1Corinthians 13:13
The Room of Defeat
To let you know, I am planning on taking this verse out of its
context this evening. I understand that in the context; however, I
want to focus on what Paul said as he concluded his thoughts. His
statement was not intended as a major point in his argument, but
rather it is part of Paul’s closing statements. However, in that
statement, Paul links three attributes of the Christian through the
Holy Spirit, FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE.
In connecting these three attributes, Paul is suggesting that they
somehow go together. One does not normally group dissimilar things
together. So in Paul’s mind, there is a connection to these three
attributes.
Question - What is that connection? How can we benefit from
understanding it?
Answer - These the three will help to keep us out of the Room of
Defeat. They can help us to finish our race with power and joy.
a. We all have a race to run.
b. We all should want to finish it with power and joy.
c. This is Sunday night and I figure most of you at least started
out with that desire, but some may have gotten discouraged,
defeated.
1. Have you quit praying?
2. Have you quit sharing Christ?
3. Have you lost the joy of worship?
d. Then you are sitting in the Room of Defeat.
e. Good news. These three attributes can help you.
I. Let’s consider some things about the whole group.
A. Each one of these attributes is powerful on its own, but what
I see here is that to Paul, they were a GROUP.
1. They can be used individually.
2. The Bible mentions them separately on many occasions.
3. However, it is as they are used in harmony with each other
that they have the power to keep us from defeat and
discouragement.
B. I believe Paul mentions them in a specific order.
1. I do not believe the order is the order of importance or
power.
2. In fact, Paul tells us in the verse that CHARITY is
the greatest or the most important and powerful of the
attributes. Yet, Paul mentions CHARITY last.
3. The order is important, I believe, because it is the order
in which the gifts need to be applied.
a. First, we must use our FAITH.
b. Second, we must use HOPE.
c. Third, last and most importantly, you must use LOVE.
C. Consider these things as I discuss how to use each gift.
II. The first attribute to use is that of FAITH.
A. The Bible makes much out of faith.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not
condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible
to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him.
1. Adrian Rogers once said that faith is the currency of
heaven.
2. What he meant was we give God our faith and God gives us
His blessings.
a. So the more faith we have, the more we can receive
from God.
b. Little faith, few blessings. Much faith, many
blessings.
c. How is your faith?
B. What is faith?
1. In a single word, faith is BELIEVING.
2. Faith is either hearing the Holy Spirit give a promise or
reading a promise in the Bible and BELIEVING that
promise.
3. The question that I would first ask you to ask yourself
is, "Do you believe the promises of God?
4. The second question that I would ask is, "Do you REALLY
believe the promise of God?"
a. Do you believe the promises for your life?
b. Do you believe the promises for your situation?
c. If not, it is no wonder that you are discouraged!
C. The Bible makes some pretty big promises.
1. The Bible promises that souls will be saved.
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
him.
a. Every Christian knows of someone who is lost.
b. One of the most basic and elementary acts of faith on
the part of a believer is to believe that lost souls
will be saved, both those they know and those they
minister to.
2. The Bible promises that sin will be defeated and Satan
will be repelled.
a. This world is getting more and more evil. Few
Christians would deny that.
b. Yet, we have the promise that the church will be
victorious.
Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it.
(1) That verse says that the church is to be
victorious over Satan and hell not the other way
around.
(2) Do you believe that is to be the case? Or, as
you watch the news, listen to the politicians,
and watch what appears to be coming down the
pike, are you starting to lose faith in the
victorious church?
c. We also have the promise that Satan will flee.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
(1) Do you still believe the devil is afraid of you?
(2) Do you still believe that through the Word of
God and the power of the Holy Spirit that you
can make Satan run?
d. Do you still have faith?
3. The Bible promises that the Savior will be exalted.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds;
and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the
earth shall wail because of him. Even so,
Amen.
Phil 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every
name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth,
and things under the earth;
E. These are just a few of the promises of Scripture.
1. There are many more.
2. The question is, "Do you believe? Do you have faith?"
3. If you do not believe the promises of God, you will surely
wind up in the Room of Defeat and Discouragement.
III. The second attribute is HOPE.
A. Faith is essential and important, but it is not the cure all
for defeat and discouragement.
1. As I have tried to illustrate, if we do not believe the
promises of God, all is lost.
2. But believing alone is not the sole answer to
discouragement.
a. Might I testify, that, to my knowledge, there have
been very few times that I have doubted the Word of
God.
b. Yet, I have been discouraged many times.
c. Why? Because believing alone will not get you out of
the Room of Defeat.
B. You must also have HOPE.
1. What is hope?
2. In a word, hope is longing.
3. In a few other words, hope is anticipating, desiring.
C. Bear with me.
1. You can believe in something without longing for it.
a. I believe I am going to have to pay taxes this year.
b. I believe that if I live long enough, I am going to get
old.
c. I believe that, one day, either Kathy will have to go
on without me or I will have to go on without her.
2. I believe these things, but I do not long for them.
D. My point is, you can believe something and not long for
it.
1. We not only need to believe the promises of God, we need
to long for them.
2. One is the head knowledge. The other is the heart
knowledge.
3. Have you ever asked yourself, why does God wait so long
to fulfill some of His promises?
a. Of course I cannot give you all the answers. I’m just
a puny person.
b. But I believe one of the answer is that God does not
want us to merely believe a promise. He wants us to
long for that fulfillment of that promise.
4. Then, when the promise if fulfilled, we have great joy.
5. The joy in a fulfilled promise does not come from the
mental belief of it, but in the longing (the hope) of
it.
Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in
tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace in believing, that ye may
abound in hope, through the power of the Holy
Ghost.
E. The reason some are discouraged and defeated is because they
won’t let themselves crave, desire, anticipate, long, hope
for the things of God.
1. Friend, as long as your desires are built on Bible
promises, God will do them.
2. Long for it.
V. The third attribute is CHARITY (LOVE).
A. What is love?
1. In a word, love is ACTION.
a. Many times we have looked over 1Cor 12 and noticed
that Paul defined love not by our emotions but by our
actions.
b. Love doesn’t just talk or feel good. Love does.
2. The demonstration of your love for God by your actions
will complete your eviction out of the Room of Despair.
B. You can demonstrate your love for God by many actions, but the
action that I find the most important for me to stay out of
the cursed Room of Defeat is KEEPING ON.
1. I must keep on going as God has empowered me.
2. I must keep on praying as God commanded me.
3. I must keep on serving as God has commissioned me.
4. I must keep on striving as God has taught me.
5. By keeping on keeping on, I demonstrate my love for my God
and I keep myself out of the Room of Defeat.
C. You may find some other act of love for your God will work
better for you.
D. That is fine, but find an action that tells you and God that
you love Him and do it.
1. I know a man who gives and he gives because he loves God
and to show he loves God.
2. I know many preachers who preach because they love God and
to show God they love Him.
3. Some are servants. They serve because the love God and to
show God they love Him.
Now, Paul has connected these three attributes of the Holy Spirit,
attributes that are to be in our lives. Why? I believe because they
are the essential to completing our race with JOY and POWER.
Do you believe?
Are you longing for God to fulfill His promises with you?
Do you demonstrate your faith and hope by actions of love?
<OutlineIndex>
<Close Window>
