Introduction – Starting with a confession.
I. The Richness of This Chapter.
A. The application of love.
B. Worship as preparation for battle, 8.
C. How important building up the Body of Christ is.
D. The orderly and peaceful character of God reflected on the way he wants to be worshipped, 33, 40, 27-30.
E. The presence of God in the worship service, 25.
F. The importance of a clear word from the Lord to the congregation, 6-9.
G. How we need engaged minds in the worship of God and in the Christian life, 14-15.
H. Everybody is an active participant in worship, 29.
I. The ultimate Presbyterian verse, 40.
II. The Pursuit of Love Dominates This Chapter, 1a.
A. The word pursue is the same word that is translated persecute elsewhere.
B. The context in which love is to be pursued is the public, corporate worship of the gathered church.
C. Love for the brethren.
D. Love for the unbeliever – you are going to act in a certain way so that the unbeliever that visits you may bow down to the Lord Jesus, 24-25.
III. This Is Still about Spiritual Gifts.
A. Notice how 12:31a connects with 14:1.
B. Paul is back at answering their question regarding spiritual gifts now that he has put it in the right context.
C. The question the Corinthians brought to Paul really only involved tongues-speaking and prophesying.
D. It is abundantly obvious that Paul favored prophesying over tongues-speaking in the corporate worship of the church, 18-19.
IV. Defining Prophesying and Tongues-Speaking.
A. For a more detailed explanation of role that the apostolic gifts should play today, please listen to last Sunday's adult Sunday school lesson.
B. Prophets and prophesying
C. Tongues-speaking
V. Ultimately, Why Prophecy over Tongues? Because the Building up of the Body of Christ, 12-19.
A. Paul says, "I'm sure that you are so zealous about spiritual gifts because you want to build up the Body of Christ. So, seek that gift that will be most conducive to that," 12.
B. In the public, corporate worship of the gathered church, we must be concerned with the building up of our brothers and sisters, 18-19.
C. More on this next week, for now please realize, understand, and live out this idea that we are here to build each other up.
D. Paradoxically, as we invest ourselves into building others up, we will be built up beyond what we can ask or even imagine.
Conclusion
It is amazing how the gift of tongues-speaking has been blown out of proportion in some circles. What is listed as the least important of the spiritual gifts has been elevated to unprecedented heights. Why? Because it appeals to our selfish nature. It draws attention to us. But the way of the Gospel, the way of Christ, is one of building others up. Every last one of us here today who have trusted in Jesus Christ has been given the gift of building others up. May God who builds up the humble grant us humble love so that we will care for those in the Bible of Christ to the point of edifying them.
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