Sustaining Love (Memorial Day Message)
Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 13:12-13
Introduction: The sacrifice of our men and women in uniform reminded me of why they fight for our freedom. Do you remember what you were doing on 9/11/2001? How did you feel when you first began to understand that this was a terrorist attack on our country? How did you react? For most of us, our only connection to the events of 9/11 was what we saw on television. I was out fishing when the attack had began, I then stopped by the library at Golden Gate University to find out that classes had been cancelled for the day, and so I, like many saw much of the attack on television. How do we reconcile the attacks that have occurred on America? We, as a people are more connected than we may realize.
We don’t understand
We have pain and hurt inside
We cry for the fallen
Propositional Statement: Although we now do not understand things like the sacrifice of the men and women who have fallen for our country’s freedom; we will one day understand many things more clearly and definitively.
I. Seeing in The Mirror Dimly and Knowing In Part (v. 12) READ IT
A. NOW- Today, while we are in this earthly condition, when America has to defend its freedom and wars become necessary
-We see in a mirror dimly. Sometimes I think we have trouble seeing the mirror at all. What Paul was saying here is: We have “inadequate knowledge of a thing because it is a poor reflection as opposed to the real thing.” AT Robertson wrote, “To see a friend’s face in a cheap mirror would be very different from looking at the friend” In the biblical era, mirrors were made of copper, bronze, silver, gold, or electrum. They were highly polished so as to reflect the face as clearly as possible. The thought of imperfect seeing is emphasized by the character of the ancient mirror (here in Corinthians), which was of polished metal, and required constant polishing, so that a sponge with pounded pumice-stone was generally attached to it. Corinth was famous for the manufacture of these. Can you imagine polishing the mirrors we have today with a pumice-stone and then trying to get a good reflection?
B. An Enigma -In addition to seeing your reflection in an ancient mirror, Paul added obscurity and enigma or the element of riddles to the reflection. Dimly or Darkly is sometimes used to describe the reflection. When I think about the men and women who have fought for America’s freedom, and also the reason why fighting is required; it is like a dirty, ground-up surface to me. I can’t understand it! It makes me weep!
-One Commentary mentioned that when we are dealing with divine facts, we use human language that can only represent them in metaphors, images, and visible phenomena; to which only represent relative, not absolute truth (Pulpit Commentary, 1 Corinthians, 425).
-In the present through gifts, we see a reflection of God, in the future, we will see him face-to-face.
Transition: When you attempt to understand the hard issues of the contemporary world, how far do you get? What do you understand? How many of these issues do you think you can solve. This may include anything from the reason for war to getting along with the person in the chair next to you. Larry Richards thinks that the writer Paul here answers this question in Corinthians 13; “How do we recognize special closeness to God in ourselves or in others?” With an emphasis on the wrong things, the church in Corinth needed to come together in spite of wrong motives, wrong priorities and other difficulties. If we don’t understand this, then we are likely to grasp at things that do not build us up. I will conclude today’s message with just how we do that; and how we can remedy it.
In the Corinthians passage, we see a transition from individual knowing to knowing more fully.
II. Knowing Fully and Having Been Fully Known (v. 12)
A. Knowing Fully: To know fully means to have a full knowledge and understanding of something.
-In the Scripture, the concept of what we know, hear, and see now has been experienced in history; and will be an example for our faith, hope, and love.
- Concerning Moses in Numbers 12:8, God said, “With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings. And he beholds the form of the LORD. (The first Greek version of the Bible says that Moses beheld God’s glory) So when God communicated with Moses, He both spoke in an audible sounds and showed Moses an expression of who He was. Further, it was not like an enigma, riddle, or dark saying.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” If you are one of His Children, we do have the same difficulty understanding tragedy, evil, and suffering as much as anyone else; but it is not as though we have veils over our faces that keep us from seeing the Glory of God. We do see His glory right now very dimly nonetheless. The Glory of God, or the expression of His Divine Character is very dimly exhibited in us; yet God’s Word says, one day we will be changed.
-One of the church fathers (Crysothsem) cites an example from Scripture of how the Israelites poorly conceived of what was in the mirror. He wrote, “And if thou wilt, let us bring forward that passover …. For the Jews indeed celebrated it, but they celebrated it “so as in a mirror, and darkly.” But these hidden mysteries they never at any time did even conceive in their mind, nor what things they prefigured. They saw a lamb slain, and the blood of a beast, and door-posts sprinkled with it; but that the Son of God incarnate shall be slain, and shall set free the whole world, and shall grant both to Greeks and Barbarians to taste of this Blood, and shall open heaven to all, and shall offer what is there to the whole human race, and having taken His blood-stained flesh shall exalt it above the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, and, in a word, above all the hosts on high, of the angels and archangels and all the other powers, and shall cause it shining in unspeakable glory,—to sit down upon the throne itself of the King, on the right hand of the Father these things, I say, no one, either of them or of the rest of mankind, either foreknew or was able ever to conceive.
-It is interesting that in Genesis 32:30, it says, “So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” In case you were wondering, ‘Penial’ means “the face of God”
-It is also interesting that Nathaniel, among others actually saw God in His incarnate form; and that seeing Jesus means a more clear and definitive answer. Jesus said to Nathaniel, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.
-No human could have ever conceived what was in the mind of God! (But neither “eye nor ear” can fully represent (though the believer’s soul gets a small revelation now of) “the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1Co 2:9). At this point, I can only surmise that we don’t know God as much as we think we do; but rather are known by Him.
-An interesting feature of the passage in 1 Corinthians 13:12 is the repeated use of the word known. They are all used in the first person; but are used in an undefined sense; meaning that nobody knows how long it will take but. Paul says, I know, I will know, and I have been fully known.
B. Being Fully Known v.12
-Turn to Galatians 4:9–11, “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God…”
- Matthew Henry says, “We shall know how we are known, enter into all the mysteries of divine love and grace. O glorious change! To pass from darkness to light, from clouds to the clear sunshine of our Saviour’s face, and in God’s own light to see light! Ps. 36:9. Note, It is the light of heaven only that will remove all clouds and darkness from the face of God. It is at best but twilight while we are in this world; there it will be perfect and eternal day.”
- Isaiah 40:5 says, “Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
ILLUS> In 1845, in the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia, the Southern Baptist Convention was organized. As a tribute to the faith of the founding fathers, the church placed this inscription in the building: “Men who see the invisible, hear the inaudible, believe the incredible, and think the unthinkable!”
Transition: Video: 9/11 (Skit Guys)
- 1 John 3:2 (NASB95) Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
III. Abiding in Faith, Hope, and Love (v.13)
A. -1 Corinthians 13:10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. Some believe that when our faith is perfected and our current hope is realized; that only love will remain for eternity.
-Jamieson comments, “In one sense faith and hope shall be done away, faith being superseded by sight, and hope by actual fruition: Romans 8:24 says, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?” and 2 Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight… So the argument goes, ‘if we have realized our hope and actually seen what we have trusted in; then what is the place for faith and hope? Are they not primarily for the use of people now, while God’s primary characteristic in relationship with us is love? 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love! He question may be brought up: “What continuing roles will faith and hope have in the eternal lives of Christians?”
John MacArthur says, “But our showing love, practicing love, living love now are of utmost importance, more important than having any of the other virtues or gifts, because love is the link God gives us with His eternal Self.” This is a key lesson for us today: “We should practice these virtues of faith, hope, and love now(today)!” Paul does not tell the Corinthians that love is the only virtue left; (I will use the same words he does, notice verse 13) He says, “But,” or rather, the greatest of these is love.
B. Our real hunger today is to know the One true God! It is only in Jesus that we will find faithful security, hopeful purpose, and loving freedom.
-Hafemann writes, that “instead of dependence on God for our lives or lives of faith (‘faith’), we have substituted a mental assent to historical data that leads to making ‘decisions’ about God. Rather than trusting in God’s promises for our future (‘hope’), we have fallen back on a wishful thinking that is informed by our desires for heath and wealth. Hence, although called to consider the needs of others more important than our own needs (‘love’), we seek money, sex, and emotional gratification at any cost.”
Paul Lee Tan wrote,
One day I looked at myself,
At the self that Christ can see;
I saw the person I am today
And the one I ought to be.
I saw how little I really pray,
How little I really do;
I saw the influence of my life—
How little of it was true!
I saw the bundle of faults and fears
I ought to lay on the shelf;
I had given a little bit to God,
But I hadn’t given myself.
I came from seeing myself,
With the mind made up to be
The sort of person that Christ can use
With a heart He may always see. —Selected
-So what emphasis should guide our lives as we consider, among many things, the sacrifice of those who have gone before us in defense of our country?
First, Faith! It is only the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus that has enabled us to be part of God’s great plan which will lead to God’s glory.
Second, Hope! Until we realize our hope in Christ Jesus, we have hope that allows us to endure the sufferings and other issues of this world.
Third, Love! The love that we have for one another binds us together as we anticipate the coming day when we shall see Jesus.
Conclusion: Although we now do not understand things like the sacrifice of the men and women who have fallen for our country’s freedom; we will one day understand many things more clearly and definitively. 1 John 3:1-2 says, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”
The famous blind hymnist Fanny Crosby attended a mid-week prayer meeting service in 1891 at which Dr. Howard Crosby spoke from the Twenty-third Psalm. Later that week, Fanny was stunned when Dr. Crosby suddenly died. Pondering the suddenness of death, she asked herself, “I wonder what my first impression of heaven will be.” A moment later she answered her own question with sudden insight: “Why, my eyes will be opened and I will see my Savior face to face.” A few days later, she wrote one of her most famous hymns:
Some day the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall sing;
But oh, the joy when I shall wake
Within the palace of the King!
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story—Saved by grace;
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story—Saved by grace.
Prayer: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Ro. 8:18)
