Today, you and I are going to have another one
of those heart -to -heart talks. Oh, I see you've
already gotten out your Bible. You're waiting
for it. Oh, that's wonderful. I appreciate it,
too. And we're talking about something that is
vitally important to all of us. And we have been
studying the... 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians,
and I hope that before I would have left your
house today, we will have gotten into that 14th
chapter of 1 Corinthians, which of course is
the basic chapter on tongues. But you and I cannot
fully understand. No person will have a full
understanding of the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians
until after they have received an understanding
of the 13th chapter. And oh, that 13th chapter
is so important. It's important because of its
relation to all of Christ's teaching. If you
want to know the basis for all of Christ's teaching,
you'll find it in that 13th chapter. chapter.
It's thrilling. It's marvelous. It's one of the
most remarkable chapters in the entire Bible.
And yesterday, of course, we took that eighth
verse. Love never faileth. And it never does.
It cannot fail. But whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, they
shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall
vanish away. And then I paused yesterday to explain
to you that there is coming a day when there
will no longer be the speaking in an unknown
tongue. There will no longer be those who will
be filled with the Holy Spirit, but baptized
with the Spirit, because all of these things
are made possible to his church, the bride of
Christ, members of the body of Christ. All of
these things are for those who are living during
the day of Pentecost. It's true, there's coming
a day when tongues will cease, Till that day,
it is in God's perfect plan for members of His
church to speak in an unknown tongue. The baptism
of the Holy Spirit is a gift. The person of the
Holy Spirit is a gift to His church. And His
church is still in operation. And the scripture
clearly teaches, when these things shall cease,
continue to read the rest of that chapter. For
now, it says, we know in part. We prophesy in
part. But there's coming a day when, oh, that
glorious day, when he shall come. When that which
is perfect is come, and when the one who is perfect
is come, not only will prophecy cease, not only
will tongues cease, but there will no longer
be the need for faith in my life. For faith will
have become a reality. Do you realize that? Do
you fully realize that there's coming a day when
we'll no longer use that word faith? Oh, it's
used so much now. It's a vitally important part
of every Christian's life. This thing of faith.
Think of the sermons that have been preached
on faith. Think of the volumes that have been
written on this thing of faith. That vital thing
called faith. And yet, there's coming a day when
I'll not be preaching a sermon on faith. I won't
even be using the word faith. Because faith will
have become A reality. That very second that
the old heart takes its last beat, the very moment
that we stand in his wonderful presence, there'll
no longer be the need for faith. Faith will have
become a reality. There'll no longer be the need
for hope. Oh, when I think about hope. Hope that
puts stars in darkened skies, blackened skies.
Hope that puts doors in blank walls. Windows
in blank walls. Hope that... brings out the sunshine.
But it's so dark. It's so black. Hope. There's
coming a day when we'll no longer need faith.
We'll no longer need hope. But there's one...
we're going to take with us. Tongues will have
ceased. Prophecy will have ceased. We'll no longer
need the gifts of the Spirit. Think about it.
Do you know that the day is coming when we'll
no longer need the gift of wisdom? We'll no longer
need the gift of knowledge? We'll no longer need...
The gift of faith or the gifts of healing? Think
about it. The day is coming when we'll not need
the gift of healing. Think of it. We'll no longer
need the working of miracles or the gift of prophecy.
The gift of tongues or the interpretation of
tongues. We'll no longer have... need or use
for the gifts of the Spirit. That's the reason
that all of these things are for his church today
during the day of Pentecost. Because the hour
is coming when the old heart takes its last beat,
staying in his glorious presence. This which
is mortal will have put on immortality. There'll
be no sickness. There'll be no sorrow. There'll
be no heartbreak. We'll no longer need faith.
We'll no longer need hope. But there's one thing
that we will take with us, and that's... the
reason it's the most important thing in the life
of every human being. And it's the thing that's
the basis of all of Christ's teaching. And that
thing is love. We will have left all of these
other things here. We will have dropped them.
Just as one drops a coat or a piece of clothing.
We drop them. But when we stand in his presence,
then for the very first time, that love will
have been perfected. My love for him will have
been perfected. I'll no longer be seen through
a glass darkly. But when I come in full view,
then his love for me will have been made perfect.
No glass between. No. In that day when I stand
face to face, Now I know in part, but then shall
I know even as also I am known. And now, by now,
this present hour, this present moment, I am
still in the flesh. I am still in the body. And
now, abideth faith. Oh, what would we do with
our faith? And now, this hour, abideth hope.
What would you do if you didn't have hope? These
three, all three so vitally important. But the
greatest of these is hope. Love. Mm -hmm. That's
the thing that we'll take with us when we go
home to glory. Continue now. There's a chapter
marking. There's a 14th chapter. But it would
be so nice if that chapter marking wasn't there.
Keep right on going. Follow after love. Just
stop right there. Sometimes, you know, I'm amazed
what people seek. I mean that. I'm so amazed.
Sometimes I think it's because it's the lack
of teaching. Maybe I have not been as good a
teacher along this line as I should be. If you
are a minister listening to me, you too have
been called to preach the gospel. And as one
called, our responsibility is very great. It's
very great to those to whom we are to minister.
And we need old -fashioned teaching. Talk to
any Christian, just a very few minutes. and you'll
know almost immediately what they are seeking.
I hear a man waiting another man, both the Christians,
and they'll clasp the hand of the other and say,
Well, thank God, brother. And I listen, and the
next remark is, Have you spoken in tongues? I
know immediately that the thing that is uppermost
in the mind of the man who has asked the question
is tongues. It's there. But here in the 14th
chapter of 1 Corinthians, and this is the basic
chapter on tongues, before one word is said about
tongues, The Holy Spirit to the pen of Paul says,
follow after love. It doesn't say follow after
tongues. It doesn't say follow after spiritual
gifts. Follow after love. For me to live is Christ
and Christ is love. And sometimes I think we
get our minds on some of these things that...
Now, I would not minimize tongues for anything
in the world, but shall I say the lesser important
things. For instance, sometimes I think... we
have become so engrossed on the manifestations
of the Spirit that we have forgotten Jesus entirely.
Now, you cannot find anywhere in the Word of
God where it says that the Holy Spirit will magnify
tongues. You can't find it. I challenge you to
find it. But we do have the word of Jesus when
Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. And
when Jesus spoke, remember, that was the highest
authority in heaven and earth. It makes no difference
what I might say. If I say one thing and the
Bible says another, the Bible's right. If what
you have been taught is contrary to what Jesus
said, remember, Jesus is right. And in speaking
of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, He will glorify
me. He will magnify me. And the Holy Spirit never
magnifies or glorifies any manifestation. He
will always magnify and glorify Jesus. And whenever
Jesus is glorified, you will always find love.
For me to live is Christ. God is love. Jesus
is love. The Holy Spirit is love. and if I am
a part of his body, and if I am immersed in the
Holy Spirit, then, beloved, I too will be loved.
And for me to live is Christ, and Christ is love.
That's the reason he begins with these words,
Follow after love. The next thing, desire spiritual
gifts. Oh, and if you are really a born -again
Christian, if you are a member of this glorious
body, if you are counted among the spirituals,
believe me, automatically there'll be something
in you that every atom of your being will desire
spiritual gifts. If there's no desire in your
heart for spiritual gifts, if there is no desire
for the spiritual, I don't care what your experiences
may have been, there is something wrong with
your spiritual life. If you're going on with
the Lord, if there is a spiritual growth there,
there will be a desire in that heart of yours
for spiritual gifts. Desire spiritual gifts.
And he continues, but rather that ye may prophesy.
Therefore, we see that the... Greatest spiritual
gift is the gift of prophecy. Oh, that one little
verse is loaded. I don't know why it isn't preached
on more. I don't know why. Men don't speak of
it more. It's there. We take something and make
such a big issue of it when it's such a small
thing in the sight of God. And yet the vitally
important things we just sort of push under the
rug. We kind of sweep under the rug and I don't
know whether we feel it's too hot to handle or
maybe there isn't a spiritual understanding.
I don't know. But this is so clear a child can
understand. A child can understand when we say,
follow after love. Desire spiritual gifts, but
rather that ye may prophesy. Therefore, we see
here that the gift that is the most important
of all gifts is the gift of prophecy. Oh, it's
wonderful to have the gift of wisdom. It's glorious
to have the gift of knowledge. It's wonderful
to have the gift of faith, the gift of healing,
the gift of tongues, the gift, the interpretation
of tongues. But if you're going to seek a gift,
if you're going to... covet a gift, if you're
going to desire a gift. Covet and desire the
gift of prophecy. But rather that ye may prophesy.
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh
not unto men, but unto God. For no man understandeth
him, howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to
edification and exhortation and comfort. Where
did the time go? I shall continue with the fourteenth
chapter. of First Corinthians at another time.