Most Excellent Way - Pt.1
Be United! Book of First Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 49:20
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Purpose of the church
Purpose of the church
Super glue, bond-o, guerrilla tape, they are known to hold things together. In our passage this morning we are looking at something much stronger.
(insert High priest robes picture here)
Let me start this morning with an illustration if I may. But first a scripture then the illustration
High Priests garments; hem (Exo39:24-26)
24 They made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe. 25 They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe,
26 alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe for the service, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Picture back to 1st century, prior to AD70 and you go into Jerusalem to worship at the temple. You ask about the high priest and you are told in the temple. You ask how do you know that? Well, listen and you will hear the bells ringing inside the holy place.
Commentator Alfred Edersheim commented as well as others that the bells were made in such a way that they rang in harmony with one another.
Paul has been addressing spiritual gifts, many gifts for one body that all are to work in unity. Today our High Priest is alive and well and we can know that when the bells (the spiritual gifts) all work in unison with one another and they will ring in harmony.
The golden bells in Exodus are a typology of the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit that are distributed among the body. People when they see the working of the gifts they should see that they are in harmony with one another, wisdom, knowledge, prophecy, gifts of healing, faith, miracles, tongues and interpretation of tongues. The problem with the Corinthians was they were elevating some and discounting others.
But wait, there is more, on the hem of the High Priests garments between the bells are pomegranates. That meant something to the Jews entering the promised land and to the N.T. church it is a picture of fruit, fruit of the Spirit, which here is love. Love holds all things together, love unifies and love is demonstrated. Without the pomegranates between the bells you would have the clanging, but not the harmony. This was the problem with the Corinthian church lots of bells (gifts) but working independently and not being used for the common good and that is why there were given in the first place.
Purpose of the church defined (Eph4:11-16)
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
To accomplish the purpose of the church
Equipping saints for the work of the ministry (v.12)
For edifying the body (v.12)
unity of faith through knowledge (v.13) oh to the fulness of Christ
So to be rooted and not swayed by every doctrine (v.14)
All so you can speak the truth “in love” (v.15)
And the body can work effectively , by all parts working together (v.16)
(Transition) Paul has been talking about the use of spiritual gifts and how they are for the common good and the problem he is addressing was their attitude about the gifts and it was causing division. He is going to show them they solution to the problem, to the division in our message today and next week.
Love is the most excellent way
Love is the most excellent way
Love is stronger than super-glue, bond-o and guerrilla tape. But without it we leave the door open to divisions within the body.
31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.
The more excellent way: Paul is addressing a more excellent way of using the spiritual gifts given by the Spirit for the common good.
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.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
May you humor me, let me give you another picture, this one from the message.
1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. 3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Question: What does Paul say to do in (12:31)?
Earnestly desire the greater (best) gifts
Question: If we have not love, what is the results (v.3)?
But have not love, it profits nothing.
Thus far Paul has mentioned several ways to practice the more excellent way by
Being willing not to practice your liberties for the sake of others
For husbands to honor their wives and to guide them
To wait for one another and to celebrate the Lord’s supper together regardless of the haves or have nots.
To bring your gifts for the common good.
Maybe it is important for me to expand some about “without love” (v.1-3) for we need to understand love. Love in the English comes from several Greek words.
Storgi - affection love, like you love your animals
Eros - physical love, intimate love, sexual love
Phileo - brotherly love
Those were the words for “love” prior to the N.T. then there was the more excellent way, most excellent and that is
Agape - desire for the best for others, it is unconditional not demanding or expecting in return. It is giving for the sake of giving, doing for the sake of doing (Gal5:22; Mt17:20; Act2:44-45).
The other loves can be known, can be imitated, but Agape love only comes from God through the Spirit (see Gal5:22).
Faith that can move mountains (v.2; Mt17:20) is great, but without agape love it does not add up to a hill of beans.
In (v.3) Paul in general states if I give up everything to help the poor, sold everything for the benefits of others, offer my body as a sacrifice, without love, it means, gets, avails nothing. A good biblical example for this is found in (Act2:44-45)
44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
(Transition) so from the admonition to love to the definition and description of love. Please, again, keep in mind whereas these are great verses for the personal, but Paul is addressing the church and the common good. Love starts individually and impacts the whole.
Definition, description of most excellent way
Definition, description of most excellent way
Everyone likes a good definition and description and Paul lays it out there so the church can see, understand and apply. As we look back may we learn for application today (considering it for the common good)
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,
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.
May we glean from the scripture and I will stop along the way and expand some.
Love is patient (suffers long); love is kind; love is not jealous (does not envy); love does not brag on self (parade self), and love is not arrogant (not puffed up). (v.4)
Love that is patient signified forbearance, slowness to repay evil for evil, or for offences done. Jesus is the most excellent example of this kind of love demonstrated. we can learn from this about loving one another.
Love that is kind works hand in hand with love that is patient. Love that is long-suffering while in the suffering does not cause evil, or offences but practices agape love (give love just to give it).
Love that is not jealous (filled with envy) does not concern self with the possessions or positions of others
Love that does not brag, does not look at self possessions or position. It humbles himself and exalts others.
Love that is not arrogant (puffed up) - this is love that is not overly self-confident and self-reliant but love that gives all glory to God for what have or do not have.
Love does not act unbecomingly (behave rudely); does not seek own (not self-seeking); not provoked; and does not account for wrongs (thinks on evil). (v.5; Lk23:34; Act7:60)
Love does not misbehave even when others do, and love does not seek their own good but for the common good of others. Not provoked to anger, even when wrong things are done to them. Agape love has much mercy and grace following the example of Jesus.
speaking of not accounting for wrongs may we consider a couple of passages?
Look at how Jesus did things:
34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
And then look at how Stephen handled things, much like Jesus example.
60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.
Love does not rejoice in evil, but rejoices in the truth. Love does notwant to see evil done, even to those who do evil. Again this is agape love, wanting the best for others because:
love bears - in other words endures all things
love believes - gives the benefit of the doubt to others
love hopes, and we know our hope is Jesus Christ (1Tim1:1) and that is what we build our hope, and our love on. Hope is confident faith in action even when don’t see it.
hope in marriage illustration (newly married you marry filled with hope of a happy life together, etc.) you build your marriage on hope, love hopes! Love has faith. Love have faith in love for God is love.
Love endures, in some versions it says perseveres; This becomes very evident of the love that dwells in us when we face various trials, or endure trials
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
May we be a people who love through perseverance knowing who Christ is and what He did for us and because of that love we can love one another and the gifts, talents they have to bring to the body.
Love binds us together and thinks not of itself, but of others, of the toes, ears, eyes of each other and strives to work together in unity for the common good.
In closing this morning may I share with you a summary of a statement in a commentary by Jon Courson:
Love Sees!
Love Sees!
Love is not blind, love sees, it sees more so it can see less. Love in you bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love is not blind it sees and overlooks.
Love sees the cross of Christ and the price paid. Because the price that was paid for me, I need to see grace and mercy for others.
Love sees the working of the Holy Spirit in people, convicting, converting, conforming, so I should not be envious but should rejoice with them.
Love sees the promise of the Father lived out through the people because the Son was sent and poured out His Spirit.
Love sees that I do not have to solve every problem or deal with every situation, I can simply bear with, believe in, and hope the best for people because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for them, just as much as He did for me.
Love says “Abide in me and you shall bring forth much fruit.” (Jn15:5; paraphrase)
Love is the most excellent way to unified, unites and binds us together, let us see with eyes of love!
(Prayer) (Exit)