Lesson 11

Lesson 11

Theme: Hymn of love
Goal: To show that without love all the gifts are worthless

1) Pray
2) Review
Questions:
What gifts do we know?
Who gives? To whom? For what reason?
3) Motivation
I love the church. Does my love for the church show to others? How?

I have gifts. I know about them. Why would I hold on to them (keep them to myself) and never give them to others (because there is no love).

4) Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-8
Questions:
What is the text about? What is said about love? What exactly is the message in this chapter? To whom is the message addressed? Why is the entire chapter devoted to love?

1 Corinthians 13:1
A person speaking in man’s speech and angel’s language without love is like brass ringing and a cymbal sounding [clanging]—it is not pleasant to listen to, only for making noise.

1 Corinthians 13:2
To prophesy, to understand (find) all the mysteries, to have all faith, to have all knowledge, but not have love, then it is nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:3
- give all that I have
- give my body to be burned } but I do not have love => it profits me nothing.

Know it all, have it all, give it all, but no love => then it does not mean anything.

1 Corinthians 13:4
What does love do?
- patient;
- kind – full of goodness, do good for others;
- not jealous – do not want what others have;
- does not boast – let go of selfishness;
- not prideful – do not be puffed up like soap suds (bubbles);
- does not go to extremes – going beyond shame;
- does not think evil – does not store it in memory.

Contrast
Untruth- no rejoicing (verses 9-10, 12)

Now
knowledge of the parts;
prophesy in part;
we see as through muslin, thick cloth-like glass—it is all guesswork;
the gifts found in verses 1-3 are given for the building up of the body of Christ in order to help each other;
now abides faith, hope and love.

Before
11th verse: according to infancy
- thought;
- spoke;
- reasoned.

Truth- rejoices (verse 13)

Later
Will be perfected;
then, knowing in part will come to an end [now I know in part; but then shall I know];
we will see face to face;
will know even as also I am known.

8th verse: Love never fails;
prophesy will cease;
tongues will be silenced;
knowledge will be abolished;
all will pass away.
In the Kingdom of Heaven there will not be a need for anything. There will be no cause for the gifts. Only love remains.

When I became a man
Left infancy.

Paul speaks to the Corinthians: “You have everything, but not a shortage of gifts. But you have problems, because you do not know the meaning of the gifts for the church. You have the gifts, so you must serve one another with these. You must shower yourself with these gifts.”

For example: “When I was a young child, I had a beautiful doll/a beautiful car. It is mine; I will not give it to anyone”. Shower yourself with gifts, but keep them for yourself. There were disputes/fights. Was this similar to the Corinthian church?

Use your gifts for others.

Conclusion: Which gifts are there?
The Bible speaks about 20 gifts.

1 Corinthians 12, 1 Peter 4, Romans 12, Ephesians 4.
21st gift: love, in which all gifts were founded and in there is where the value lies–in love.

If we do everything (all acts) on this earth with love, then these actions will come back to you.