chapter thirteen of the Virgin. Though I speak the tongues of men and of angels, I have not loved I am become as sound and grass for attention symbol. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all literary and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I should remove mountains, have not loved, I am nothing. In other words, we have in this remarkable chapter, the first three chapters, how love excels everything else. Nothing is accomplished without, and this chapter is divided into three sections. The first three verses, we find how love excels Any gift, no matter what that gift is, be it the gifts of angels or the gifts of men, love excels. And so you have the song of love excellence. More important than language, he says that. More important than learning. More important than philanthropy, giving the poor. And more important than martyrdom. Isn't that so good? You have one's possessions there, and also one's the soul. So I have all kinds of this world's goods, possess everything. And should I possess all away, should I bestow all my possessions, and have not loved, it means nothing. It may mean much to me, but not to God. God is going to the heart of things, to the very root. of divine love. And so here you have these remarkable things, the strong or most excellent over everything, the greatest of all gifts, no matter who the man is or the woman. If he doesn't have the love of God, God does not count it as excellent. Love should control the heart of heaven, verse one, the mind in verse two, and will in verse two. So you have Not here is greater than all gifts. But then you have also the signs of love's presence in verses four to seven, and we'll read that. Verses four to seven. Love suffers long and at times. Love envy is not. Love, want, not, sense, is not, hath, not, does not behave at but unseemly. Thinketh not her own, is not easily both. Thinketh no evil. Rejoice of not in an iniquity, but rejoice of in the truth. Fairest all things, believeeth all things, hope of all things, endure of all things. How wonderful. Here you have, the governor, the first examining love's virtues and how it excels all gifts. Here you have something here, and it excels. heading out with expounded virtues. And here you have love without gifts. The first three verses, you have gifts without love. The next four verses, you have not outgifts. And here are love's virtues. There are fourteen of them, some positive, some negative. How wonderful is this love? Oh, you see. Brother Wilson, where do you find that kind of love on earth? You go. You find this love in a person. This love came down from heaven, was not manufactured on earth. This should have not in any way provoked from another deemed heart. This love is Christ. If you have Christ, then you have a potential to manifest the virtues and the values. Without Christ, you are healthy. Then you have the strength of love permanent. Love, this divine love, is out love. It outlives. It outlives. It outlives. It outlives. It outlives. This is wonderful. This is the love of God. He mentioned a couple of weeks ago, love. Love is indispensable. I think two weeks later, a week later, he spoke of love as in the title. Well, here you have it in exhaustive. Love is in exhaustive. He has passed a gift, he enrolled us at verse three, eight, ten, that reads a passing gift. Love may fail us, but whether there be prophecy, days will fail, whether there be tongues, rays will cease, whether there be knowledge, they shall vanish away. For we know in part, when we prophesy in part, when when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part is unawares. Then I was a child, I was taken as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but now he said, O man, I put away his child in this place. It is verses eight. but then you have a passing gift. No matter what the gift is, it's going to pass. It's not permanent. It's temporary. And these are going to pass away. Prophecy are the gifts of prophecy, the gifts of tongue, the gifts of knowledge. They're going to pass away. Passing gifts. Then you also have half in rage in that verse. He said in verse eleven, then in verse eleven, when I was a child, I stayed with a child, and as good as a child, I thought it was a child, but when I became a man, I put away child, he said, Here's God's truth. When you think you're being a child, and then you're a God. You've gone to school. You've passed through very grave and through. And kindergarten, patsy, first grade, second grade, third grade are all patsy. Patsy grade, until you graduate. Now you're an adult, you've grown up. Patsy grade is God's gift. But Olympians were all tangled up about the year, and he says you're in the kindergarten. You haven't graduated. that in the garden age is still with you, if not that. He says, when you ought to be named a bunch of labor. Fasting drinks, God wants us to go up. He wants us to mature. He wants us to develop. He wants us to graduate. In childhood, he's manhood. So being a beginner, Force we'll always begin, we'll always learn things. But if you will attain, if you will adopt, show up in the things of God, have to do. When you have partial vision in verse twelve, and partial, not only partial vision, but you have perfect vision in verse twelve, for now we see through a glass, darkly or vaguely, that then keeps the faith. Yes, partial vision, but then perfectly, face to face. Now I know him, Father. Then shall I know even as also I know him. There you have partial knowledge, be perfect, and wise. Then the vision, have the ability, and the supremacy of love in the last way. Now abide at faith, hope, and love, be free, but the greatest. one that is supreme, outgift and all others, luck, luck. So these are some of the things we find in this remarkable chapter. What can be turning a world of change? Nothing. When I was at school, they learned something, I don't know whether they were going to prove this or not, but as folks draw the river, Men may come and men may go, but I go on forever. The greatest of this world ends, I have been. This world has known some great gifts, not only in Christianity, but in politics and medicine. Great men with great capability, penitentiary powers of possession. Satan went to the test with him. great, big, great, deep, reformers. But they're wrong. They're wrong. Here you have banishing gifts, banishing men. What does the Bible say about this situation? Listen to Peter, sir. For all flesh is as draught and all the glory of man as the flower of that. He speaks of the grass as in the rank and file. But the flowers of the grass are those outstanding charities, those gifts with them, and gifts with them. But the great thing happens to all. For the flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of the grass, the grass witherous, and the flower that all faded away has been. Now listen. But the word of the Lord endures forever, and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto me. This is something that advised forever. And my salvation is associated with the word of God born again with the word of God, and by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever. This life is one of cancer. things from his own, their past, they fade away. God wants us to have that which is eternal. That which will never happen eternally. James also gives us this. Because as the flower of the grass, man shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen than the burning heat, but it witherous the grass. in the power that oft falleth, in the grace of the fastened, fastened of it perishes, so shall man fade away in his way. Then in verse fourteen of James, what is he saying? What is he saying? James says, shall as he know not what shall be on the morrow, for what is your life? It is even as a vapor that appears for a little fire, and then ran it away. Passingly. Now abide us, faith, hope, love, Jesus. Yes, but a drink of love is love. You see a little on faith, stop. Hope stop. Love keeps on going, Christ in eternity, and love remains unsaved, untarnished. whatever. Keep this with peace. As soon as God decreed, they were no longer required. Whether it be prophecy, save is not. For instance, when the canon of Scripture completes it by the Book of Revelation, God put this in. If any man adds to the truth to the Bible, I will add to it a slave to the English people. The Bible was complete. The teaching of the revelation is the last thing. This is the book of beginnings. Revelation, the book of the elders. Yet we have men today, and they have enough to ask to tell the public that they are one of the apostles. But they are a prophet. They can talk and refuse to them. No, they can't. The gifts of prophesying the future, a gift given by the Holy Spirit. New Testament prophets, like old Testament prophets, they predicted, they prophesied the mind of God for the future. Here is aged at John on the Isle of Patent of the Ninth Years of Age. And God picked them up, and God says, John, I'm going to unveil the age of... You're going to unveil the issue of the human race. And what you say is to keep on intruding beyond the eternal. That is a New Testament process led by the Spirit of the world. Since then, there are no men, nor women in given that gift of God. For, carry the mind of God. For the peace is on the books. and woe thee unto the man who changes it or tries to add to it. He has some of these religious Christians today, they say they have twelve apostles, and they claim they can trace them back to the twelve apostles. Imagine that. The idea when being able to trace back their lives, their apostles, to the twelve apostles in the Lord. They might go back to one of those parts, neither, but not the other one. So he says, whether there be prosperity, they'll keep, whether there be tongue. He used a little different word there. Whether there be prophecy, prophecy, they'll pass the races. Whether there be tongue, they shall keep. And the Greek word there is more abrupt. means it'll soon him. Just like that, and the same Greek word is used, when the Lord was out on Olson or on the lake, rather, and a great storm struck. And the Lord the disciples were the same. And they cried out for the Lord to stay. And he arose in all the dignity of God, his manhood, and even peace be still. and then keep it. And it is a great part. The same word is found here, whether there be tongue, say, shall, keep. And when we got the whole New Testament, the Hand of Scripture is complete. There's no need for tongues. We have the final. The Word of the Living God the Lord. The man were an apostle today, and he had seen Jesus Christ. He had lived as Jesus Christ. Imagine a man. He had actually seen Jesus Christ, because that's an apostle. And he knew all about Jesus Christ. Would he tell about Jesus Christ, your people's fault? Would that be his argument? Did he depend upon his faulty memory to bring power? What happened then? No. That apostle that he lived today would have what you and I had. But what Paul, James, John, Peter didn't have. The complete revelation of the will of God. And that apostle would refer to what you and I refer to, for our spiritual knowledge, where neither... the Christ God says to me. If you get away from that, you're going to be out on the street, off the boat with every wind of God that has made her. Whether they be found days of history, I won't forget that. But again, move on to other things. You have to go on to the miracles of the Lord. Think of the miracles of the Lord Jesus. Do you know the Lord Jesus for four mercies that were never duplicated? After he went to heaven, there were no more miracles got set in before him. Take me to the man or woman who can turn water into water. Take me to the person who can counter-up, decompose, four days like Lazarus, and raise him from the dead. Where's the man who can feed five thousand of five loaves of two fish and four of those out of a similar amount? Where is the man that can walk out on a stream? Where is the man who can file turbulence in the water? Where's the man who can command the faith to go into the net of the apocalypse? They fell all night, and they caught nothing. No fish around them, take up your nest, and put on the other side, your face feet away, and you have a net full of feet. The Lord found that all the fish did not live when they could not live. These are miracles. They're not fruitless. And so the Bible is very plain. If you want knowledge for your popular and your behavior, get it out of the New Testament, or you can't. don't die. According to the book, those things just had a temporary existence that passed away. Those things plainly taught in the books that we have before us today, things that God wants you and I to do and me with us. And so you have the medical. Then you have the two metaphors, child and glass. He says that. child in the glass. Verse twelve, we had the child in verse eleven. Now the glass. For now we see that glass darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. The glass is the something foggy, misty. The Old Testament made the looking after it out of that highly polished glass. Now, you ladies wouldn't be satisfied with that today. You want a glass that is pinpoint everything and gives you a complete picture of you are. The glass today is a fine-grained, when you touch it, you can say. Expense and point out anything, not like the dimly looking glass that they have for you. Paul says now, during the dim period, writing especially to the Eucharist, reading to his last days here, there's a mist here, it's not quite clear, but it is a red tape to face. You see just what you are, an exact picture that you are near. Yes, exactly. And so it is, there are things in the Bible that are today. that there are things in the Bible that are clear. As the Noah's unclean, the scripture is such as, it's clear, it's plain. You have no excuse. You've got the whole reveals that it's gone. James speaks about a man beholding himself in the glass, in the mirror. He gets a good look at him, and he doesn't like what he saw. And he goes away, and he forgets, and now what man he is. Here you have an immaculate chai, and here you have a foggy, smoky reflection, I believe. But these situations can clear up, and the Word of God brings you to adulthood. The Word of God enables you to go up and not be a day. And the Word of God can bring you to clarity. You don't have to remain all your nice foggy and in the midst of the very field, your very, very place. So we have the two metaphors, the style and mirror. Beholding as in a glass the glow of the Lord, you are chained into the same image of the same likeness, even as by the spirit of the Lord. The word of God is so clear. Exhibit us a wonderful portion of the Son of God, not a mole on the cheek. Man of grace is beholding as in a glass from here the scriptures that are in the Word of God. We behold what? The glory of the Lord. And the more we read the book, the more we change into it like this, as by the Spirit and the more we say. The Word of God is here. The Spirit of God uses this book, and if you want to see what a heart is like before God, just take a look in his mirror, and you won't like what he sees. The Word of God is accurate. It's important. A king can look into this book, but it all don't look like a king, much of a king. What is said about the sinner, whether he be a strong soul, or whether he be a beggar in the assumption, is a picture. When we get our pictures taken, we may get a settlement on what all the fruits it takes. If I'm going to have a time picking out the one that matters me the most. The photographer says, here's the negative. That's just what you are. You want me to doctor that? Well, it ought to be that way. Boy, don't we like to have doctor that. But survival gives us the negative. Just what you are, as God sees. How can I see things? Well, I'm so arguing. A part of the truth. Beholding in the glass, the mirror, the glory of the north. I'm changed into the same thing. This is the way that Christ likeness of God was. Seeing in your Bible a part of the Lord Jesus changed and upon the Lord in glory. And Jesus Christ is a part of it. He is a love that is love. All answers go to say that someday you and I are going to be like me. And those pages... goal change in ugly rivers, they're all going to be passed, and your face will be a strength, a minute, and a segment of strength. What did he say? Everything there is touch, and it's changed, and everything there will be flesh without its strength. And go, this is the way. Christ, let us get into the book, leave the book, and have the Holy Spirit reveal to you this informed personality of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. All else we have. True people, we dwell in the present. We live as we see ourselves and as we see others in the flesh. If there's only a small fight. There's only a lot of sight in the book. And some of that rubbed off on it. I was a friend of the last weekend. I tried to get a certain person on the board. And I tried and I tried and I tried. I ran me over an hour. So I said to you, and I said to you, they got about six teenagers. Or they're doing a lot of talking if they're just two. And I'll guarantee they're not talking about the Lord Jesus Christ for that long. Yes. Are we listening to this book? Are we examining ourselves in the light of it? Some of the reflection rubbing off on it. And so love is a wonderful thing. Everything else is changing in this world. will change the world love abides in the life of another faith we'll group together in a number of years Bible books in the Bible for instance you have over in Thessalonians first Thessalonians one it says here work of faith behold your work of faith he's wrong again through the Thessalonians work of faith Wonderful work of faith. What was that faith? They turned God from Ireland. That was a step of faith. From ugly, poor, meaningless, idly, to the living God. That was a work of faith. Then he kicked off the patience of hope. They spurred the living of evil. Then he speaks finally of their neighbor of love. One, the three, faith. hope and love. Their faith they turn to God from either, and their hope they serve the living and feed God. And he waits for his son from either way, waiting for his son from heaven. The hope of the Christian is the coming again of the Lord Jesus, their faith thought about at first from either to Christ. their labor, the further living and true God, over the labor of love. Patience of hope, wait for his sons in heaven. There they are, faithful and love. Then you have in Romans, in chapter five, verse one, verse three, verse five. What did he say there? Therefore be justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Not that we hope we're going to have it. We have it. Being justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Then he comes through our hope. Rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Hope is all was associated with something that is coming. Something that is to come. And then he comes in verse five, the love of God. He said of God in a heart by the Holy Ghost which was given unto you, which is, quote, love in Roman epitaph. And then you come to another one in Colossus, and this one says, Chapter one and verses four and five, since we heard of your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, there's faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. That's not Jesus, that's, that's... But then he speaks of the future and hope is related to the future. He says, And counsel, which is laid up for you in heaven. Hope, which is laid up for you in heaven. Hope, what do you say about love? He says, in our Lord Jesus Christ and of the love which we have, we all are saved. hope, love. Faith is going to pass away. Hope is going to pass away when it sees its object, love continues together. Hebrews ten, twenty two. Let us draw near with a true heart and pull us through it. Faith! There's faith with us. Faith is gifted. Faith is connected with our faith in Christ with our faith in our daily walk in faith. then what about our hope? He says here, not for taking the assembly of yourselves together as a man of promise, but exhorting one another, and more so as you see that day approaching the coming then of the Lord his hope. And then he comes to us, let us consider one another for the hope unto love and good. Then far away from these various churches, the Thessalonians, the Romans, the Pilate, the Hebrews, we didn't get very far away from those three verses. Faith, hope, and love. But there is a church that they pray with us. And that the church in the Revelation has a sad story, the accused of it. Listen to what is said about them. I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience. How thou canst not bear them, little evil. Thou hast had them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars. And hath borne, and hath patience, for my name's sake, hath labored, and hath not labored. And verse six will constitute, but this thou hast, that thou haste at peace with a little lady. which I hate, dividing between clergy and litters, men going around with their title, ribbons, white ribbons and all this and the other, just the common scripture. God says, I detest that kind of thing. My children are in one family. And this church was a wonderful church. And yet she has a complaint. Really? Firstborn. Nevertheless, I have come against you because thou hast met thy first love. First love is married to love. First love. First love. First love is first love. God says, you know, a lot of things are going to go on in the seventh age. There's no comfortable club in this church. There's a neighbor. Yes, they put themselves into their labors, their capers. They're scammed against discipline. They discipline evil thieves. They discipline evil men with wrong doctrine. They were lords of the truth. They had a concern for Christ's name. They hated Nicolaeanism. But God had agreed. He says he left them. All that was in labor and capers. There is just so much wood, hay, and stubble going up in smoke. As a judgment eat of Christ, I want the gold, the silver, the precious stone, and that we provide. Throw some gold, silver, and precious stone onto the hay, that, and settle the fire. All the hay in the straw will walk in smoke, and if you're able, you can tie The woes filled with the precious food. This is love. Love God remains. Love God abides. You should remember the prayer that thou hast fallen. First love is abandonment of all for one who abandons the Lord. First love is abandonment of all. needed for love that abandons the Lord Jesus Christ. The gift is divine love. And if the Lord Jesus can't get love out of an individual in a church, what else can a gift? It's not your money, not your activity, your love. You need to hear him read in the verses, quote, you have gifts, great gifts without love. Then you have love and adversity without you. And here you find something that is love and in all its loveliness, its beauty, its stress, its worthness, and coolness, first love. When you first came to sight of all the love of a newborn soul, It's then you can say, I've given up all, but the gift of the same world need not to me. Oh, I have faith. All that has been taken is forgotten. When I remember, tell this. Tell this is divine love. Tell this is the love. God gives you a bond with such Jesus Christ. He not only loved me at February, he loved me now. Having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto the end, and left me. Here you have in heaven a shirt that had lost the work, no hope, had lost the patience, the hope, brought the labor of no love. God lost love. Now abide it, keep hopes from life. These things are created, are things from life. You cannot weigh love on girls. You cannot measure love, God's gift, or a faith. Love is something you can't weigh with or beheaded. You can't measure length of stress, of height of stress. Love is a personality. God is love. That love is compensated for me. A personality on earth. Jesus Christ. When I have it, I have not. A love that hits me with God and man. Believe in me. Five and ten cents for the vices. Do you know how last long they last? You get what you're supposed to do. You get something that is expensive and genuine. You get it from healers who are particular. They want to satisfy their customers. They want something that lasts. And their systems are playing around in the five and ten centuries. And they're not getting that with their value. They're divided. Provide. All are failed. the earth, the earth, the native, or the earth of life. Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend for thy service. If you ask thy blessing upon thy word, be thank thee. Thou hast the answer to all our needs, to solve them of all our problems. all found in Christ. Holy thank you, for our Lord Jesus Christ. For those who can pray this morning, the Son of God, His love of me, and Jason. Amen. May we know something of neglecting His love for us. As we study thy verse, the Spirit gives us help. Let us not be taken out of that which is passion, fading, chastity, And only for this life, are we more occupied with that which is eternal. Be active in the Lord Jesus precious name.