When I Was A Child

"If I have seen further than other men it's because I have stood on the shoulders of giants who have walked before me." - Isaac Newton

Disclaimer: If I have borrowed anything from a sermon you have preached, please consider yourself one of those giants whose path I have crossed at some point in my time. You will find that I have mixes things in that may be from another giant I have encountered somewhere along the way, but also there will be many things that God has inspired in me personally. Every sermon I preach, I give God the glory for and I leave open for anyone to use glean from or to borrow from as well. If I have borrowed anything from you, it is because your message has been an inspiration to me enough that I felt that it, or pieces from it were well worth passing on. I am not writing a book or selling my works, I am simply attempting to help bring folks to Christ, to help them grow in the Lord, and to bring glory to God. I don't take credit even for my own works, I give it all to God. I find that most people I learn from have learn have learned from someone since Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun."

1 Cor. 13: vs. 11

This is known at the love chapter because in it Paul talks about how love suffers long and is kind, does not envy, does not parade itself, is not full of pride and does not behave rudely.

Love is not rude, is not selfish, is not provoked, doesn’t think evil of one another, does not rejoice when one trespasses but rather love rejoices in the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Love never fails.

The Physical Change

And then Paul begins to give an analogy of what it was like to be a child.

(Vs. 11) “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

The Spiritual Change

(Vs. 12) “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

(Vs. 9,10 ) “For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part will be done away.”

A. There is apparently some confusion about the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit with some desiring the gift of tongues because it was a little more out there. It seemed to be more spiritual because people could see it being put to use unlike faith, hope and love.

B. So Paul is exhorting them to grow up and desire spiritual gifts because they are spiritual and they are there to honor God, not to bring honor or attention to one’s self.

C. He was basically saying that “Nobody understands everything there is to know. Riht now, we just have bits and pieces of insight into these spiritual gifts, as well as into the Kingdom of God as a whole.”

D. In 1 Thess. 15:51 Paul is talking about the Second Coming of Christ, or what we refer to as the Rapture of the church and he says this …. “Behold I show you a mystery.”

So Paul is writing to the Corinthian church and telling them that there are some things that we aren’t going to know in full while we live here on this earth.

1. That is because there is a definite distinction between the spiritual and the natural.

2. But, he says that, as we grow in Christ, as we become more mature about the things of God and begin to understand spiritual things to the best of our ability, we should begin to act as if we are mature and we should put away childish things.

3. Because, he said, “When I was a child I acted like a child and I behaved like a child but when I became a man, I began to behave like a man. I behaved as if I had become more mature, and that happens in both the spiritual and the physical.

4. (1 Peter 2:2) “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation …”

The word desire doesn’t just mean to want something, but it means to literally long for something with all of one’s being .

SOUND FAMILIAR? IT SHOULD!

In Luke 10:25, A lawyer asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?

(Luke 10:27) "And he answered and said, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'” … And your neighbor as yourself.