1 Cor 13:11-12

1 Corinthians 13:11–12 “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.”

INTRO:

Context: We saw a really DENSE passage last week & without restating everything from last time, let me just briefly catch you up and explain WHY paul is about to give 3 illustrations for us to study.

ALL Christians HOLD SOME BELIEF about the Kingdom of God. We know now that some time soon - Jesus Christ will return to earth and reign on Earth for 1000 years at the end of that we will enter the eternal state. Where everything is restored to PERFECTION. But Even today other christians hold a different and erroneous view - there are those who think that WE ARE RIGHT NOW in the millenium kingdom and at some unknown time we enter the eternal state. There are also others that think once Christians make the world a better place and get every country to adopt Christian values, that is when Jesus will return and bring the eternal state.

BUT - the Corinthians believed that THEY WERE EXPERIENCING and IN THE FULLNESS OF THE KINGDOM of God RIGHT THEN. They thought they were experiencing the perfection that is only to come in the eternal state. Why? What evidence? - They pointed to the manifestation of spiritual gifts like prophecy, knowledge and tongues. What a mistake - Paul is about to clarify there mistake with 3 illustrations that all emphasize the PARTIAL understanding we have now with the FULL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD we will experience when the PERFECT v.10 comes - when Jesus Christ returns, reigns and then glorifies all of those who have believed in Him and condemns those who have not.

One commentator puts it clearly and shows us how this section connects to paul overarching theme of love in this chapter by stating:

1 Corinthians (3) Love’s Permanence (13:8–13)

if the Corinthians want to truly lay hold of the “perfection” of the future in the here and now, then they must pursue love, for it has genuine abiding value. To say it another way, “the perfect” is the consummation of all things of which love holds a prominent place. When perfection arrives, love will be present but the gifts will not. The true indicator of maturity/spirituality is love, not the exercise of the temporal gifts.

So lets jump into these 3 illustrations that emphasize and motivate us to ANTICIPATE THE DAY WHEN WE KNOW GOD PERFECTLY. and not overemphasize the partial knowledge we have now - through spiritual gifts.

1. The foolishness of this life v.11

1 Corinthians 13:11 “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.”

So Pauls point is clear - childhood refers to the present age where spiritual gifts are need & adulthood refers to when the perfect comes, the end and completion of all things and gifts which main purpose are to glorify God - will not be needed BECAUSE the full glory of God will be present.

Paul does not mean to demean spiritual gifts by calling them childish but means to emphasize the temporal and incomplete nature of gifts in comparison to the fullness of what is to come.

Right now we have a very ELEMENTARY understanding of God. Especially when you are young, maybe a new believer or still questioning if you are a believer. I mean most teenagers are at a stage here they are trying to figure out if they even have a genuine faith AT ALL! I think that should cause a healthy discontentment in your spiritual life. Don’t you want to have not only a SURENESS about your faith BUT a deep and intimate knowledge of our great God?

Don’t you want to walk through life knowing and trusting that God is at work, that He is with you and that He is listening and caring for you? Well you will get a taste of that in this life & predominatly it will come through the gifts of the Spirit - like hearing gifted preaching, like compassion & service. BUT even then - you will still have a childlike reasoning and understanding of God.

BUT when the perfect eternal state comes - you will be DONE with childish thing - you will have no need for those gifts because you will be with God and made perfect.

ILLUS: Sometimes I look at Porter & think - He is clueless. He only knows 3 things about life - it has milk, every 2-3 hours he goes unconcious until he wants more milk, and every once in awhile he has to poop. Thats HIS UNDERSTANDING of life. There is SO MUCH he doesn’t understand & know - who’s the president, what are colors, what tacos taste like

Paul says that there is SO MUCH you and I don’t know - our knowledge of God is tiny - we know the very BASICS for survival - but when He comes back and brings the end of all things we will be brought to FULL MATURITY & completion

APP: So let me ask you - have you (like the corinthians) become content with where you are at? Or even prideful with where you are at?

Well I’m more mature than most teenagers my age

I have WAY more Bible knowledge than other kids - most teenagers aren’t even Christians

Or I’m not in any major sin rn - so I’m solid

Maybe you think “I will dive deeper into theology and scripture when I’m older OR I’ll figure out how God has made me and what He wants me to do with my life when I’m in my 20’s”

WE SHOULD NOT BE CONTENT WITH WHERE WE ARE AT! If Paul says that HIS SPIRITUAL LIFE & UNDERSTANDING IS like a child then we are like a baby in the WOMB & though we won’t be complete until HEAVEN - we should RUN HARD RIGHT NOW to know God more fully! This should motivate us to ANTICIPATE the day when we know God PERFECTLY!

2. The fogginess of this life v.12a

1 Corinthians 13:12 “12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face;

I love this illustration for many reason but specifically because what Paul is doing here is using almost like a cultural example to make a point.

Corinth was KNOWN for their UNIQUE and INCREDIBLE copper and bronze

The ancient historian Josephus even commented on the metals from corinth - he said that “conrinthian brass greatly excledded” beyond the other metals used in the construction of the 2nd temple.

They made mirrors from these metals - that were pretty small, and HIGHLY POLISHED to be reflective. Nothing like the mirrors we have today. Even the greatest mirror back then would reflect you slightly warped, off colored and unclear.

Even in mirrors today things are not perfect - they are reversed, they need proper lighting. You don’t see exactly what is reality in a mirror.

Paul relates that to the experience we have in this life. After being around God’s people, studying His word, having the Holy Spirit ILLUMINE His Word to us - our knowledge of God is indirect, its incomplete, and fuzzy.

But when we are with the Lord - we see Him FACE TO FACE in fullness, exactly how He is.

Paul uses language that most would agree is a reference to the OT book, NUMBERS.

Numbers 12:6 “6 He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream.”

Numbers 12:8 “8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?””

We see Jesus in the word, accounts of what He did in the gospels, descriptions of him in the epistles - even His own words that were recorded. We see a picture of Him in the church - believers functioning together to make up His body.

But thats just a fuzzy picture compared to what we will experience when we see Him FACE TO FACE.

Are you ready to see Him face to face? To see him, to touch him, to be PERFECTLY with him for all eternity and to finally see Him for who He is.

The reason we don’t think about heaven is because we don’t think about Jesus and if you don’t long for heaven then you don’t long for Jesus.

ILLUS: I have find my friends - you know who I check all the time - Brooke because I love her. I want to know where she is and when she is gone, I like to look at how far away she is and how long it will be until she is back because I want to be with her. Texting won’t do, calls won’t do - we want to be together face to face.

I think this is the idea Paul explores - how can you be satisfied with life now - you look on find my friends and see that you are not physically with Jesus Christ - yes He is “with us”, the H.S. indwells us, God is omnipresent BUT Jesus resides in heaven and so we should desire above all else to reside there with Him.

So were invited to check our hearts and consider our desires. It’s passages like this that do not give us a simple application of “I need to delete this or stop this or start this” BUT “I need to evaluate my heart!” If I don’t desire heaven, if I don’t desire Jesus then WHY?

Likely it’s because something or someone has taken first place in your heart

pleasure

relationships

your own ego

Colossians 1:18 “ He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” He must come first in your heart.

3. The fullness of the next life v.12b

1 Corinthians 13:12 “12 now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

It’s pretty incredible when you think about WHO is writing. The apostle Paul - author of the majority of the NT - it’s pretty safe to say there is NOTHING we know about God that Paul didn’t. and He says I KNOW IN PART.

But then - when the perfect comes - I will know fully - that doesn’t mean in Heaven we have ALL KNOWLEDGE - but that in the same DEEP, INTIMATE and relational way God loves us, so we will LOVE and KNOW Him.

This really is the right illustration to land on because of its power.

Ultimately - our main difficulties in this life are rooted in our lack of love for God and others.

But one day we will love and know God like He loves and knows us

1 Corinthians 8:3 “3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.”

Jeremiah 1:5 “5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.””

John 10:14 “14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,”

2 Timothy 2:19 “19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.””

Galatians 4:9 “9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?”

God knows His elect COMPLETLEY, THOROUGGLY, SAVINGLY, & personally.

Though it is clear through some of your lifestyles, word choices, relationships & desires that there are some here who do not know God and unless they accept the offer of forgiveness - God will say to them when they die “depart from me I NEVER KNEW YOU”

The reality for those outside of Christ is they will not be with Him in eternity but they will pay for rejecting Him. But God sent His only son Jesus to pay the price for sin, rise from the dead and ascend to heaven so that ALL WHO trust in Him and repent will not only be saved from Hell BUT enter into a relationship with God. They will KNOW God and be KNOWN by Him.

though imperfectly in this life, PERFECTLY in the next one

CONCLUSION:

So we see now why Paul HAD to use these illustration - the Corinthian church was puffed up. They prioritized spiritual gifts over love for God and His people. So Paul described to them TRUE love with 15 verbs. He then described the permamnence of LOVE contrated with the temporalness of gifts.

Paul uses 3 chapters in this book to discuss spiritual gifts - why would He find it so important? BECAUSE this church was prideful. They BOASTED that some could speak in tongues and prophesy and have special knowledge.

we may not boast in tongues and prophesy BUT we boast in our reputation, our intelligence, our atheletic ability, our looks, our personality, our wealth, our materials, our relationships

We all WANT to boast BUT really we have nothing to boast of because God has given us all that we have.

BUT God does permit us to boast - Jeremiah 9:24 “24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”

IMMEDIATE PRAYER