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1 Cor 13. Third and last in the series. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. In order to understand better: 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. Corinth famous for mirrors. · Polished metal. · Most gave poor reflection. · Real image but blurred - incomplete. Paul uses this as a description of how we see eternal realities. vs. 8-13 How Eternal Kingdom of God compares with present experience and knowledge. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. Sometimes we may imagine Eternity - heaven, life after death new creation as · Shadowy, ephemeral existence. · Secretly afraid that it may not have the excitement, fun, and interest of life on earth. · Afraid that we might even be bored. Child's Q `Will there be any toys in heaven?' Adult's Q `Will we recognise our loved ones?' Dreamlike, fuzzy, view of life beyond this world. But in fact the reverse is the truth. What we experience as good and fulfilling in this world is only a pale reflection of the Solid joys and lasting treasure .. It is the joys of this world that are fleeting, elusive and not really real. But what is beyond this world is beyond our comprehension. · So we are forced to say: `Not like such and such ..' · Impression that it is less than this world. Illustration of woman throne into dungeon. · There she has a son. · He sees nothing but the walls. · Artist - drawing pad and pencils. · Tries to teach her son about outside world - trees, hills, flowers - LINES · She says outside world is more interesting. · Child thinks outside world is just lines drawn with a pencil. · Mother says: NO! It is not lines. · Child thinks it is less than a line drawing, because he cannot imagine anything greater. · The best in this world is like a line drawing of Eternity. =================== Paul mentions three things that will pass away - they are just line drawings. · Knowledge, · Prophecy, and · Speaking with tongues. 1. Prophecy. PROPHETIC POWERS. • Bring Word of God to bear on world. • Understanding of Bible and World and ability to make connection. Great and needed gift - giving hope and meaning to world. In what sense is it incomplete? · Now attempting to make the bridge. · Then the bridge is already there new heaven and earth together.
Tongues will cease. · Human languages. · Some languages can express somethings better than others. · - more rich to express shades of meanings. English and word for walking: Walk, meander, amble, saunter, stroll, wend, dawdle, hike, ramble, treck, march, roam, rove. Greek: We have one word love. Gk is superior to English on this point. Four words: philia, agape, eros. storge.
Earthly languages will be incomplete Language of heaven will be greater than all earthly languages. · What no eye has seen … ============================= KNOWLEDGE. • Science. Desire to understand the world. • See what is round the next corner. • Space exploration. • Proverbs tells us to value and seek knowledge. • Ignorance is a great danger to society. • Media lulls us into ignorance. How is knowledge incomplete? Scientific Knowledge · Godel · Mysteries increase with advance of knowledge. Personal Knowledge of one another · EXPAND. Knowledge of God. · Psalm 19 Word of God gives knowledge - bubbles up. Then complete. Bible: Last days: Increase in knowledge, but also wickedness `They shall all know me'. When perfection comes, imperfect disappears. Imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. Child talking like a child - goo goo. =============== 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. Mirror is now dim. OT - NT - PAROUSIA. Know in part. Know fully known. ================================================= Faith Hope and Love. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love Let us think of the child again
Little child can only think in categories of his experience. · What is the sun? · Big ball of fire in sky. · (Child understands fire) · Grown up - nuclear reactions. · Sun goes round the world. OR Earth spins on its axis. Different language. So too now our thinking is like that of a child's thinking. Also: If we think back to our childhood days. · Things that seemed v. important - now unimportant. · Things that worried or frightened us .... · In same way we can get troubled and anxious, depressed about many things - but from perspective of eternity ... ? · Why did we worry? Really the only things we should fear are what take away faith, hope and love. · If we lose these our humanity disintegrates. · If society loses them - it too will disintegrate. F. H. L take us over beyond this world into eternity. They abide. Other things pass away. Our careers, homes, entertainments will pass away. • May be later, may be sooner. • (We don't know the day ... ) • I don't say we should be careless • But one day - they will seem so insignificant. Why did we worry? FHL are the very stuff of our humanity on earth and ... They abide eternally. Faith. Trust and confidence. · Not believing the impossible. · Committing yourself to what is reasonable to believe but that you can't see. Augustine: Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe. In an imperfect world we always need guarantees of security against one another. Legal documents to bind us to our promises in buying or selling. We are not prepared to commit our money to something without cast iron surety. This is because we don't have faith in one another. Know God by faith now - can't see ... I know you are here by sight. Ø I know the Lord is here by Faith. Ø I trust His promises. Ø Reasonable: · Wonders of Nature. · Feeling of ought and ought not. · Bible has proved itself true. · The gospel is not something that any man would have invented. · Aware that I am talking to Someone in Prayer. · Answered prayers. Ø Therefore I have confidence in God. Ø don't need some legal guarantee - His Word is enough. But one day - face to face. Ø Will I still need faith? Ø In one sense No! Ø But in another Yes! Ø Relationship will always be trust and confidence. Ø We will not be earning His favour as a man earns wages. Ø We will always live by His grace - respond by Trust and Faith. Ø That is what God wants most of us - BELIEVE IN HIM. Hope What keeps us going as we look forward. HOPE - DICTIONARY: 1 : to desire with expectation of obtainment 2 : to expect with confidence "Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords." SAMUEL JOHNSON. Look forward: Ø Child, School, Exams, Training, Career, Marriage, Family, Retirement and grandchildren. Opposite of hope is despair - no point of living. Ø In our world - loss of hope. Ø Suicides at Beachy Head - several every week. Ø No God to turn to, · no-one to whom we can confess our sins, · no-one to thank, · no resurrection to expect, · no heaven. · Life on earth meaningless. Ø Result, grab all now - nothing else to live for - result society gets worse - and even more hope is lost. Viscous circle. · Therefore eternal hope enables me to live in this world with purpose. · Because I know that justice and truth will one day prevail, · I know I am not wasting my time working and praying for that now.
Hope abides! Hope in heaven? Yes! Heaven in fellowship with our Creator - new surprises to astonish us. Therefore purpose for living go on forever. Hope abides for ever.
Love Abides What is love? `In this is love .. not that we loved. .. .' That love is eternal. God is Love. God wishes us to share in that - image. Self-giving -EXPAND. Cross You and I are not worthy of all that God has prepared .. · Look at what our live have been. · None of us can claim the right to heaven. · We'll never earn our way, never make up for ... Self giving love of God reached down to Cross. He took our sins upon Himself and died in our place. Risen Christ - nail prints. Nail prints forever. · Because of what nail prints tell us we can have faith and hope. · Without them - no new creation, no heaven, no forgiveness of sins. · Our end would be to perish. · John 3:16. · We'll never forget that love of cross. · Not on earth · Not in heaven. · Not in Old Jerusalem. · Not in new Jerusalem. Faith, hope and love abide forever, but the greatest is love. =============================================================================== If any of the above has
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