Love-Part 3

1 Corinthians 13:8–13 NIV

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is 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.

There are many things we do that are temporary

The bible compares us to children.

this isn’t immediately a bad thing. We’re called to accept the kingdom like children.

This just means - we need to realize that there are many, many things we have here and now that incredibly temporary

And one day, we’ll grow out of them.

STORY - kids fighting over imaginary things

There’s a couple things that you pay attention for in children to see if they’re maturing

Maturity means seeing past the ‘immediate now’ towards the ‘better future’

STORY - Jesus tells the disciples about some of the troubles awaiting them. How the world will hate them, they will be put out, people will even think killing them is a gift to God

John 16:33 NIV

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus says - any focus on this side of eternity needs to end with ‘but eventually, God wins. so it’s all good’.

And this is meant to give us peace.

In the same way, paul reminds us - all these temporary expressions right now will fade. And eventually - love remains.

and that is meant to give us peace.

But like children, sometimes, we still fight and fuss and focus on that right now.

Maturity means picking ‘what is good in God’s eyes’ over ‘what is pleasurable or profitable in our eyes’

Paul says in 1 corinthians 12, God IS giving out gifts. He’s distributing them generously and liberally through the body. So this isn’t a ‘gifts vs love’ conversation.

One of the most common kinds of fight in children is this - ‘IT’S MIIIINNEEEEEE’.

Greed, envy, love of things, pride.

We constantly remind our kids. Your family is more important than your stuff. One day, your toys will be gone, and all you’ll have left is your family. So cherish them.

We may be tempted one day to stand on those gifts that God gave us and try and use them to make us more important than other people. To weaponize the whole process to determine who is good, who is accepted, and who isn’t.

And Paul says - one day, those gifts will all be gone. But you will have love, and god, and your fellow believers. So cherish them.

One day, things will be much different - but love will still be key

It’s crazy to think that one day, all these big flashy spiritual gifts will simply… pass away.

This is our concept of spirituality here. Tongues, and prophesies, and healings, and miracles.

But paul says, ‘we only see a reflection as in a mirror’. Some translates say ‘we see but through a glass darkly’.

What use is prophesy - God speaking through a person to the church - if God is literally standing right there?

What use is trying to study and learn and understand, when God will fill all of us fully and completely, and he will complete us , just as he did in the garden?

When it comes to healing, I remind people who have faith in God - God WILL heal you. No matter what. We’re just trying to figure out if it’s here and now, or there and then.

And isn’t then and there SO much better?

Prophesy is great. But you know what’s better? Hearing it directly from God, face to face. Tongues is awesome, but you know what’s better? Being fully present and immersed in the Spirit in a fullness that we can’t possibly experience on this side of eternity.

And in all the greatness of then and there, we WILL still take a few things with us from here. Faith, Hope, and Love. But God reminds us - love is still the greatest one.

At the greatest point of our lives, the greatest thing we can have is love. So what will you focus on today?

We can start by loving God.

1 John 4:15–17 NIV

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

Then we move onto loving other people.

1 John 4:19–20 NIV

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

Absolutely everything else that we need in this life, and the one to come, starts there.