The Christ Centered Life: Spiritual Gifts-What’s your

motivation?I Corinthians 12:31-13:13

The Reasons Behind our actions are important

Actor: What is your motivation?Businessman: What is your motivation?

Why do you sing?Sport’s figure: Why do you compete?

The Greatest Motivation for doing is Love

• http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/friday-night-lights/being-perfect

Christian:What is your motivation?

Paul tells us what our motivation should be for using our gifts in

I Cor. 13

1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13 (ESV) 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a 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, 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 and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 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. 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. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I. Motivation determines the value of a spiritual gift(1-3)

A. Set Your Heart on the Greater Gifts.31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts (τὰ χαρίσματα

τὰ μείζονα).1. The greater gifts are: 1 Cor. 12:28 And God has

appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.

2. Why desire them? For the building up of the body of Christ.

I. Motivation determines the value of a spiritual gift(1-3)

“And I will show you a still more excellent (ὑπερβολὴν) way.”

B. What is more important than the Spiritual gift?

1. The motivation for using the gift.2. The motivation of love accomplishes more than

the perfection of the gift.

I. Motivation determines the value of a spiritual gift (1-3)

C. God gives the gift but it’s the motivation of the heart that gives it value.

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

1. Eloquence is just painful noise without the motivation of love.

2. Even saying, “I love you” with a wrong motivation can cause damage.

I. Motivation determines the value of a spiritual gift(1-3)

C. God gives the gift but it’s the motive of the heart that gives it value.

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, but have not love, I am nothing.

2. I’m not something because I have a gift, I’m something because I have God’s love.

3. A gift, unless used through the motivation of love has no worth.

I. Motivation determines the value of a spiritual gift (1-3)

D. Even giving to others and to good causes can be meaningless.

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.

Apart from the motivation of love:1. I gain nothing through charity.2. I gain nothing through being a martyr.

• How do we know that we are using our gifts through the motivation of love?

• Paul lists characteristics that are evidences of love:

II. Expressions that demonstrate the motivation of love (4-7)

A. 4 Love is patient and kind

II. Expressions that demonstrate the motivation of love (4-7)

A. 4 Love is patient and kindB. love does not envy or boast;

II. Expressions that demonstrate the motivation of love (4-7)

A. 4 Love is patient and kindB. love does not envy or boast; C. it is not arrogant 5 or rude (behave

indecently).

II. Expressions that demonstrate the motivation of love (4-7)

A. 4 Love is patient and kindB. love does not envy or boast; C. it is not arrogant 5 or rude (behave

indecently). D. It does not insist on its own way (self

seeking);

II. Expressions that demonstrate the motivation of love (4-7)

A. 4 Love is patient and kindB. love does not envy or boast; C. it is not arrogant 5 or rude (behave

indecently). D. It does not insist on its own way (self

seeking); E. it is not irritable (easily provoked to anger) or

resentful (keep a mental record);

II. Expressions that demonstrate the motivation of love (4-7)

A. 4 Love is patient and kindB. love does not envy or boast; C. it is not arrogant 5 or rude (behave indecently). D. It does not insist on its own way (self seeking); E. it is not irritable (easily provoked to anger) or

resentful (keep a mental record); F. 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, G. but rejoices with the truth.

II. Expressions that demonstrate the motivation of love (4-7)

H. 7 Love bears all things, – Puts up with all annoyances and difficulties.

I. believes all things, – To trust, to think true, to have confidence in.

J. hopes all things,– To look forward with confidence to what is good and

beneficial. K. endures all things.– Stays with someone in spite of the sufferings and

disappointments.

The Gifts are important to the building up of the Church, but they are

temporal.

Love is Eternal

III. Love is eternal. Gifts cease (8-13)

A. Love is eternal.“8 Love never ends.”

B. The gifts are temporal.1. “As for prophecies, they will pass away; 2. as for tongues, they will cease; 3. as for knowledge, it will pass away. “

III. Love is eternal. Gifts cease (8-13)

C. These gifts only reveal a glimpse of reality.1. Knowledge and prophesy are incomplete.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

2. When the body of Christ (the Church) is perfected the gifts will pass away.

10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

III. Love is eternal. Gifts cease (8-13)

C. Paul Illustrates the growth of a body with childhood.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.

Point: We are presently like children with a little knowledge of the way things will be.

III. Love is eternal. Gifts cease (8-13)

D. Paul Illustrates the difference with a mirror.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.

Point: Don’t be arrogant about your gifts, what you think you know or what you think you know about yourself. It falls far short of the way things really are, or shall be.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;

but the greatest of these is love.