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I don't claim to be an expert
in literature or in poetry
but I have read my fair share
and like a lot some I'd
don't enjoy as much but like anything on
but I wanna contrast two pieces of literature today
that I think are worth the contrast there was a poet
um named WH Auden who wrote a poem
years ago like decades and decades ago in fact he was an Englishman
who became an American citizen and
he wrote a poem called Funeral Blues in fact it was a
in one movie back in the 90's someone
read his poem in the movie at a funeral or whatever but
so it's reasonably famous more so because of one line
in the particular poem but I want you to listen to it it was
written um for someone mourning someone
at a funeral but here's what he had to say
stop all the clocks cut off the telephone
prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone
silence the pianos and with muffled drum
bring out the coffin let the mourners come let aeroplanes circle moaning
overhead
scribbling in the sky the message He is Dead
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves
he was my North my South my East and West
my working week and my Sunday rest my noon my midnight my talk my song
I thought that love would last forever
I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now
put out every one. Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun
pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood
for nothing now can ever come any good
heart-wrenching isn't it? particularly when you hear that line
I thought that love would last forever
I was wrong. It's a powerful statement
of where he kinda felt himself emotionally and maybe even
philosophically
it would be a
a really depressing life to think about
the phrase I thought love would last forever
and be wrong that would be a tough life to endure wouldn't it?
so I want to compare that peace of literature with this one
and it says this: Love never fails
but where there are prophecies they will cease where there are
tongues they will be stilled; where there's knowledge it will pass away
for we know in part and we prophesy in part but when completeness comes
what is in part disappears. when I was a child I talked like a child
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man I put the ways
of childhood behind me
for now we see only a reflection as in a mirror then we shall see face to face
now I know in part then I shall know fully even as I am fully known
and now these three remain: faith
hope and love. But the greatest of
these is love. See I wanted to remind you of that because there is a stark
contrast in maybe what we believe in the world that we live in and what God has
to say to us
and what we're learning here in 1st Corinthians chapter 13 is Paul is trying
to teach these people
about what true love is they need a lesson in love
it's not that they need a theology lesson per se
in this particular chapter they need a practical lesson on what love is
and what love isn't and how supreme love is because God
is love it so Paul tries to start out by
reminding us that true authentic
love the love that comes from God the love that God gives
agape that this love
lasts forever in fact in the very last
passage here that we're dealing with in this chapter he book ends the passage
right
what is he saying in first Corinthians thirteen verse 8? the very beginning
love never fails
that means love never ends
it means love never literally translated love never falls to the
ground it never comes to its own death
it never ends thats what Paul is saying and then at the very
end of this passage of Scripture the other book end here
is verse number thirteen he says this and now these three remain:
they abide they continue
they go on. what are they? faith
hope and love but the greatest of these
is love. The reason Paul not only notes for us that faith hope and love
are that which abide they continue on you go wait a minute
now we won't need faith when we get to heaven because our faith will be made
sight yes
but your faith is always in Jesus Christ and He will continually be calling us
to live independence upon him we will never
in the history of eternity and that's forever with the ends cut off
we will never run out of trusting in Jesus he being our life we will never
come to the place where we ourselves
our own independent entity without need of him we will always trust in him
we will always lean our weight upon him though then
it will be different in context to the now it still will remain
and so will hope do you think you have nothing to hope for
when you get into eternity are you for real?
you don't think there's there's anything to hope for there's not
there's not a next great mountain that Jesus is going to
there's not a next great vista for him to take us to to see beyond where we are
we're not just floating around doing nothing forever
there will be a reason to hope it's a different hope our hope now
is in our opportunity to see him but then it will be a different type of hope
faith and hope abide they remain but the greatest of these
his love. why? because this
flows out of the very nature and character of who God is
God is love
God is not in need of
faith. God is not
described in the Scripture in terms of his nature and character as hope we hope
in him but God
is by his very nature love and that is why love is the greatest because God
is the greatest. that is why love never ends because God
never ends. So right here on the book end of this passage which is incredibly
complex
and I'm going to confess from the outset this is a challenging
challenging last set of verses in this passage
theologically and every other way and I'm gonna confess that to you
in advance so that you understand that I don't think I've got everything in the
world figured out but I am gonna tell you what I think about it
but I'm gonna tell you that helping you understand what some other people think
about it too
so that you can help make your own mind up Paul here is not waxing
theological but he is waxing pastoral
he is trying to say to the Corinthian church you need to learn how to love
and this is how but he bookends it by wrapping
wrapping this last portion up by saying this
love never fails love
never ends love will
endure forever. this is how he bookends the passage
but he's doing it for a reason. Paul wants to communicate to us that there's
a reason
that the fact that love never ends ought to cause
us to be shaped
in a certain way that because love never ends
certain things ought to be true about our life
see this isn't just some again theoretical mishmash that Paul is
talking about here
because love never ends it should do something to us
let's see if we can unpack this as we walk along here's
the first thing because love never ends it can reorient
us. I'm gonna explain to you what I mean by this
it can reorient us and frankly some of us need
reorientation when it comes to the things that we focus on
this is what Paul said to them in Corinth in 1st Corinthians 13 verse
number eight read the whole verse it says
love never fails but where there are prophecies they will cease
where there are tongues they will be stilled
and where there is knowledge it will pass away
now if you remember in Corinth this group of people this church was a very
gifted
church do you remember that? we talked about it they were given many many gifts
in Corinth in fact if you go all the way back into chapter 1
listen to what Paul says to them as he opens this letter
he says I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ
Jesus for in him you have been enriched in every way
with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge God thus confirming our
testimony about Christ among you
therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift
as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed so
Paul acknowledged from the very outset that this church
in Corinth these people we're very gifted
they were demonstrating gifts that the Spirit of God had given to them they
were very gifted but
by the same token Paul says two chapters later
even though you're really gifted you're really immature and sinful
in fact he says in chapter 3 verses one through three he says brothers and
sisters I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as
people who are still worldly
mere infants in Christ I gave you milk not solid food for you are not ready for
indeed you are still not ready you are still worldly
for since there is jealously and quarreling among you are you not worldly
are you not acting like mere humans so Paul's talking to this church that's
very gifted
is experiencing these wonderful gifts that the Spirit of God has given to the
church
but they're very worldly and immature and infant
in terms of how they operate and so what this church was doing is
they were using some of their gifts particularly the ones that brought much
attention to them gifts that Paul
outlines here as prophecy
and tongues and knowledge the gift of prophecy the gift of tongues and the gift
of knowledge
Paul says you're using those things in a wrong way
what you're doing is you're using them for a and this is what the balance of
chapter 12 and into chapter 13 talk about
and even chapter 14 he's basically saying this you're using these things for a
look at me
spirituality and this is not love
this is not how you're supposed to operate with these things this is not
about having a look at me spirituality
listen to the words that I'm saying prophecy
listen to the things I'm speaking in a different language this miraculous gift
tongues listen to the insight that I have for everyone
the gift of knowledge and so Paul actually highlights these things and
here's what he says
Paul says you have all these wonderful gifts
but here's what I want you not to miss where there are prophecies
they'll end where there are tongues
they'll be stilled where there's knowledge
it will pass away in other words what he's saying is
but guess won't.. guess what won't
love. it's bigger
because it lasts forever these things that you are concentrating on
and trying to be about this look at me spirituality right now
these things won't last
but love will. learn how to love because
it is the language of forever
love is what will endure. love is the greatest of these things
how often is it ladies and gentlemen that we concentrate on things which are
temporary
instead of that which lasts forever? you ever do that in your own world?
do you ever get your identity so wrapped up in your sports team
that whether they're doing good or bad
you get your identity wrapped up in them and you're so caught up in those things
but let me say this to you
your sports team my sports teams
whether they're doing really good or really bad listen close
it won't last it won't last
so we win a Super Bowl in Buffalo
so we do alright we've now won a Super Bowl in Buffalo by my own prognostication
here we we've won a Super Bowl. not this year
but we won a Super Bowl in Buffalo let's say
okay guess what soon as that is over
the slate does clean everybody's 0 and 0 to start a new season
it doesn't last will the glory of it last least we can say that we did okay I mean
yeah if you want to live there
but there's a new day and a new tomorrow and
people forget about those things pretty quickly and and then they move on
they don't last. so whether you're doing badly or whether you're doing
goodly it doesn't last
it's temporary or or how about
our pursuit of success and our desire for stuff
the latest things the newest clothes
the coolest fashions the best houses
the nicest automobiles. none of them last
none of them they fade
they're done but but we put so much stock in them we put so much hope in
them
and we're constantly measuring ourselves against other people based upon them
and they don't last. love does.
love lasts forever this is what we should be learning
or when we vicariously try and live our lives out through the success of our
kids
and so we push them super hard in their athletic endeavors or we push them
super hard in academics
or we push them super harde in dance or whatever listen
the trophies or the scholarships
or the medals or the ribbons
they don't last
I'm not suggesting any of these things are bad my kids love sports
they play sports. I want them to do good in school
all those things neither of them can dance but whatever
whatever that's not the issue those things are fine
but if we are so consumed with those things that we forget to model the love
of God
and to teach our kids to love
the way that God has designed love we are forgetting
the very language that they need the very skill set they need
forever. why do we get so focused on that
which doesn't last and here what Paul says
even good things given by God the gifts
he says where there areprophecies where there are tongues
where there are where is the gift of knowledge all of these things are given by
God. Paul's not
speaking against them they're gifts of the Spirit of God to His Church they're
wonderful things
but Paul says they're also temporary
they're not going to last forever and Paul's not endeavoring to say how long
they're going to last or when that's going that's not that the the essence of this
text but
this is what we need to remember: love never ends therefore it can reorient us
when we really understand love it reorients to stopping
thinking about everything that's so temporary and beginning to think about
that which lasts forever
let me give you a second thing that because love never ends
it can complete us
let me explain this one too, this one's where we get a little more complicated
verse number 9 and 10 it says for we know in part
and we prophesy in part
but when completeness comes
what is in part disappears
now some of you read different translations than what I use I use an in
NIV the like the 2010
edition because it's accessible but I study in a variety of different
not only in the original language in which it's written in the Greek language
of the New Testament or the Hebrew language of the Old Testament
but also in a myriad of translations
some of your translations when we read verse number ten
it says when perfection comes or when the perfect comes does anybody have that in
their
translation? yeah a bunch of you right so I guess the fair question would be ladies and
gentlemen would it not
that we have to answer the question what
is the perfect? what is
the completeness as it says in this text what is that? because if we don't know
what that is
then we don't know how to really read what Paul is trying to get at it changes
the way that we view the rest of the scripture when he says
for we know in part and we prophesy in part but when
the perfect comes or when
the completeness comes or when the perfection comes
what is in part disappears
so this is where I told you it's kind of humbling when you deal with the text and
I have spent
a very long time studying this passage of Scripture not only
recently but even prior to this this timeframe and it's a very challenging
passage of Scripture
there are about four different primary schools of thought
in the in the realm of New Testament scholarship
that answer the question what is the perfect or what is the perfection or
what is the completeness that's being referenced by Paul here
and I'm gonna go ahead and tell you of those four schools of thought I
don't hold
any of them. I hold to a different one
I say that reticently because often times when you're thinking in a
different way than most scholarship says
you need to check yourself and I've checked myself a number of times and I'm
gonna explain to you there are some scholars who believe
the way that I do and the way that I see this passage but they're in the minority
the primary four schools of thought talking about what is the perfect or what
is the perfection or what is the completeness here
would say it's one of four things one group
would say it's the completion of the canon of Scripture
that that is what is being referenced here when it talks about the perfect or
the complete the canon of Scripture
here's a let me just say the reason I struggle with that one is because
Paul's audience couldn't have possibly known that that's what he's referring to
Paul probably didn't know that's what he was referring to so that's why I don't
kinda embrace that although I will say of any these four schools of thought it's
possible that one of em's right and I'm wrong
and so I'm just gonna tell you that in advance but I am gonna tell you what I think
okay so some people think its the canon of Scripture I don't
some people think it means the mature church
they believe that what Paul is arguing for here's he says we know in part we
prophesy in part but when
completeness or perfection comes in other words the church is fully
mature and complete then what is in part disappears. I would struggle with that
one just simply for the practical reality that I'm not sure that we would
be able to call
the church of Jesus Christ that we live in the world today mature
so that one's just from a practical reality standpoint instead of just being
theoretical here's the third thing people think it means
that it means the second coming of Jesus
obviously the default place whenever you see something referencing the perfect
right? I get it
I understand but when we see the word perfect it doesn't it doesn't mean
perfect most the time
that its used it doesn't mean perfect the way that we say when we say perfect
when we say perfect it means you know without fault completely
um true 100 percent nothing wrong with it can't
but oftentimes its referring to completeness or
maturity it's referring to that type of thing
is this talking about the second coming of Jesus I don't think it is
the reason being is because I don't think Paul is making an as scatological
argument in other words he's not talking about the end times in this passage of
Scripture
he's making it pastoral argument and if we read it
as scatologically sorry for the big word if we read it like that
then it changes the way that we see the very end of this passage and I'll explain
that to you in just a minute
and then there's other people think this is talking about the eternal state
of believers that um when completeness comes a maturity comes in other words
when we're completed
totally in that regard
so Jerry okay if you don't think it's those things then
I was thinking it's probably one of those four things Jerry but if it's not what do
you think it is?
I'm gonna boil it down very simply for here's what I think is referring to when
he says
when completeness comes or when the perfect comes what is Paul referring to
love
it's what the whole chapter's about it's the whole context
Paul's not just all the sudden jumping ship on what he's trying to talk about
I believe and again you've heard me already
give you kind of the out right? that
I reserve the right to be wrong it's possible
I'm not alone there are other scholars who believe what I'm talking about. had
to go find 'em
cause I felt all alone for a while when I was reading I was like does anyone
care? does anyone hear me? um
I think he's talking about love in other words
let me see if I can explain the the gifts that he's referring to
prophecy and tongues and uh knowledge these are what we would call
revelatory gifts they are a revelation
of God right these revelatory gifts but up to this point the church has just
been getting these things piecemeal
right? they didn't have kinda a fullness of revelation
I think what Paul is arguing here is this these are things that are
ultimately going to run out they're not going to last forever
but when completeness comes when love
comes love is the revelation
you need. it fills in all the missing pieces that you didn't think that you
had
love is actually the completeness
of revelation love properly understood and Paul is already gone to great pains
to describe what love is
and what love is not and we certainly know that God
is love so that when we are understanding love properly we are
understanding God
properly. love is the fullness of revelation
this is not terribly inconsistent by the way
my interpretation of this passage is not inconsistent with what I believe
Jesus teaches about what the Word of God and what the revelation of God's intent
is
listen to Matthew chapter 22 and these words hearing the Jesus had
silenced the Sadducees the Pharisees got together and one of them an expert
in the law
tested him with this question teacher which is the greatest commandment in the
law
Jesus replied love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind
this is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it
love your neighbor as yourself listen to this all the law and the prophets
hang on these two commandments you know Jesus is saying
take all of the law take all the prophets and you know what the fullness of revelation is
for them
love God love people
love is the fullness of revelation
so I think here he's talking about love in what that does
is it completes us because to date when talking to the Corinthians
they've got a bunch of missing parts it's a lot a piecemeal stuff
and so he says love is what will complete you love is what will bring you
along because love is the fullness of revelation let me see if I can give you
an illustration and so there's a guy
and he's with a bunch of other guys and their out on a
island and they get lost
it it's starting sundown starting to get dark
they can't hardly even see one another because they're in a place where there's
just simply no light
they don't know their way back to their camp but one of the guys finds his
way back to the camp but the other three or four guys
they're still lost so the guy at the camp figures this out I got a light a
fire
because it's going to be the only light that they're gonna have to be able to
somehow find their way home
so he lights a fire and through the course of the night this guy continues
to tend the fire he's constantly going and finding brush
and he's coming back and he's tending the fire and he tends the fire
all night long literally all night
long. and then the sun comes up
and he's still tending the fire but shortly thereafter
the guys who were lost come walking back into camp
and there he is still going and getting brush and twigs and putting them in the fire
and he looks and sees them and he's like hey what's going on guys and he's still doing all
of that
and he's putting it on the fire they say what they askin what are you doing with
the fire?
and he said I gotta keep the fire burning so that you guys can see how to get home
back to camp and they simply respond with these words
the suns up
the fire's good when it's dark
but when the dun comes up it's not so relevant anymore
I think Paul's argument here is this
you've got these gifts and they are given by God because right now you are
living in a time
that doesn't have a completeness of revelation it's kind of dark
and you've got pieces here and there but I'm telling you
when the sun of love comes up
it will remain these things will not
now again I'm gonna leave that let me go to the third thing
because love never ends it can also mature us
listen to what verse 11 says when I was a child
I talked like a child I thought like a child I reasoned like a child
when I became a man I put the ways of childhood
behind me now you gotta understand the brilliance of Paul here
and the more I study the more I just realized this guy is so so smart of
course
under the inspiration of the Spirit but it just is as a
he's just so brilliant and what he does here is he takes those three gifts
that they're so focused on in Corinth and they're
they're getting all outta whack because they're focused on these things but
they're not in the context of love right
he's talking about he's talking about
knowledge and tongues and prophecy those three gifts predominantly these
revelatory gifts
and then Paul says let me give you an illustration of how love can mature you
when I was a child listen to this
I thought like a child
knowledge I talked
like a child tongues
I reasoned like a child prophecy
Paul's doing this it's brilliant
he said but when I became a man I put childish ways behind me
listen what Paul is not saying Paul is not saying that the gifts of the Spirit
are childish that is not what Paul is saying
that would be offensive to the very giver of the gifts
the Lord God the Spirit of God he gives these gifts right to a church that's in
need of them
what Paul is saying is not that the gifts are childish
he's saying that the church is in its infancy
the church is in its infancy not that the use of the gifts is childish
but that the church is in its infancy and needs to grow into the
maturity of love
are you following where I'm going here this is a very very painstaking
if if you could see my sweat and labor in this passage of Scripture you would
understand
it is a pain staking thing to pull this together in a way that people can go
okay I get that but Paul is making the argument here
that he makes elsewhere in the book of Ephesians anyway when he talks about
what love
ultimately is is the sign of maturity this is where it leads us
because love never ends what it can do is it can mature
us. Listen to how Paul says it in fact that in Ephesians chapter 4
he uses childhood and adulthood here so Christ himself gave the apostles the
prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip his people for works
of service
so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith
and in the knowledge of the Son of God
and become mature attaining to the whole measure the fullness of Christ
then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown
here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of
people in their deceitful scheming
instead speaking the truth
in love we will grow to become in
every respect to the mature body of him who is the head that is Christ
from him the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament
grows and builds itself up in love
as each part does its work
this is where I don't want you to miss it Paul is actually making here to the
Corinthians
some similar statements that he's making to the Ephesians that he's saying
what love does is it will mature us
how often is it ladies and gentleman by the way that because we think people are gifted
that we think they're mature?
sometimes you listen sometimes you listen to to people who speak really
good
and you think because they're gifted as a speaker
they are mature in their faith
those things are not always corresponding
or maybe because somebody sings good or leads good or teaches good
that all the sudden they're mature just because we we see their giftedness
No. We thank God for the giftedness
but the measuring stick toward maturity
is love because this ladies and gentleman
is the language and the oxygen
of eternity this is the very nature of who God is
this is what we're to be about there are other things that we have
that will fade away they serve a purpose in the now but they will fade away but
love
never ends because God
never ends
it will mature us. Let me give you a last thing this is where I wanted to land for a few minutes
here
because love never ends it can help us see
listen to verse number 12 for now
we see only a reflection as in a mirror
then we shall see face to face now I know in part
then I shall know fully even as I am fully known
now because as you can imagine because I don't take this passage of Scripture as
scatological I don't think Paul is all the sudden
talking about us being face to face with God
I don't think that's Paul's point here ladies and gentlemen I'm
giving you what I believe I don't think that's Paul's point here
his point here is not theological its pastoral
if this were talking about you know
one day when you get to see Jesus then you'll finally learn how to love it's almost as
if Paul is just punting
he's just kicking the can going OK you people don't know how to do it
and I'm really glad that when Jesus comes that you'll have the opportunity
to really know what love is but until then
your shot. your shot.
Paul's not doing that Paul's actually trying to say to them
you need to learn how to love and you can learn how to love he's not just
kicking the can
he's not just saying this isn't gonna happen and it can't happen he saying it
can happen
but he uses the context here to talk about
how that can happen now again we all know that we're going to see Jesus face
to face right we do know that
I mean 1st John chapter 3 tells us that doesn't it verse number two
Dear friends, now we're children of God and what we will be has not yet been made
known but we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him
for we shall see him as he is. it's a beautiful promise isn't it?
listen that's just not the promise of this passage
that promise is absolutely true it's just not what's coming from this passage
what's coming from this passage
is Paul trying to help us understand how love
can help us to see. Man this is tough
so Paul uses a mirror but remember in Corinth
you say Jerry that's not a mirror that's a cymbal. this is actually is close to
a Corinthian mirror as I think I could probably get
because if you'll remember he's talking to the Corinthians and the Corinthians knew all
about mirrors
it was what they were famous for actually and the Corinthian mirrors were
not like mirrors that we have in our day and age
they were basically polished bronze or polished brass
the best you can do in that as you can get kinda a
look at yourself
right you can get a little bit of a blurry reflection
of who you are when you look at yourself in this I'm looking at myself in this
and I've got
well it depends on your angle if I do this way I have got one of those heads that goes
whaaa like that. it's crazy wish my brain were that size
it's not unfortunately so you look at yourself somewhat blurry
with something like this now isn't it interesting that Paul
actually says here in this passage of Scripture for now
we see only a reflection as in a mirror
when he uses that term that term actually in the Greek language
is where there's a Greek word in there from where we get our word
enigma you've heard that word before right enigma it literally
translates or literally means
um dark foggy
a riddle Paul's basically saying that
what we see right now or he saying for now we see only
a reflection as in a mirror but he's saying it's it's a dark one
it's a blurry one but then we shall see face to face I want you to imagine
with me for just a moment
imagine with me just a moment
of a people who only had
this and then imagine
what would happen if those same people
all of the sudden had this
see yourself?
right pretty clear see when I look at this
frightening
when I look at this I'm now seeing clearly
see what Paul is saying here is he saying
for now when we don't really have love
as God's intended for us to have love all we see we see in a mirror really
really blurry but then he says
but when love comes we shall see
face to face
we will see ourselves
the way everybody else sees
us because right now all we see is really blurry
we can't really make ourselves out but everyone who's our friend they see us
for who we are
Paul says we see blurry now but then we shall see face to face and listen to this
then he says
then I shall know fully even as I am fully known
so if all I have this is blurry little mirror that I look into
I don't see myself fully the way that you see me you see me
completely perfectly but once love comes
the mirror all the sudden becomes clear
and now I can see fully even as I am fully
seen or fully known Paul is arguing for love in this passage of Scripture but
he's basically saying to the Corinthians you need to learn how to do it because
everything that you've been doing is not very good
and you need another touch here
of Jesus you've been changed but you need another touch of Jesus here
in fact there was an occurrence that happen in the ministry of Jesus that
there's really only record of this kind of thing happening one time
in Jesus's ministry and it was in Mark chapter
number whatever 8 I think yeah
Mark chapter 8 don't you like that? they came to Bethsaida and some people brought a
blind man
and begged Jesus to touch him
he took the blind man by the hand and let him outside the village
and when he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on in Jesus asks do you
see anything
and he looked up and said I see people
they look like trees walking around
once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes
then his eyes were opened and his sight was restored
and he saw everything clearly
this the only time that I know of actually in the Scripture where Jesus
actually heals someone in stages. Jesus heals the man
and he says can you see? and he says
it's blurry Jesus touches him again
and now he can see perfectly clear
see I think Paul's making the argument here
to the Corinthians and he's saying this you've been touched by Jesus
no doubt about it you been changed
but the way you see the world right now
it's blurry you need another touch of love
that's what you need
you need another touch of love because your concentration is in all the wrong
places
your maturity is not to the place where it ought to be
you need another touch of love see
what love does it let let's us see ourselves
let me ask you a question okay? so here's me
I'm looking in the mirror
and it's clear do you know what I see when I look in a clear mirror?
I see myself clearly and then what else do I see?
what's behind me
I don't know if you're gonna get this or not
Do you know what love does? Paul is saying you need to learn how to love
you know why? because what love does is it
enables you to see yourself clearly and it enables you to see what's behind you
some of you
need another touch of love and I'll tell you why because you came to Christ
and you remember when you did and you just felt the weight of the world lifted
off of you and the forgiveness of your sin and you're just so grateful for that
but
life's been a little challenging for you since then it was a number of years ago
and some of you can't get over the fact that you haven't been perfect up to
this time
you can't get over it and because of that
you keep living your life like I've made God mad, I've made God happy
God loves me God does not love me it's like you're taking a flower going he
loves me he loves me not
he loves me he loves me not and for every move you make whether to step in
the right direction now God's happy
and you make a step in the wrong direction now God's hateful
when love comes
you start to see yourself the way that God
sees you that your new
that you're forgiven you
you also by the way see what's behind you your past and you can say
I don't live there anymore my life has been changed because at the reality of
God's love
in Christ for me that is the Gospel
the Gospel changes everything
that when you can look behind you
in a clear mirror of love, you see yourself the way
God sees you no longer as just a sinner
but someone who is now a saint, who is saved, who is a child of God, who is
transformed, who is different,
who will hold down on occasion but who has been changed by the power of the love of
God in Christ
a love that always endures, a love that is
always poured out on you, a love that will never ever
fail. This is what we see and now we see our past in light of that
and we can say I know what I was once but I'm not living there anymore because
love has given me a clarity that God in Christ
has paid for all of my junk he's paid for all of my sin
he's taken all of my stuff and my shame and my guilt
and now I'm set free and I'm different and I'm changed as a result of that
that's what love enables us to do
but thank you for making the journey what I'm praying for you
and when I'm praying for me is that we're touched by love
that in this series what
Jesus is doing on our behalf
is that were being touched by love
we knew what it was like when we came to him but then things got blurry for us didn't it
that's what happened to the Corinthians man they got
they got radically changed they left their paganism and there idols
and their temple worship and they came to Jesus
but they
they didn't know a ton. They had these gifts
they thought that'd everything had arrived because they had these gifts
they thought man this is it this is what maturities all about but they brought in
some of they're old ways
into the new world and so they're old ways used to be kinda look at me
kind of spirituality and they brought that into life in Christ in
and Paul has to say to 'em no that's not it
it's not about that it's about love
because when you understand love
you begin to understand God because love is the revelation that fills in all the
gaps
so I'm praying that what we do
out of the series is that we've learned what love is
learned what love isn't and that we pursue
love that's what Paul goes on to say in the beginning of chapter 14
pursue love
why? because
I thought that love would last forever
I was right
because this is what God said
let's pray
father thank you for the reality of your love that it endures that it's forever
that it's unfailing
that is beyond um
our mistakes that it's bigger than our sin
that your love demonstrated to the world
in Christ going to a cross dying for our sin
rising from the dead your love is inexplicable and almost to the human mind
irrational because you didn't base it solely on a merit system you based it on
your own goodness
and your own love. God if your love was based on a merit system for us we would
all be hell-bound
but your love flows from who you are
and overcomes our sin and our weakness and our shame and our frailty
and our past and our mess and I pray God that as the Corinthians needed a word
about getting clarity on that that we
need a word today about getting clarity on that
and I pray God that what you would do is that you would touch
us again with another touch of your life
that the blurriness starts to go away and we start to see ourselves the way
that you
see us and that we see our past
the way that you see our past
cast into the sea of forgetfulness
God it's because of you and your great love
that we can even love we love because you first
loved us this is your initiation you said I love you to us first
and so Father I pray that you would help us to be mindful of that
and that we would recognize that as we walk in your love and we bask in your
love that it changes our ability to see
the world around us people around us who are in need
of your life we trust you to do that
as our heads are bowed and eyes are closed were dismissed in just a moment
but I'd simply ask you this
if you're in the room or maybe at the Lockport campus or maybe you're the East
Worship Center
and you've never before come face to face with love
that can forgive your sins that can change your life
they can make you brand new then when we dismiss here
in just a moment I want you to talk to somebody about that
there's no bigger issue in your life no bigger issue in your life
then establishing relationship with the God of
love who loves you and who wants you to know him
he will not overrun your desire to say no to him
if you want to say no he'll let you
because he's loving but I say this to you
you will never find what you're looking for
until you meet Jesus you'll try and satisfy your longing for love some other way
it will not work countless millions have tried it through the ages
and have come up empty Jesus alone can satisfy
if you wanna know what that looks like or what that means if you're the Lockport
campus Pastor Jonathan will
talk to you about that in just a moment here on this campus in either one of the
venues I want you to come by the Fireside Room when we dismiss
talk to a pastor or prayer partner in there about what it means to know Jesus
Father teaches to love, not love
in sentimentality not love in ways of just sheer emotionalism but love the way
that you've defined
love. teach us to do it God and reorient our minds and grow us
up and mature us and give us a vision to see clearly
who we are in you and who the world
is. God help us to love
we pray in Jesus name. Amen. See ya.