That love is the most excellent way to use spiritual gifts, as outlined in 1 Corinthians 13. It explains that without love, even great gifts like speaking in tongues, prophecy, or immense faith are worthless, becoming mere noise or nothingness. The passage details the characteristics of love, presenting them as the perfections of Christ's own life and conduct, urging believers to emulate these qualities. Ultimately, the sermon concludes that while faith and hope are important, love is the greatest and most enduring of all Christian virtues, essential for effective ministry and fellowship.
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Shall we turn in our Bibles tonight to the Epistle of Corinthians chapter thirteen, that wonderful love chapter as it has been properly called, which is our portion tonight. And in Tassie, may I say, God willing, dear brother John Wentler, though he's absent me, was to open the scripture in the book of Hebrews next week, and I've been asked to take the first chapter and open the book. But may I suggest to you something that is read it through about fifty times this next week and study it for yourself.
You'll get more out of it when you come to the meeting and maybe you'll be able to put some more into it too. But here's the thought. What we get for ourselves, I have always found what the Lord gives me himself it sticks with me what sometimes a preacher may preach doesn't always say with me but that which I find in the word for myself it blesses and it retains in the memory so may I encourage you read the Holy Epistle through if not fifty times at least I hope you read it one time through and find if you can in every chapter Why the Lord Jesus is superior.
His superiority is emphasized in every chapter. We were singing that dear old hymn and commenting on it. Christ liveth in me. And beloved is one thing sure. You'll find that blessed, risen, glorified Christ in the book of Hebrews as the heaven is open to you. And come together God willing prayerfully next week. that we might begin to study. But First Corinthians chapter thirteen, as it comes before us tonight in this particular section relating to the body that we have been studying about and the great importance of the members of the body in relation one to another under God.
The apostle, if I may read at the end of chapter twelve what he says, covered earnestly the best gifts And yet I show unto you a more excellent way. Many gifts have been enumerated. Under Corinthians, they had many gifts. If you read the first chapter, Paul said they came behind in no gifts. But unfortunately, may I say sadly, their gifts were being misused and misapplied to the detriment of the testimony. and the disgrace of the Lord. But here is Paul saying, no matter what gift may be given by the Lord, I show you a more excellent way.
And he goes on to say, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and enough charity, better rendered improperly it should be the word love, that highest form of the verb love in the Greek text and have not loved, I am become a sounding breath or a tinkling symbol. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not charity or love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
Love suffers long in its kind. Love envies not. Love vaunted not itself. It never puffed up. Does not behave itself unseemly. Seeketh not her own. Is not easily provoked. Thinketh no evil. Rejoiceeth not in iniquity, but rejoiceeth in the truth. beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeeth all things, and doeth all things. Love never faileth. But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, which happen to be prominent in the Corinthian testimony, they shall cease.
Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass darkly or dimly, but then, face to face, now I know partially in part, but then, Shall I know, even as also I am known? Now abide of faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.
May God bless the reading and hearing of this portion from his word. Before going further into the chapter by detail, let me commend to you the reading of the epistle, in fact, not only just the epistle, but the writings of John. John the Apostle. John the Apostle by some has been called the Apostle of Love. And if I remember correctly, in your New Testament epistles, John writes of love more than any other writer of the epistles. And if I recall correctly, eighty-five times he brings up that blessed truth of divine love.
And may I emphasize the fact my beloved brother and sister from Romans chapter five verse five for the love of God is shed abroad or poured out into our heart by the Holy Ghost which has been given to us for may I emphasize that which I need myself it's not my love the love of God. And may I be reminded with you about Peter's comment in Second Peter chapter one, where he declares that everyone who has put faith in the Lord Jesus possesses the divine nature.
For when you have Christ living in you, you have a divine person and a new nature. The old nature of Adam No, but a new nature. And Peter speaks about it. I bet he calls it divine nature. And what part of the divine nature? Love. What part of the divine attributes and character of God? Love. You may remember the words of John, and let me quote them. I'd like to particularly make a correction in the translation. First John chapter four in verse nineteen. We often use it. We read it in our authorised version. We love him because he first loved us.
But that word him is not in the original text. We love. And you read the whole chapter before you in chapter four of first John. It's talking about loving one another. And the love of God being in us. We love because he first loved us. Now may I say this, on the ground of that statement, the reason I should love you is because God loved me first. If he loved me, and if he loved me, surely, and he's given me his nature, his divine nature, Christ living in me, then I should love.
And here in the emphasis of our chapter in Corinthians is how to use your gifts. and you find the first three verses Paul bringing out the absolute necessity of love being used no matter how eloquent or great the gift may be let's read the words though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not loved I'm become a sounding brass or a tinkling symbol and may I point out to you what the Apostle says in the opening speaking with the tongues of men, eloquent, inhuman eloquence, and even an angelic utterance.
It makes, wait a minute, but if I have not love for my brothers and sisters, I'm just a big noise, meaning nothing. Literally it means I'm nothing. And then second, he mentions the gift of prophecy, a great gift in the Holy Church, when to a man who God told them his mind and his truth before they had the scriptures written and they taught what God gave them to teach and do I understand all mysteries and all knowledge and do I have and then he emphasizes the great use of faith not for salvation but in demonstration as we saw in chapter twelve of the gift of faith overcoming difficulties and mountains so to speak and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains but if I have not love I'm nothing a big zero oh beloved let me take it to my heart take it to your heart I must come to you in love if there's not love for you as
a child of God and I'm speaking I'm just Putting words into the air. Now green on in verse three. It goes even further to the extreme that you may want to go. Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. And though I give my body even to be burned as a sacrifice for men did that years ago. And yet I do not have love. It prophesied somewhat. Nothing. You take the end of verse one, two and three, and what you have symbolized is this. If there is not love, there is nothing accomplished.
Let me quote the words of Paul in First Corinthians chapter eight, verse one. You may remember them. Knowledge puffeth up. It gives you a big hand. But love edifies. Buildeth up. And so you can say the introduction to the chapter is this, without that surpassing gift of love. No matter what I do in the body, seeking the minister, it's nothing. And Paul wrote it by the divine spirit.
But then as we go on, let's recognize something else from verse four through verse seven. And you have some of the characteristics of love. Detailed more. And may I lovingly say, I know no other better interpretation. If you wanted to do it, you can translate that word loved. Christ. For as you read from verse four through verse seven and even into verse eight, you have the perfections of Christ's own life. In his character, conduct, behavior. And isn't that what he wants to see in us? As we quoted Galatians two-twenty, Paul said, Christ liveth in me.
Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Beloved brother and sister, let me say this faithfully. I'm not to be here ministering God's word just because I want you to know who I am and what I am. God's ever forbid. No. That would be selfish. That would be for self-glory. It would not be for the glory of the Lord Jesus and reveal him. And beloved, may I say faithfully the characteristics of love that were found in the person of Christ.
All you need to do, you can go through Matthew, Mark and Luke and John and read the life of the Lord Jesus. Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. And there you've got your example. And nobody goes on to say. And this, may I say again, apply it to your heart. Let me apply it to my soul too. First of all, love is long-suffering, patiently enduring. It's not what we go through that amounts to anything special is why the how we go through it and why in bearing whatever may cost in long suffering it's one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit if I recall in Galatians chapter five and the fruit of the Spirit love joy peace long suffering what is it it's just the development of the character of Christ And you go further.
And it's kind. Could you ever find a person more kind than the Lord Jesus? You and I should be like him. And then love envy us not. There's no jealousy in love. Please let me stay. Let me stay the fact. I'm not going to tell you who the persons were. But I could name two. nationally known preachers of the past. And both of them were nationally known. One of them was invited to a certain conference down in Florida. And the other, though he had to be in Florida, wasn't invited.
And he got so peeved he left Florida because they invited another preacher. I think it possibly was the case of jealousy. My beloved, please let me say. I think you can find that often amongst even God's servants. And sometimes on the mission field. Many places in the service of love. But that's not love. Love envy is not. And then love borne just not itself. It's not puffed up. Let me again quote, First Corinthians eight, nine.
Though I may have knowledge, but if that's all I have, it puffeth up, but love buildeth up. My beloved may I say, I say this humbly, but I say it from observation and experience through the years that I've been in the service of the Lord. I have noted the ministry of God's servants who ministered in love was more receptive than any other kind of ministry. It may not have been as deep. But the feeling and the knowledge the love of Christ was revealed.
Bless the soul. And so one can... Now, it's the same in your local assembly. Whatever your gift is to do. What God gives you. And may I be reminded again and remind you again. God gives you the gift. You don't get it from the church. You don't get it from any bodies of organization. Do you remember man on the earth or an organization or even a church on the earth that gives gifts to the members of the body? God gives them. And my dear beloved brother and sister in this local assembly, whenever God has given you as a gift, remember he gave it to you and you're responsible to account to him for it.
And someday we'll be appraised at the judgment seat of Christ. So one can well recognize love born to not itself, it is not proper. And then going on, it never is guilty of misconduct. does not behave itself unseemly. My beloved, please may I say, I say this in love, and I say it's knowing it's the truth. In fact, I've witnessed this myself, that a dear brother spoiled his message because of his conduct. It wasn't wicked conduct, but it wasn't good behavior.
It was what the Apostle said here. It does not behave itself unseemly. And then, of course, seeketh not her own. Oh, my beloved, may I say this, I have no business seeking my own personal welfare in the work of the Lord, doing it for my own self. God forbid. Seeketh not her own. Not self-seeking. Meaning, I want a place. No. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus. He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
He that exalted himself shall be abased. One as well said, God's way up is down. Then he shall leave. Must not go up. Would thou be chief? Go down. But go down as far as you will. The highest has been lowest still. There's our example. And love is not easily provoked. Well, I don't know whether you ever heard anyone say, Son, so provoked me. Well, that's an evidence that love's not working.
Not easily provoked. Not quickly provoked. And further that. Think there's no evil. There might be some gossip. But if there can be no evidence given. But there's gossip about it. Love will not think evil upon that. If it cannot. And has not been proved. And instead of rejoicing not in iniquity. But always rejoicing in the truth. And my beloved, may I say this, the joy of knowing when you can enjoy the truth of God, rejoice.
Rejoice. Give you the thought. I know I'm speaking the truth. I know of places where some Christians, they don't go and hear the preacher if they don't like him. Even though he may be one of their fellow believers, they'll stay home. They choose their own preacher they want to hear. It's not the preacher. It's the truth that he should be bringing that they should value. Rejoicing in the truth. And may I say, lovingly, it may be a feeble brother. It may be a young Christian.
But oh, the joy of hearing if that young believer is seeing the minister God's word as it is written in the book. Rejoice in it. Rejoice in it. I think that's a fact. In fact, you'll find it all over the world, all over our country particularly. You'll find men and Christian men and women who have their choice preachers. They're not to rejoice in the preacher, they're not to rejoice in the truth. And then go into verse seven. Bear us all, not some things. All things. Beliebeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
My beloved, I think our endurance oftentimes may be weak, but here you find whatever it is, it's the burden to bear, willing to bear all things. Yes, and how true it can be. many people and many things that we don't like to think about or bear or have any burden about. But here's the one who loves. He believes the best about every saint that he can know. And he hopes the best for every saint. And he endures whatever has to be endured of the saint.
I think I told you the story. Did I not have Robert Chapman last week, when there was a brother came to the assembly from another city, who gave them much pain and distress in his actions. He was not wicked, but he just made trouble. And Brother Chapman made a statement to a visitor who asked him how he got along with his brother. Always been a great blessing. It's kept us on our knees. And one can well recognize the truth of the Lord. Love-bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things. And here's the sum of it in the opening of verse eight.
Love never faileth. Love never faileth. I give you this suggestion. If you feel that you should begin ask forgiveness from someone who rebuked you or provoked you. Could you say before they even ask you, I've already forgiven you? How precious to realize.
And I feel in my own heart. God forbid that I should have any ill feeling to anyone, no matter what they may do to me, that's contrary to their conduct as it should be, and particularly as a believer, yet to have the joy of love never faileth. Love never faileth. My, how we need to realize the most excellent way. the necessity of it in using our gifts. And let me put this thought before you. From my first knowledge that I knew myself, I ever did anything for the Lord when I was first saved.
In the little Sunday school that I attended, that Sunday afternoon, I was asked to play the organ, the old pump organ that they had way back in those days. I can never forget, even now I can feel that, when I sat down and played that little organ for the Sunday school and their songs. And you know all I could see in front of me in the organ? The Lord, oh Lord, Lord, I'm doing something for you. Didn't matter what the Sunday school thought. Didn't have any trouble with that. But then the thought is this. To love never fail us. And may I give you the thought. If Christ is truly and properly before the heart.
Love will be the most excellent way. We will operate. But let's go on and close the chapter. For the chapter closes as we go on. Bringing out at the end the permanency. and the superiority of love. As Paul writes on, but whether there be prophecies, they'll fail. The tongues, they shall see. Are we some of my good friends, Christian friends amongst the charismatic? Knew this verse. They shall see.
And let me give you two examples. from life are two missionaries personally known to me and personally told to me by them. One was a missionary from China, many, many years in China. He attended by way of interest a charismatic meeting and he listened to them speaking in tones and all of a sudden He recognized the language that they were speaking. Nobody else did. And he was Chinese. And he says it was the filthiest language in the Chinese culture.
Another dear brother who's still living, by the way, went to hearing similarly someone speaking in tongues. He went up to the person that had been speaking in tongues. He said, tell me. What language were you speaking in? Oh, he said, I don't know. He said, I know what language you were speaking in. It was African. And you used some of the vilest language in Africa. My beloved, look. You put yourself in the hands of the devil to lead your way away. If that was what the Corinthians were doing, you go to chapter fourteen, and that's what they wanted.
The gift that demonstrated something spectacular. Instead of love. Serving lowly to the glory of the Savior. But here is the apostle saying, whether there be shall be tongue, they shall sing, and whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. Oh, no. We know in part and we prophesy in part. Beloved, we have to confess our knowledge today is part. Yes. We do have to thank God the whole Scriptures now. But that of the... Let me ask you a question. Do you know all your Bible? One day a lady said to me many years ago, she said, Mr.
Grandma, what school did you go to? Oh, I said, Sister, don't talk that way. I'm still in school. I said, if I live to be as old as my future, I'll still be in school when it comes to the Bible. Don't tell me that you know anyone that can exhaust the Bible. Even to the fullest knowledge we may have today is partial. Well, as the Apostle goes on, But then when that is, for when that which is perfect, complete is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. There's two interpretations I know given to that.
I think both of them are as a measure of truth. One is when the word of God is completed, and it is complete as far as that, we have all the complete revelation of truth in the Bible now. It was not when Paul was writing. But also... Better still, I think it goes further to the future. The future. Let me give you a text. Your knowledge of the Lord is going to increase even in heaven. John seventeen in verse three. I'll paraphrase the verse. This is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
And let me paraphrase it. This is eternal life going on and on and on and on and on knowing more about God and Jesus Christ who we have sent. Beloved, please let me say, oh, you know what? I'm sure waiting for that day that will be perfect. And the full revelation complete to go on and on forever knowing more your spiritual, your biblical and your Having the education. Well, you'll never graduate. You'll be going on and on forever. But the Apostle illustrates it at the end.
But when that which is perfectly is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I speak as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a mirror. darkly, dimly, then face to face. Beloved, there's no question in the measure by faith we can then show it. Seeing our Lord face to face now, if we keep him before as we should, but the full revelation Well, I behold him as the hymn writer has certainly written that lovely old hymn, Face to face with Christ my Saviour, face to face the sea and all, with what rapture I'll behold him, Jesus Christ, who loved me so.
And then Revelation chapter twenty-one tells him, We shall see his face. And as John writes in his epistle, And that day we shall be like him, for we shall see him. As it is. To be the full perfection. And in that day, I shall know even as I am fully known by God now. And may I confess, I don't know myself. My family know me better than I know myself. If you don't believe, that's your children, what they think of you.
The youngsters size you up. Others know you better than you know yourself. God's the only one that knows us perfectly in Christ. But in that wonderful day, when we shall be like him, and the joy of knowing, I shall know even as also I am known. And the joy of knowing that knowledge will be perfectly in fact it's going to take the judgment seat of Christ believer for you and me to know just what we are down here like him and whatever quote second Corinthians five ten we shall all appear be manifest before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the reward for the deeds done in the body whether good with a dad.
In that day of appraisal, I'll know, even as I'm known. Can I say that again? I don't know myself perfectly. I believe my wife knows me better. And if you've got a wife, probably the same thing. And children and children. They take notice. Unconsciously. We manifest what we are. And may I give you the thought? It's in the unconscious mind that we often make known what we really are.
Not when we're conscious of what we're saying or doing. But what we do unconsciously. But in that perfect day, I know perfectly. And he closes with that wonderful closing. Now abide us faith, hope, these three. But the greatest of these is love. Now it's just a comment in closing that verse. Faith, hope. There are some, I know one of the best teachers I turn to to look in what he has to say about the scriptures. Teachers that will have faith and hope in heaven. And yet another one whom I admire too.
I gratefully acknowledge. He reminded, and when commenting on this verse, Romans eight, twenty-three, I think, hope that is seen is not hope. And Hebrews chapter twelve, chapter eleven rather, verse one. Faith is the substance of things hopeful, the evidence of things not seen. My beloved, Here's what Paul is emphasizing. Not the greatness of faith, not the greatness of hope, the greatness of love.
And beloved, to think that you and I will be bathing in the ocean of God's love in that glory to come. My, you may sing heartily, and we often do. about the love of the Lord Jesus for us now and rightly so. But will it be in that day? And then it's in that day when we're face to face with Him, our labors and trials are all. And then that glory above will be in the ocean. Let me give you, let me quote the words of another.
Well, one, I didn't mention him by name, but I think of one dear servant of God as help me much. When he made this statement regarding the glory in heaven, he says the love is greater than the glory. Look. Husband and wife. Is it what you possess that makes you love your wife or makes you love your husband? God forbid. The love is to be greater than the glory. And the possessions. Likewise for the children. And to the parents and so on.
Or to one another. And it will be in him. The love there will be greater than the glory. You can sing alright. That will be glory for me. I think of a dear old servant of God. Every time we find him he says. Change the chorus. Sing that will be glory for him. And it will be glory for him. and he's going to share his glory but he's going to share his love there's nothing greater than love let me quote first John I think verse eight that wonderful attribute is God God is love and then verse nineteen we love one another because he first loved us.
Shall we pray? Beloved Father, we confess readily, we have no reason nor any excuse not to love one another as thy people. And we just humbly pray that this precious truth relative to the body and its functions and the use of the gift will energies all, that we may use the more excellent way in serving the Lord in this little assembly, in our Lord Jesus' name, amen. Thank you.