1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verses 8 – 11

• The measure of maturity for a Christian is not giftedness, zeal, knowledge, understanding, self-sacrifice or even faith. The true measure of maturity is simply love. Argue all you want with that, (I know at times I do), but know this, you do not argue with me… I may have a historical heart of faith but the work of faith is to love. I may have the tongue of a prophet, but the point of prophecy is love. I may even have the selfless heart of a hero, but the drive of a hero…is love. Ultimately everything else is just a vessel, a temporary form that comes and goes as the circumstance requires…but the content and context and catalyst of each vessel, if it is from the Lord, is love.

• Listen, you may not be there and perhaps neither am I, but we need to hear and know the truth…that there is maturity within Christianity, and there is immaturity. The mature need to be reminded and the immature need to learn that there is no room for “selfness” in the Kingdom of the Savior! The kings of this world will sacrifice their people for victory when the King of Kings we serve chooses to sacrifice Himself for His people.

• You need to know that God’s heart for the church, the intention for His body, is that we function and fight the flesh and the enemy as a single impenetrable unit. That is the source of our strength…unity in the Spirit. We give the enemy so much…we ought to give him nothing and take from him everything. Only love does that.

• I get it now…at least in part…why the Lord tarries…because the worst defeat is the close one…and in these last days even the Spirit-filled well-meaning Christian does not find the desire to love above all else (1 Peter 4:8)…truly these are the last days but there are a few yet to come…because the defeat of the enemy will be a sore one.

• Paul says something here extremely important and certainly contemplative…the gifts manifested by the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart and life of a person whether it be tongues, knowledge or prophecies…they’re never complete (they’re “in-part”). I know on my best day of preaching, I’ve never preached a perfect sermon. (I’m hoping today is the day! HA!!) I heard the story of a little girl who was watching her father, a pastor, one day write the sermon. “How do you know what to say?” she asked. “Why, God tells me.” “Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?” HA!

• Sharing the truth of God, I’ve never done it completely. The knowledge that I have, is not finished…so much still to learn…but love…Paul implies and the scripture supports this implication…that if there is anything we can almost entirely align with heaven and the heart of God in…on this side of eternity…it’s love.

• The one commandment to overshadow and underlay them all, given by Jesus Himself…is that we should love God and love each other. No way God would command us to do something and then not give us what we need to actually walk it out…! That would be like me taking the trash out and telling Madison to put a new bag in the trash can KNOWING that we are out of bags. And then when she is unable to do it, I fault her for it. That’s ridiculous. And God is a much better Father than me…God’s commandments are always accompanied by God’s provision.

• And in the subject of love…God, through Him giving of Himself to dwell in the very heart of man has shown, extended to each of us agape love. I am not worthy (so be it, doesn’t get me down, just causes me to worship Him and not Me!), not even good, and yet God has through His love, washed me clean of all my sin…paying the price in my place. And so, perhaps I’m not the perfect pastor, the perfect evangelist, the perfect theologian…but but, but, if I walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, I can get awfully close to getting love right.

• 1 John 4:7-12. I’m not saying that anyone was “arrived.” Or that any element of me is perfect or even good…only God is good…what I am saying is that all of the commandments, all of the gifts, all that I am to be and the greatest version of me, God’s will for me…is that I grow and mature in love. And the encouragement from Paul is that amongst everything else, this is truly the maturity mark and super power of a redeemed, born-again, Christian man or woman.

• Now, changing gears a bit, the question of whether or not the charismatic spiritual gifts are still in operation today has caused much debate and division in the body of Christ. The extremes are amazing. There are Christian groups that say that if you do speak in tongues, then you are under demonic control and are not saved. On the other hand, other Christian groups say that if you do not speak in tongues, then you are not saved. AND, both extremes use scripture to support their positions! If one Christian says that all tongues are of the devil and another says that you can't be saved unless you speak in tongues, these two obviously will not have the richest fellowship….but guess what…THEY ARE BOTH CHRISTIANS!

• Fortunately for the Christian church, whether or not the spiritual gifts are for today is not a salvation issue. Therefore, we need to be gracious. Romans 14:5 says, "One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind." The Bible leaves room for debate and differences of opinion on non-essential doctrines. The issue of whether or not the charismatic gifts are still around is a debatable issue, and grace, and kindness, and selfless shut-up-ed-ness needs to be granted from both sides of the argument…for the profit of all (1 Cor 12:7), remember? Lest we give the enemy that which is rightfully God’s…our allegiance in disunity and fleshly condemnation.

• The greater than gifts, the more excellent way is to set self aside and to love. Agape love is divinely imparted and therefore we have to rise above our human emotions to receive it and to provide it…

• This is not an issue to divide over as many, (as are most), all of the reason’s folks in the church unfortunately, have chosen to do. We can only grow if we are kind and graceful toward one another and submit to the Word of God as our final authority.

• The position that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased is not one that Calvary Chapel agrees with (let me say, completely) but that does not mean we cannot love those who we disagree with! The argument is mainly centered around what Paul is talking about when he says, “that which is perfect.” Some say that since we have the complete, inerrant and perfect canon of scripture, “that which is perfect” has come and therefore the gifts of the Spirit have now ceased. We cannot agree for reasons I will share with you in a moment but rather we believe the gifts of the Spirit are for today, have not ceased…and that which is perfect is the return of Jesus Christ. Let me briefly explain.

• Paul says prophecy will fail…first I want you to know that he is not speaking of the content of the prophecy but rather the gift will no longer be necessary. Why? One day they will all be fulfilled. DUH

• Tongues shall cease…a different word. I recognize that. It implies a “middle voice.” Therefore, it will cease by itself…and there the argument is built. But it’s not fair. Luke 8:24, “Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea and they ceased…” It’s not fair, it didn’t cease on its own…so you can’t anchor in here and use the middle voice so finally.

• Knowledge will vanish? All of it? If knowledge vanished…how would you know? HA! There is a time coming where it will no longer serve a purpose…is the idea there. Rev 19:10, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy…that has not passed away. Unless the testimony of Jesus, the sharing of the Gospel of grace is no longer relevant, prophecy cannot and has not ceased.

• It’s all incomplete. That’s the idea. And one day it will be complete. What is that event? The canon of scripture? Or the perfection of the age to come? Listen, no Corinthian would have understood the completion of the cannon…How can the completion of the canon cause tongues to cease? Paul talked about how tongues are a language to God…not to man…scripture is God’s Word to man. Look at Acts 2:17-20…These things will go on until the day of the Lord and the setting up of the Kingdom.

• There is a state of completion coming, and when Christ comes and rules over all, these things will no longer be needed as they will be complete…interestingly, except for love.

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 12

• Face to face always in use in the scriptures speaks of a person’s encounter with a person. Gen 32:30, “So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: ‘For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’” Ex 33:11, “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” Num 12:8, Deut 5:4, Jeremiah 32:4…in the New Testament, 2 John 1:12, “Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.” 3 John 1:14, “But I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face…”

• Also, we don't "know" Jesus through the Scripture; we know about Him from the Scripture (John 5:39). Instead, we know Him by personal encounter (John 1:12; 1 Cor. 1:9) and personal relationship.

• Interestingly, 1 Cor. 1:7 says, "so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our lord Jesus Christ." The Greek word here for "revealed" is apokalupsis. It means the apocalypse, the return of Jesus. In both this verse and 1 Cor. 13:8-13 the gifts, are connected to the return of Christ, not the completion of the Bible.

• I implore you, church we must receive this…experience does not make doctrine, the Bible does. Zeal and passion…feelings and personal bents do not make doctrine, the Bible does. If that was received by the church, divisions and strife would evaporate instantly!

• Now, allow me to offer consolation to my cessationist brothers and sisters. No one can deny that there is a degree of discontinuity in the Operation of the Holy Spirit within the church. For example, only the radical fringe Christian disagrees with the statement that with the death of the last apostle (John), the cannon of scripture closed. It is evident that the Holy Spirit is no longer inspiring people to write scripture. What then is prophecy if the cannon is closed? Simply the speaking of God’s Word and will in agreement with the closed cannon…but…that is different than that of the first century.

• There are those who say that this verse speaks of the church coming to full maturity…are we saying the church in the Book of Acts, people being raised from the dead, thousands being saved day after day, powerful preaching, signs and wonders, HUGE faith, people living unto the Lord and even giving their lives rather than denying God…and that is the immature church? And the crusty stiff giftless loveless church is the mature church? Wake up! The great threat to the church today is orthodoxy without love, faith without works, no supernatural…we’re just right! You keep it! I don’t want that! I pray that agape love is the mark of this church…not without the other things…but above the other things and the foundation for all things…

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 13

• Here is the litmus test of your spirituality. We know that we are being conformed into the image of Christ. And we know His very nature is love…so instead of pointing the finger at others and telling them what they are doing wrong…try your own name in the context of Chapter 13. I quit in the middle of verse 4. But going on to verse 8…I fall so short. But try the name of Jesus in context of Chapter 13 and I find how far yet I have to go…and so how could love not be my rule…when I am so unlovable myself…

• Do you have any clue what really needs to change in your life? Are you really seeking the Lord?

• The one thing that is God-like about us that will continue into eternity…is love. I will no longer be a pastor in heaven. I will no longer be a professional in my field of work. I will no longer be an expert in anything among others that are not…all of that will pass away…but not love.

• These chapters, this book, this bible…all striving for the unity in the Body of Christ…and how we have made it a battle ground…why, because we need to grow in love…period.

• I want to give the enemy nothing and take from him everything…every other god including my flesh and sin and idols of this world offers me pleasure, offers me satisfaction…if only I will kneel to them…but my God, the God I must choose to serve over my emotions, flesh, and sin, offers me freedom and calls me not to kneel…but says take on the full armor of God and stand…