1 Corinthians 13: A Description of God

Have you ever had a friend that was a lot of fun in small doses? You could only stand them for a little while before they became hard to deal with? This is what I think about when I think of Corinth. They were in a large international metropolis filled with people from various backgrounds. It was likely a fun place to be for a visit. However, living there was probably a different story. Paul is in Ephesus when he receives word that the church in Corinth is at it again. Divisions and quarreling are breaking out everywhere over wild things... trust me... wild things. They are a church in division. Paul has a frank discussion with them on the need for harmony among the various people groups, the need to rally around the essentials, how to conduct proper worship services without hurting each other, and so much more. The real-life soap-opera needs someone to make sense of it all.

Let’s read it together.

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• 0:00 Welcome to Bible Breakdown

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Hey everyone, and welcome to the Bible Breakdown podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us and let's get into breaking down the Bible together.

Speaker 2: 0:23

Well, everybody welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, and I want to give this one a little bit of a different title. We're going to call it A Description of God. A Description of God, well, I don't know if you've ever been to a wedding before, but I've been to several weddings and I've had the honor of being part of several weddings and it's always a wonderful, wonderful honor to do. And a lot of times you will hear this chapter being read.

Speaker 2: 0:50

1 Corinthians 13 is universally thought of as the love chapter. Right, the love boat chapter. It's all about what love is and what love isn't, and that's true, it is. But I want to give you a different way to think about it today. That I hope will bring some fresh perspective to this chapter, and we're going to get into that in just a moment. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel, say it with me, leave us a five-star review on the podcast Absolutely and don't forget to go to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on the Facebook group. Man, they're doing an amazing job over there and I'm curious to see what they do with this chapter because they're always doing amazing things, man. The more we dig, the more we find, and they are just so awesome. And so if you want to get out your Bible, turn it to 1 Corinthians, chapter 13. I want to give you kind of a different perspective on this.

Speaker 2: 1:40

Paul, as we were saying, is he's writing to the church in Corinth. That is like the church in Corinth, like the Las Vegas of first century Rome, port town, all kinds of fun stuff, and all of these people are coming together from diverse backgrounds, these different areas, and they're coming together and trying to find a way to do life together. And he's hearing these murmurings of division in paradise. There's all these things going on. So Paul's kind of doing some family therapy with this church and he starts off saying man, we're going to rally around God. And then he says I'm a spiritual father, so I got permission to go here. And he just starts tearing them up Listen, guys, y'all got to stop being so crazy up in here. And he gets on to them some, some dude is having, is sleeping with his stepmother, which is ridiculous. And then he's saying you got to stop living for yourself. You guys start living for each other. And then he said man, folks are going and they are having a meal out of communion stop it, you know.

Speaker 2: 2:38

And then yesterday got a little, a little spicy, a little different, talking about the gifts of the Spirit in order for us to then do ministry together. And I think that's really awesome for some of you who are responding to that and just saying you know what? I'm going to pray and see if God will use me in a spiritual gift, because, remember, the gift is not the miracle, it's the Holy Spirit within us that's the miracle, and I love the idea of having being empowered by God to make a difference together. Well, the next chapter today's chapter, chapter 13, is universally known as what love looks like, but I want to give you an idea.

Speaker 2: 3:16

The Bible says in 1 John, and if you've ever been in an uncomfortable conversation with a progressive Christian, they will say well, god is love. And actually they misquote it and they say well, love is love. And what they think that means is is since God is love, whatever I love, god must love, and so I can do whatever I want. This is logical fallacy. This is ridiculous. But they love that verse. God is love, which therefore you know that that just means we should just love everything. It's not true. What that means is is, if you want to know what love is, love is literally a characteristic of God. So if you want to know what love is, figure out who God is. If you figure out who God is, then you'll know what love is. Does that make sense? So you know, we have to look at it the other way around. I got to find God when I find out God's nature and God's character. That will teach me what love is, and so what this chapter is all about is this chapter is defining what love is, and so this chapter is in that same pattern is helping us understand the character and the nature of God. Paul is saying remember he said before follow me as I follow Christ. So he's saying as I'm following Christ. These are the characteristics I'm learning to live by and now I'm passing them off to you. So, as you read this today it's a beautiful chapter. We're going to read the whole thing straight through, but, as we do, don't think of it just as this is what I would love to receive from somebody, or this is what I ought to be doing, but this is what I would love to receive from somebody, or this is what I ought to be doing, but this is who God is. This is the nature and character of God. God is love. So if I figure who God is and I know what love is, well, when they're describing love, this it's God's character. Let's read it together, you ready.

Speaker 2: 4:59

Chapter 13, verse 1, says this If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had faith that I could move mountains but didn't love others, I would be nothing If I gave everything I had to the poor and even sacrificed my body. I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others I would have gained nothing. In other words, he's saying I could do all these great things but if I didn't have the nature and character of Christ, what did I really get? And this is what it is. You know who God is.

Speaker 2: 5:44

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful, or proud or rude. It doesn't demand its own way. It is not irritable. It keeps no records of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, keeps no records of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up.

Speaker 2: 6:08

Love never loses faith. It's always hopeful and endures through every circumstance, prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge. It will become useless, but love will last forever. Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture. But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will ask forever faith and love, but the greatest of these is love.

Speaker 2: 7:06

What Paul is saying is is the most important thing is not that we become this or become that, or do this or do that. Success is not what you achieve. The greatest of success is what you become. Greatest of success is what you become. And the goal of life is to become more and more like Christ every day. God is love, and so to become more like Christ every day, that becoming teaches us to love more and more and more.

Speaker 2: 7:34

And he's saying that all these other things are great, but if we don't have the character of Christ, we don't have love. Then at the end of the day, what does it really matter? And so I want to encourage you today to not think about how you can get ahead in life there's nothing wrong with doing the best you can, and all of that but think instead today about how you can show love to someone more. How can you show the character and nature of Christ to someone today. Maybe that is through serving someone, maybe it's through a text message, maybe it's through a phone call. If Jesus were speaking to them, how would he speak today? Would he encourage them, would he challenge them? What would he do? And then you have the nature and character of Christ encourage them today and see what God will do.

Speaker 2: 8:20

Let's pray, father. Thank you for today. Thank you, lord, that you love us completely. Your love is complete. Your love is faithful, your love is true. I pray today, god, that we will take a next step in you, that we will show love to somebody, which is the character and nature of what you have done for us. And as we love more, we see you more. And as we love more, we see you more. And as we see you more, we love more. And three things that will remain faith, hope and love. I pray you'll increase all of those in our lives today. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen, amen. Well, family therapy session over. I cannot wait for tomorrow. It's going to get crazy up in here, but for now, 1 Corinthians 10, verse 31 says this Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all for the glory of God, I love you. I'll see you tomorrow no-transcript.