求讓我懂得愛

經文 林前13: 1-13

1 我若能說人間的方言，甚至天使的語言，卻沒有愛，我就成為鳴的鑼、響的鈸一般。 2 我若有先知講道的能力，也明白各樣的奧祕，各樣的知識，而且有齊備的信心，使我能夠移山，卻沒有愛，我就算不了甚麼。 3 我若將所有的財產救濟窮人，又犧牲自己的身體讓人誇讚(1)，卻沒有愛，仍然對我無益。

4 愛是恆久忍耐；又有恩慈；愛是不嫉妒；愛是不自誇，不張狂， 5 不做害羞的事，不求自己的益處，不輕易發怒，不計算人的惡， 6 不喜歡不義，只喜歡真理； 7 凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。

8 愛是永不止息。先知講道之能終必歸於無有；說方言(2)之能終必停止；知識也終必歸於無有。 9 我們現在所知道的有限，先知所講的也有限， 10 等那完全的來到，這有限的必消逝。 11 我作孩子的時候，說話像孩子，心思像孩子，意念像孩子；既長大成人，就把孩子的事丟棄了。 12 我們現在是對著鏡子觀看，模糊不清(3)；到那時，就要面對面了。我如今所認識的有限，到那時就全認識，如同主認識我一樣。

13 如今常存的有信，有望，有愛這三樣，其中最大的是愛。 [1]

Introduction：我不知道什麽是愛

愛是一个非常重要的主题

1. 渴望愛，但卻不懂愛，

2. 接受得自然，一切理所当然。

3. 付出不自然，因為你不完全。

4. 其實我不知道什麽是愛。

在人世间，如果

有一切的物质豐富，但有所有好的东西，只是没有愛，人間可能就是己经是地狱一般。

The theme of Corinthians 13 is Love

Let us pray and ask God for the wisdom to truly understand and truly embrace “Love”

Becoming a people with “Love”

I will divide into two parts: This week and next month

我们不懂得愛

爱的根源

The Bible:

1. Again it is the teaching from Paul to the church of Corinth

2. The church was a new church

甲、A metropolis

乙、Rich

丙、Diversity

丁、Gifted

戊、Many problems

3. Paul needed to correct them, help them grow in Christ

甲、We have talked about communion

乙、We have talked about spiritual gifts

丙、Remember what we discussed

丁、The church was so gifted

i. Actually, individual was gifted

ii. They used their gifts to criticize another.

iii. They want other people to be just like them

iv. They look down on the different kinds

vi. Paul explained the spiritual gifts, belonged to the Holy Spirit

vii. The members were the parts of the same body.

viii. They were to be one and they should serve one another

ix. Paul asked the church to seek for better spiritual gifts

Here in chapter 13,

Paul moved to a new but connected topic

He was talking about spiritual gifts, But he was talking about dueing with church problems

And the solution is Love.

Simple Conclusion:

Chapter 13 is about love, it is the solution to a problematic church with problematic, but rich, also gifted individual.

The solution to the problem of Corinthian church is also the solution to the churches in HK

It is also the solution to us YLCCC.

We too are gifted

We too from many different background

We too have problems

But the goodnews for today the goodnews for us is that we have solution

It is Love.

We all agree that love is important.

But we all have misconception about love

世間的愛

Different kinds of love

1. Desire

甲、I love you if you

乙、Wanted Satisfaction

丙、Always asking for more

丁、People are now asking for more

戊、More salary

己、More free time

庚、More respect

辛、More autonomy

壬、More authority

If you give me what I want, I may love you.

More like a feeling

But with a condition 条件

I love you because

You are my son

You are my friends

You are my church members

This one is similar but a little bit better

如果: unmatched condition, continues adding on

因为: Matched Filfulled condition

Yet conditioned

2. Distorted

Listen to the love song so called. You will be able to see the distortion we are having

Let’s look at those sound more normal

每天爱你多一些

月亮代表我的心

小風波

Long-lasting

Hope

願意付出, Solve problem, face it

《反叛》、梅艷芳《壞女孩》《擋不住的風情》

Distorting, 放縱

從傳統中解放

I want to have freedom, I want What I want

Doubt is that true that Love is forever? Why I can’t find it? Why I am getting hurt?

《現代愛情故事》就有一句談到「現代說永遠已經很傻」

Distorting

在愛中受傷致自虐式的愛和

在愛中受傷致Distorted Love: The third person, killing

CU professor: Murdered his wife

Very very sad story

Disgraceful love

Hopeless, but short-term sensual pleasure

3. Self-centered

From self to self

Conditioned

Even the best of all,

Conclusion、Love is based on a certain kind of conditions

What 13 Corinthian is not able!

This is a message a biblical principle we have to understand

In fact, this is where we need to be transformed.

愛不是這些

三文治結構

超級恩賜 v1-3

愛的真締 v4-8 (Next Month)

超級恩賜 v8-12

[我若] x 3

Actually it was x 5

1 我若能說人間的方言，甚至天使的語言，卻沒有愛，我就成為鳴的鑼、響的鈸一般。 2 我若有先知講道的能力，也明白各樣的奧祕，各樣的知識，而且有齊備的信心，使我能夠移山，卻沒有愛，我就算不了甚麼。 3 我若將所有的財產救濟窮人，又犧牲自己的身體讓人誇讚(1)，卻沒有愛，仍然對我無益。

Verse 1 – verse 3

Comparison

方言，甚至天使的語言 Gift from God

What Corinthian was prideful about

外顯式的恩赐

很易作比较

話語

Noisy

地盤

裝修

Worst than useless

Damaging, 叫人being 煩

先知講道的能力，也明白各樣的奧祕，各樣的知識 Gift from God

先知講道的能力==> 最重要保羅叫人追求的恩赐

Good, important, big

benefit to the people, help people understand, know God’s plan, God’s heart, God’s actions

Reinforce:

Plus 明白各樣的奧祕，各樣的知識

奧祕: 人不知道 Hidden,

Like a great

Theologian

I once took a class at Fuller Seminary

Prof Ray Anderson

Senior Professor

So wise that like Prof. Understand hidden theology

Like a Bible Hebrew Scholar

knowing all the original languages and the hidden meaning that we have to way to understand.

Admirable

Plus 各樣的知識

Not only Biblical,

But lifely, Computer,

Fix all the machines

上至天文，下至地理，生物工程，化学，量子，無不精通

Do you have any friends like that

Knowing everything

Actually, we if we know just one area, we may act like we are super. We may already looking down of other.

覺得自己了不起，看不到也看不起別人, 所謂目中無人,

我估万能博士，我們未必識。目中无人，人人都見過

未完

加上齊備的信心，使我能夠移山

Jesus’ teaching, if we have faith, we can move the mountain.

This is exactly the type of faith that Jesus taught us.

This is exactly the type of faith that Jesus 讃好

I preached a series, not finished, but I preached a series about “prayer that changed the heaven”

This is exactly the type of person and the type of prayer, the type of faith

This 13:2 is actually very very amazing

What kind of a person?

How great is this person?

How wonderful?

How big is such gift?

Paul was painting a person, who is beyond everyone else

No one is as great as this guy

except Jesus

Maybe except Paul himself

I believe this is actually Paul

Paul was saying even if someone as great as I , if he has no love, he is still nothing.

We may be thinking or pursuing to becoming a great guy like 13:2

Actually our dream maybe far below 13:2

But we missed the most important part

13:2 is not saying

the spiritual gifts are useless

not saying knowledge is bad

not saying great faith is not good

13:2 is saying beyond these wonderful wondeful thing

there is something essential

What is that

This essential Christian Character is Love

If anyone even as great as Paul himself, or even greater than Paul, if he is lacking of “love”, he is nothing.

He is of no value

All the gifts are actually useless without love.

Attitude toward God and other people

This is the root of humanity

我若將所有的財產救濟窮人，又犧牲自己的身體讓人誇讚(1)，卻沒有愛，仍然對我無益。

財產救濟窮人 Offering

All 所有的財產

How much possession you have?

Let’s think think, I am not asking you to do so. This is not the teaching here, But let’s think and enter into the passage

How many possession you have? You dont need to say it out. Think about your saving and your apartment, your jewery

Think what if you donate every items to God to the poor people

This is actually not easy

But this 13:3 person can

Do you think he worth to be remembered?

Like all of those great 慈善家

Again, Plus

Not only donate everything

But also his own body

正所谓身体力行, 不只是比錢, 去到窮人之中捨身

Paul was here painting a person of great great virtue

What if he is just lacking one little thing called “love”

He is not doing any good to the people

Three verse:

5 great great attributes

Using your talents and ability to serve God and people

Having great quality Faith which may please God

Using your possession for God

Doing the best you can for other

今天是一位 能人所不能的

超級聖經學者

能行神跡的

大慈善家

為別人受傷

是騷擾人的

是無用的

是多餘的

所追求的只是愛的影兒

先知講道之能終必歸於無有；說方言(2)之能終必停止；知識也終必歸於無有。 9 我們現在所知道的有限，先知所講的也有限， 10 等那完全的來到，這有限的必消逝。 11 我作孩子的時候，說話像孩子，心思像孩子，意念像孩子；既長大成人，就把孩子的事丟棄了。 12 我們現在是對著鏡子觀看，模糊不清(3)；到那時，就要面對面了。我如今所認識的有限，到那時就全認識，如同主認識我一樣。

三文治結構

超級恩賜 v1-3

愛的真締 v4-8

超級恩賜 v8-12

先知講道之能終必歸於無有

說方言(2)之能終必停止

知識也終必歸於無有。

Paul was not saying these are no good.

But Paul want us to understand the deeper life changing elements.

我們現在所知道的有限，先知所講的也有限， 10 等那完全的來到，這有限的必消逝。

Limitation of that so called super spiritual gifts

Limitation of the physical things

Indeed we are so limited.

Only you think you know a lot, but in fact we are so limited

Our biblical knowledge even like a Professor, but we are so limited.

In fact all things will be gone

These are not eternal

What kinds of things are eternal?

Please spend a few seconds to think

What are eternal?

Are you investing in the eternity?

Are you pursuing something have weight and values in eternity?

God is eternal

Love is eternal

Life is eternal

11 我作孩子的時候，說話像孩子，心思像孩子，意念像孩子；既長大成人，就把孩子的事丟棄了。 12 我們現在是對著鏡子觀看，模糊不清(3)；到那時，就要面對面了。我如今所認識的有限，到那時就全認識，如同主認識我一樣。

Let us put the Bible into context, back to the context

It is the church context

Paul was talking to the Corinthian church

that church is so gifted

So blessed

Yet so much troubles

So much human issues

So much pride

Having the spiritual gifts, being blessed, believeing he/she is great

and looking down on other

criticizing other

Same in HK churches

HK churches

we want worthy

we want knowledge

we want spiritual special knowledge

we want our name to be great

we think we are blessed and doing ok

but we dont know “love”

especially in 2020/2021

we have to repent

We need to look at the mirror and say

Oh I missed the whole point

Join me in a prayer 求譲我懂得愛

Our lives will be different

our perspectives will be different

People surrounding us will be transformed