Commanded to Do the Impossible

• 1 Corinthians 13: 1-8,13

 1. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.”

2.  “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains (Matthew 17:20), but have not love, I am nothing.”

3.  “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4.  “Love IS patient.”

“Love IS kind.”

“Love DOES NOT envy or boast.”

“Love IS NOT arrogant.”

“Love IS NOT rude.”

“Love DOES NOT insist on its own way.”

“Love IS NOT irritable.”

“Love IS NOT resentful.”

“Love DOES NOT rejoice at wrongdoings.”

“Love DOES rejoice with the truth.”

“Love BEARS all things.” (keeps secret, preserves, hides the errors and faults of others, covers closely, conceals, wards off, endures patiently)

“Love BELIEVES all things.” (has faith, trusts, commits, entrusts)

“Love HOPES all things.” (expects, trusts, actively waits for fulfillment, anticipates)

“Love ENDURES all things.” (remains behind, stands its ground, perseveres, stays under a load, awaits)

“Love NEVER ENDS.” (never, ever, not at any time)

5. “Faith ABIDES.” (remains, stays, waits, waits for, continues, endures, lasts, stands,)

“Hope ABIDES” (tarries, is kept, continues to be present)

“Love ABIDES.” (has unbroken fellowship, adheres, is rooted in…)

6. “These three ABIDE, but the greatest of these is LOVE.” (goodwill, benevolence, moral preference, Divine love, what God prefers, enkindled by Holy Spirit, embraces truth, has mutual Christian affection)

{TO “ABIDE,” WE FIRST HAVE TO ENTER IN!}

• Spiritual Gifts:

1. Utterance of Wisdom
2. Utterance of Knowledge
3. Faith
4. Gifts of Healing
5. Working of Miracles
6. Prophecy
7. Distinguishing between spirits (true and false)
8. Various kinds of tongues
9. Interpretations of tongues

•  Spiritual Appointments or “Offices”

1. Apostles
2. Prophets
3. Teachers
4. Workers of miracles
5. Gifts of healing
6. Helping, Aid, Service
7. Administration
8. Various kinds of tongues
9. Interpretations of tongues

 

Varieties of gifts from the Spirit.

God empowers them all.

These are manifestations of the Spirit for our common good.

None of these matters if we do not have love. It is the more excellent way.

Sometimes I get the conviction that I should put everything else I do aside, and simply focus and concentrate on learning how to love—and be—like Christ Jesus.

 

• 1 John 4:20-21

“If anyone says, ‘I Love God,’ but hates*** his brother, he is a LIAR; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this COMMANDMENT we have from Him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

 

•  Matthew 12:46-50

“While He was speaking to the people, behold, His mother and His brothers (and sisters) stood outside, asking to speak to Him. But He replied to the man who told him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And stretching His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers!’ For WHOEVER DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN is My brother and sister and mother.’”

 

{*** hate, as written above in 1 John, is the Greek word MISEO, and it has the following meanings: detest, persecute, pursue with hatred and denounce, but it also means—and it is used this way here—to explicitly signify a comparative. It is clearly implied and understood to its original hearers to mean “TO LOVE OR ESTEEM LESS” than someone or something else and to “RENOUNCE ONE CHOICE IN FAVOR OF ANOTHER;” just as Proverbs 28:13 says that “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses AND RENOUNCES them (forsakes, gives up, abandons, turns from IN FAVOR OF RIGHTEOUSNESS) finds mercy.” We could interpret it this way, “Whoever says ‘I love God’ and loves/ esteems his brother less is a liar, because you need to love them both. Jesus said you will love one and hate the other. He was saying you can’t have two masters and serve them both; you have to choose one over another. Joshua said the same thing when he challenged the Israelites in Joshua 24:15}

 

•  Romans 3:19-22

“Now, we know that whatever the Law says it speaks to those under the Law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the Law (Ten Commandments) no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the Law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (trust).” And 2 Corinthians 5:21 proclaims, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” We NEED Him!

• The Lord of Hosts gave us the Law as a guide and standard to be lived by, followed and obeyed, even knowing we couldn’t keep it perfectly in order to be saved. He did it to show us our sinfulness and our INABILITY TO BE SAVED BY ANY OTHER MEANS than with HIS HELP (LOVE AND GRACE) made available only through the willing and sacrificial gift of His Son’s LOVE. At the same time we are made aware of our depravity—the innate corruption of our human nature, our moral corruption and wickedness—we are also made aware that HIS GRACE AND LOVE ARE FREELY AVAILABLE! So, in an instant, we go from utter lowness and sadness (What can I do? I can’t save myself! I am doomed!) to the heights of joy, gladness and gratitude (God has made a way, God has provided the way, and it is free)! Hallelujah! Praise and glory to His name! (Talk about valleys and mountaintops!) In one moment, we go from the lowest low—in ourselves—to the highest high—in Him!

• In the same way, when I read that the COMMAND is to love and the EXPECTATION is to love at all times, I AM to be patient. I AM to be kind. I AM not to boast. I AM not to be arrogant or rude. I AM not to envy or boast. I AM not to insist on my own way. I AM not to be irritable or resentful. I AM not to rejoice at wrongdoing. I AM to rejoice with the truth. I AM to bear all I AM to believe all things. I AM to hope all things. I AM to endure all things. I AM to never stop doing these things. I AM to always abide in faith and in hope and in LOVE. And Almighty God is– this moment– revealing to me that the words we just read that tell me what “I AM” to do and what “I AM” not to do is no coincidence. He is THE GREAT I AM and it is His gracious reminder of Who He is and that only He can enable us to do them!

• It leaves me feeling just like the disciples in Matthew 19:25-26, “When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished (amazed, dumbfounded, emotionally stalled or shut down, in a state of wonder or terror, utterly astounded), saying, ‘Who then can be saved? (or “Who can do this?”) But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ So, just as we NEED a Savior to be saved from our utter sinfulness in order to stand before our Creator as justified so as to escape the judgment (He died for us in what we were unable to do for ourselves, to obtain mercy and grace, and be reconciled to the Father through Jesus Christ; in order to go to Heaven and escape the deserving fire of Hell), we also NEED a constant power supply, a constant prop, a constant intercessor and advocate, and an “ever present help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1) to once again enable us to do what is commanded and what we are unable to do for ourselves. We NEED Him to save us and we NEED Him to enable us to love! But we must reach out, we must ask, beg, beseech, entreat, petition and make supplication. This is our This is our requirement. This is our responsibility. This is on us. This, we must do. And I believe the Lord is showing me only now that THIS IS WHY PRAYER IS SO IMPORTANT! Prayer is our vehicle, our means, to invite God’s help to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves. It is a desperate, fervent, humble plea! Thank You, Lord and God Jesus Christ! May Your name be exalted in all the earth!

Consider these verses:

Matthew 5:14, “But I say to you, LOVE your enemies.”

Romans 12:9, “Let LOVE be genuine.”

Romans 13:10, “LOVE does no wrong to a neighbor.” (Luke 10:29, “Who is my neighbor? = 30-37… anyone you come across)

1 Corinthians 10:14, “Let all that you do be done in LOVE.”

Philippians 1:9, “It is my prayer that your LOVE may abound more and more.”

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has given us a spirit of power and of LOVE and of a sound mind (self-control).”

Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to LOVE and good works.”

James 2:8, “You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself.”

1 John 3:18, “Let us not LOVE in word or talk but in deed.”

1 John 4:16, “God is LOVE, and whoever abides in LOVE abides in God, and God abides in him.” (If we don’t abide in God, we can’t abide in LOVE.)

Jude 21, “Keep yourselves in the LOVE of God.”