Love Is Not Proud Series

Love Is Not Proud

#LoveIs5

OKAY, so we are in this series called, ‘Love Is…’

AND – as I have repeatedly said since we kicked this puppy off on October 13th… THIS – is an absolutely critical and vital conversation for us to have, both as a church and as individual Jesus follower.

BECAUSE…

• Nothing is more important than love

• Nothing is more powerful than love (like it has the power to change people… from a hawk to a little white dove)

• Nothing is more needed than love… needed in our homes, our churches, in our community and in our world.

AND BECAUSE – God’s holy, inspired, alive, active and authoritative Word says the following about love…

I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. - John 13:34-35

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. – Romans 13:8

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. – Galatians 5:6

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. – 1 John 4:12

NOW – so far in the series we have talked about…

‘The Unrelenting Love Of God” … AND – about how “Love is patient and love is kind and love does not envy…”

QUESTION – so how did you do with this envy thing since we last met?

LIKE – did you STOP comparing, START enjoying (remember love loves grace… grace to you and grace to others)…

AND – did you keep trusting… Trusting in God’s goodness and in His plan for your life?

AND MGCC – listen, here’s the deal…

IF YOU – want the world to know that we are His followers

IF YOU - want God to live in and through us

IF YOU – want to do the only thing that counts

IF YOU – want to fulfill all of the law

IF YOU – want to cover a multitude of sins

IF YOU – want to see and experience… radical change in your homes, marriage, relationships, in this church.

THEN YOU – need to not merely listen to these truths about love, you need to live out what they say!

SURE – it’s great to sit in here and be convicted, but actually living it out is what matters!

GET IT?

AND – that is the reason why we have these 2 ‘Love Is Walls’ up here… and the goal of these walls is simple. For you write down (do not include you name) ways that you have lived out love during the past week.

Let us spur one another on to love and good deeds. – Hebrews 10:24

OKAY SO – this morning we are going to unpack the last 4 words of 1 Corinthians 13:4…. That describes yet another facet of God’s kind of love… ‘Love Is Not Proud.’

NOW – I did a lot reading and a lot listening to various teachings on this subject this past week…

One guy (Francis Chan) said that he has always found speaking on the topic of pride to be extremely frustrating…

BECAUSE - the people who really need to hear the message are people who struggle with pride…

YET BECAUSE - they ‘are’ proud they are less likely to hear and to connect the message to themselves…

They have eyes, yet they cannot see

They have ears, yet they cannot hear

SO – as we begin this conversation, I would like to ask…

IF YOU – will make yourself open to the possibility that you struggle with pride?

LIKE – is it possible the pride has been an issue that has keep you from loving the people in your life well?

AND LISTEN – if you can’t be open to that possibility, then I think you have already pretty much answered the question.

OKAY – here is how I plan on attacking this morning’s conversation, by unpacking 3 statements.

• The hate God loves

• You might need some deflating if…

• It’s time to try humilify

Love is not proud… - 1 Corinthians 13:4

Now the word in 1 Corinthians 13:4 translated as proud is the Greek word…

Proud – (physioo) to inflate, to puff up, to blow up, to bear one’s self loftily, to be proud or arrogant.

MGCC – love is not proud…

TURN – to the person to your right and left… “love is not proud”