In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of love in all aspects of life. He refers to a verse in Romans chapter 4 to explain that if someone is justified by words alone, they may receive glory from men but not from God. The preacher questions whether their church should continue its activities if there is no love present. He emphasizes that love is the foundation of everything good and real, and that it is the ultimate power that can overcome any challenge. The sermon concludes by highlighting the significance of faith, hope, and love in a true body of believers, with love being the greatest of all.

I want to turn to the chapters in Corinthians on Gifts of the Spirit and chiefly to the 13th chapter. I, it has come back to my heart so forcibly so those in the room with which I was discussing these things a little last evening will forgive me if I refer to them again. In the wonderful 12th, 13th chapters, whether we get further than that I'm not sure, the manifestation of the Spirit, verse 7, is given to every man to mutual profit. 1 Corinthians 12, 7. I wonder if you believe that. Now you must understand that he didn't say the manifestation of the gift is given to every man, he said the manifestation of the Spirit because it comes in the chapter that deals with the gifts we mistakenly read into it what isn't there, you see. I suppose most of you have heard me say that the majority of people never read the Bible at all, they read what they think it means. And here is an instance of it. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man. So I might ask you this morning, what spirit have you been manifesting since you've been in the room? That's the thing, you see. It's really connected with this wonderful verse lower down, 12 as the body is one, praise God. Do you believe that? Would you say that we're all one here this morning? Would you say that we're really all one? Now this is the thing, we're just one body. As the body is one. And it's only as the body is one. It's not a statement saying that it is, but as. He's going to come to a tremendous comparison here. And he's going to say something that's based on this as. As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one body. So also is Christ. Christ being here this morning, is Christ here this morning? Christ is here, is that right? All right. For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body. What was the purpose of this blessed thing? To baptize us into one body. That's the purpose, you see. Not just to give us gifts. But purposely to baptize us into the body. The rest will follow. All right. Whether we be Jews or Gentiles. Whether we be bond or free. And have been all made to drink into one spirit. And it's the spirit of the body that's got to be manifest. There's a spirit inside this body you're looking at. I mean the human body. There's a human spirit inside this human body. There's... Inside the spiritual body, if I may put it, there's a spiritual spirit. Hope that doesn't sound stupid, but it's right. Glory be to God. Go back with me to chapter two. Verse eleven. What things... What man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God. Glory to God. I wonder, are we all manifesting this spirit that knows the things of God? The spirit of man that's in him knows the things of a man, all right? Praise the Lord, that's true, isn't it? Now the spirit of God knows the things of God. And we've all been made to drink into this one spirit. And we're to know the things that are freely given to us of God. This man goes on to say, and the spirit's moving. Verse twelve. We've received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak. The spirit of God then will speak the things that are freely given to us of God. And we'll speak them. And it is this, beloved, that is the great up-building ministry of God. It's this that builds up one another. When we speak the things that are given to us of God. How truly this is, you know. With us as people. You know, there are some statements which go like this. You should practice what you preach. Is that right? But you know, beloved, we should only preach what we practice. That's what Jesus Christ did. Jesus Christ only preached what he practiced. Would you agree with me? He only preached what he practiced. He didn't practice what he preached. He preached what he practiced. We've got it round the wrong way. We only say that when we find that a man isn't practicing what he preaches. But you should preach what you practice. And what a glorious thing this is then. The things that are freely given to us of God. The things that are real. And we must manifest the spirit of the body. Alright then. And the spirit of the body will come out in three glorious ways which are eternal. They're in the end of the thirteenth chapter. They are faith, hope and love. Always. The spirit of the body will always manifest itself in this way. You may think of another hundred things you could tack to this. Tack on to it as positive and real. But these are the three great basic ways in which you'll always be able to tell the spirit of the body. The true body. And a true body basically must be a body of faith and hope and love. Glory. When you think of this. And of course the greatest of all is love. And when we're able to really love and love and love and love. And let that be the great uniting bond of perfectness as the scripture says. Because that's the thing that keeps us all bound up together. That love is the bond of perfectness. And that will enable the body not to become sort of dismembered or disjointed. As we move in this great love of God and hope. Why? That means that you'd never come together and there'd be a flat meeting or anything like that. Or a dull meeting. Because hope is the great thing that's always springing. It's always rising. Hope is a thing you cannot put out. Hope is a light that can't really be extinguished. And we meet with hope. It doesn't matter if you come into the most desolate situations. Hope is there. And it's like the sun that shines in the heavens. It warms everything. When hope is there. What a tremendous thing is hope there my love. I hope you've got some big hopes in your heart this morning. Have you? Well let me ask you this. Will you cling to those hopes? Will you cling to those hopes? When they're real hopes from God. Cling to them. It'll buoy you up in all circumstances. Keep you going under all oppositions and conditions. Hope, praise God. Don't mistake it for faith. Hope and faith are very wonderful companions linked with love. They're marvellous. And faith, when we come to real faith beloved. Oh that's when things will happen. Things will really happen when you come to faith. The great convincement of God in your heart. Not to be mixed up with hope, though joined to it. Kept distinct in the mind and understood perfectly by the heart. Faith. Glory. If hope buoys us up then it's faith that keeps us going. Hallelujah. We've gone right on in faith. From victory to victory and glory to glory. But the spirit of the body then is in these three great things above all. Hallelujah. You've got the spirit of love in you this morning. The spirit of love. And the spirit of hope. And the spirit of faith. You can't do anything with that really except stand back and admire it if you haven't got it. To see it there. Burning, true and clear. And it's this manifestation that's got to be obvious. It will manifest itself in the gifts of the spirit. But they're only the media of its manifestation. They're only, if you like, the demonstration of the spirit that's manifest. Alright? Do you see that quite clearly? Not the manifestation of the gifts but the manifestation of the spirit is the important thing. What spirit was manifest in you? Say when you spoke in tongues or gave that interpretation or that prophecy or that word of wisdom or whatever you might want to say. What spirit was manifest in you? That's the thing. Not what power so much as what spirit. And you discern spirit by tones and attitudes. You discern spirit that way. It's something you feel. Something you cannot get, put a name to. It's something that makes you talk in these kinds of phrases. Oh he wasn't very nice to me. Or she was very nice to me. It's that. These are the things you see. It isn't, well he said some very nice things. That's not the point. It's he was very nice to me. Very loving to me. Very gentle to me. That's it. Very strong when I needed strength. Very clear when I needed wisdom. Very clear. It's this beloved that the Lord wants us to understand with all our hearts. Came to my heart this morning when Violet, this is where it all sprang from. From that instance when she asked to be prayed for. And again beloved. What do you want to do on these occasions? What did your spirit feel like then? I looked up when Norman was praying. My spirit then felt like I saw Norman when he was praying. I don't know whether you open your eyes when people are praying. I do sometimes. I think it's utterly wrong. If you think you have a gift of discernment. For instance I've warned several young men about this. To go to a meeting and keep staring around all the time. Because they're trying to discern something in the meeting. That's horrible. It doesn't come through these eyes. It comes through here. That's what they don't understand. They've got to learn to live with their gift. But of course you can only learn. That doesn't come as a gift right from the beginning. This is something you learn as you mature. But I opened my eyes and I saw Norman like this. Lord, Lord. He said I want to put my arms around you. That's right. That's right. That's it. That's just right. If I saw God this morning. Do you know I'd see. Do you know what I'd see? I'd see them in each other's arms up there. I'd see the Lord God Almighty with his lamb. That's right. They're right in the heart of the bridal city of New Jerusalem. Right in the center. We're all wrapping ourselves around him. Or he's clothed himself with us. Whichever way you want to look at it. So the Lord is wanting us to put our arms around one another. And love one another. With great big intakings to self. That's right. Desirings to become one with. We don't always think it out. Let the first response of the spirit be spontaneous. Not calculated. I'll repeat that. Let the response of the spirit be spontaneous. Not calculated. If you calculate, you'll calculate yourself out. If you calculate, you'll tone yourself down. If you calculate, you'll put yourself away. You'll think of a reason why you shouldn't do this. And you shouldn't do that. You see. But if you come spontaneously. That's it. And that's what God wants. He wants us to be like that. There's got to be a manifestation of the spirit that's in us. We've been trained not to do that. That's what we've been trained to do. I mean from infancy. But oh when the Lord brings us to a place where we can be spontaneous. And you don't have to think ten times before you speak once. You know you're terribly afraid to speak in some people's company because you know positively well. Yeah you know. I won't say anything else. You know what will happen. But when we can be free. And be spontaneous. And let the spirit of us flow. Yeah. That's when we've really got somewhere on the level of a true family of God. And so the Lord wants us to move this way. He starts the chapter off by saying I give you to understand that nobody speaking by the spirit of God calls Jesus anathema or accursed. I want to quell your fears. He says for a start that if you really will speak spontaneously under the spirit of God everything's all right. But you know why some people don't speak spontaneously because of fear. They're afraid they'll be misjudged. They're afraid that people won't understand. That's what they're afraid of. And so you see the word in John is so frightfully important for us here. The perfect love will cast out the fear. Amen. Now when this has really happened. And we can move in the spirit all the time. By the spirit. What a glorious thing it is. I want to say to you beloved. I'm more and more convinced of this as I move around and keep doing this of course. That the thing is I beg of you to let your hearts go free in perfect love. This is the answer to it. It's the answer to everything. As a matter of fact it's not just a conclusion I've come to but it's been reinforced by a letter I received last week. It's Sunday now isn't it. Last week from a young brother. He says he's more and more coming to see that the answer to it all is love. This young brother is not a young man without gift and benedict from God. But he sees that the whole thing is love. And that never fails. Never fails. I was in a meeting. Where are we? It was last Sunday. I was in a meeting. I won't say where I was. Please don't look at my itinerary to find out. I beg your pardon. I was in a meeting and there sat a lady. And she asked to see me afterwards. And God ministered to her. And all sorts of things. But one of the things she said was this. She said. I knew I was alright here with so and so. Because I could see right down to the bottom of him. And all I could see was love. You see. She was a woman in great need. She was speaking from a psychic mediumistic insight. They have powers to see to the bottom of people. Or through people. But she said. I could see in this young man. You will know his name. But I won't mention it. All I could see was love. That's all I could see in him. He hadn't apparently got all the sort of things that he will acquire. To be able to deal with all her need. The terrible situation. But you see. She could see love there. That's the thing. Once you can see love. You can see a security. People can begin to trust themselves. Half of the barriers that are in people's hearts beloved. And the bondage is run. And they have put up themselves. It isn't the devil at all. They have put them up themselves. Because they cannot feel that they can commit themselves. They cannot feel that they can let their hearts go. They have always lived perhaps in a family. Or in situations where they dare not let themselves go. They dare not. But once they come to the place where they can feel and sense love. That's it. They can't explain it to themselves. But well they just know. It's instinctive. Way deep down in the depths of us. Where we don't understand ourselves at all. God has put things deeper than reason. He has put in there the instinctive things. That make human beings what they are. So that they can sort of hone on it. There are things in all creation that God has done like this. The bat for instance that can fly in the dark and has no eyes to see. Never hits anything. God's put it in a bat. Or a pigeon that can home, home all the way. We know these tremendous things. And in his composition of human beings he's excelled himself in all creation. And in making human beings he's put things in us. That are if you like dim but distinctive replicas of his own being. And we know. They're there. They may be fallen. They may have been twisted. People have been badly hurt. Big scars have come up inside of souls. Ah but God knows. And we know too. We know somewhere deep down. Explain it to ourselves we can't. Explain it to another we can't. But there it is. And it's this beloved. It's this. More than anything else. The greatest thing probably I know about God. Is this. That God so loves. That's it. See he so loves. And that in the end beloved is salvation. I know it had to be accomplished through blood. I know it had to be accomplished through a cross. But that is my salvation. Because it saves me from despair. It saves me from saying there's no hope. It saves me from saying there's no help anywhere. Do you see? He so loves me. I can't go beyond his ability to love me. I can't strain that love too greatly. I can't run away from it. I can't sin upon sin upon sin upon sin and say now God doesn't love me anymore. How about that? Oh. Hallelujah. I sat and talked with people and they said I blasphemed Christ. I said that's right. But he still loves you. Amen. I've done so and so and so and so and so. Yeah but he still loves you. Yeah that's right. This is a gospel we've got beloved. This is a gospel. Praise God. This is the news. This is the unshakable rock. This goes through anything. Stands anything. Glory. This is our gospel beloved. Ah. Praise God. If it had no other power in the world love would succeed. But that's a contradiction in terms. For love has all the powers in the world. Love has the greatest power. Love is but the combination of everything else that's real and good. If you think it up see that's not true. Because everything that's real and good came from love. It was in love first of all. Amen. Isn't that a marvelous thing? God's power of reason sprang from his. It's rising from his love. It springs from his love. It's all so out beyond everything else. This love of God. It was impossible to offend him so that he turned his back on us. It was impossible so to abuse him that he lost his feelings towards us. Hallelujah. It's impossible to try him so that his patience runs out. And he doesn't love us anymore. Like some parents are foolish and say to their children. You don't do that and I won't love you anymore. Or something like that. We are brought up in this topsy-turvy world. We are brought up in this contradictory state beloved. But the church is the restitution of all things. The church must be that in which God has restored everything. That's what it must be. And the blood was shed to the end of the purging of all things that prevent love in all its perfection to shine out glorious and free and full. That's why the blood was shed. I know it had to purge things. I know it had to do all that. We come on just the mere superficial levels. That's all they are. At the beginning. That's what it does at the surface. It reaches you. It cleanses you. But underneath all for the pain of love and the eternal redemption. He comes to you. To bring you back from that state where you're just conscious of sin and needing cleansing. Bless God the spirit makes us conscious of that and all this over us. Till we come to the place where we say oh Lord. I sink into thy love. I stretch in all thy love. I look this way. I go everywhere. And all I see is your profound and perfect and glorious love. You've never seen anything different from that. You say I've seen grace. I've seen power. I've seen this. They're love. They are but manifestations of love. They are adaptations. All words are inferior to love of God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. All words are. All the things that describe what we call great theological concepts or doctrines. They're all inferior to this. For love is a being. Love is an affectation. Love is. It is. That's what it is. When you say God it's a synonymous word with love. Not that you mistake nebulous love for God. But when you say God you say love. Amen. Grace yourself with it. Bless yourself with it. Talk to yourself with it. Move in it. Strong. Powerful. Righteous. All correcting. Removing everything that's against it. But love. Going right through to bring us to the place in the end where we're exactly like it. Aren't you thrilled about that? That's what you're destined to. So give up struggling. Give up everything that's a mess. Yield yourself up to it. Think upon it. The greatest of these is love. The greatest of them all is love. Hallelujah. Why faith is one of the most wonderful gifts. It says so. This faith of God is adapted to a gift. So that you can have the gift of faith. Did you see that in the list? Of course you did. Hope's not talked about there. It's that sort of thing that's too sort of almost unreachable. Indescribable. Fragile. But robust in its power. And love. It couldn't demean love by calling it a gift. Or giving a gift of love. Though he's given you the gift of faith. Or discernment. Or tongues. Or interpretation. Love is the all comprehending whole. Love is that in which it all exists. All of it. And why it is. And how it is. If it be not love. It has no existence at all. Do you think I'm using extravagant terms? Do you? Let's read the opening verses of that 13th chapter and see. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels. And have not this love agape by the way. One of the lovely little things that I think that I'm anticipating in going to Cyprus. In a few days time. In the grace of God. Is that out there they speak a lot of the New Testament Greek. And I shall hear this word agape. The Cypriots that I've heard use it. Really say agape. The emphasis is a little bit different. And I shall hear photiades which means light. And I shall hear sotos which means salvation. They're all going to be. I'm going to have a great time in Cyprus. I hope my wife does too. Trailing around after me. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels. And have not charity. I am become sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Beloved could you think of a more terrible fall. For a man like Paul. And he's speaking about himself. I do bless God that in these tragic things. All these glorious things. Whichever way you look at it. He uses himself as the example. He does it in Romans 7 you remember. He does it in this chapter. When he's going to speak of transcendental things. He doesn't say you. He speaks of I. I bless God for this reality. I think in the end we all have to come here. I think we have to face this thing beloved. Just start naked. As we should be spirit in that day. Here it is. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels. And have not love. I am become sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. What a fall for an apostle of the Lord. There's only one thing made him an apostle apparently. Love. Hope. And faith. Apparently. He said according to my earnest expectation and my hope. What epistle am I quoting from I won't. I won't challenge you too hard. That in all things. But this great earnest expectation of his hope. And then. The face of him beloved. This tremendous faith. If I haven't got love. I'm just sounding brass. Tinkling cymbal. I'm well aware this morning. That if I haven't got love. I'm just tinkling away up here. That's all I'm doing. I'm absolutely aware of it. Though I may speak with the dulcet tones of a trained orator of which I'm not. But if I did. It would just be nothing without love. Nothing. It's just sounding. Clanging. Tinkling. Brass. That's all. You know. I brought back from India. Last year or whenever it was I came back. A set of Indian bells. They make lovely little brass bells. They hang them on string or something. And you sort of hang them up. And you put them on doors. Or anything like that. And I bought a set of five. You can buy them in sets of twelve or twenty. If you're wealthy. And. I like them. I come down the stairs. Every time. The bottom of our stairs. Whenever you come to see us. You hang your coat up on our coat rack. It's hanging on there. I put it there with a special view. When I hang them there. And the bottom of the stairs. And I go. Give them a little tinkle. They sound so musical. They sound so musical to me. You see. Better than tambourines. I assure you. But. But. If that's all there was in my home. Would it be a home? If when I was hungry. All I could do was ring the bell. Would it be a home to me? It's lovely music. If when I was tired. And needed really loving and comforting. All I could do. Was ring the bells at the bottom of the stairs. What? Yes. When people are hungry. They're needing loving and comforting. Though I have the gift of prophecy. And understand all mysteries. And all knowledge. And though I have all faith. So that I could remove mountains. And have not love. I don't exist. I'm nothing. I don't even exist. You think. You think that. Well. If we could advertise next week. That somebody was coming to Bradford. And he was going to shift the town hall. Or move the cathedral. Right out. You say. He'll just stand on the platform. And by faith. He'll move it somewhere out on Exmoor. Really. It sounds funny. But this is what this man is saying. Everybody. Come. Everybody in Devon. Come. Wouldn't they? He says. I'm nothing. You say. But you can do that. I don't exist in God's sight. He can't see me. I'm not there. What? But in everybody else's sight. In man's sight. In the world's sight. He'd be the man. It's tremendous. I'm nothing. Is your heart facing the challenge of thisness? Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. And though I give my body to be burned. And have not love. It profiteth me nothing. There's no profit in anything. There's no substance in anything. There's no reality in anything. Nothing. Unless there be love there. Think of it. Do you think we ought to close down the church? I mean. We have not. People come in. We feed them. We put the beds to sleep in. Do you think we ought to close it down? Is there love here? We preach. We run a tape ministry. We do all sorts of things. Do you think we ought to stop it? But this is what the challenge is. If it isn't love. It's doing more harm than good. You see. There's a wonderful verse in Romans here. I think perhaps we ought to just look at. Perhaps I ought to think about stopping preaching. In Romans chapter 4. It says. What shall we say then that Abraham, our father, hath pertained to the flesh the son? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. Now you understand that? Well. He could glory before men if he was justified by works. You see. That's what we do. We have a church here. We feed 50 or 60 every Sunday. We have a tape ministry. We do this. We do that. We do the other. Justifying yourself by works. You have somewhat to glory in. But not before God. You can't glory in God. Before God. To be justified before God. It's got to be faith. To exist before God. It's got to be love. If faith doesn't bring you to love. Then faith has failed you. Because love is the substance. Love is the eternal being. If you've got eternal life. You've got to be eternal love. Unless you have no eternal being. Alright? It's the truth. I faced this years ago. Whether I have failed or excelled. As Paul says. In this I'm still standing there. Before God. For he says. In the end of chapter 12. First Corinthians. You and I are to covet earnestly. The best gifts. And yet show I unto you. A more excellent way. What's the way? It's really the way. The manifestation of the spirit. For the spirit is God. And God is love. This is where it's all tied up. This is the whole truth of it. The simple logic. The eternal truth of it all. Is that God loved. And bled and died. Because he loved. And because he is love. And to bring me into his own eternal bliss. Which is love. And not just as an enjoyed thing. But as the substance of my eternal being. So that better than enjoying love. I give others love to enjoy. Is that right? That's right. That's eternal life. This is the miracle of Calvary. This is the great substitutionary work. For as he substituted me to be a sacrifice on the cross. So now he substitutes that old self of me. To become the new man of me. And the new life of me. The new reality. Glory be to God. He's my life. He's my life. He's my all. He's God's gift to me. Glory. Have you got it? He's God's gift to me. Oh to me, to me, to me. Say it over and over and over again. Until at last your mind begins to understand. The spontaneous risings of the spirit. And he'll teach you everything about it. Your thinking will change. The presentation of your gospel will be new. The attitude of your heart to all men and women will be different. And that's what God wants. I want to be like that more and more and more. I believe it was this morning I said to the Lord. Lord, if it wasn't it was last thing last night. I like to sort of go to sleep. Talking a little bit to him. And I said, Lord I don't think I've really understood anything about your love yet. I think that's what I, it was this morning I think. I don't know what you think. What makes a man talk like that? What made Paul at the end of his life, the last letter he wrote, talk about himself as being the chief of sinners? Was he the chief of sinners? Of course he wasn't. He was about the holiest man on the earth. What made him say that? What makes a man say, Lord I don't think I've ever understood anything about your love yet? What makes him say it? The vastness, the immensity of the tremendousness of all that God is really bringing you into. So that though you had a million pounds this morning, faced with all the gold that Fort Knox is in America. You might say, well I haven't got anything. He says, well man you've got a million pounds. I've got nothing. I've got nothing. It's that. It's that that makes Paul write like he wrote to Timothy. He wasn't saying, now everybody must expect to live in sin all their life because at the end of my life I'm still saying I'm the chief of sinners. That's twisted thinking. It's not understanding the truth. The understanding of truth is to see such love and see such fullness and see such glory. As when the blessed one shall be revealed, the sun will blush in shame. It hath no glory at all. But it's the most glorious thing in the creation. And every star will cease to shine. And every knee must bow. And every tongue must confess. And everything beloved. When this blessed glorious one is revealed in all the fullness. As what it says in Hebrews chapter one. That he being the brightness of his glory. And the effulgence of his being. The glorious fullness of it all. He was given to be our redeemer. He came and became such a little tiny man. The greatest man that's ever lived. What I mean by little tiny man. Just about six foot high I suppose. As compared with our great God. You see. To bring us into this. This love. Oh love thou bottomless abyss. Thee to perfection. Who can know. Oh height immense. This great poem of Lange's. God wants to bring us into it. In all fullness. If you've got a heart of gold. This will bring you out of your small. This will bring you out of your consideration of self. It will take you away from all measurements. You'll know you're in a world where you cease to think. And bless God even your mind comes to death. And in its place comes the blessed mind of the Christ. The infinite. And instead of thinking by human measurements and standards. Which we all must do before this. We start to think sluggishly. We feel. Following the spirit and the revelation of God. All right. Amen. Well I feel like jumping in and swimming in it all now. I feel like just giving myself up. To be taken over as I should be properly. By the Holy Ghost. To draw my life in all immensity from this. That's what I feel like. Do you? Shall we do it? Let's have the bread and the wine shall we?