366. Love Remains (Way of Love)

We welcome you into a short Thursday devotion and share a personal update on a book release and local gathering. We then walk through 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 to show why spiritual gifts are temporary while Christian love remains forever. 
• our book progress with Redemption Press and final proofreading 
• invitation to a May 1 release party in Yorktown 
• Paul’s contrast between love and temporary gifts 
• why prophecy, tongues, and special knowledge belong to a partial state 
• Calvin’s view of gifts serving the church until maturity 
• scaffolding as a picture of gifts during construction 
• “when the perfect comes” as the fullness of God’s kingdom 
• a daily call to love like Jesus at home and in public 

We are doing a release party May the 1st here in Yorktown, and that will be at venue four. And if you are in town, I would love for you to come. All are welcome. You don't have to buy a book if you don't want to, but if you want, that's great too.

Transcript

Welcome And Purpose

Book Update And Release Party Invite

Returning To The Way Of Love

Reading 1 Corinthians 13:8-10

Why Spiritual Gifts Are Temporary

Scaffolding Illustration For Gifts

Shifting From Gifts To Love

Loving Like Jesus In Daily Life

Closing Blessing And Farewell

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Hi, friend. Welcome to Moments of Worship on this Thursday, March the 12th. I'm your host, Pastor Keith McMahon, worship pastor at Ethel Baptist Church in Yorktown, Virginia, and also co-lead of AbidingGod.org. Friend, this podcast seeks to be an encouragement to you in the worship of Almighty God. Just an update on my book. If you would allow me just a couple of seconds to tell about my book, I'm in the final stages. Redemption Press, my publisher, has been absolutely amazing. And tomorrow I'm going to do the final author proofread. And soon after that, I will get a physical copy of the book and send it back to them if I have any notes, so give it to them. But if not, then on to the actual shipment of the book. So thank you so much for your prayers. We are doing a release party May the 1st here in Yorktown, and that will be at venue four. And if you are in town, I would love for you to come. All are welcome. You don't have to buy a book if you don't want to, but if you want, that's great too. We will be sending out notices, invitations, and posting it on our social media. So I hope to see you there. Well, on to our study as we continue the way of love study. Well, yesterday we heard Paul's sweeping declaration in 1 Corinthians 13 8. Love never ends. Today we look at where Paul explains why love never ends by contrasting it with something that will. He writes, As for prophecies, they will pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. As for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. Thanks be to God for his holy word. Well, as we've said in the last episode, the Corinthians were fascinated with spiritual gifts. They loved the dramatic expressions of prophecy and tongues. These gifts have become a point of pride and even division within the church. But Paul reminds them of something very important. These gifts are temporary. As the scripture says, prophecy will pass away, tongues will cease. Knowledge, meaning a special knowledge, will pass away. Why? Because these gifts belong to, if you will, a partial state of understanding. They are gifts, tools God gives to help the church, to serve the church, the edification while we live in this present age. Paul says we know in part and we prophesy in part. The great reformer John Calvin explains, the Lord has appointed these gifts for the edification of the church for a time until it arrives at full maturity. This is in his commentary on first Corinthians. In other words, spiritual gifts are like scaffolding around a building while construction is taking place. They serve a purpose during the work, but once the building is complete, the scaffolding is removed. No illustration is perfect, but hopefully this illustration was helpful. Well, Paul says this moment will come when the perfect comes. He is pointing forward to the time when the fullness of God's kingdom comes and believers enter the perfection of God's presence. At that point, the partial will give way to the complete. Charles Hodge writes, The gifts of the Spirit belong to the imperfect state of the church. When perfection comes, they will no longer be necessary. But notice what Paul is doing in this passage. He is gently shifting the focus of the Corinthians away from temporary things to something eternal. Gifts are temporary. Love is not. Prophecy will end, tongues will cease, partial knowledge will pass away. But love will continue not only in this life, but also in the life to come. Love never ends. Well, friend, as we go about our day interacting with those in our family, those in our church family, those at the office, those that we interact with in the world at the grocery store or at Chipotle or Starbucks, may we love like Jesus Christ. We have received so much love from God through his Son, Jesus Christ. May we have the heart of the gospel, the love of the Savior, and the aroma of Jesus Christ on our lips as we proclaim the gospel and love one another. Well, friend, until Friday and forever, may we worship Jesus Christ. Thank you for listening.