"The Greatest Spiritual Gift!" 1 Corinthians 13

Quinquagesima                                                           11-February-2024

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon Theme: “The Greatest Spiritual Gift!” I. All Is Empty Without It!(vs.1-3) II. It Knits Us Together as One!(vs.4-7) III. It Endures To Eternity!(vs.8-13)

by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert.

I.N.R.I. Imagine dreaming that suddenly your foot cried out, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body.” Then your ear complained, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body.” Then your eye puffed up with pride saying to your hand, “I have no need of you.” Your foolish head boasting to your feet, “I have no need of you.” A rebellious foot torn from the body dies without life giving blood flowing through it. A foolish ear evulsed from the body is dead and deaf. An eye without functioning hands may see, but cannot grasp, embrace, or remove a sliver irritating it. A foolish head without feet may boast great thoughts, but goes no where. Which body parts of yours would be so blind to the fact that they are all necessary and dependent on one another to live and thrive.

        Imagine a spirit suggesting that because you are not in charge you should rebel tearing yourself away from the body of your marriage, family, congregation, community. He is a very alluring bright spirit suggesting that you don’t need to hear God’s Word, you don’t need others to be spiritual - just isolate yourself with him. This spirit masquerading as an angel of light assures you that you have your own inner light and are free to make up the rules to serve self. He puffs you up in pride, tearing you away from the congregation, deafening your ears to Christ’s Word, then turning he accuses you of all your sin driving you into the abyss of despair. The evil spirit, the rebellious fallen angel, Satan is a murder and liar from the beginning. He lures us to covet what is not given to us as he seeks to tear us from the body of Christ - the local congregation - the Church.

       St. Paul’s congregation at Corinth were tearing themselves away from gathering every Sunday for the divine service. Lord Jesus had breathed His Holy Spirit upon them through the Gospel Paul preached. He blessed members of the congregation with different spiritual gifts. Some taught the Scripture’s wisdom. Another could speak the Good News of Jesus to foreigners in their native tongue -a language he had never studied. Another could verify the Gospel’s truth by healing. Another gave generously. Another could interpret languages. These were gifts given by the Holy Spirit that they didn’t earn, merit, or deserve. Satan puffed them up in pride to boast that their gift, their contribution to the congregation was greater than those who only came to divine service and lived their faith in their daily callings. They were blinded by pride wanting to see as man sees outwardly. They were tearing themselves apart as Satan through them destroyed the unity of their congregational body.

     Christ Jesus, through Paul, has mercy and opens their eyes to see His cross binding them together as His body in their local congregation. 1Co 12:21-27 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." (22) No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. (23) And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, (24) but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, (25) that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. (26) And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. (27) Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” All members of our congregation are vital to Christ’s body here. Paul instructs, 1Co 12:30-31 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? (31) But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” Pray, “Lord Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me..open my eyes that I may see...“The Greatest Spiritual Gift!” I. All Is Empty Without It!(vs.1-3) II. It Knits Us Together as One!(vs.4-7) III. It Endures To Eternity!(vs.8-13)

I. The greatest spiritual gift isn’t something you can earn, yet without it all your great good works are worthless. Listen! (1 Cor.13:1-3) There are two types of righteousness. “Coram Mundo” Latin for “before the world” is Civil righteousness - doing good in the eyes of fellow human beings. Even sinful man can restrain himself outwardly to earn the respect of fellow human beings. We can speak, teach, and give away all our goods to feed the poor. The world applauds such good works and blindly thinks you can earn heaven through them. Scripture teaches, Isa 64:6-7 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. (7) And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities.” Evil trees only produce evil fruit - no matter how good the world calls them.

     The other righteousness is “Coram Deo” - “In the presence of God.”

This righteousness isn’t earned, it is alien to our fallen nature, it is gifted to us in the flesh and blood of Jesus alone. It is Jesus’ perfect love imputed to us through His cross, proclaimed in His resurrection, and sealed upon us in His baptism of us as infants. It isn’t our love that makes us acceptable to our Father - it is His love for us. He loved the world. He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus loved His Father. Jesus loved us sinners and took our sin and hell upon Himself paying our debt in full on His cross. Risen He loves us and breathes forth the Holy Spirit keeping us in peace and love by forgiving all our sins daily and richly within His Church. Open your eyes to see - Jesus is Love! Listen! (1 Cor.13:1-3)

II. Couples often want 1 Corinthians 13 read at their wedding, but this isn’t about their feelings of love for one another. Our feelings soon grow cold, the husband only wants to live for himself, the wife wants control - instead of joyfully serving in their God given callings - soon their flesh threatens to fracture their marriage. What is the solution? To stop looking at each other as the world does - outwardly. The Lord told the prophet Samuel, 1Sa 16:7 ... "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Husbands behold your wife wrapped up in Christ’s Word and works - love her as Jesus did the Church laying down your life for her and your children! Wives see your husband in Christ Jesus - respecting him as the Church honors Christ in everything.

    Let Jesus’ love flow through you to each other in your marriage, in your family, in our congregation, and into our community. Listen!(1 Cor.13:4-7)

This isn’t a laundry list of things for you to do. Nor is it a checklist to compare yourself to others - ‘hey, I’m not as puffed up as you are...”. It is the heart of Jesus beating in you - dear Christian. It isn’t your doing - it is the Holy Spirit’s work in your heart and life. How? Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” Joh 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

    God the Holy Spirit fixes your eyes upon Jesus through His Word. Listen!(1 Cor.13:4-7) The twelve could not see everything written in the prophets about the passion of the Christ. It was hidden from their eyes. Blind Bartimaeus saw, through blind, and cried out confessing Jesus as the Son of David - the Messianic King - the Lord God of creation - full of mercy - going to the cross to make all things new by His flesh and blood. When sin tears you apart, and it will and does, from your calling in your marriage, family, congregation, or community. Cry out, “Lord Jesus Christ - Have mercy on me!” He does! The Comforter forgives knitting you back into Christ’s body and rejoining you to one another. He breathes you alive with His love through the preaching of His Word. He prays with you and through you to His Father for His Spirit to heal and mend your broken promises. He feeds you His living flesh and blood in bread and wine - that as we pray we may be strengthened “through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another.”

III.  We want investments that will last. Our stocks and bonds might yield plentifully for a decade, then tank the next. Gold and silver roller coaster up and down. Thieves can break in and steal. Well did Jesus warn us about the false investments of a sin dying world. Mat 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Do you have lasting treasure...or just trash?

     Hear the One thing that lasts! (1 Cor. 13:8-13) Love never fails! Jesus never fails! Prophecies fail. Instantly speaking in foreign languages will cease. Knowledge vanishes away. Man’s great scientific discovers of one era are often seen as foolishness by the next. Now we know in part - we have Christ’s Word - the Holy Bible -and through it we see God the Father’s love for us in His only begotten Son - sealed to us by God the Holy Spirit in baptism, absolution, preaching, and the Supper. We speak only what the Holy Bible teaches. When Christ final judgment comes we will know perfectly - then we will know our God as perfectly as He has always known us from eternity.

      As a child, we didn’t fully comprehend adulthood. Just as a fetus in the womb is a living sentient human being - but cannot comprehend life outside of the womb until he is born. So as we mature from childhood to manhood - we put away childish thinking - listening to Christ alone in His Church.

      Faith, hope, and love abide. We live by Holy Spirit given and sustained faith in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. God the Father assures us that He gives us daily bread - all we need to support our body and life -and He will deliver us from every evil and finally in our last hour comes He will take us from this vale of tears Home to Himself! Christ Jesus - Love abides with us - Shepherding us in the green pastures of His Word - chasing us with His goodness and mercy - until He leads us up out of our graves to the resurrection of our bodies and the life of the world to come - perfect love - His love, the Father’s love, the Holy Spirit’s love for eternity. Amen.