Most Excellent Way - Pt. II
Be United! Book of First Corintians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 35:30
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Excellent!
Excellent!
Paul speaks of an excellent way (1Cor12:31); We have looked at what that way is, and what that way looks like, in other words described it. Tonight may we continue to see how the excellent way was placed right here addressing the unity problem in the Corinthian church.
Paul desired the church to desire the greater gifts (1Cor12:31)
31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.
Paul spoke of the necessity of the greater gift that comes via the excellent way and the results if you don’t come the more excellent way (1Cor13:1-3)
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
The more excellent way is love, love is the thing needed to bring the unity of the gifts together.
Without it, Paul says “I am nothing” and that without it “it profits nothing.”
Paul describes the great gift, the more excellent way (1Cor13:4-7)
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Described as patient, kind, does not envy, is not proud or puffed up, is not rude, not self-seeking, not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness (sin); rejoices in “the” truth, bears all, believes all, hopes all and endures all. Now that is a pretty good description!
(Transition) Paul is writing to the Corinthian church that love is the most excellent gift, in an effort to bring unity to the divided church who is elevating one spirit gift over another. While this passage we have looked at and are going to look at tonight may have different view by different people, Paul had one purpose “unity.”
So, now may we delve into the scripture together.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Gleaning from the scriptures:
Question: What never fails (v.8)?
It states love never fails
Question (not on sheet) How do we know, why do you believe that love never fails?
Question: I know it’s basic, but what does fail or cease (v.8)?
Prophecies, tongues, knowledge will fail or cease or even vanish.
Question: Paul says something about part, what is it in (v.9)?
Know in part, prophesy in part.
Wait, it says knowledge will fail (v.8) and we only know in part (v.9), isn’t knowledge good? oh wait, he is talking about partial knowledge will fail, partial knowledge is all they had at the time.
Remember who is writing to, why he is addressing the most excellent way, excellent gift, don’t get lost along the way why this chapter is here.
Question: When will that which is in part be done away with according to (v.10)?
When that which is perfect has come.
Right now we are gleaning from the scripture we are going to discuss this in much more detail in a few minutes, so hold on.
Question: In (vv.11-12) Paul uses a couple of comparisons/analogies, can you see them what are they?
He uses child and man (v.11); and uses a mirror and face to face in (v.12).
Question: Paul says to do with with faith, hope and love (v.13)?
He says to abide in faith, hope and love
(Transition): We have read the word, we have gleaned directly from the scripture so now may we look together at some points and applications.
Love never fails
Love never fails
Love never fails, love is more than a feeling or an emotion. The love that Paul is talking about that brings unity, may we seek biblical definition of that love.
What is the love that never fails? (1Jn4:7-8)
glad you asked that question. Here it is.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God is the love that never fails, and according to these verses it enables us, challenges us, commands us to love one another. Love the most excellent way, most excellent gift will bring unity to the body.
What does the love that never fails look like in you? (Rom8:9-11)
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
The love that never fails looks like the Spirit that dwells in you and gives you eternal life. For the Spirit is alive in those who believe!
How do we know we have the love that never fails in us? (2Pt1:2-3)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Question in looking at (2Pt1:2-3) how can we know love that never fails is in us?
Through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord
Knowledge that tells us that God has given us all things for life and godliness
This is not just knowledge, this is true knowledge, it is faithful knowledge that God has given us all things. All from the Father through the Son.
(Transition) Paul has been speaking back in chapter 12 and linked here in chapter 13 and will continue in chapter 14 about spiritual gifts. gifts that will pass away when that which is perfect comes.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
Can we do something for a few minutes? I want us to look at biblical definitions, displays of perfect (well, at least in part):
Perfect:
The Father is perfect (Mt5:48)
His work is perfect (Dea32:4)
His peace is perfect (Ezr7:12)
His knowledge is perfect (Job36:4)
His law is perfect (Ps19:7)
His faithfulness is perfect (Isa25:1)
His will is perfect (Rom12:2)
His love is perfect (Col3:14)
14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
His perfect love is the perfect body of unity. Unity was the problem within the Corinthian church and can be a problem in the church today. The solution is that which is perfect, but just a couple more for you, since we are talking about the most excellent gift and most excellent way.
He gives perfect gifts (Jm1:25)
His perfect love casts out fear (1Jn4:17-18)
17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
God’s perfect gift, perfected love with us and in us that casts out fear all because love took on our punishment because of our sins!
(Transition) That which is perfect, has that perfect come? May we consider
The Word is perfect (Jn1:1)
The Word became flesh and that means perfect was with us (Jn1:14)
We are being transformed by the perfect (Word) (Rom12:1)
The perfect (Word) is to bring unity (1Cor1:10)
10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Two Analogies
Two Analogies
An analogy: a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification. Paul uses two of them in helping us to understand that which is part and that which is complete.
11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
Question: As a child what did you do like a child (v.11)?
Speak, think and reason like a child
Question: As a man what did you do (v.11)?
Put childish things away.
As a child a child knows little and as the child grows they put away the childish things, child like ways (for the most part)
Question: What is the analogy used in (v.12)?
Mirror see dimly, then see face to face.
A mirror is not the real thing, it is only a reflection. It is only dim compared to the real thing. The real thing is love, love is God, love is Jesus, love is the Word, love is in you via the Spirit. One day we will see love face to face!
(Transition) Now this leads us to one more verse that perfect thing, excellent way.
But the great is love
But the great is love
Love makes the world go round, you have heard that, and it is love that keeps us together, that unites us, that binds us together.
13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
So, what leads to love?
Faith leads to love (Rom10:17; Gal2:20; Php3:9)
It is faith the primary means we are all joined together in Christ. For we know how we get faith, by hearing. . . (Rom10:17)
We can live by faith because love gave himself for me
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Look what Paul says more about what comes from faith!
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
So, love loved and love gave Himself up! But love comes through faith, faith in the one you have belief in.
Hope leads to love (1Tim1:1; 1Pt1:3, 13, Rom8:23-24; 1Pt:1:20-21)
We know our hope, He has a name Jesus Christ (1Tim1:1)
He is our living hope.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
So we need to fix our hope upon Him
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
It is in hope we have been saved
23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
and add to this
20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Faith is to be had, hope is to band e embraced and love is to be shown for love brings unity.
(Conclusion) - The love chapter can be summarized like this.
Gifts without love are just clanging cymbals
Gifts with love are for the body and unify the body
The Most excellent way, the most excellent gift is love so may we learn from it to love one another.
(prayer) (Exit)