Love Is The Greatest Series

Valentine’s Day:

Humor: I want to see something cheap!

Lead-in: On February 14th we celebrate “Valentine’s Day.”

A day that reminds us to show special love and attention to that special someone in our life. Indeed, we do need reminding from time to time not to take our loved ones for granted.

Happy Valentine’s Day to my wife, I love you!

Now, please allow me to say, “Happy Valentine’s Day to y’all!”

Also, if no one else has told you, may I say, “I love you.”? Our church loves you.” But most importantly, “God loves you!”

But, to love, to really love, is a challenging task for all humanity.

Now, don’t misunderstand.

To love self is a breeze, a piece of cake. We come forth from the womb loving ourselves, watching out for our best interests, and caring for “little ole me.”

Mash your finger with a hammer, or by slamming it in a door and see who you kiss first!

The real difficulty for us is to love others, to love the way Christ would have us to; to love the way He commands us to; to love the way He loves us.

Humor: Someone wrote years ago:

“To live above with Saints we love,

that will be glory,

but to live below with Saints we know,

now that’s another story.”

Humor: In the book "Children’s Letters to God," The New Collection, a little girl named Nan writes this letter: Dear God, I bet it is very hard for you to love all the people in the whole world. There are only four people in our family, and I have trouble loving them!

This morning we begin a new series of sermons: "What this World needs is Love… God’s Love”

Quote: The world does not understand theology or dogma, but it understands love and sympathy. - Dwight L. Moody

NOTE: You can easily remember this message by remembering the date, February 13th. We will read in Chapter 13, 13 verses, verse 13.

Please stan, now read with me 1 Corinthians 13:13

(13) And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity

Prayer

Today, I would like to speak to us on the topic of “Love.”

Consider how “Love is the Greatest.”

Now in that great Love chapter of the Bible: 1 Corinthians 13 KJV

Notice the first 13 verses: 1-13

(1) Though I (Christian life personified) speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (2) And 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 charity, I am nothing. (3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

(4) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, (5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; (6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; (7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

(8) Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. (9) For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. (10) But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. (11) When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (12) For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

(13) And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

LOVE: The type of love I’m referring to is God’s Love.

The Greek word is “Agape.”

To distinguish “LOVE” from the common use of “Love” it was translated as Charity in this chapter. Charity is God’s love actively working in us, demonstrating goodwill toward our fellow man. It is pluralistic, as is reflected by many qualities.

AGAPA, God’s Love is mentioned in some form some 29 times in the NT. 9 times here in 1 Corinthians and 27 times in 1 John 4.

Charity or love is first towards God. Then, God’s love within us is to others. It is a determination to give to the recipient of our love what they need when it is within our power to do so. Love then is an act of one's will.