1 Corinthians 12:11-13:13 - Part C

The true gauge of spirituality is the fruit of the spirit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness and gentleness Jesus spoke about true profit you will know them by their not you will know them by their power. You will know them by their gifts know them by their God gives us with important skills and talents. We must be careful to not let it make us proud today on connect with skintight Skip brings the gifts of the spirit into perspective, sharing outdoor life and gifts can be fueled by love. Before we begin to know about… That will inspire you to build even more unity with others in the church census revealed that our population is much more diverse than ever before. In fact, over the past 10 years.

Our multiracial population increase of 276% which presents new challenges here Skip I think the say that this nation is divided would be a gross understatement but I am not good take sides. Politically I am to take sides, morally, spiritually, and biblically, to raise the conversation to a different level to a higher level to a biblical level because the issue is I see it is not a skin issue is much as it's a sin issue will help you understand this divisive issue from a divine perspective of $20 or more today to this type of teaching ministry pastors get stuck that the church and racism teaching. Teaching conversation with pastor Tony Clark get these relevant resources today when you get online securely connects the skip.com/offer or call 819 to 1888 in first Corinthians chapter 12 Skip hike to get into today's message. You are the body of Christ, and members God has appointed these in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, gifts of healings, helps administration varieties of interesting list because first what Paul puts first is not what some of us might put first, we might say first of all, miracles of healing that's way down the list for Paul. It's the apostles.

Those church planters who go out and then those teachers who bring maturity to the body of Christ and then way below that healings administration varieties of tongues are all apostles of these rhetorical questions are all apostles is everyone here apostle know are all prophets no are all teachers know are all workers of miracles. Nope, do all have gifts of healings nope do all speak with tongues.

The context is in the congregation. Nope. Do all interpret, of course not, but earnestly desire the best gifts and I will show you a more excellent way. So is not about superiority and is not about inferiority it's about variety and it's about unity and is about equality. It's about finding our part and doing our part being part of the church body of Christ, and I love how it closes. He said, but earnestly desire the best gifts.

Which brings up a question to which gifts are the best gifts.

My answer is, it all depends.

It all depends what work needs to be done. Certainly the best gifts you could have are the ones that God has ordained that you have the best gift for you is in the gift that I have the best gift for me is in the gift that you have. It's the gift or the gift mix and and and variety of of expression and administration just for me just for you so earnestly desire the best gifts. That's that's like saying earnestly desire the best tool. If your essay Skip which tool in your toolbox in your garage is the best tool I would say depends what you want to do well. I need a saw. What's your best saw again it depends what you want to cut if you if you're trying to cut a pipe.

I'm not can give you my skills up and I can give you a tree saw many give you a hacksaw.

But if you want to cut holes in what I wouldn't give you a hacksaw. I would give you a skill side give you a jigsaw.

It all depends on what work needs to be done.

What is the best gift depends on what God needs to do. Then he gets the people with those gifts and applies that to that need. And it gets done. That's how the body works so the church is to work earnestly desire the best gifts and yet I will show you a more excellent way. No right in the middle. As we noted before chapter 12 and chapter 14 is about the use of gifts in the church and in this case the ab use of gifts in the Corinthian church sandwiched in between these two chapters about gifts of the spirit is chapter 13 which is about something more important than even gifts and that is love or fruit so in chapter 13 verse one.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but I have not love, I am become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. One of the things you need to know to make sense out of this verse and really this chapter, especially this verse is the kind of worship that was going on in the pagan temples in Corinth in Corinth in the whole Greco-Roman world, the, the temples were filled with worshipers that would would drink alcohol come in and work there themselves into a frenzy. Sort of a semi conscious state and start speaking with ecstatic speech kind of wild crazy ecstatic speech and whatever the mind came up with because they believe that such speech in that semi conscious state was the most effective way to communicate with the god or goddess that was being worshiped in the temple. Some of that ideology and practice had spilled out into the Corinthian church. That's why chapters 12 and 14 are all about how to do it right and what what not to do what they been doing wrong. So though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, so there are.

We talked a little bit about the gift of tongues last time and what its purpose was, but if I could speak with both the tongues of men and of angels, but I have not love, then I am become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, though I have all faith, never met a person that had all of those things.

But let's say you you could and you did so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. The pathway of love is far more important than the pathway of power the cage of true spirituality is never the gifts of the spirit.

The true gauge of spirituality is the fruit of the spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness and gentleness Jesus spoke about true prophets and false prophets you will know them. He said by their fruit. Not you will know them by their power or you will know them by their gifts, you will know them by their fruit. So first on the list is love as being preeminent bridal Moody put it this way a person can be a good doctor without loving his or her patients, he or she can be a good lawyer without loving his or her clients.

You can be a good geologist without loving rocks or science, but you cannot be a good Christian, without love. Love is preeminent. By this shall all men know you are my disciples by the love you have one for another John in first John chapter 3. This is how we know we have passed from death into life, because we love the brethren very next chapter. God is love any debris he circles through that a few times so I can have all these gifts, but if I have not love, what good is to be like a Christmas tree. When you look at a Christmas tree. It looks beautiful fixed decorator spotlights on Skype 10 slots got gifts under it. People love to look at a Christmas tree but you know that Christmas tree as beautiful as it might appear with its gifts and lights and tinsel might be deader than a doornail. You got to it and touch it in the little leaf crumbled falloff so they give it to you. Spray-painted green but it's dead. There's no life to it. Some Christians are like Christmas trees, glitter and tinsel all in gifts, but no life and you know there's life when there's fruit. That's the real evidence so you can have gifts that he mentions that he enumerates that we explained in chapter 12. But if you don't have love that preeminent fruit of the spirit. He said you are nothing. It's nothing and then he describes it. Verse four. Love suffers long love is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil we could spend a week on each of those little phrases love suffers long, long-suffering macros to me in Greek. It somebody who has a long fuse somebody who puts up with stuff again and again and again and again, somebody who just hangs in there, hangs in there and is very patient, long-suffering you forgive a person wants. They do it again. You forgive him again. They do it again now in America were so used to baseball we think okay that it 3×3 strikes du jour out. Peter was sort of this way with GC's and how many times I forgive my brother if he does the same thing and that he was really generous and is far above our 37 times thinking that Jesus ago Peter, that's so generous and magnanimous of you geniuses at Peter 70×7. Figuring you know you put up with something after several times you lose count. That's love. Love bears up. Love puts up love doesn't call it quits.

It suffers long is kind, winsome, warm, welcoming love doesn't envy, love doesn't parade itself, is not puffed up, doesn't make it all about me doesn't behave rudely doesn't seek its own, is not provoked, does not rejoice in iniquity rejoices in the truth bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. This part of Paul's epistle is so rich and so sublime. It's almost like we should just let it soak in with out much commentaries just so good. But when you agree in what we just read in this description of love that this sounds exactly like the character of God. God is love. First John 48. God is love. This is a perfect description of God. In fact, this is a perfect description of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus suffers along and is kind Jesus does not envy, he doesn't parade himself. He's not puffed up, he doesn't behave rudely, he doesn't seek his own. He's not provoked, he thinks no evil.

He does not rejoice in iniquity, but Jesus rejoices in truth, he bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Jesus never fails to a perfect picture of Jesus that has a little test for you insert your name.

See how far you can get down the list without throwing up I mean it gets ridiculous after a while I tried Skip suffers long and is kind Skip does not envy, he does not parade itself, himself. He's not puffed up, he doesn't behave rudely, you haven't seen me drive. He doesn't seek his own. So often I do.

He's not provoked. Too often I am he thinks no evil have haven't had a day where that is happened but and then you get down to verse eight, Skip never fails your laughing but put your name there doesn't work with us but Jesus name there flows man perfectly. So now we know by doing that little taste tests a little comparison how far we have to grow to be Christlike and how much work he has yet to do on us but verse eight whether there are prophecies, they will fail, whether there are tongues, they will cease whether there whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part, we prophesy in part. When that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

We spoke several weeks of open. We began our study in chapter 12 we made note of this. We went ahead and looked at this and we explained that there are a group of bully Christians in the church church generally who are cessation as they don't they don't believe in the perpetuity of gifts and believe the gifts of the Spirit are for today. They believe they passed away with the early church and they will often cite this verse and interpret this verse to mean that which is perfect means when the Scripture has finally been all written then we don't need to rely on that little Band-Aid approach is spiritual gifts. Now that we have the Bible, the full revelation of God that is a reference to that which is perfect and I mentioned that I totally disagree with that because in the Greek it's just when the perfect has come, or when perfection comes, or is Riley translates it was a conservative Dallas grad scholar when he who is perfect comes, is not a reference to the coming of the full revelation of New Testament Scripture. It's a prediction of the coming the second coming of Jesus Christ and how do I know this will I know this for a couple of reasons. The prophecy in the book of Joel quoted by Peter in acts chapter 2 of this is that which is spoken of by the prophet Joel. He said in the last days I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh your sons and daughters will prophesy.

That's a gift of prophecy and then he says the sun will go dark, the moon will turn to blood, before that great and terrible day of the Lord. Those are tribulation signs and wonders. That's the last days the last of the last days so chose me that the gift of prophecy will be in operation all the way up until that time also. I know that it is not referring to the Scripture. But it's to Jesus coming because in verse 12 he says we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. What are we going to see God face to face, not when we have the Bible fully written, which is now we don't see his face we see his face when he comes when we are in his presence when Jesus comes back we see him face-to-face so it can refer to when we have the full revelation of New Testament ripped the holy Scripture intact. Now we don't need to use the spiritual gifts that was only for the infant church.

It is not a reference to that is a reference to the second coming of Christ when he was perfect. When that which is when the perfect comes, then that which is in part will be done away. We don't need any of the spiritual gifts in the presence of God.

We don't need a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge or a gift of prophecy or teaching or anything else with were face-to-face when I was a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child when I became a man I put away childish things.

When we grow when we grow up. When we mature our values change when you grow older. When you grow more mature what you thought was important. At one time is no longer important. It was important at a certain age to look a certain way to be cool into right. But now you look at the old pictures of yourself and your embarrassed ego and I can't believe I wore that haircut that is so geeky yet been then was cool and was important to you that it was cool and that you were perceived to school. That's childish kids. Children are all about themselves and selfishness and self-love and as we mature we start understanding true love sacrificial love is one of the things that marks maturity from childhood, children are all about my bottle my choice my stuff but when you grow. Real love comes into play.

You would just to sacrifice for other people to bless other people so when I become mature or become a man. I I put away childish things. And this is especially germane to the church at Corinth because they were all about exercising spiritual gifts to get noticed, so they would speak in an ecstatic utterance publicly in the church so the people would look at them or give a word and it was confusion. It was a Malay of bedlam and confusion in the public assembly and I believe Paul the apostle would agree with whoever came up with this great statement is not how high you jump, it's straight. You walk when you hit the ground and some people are about jump in high worship, but they don't walk it. They don't live it when they hit the ground so sad about how high you jump about how straight you walk when you hit the ground part of maturity is to sacrifice and show real love in the body of Christ for others.

That's the context of all this, the ability to truly love.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, and then face-to-face.

Just you should know that Corinth was famous for its manufacture of mirrors in antiquity mirrors were not what we have today. The amount of silver that we were able to put into glass to make the first modern mere vastly different from polished metal in antiquity so you it work. You could see a reflection but it was a dim reflection. It was an accurate reflection.

There were lots of flaws, so we are seeing the image of God reflected in the church dimly and in in the Corinthian case really dimly wasn't a really strong accurate beautiful reflection one day will see him up close, face-to-face, tie-dye, now I know in part, then I will know just as I am known now abide faith, hope and love.

These three but the greatest of these is love. When that verse that happens to be a nutshell version of the Christian life of your life. The Christian life. Faith open up.

It's what we call the irreducible minimum it's boiling things down to its irreducible menu can go any any less than those three components faith it's it's what began your Christian life. Are you you entered relationship with God by faith, hope is what carries you on in your earthly journey toward heaven, but love is the only thing that is eternal. Once you get to heaven you won't need to live by faith because you be in his presence.

You will need to have hope is all your hopes will be realized in his presence, but love that begins now will be perfected and have thereby three faith, hope and love the greatest of these because it is eternal because it reflects the nature and character of God who is love and grace of these is that the message from the series expound who Skip to tell you about how you can keep encouraging messages like this coming your way as you help others to God's love. The world highly values self satisfaction and instant gratification, but God calls us to different way of life, one that focuses on loving and serving others. That's why we freely share these biblical messages to encourage and strengthen you to live the life God is called you to. But we need your help to keep these messages coming to you and others right now you can give a gift to connect others to God's word.

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