Pilgrim, Give Thanks! Psalm 84

Hey Pilgrim, Give Thanks!

(or, “Being Thankful in a Fallen World”)

Psalm 84

Introduction: This week we had another opportunity to be down in NJ for a family birthday, our granddaughter Arden’s third. We tried our best to spoil the kids in a week, but our daughter and son-in-law are doing a great job, we couldn’t do much damage!  One cute thing we noticed was when the family is about to share a meal together. The one year old is strapped into his high chair, arms flailing around, happy and excited, and then Ian announces, “OK, let’s thank God!” Immediately, Hunter, one year old, clasps his hands and bows his head, looking up at everyone. I don’t think he knows what they are doing, but he’s figured out this has to happen before they eat!  I remember the story of a family that was gathered around the table for Thanksgiving dinner, when the dad asked his young son if he would give thanks for the meal. The boy eyed ever dish on the table and then bowed his head and prayed, “Lord, I don’t like the looks of it, but I thank you for it, and I’ll eat it anyway!” Do you ever feel that way? You are not sure what to make of circumstances in your life, you may not “like the looks of it,” but you choose to be thankful because you know the One who has set the table? God is good, and he does good, and He gives good things to his own. Somehow, he even causes the hard things and the difficult things to “work together for good” to those who love God, to those who are the called, according to His purpose.   

       At Thanksgiving we often think back to the Pilgrim fathers at Plymouth giving thanks for their first harvest in 1621. “Pilgrim” can refer to a foreigner, someone traveling in a land that is not his own. That is true of us, since we are called citizens of heaven (see Philippians 3:20). It can also refer to someone traveling to a cherished destination out of religious devotion. I often use the story at burials of a little girl who was seen skipping through a cemetery at dusk. Someone asked her, “Aren’t you afraid of this place?” She answered, “Oh no, my house is just over there, on the other side of the trees. I just pass through here on my way home!” We are pilgrims! We are just passing through, looking homeward.

The Maine Idea: Give thanks! Until we are home in His presence we can know that He is with us and will give us strength for the journey.

I. Give thanks for the Presence of the Lord (1-4)!

To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts!  ² My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  ³ Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young -- Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.  ⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah.

We long for home, because that is where our Father is present (1,2)! 

     The psalmist talks about the tabernacle, and the house of God, his longing for the courts of the Lord (1,2). Do you feel that way about coming together with God’s people?  Do you come expecting to meet with God and to be blessed as we join together in worship? Maybe if we aren’t part of the reason is that we can start to take things for granted instead of being grateful for the privilege we have to meet together, in the name of Jesus, without fear. It is not so everywhere and it may not always be so here. It wasn’t for a generation for the underground churches in China that met in homes, under threats from the authorities. But they gathered with joy, and thanksgiving, because they understood the God of all creation was in their midst.

       Before the Fall, God was present with the first humans in Eden. He walked with them in the garden, He spoke to them face to face. No sin, no separation, no shame or guilt. Love. Joy. Peace. It is for that, that we were created! And then sin entered the picture, and a dark cloud separated humankind from God. By grace, God didn’t forget us, He reached down, and continued to speak, to give hope, and to promise that a day would come when humans could again walk with God. Because of Jesus we have the promise of His presence here and now.

            Hints about the future are revealed in the “House of God” motif that runs through the Bible. Jacob was running for his life from his own brother when he laid his head on a rock in Genesis 28, and had a vision of a ladder going to heaven, with God’s angels ascending and descending, and the Lord himself stood above the ladder and spoke, reiterating the promises made to Abraham. There was hope in that vision, the gap between fallen humans and God was not insurmountable. Jacob called that place Bethel when he awoke, literally, “House of God.”

            God’s promises were reiterated by Jacob to his sons, and finally one descendant, Moses, would lead the people out of Egypt, back toward the land. The Tabernacle in the wilderness was the place of God’s presence in the midst of the camp. It was called the “dwelling place,” where God was present, “the tent of meeting,” a place where the priests would offer sacrifices for the people, and it was the “holy place” because of the One who sanctified it by His presence.

            It would be over 400 years before the Temple would be built by Solomon in Jerusalem. It was the place where God chose for His name to dwell, a place for offering and for worship. But all of those sacrifices, and the building itself, only were shadows of what God would do in the fullness of time.  [By the way, over the next month, a period we call Advent, we will focus on some of the promises that were made of a deliverer, a messiah].

            In the fullness of time he came: Jesus, Emmanuel.  John makes the connection with the “house of God” and the coming of the messiah when he said in his first chapter, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...” (Jn 1:14). The word translated “dwelt,” is used only by John in the New Testament, this is the only place in his gospel (it also appears four times in Revelation).  It is the verbal form of the root that describes the “Tabernacle” in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was in common use in John’s day). The final use of the word in Revelation points ahead to a culmination of the theme:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God... (Rev 21:3).

       Until that day, the Church is described as God’s “temple.” Remember I Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” The church, the people, not the building, God’s temple?  Yes, according to Paul! 

       What makes home, home?  As missionaries and in pastoral ministry, we have learned that it is where we are, as a family. Here the psalmist doesn’t merely long for God’s courts as a place he’d like to visit, he longs for God’s presence. We long for heaven and home because that is where our Father is present!

The nesting birds (v.3) – God cares even for the sparrows...  God’s common grace underscores the greatness of His saving grace... If God cares for even birds, how much more does the Master love us who were created in His image! Remember the words of the song, “Why should I be discouraged? Why should the sorrows come? Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home... [and the chorus] ...His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!” Jesus is my portion, my constant friend. He is with us and in us if we know Him. That is a promise.

       N.B. vv.4,5, God’s blessing comes to those who dwell in His presence, to those who praise Him with their whole hearts! Give thanks! If His eye is even on the sparrows, we can know that until we are home in His presence He is with us and will give us strength for the journey!

II. Be thankful for strength on the journey (5-8)!

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.  ⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.  ⁷ They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.  ⁸ O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah.

       God gives us the strength to live with joy on the journey. My personal “mission” is “To know God intimately, to love Him passionately, and to serve Him joyfully as a part of His church, and to use my S.H.A.P.E. [spiritual gifts, heart’s desire, abilities, personality, and experiences; i.e. the person God has made me to be] to help others grow as his disciples.”  Joyful service is a key part of that. With Jesus, there is joy on the journey. “Pilgrimage” here is not simply living as a ­­foreigner in a strange land – it implies a journey, movement toward “home.” If our heart is set on home, we can be happy, even in the midst of hardship. Remember the words of John in 1 John 2:15-17,  

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  ¹⁶ For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world.  ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

The more we are in love with God, the more we long for His presence above all else and trust in His Word, the more we’ll avoid the entrapments and idols of this present age. None of it will last.

Even in the hard times we can find refreshment and life in His presence (6). The Valley of Baca was a place of tears and weeping. You’ve heard the expression that describes our life in the world as a “vale of tears.” I was surprised to learn that that expression probably comes from the Latin translation of this verse, “The Valley of Tears.” Some sources believe it refers to an arid valley the pilgrims would pass through on their way to the Feasts in Jerusalem. We live in a fallen world, and all the consequences of the fall – “thorns and thistles,” evil, sin, sickness, and death – surround us every day and every way. We are truly passing through the Valley of Baca. My heart breaks when I think of the sickness and suffering, the violence and the evil that so many experience and struggle with. We are passing through this “Vale of tears,” but we can make a well, we can uncover a spring of living water, even in the midst of suffering.  Jesus said in John 16:20,  

²⁰ “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.”

He was speaking in the context of His impending passion, and the pain that would bring to His disciples, and the resurrection, which would bring unspeakable joy. But it seems to me, as He was preparing them to live in this fallen world without His physical presence, He was also speaking about the tribulation through which His disciples would pass, and the assurance that one day they would overcome (see John 16:33). The idea is not unique to the New Testament.  The Psalmist said in Psalm 30:5,  

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!”

That promise gives hope, and it gives us reason to be thankful, even if we are passing through a valley. Remember the Sunday School series we had on the question of suffering, by Max Lucado? There are still some bookmarks with the “Maine Idea” on the book table (I have one in my Bible),

“You will get through this.  It won’t be painless. It won’t be quick. But God will use this mess for good. In the meantime, don’t be foolish or naïve. But don’t despair either. With God’s help, you will get through this.”    

       Though we pass through valleys, God strengthens and matures us on the way (7)! That is part of the “good” that God will do during our times of trial. That is no guarantee that we will always experience healing or justice or prosperity in this life. We may when it serves God’s purpose and brings Him the greatest glory. But the future He has in store for us is a sure thing, and it is better than we could possibly imagine. As Paul said, “The suffering of this present age is not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us...” (Rom 8:18).

We have the privilege of praying to the Lord of all creation (8).  The psalmist looks up, in the midst of his crisis he cries out to Yahweh, the Divine Warrior, the King of Creation who knows us and defends us and promises to keep us. God is our strength. We can do all things through Him who strengthens us. So give thanks! Until we are home in His presence He is with us and will give us strength for the journey.

III.  Be grateful for our security in Christ (9-12)!

⁹ O God, behold our shield, And look upon the face of Your anointed.  ¹⁰ For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  ¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.  ¹² O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

       We stand before God not naked and afraid, with our sin and guilt exposed, but clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. Clean. Forgiven! He is our mediator, He is our shield, our righteousness. “Oh God, behold our shield! Look on the face of your anointed!” (Ps 84:9). We come boldly into his presence because of His amazing grace.  We are His. The world loses its attractiveness the more we look at Jesus. It’s all passing away. Home is where we are going, it is what we have been longing for all of our lives, even though we didn’t know it. Just standing at the door of God’s house is better than living in mansions for the few years of our pilgrimage.

       He is our shield (v.9,11). The metaphor is obvious, he protects us when we are under attack. He fends off the fiery darts of the Evil One. The psalmist could reflect on those moments when he experienced the protection of God. Think about the image of Satan, as a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. He is a powerful creature. He is an expert on our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. But greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world!

       He is a sun (11). Light exposes what is hidden in darkness, in the context it would seem to be for our benefit, so that we can see what is sin, what we need to repent of. He is also a lamp to our feet, a light to our path. He shows the way. The Israelites were led by the pillar of fire in the wilderness. He still leads his people.

       Look upon the face of your anointed (messiah)! When God looks at us, what does He see?  In terms of our righteousness, if we have trusted in Christ, He sees Jesus. Not that we are righteous practically. Rather, the righteousness of Christ has been reckoned to our account. He took our sin, we received His righteousness. Because that is true we can find joy on the journey!

What is God saying to me in this passage?  Sometimes, we might look around at all the dishes on the table and feel like, “I don’t like the looks of this!” But think of the love of the One who set the table. We have reason to be grateful: He is present with us, He gives us strength for the journey, and He will keep us, we are secure in His arms if we know Him. Give thanks! Until we are home in His presence He is with us and will give us what we need to live as pilgrims in a fallen world.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?  Holidays can be a time of celebration, but they can also be a time when people struggle with loneliness, regrets, and even depression. You might look at this psalm and think, “I am in the valley, that is for sure!” Notice that the psalmist is not a slave of his circumstances. He doesn’t just look for an oasis, but rather even in the Valley of Baca, he makes a well.  He starts digging, in faith, knowing that he’ll find water.

       Remember Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4? She came out to a well in the heat of the day, probably because of her reputation and in order to avoid confrontations. It was a divine appointment. Jesus turned the discussion about water into a discussion about quenching the deepest longing of her soul. The point is He knows us, He knows our circumstances, He knows our need, and we can trust Him to meet us at the point of our need. Whatever you are facing, if you know Him, you are not alone. Will you trust Him? “Blessed are all who put their trust in Him...”  We can be thankful regardless of our circumstances because we are His. Thankfulness should be our heart attitude, not something we express once a year on a third Thursday in November. If you know Him, if you have experienced His grace and mercy, you have reason to be thankful!    Think about that, AMEN.

Spiritual Gifts, Part 8: BUILDING THE CHURCH!

Spiritual Gifts, Part 8: BUILDING THE CHURCH!

I Corinthians 14:26-40

Introduction:  We have a lot of guys in the building trades in our church, so let me ask a question: Can you imagine turning a group of builders loose on a piece of property with a pile of building materials in the middle, and then tell them to go ahead and build something, but with no plan or design?  Unless they got together, and came up with a plan, chaos would reign! We might have all the skills necessary to build a mansion, we might have every tool known to the building trades, but if we don’t get together and submit to the architect’s design, we’ll be working hard, doing our own thing, and for all our effort, we’d be out of the Master’s will. Way back in I Corinthians 1:7 Paul told the Corinthians that "...you lack no spiritual gift..." He then reflected on the “building” he did in Corinth back in chapter 3:10-13 when he said,  

¹⁰ According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.  ¹¹ For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  ¹² Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-  ¹³ each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

Remember what the writer to the Hebrews said of Abraham as he went out in obedience to God: “For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer [architect!] and builder is God...” (Heb 11:10).  If you have gotten something out of these last few weeks in I Corinthians 12-14, I hope it is that Jesus is the head of the church, and each of us who know Him are a member, gifted and called to serve Him by serving others. He is the master builder and the architect, and he uses us if we allow Him as he builds his church.  For this study, I took two phrases related to the call to discipleship from the gospels to guide us through this final section of I Corinthians 14.  One from the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus made by John the Baptist. The other from Jesus’ own prayer to the Father in Gethsemane, as the crushing burden of what was about to come down on his shoulders was beginning to weigh on Him. Together these statements capture the heart of this passage and expose what was missing in the heart of the Corinthians...

       I. John the Baptist, when told about the expanding ministry of Jesus and His disciples said, “He must increase, I must decrease...”

      II. Jesus, praying to the Father in the Garden, sweating great drops of blood as He prayed, said, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Your will be done...”

I believe these two statements can lead us through this final section of I Corinthians 14.

The Maine Idea: God has designed the church and has gifted its members to serve Him, in an orderly way, as we serve each other and build each other up and carry out His mission in the world. 

I. He must increase, [we] must decrease!  That is the attitude of a disciple. Hudson Taylor, a pioneer missionary and founder of China Inland Mission, was once introduced in very glowing terms by a pastor when he was to get up and speak. Several times the minister used the word “great” as he was talking about the missionary and his work. Finally when he got to the pulpit and said, “My friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.” John the Baptist understood that, “He must increase, I must decrease.”  Spiritual gifts equip us for service, to build others up and to point them to Jesus. Think about it, spiritual gifts are never about putting the spotlight on me. They are about helping others to walk in the light, in order that they might grow as His disciples. As we mature we bear fruit that brings him glory, so ultimately, they turn the light on Jesus. To God be the glory!

²⁶ What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.  ²⁷ If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.  ²⁸ But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.  ²⁹ Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.  ³⁰ If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent.  ³¹ For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,  ³² and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.  ³³ For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

It takes order to build each other up (26-28)!  Remember the poem I cited a few weeks back, “All I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten”?  Here we go again! One at a time, take turns! Let others use their gifts, when it’s your turn, use yours!  If our attitude is to serve, and not to be in the limelight, that gets easier!

“...What then, brothers?” Paul is drawing his corrective teaching about gifts to a conclusion and asks, “What is the point I am trying to make?” “What does all this mean?”  He’s talked about the body, unity in diversity, Christ as the head and the church as the body, every member important to the whole. He established love as the guiding principle for “body life.” How does it work out in our experience? As has been the emphasis in these chapters, he points to the coming together of the church, our corporate times of worship.

“...When you come together...” And notice there is no “if” in that phrase. For all of their problems, the Corinthians knew there was value in coming together as the church. They had their problems (this letter is full of them!) but they got this part right. Just a phrase, but a reminder to us of the gist of this whole section of I Corinthians, it’s the expectation, the presupposition, the norm, for believers in Christ. That is, we gather together regularly for worship, mutual edification, and being equipped. How else could we have opportunity to use our gifts for the benefit of “one another...”? Not me as an island, not me as a one man show, not even me locked in my prayer closet alone exclusively (though that had better be an aspect of my personal devotion!). We were made for community and we were gifted for the good of others. If we don’t avail ourselves of opportunities to come together we are robbing others of our encouragement, and we are being robbed of theirs. Remember the words of the writer to the Hebrews,

“²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,  ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near...” (Hebrews 10:24,25).

“...Let all things be done for building up...” Notice that Paul doesn’t say, “Let pastors take seriously the responsibility to edify...” He is talking about spiritual gifts, and he says “let all things be done for edification.” The late D. James Kennedy, the founder of the Evangelism Explosion ministry, used to say that Satan’s greatest victory was convincing the church that “ministry” and the “mission” of the church was the work of the few, the professionals. The New Testament pictures the church mobilized, encouraging and building each other up, and going out into the world as His witnesses. This is the idea Paul expressed in Ephesian 4:11-15,

¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up 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 mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,  ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ...

The pastors and teachers equip the saints for ministry. The saints are equipped for ministry that results in the building up of the body. The goal is that we grow up, we mature into what Christ wants us to be.

For that to happen as God has planned it, we need to follow His plan. We can’t just “do our own thing.”  We need to let order reign for the sake of the brethren!  Instruction and encouragement require order (29-33a).

“...so that all may learn...” The verb here is related to the noun “disciple.” A disciple is a learner, one who receives the master’s teaching and takes it to heart. The great commission was an order to make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them. God has spoken, He has revealed His truth. His word is an infallible guidebook, and authoritative word on how we should live. Order is necessary in the church so that we can learn, so that we can receive the truth.

“...and be encouraged...” Ultimately the Holy Spirit is called our “comforter,” our parkletos, our encourager.  Remember in Acts, the disciples gave Barnabas his name, “son of encouragement.” It was what characterized him to such a degree that that is what they called him!  Are you a Barnabas?  The “tongue” can be used a lot of ways, it can build up and it can tear down. Be an encourager! God uses his Word, shared by His people, to give encouragement and comfort in times of need.

“...for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace...”  God is not a God of confusion, but of peace!  Remember the creation story, the earth was formless and void, and darkness prevailed. God called order out of chaos. He spoke creation into existence. And it was good. God has a plan. He has designed the church and has gifted its members to serve Him, in an orderly way, as we serve each other and build each other up and carry out His mission in the world.

 

II. Not my will, but Your will be done! Our will must be in submission to His Word. As Jesus prayed, knowing that His passion was about to begin, mocking, scourging, and the cross, He asked if the cup of suffering might be avoided, He knew what was coming. Yet He prayed, “...not my will, but your will be done.” Remember, God in his sovereignty gives gifts as He wills. And Jesus is building His church.

As in all the churches of the saints,  ³⁴ the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.  ³⁵ If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.  ³⁶ Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?  ³⁷ If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.  ³⁸ If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.  ³⁹ So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.  ⁴⁰ But all things should be done decently and in order. 

Families Need God’s Order (33b-35). Remember, this is a letter, addressing a particular situation! The Corinthians had written to Paul and asked some questions (see 7:1; 12:1) and Paul has been addressing the issue of spiritual gifts for three chapters. We don’t know exactly what the question was. Paul is tying together something related to the complementary roles of men and women in the body which he touched on back in I Corinthians 11, along with the issue of the use of our spiritual gifts in the assembly.

o   What Paul isn’t saying... He surely wouldn’t be contradicting what he just said in I Corinthians 11:5,13, where it is assumed that women could speak in the proper context, respecting the authorities that God has established. I don’t believe that we are violating the spirit of these Scriptures when women pray or read Scripture or share a testimony in the church service. It seems to me that Paul is responding to a specific historical situation in which he knew the details of some abuse of speaking out in the church service by some women in Corinth. They knew exactly what and who he was referring to! In the light of Paul’s broader teaching it seems to me he is a “complementary egalitarian.” He recognizes the spiritual equality of every believer in Jesus (“...there is neither male nor female...”) in terms of our gifting and our standing before God (Gal 3:28), yet he also affirms that God has restricted the role of elder/pastor to men (I Cor 11; I Tim 2:12-14, etc.).  So it is expected that women will use their gifts in the context of the church, but not in the sense of “teaching or having authority over men.”

o   What he is saying... I believe he must be addressing a specific situation (like the issue of the gift of tongues being abused in Corinth) in which some of the Corinthian women were speaking out in a disruptive or disrespectful way in the worship services. Maybe, in the context, speaking out in the evaluation of the prophetic message? It seems this was disrupting the worship and dishonoring God. It may be they were not respecting God’s plan in delegating the role of pastor/elder to men.  I don’t think we want to push this any further given our limited understanding of the context. Whether or not we understand the “why” we need to recognize the gist of the words, and recognize that God’s plan is best. Our attitude should be to echo the prayer of Jesus to the Father, “nevertheless, not my will, but you’re your will be done.”  That is the point in the final verses...

Submission to God’s Word brings order (36-40). Whatever your gift, let’s agree that the Word is our final authority.  Focus for a moment on verse 37, “If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.” Paul is writing as an apostle, one sent with the authority to speak the word of Christ. It is not just his ideas or suggestions, it is God’s word that he is bringing. The Corinthians were divided over the marks or the signs of spirituality. Paul says, listen, you think you are spiritual? Hear and obey the Word of Christ.

What is God saying to me in this passage? He must increase, we must decrease. Not my will, but His will be done. Those two phrases can bring order and direction to the church! God has designed the church and has gifted its members to serve Him, in an orderly way, as we serve each other and build each other up and carry out His mission in the world. 

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? As we conclude these chapters on spiritual gifts I hope you are encouraged to find your place in God’s church, and determined to love the Giver, and to use all that he has made you and given you for His glory. Remember, that includes loving one another, because we can’t say that we love God who we have not seen if we don’t love our brothers and sisters who we do see! I see the love and concern many of you have for one another. I love the way you stay after the service, fellowshipping and talking together. How the sick have meals brought to them, and receive calls, and cards of encouragement. I love the passionate prayer on Wednesday nights and Tuesday mornings when we come together to lift each other up. I love the time people put in to the ministries in the church, like Sunday School, and WOL Olympians, and the teen ministry, small group meetings and community involvement. Let’s commit together to seek opportunities in our close “sphere of influence,” each of us considering our ministry to our 8/15, those 8 to 15 people around us, in our sphere of influence. Praying for them, and sharing the Good News with those who are willing to hear.  Think about that.   Amen.

Spiritual Gifts, Part 7: Body Building! I Corinthians 14:1-25

“Spiritual Gifts, Part 7: Body Building”

I Corinthians 14:1-25

Introduction: Hunting season is just started, and I am reminded of the story of a couple of guys from the city who decided they would take up hunting. Before the opening day of pheasant season they went out and bought a bird dog since they were told it would make for more enjoyable and profitable hunting. Opening day they woke up bright and early. They hunted all day, but as dusk began to settle they hadn’t fired a single shot. The hunters were exhausted and frustrated over the performance of their bird dog. Finally one said, “OK Joe, throw him up one more time, if doesn’t fly this time, I’m going to shoot him!” They must have been from NJ right?!

       In most activities tools and techniques have to be used properly if we are going to benefit from them. Proper technique is important to avoid injury and to get maximum benefit from physical training.  What is true of bodily exercise is also true in the exercise of our spiritual gifts. God has gifted us for the good of others, for the building up of the body.  At certain points in history some manifestations of the Spirit had the effect of validating the authority of the apostles to speak the Word of Christ (see Acts 2:1-4,16-21; 3:12; 14:3).  The apostles were saying “This is that... Jesus is the promised One, the Messiah we have been waiting for!” In the more general terms, Paul and Peter both teach that gifts were given for edifying the church and equipping believers to carry out our mission in the world. We should make sure that our motives are right and our gifts are focused on benefiting others!

Context: This week, in our seventh week of looking at Paul’s teaching on “Spiritual gifts,” we will be taking a relatively large section, but only looking in detail at a few key words and verses in the section. Remember in 12:1 Paul began, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, I do not want you to be ignorant brethren...” He is addressing an issue that the Corinthians had asked about, and he is teaching them, giving them fuller and more correct knowledge than they had before.  We really need to take chapters 12-14 together, as Paul’s answer to their question and need.

The “Maine” Idea: Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel!

I. Gifts are intended for building the body (1-5).

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.  ² For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.  ³ On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.  ⁴ The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.  ⁵ Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

       Pursue love...  Paul is recapping with this phrase his point in the preceding chapter.  The Corinthians were enamored with “gifts,” especially those that they deemed “greater.”  Paul told them and is telling them again that they were missing the foundation they needed in order to use the gifts God had given in accordance with His will. The word “pursue” here is the same word that Jesus used of Paul’s persecution of the church (Acts 9) and which Paul uses in his own testimony to describe his zealous pursuit of the Christ followers (Acts 22,26).  The word implies intentionality, persistence, and effort.  Don’t wait for love to just “happen,” go after it!  Paul is saying here, that the first “pursuit” of the Corinthians should not be the gifts of the Giver, but the Giver himself. Jesus said the first and greatest commandment was to love God with you whole heart, and the second was like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. The Corinthians had neglected that indispensable foundation. Let me ask a question: Why do we teach the Bible in our church?  Not just so we can learn “truth” and “sound doctrine” in some abstract sense. Our desire is that we would be growing in our knowledge of God. And to know Him is to love Him.

       Notice in vv.3 -5 that Paul values the edifying effect of spiritual gifts...

³ ...the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation... the one who prophesies builds up the church... The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

 The measure that seems most important to him is not how flashy or impressive a gift is, but rather what is the effect that it has on others? Love causes us to get our eyes off of ourselves, and to set our focus on others.  It’s not about me, it’s about God, and His glory. When it comes to “body life” we need to embrace the J.O.Y. principle: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last! Our focus should be on using our gifts for the benefit of others. That is the model we see in Ephesians 4:7-16,

⁷ But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.  ⁸ Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." ⁹ (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?  ¹⁰ He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)  ¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up 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 mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,  ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Do you see the “one another” aspect of spiritual gifts? It is not to exalt myself or anyone else for the gifts they have, but rather to build each other up, so that we can be mature and equipped to better carry out our mission. Notice the last phrase in the Ephesians passage, when each one is doing his part, in love, the body matures and is built up. That is God’s plan! It brings glory to God. Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel!

II. Improper Exercise of spiritual gifts can’t build the body (6-12).

⁶ Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?  ⁷ If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?  ⁸ And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?  ⁹ So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air.  ¹⁰ There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning,  ¹¹ but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.  ¹² So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

            Like muffled notes from a musical instrument, so unintelligible utterance cannot edify (6-9).   We’ve got a great number of musicians in our church family. I am not one of them!  If I were to start banging on the piano, or trying to make a sound come out of a trombone, it would not be pleasing to the ear! The Corinthians were so enamored with the gift of tongues, they had forgotten that without interpretation the gift had no value in public worship. It’s like using a tool, if it is the right tool for the right job, and if it used correctly, it helps advance the project. 

       I remember hearing the story of an old farmer who returned his new chain saw to the hardware store. He complained, “You told me I could cut five cords a day with this thing! I worked hard all day and only managed half a cord!” The shop keeper said, “Let me sharpen it and let’s take it out back and give it a try.” After sharpening the teeth he took it out back. The salesman pulled the rope and the engine roared to life. The old farmer jumped, and shouted, “What’s that noise!?”  You want to use tools correctly for the job to be done well! He gave gifts to men... for the building up of the body of Christ.

            Languages are useful only if they can communicate (10-11).   When we first arrived in Brazil, our understanding was pretty limited. Sometimes, when people realized we were foreigners, they would speak more slowly and loudly, but if we didn’t understand the words it didn’t help! 

            Gifts of the Spirit are only helpful if they edify the church (12). We are not pursuing “manifestations of the Spirit” as the Corinthians did. We come together for worship, I hope you expect that God is here. He is present. As we read and study the Word we can hear His voice, if we will listen. As we each use the gifts He has given us, we will build each other up. We will become more mature followers of Jesus.    Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel!

III. Profitable Exercise of gifts engages the spirit and the mind (13-19).

¹³ Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret.  ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.  ¹⁵ What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.  ¹⁶ Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say "Amen" to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?  ¹⁷ For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.  ¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.  ¹⁹ Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

       The idea of engaging our “spirit” and our “mind” comes through here. I remember the story of a Polish actress who was traveling and asked at a dinner to give a brief recitation from one of her plays. She agreed, but said she would do the recitation in her native Polish, which none of the guests at the party spoke. She spoke powerfully and emotionally, to the point that some of the guests were moved to tears, hanging on her every word.  When she finished there was fervent applause, a standing ovation. One person finally asked what the riveting scene was from, and she smiled and said, “I just counted to 100 in Polish!”  Sometimes how we say what we say gets a lot of attention! 

       Another example along those lines could be music. Some music can be powerful and emotional. It can capture our heart and excite us and draw us in. Some of our worship in Brazil was like that, at least initially. We listened, we even sang, but we didn’t understand much. Paul is saying there is nothing wrong with engaging the emotions, the heart and the spirit, but we want to listen to the lyrics. We want to consider the message that we are hearing. God reveals himself through propositional truth, through the Word. Do the lyrics reflect sound doctrine? Does the song express biblical truth? Our music teams give careful thought and prayer to the message of the songs they lead us in. It is not just our emotion, but our minds that they want to engage. Paul is saying that truth matters. If faith is taking God at His word we have to hear and understand what He is saying to us!  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.   Jesus said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel!

IV.  Body building is not for babies (20-25)! My daughter has a yoga mat and a couple of dumbbells she uses for exercise in their rec room. I mentioned last week that her son Hunter is at an age where he gets into everything. He is just a year and a little wobbly with his walking still, buy he shocked me when he reached into the basket where her stuff was, and with one hand pulled out her 2.5 pound dumbbell seemingly effortlessly! Probably not a good idea – weight lifting, or body building, isn’t for babies! 

²⁰ Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.  ²¹ In the Law it is written, "By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord."  ²² Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.  ²³ If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?  ²⁴ But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,  ²⁵ the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

           “Brothers...” In some cases we see the apostles address their readers as spiritual children. John does that in his letters, he calls his readers teknia mou, “my little children.” Paul chooses more frequently to come in alongside of his readers and address them as “brethren,” i.e., as “brothers and sisters” in Christ. We see his humility and his heart, and also his brotherly love for the Corinthians as he writes to them.

            “...do not be children in your thinking...” The Corinthians had a lot going for them. They were believers, Paul calls them “saints,” recognizing that they belonged to Jesus. By calling them “brothers” he affirms they have the same Father. He says they didn’t lack any spiritual gift. But we saw way back in chapter 3 they were still immature, “babes in Christ.” Paul is urging them to grow up.

            “...be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature...”  I think that idea here is to be “innocent” with respect to the evil in the world around us, in the sense that we are separate from it, in the world but not of the world. We don’t need to immerse ourselves in the garbage to know that it stinks!    

            “...he will worship God and declare that God is really among you...” (v.25). Notice the goal, the result toward which we are striving, the worship of God. It is not about us. This is His church and our goal should be to see Him lifted up. To God be the glory!

What is God saying to me in this passage? Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel, to the glory of God!

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?  The abuse of the gift of tongues was a problem in the Corinthian church. They thought that was the “end all and be all” of spiritual gifts. But as it was being practiced it was unintelligible, and could neither build  up the saints or evangelize the lost.  We don’t have an issue with that gift in Boothbay. In our Tuesday morning prayer group we’ve been slowly reading through Psalm 119 over the last three months of so. The theme that carries through the psalm is “the Word,” “God’s Law,” “His truth...”  Last week we read, Psalm 119:105,  

^“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The point is we need to share the Word of Life, the Gospel, God’s truth, verbally. A quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi is, “Preach the gospel. If necessary use words.”  If that is really what he said (and I couldn’t find it in context) it must be a hyperbole intended to emphasize the importance of showing God’s love by our actions. That is a good thing. But listen well: it is always necessary, at some point, to use words if we are going to share the Gospel. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of Christ.  No one is going to get saved by our acts of kindness alone. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone. Yesterday we gave out hundreds of tracts and gospels. Bibles were given to many families. The event itself showed our love for the community—who wouldn’t like free food and fun?  We were glad to have CEF here to share the Gospel with children. The Word that was shared can be used by God to bring some to faith and repentance. Bottom line, as we seek to know and love the Giver of gifts, His love will fill our hearts more and more. That love will flow out in our relationships. Love God, love one another, love the world. Pray for your 8/15, those 8 to 15 people in your close sphere of influence. Seek opportunities to build relationships, and look for openings to allow them to hear the message that gives life.              Think about that.    AMEN.

Spiritual Gifts, Part 6: The More Excellent Way I Corinthians 13:8-13

Spiritual Gifts, Part 6: The More Excellent Way

I Corinthians 13:8-13

Introduction: The font of all knowledge in this 4G generation, Wikipedia, in its opening definition of “love” illustrates some of the breadth of the term:

Love is a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes that ranges from interpersonal affection ("I love my mother") to pleasure ("I loved that meal"). It can refer to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment. It can also be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—"the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another."  It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals.

We’ve been looking at the “love chapter” in I Corinthians for a couple of weeks. Someone said, “A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.” The Corinthians had gotten their eyes off of the Giver and were focused on loving the gift(s) rather than responding to the Giver’s love.  As we’ve seen in past weeks, if we love God, we will love His people and have compassion on the lost. Love God, love people. One of the most effective evangelists in history may have been D.L. Moody. He talked about the impact of loving our neighbors and said,

“The churches would soon be filled if people could find out people in them loved them when they came. This love draws sinners. We must win them to us first, then we can win them to Christ.”

If this is true, we can see how the lack of demonstrated love would stifle our mission and how making people feel loved might gain us a hearing as we seek to share Christ.  Gifts are good, in fact gifts are essential for carrying out our mission. We’ve seen that God sovereignly bestows gifts as He wills.  And in this passage we want to remember that they are temporary, an ad hoc provision for this moment in history. The one thing that we can pursue now, the one thing that is eternal, the one thing that reflects in some way the character of God, is love.  Refer for a minute to another “love chapter” in the Bible, I John 4,

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (I John 4:7-11).

Just in those five verses John used some form of the word “love” 11 or 12 times!  He wanted to make sure they got the point, and we need to hear it too. “Love” is the more excellent way that Paul has been expounding in I Corinthians 13. Without it, we are not ministering in the will of God. My son-in-law is a drummer, and pretty good at it I think. However when my one-year-old grandson Hunter starts banging on the drums, or clanging the symbol (as he loves to do) it is noise! (Ok, to me it is still music to my ears!). The point that Paul makes in this chapter is that love must motivate our ministry. It guides us to serve God by serving others. Gifts are temporary, love is eternal.

The Maine* Idea: God’s love is at the intersection of the present age and eternity. Gifts are essential for our mission, but the love that drives the mission is eternal. Love God. Love His people. Love the lost.

I. The permanent: Love is eternal (8a). “Love never fails...” We touched on this phrase in the last study as a summary of the preceding verses.

“Love never ends...” (13:8a ESV).

       Most English translations begin v.8 with “Love never fails.” The verb is literally “to fall.” The brisk evening air has finished off most of the flowers in your gardens. The word translated “fail” in this verse is used of withered flowers “falling” to the ground, or a sick person falling down. It can also be used in a more metaphorical sense, of a divided kingdom, or a divided household, “falling” (Luke 11:17).  Also in Luke we see the teaching of Jesus in 16:17 emphasizing the enduring Word, "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail [fall].” Love never fails.

       Remember the contrast here in I Corinthians 13 is between spiritual gifts, which will “fail” or “end” at the time designated by God, and love, which is eternal, which “never fails.” Paul’s point is that we should pursue love over any spiritual gift because love is eternal. That is quite a statement. Love is eternal, it never ends. Henry van Dyke, a 19^th century clergyman and writer (and a distant relative of our own JVD!) said,

"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity."

       We can see some impressive things that seem unshakable. The twin towers of the world trade center seemed like that when they were built. What a tremendous achievement of engineering!  In a day they crumbled to the ground. Paul says, “Love never falls (fails).”

       To say “love never ends” doesn’t mean that “love wins” in the sense that it overrides God’s justice. The same God who is love is also just. In love, He satisfied His justice by sending the Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Neither does the phrase “love never ends” give us a guarantee of “success” from a human perspective.

       Remember Paul was compelled to travel to Jerusalem in Acts 21 because of his love for his countrymen.  What did it get him? Arrested! Two years imprisoned in Caesarea and two more in Rome!  That doesn’t sound very “successful” does it?  Consider the fact that God is love, and Jesus is God. From a human perspective, many people would not view His earthly life as a success. He owned no real estate. He died at a young age, deserted by his closest followers. His own people, who he loved, rejected Him and handed him over for judgement and execution. He died an excruciating death; bloody, naked, and alone. From a human perspective it doesn’t look very successful! But we know that isn’t the end of the story. The passion of Christ was motivated by love and demonstrated love. “Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” That is what Jesus did! And, by the way, He didn’t stay dead, the tomb is empty, HE LIVES! 

       The commitment to the marriage relationship should be such that the Lord used His love for the church to illustrate it: “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.” It’s love that never fails. A couple approaching the check out counter at the grocery store were heard by the cashier to be discussing plans for their 50^th wedding anniversary. Finally the cashier chimed in, “I can’t imagine being married to the same man for 50 years!”  The older woman leaned over and said, “Well Honey, don’t get married until you can!” Love never fails.

       God’s love is at the intersection of the present age and eternity. Spiritual gifts are essential for our mission, but the love that drives the mission is eternal. Love God. Love His people. Love the lost.

II. The provisional: Gifts are for a season (8b-11).

...As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.  ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.  ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 

            “They will pass away... they will cease...” Whatever else we can say about these phrases, we have to agree that Paul is contrasting the temporary nature of these gifts, or maybe gifts in general, with the permanence of love.  Think about it for a moment: Why were spiritual gifts given? To what end?  God is supernaturally enabling the church to carry out its mission.  The gifts are unique to the church age, and some of those gifts were unique to the foundational period of the church. Remember Ephesians 2:20 says the church was built on the foundation of the “apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone.”  A foundation is only laid once. We don’t have “apostles and prophets” in the church today, at least not in the New Testament sense of being the authorized spokesmen of Christ and the channels of His revelation to the church.

       Chapters 12 and 14 of I Corinthians also make it clear that a particular gift, “speaking in tongues,” was a problem in Corinth, and it seems this gift was venerated and even abused. Yet it is striking that the only other places in the Bible that tongues is even mentioned are in three short passages in the book of Acts! In Acts 2 it is clearly a sign that the New Age had arrived in Christ. Peter explains what is happening on the day of Pentecost by quoting from the prophet Joel and saying, “this is that.” The last days, the age of the Messiah, had arrived. In Acts 10 and Acts 19, the only other two passages where speaking in “tongues” is specifically mentioned, new groups are being incorporated into the church, as the waves of Pentecost radiate outward from Jerusalem.  This demonstrated the unity of the one apostolic church. Why are tongues mentioned nowhere else? It seems this and other “sign gifts” had a purpose in the foundational period of the church, to validate the message of the apostles, and as a sign that a people group was accepted by God, but then ceased by the end of the apostolic age (e.g. Acts 2,10,19 and perhaps 8 [though there speaking in tongues is not mentioned somehow those present could see that the Samaritan believers received the Spirit]).

       There are two different verbs and two different verbal forms used here. I don’t want to push the grammar too far, as I doubt Paul was being overly precise in saying that “prophecy” and “knowledge” will be done away (future passive), and that “tongues” will “cease of itself” (future middle). It seems more likely that is merely a stylistic variation in this beautiful, almost poetic, passage. Paul’s point is that whether they simply “fade away” because they were provisional and slowly were no longer necessary (as apparently was the case with tongues) or whether God will intentionally act in ending particular gifts at some point in the future (maybe the case with prophecy and knowledge here) the point is that they are temporary, for a season, whereas love abides forever.  Think about it, there will be no need for teachers in heaven either, as we will “know fully even as we are fully known.”  We obviously won’t need evangelists, the mission will be over, the elect will be saved. You get the idea?

       “When the teleion (“perfect”) comes...” There is a lot of discussion about what the “perfect” is, and when it comes. Is it the “Bible,” God’s full revelation? Is it the coming of Jesus,  the Perfect One, either at the rapture or at the second coming?  It seems to me, in the light of the context, Paul is talking not about a specific event, but rather more generally about the eternal state, the New Heaven and the New Earth in which righteousness dwells—forever! When God’s plan comes to a culmination, the mission for which the gifts were given will be complete. “Perfect” can also be translated “complete, or mature.” When the perfect comes, the partial, the provisional, that which is temporary, will pass away. God’s plan comes to maturity, to completeness.

       “When I was a child...” I thought of this verse as I was visiting my daughter and her family last week. Hunter just had his first birthday, and his favorite activity in their play room is to just start pulling out one toy after another.  Grand Pa’s job was to follow behind him and “put away childish things”!  I could barely keep up! Paul said  “When I became a man, I put away childish things...” Paul isn’t talking about putting toys away! The language here is of maturity, of growing up. This emphasizes the “eschatological” interpretation of what Paul is saying here. Just as a child “grows up” over time, and changes come, things that were normal and necessary in childhood are set aside as we mature. In the foundational period of the church certain gifts were needed for a time, and then they “faded away” as the apostolic teaching was recorded in written form (the New Testament). When the church reaches its “mature” state in eternity, gifts in general will no longer be needed—we shall “know fully, even as we are fully known”!

      Erich Fromm, a German 20^th century psychologist and philosopher didn’t say a lot that I would want to quote but I liked this:

"Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says 'I need you because I love you.'"

That is biblical love, agape love, mature love.  It’s love that never fails. The “Maine* idea” is that God’s love is one thing that abides at the intersection of the present age and eternity. Gifts are essential for our mission, but they are provisional. The love that drives the mission is eternal. Love God. Love His people. Love the lost.

III. The Purpose of Gifts and the Promise of God (12-13). Gifts were intended for the equipping of the saints and for the carrying out of our mission, that won’t be necessary in eternity—We will know Him as He is—Faith will be sight! Hope will be realized!

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.  ¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love...”

“For now... but then...” At Bertie’s funeral, before leaving for NJ, I quoted from C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle, where at the end of the story Aslan tells the children that “...you are all dead, as you used to call it in the Shadowlands.”  The idea being that our world and Narnia were only reflections of Aslan’s kingdom. Paul in these verses is contrasting our life in the Shadowlands, our limited knowledge and understanding, with what we will one day see.  We were created for eternity.

       “...then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known...” Many of the spiritual gifts are given to help us know God and to understand His will for our lives. It seems that Paul is saying that in the eschaton, the necessity for the gifts will change since we will know Him without the dimming effects of sin on our minds and hearts. We will know Him as fully and as completely as a creature can know the Creator.

       “...So now faith, hope and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”  Faith believes that we are His, and we are made for eternity, hope looks forward to it with confidence, but love is greater. Why? Because love carries through from the present to eternity.  Love never fails.

What is God saying to me in this passage?  God’s love is at the intersection of the present age and eternity. Gifts are essential for our mission, but the love that drives the mission is eternal. Love God.  Love His people.  Love the lost.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Paul is not downplaying the importance of spiritual gifts. He returns to the subject in the next chapter. But he wants us to have perspective. Knowing and loving the Giver of gifts, treasuring Him as supremely valuable, has to be our heart’s desire, our first priority. We embrace His mission in the world because we love Him and want Him to be glorified.  As former Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple put it,

"The Church is the only society that exists solely for the benefit of its non-members."  

Love for God motivates our mission, concern for others, recognizing their deepest need, goes right along with that. As Jesus put it "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Gifts are to be used as we carry out our mission in the world. We seek to build each other up, to equip one another to reach the world with the Gospel.  The love that drives our mission is eternal.

       As we embrace the principle that drives our mission, as we love the God who we have not seen, that love is going to overflow in our relationships, first with God’s people—and also in the compassion that we feel for those around us, those in our sphere of influence who are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a Shepherd."  Love God. Love one another. Love the lost. If we are going to really love them, we have to take a risk, we have to tell them the truth, we have to point them to Jesus. Have you identified your 8/15, that is, the eight to fifteen people in your sphere of influence? Who are those in that group who have either fallen away from church, or who don’t know Jesus? If you haven’t already, begin now to pray for them. Seek to reach out to them. Give them a tract or a Bible portion. Invite them to church, or to a small group... 

       We’ll be talking more about spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 14 next week. In the meantime, we need to continue to seek the Giver of gifts above all else. Love the Giver, treasure Him as supremely valuable. And then express your love for Him by “unwrapping the gift” He has given you, and using it for His glory. Think about that.  AMEN.

*”The Maine Idea” is my attempt to reflect our focus on a single “big idea” in the text that is applicable to our current situation as 21^st century believers in Jesus (in our case, living on the coast of Maine!).