This is my sermon on today’s Prayer Book reading: 1 Corinthians 13.
1. The Gospel reading for today, found in Luke 18, describes how Christ was to be crucified and raised on the Third Day. It also describes how the disciples could not understand that particular degree of charity. But the text continues on to describe how Jesus had mercy on a blind man by giving him his sight back.
This act of mercy that Jesus did can become a picture of what he did on the cross. He had mercy on us in order that we may be healed of our blindness! And this healing is a part of whole Christian life. We are indeed justified by Christ but Christ is also healing us continually through our Christian walk.
It’s not intellectual blindness that we have; rather it is spiritual blindness. St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
He relates the blindness to sacrificially conforming to Christ. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 8 “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…”
So what does this conforming to Christ look like? What does the love and mercy of Christ look like within the life of the believer?
The New Testament Reading for today gives us the answer by describing a true sacrificial love!
2. In the first section of Corinthians 13 St Paul describes an empty love - love with ill motive. He says:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”
Easily understood! This first section presupposes total depravity of the human spirit. IT’S VERY POSSIBLE TO LOVE IN VAIN! Even the study of theology and doctrine can be done in vain! As we can see in verse 2. Doctrine and theology are indeed good for us, but they are tools for the furthering of God’s kingdom. We will soon see within the text that Christ requires much more the externals of doctrine but he requires that our hearts be changed and the love take precedence.
This section of the Bible is crucial to our understanding of anthropology - the study of humanity. Without Christ we are nothing. In fact, Christ says in John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
A. In the book of Revelation 2 and 3, Christ speaks of 7 different Churches, with which only ONE he speaks satisfaction of: the Church of Philadelphia. Christ addresses all the others churches by stating that he is aware of their works, but he then goes into very serious rebuke. WHY IS THIS?
This is because one can actually be in a covenantal relationship with Christ but not be rooted in Christ. One can have a false love that is not sacrificially motivated.
Last weeks gospel lesson, Luke 8, describes how many people never ultimately take root in Christ.
Let’s read part of the description of that parable, found in Matthew 13:24-30, the parable of the Wheat and the Tares Let both [the wheat and tares] grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Note that the VERY KINGDOM of Christ is compromised of both elect and reprobate. God calls both into the kingdom - into the covenant. Note that Christ does not say that the kingdom is compromised of ONLY the elect (the wheat) he says that it is compromised of both wheat and tares. THIS IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
B. Hebrews Chapter 6 says this
“4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
There are some amongst us that think they are saved but are not! I’m not trying to insinuate that there are people in this particular congregation that fit this category, but certainly within the church universal.
There are, as we see by the testimony of Scripture and the Church fathers, people that are within the covenant but not within eternal election with Christ. These are people that have not been rooted in Christ, people that are in a sense, caught in between the call and repentance.
We need to be certain that we are not a part of this particular people. We need to examine ourselves to make sure we are practicing a true sacrificial love!
John Calvin speaks of this general type of election in his commentary on Hosea12:35:
“The election of holy Jacob was special, for he was really one of the children of God; special also was the election of those who are called by Paul the children of the promise (Romans9:8). There was another, a general election; for he received his whole seed into his faith, and offered to all his covenant. At the same time, they were not all regenerated, they were not all gifted with the Spirit of adoption. This general election was not then efficacious in all. Solved now is the matter in debate, that no one of the elect shall perish; for the whole people were not elected in a special manner; but God knew whom he had chosen out of that people; and them he endued, as we have said, with the Spirit of adoption, and supplied with his own grace, that they might never fall away. Others were indeed chosen in a certain way, that is, God offered to them the covenant of salvation; but yet through their ingratitude they caused God to reject them, and to disown them as children.”
Regarding election…we should not get caught up on the fact that God elects people. In fact if we are wrestling with such a concept, then this may actually show that we are elected to Christ. This could be a sign of our internal concerns. One of the differences between us and those in the world. We are concerned about the things of Christ that dwells within us. The world is not concerned. They are more concerned about going to the mall or watching their favorite TV and movies. They are consumed not by Christ but by the culture of the world, thus becoming idolaters!
Let us be sure that we are living sacrifices; that our love is the pure love that Christ gives his people. St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
We must examine ourselves and dig internally to find the sacrificial love that Christ has given us. Are we actually living this love out?
3. In the coming verses, St Paul begins to describe true sacrificial love. The KJV uses the word “charity.” It is derived from the Greek word Agape, which Strong defines as benevolence. Benevolence is an act of charity, a gift given out of generosity; true sacrificial love.
Here is verses 4-7 of Corinthians 13.
“4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Agape love is a love that requires us to die to ourselves. It means that we can no longer do good works to others for the benefit of ourselves. It means that we must face sacrifice!
St John Chrysostom (4th century) said this before he was exiled.
“If the empress wishes to banish me, let her do so; ‘the earth is the Lord’s.’ If she wants to have me sawn asunder, I have Isaiah for an example. If she wants me to be drowned in the ocean, I think of Jonah. If I am to be thrown into the fire, the three men in the furnace suffered the same. If cast before wild beasts, I remember Daniel in the lion’s den. If she wants me to be stoned, I have before me Stephen, the first martyr. If she demands my head, let her do so; John the Baptist shines before me. Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall leave this world. Paul reminds me, ‘If I still pleased men, I would not be the servant of Christ.’”
A. Examination of congregation…………Have you been tested in the fire to be found as true?
Or, when you have been tested do you slide backwards into carnality? When you are faced with certain sacrifice, do you attempt to manipulate your situation to escape this sacrifice?
True love is not selfish. It is always ready to be kind, sacrificial, hopeful and joyous!
B. Share Lorraine Allard Story………..[story about women who refused to abort her baby for her own life].
4. After St Paul speaks extensively about the true natureof love, he then speaks of love within the realm of eschaton…to prove its strength. He says:
“8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
Paul says that spiritual gifts and doctrine will be vanishing away, since we only have giftedness and doctrine to a partial degree. He says in verse 9 “we know in part and we prophecy in part.”
The brightest scholars have only scratched the surface of Christ’s heavenly realities. And in verse 10 Paul says that even this partial knowledge will be done away with when the eschaton has reached its final point of vantage - when heaven and earth are completely merged into eternity.
I should note that there are many theologians that state that the “perfect” that Paul is speaking of is the canon of Scripture - to prove their point that the gift of tongues ceased in the apostolic age.
This is a huge breach of proper hermeneutic and almost seems desperate. In verse 12 he says that “now I know in part; but then I shall know even as also I am known.
In other words, we shall know with God. This part of Scripture is referring to eternal life when we know with God; when we are face to face with him.
St John Chrysostom says this in regards to verse 12:
“What will anyone be able to say when the very truth of those things is presented, when the royal halls are thrown open and it is possible to gaze upon the King Himself, no longer in a shadowy way not in a mirror, but face to face; no longer by faith, but by actual site?”
Chrysostom is certainly not speaking of the Bible (or canon) he is speaking about the eternal future with Christ.
When we give our lives to Christ, we inherit a small piece of eternity within our hearts. This is another difference between us and those in the world. We have a part within us that will last forever with Christ. The reprobate have nothing that they will take with them but sin. And we know sin cannot enter the heaven. They therefore enter hell for eternity.
Let us who are destined for heaven love with true Christ-filled motive. Let us love with nothing to gain but Christ!