,139 From that background, you were then, as it were, 68 00:03:02,139 –> 00:03:06,860 tipped out into a world where might is right 69 00:03:06,860 –> 00:03:09,119 and where the winner takes all 70 00:03:09,119 –> 00:03:13,940 and you have had to find your place within that world. 71 00:03:13,940 –> 00:03:16,380 And as you have grown and as you move through adult life, 72 00:03:16,380 –> 00:03:19,020 you find a great longing within you 73 00:03:19,039 –> 00:03:22,300 to be able to give and to receive love. 74 00:03:22,300 –> 00:03:26,100 But you lack confidence because you are not sure 75 00:03:26,100 –> 00:03:28,419 what it really means to love another person 76 00:03:28,419 –> 00:03:32,500 or what it means for another person to love you. 77 00:03:32,500 –> 00:03:34,619 What does real love look like? 78 00:03:34,619 –> 00:03:36,059 How would you find it? 79 00:03:36,059 –> 00:03:37,619 Well you’re not sure that you know. 80 00:03:37,619 –> 00:03:39,679 Now there are many in that position. 81 00:03:41,220 –> 00:03:44,419 And when you find yourself in that position, 82 00:03:44,419 –> 00:03:47,080 there is no better place to start 83 00:03:47,080 –> 00:03:48,059 in answering the question 84 00:03:48,100 –> 00:03:49,860 what does real love look like 85 00:03:50,740 –> 00:03:54,139 than 1st Corinthians and chapter 13. 86 00:03:54,139 –> 00:03:56,059 That will be our focus God willing next week. 87 00:03:56,059 –> 00:03:58,380 And then thirdly, we’ll ask the question 88 00:03:58,380 –> 00:04:01,960 how can love last? 89 00:04:01,960 –> 00:04:04,000 And that’s the focus of verses eight 90 00:04:04,000 –> 00:04:05,740 through the end of the chapter. 91 00:04:05,740 –> 00:04:10,740 We read here in verse 13 that love remains. 92 00:04:10,779 –> 00:04:13,179 But of course for many people 93 00:04:13,179 –> 00:04:15,660 that raises precisely the most acute problem. 94 00:04:15,660 –> 00:04:18,760 For many people the difficulty is 95 00:04:18,760 –> 00:04:21,779 that love does not always seem to remain. 96 00:04:22,619 –> 00:04:25,140 And I have no doubt that if the secrets 97 00:04:25,140 –> 00:04:28,859 of our hearts were opened right now 98 00:04:28,859 –> 00:04:30,440 there would be a good number of us 99 00:04:30,440 –> 00:04:32,739 in this congregation who somewhere deep 100 00:04:32,739 –> 00:04:34,559 in our hearts had real fears 101 00:04:34,559 –> 00:04:37,839 about the prospect of love drying up. 102 00:04:39,140 –> 00:04:43,260 And surely this is one of the primary reasons 103 00:04:43,260 –> 00:04:45,420 why so many people in our culture today 104 00:04:45,440 –> 00:04:48,059 are choosing to live together 105 00:04:48,059 –> 00:04:52,480 rather than to make the commitment of marriage. 106 00:04:53,480 –> 00:04:58,480 The question is how do I know that love will remain. 107 00:05:00,179 –> 00:05:03,779 And we are living as a generation 108 00:05:03,779 –> 00:05:06,559 through the greatest period of change, 109 00:05:06,559 –> 00:05:08,399 the fastest period of change 110 00:05:08,399 –> 00:05:11,500 that has ever been known anywhere in human history. 111 00:05:12,019 –> 00:05:15,500 So it is not surprising that young people 112 00:05:15,500 –> 00:05:17,380 who are growing up are asking the question, 113 00:05:17,380 –> 00:05:18,899 will anything remain? 114 00:05:20,839 –> 00:05:25,079 So it’s a very relevant question for us, isn’t it? 115 00:05:25,079 –> 00:05:27,859 How can love last? 116 00:05:29,019 –> 00:05:30,899 And that’s the focus of what Paul says 117 00:05:30,899 –> 00:05:34,899 in verses eight through the end of the chapter. 118 00:05:34,899 –> 00:05:37,440 So this is going to be a very, very practical series 119 00:05:37,440 –> 00:05:40,859 and let’s approach the scripture with faith 120 00:05:41,459 –> 00:05:45,739 and expectancy looking for the Holy Spirit to teach us. 121 00:05:45,739 –> 00:05:48,239 Now, let’s launch then into this first question 122 00:05:48,239 –> 00:05:51,260 for this morning, why does love matter? 123 00:05:51,260 –> 00:05:52,480 And again, so you know where we’re going, 124 00:05:52,480 –> 00:05:54,040 I want to suggest two answers. 125 00:05:54,040 –> 00:05:56,200 The first one, and we’ll spend the longest time on it, 126 00:05:56,200 –> 00:05:59,059 is an answer that is framed negatively 127 00:05:59,059 –> 00:06:01,320 and the second one positively. 128 00:06:01,320 –> 00:06:04,380 The first answer, which we’ll find in verses one to three, 129 00:06:04,380 –> 00:06:07,640 is the frightening possibility 130 00:06:07,640 –> 00:06:10,600 that we could exercise gifts and ministry 131 00:06:10,660 –> 00:06:12,260 without love. 132 00:06:12,260 –> 00:06:14,980 Paul says that is such a frightening prospect 133 00:06:14,980 –> 00:06:16,279 and he explains it to us 134 00:06:16,279 –> 00:06:18,040 that that would count for nothing, 135 00:06:18,040 –> 00:06:20,779 and he says that’s really the first reason 136 00:06:20,779 –> 00:06:23,140 why love is the greatest thing 137 00:06:23,140 –> 00:06:24,920 and why it really matters. 138 00:06:24,920 –> 00:06:27,320 Then secondly, we look at the positive answer 139 00:06:27,320 –> 00:06:29,440 that he gives in verse 13 140 00:06:29,440 –> 00:06:31,339 where he paints the marvelous prospect 141 00:06:31,339 –> 00:06:35,380 that God’s love should remain within his people 142 00:06:35,380 –> 00:06:38,779 forever and forever. 143 00:06:38,779 –> 00:06:41,200 So two answers as to why love matters. 144 00:06:41,200 –> 00:06:43,420 The first that concerns a frightening possibility 145 00:06:43,420 –> 00:06:45,019 with regard to its absence, 146 00:06:45,019 –> 00:06:47,040 the second the marvelous prospect 147 00:06:47,040 –> 00:06:50,959 of its presence forever. 148 00:06:50,959 –> 00:06:52,859 First then verses one to three. 149 00:06:52,859 –> 00:06:57,679 And I’ve called this a frightening possibility. 150 00:06:57,679 –> 00:07:00,579 Notice that the possibilities that Paul lays out here 151 00:07:00,579 –> 00:07:03,760 are introduced with the word if, 152 00:07:03,760 –> 00:07:06,760 if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels 153 00:07:06,760 –> 00:07:08,459 but have no love, 154 00:07:08,480 –> 00:07:11,119 I’m only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 155 00:07:12,079 –> 00:07:14,880 And if I have the gift of prophecy 156 00:07:14,880 –> 00:07:17,459 and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, 157 00:07:17,459 –> 00:07:20,920 and if I have a faith that can move mountains 158 00:07:20,920 –> 00:07:23,380 but have not love, I am nothing. 159 00:07:24,359 –> 00:07:26,440 And if I give all I possess to the poor 160 00:07:26,440 –> 00:07:28,380 and surrender my body to the flames 161 00:07:28,380 –> 00:07:31,839 but have not love, I gain nothing. 162 00:07:33,239 –> 00:07:38,079 Now I’ve called that a frightening possibility. 163 00:07:38,459 –> 00:07:43,459 The problem is, it’s easy for us to miss 164 00:07:43,859 –> 00:07:48,260 the terror of these words of the Apostle Paul. 165 00:07:48,260 –> 00:07:51,160 And the reason we miss it is because 166 00:07:51,160 –> 00:07:53,660 the place where we’re most used to hearing 167 00:07:53,660 –> 00:07:55,500 this passage of scripture read 168 00:07:55,500 –> 00:07:56,660 is where? 169 00:07:56,660 –> 00:07:57,640 It’s a wedding, isn’t it? 170 00:07:57,640 –> 00:07:58,839 It’s a wedding. 171 00:07:58,839 –> 00:08:01,739 And it’s a beautiful passage to read at a wedding. 172 00:08:01,739 –> 00:08:04,940 It is a very appropriate and wonderful passage 173 00:08:04,940 –> 00:08:06,440 to read at a wedding. 174 00:08:07,399 –> 00:08:11,859 But the danger is that in savoring its beauty, 175 00:08:11,859 –> 00:08:13,739 we miss its meaning. 176 00:08:15,040 –> 00:08:18,000 So, come with me in your imagination, 177 00:08:18,000 –> 00:08:20,959 let’s paint the wedding picture for a little moment. 178 00:08:20,959 –> 00:08:22,760 Imagine the scene. 179 00:08:22,760 –> 00:08:24,959 The little flower girl comes down through 180 00:08:24,959 –> 00:08:26,839 this aisle here in the sanctuary 181 00:08:26,839 –> 00:08:29,200 and she’s putting her petals out 182 00:08:29,200 –> 00:08:31,320 on the runner all the way down. 183 00:08:31,320 –> 00:08:34,119 She can’t walk straight, but she looks gorgeous. 184 00:08:35,039 –> 00:08:38,820 The bride then comes in, 185 00:08:38,820 –> 00:08:41,820 a picture of radiant beauty, 186 00:08:41,820 –> 00:08:46,000 and her father grinning from ear to ear 187 00:08:46,000 –> 00:08:50,520 because this is the proudest moment in all of his life. 188 00:08:51,479 –> 00:08:53,979 The bridesmaids and the groomsmen 189 00:08:53,979 –> 00:08:56,080 take their places on the platform 190 00:08:56,080 –> 00:08:59,039 and the minister welcomes all who have gathered 191 00:08:59,039 –> 00:09:01,559 on this wonderful occasion. 192 00:09:01,559 –> 00:09:03,500 The couple turn to face each other 193 00:09:03,539 –> 00:09:06,500 and they exchange solemn vows. 194 00:09:06,500 –> 00:09:10,460 The best man standing here fumbles in his pocket, 195 00:09:10,460 –> 00:09:12,580 How many times have we seen this one? 196 00:09:12,580 –> 00:09:15,039 to get the ring, passes it to the minister, 197 00:09:15,039 –> 00:09:18,700 gives it to the groom, places it on the bride’s finger. 198 00:09:18,700 –> 00:09:21,679 Then a friend of the couple or perhaps it’s a family member 199 00:09:21,679 –> 00:09:24,940 comes forward to the lectern and opens the Bible 200 00:09:24,940 –> 00:09:29,059 and says the reading is taken 201 00:09:29,059 –> 00:09:32,760 from 1 Corinthians and chapter 13. 202 00:09:32,760 –> 00:09:36,619 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels 203 00:09:36,619 –> 00:09:41,320 but have not love, I am only a resounding gong 204 00:09:41,320 –> 00:09:42,659 or a clanging cymbal. 205 00:09:43,659 –> 00:09:46,400 The minister then offers a few words, well-chosen, 206 00:09:46,400 –> 00:09:49,400 congratulating the newly married couple 207 00:09:49,400 –> 00:09:52,219 and offering them some wise council for life. 208 00:09:52,219 –> 00:09:55,700 He then pronounces that they are man and wife 209 00:09:55,700 –> 00:09:59,539 and everybody cheers as they walk down the aisle 210 00:09:59,539 –> 00:10:01,900 and out of the church. 211 00:10:01,940 –> 00:10:05,419 Interminable photographs follow 212 00:10:06,500 –> 00:10:10,539 and eventually we all end up at the reception 213 00:10:10,539 –> 00:10:14,640 where you find that you are seated at a table 214 00:10:14,640 –> 00:10:19,559 with great Aunt Millie and some other people 215 00:10:19,559 –> 00:10:23,219 who you haven’t seen for a number of years 216 00:10:23,219 –> 00:10:25,200 and as you sit down to begin the meal, 217 00:10:25,200 –> 00:10:28,200 great Aunt Millie who is on grape form this day 218 00:10:28,200 –> 00:10:31,979 is absolutely gushing about how wonderful 219 00:10:31,979 –> 00:10:36,020 this wedding has been and all her enthusiasm 220 00:10:36,020 –> 00:10:38,919 about the service, oh, that little flower girl, 221 00:10:38,919 –> 00:10:40,219 wasn’t she gorgeous? 222 00:10:40,219 –> 00:10:43,099 And the bridesmaids, didn’t they look beautiful? 223 00:10:43,099 –> 00:10:47,659 Those dresses and the bride, oh, that was something else. 224 00:10:47,659 –> 00:10:50,840 She goes on and on and you know that she’s capable 225 00:10:50,840 –> 00:10:53,500 of going on for the entire meal, 226 00:10:53,500 –> 00:10:55,400 you’re tiring of a little, you think, 227 00:10:55,400 –> 00:10:58,679 I know what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna break her flow. 228 00:10:59,520 –> 00:11:04,140 So, sitting at the table, you say, you know what, Millie, 229 00:11:05,099 –> 00:11:08,919 it really was a wonderful service, wasn’t it, 230 00:11:10,880 –> 00:11:15,219 but wasn’t that a terrifying reading from the Bible? 231 00:11:15,219 –> 00:11:19,260 And she sort of looks at you, 232 00:11:19,260 –> 00:11:22,559 suddenly stopped in her track 233 00:11:22,559 –> 00:11:24,859 and because you’ve stopped her, you keep going. 234 00:11:25,419 –> 00:11:28,299 You say, well, I mean, that passage that they read 235 00:11:28,299 –> 00:11:32,059 from 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, I mean, scary! 236 00:11:33,440 –> 00:11:37,940 I don’t know who chose that reading, 237 00:11:37,940 –> 00:11:40,080 but boy, that gave it right between the eyes 238 00:11:40,080 –> 00:11:40,960 to them, you know. 239 00:11:43,000 –> 00:11:46,299 Poor old Aunt Millie is stuck for words. 240 00:11:49,599 –> 00:11:54,400 Because although she has heard this passage a hundred times 241 00:11:55,559 –> 00:11:59,380 she doesn’t have the faintest idea what it’s all about. 242 00:12:00,799 –> 00:12:03,080 Now I really want you to have your Bible open 243 00:12:03,080 –> 00:12:05,239 in front of you now and on these three Sundays 244 00:12:05,239 –> 00:12:07,140 so that you won’t be like Aunt Millie. 245 00:12:10,280 –> 00:12:14,500 Paul is writing here to a troubled church 246 00:12:14,500 –> 00:12:16,719 in the town of Corinth. 247 00:12:16,719 –> 00:12:17,880 Now if you’ve read the whole letter, 248 00:12:17,880 –> 00:12:19,880 you will know that there were many problems 249 00:12:19,880 –> 00:12:21,200 in this particular church. 250 00:12:21,200 –> 00:12:23,239 Many good things, but also many problems, 251 00:12:23,320 –> 00:12:26,760 and one of them that Paul addresses at length 252 00:12:26,760 –> 00:12:31,059 was a tension that existed in the Church over worship. 253 00:12:31,059 –> 00:12:34,219 The form of worship that was practiced at Corinth, 254 00:12:34,219 –> 00:12:36,719 which, by the way, Paul neither criticizes 255 00:12:36,719 –> 00:12:39,239 nor particularly commends, was a form 256 00:12:39,239 –> 00:12:42,760 in which the service was open for contributions 257 00:12:42,760 –> 00:12:44,119 from the congregation. 258 00:12:44,119 –> 00:12:47,840 So instead of the service being planned by a worship team 259 00:12:47,840 –> 00:12:50,280 and the hymns being chosen in advance and so forth 260 00:12:50,280 –> 00:12:52,400 and so on, in Corinth the way in which 261 00:12:52,440 –> 00:12:55,539 they ran the service was that members 262 00:12:55,539 –> 00:12:57,940 of the congregation would be free to contribute. 263 00:12:57,940 –> 00:13:01,739 A kind of open floor as the Holy Spirit led them. 264 00:13:01,739 –> 00:13:05,000 You can see the description of that particular 265 00:13:05,000 –> 00:13:08,039 form of worship if you look over to chapter 14 266 00:13:08,039 –> 00:13:12,119 and verse 26 where Paul is describing what it was like 267 00:13:12,119 –> 00:13:16,239 and he says when you come together, chapter 14 verse 26, 268 00:13:16,239 –> 00:13:20,599 everyone has a hymn, a word of instruction, 269 00:13:20,599 –> 00:13:25,599 a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. 270 00:13:26,979 –> 00:13:29,299 Now Paul is addressing the various issues 271 00:13:29,299 –> 00:13:31,859 that had arisen with regards to the way in which 272 00:13:31,859 –> 00:13:36,539 the services in Corinth were taking place 273 00:13:36,539 –> 00:13:39,380 and he addresses these issues in this long section 274 00:13:39,380 –> 00:13:41,599 that runs from the beginning of chapter 11 275 00:13:41,599 –> 00:13:44,440 through to the end of chapter 14. 276 00:13:46,020 –> 00:13:48,340 Obviously, 11 to 14, now our passage, 277 00:13:48,359 –> 00:13:50,500 1 Corinthians in chapter 13, 278 00:13:50,500 –> 00:13:52,940 comes right in the middle of this teaching. 279 00:13:53,840 –> 00:13:57,440 And that is why, you see, he begins in this unusual way 280 00:13:57,440 –> 00:14:01,919 by referring to speaking in tongues, which is verse one, 281 00:14:01,919 –> 00:14:04,919 and to prophecy, which is verse two, 282 00:14:04,919 –> 00:14:07,479 because these were the issues that had become 283 00:14:07,479 –> 00:14:11,859 the center of controversy in this local church in Corinth. 284 00:14:13,200 –> 00:14:15,239 So, you see, it wasn’t that Paul was writing 285 00:14:15,239 –> 00:14:18,340 this long and difficult letter to Corinth, 286 00:14:18,340 –> 00:14:20,880 got through chapters 11 and 12, 287 00:14:20,880 –> 00:14:22,520 and was getting kind of into deep waters 288 00:14:22,520 –> 00:14:24,219 and feeling rather tired writing and saying, 289 00:14:24,219 –> 00:14:26,340 you know, I really need to take a break. 290 00:14:26,340 –> 00:14:28,640 And what shall I do to relax my mind, 291 00:14:28,640 –> 00:14:31,140 and then gets up and says, I know what I’ll do. 292 00:14:31,140 –> 00:14:32,640 I’ll make a cup of coffee, 293 00:14:32,640 –> 00:14:34,200 and then I’ll just dash off a quick poem 294 00:14:34,200 –> 00:14:36,880 that they could use sometime in a wedding. 295 00:14:36,880 –> 00:14:39,039 It wasn’t like that. 296 00:14:39,039 –> 00:14:41,739 He was writing under the inspiration 297 00:14:41,739 –> 00:14:43,719 of the Holy Spirit of God, 298 00:14:43,760 –> 00:14:46,580 and he is addressing real issues in the local church 299 00:14:46,580 –> 00:14:49,640 in relation to worship. 300 00:14:49,640 –> 00:14:52,119 Now, when this letter arrived at Corinth, 301 00:14:52,119 –> 00:14:54,080 and these verses were read, 302 00:14:54,080 –> 00:14:55,760 of course, the letter would have been read as a whole 303 00:14:55,760 –> 00:14:58,719 from beginning to end to this congregation 304 00:14:58,719 –> 00:15:00,960 as they received it from the Apostle Paul. 305 00:15:00,960 –> 00:15:03,479 And when they got to this point in chapter 13, 306 00:15:03,479 –> 00:15:05,659 you can be absolutely certain 307 00:15:05,659 –> 00:15:07,320 that the congregation in Corinth 308 00:15:07,320 –> 00:15:09,880 weren’t sitting there sort of misty eyed saying, 309 00:15:09,880 –> 00:15:14,380 oh, isn’t that a beautiful passage from the Apostle Paul? 310 00:15:15,739 –> 00:15:19,200 They may well have had other kinds of tears in their eyes 311 00:15:19,200 –> 00:15:21,880 because they knew that what he was describing here 312 00:15:21,880 –> 00:15:24,239 was a frightening possibility 313 00:15:24,239 –> 00:15:27,099 that was way too close for comfort. 314 00:15:29,080 –> 00:15:31,479 Well, let’s look at it together. 315 00:15:31,479 –> 00:15:34,359 The frightening possibility comes in three parts. 316 00:15:35,460 –> 00:15:39,219 The first in verse one is the possibility of worship 317 00:15:39,219 –> 00:15:41,520 without love. 318 00:15:41,520 –> 00:15:45,380 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, 319 00:15:45,380 –> 00:15:47,500 but have not love, 320 00:15:47,500 –> 00:15:50,599 I am only a resounding gong, 321 00:15:50,599 –> 00:15:52,159 or a clanging cymbal. 322 00:15:53,500 –> 00:15:56,559 Now, remember that these Christians at Corinth 323 00:15:56,559 –> 00:16:01,059 thought very highly of their worship services. 324 00:16:01,059 –> 00:16:02,919 They thought that their worship 325 00:16:02,919 –> 00:16:05,080 was really a touch of heaven upon earth, 326 00:16:05,080 –> 00:16:07,780 nothing better that you can find anywhere. 327 00:16:09,460 –> 00:16:11,640 People were speaking in tongues 328 00:16:12,539 –> 00:16:14,179 and within the congregation, 329 00:16:14,179 –> 00:16:16,440 folks were very impressed with this. 330 00:16:16,440 –> 00:16:18,859 What that is is speaking in a way 331 00:16:18,859 –> 00:16:21,260 that comes not from the mind, 332 00:16:21,260 –> 00:16:23,979 but rather from the spirit or from the heart. 333 00:16:23,979 –> 00:16:25,700 That’s the way that Paul describes it 334 00:16:25,700 –> 00:16:28,359 using a language that had not been learned. 335 00:16:29,799 –> 00:16:31,979 And these Christians were convinced 336 00:16:31,979 –> 00:16:34,179 that because this was happening among them, 337 00:16:34,179 –> 00:16:36,539 they really had something. 338 00:16:36,539 –> 00:16:37,580 And Paul says, you know, 339 00:16:37,580 –> 00:16:40,700 you may be convinced that you’ve got something 340 00:16:40,700 –> 00:16:43,400 in these miraculous gifts, 341 00:16:44,460 –> 00:16:45,820 but I have to tell you that 342 00:16:45,820 –> 00:16:48,140 if you do not have love, 343 00:16:49,460 –> 00:16:52,739 you’ve really got nothing at all. 344 00:16:52,739 –> 00:16:56,080 However wonderful you think your service of worship is. 345 00:16:58,099 –> 00:17:00,260 Now of course, that’s very relevant to us today, isn’t it? 346 00:17:00,260 –> 00:17:03,739 Because the primary way, I think, 347 00:17:03,739 –> 00:17:05,660 in which most people today 348 00:17:05,699 –> 00:17:07,780 assess the life of the church 349 00:17:07,780 –> 00:17:09,400 is by looking at what is often 350 00:17:09,400 –> 00:17:11,939 called the vibrancy of worship. 351 00:17:11,939 –> 00:17:13,479 You know, was there energy? 352 00:17:13,479 –> 00:17:14,859 Was there flow? 353 00:17:14,859 –> 00:17:17,140 Was it high impact? 354 00:17:18,380 –> 00:17:20,979 But you see, God does not ask any of these questions. 355 00:17:20,979 –> 00:17:25,280 God assesses our worship by asking the question, 356 00:17:25,280 –> 00:17:26,459 is there love? 357 00:17:27,819 –> 00:17:30,060 And Isaiah, the prophet, hundreds of years ago 358 00:17:30,060 –> 00:17:32,859 really nailed it with regards to the people of God 359 00:17:32,859 –> 00:17:36,060 when he gave this word directly from God himself, 360 00:17:36,939 –> 00:17:41,099 these people worship me with their lips 361 00:17:41,979 –> 00:17:45,959 but their hearts are far from me. 362 00:17:47,859 –> 00:17:50,260 And that is a frightening possibility, isn’t it? 363 00:17:52,000 –> 00:17:54,160 That we could come here, 364 00:17:54,160 –> 00:17:56,099 that we could put together the most 365 00:17:56,099 –> 00:17:58,800 marvelous of worship services 366 00:18:00,060 –> 00:18:02,839 that we could praise God with our lips 367 00:18:03,859 –> 00:18:08,859 and that God would see an absence of love in our hearts 368 00:18:10,719 –> 00:18:13,359 and say you know you guys really think you go something 369 00:18:13,359 –> 00:18:15,560 I tell you, you got nothing. 370 00:18:18,540 –> 00:18:22,939 The frightening possibility of worship without love. 371 00:18:26,439 –> 00:18:28,219 Then look at verse two. 372 00:18:29,500 –> 00:18:32,800 The frightening possibility of ministry 373 00:18:33,319 –> 00:18:34,900 without love. 374 00:18:34,900 –> 00:18:37,420 See he goes on from the sphere of worship 375 00:18:37,420 –> 00:18:39,819 to the broader area of ministry gifts. 376 00:18:39,819 –> 00:18:42,500 If I have the gift of prophecy 377 00:18:42,500 –> 00:18:45,000 and can fathom all mysteries 378 00:18:45,000 –> 00:18:47,099 and all knowledge 379 00:18:47,099 –> 00:18:50,880 and if I have a faith that can move mountains 380 00:18:50,880 –> 00:18:52,300 but have not love 381 00:18:53,719 –> 00:18:54,800 I am nothing. 382 00:18:55,959 –> 00:18:57,819 Now this is a remarkable gift, surely. 383 00:18:57,819 –> 00:18:58,660 Prophecy 384 00:19:00,359 –> 00:19:02,359 fathoming all mysteries 385 00:19:03,760 –> 00:19:06,180 and faith that can move mountains. 386 00:19:07,900 –> 00:19:10,300 Now I think by the way that what we have 387 00:19:10,300 –> 00:19:13,699 in that particular trio of gifts 388 00:19:13,699 –> 00:19:17,239 is at least an echo of the dimensions 389 00:19:17,239 –> 00:19:18,699 of spiritual leadership 390 00:19:18,699 –> 00:19:20,859 that are found everywhere in the Bible. 391 00:19:20,859 –> 00:19:22,640 In the Old Testament these are referred to 392 00:19:22,640 –> 00:19:24,739 in the categories of the prophet, 393 00:19:24,739 –> 00:19:27,060 the priest and the king. 394 00:19:27,060 –> 00:19:29,599 The prophet of course had particular gifts 395 00:19:29,599 –> 00:19:30,959 of bringing the word of God 396 00:19:31,219 –> 00:19:32,579 in a way that was incisive 397 00:19:32,579 –> 00:19:36,520 to bring clarity and light to God’s people. 398 00:19:36,520 –> 00:19:39,260 The priest had gifts of discernment 399 00:19:39,260 –> 00:19:41,579 and his role was in large measure 400 00:19:41,579 –> 00:19:44,300 to pasture God’s people. 401 00:19:44,300 –> 00:19:46,199 The king had to have gifts of leadership 402 00:19:46,199 –> 00:19:47,400 as we would say today 403 00:19:47,400 –> 00:19:49,099 in order to give direction 404 00:19:49,099 –> 00:19:52,719 and movement forward to God’s people 405 00:19:52,719 –> 00:19:55,239 and these are very very important gifts 406 00:19:55,239 –> 00:19:58,040 and they are indeed the strategic gifts 407 00:19:58,040 –> 00:20:02,099 that relate to all true spiritual leadership. 408 00:20:03,479 –> 00:20:04,760 Now, you see what Paul is doing here? 409 00:20:04,760 –> 00:20:08,540 He’s saying suppose you could find someone, 410 00:20:08,540 –> 00:20:10,180 suppose you could find a pastor 411 00:20:11,780 –> 00:20:15,959 who had all the gifts of spiritual leadership 412 00:20:15,959 –> 00:20:17,339 without measure. 413 00:20:21,380 –> 00:20:22,219 Prophecy. 414 00:20:23,959 –> 00:20:26,599 A pastor who had the gift of speaking 415 00:20:26,599 –> 00:20:30,359 the Word of God so incisively in public and in private 416 00:20:30,359 –> 00:20:34,199 that clarity and light was again and again 417 00:20:34,199 –> 00:20:36,900 brought to the people of God. 418 00:20:36,900 –> 00:20:37,739 They all knew it. 419 00:20:39,680 –> 00:20:42,000 And suppose that this pastor, 420 00:20:43,520 –> 00:20:45,680 you could go to him and you could ask him 421 00:20:45,680 –> 00:20:48,560 the hardest question about life and about faith, 422 00:20:48,560 –> 00:20:50,199 the one you’ve struggled with for years 423 00:20:50,199 –> 00:20:51,839 and you’ve never found an answer, 424 00:20:52,739 –> 00:20:54,660 but he’s able to fathom all mysteries. 425 00:20:54,660 –> 00:20:57,079 You ask him your hardest why 426 00:20:58,420 –> 00:21:00,219 and he’s able to give you an answer. 427 00:21:01,459 –> 00:21:02,979 And you say, no one else was ever able 428 00:21:02,979 –> 00:21:05,619 to speak to me like that or give me light like that. 429 00:21:07,420 –> 00:21:10,300 And then suppose on top of that, 430 00:21:10,300 –> 00:21:14,099 that he had the kind of faith that could move mountains. 431 00:21:14,099 –> 00:21:16,780 In other words, under his leadership 432 00:21:16,780 –> 00:21:18,859 things could get done in the church 433 00:21:18,859 –> 00:21:21,540 that never before were thought to be possible. 434 00:21:24,800 –> 00:21:27,719 I tell you, if we ever find someone like that 435 00:21:27,719 –> 00:21:29,099 we would not be able to hire him 436 00:21:29,099 –> 00:21:30,540 because every other church in the country 437 00:21:30,540 –> 00:21:31,859 would be after him, right? 438 00:21:33,660 –> 00:21:35,719 Because we would all say, my goodness 439 00:21:35,719 –> 00:21:39,260 if he has all that, he really is something, right? 440 00:21:42,459 –> 00:21:45,420 And what Paul says here is that 441 00:21:45,420 –> 00:21:46,819 even if you could find a person 442 00:21:46,819 –> 00:21:49,660 with all these gifts of preaching, pastoring, and leading 443 00:21:50,300 –> 00:21:55,300 if he does not have love he is what? 444 00:21:57,300 –> 00:21:58,140 Nothing. 445 00:22:00,459 –> 00:22:02,260 I mean, you really need to look at that 446 00:22:02,260 –> 00:22:03,099 in your Bible, don’t you? 447 00:22:03,099 –> 00:22:05,900 Because that is so politically incorrect 448 00:22:05,900 –> 00:22:08,939 in our culture where everybody is somebody. 449 00:22:08,939 –> 00:22:11,939 How could you ever say that anybody is nothing? 450 00:22:11,939 –> 00:22:16,939 But God says just that, if I do not have love 451 00:22:21,839 –> 00:22:26,839 however brilliant the gifts, I am nothing. 452 00:22:31,020 –> 00:22:32,339 It’s scary, isn’t it? 453 00:22:34,180 –> 00:22:36,020 Millie’s heard this passage many times, 454 00:22:36,020 –> 00:22:37,099 she’s never really thought about it, 455 00:22:37,099 –> 00:22:40,979 never really heard it, never really felt its power. 456 00:22:42,760 –> 00:22:45,699 That there could be in the Christian church 457 00:22:45,699 –> 00:22:50,699 worship without love and ministry without love. 458 00:22:54,979 –> 00:22:56,380 And then a third, and perhaps, 459 00:22:56,380 –> 00:22:58,900 the most frightening possibility of all, 460 00:22:58,900 –> 00:23:01,900 the frightening possibility of sacrifice without love. 461 00:23:01,900 –> 00:23:03,760 Now let’s look at verse three. 462 00:23:04,780 –> 00:23:09,140 If I give, oh now here we’re getting down to it, giving. 463 00:23:09,859 –> 00:23:13,599 Generous giving, and he’s talking about giving of money. 464 00:23:14,739 –> 00:23:19,739 Notice what he says, suppose I give all that I possess. 465 00:23:20,560 –> 00:23:22,579 This is extreme giving now. 466 00:23:23,520 –> 00:23:25,859 Suppose I give all I possess to the poor 467 00:23:27,020 –> 00:23:29,839 and then surrender my body to the flames, 468 00:23:29,839 –> 00:23:31,520 he’s talking there about martyrdom, 469 00:23:31,520 –> 00:23:34,319 the ultimate sacrifice that any 470 00:23:34,319 –> 00:23:35,939 Christian believer could make. 471 00:23:36,880 –> 00:23:38,819 If I give all that I possess to the poor 472 00:23:39,099 –> 00:23:40,739 and surrender my body to the flames, 473 00:23:40,739 –> 00:23:42,819 so this is extreme sacrifice, 474 00:23:42,819 –> 00:23:45,920 but have not love I gain nothing. 475 00:23:45,920 –> 00:23:48,680 So, you see, he’s moving through in this pattern. 476 00:23:48,680 –> 00:23:51,520 Worship without love I got nothing. 477 00:23:51,520 –> 00:23:54,900 Gifts without love, ministry without love 478 00:23:54,900 –> 00:23:56,640 I really am nothing. 479 00:23:56,640 –> 00:24:00,619 The greatest sacrifice is imaginable without love, 480 00:24:00,619 –> 00:24:02,520 I gain nothing. 481 00:24:04,219 –> 00:24:05,939 Now, let’s just flesh that out a little bit 482 00:24:05,979 –> 00:24:07,880 so that we can feel the weight of it. 483 00:24:08,880 –> 00:24:11,380 Here’s somebody, let’s just use our imagination 484 00:24:11,380 –> 00:24:13,199 who is a generous giver. 485 00:24:14,160 –> 00:24:16,459 And he starts out early in life 486 00:24:16,459 –> 00:24:20,479 by giving 10% of everything that he earns. 487 00:24:21,479 –> 00:24:23,739 But then as God prospers him, 488 00:24:23,739 –> 00:24:26,300 he decides that he’d like to give more. 489 00:24:26,300 –> 00:24:31,300 And so one year, he gives 20% of everything that he earns. 490 00:24:31,420 –> 00:24:33,699 And God continues to prosper him so he thinks, 491 00:24:33,699 –> 00:24:36,359 you know I could do even more than that. 492 00:24:36,359 –> 00:24:37,979 God’s given me so many privileges, 493 00:24:37,979 –> 00:24:42,280 so the next year, he gives 50% of everything that he earns. 494 00:24:43,339 –> 00:24:45,459 He’s feeling encouraged in his own heart about this, 495 00:24:45,459 –> 00:24:46,660 he’s feeling blessed through it. 496 00:24:46,660 –> 00:24:48,420 And so the following year, 497 00:24:48,420 –> 00:24:53,420 he gives 80% of everything that he earns in that year, 498 00:24:54,219 –> 00:24:55,040 he gives it. 499 00:24:56,540 –> 00:24:58,579 And then a thought occurs to him. 500 00:25:00,260 –> 00:25:03,219 I wonder what it would be like to give everything. 501 00:25:04,500 –> 00:25:07,060 I mean everything, just give it. 502 00:25:08,420 –> 00:25:11,380 To some remote part of the world 503 00:25:11,380 –> 00:25:14,479 where there is great famine and poverty is intense. 504 00:25:14,479 –> 00:25:16,140 What if I just gave it all, 505 00:25:16,140 –> 00:25:17,900 and he decides I’m gonna go for it. 506 00:25:19,920 –> 00:25:22,300 And so he sells his business. 507 00:25:24,380 –> 00:25:27,020 For sale sign goes up on the corner of his property, 508 00:25:27,020 –> 00:25:28,699 he cashes in his pension, 509 00:25:28,699 –> 00:25:30,339 he liquidates all of his assets, 510 00:25:30,339 –> 00:25:32,719 and he gives it in one lump sum. 511 00:25:34,699 –> 00:25:35,540 To the poor. 512 00:25:35,540 –> 00:25:37,739 Now you see, that is what Paul is describing here isn’t it? 513 00:25:37,739 –> 00:25:39,500 That is what he says, 514 00:25:41,140 –> 00:25:45,760 if I give all that I possess to the poor. 515 00:25:47,040 –> 00:25:52,040 So we’re talking about extreme sacrificial giving. 516 00:25:54,640 –> 00:25:57,959 And then he uses another kind of sacrifice here, 517 00:25:57,959 –> 00:26:01,699 sacrifice even more costly 518 00:26:01,699 –> 00:26:04,339 when he talks about giving my body to the flames. 519 00:26:04,339 –> 00:26:06,060 He’s talking about martyrdom. 520 00:26:06,060 –> 00:26:07,640 So again, let’s try and flesh that out 521 00:26:07,640 –> 00:26:09,140 so that it’s real for us. 522 00:26:11,540 –> 00:26:13,339 A young Christian couple who have been 523 00:26:13,339 –> 00:26:15,260 worshipping with us here in the sanctuary 524 00:26:15,260 –> 00:26:17,560 every Sunday morning for several years 525 00:26:18,699 –> 00:26:21,040 and are making their way in life, 526 00:26:21,040 –> 00:26:23,380 have secured jobs, and children well settled 527 00:26:23,380 –> 00:26:25,599 come to feel that God is calling them 528 00:26:25,599 –> 00:26:27,400 to go on the mission field. 529 00:26:28,339 –> 00:26:29,979 They are going to go to a remote part 530 00:26:30,140 –> 00:26:32,339 of the world where the gospel is not known. 531 00:26:33,260 –> 00:26:35,219 It will, of course, mean great sacrifices 532 00:26:35,219 –> 00:26:37,099 for this family financially. 533 00:26:37,099 –> 00:26:38,939 It will mean them giving up many comforts 534 00:26:38,939 –> 00:26:40,939 to which we are all well used 535 00:26:40,939 –> 00:26:43,260 and the people to whom they are going 536 00:26:43,260 –> 00:26:47,319 may be resistant and could, of course, even be hostile. 537 00:26:48,640 –> 00:26:49,800 They know that they are going to live 538 00:26:49,800 –> 00:26:51,920 in a place where they may be in some danger, 539 00:26:51,920 –> 00:26:53,599 but they are ready for the sacrifice. 540 00:26:53,599 –> 00:26:55,439 So we hold a special service. 541 00:26:55,439 –> 00:26:57,400 We affirm the sense of their calling 542 00:26:57,400 –> 00:26:58,819 to this particular work. 543 00:26:58,839 –> 00:27:00,819 We lay hands on them, we pray, 544 00:27:00,819 –> 00:27:2,479 we’re supporting them financially, 545 00:27:02,479 –> 00:27:03,760 and we send them out. 546 00:27:03,760 –> 00:27:05,800 We pray for them and off they go. 547 00:27:07,560 –> 00:27:09,859 One year later, 548 00:27:12,199 –> 00:27:14,000 we hear the tragic news 549 00:27:16,000 –> 00:27:17,619 that their lives have been taken 550 00:27:18,920 –> 00:27:21,800 when a fanatical group 551 00:27:21,800 –> 00:27:24,020 set fire to their house 552 00:27:24,020 –> 00:27:26,660 while the whole family was sleeping during the night. 553 00:27:27,619 –> 00:27:30,400 Now actually, it’s not that hard to imagine 554 00:27:30,400 –> 00:27:32,239 in the hostility of today’s environment 555 00:27:32,239 –> 00:27:33,359 towards Christian believers 556 00:27:33,359 –> 00:27:35,119 and especially missionaries, right? 557 00:27:36,319 –> 00:27:38,119 And I want us to take in 558 00:27:38,119 –> 00:27:40,219 that that is what Paul is talking about here 559 00:27:40,219 –> 00:27:42,520 when he says, if I give my body to the flames. 560 00:27:43,640 –> 00:27:46,199 So we’re talking about extreme sacrifice 561 00:27:46,199 –> 00:27:48,420 either financially through giving 562 00:27:49,540 –> 00:27:51,060 or at the even deeper level, 563 00:27:51,060 –> 00:27:56,060 personally in the extremis of martyrdom. 564 00:27:57,619 –> 00:28:01,180 Now I want you to notice this very, very important point. 565 00:28:02,400 –> 00:28:05,439 That as Paul describes this unusual sacrifice 566 00:28:05,439 –> 00:28:08,699 of giving and of serving, in this verse, 567 00:28:08,699 –> 00:28:09,979 he goes on to say, 568 00:28:09,979 –> 00:28:14,979 if I do these things and have not love. 569 00:28:17,319 –> 00:28:19,260 Now that’s telling me and us 570 00:28:19,260 –> 00:28:21,719 something very, very important. 571 00:28:22,959 –> 00:28:26,380 See, you would assume, we would assume 572 00:28:26,380 –> 00:28:28,420 that if someone gives generously, 573 00:28:28,420 –> 00:28:31,000 they must have a heart full of love. 574 00:28:32,280 –> 00:28:33,619 We would assume that if someone’s ready 575 00:28:33,619 –> 00:28:35,479 to go to the mission field 576 00:28:35,479 –> 00:28:38,160 and they’re ready to make great sacrifices, 577 00:28:38,160 –> 00:28:39,199 even to the point of death, 578 00:28:39,199 –> 00:28:41,060 their heart must be full of love. 579 00:28:42,800 –> 00:28:44,560 You see what Paul is saying here? 580 00:28:44,560 –> 00:28:47,339 Not necessarily so. 581 00:28:49,280 –> 00:28:53,979 See, our hearts can be filled 582 00:28:53,979 –> 00:28:57,560 with very mixed motivations. 583 00:28:58,880 –> 00:29:00,959 You can give money to your children 584 00:29:00,959 –> 00:29:02,380 because you love them 585 00:29:04,239 –> 00:29:05,880 or you can give money to your children 586 00:29:05,880 –> 00:29:09,959 because you want to increase your control in their lives. 587 00:29:12,219 –> 00:29:14,319 You can throw yourself into service 588 00:29:14,319 –> 00:29:17,079 because you really love the people you are serving 589 00:29:18,599 –> 00:29:20,939 or you can throw yourself into service 590 00:29:20,939 –> 00:29:23,459 because of some inner desire within you 591 00:29:23,599 –> 00:29:26,119 that you want to make an impact. 592 00:29:28,020 –> 00:29:29,979 And when we look at our own hearts 593 00:29:29,979 –> 00:29:32,160 I think most of us will say honestly 594 00:29:32,160 –> 00:29:33,619 that what we find inside here 595 00:29:33,619 –> 00:29:35,500 is a bit of a mixture, isn’t it? 596 00:29:38,420 –> 00:29:40,699 So Paul is reminding us not to be deceived 597 00:29:40,699 –> 00:29:44,260 that even generous giving 598 00:29:44,260 –> 00:29:47,339 and even sacrificial serving 599 00:29:47,339 –> 00:29:51,099 are not in themselves a reliable guide 600 00:29:51,099 –> 00:29:53,319 to what is going on inside your heart. 601 00:29:53,319 –> 00:29:55,699 It’s possible to write a big check 602 00:29:57,040 –> 00:29:58,739 with a disengaged heart. 603 00:30:01,060 –> 00:30:04,560 It’s possible to pour hours into ministry 604 00:30:04,560 –> 00:30:07,579 and actually to become cold and remote 605 00:30:07,579 –> 00:30:10,099 from the very people you’ve been called to serve. 606 00:30:13,439 –> 00:30:16,040 Isn’t that why we need to pray for missionaries 607 00:30:16,040 –> 00:30:18,239 that they’re not going to run dry 608 00:30:18,239 –> 00:30:20,979 in their ministry that in this much serving 609 00:30:20,979 –> 00:30:24,239 the great danger, the frightening possibility 610 00:30:25,099 –> 00:30:28,260 is that I end up simply doing this thing 611 00:30:28,260 –> 00:30:30,420 and making enormous sacrifices for it 612 00:30:30,420 –> 00:30:34,819 and missing the very point that is at the heart of it all? 613 00:30:36,020 –> 00:30:39,219 It’s a frightening possibility and a very, very real one. 614 00:30:43,099 –> 00:30:47,760 And Paul says, even if I am the most generous giver, 615 00:30:48,760 –> 00:30:52,680 and even if I make the ultimate sacrifice, 616 00:30:56,040 –> 00:31:00,000 if I have not love, I gain nothing. 617 00:31:03,239 –> 00:31:04,560 Just terrifying 618 00:31:07,160 –> 00:31:10,760 that it would be possible to pour so much 619 00:31:10,760 –> 00:31:13,040 throughout life over years 620 00:31:13,660 –> 00:31:16,319 into good work 621 00:31:17,359 –> 00:31:22,359 and gain nothing from it. 622 00:31:27,839 –> 00:31:30,959 So I think the answer to our question 623 00:31:30,959 –> 00:31:33,079 is pretty clear here, isn’t it? 624 00:31:33,079 –> 00:31:35,859 Why does love matter? 625 00:31:35,859 –> 00:31:37,780 Well, here’s the first answer. 626 00:31:37,780 –> 00:31:39,640 Because even with all our gifts 627 00:31:39,640 –> 00:31:41,000 and with all our ministry 628 00:31:41,099 –> 00:31:44,060 and with all our sacrifices, 629 00:31:44,060 –> 00:31:47,479 if we do not have love, 630 00:31:47,479 –> 00:31:49,359 then on the last day before God, 631 00:31:49,359 –> 00:31:52,420 we will have nothing, 632 00:31:52,420 –> 00:31:53,800 we will be nothing, 633 00:31:53,800 –> 00:31:55,739 and we will gain nothing, 634 00:31:55,739 –> 00:31:58,920 and that is just about the most horrific possibility 635 00:31:58,920 –> 00:32:00,660 that could ever be described. 636 00:32:04,560 –> 00:32:05,599 And as you take it in, 637 00:32:05,599 –> 00:32:06,640 you will immediately say, 638 00:32:06,640 –> 00:32:10,000 Lord Jesus Christ, deliver me from that, 639 00:32:14,420 –> 00:32:15,939 and when you’re getting to that point, 640 00:32:15,939 –> 00:32:17,140 you’re beginning to discover 641 00:32:17,140 –> 00:32:19,119 that your own good works can’t save you. 642 00:32:22,520 –> 00:32:23,699 Frightening possibility. 643 00:32:23,699 –> 00:32:24,859 Now, let’s go to the positive, 644 00:32:24,859 –> 00:32:26,140 because the Bible always gives us 645 00:32:26,140 –> 00:32:27,540 the negative and the positive together. 646 00:32:27,540 –> 00:32:28,599 We need both. 647 00:32:28,599 –> 00:32:31,619 The negative drives us to Christ, 648 00:32:31,619 –> 00:32:33,780 because in our arrogance and self-confidence, 649 00:32:33,780 –> 00:32:35,939 you see, we can stay at a distance 650 00:32:35,979 –> 00:32:38,260 from Him, being very satisfied with ourselves 651 00:32:38,260 –> 00:32:39,520 and all that we’re doing, 652 00:32:40,760 –> 00:32:44,500 but, the positive draws us to Christ, winsomely, 653 00:32:44,500 –> 00:32:46,900 and I want us to see that in the last verse, 654 00:32:46,900 –> 00:32:51,319 verse 13 here, this marvelous prospect 655 00:32:51,319 –> 00:32:54,060 that God’s love is going to remain 656 00:32:54,060 –> 00:32:57,939 in the hearts and lives of all His people 657 00:32:57,939 –> 00:32:59,540 for all eternity. 658 00:32:59,540 –> 00:33:03,020 Verse 13, and now these three remain, 659 00:33:03,020 –> 00:33:07,099 faith, hope and love, 660 00:33:08,079 –> 00:33:10,699 but the greatest of these is love. 661 00:33:10,699 –> 00:33:13,579 I’ve called this a marvelous prospect 662 00:33:13,579 –> 00:33:16,500 because He says faith, hope, and love are going to remain. 663 00:33:16,500 –> 00:33:17,900 Where are they going to remain? 664 00:33:17,900 –> 00:33:19,020 Well, they’re going to remain 665 00:33:19,020 –> 00:33:21,719 in the lives of all God’s people, 666 00:33:21,719 –> 00:33:23,459 redeemed by Jesus Christ. 667 00:33:23,459 –> 00:33:24,780 This is what it is to be a Christian. 668 00:33:24,780 –> 00:33:28,060 There is no such thing as a Christian who does not love, 669 00:33:28,060 –> 00:33:30,699 who does not know the love of God, 670 00:33:30,699 –> 00:33:32,079 in whose heart the love of God 671 00:33:32,239 –> 00:33:34,040 has not come and been born. 672 00:33:35,780 –> 00:33:37,540 This is the inner reality 673 00:33:37,540 –> 00:33:40,900 of what it really means to live a true Christian life. 674 00:33:40,900 –> 00:33:42,439 Now, notice that he says the greatest 675 00:33:42,439 –> 00:33:45,280 of these things that remain is love. 676 00:33:45,280 –> 00:33:47,400 Now, why does he say that love 677 00:33:47,400 –> 00:33:50,560 is greater than faith and hope? 678 00:33:50,560 –> 00:33:51,479 Why does he say that? 679 00:33:51,479 –> 00:33:52,640 Why does he choose love? 680 00:33:55,439 –> 00:33:59,640 Well, Bishop Ryle addresses this question very helpfully. 681 00:33:59,640 –> 00:34:01,979 I didn’t find anyone else who addressed that question. 682 00:34:02,880 –> 00:34:05,619 Or in a way that seemed to be helpful like this. 683 00:34:05,619 –> 00:34:08,679 But Ryle, I think, is very helpful here. 684 00:34:08,679 –> 00:34:13,399 Why is it that love is greater than faith and hope? 685 00:34:13,399 –> 00:34:14,239 And he says this. 686 00:34:14,239 –> 00:34:18,340 Love is called the greatest of graces 687 00:34:19,239 –> 00:34:20,439 because it is the one 688 00:34:20,439 –> 00:34:23,139 in which there is some likeness 689 00:34:23,139 –> 00:34:25,659 between the believer and his God. 690 00:34:26,899 –> 00:34:30,699 He then goes on, God has no need of faith. 691 00:34:30,699 –> 00:34:31,520 Well, that’s true. 692 00:34:31,939 –> 00:34:33,320 There’s no one in whom God puts his trust 693 00:34:33,320 –> 00:34:35,520 because there’s no one greater than God for God to trust. 694 00:34:35,520 –> 00:34:36,679 God is God. 695 00:34:36,679 –> 00:34:38,300 So God has no need of faith. 696 00:34:39,659 –> 00:34:42,320 And then he says, God has no need of hope. 697 00:34:42,320 –> 00:34:43,239 Well, that’s obviously true 698 00:34:43,239 –> 00:34:44,899 because God knows the future 699 00:34:44,899 –> 00:34:47,100 as certainly as he knows the present 700 00:34:47,100 –> 00:34:49,679 and it is already as secure in his hands 701 00:34:49,679 –> 00:34:51,399 as the present or the past. 702 00:34:51,399 –> 00:34:52,760 And so there’s nothing in that sense 703 00:34:52,760 –> 00:34:55,959 for God to hope for or to kind of anticipate 704 00:34:55,959 –> 00:34:58,560 because it is all eternally present to him. 705 00:34:58,560 –> 00:35:01,000 So he says, God has no need of faith. 706 00:35:01,000 –> 00:35:05,419 God has no need of hope, but God is love. 707 00:35:06,919 –> 00:35:10,459 And the more love his people have, 708 00:35:10,459 –> 00:35:15,139 the more like they are to their Father in heaven. 709 00:35:16,800 –> 00:35:18,879 So faith and hope, he’s saying then really 710 00:35:18,879 –> 00:35:22,760 are God’s good gifts to us as fallen sinners 711 00:35:22,760 –> 00:35:25,560 as we are being redeemed in Jesus Christ. 712 00:35:25,560 –> 00:35:28,899 But they really are a means to an end 713 00:35:28,919 –> 00:35:31,040 and the end is that we will reflect 714 00:35:31,040 –> 00:35:35,340 the great character of God, which is expressed to us 715 00:35:35,340 –> 00:35:40,000 in this wonderful reality of love. 716 00:35:41,780 –> 00:35:45,020 Now I found it really helpful and important 717 00:35:45,020 –> 00:35:49,780 to keep reflecting on the love of God. 718 00:35:49,780 –> 00:35:52,840 And I want to encourage you as you move forward 719 00:35:52,840 –> 00:35:56,379 in your Christian life, pay careful attention 720 00:35:56,379 –> 00:36:00,340 in your mind and in your thoughts often 721 00:36:00,340 –> 00:36:05,340 to God’s great love for you, because if you miss it, 722 00:36:06,219 –> 00:36:10,219 then in the middle of everything else in your faith, 723 00:36:10,219 –> 00:36:12,419 you’ve missed the thing that really matters, 724 00:36:12,419 –> 00:36:13,479 the greatest thing. 725 00:36:15,620 –> 00:36:20,620 See, 1 Corinthians chapter 13 applies to Jesus too. 726 00:36:23,459 –> 00:36:25,419 Think of what that means. 727 00:36:26,379 –> 00:36:30,100 What have we received from our Lord Jesus Christ? 728 00:36:31,560 –> 00:36:34,500 Well, he has given us the greatest teaching 729 00:36:34,500 –> 00:36:37,260 that this world has ever heard. 730 00:36:37,260 –> 00:36:40,719 No one ever spoke like this man. 731 00:36:42,939 –> 00:36:44,979 But not only has he given us the greatest teaching 732 00:36:44,979 –> 00:36:46,500 that this world has ever heard, 733 00:36:46,500 –> 00:36:49,020 He has performed the greatest miracles 734 00:36:49,020 –> 00:36:50,580 this world has ever seen, 735 00:36:50,580 –> 00:36:53,620 casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead. 736 00:36:53,620 –> 00:36:56,280 No one else does these things. 737 00:36:57,739 –> 00:37:01,260 And he has made the ultimate sacrifice. 738 00:37:01,260 –> 00:37:03,939 A sacrifice like no one else has ever lived. 739 00:37:03,939 –> 00:37:07,439 The sacrifice of laying down his life, 740 00:37:07,439 –> 00:37:09,919 the life of the Son of God. 741 00:37:11,879 –> 00:37:16,620 Yet 1 Corinthians chapter 13 is telling us 742 00:37:16,620 –> 00:37:21,620 that without love, even this would gain nothing. 743 00:37:23,860 –> 00:37:24,780 You take that in. 744 00:37:26,820 –> 00:37:30,100 Without love, even the greatest teaching, 745 00:37:30,100 –> 00:37:32,260 the greatest miracles and the greatest sacrifice 746 00:37:32,260 –> 00:37:37,260 that we see in Jesus would count for nothing, 747 00:37:37,479 –> 00:37:40,820 which points us directly to the very center of our faith 748 00:37:40,820 –> 00:37:43,620 that the great glory of the gospel 749 00:37:43,620 –> 00:37:48,620 lies in the love of Jesus Christ for you. 750 00:37:49,379 –> 00:37:54,379 So when you read the teaching of Jesus, 751 00:37:56,139 –> 00:37:59,120 you need to remember that you’re listening 752 00:37:59,120 –> 00:38:03,300 to the teaching of one who loves you 753 00:38:04,219 –> 00:38:06,780 more than anyone else has ever loved you 754 00:38:06,780 –> 00:38:08,040 or ever will love you. 755 00:38:10,280 –> 00:38:15,280 And therefore, while following his teaching will cost you, 756 00:38:15,320 –> 00:38:17,699 it will never harm you. 757 00:38:20,040 –> 00:38:21,879 He wills the best for you 758 00:38:21,879 –> 00:38:26,459 and every word of his teaching is for your good. 759 00:38:28,020 –> 00:38:30,040 And if you hear the teaching of Jesus 760 00:38:30,040 –> 00:38:33,520 as the teaching of the one who loves you as no other, 761 00:38:33,520 –> 00:38:35,439 you’ll hear it and you’ll respond to it 762 00:38:35,439 –> 00:38:36,699 in a whole different way. 763 00:38:39,800 –> 00:38:43,399 And then when you come to Christ feeling your own weakness, 764 00:38:43,399 –> 00:38:45,159 you know these situations where you think, 765 00:38:45,879 –> 00:38:48,820 I really desperately need God’s help here. 766 00:38:50,540 –> 00:38:53,479 Well, come to him with confidence because he loves you. 767 00:38:55,060 –> 00:38:58,560 His ministry and his great power is for you. 768 00:38:58,560 –> 00:39:03,139 He is at the right-hand of the father on your behalf. 769 00:39:03,139 –> 00:39:05,739 He’s not looking down and saying, not that guy again, 770 00:39:05,739 –> 00:39:09,080 he’s such a pitiful Christian, he never responds like that. 771 00:39:09,080 –> 00:39:11,639 Come to him with confidence. 772 00:39:11,639 –> 00:39:14,439 His grace is made perfect in your weakness 773 00:39:14,459 –> 00:39:17,060 and it will be sufficient for you. 774 00:39:17,060 –> 00:39:21,139 When I ask for help I’m asking of the one who loves me 775 00:39:21,139 –> 00:39:25,780 and when I know and fix my mind on the extent of that love, 776 00:39:25,780 –> 00:39:27,820 I will be more confident in my prayer. 777 00:39:30,979 –> 00:39:33,179 Then when you come around the communion table 778 00:39:34,560 –> 00:39:37,300 and you remember that Jesus died for your sins 779 00:39:40,260 –> 00:39:43,159 and you confess your sins to him, 780 00:39:43,159 –> 00:39:44,280 or at other times, 781 00:39:44,280 –> 00:39:45,639 cause it should be much more regular 782 00:39:45,639 –> 00:39:49,879 than on these occasions you’re confessing your sins 783 00:39:49,879 –> 00:39:51,219 to Jesus Christ, 784 00:39:51,219 –> 00:39:53,139 you know that experience sometimes when you think, 785 00:39:53,139 –> 00:39:55,699 what a wretched failure I am. 786 00:39:57,760 –> 00:40:00,739 How little progress I seem to be making. 787 00:40:03,479 –> 00:40:06,879 Well, remember at that point that he loves you, 788 00:40:06,879 –> 00:40:09,000 there’s a temptation sometimes for us to say, 789 00:40:09,000 –> 00:40:10,360 you know, he suffered all that 790 00:40:10,360 –> 00:40:11,580 and what does he get out of it, 791 00:40:11,580 –> 00:40:12,399 me, this? 792 00:40:15,939 –> 00:40:20,939 Remember that that great sacrifice was because he loves you. 793 00:40:21,139 –> 00:40:24,699 God demonstrates his great love for us in this, 794 00:40:24,699 –> 00:40:27,659 that while we were still sinners, 795 00:40:27,659 –> 00:40:29,739 at our worst, 796 00:40:29,739 –> 00:40:34,139 Christ died for us. 797 00:40:34,459 –> 00:40:39,459 And that great love in God’s wonderful purpose 798 00:40:40,679 –> 00:40:45,679 comes to be rooted and grounded and formed within us 799 00:40:47,379 –> 00:40:49,580 by the power of his holy spirit 800 00:40:49,580 –> 00:40:52,280 as we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 801 00:40:52,280 –> 00:40:53,600 and become his followers. 802 00:40:54,659 –> 00:40:57,320 And it is his purpose that it should grow 803 00:40:57,320 –> 00:41:01,840 and then that for eternity it should reflect his glory 804 00:41:01,840 –> 00:41:05,300 and that you should be forever a blessing 805 00:41:05,300 –> 00:41:09,500 and nothing but a blessing to all of God’s people. 806 00:41:10,699 –> 00:41:14,459 And that is a marvelous, marvelous prospect. 807 00:41:16,879 –> 00:41:19,679 Now to say to you, therefore, as we look at 808 00:41:19,679 –> 00:41:21,399 what Paul is saying at the end here, 809 00:41:21,399 –> 00:41:24,699 that you may sometimes feel 810 00:41:24,699 –> 00:41:26,399 that your gifts are very limited 811 00:41:26,399 –> 00:41:29,060 and they’re not half as impressive as other people’s. 812 00:41:29,719 –> 00:41:33,399 But if the love of Christ has been born in you 813 00:41:33,399 –> 00:41:36,100 and the beginning of this love is being formed within you, 814 00:41:36,100 –> 00:41:39,179 I tell you, you really have something. 815 00:41:40,379 –> 00:41:44,340 Something of greater value than the most miraculous gifts. 816 00:41:46,120 –> 00:41:48,199 And if that love is growing in you, 817 00:41:48,199 –> 00:41:50,699 you really are something. 818 00:41:50,699 –> 00:41:52,919 You really are by the grace of God. 819 00:41:54,139 –> 00:41:55,979 And other people in this world 820 00:41:55,979 –> 00:41:58,459 may pass over you and think that you’re nothing much 821 00:41:59,419 –> 00:42:01,780 or you may feel often that you are lost in the crowd, 822 00:42:01,780 –> 00:42:05,280 but listen, your life has become a place 823 00:42:05,280 –> 00:42:07,439 where God’s glory is being revealed 824 00:42:07,439 –> 00:42:10,260 because His love is being reflected. 825 00:42:10,260 –> 00:42:12,540 And that reflection of His love in you 826 00:42:12,540 –> 00:42:16,199 is going to shine and be a blessing for all eternity. 827 00:42:16,199 –> 00:42:20,000 So in Christ, by His grace, you are something. 828 00:42:22,899 –> 00:42:24,379 And if this love is within you, 829 00:42:24,379 –> 00:42:26,739 then whatever sacrifices you make 830 00:42:26,739 –> 00:42:31,540 in the cause of Christ you will gain and never lose. 831 00:42:31,540 –> 00:42:35,939 Not a cup of cold water given in His name 832 00:42:35,939 –> 00:42:37,699 will go without its reward. 833 00:42:39,939 –> 00:42:44,300 And Paul, who knew what it was to make great sacrifices 834 00:42:44,300 –> 00:42:45,360 for the cause of Christ, 835 00:42:45,360 –> 00:42:48,760 says all the suffering of this world, 836 00:42:48,760 –> 00:42:51,840 I don’t think it’s worth comparing with the glory 837 00:42:51,840 –> 00:42:53,820 that will be revealed in us. 838 00:42:53,820 –> 00:42:56,100 He says, for me, to live is Christ, 839 00:42:56,159 –> 00:43:00,219 and therefore to die is what, gain, gain. 840 00:43:02,320 –> 00:43:03,580 Why does love matter? 841 00:43:05,939 –> 00:43:08,000 It matters because with all our gifts 842 00:43:08,000 –> 00:43:10,520 and all our ministry and all our sacrifices, 843 00:43:10,520 –> 00:43:13,419 if we do not have love, then on the last day before God 844 00:43:13,419 –> 00:43:17,120 we will have nothing, we will be nothing, 845 00:43:17,120 –> 00:43:19,120 and we will gain nothing. 846 00:43:19,120 –> 00:43:20,159 At the end of the day 847 00:43:21,280 –> 00:43:23,679 if we have not love, we are not Christian. 848 00:43:24,639 –> 00:43:26,199 We are strangers to God. 849 00:43:29,100 –> 00:43:31,919 And that is the most terrifying of possibilities 850 00:43:34,419 –> 00:43:37,520 and leads us to say, Lord Jesus Christ savior, 851 00:43:38,620 –> 00:43:39,760 by your mercy, 852 00:43:41,520 –> 00:43:45,100 deliver me from such a frightening possibility. 853 00:43:45,100 –> 00:43:46,639 Be my savior. 854 00:43:46,639 –> 00:43:50,199 I embrace you, I need you, I follow you, I love you. 855 00:43:50,199 –> 00:43:52,939 I can’t stand on what I’ve done 856 00:43:54,219 –> 00:43:55,219 without you, 857 00:43:56,139 –> 00:43:56,979 I need you. 858 00:43:58,300 –> 00:44:00,300 And love matters because God’s great purpose 859 00:44:00,300 –> 00:44:04,679 in your life is that you should be so filled 860 00:44:04,679 –> 00:44:08,060 with his love that you will reflect his glory 861 00:44:08,060 –> 00:44:12,060 and be a blessing to all of God’s people 862 00:44:12,060 –> 00:44:13,860 forever and forever. 863 00:44:13,860 –> 00:44:18,699 And that is the most marvelous prospect. 864 00:44:21,080 –> 00:44:23,360 So you convinced, the love matters. 865 00:44:24,439 –> 00:44:27,879 Feel your need to grow? 866 00:44:27,879 –> 00:44:29,239 Feel you’re only a beginner? 867 00:44:29,239 –> 00:44:33,820 Feel your own sense of dependence on Christ? 868 00:44:35,080 –> 00:44:38,520 Well let’s bow in his presence in prayer together. 869 00:44:42,899 –> 00:44:44,840 Father, we come before you humbly today 870 00:44:44,840 –> 00:44:46,800 because we feel our great need. 871 00:44:48,800 –> 00:44:52,399 With all the praises that we often receive from others, 872 00:44:53,139 –> 00:44:55,219 we know our own hearts too well. 873 00:44:57,199 –> 00:44:58,479 We feel our unworthiness, 874 00:44:58,479 –> 00:45:00,320 and today we are so grateful 875 00:45:00,320 –> 00:45:02,899 for your great love towards us. 876 00:45:05,300 –> 00:45:07,219 We see how easily we can become people 877 00:45:07,219 –> 00:45:09,399 whose hearts grow cold 878 00:45:09,399 –> 00:45:12,739 while we’re busy worshiping and serving and giving. 879 00:45:14,419 –> 00:45:16,280 And we ask that you will deliver us 880 00:45:16,280 –> 00:45:18,020 from that frightening possibility. 881 00:45:18,580 –> 00:45:21,739 Please, cleanse our mixed up hearts 882 00:45:24,820 –> 00:45:29,439 and create a true reflection of your great love in us. 883 00:45:31,679 –> 00:45:36,040 We really feel that in this we are only beginners, 884 00:45:37,219 –> 00:45:40,860 but for this beginning we are truly thankful. 885 00:45:44,780 –> 00:45:47,479 Fan the small beginning of your love within us 886 00:45:47,479 –> 00:45:52,479 into a great flame, cause it to burn brightly now, 887 00:45:55,000 –> 00:45:59,520 then for all eternity, for Jesus Christ’s sake 888 00:45:59,520 –> 00:46:01,120 we ask these things. 889 00:46:02,320 –> 00:46:05,979 And God’s people together said, amen.