Warnings, Exaltations, and Instructions: More Words to Corinth
1 Corinthians 13:1-8
One thing that the Lord has blessed me with is a good sense of direction. When I travel, I am never lost because I almost always know where I will come out even when on roads I have never traveled before. This sense of direction started from an early age. I have always been fond of looking at maps and planning out routes in which will be the quickest to get there. In fact, as an elementary age kid, I asked for a globe for Christmas one year so I could start planning trips around the world.
As I got older and was of age to drive a car, I carried on these characteristics. I would always look at the map and find at least the three shortest routes to every destination. And, I would always try to use each one of them to find which was truly the quickest. In fact, I hardly ever go somewhere without taking a different route back. What can I say – I’m a sucker for finding a great shortcut.
However, for every great shortcut I have found, I have also discovered at least 5 other ways that are not the way to go. Sometimes I get lucky, but most of the time, I should just stick to the most obvious route. My affinity to shortcuts does not stop with road trips. It has carried over into every aspect of my life. I am always looking for faster and better ways to do things. Efficiency means a great deal to me.
I have found one area in my life though where shortcuts never work. When it comes to the things of God and my spiritual life, shortcuts always have a negative outcome. After all, most of the sins we commit come from trying to take shortcuts. For example, it is much easier to covet your neighbor’s possessions or even take them than to put in the effort to earn them yourself. It is much easier to talk about people behind their back than to talk to them face to face to resolve issues. Do you get the idea?
One area in our lives where we like to take shortcuts is in the area of love. After all, truly loving someone is hard work. It takes complete commitment on our part and an unselfish attitude. So, sometimes, we take shortcuts when it comes to love. We say it but don’t show it. We pretend until the other person is away. We love only when it is convenient or comfortable. We have been talking about warnings, instructions, and exaltations that God had for the churches of the New Testament, and this morning, we are going to take a closer look at some instructions about love that Paul gives the church at Corinth. I am sure that you are all aware of our passage this morning found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. Follow along with me in your Bible or with your sermon notes.
And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
This morning, we are going to take a look at four shortcuts we try and take to avoid truly loving someone. Even though these shortcuts appear to be good ways to go, our passage clearly states that they are not. Then, we will take a look at what love is really all about. Before we begin, let’s ask the Lord to bless our time.
Shortcut #1: Using Words
Have you ever played the board game Balderdash? In this game, one player reads a word that you have probably never heard in your entire life. Now, it is up to the other players to make up a definition for that word while the reader writes down the real definition. Then, all of the definitions are read and you must try and pick the right one out of the bunch. This is not an easy task to do because of the unfamiliarity of the original word.
Sometimes as Christians, we can have Balderdash moments especially when we get around non-Christians. Now, we don’t always due this on purpose, but when we share our faith, we are guilty of using words and making arguments that many unsaved have no idea about. I call this “speaking Christianese”. Let me give you two examples.
1. I had this happen to me at college. I had been a Christian since a child, but I had not gone much farther than the basics since then. When I was in college, a minister was sitting at a table with his wife with a sign explaining that they wanted to talk to students about joining their Bible Study. I asked them what it was like and they started to explain that last week they talked about, and I quote, “How the propitiation of Christ set the stage for the second work of grace in the life of the believer.” I still don’t even know what he was talking about, but I do know one thing. This turned me away from this group instead of toward it.
2. Secondly, when we are trying to win the lost, what do we try and do most of the time? We try and convince them through our words that they need to follow Christ. This is not enough. If a good argument could win people to Christ, everyone would be saved right now. We need to show love as well.
Another way we use our words as a shortcut is by saying the right things. This is what I am talking about. Suppose a person from the church comes up to you and shares that they have a need or a hurt. After they are finished, you see they are hurting. What do you do? So many times, we come back with a phrase like, “Well, I’ll be praying for you,” or “God will see you through.” There’s nothing wrong with saying these types of things as long as you back them up with prayer, but oftentimes, words are not what the person needs. They need you to be there for them. They need you to listen to them. They need you to help them through this rough stretch. If you have ever gone through a rough patch, you know that words do not help if there is not love there as well.
Paul starts this portion of the Scripture by telling us that we can know all of the words of every language on earth and even on heaven, but that is not enough. In fact, it’s like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal in the ears of others in it’s not accompanied by love. Do you remember the gong show? What happened when the gong sounded? The person was made to stop performing and they had to leave the stage. When we use our words in front of other people without love, a gong goes off in the head of those you are talking to and they mentally exit stage right. Just knowing the right words is a shortcut that does not work in God’s scheme of things. All words must be accompanied by love.
Shortcut #2: Using Knowledge
A great evangelist once exclaimed, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I came to realize this was true not too long into my time as youth pastor. Things started rather slow in Robertsdale with only a few youth coming. And, when I spoke the lesson and the knowledge God had given to me, there was little to no reaction. There were blank stares looking back at me. Things started to change very quickly. Kids began to open up and the youth group grew from three to over twenty almost overnight. What was the difference? I didn’t change my teaching style – I just started showing them how much I cared. I started going to sports games. I went to community events and started playing basketball with them. I would go out and talk to them as they waited for the school bus on our front porch.
Too many people equate Christian maturity with knowledge. The more you know, the closer you must be to God. It does not take long until pride sets in and you start to think that you have this Christian thing all figured out. When I was in college, I started to grow in my Biblical knowledge. It got to the point where I knew just about every answer to every question in Sunday School and Bible study, and I started to take pride in the fact that I was so knowledgeable. I was thrilled when people would come to me with questions or for advice about things. But, when I look back at the time, I saw no changed lives as a result of that knowledge. I did not see changed lives until I started pouring my heart and soul into some of those younger Christians by being involved in their lives.
Paul tells us of a second shortcut that does not work in verse 2. We can know it all. We can unravel every mystery of the faith. We can prophesy. But, these things do not mean a hill of beans without love being in the forefront of our lives. The best Bible verse that explains this is back a few chapters in chapter 8, verses 1-3. It states, “We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.” You see, knowledge is good in and of itself, but it is not a shortcut to get to God. It cannot take the place of love, because if we want God to know us, we must show our love.
Shortcut 3: Using Our Faith
Another shortcut we take to try and get around having to show love in our lives is using our faith. Now, don’t get me wrong. Faith is a great thing to have. In fact, it is one of three things that Paul points out later that will remain for all eternity along with hope and love. But, Paul also points out that of these three things, love is the greatest. So, how can faith be a bad thing?
In my dealings with Christians, one thing they take pride in is how many times a week they go to church as if there is some kind of contest going on in heaven where God gives us a checkmark for every time we walk in the door. What I mean is this. There are those who think that everything is fine between them and the Lord as long as they are in church every time the doors are open. As long as they are doing this, they are fulfilling their duty as Christians. These people usually live a good lifestyle, follow the ways of the Scriptures, and are seen as good people, but there is not a great effort on their part to reach out and love others.
Adam Diebert, in a sermon entitled “Rekindle the Desire”, takes this a step further. “Friends, make no mistake about it: it doesn’t matter what you are doing, or what evil you are resisting, or what false doctrine you’re rejecting, or how many souls you are bringing into the kingdom. If your love relationship with Jesus is not there, then you stand to be condemned. Doctrinal truth and evangelistic fervor do not save you. It is a relationship with Jesus that saves you. Any substitution, no matter how spiritual, no matter how zealously embraced, is woefully inadequate.”
You know, without that love relationship with Jesus Christ, it is impossible to love others as we should. After all, love is a fruit of the Spirit. If we don’t have God’s Spirit inside us, we can never truly love someone. So, when we spend all of our time building up our faith by going to church and doing the work of the church, it is useless without love. Paul tells us that we are nothing if we have a great faith and do not have love. I think he is right.
Shortcut 4: Using Sacrifice
Do you remember the story of the rich young man? He asks Jesus what he must do to inherit the Kingdom of heaven, and Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. This, the young man has done. Then, he tells him to go and sell all of his possessions to which the young man walks away dejected.
Many people look at this story and use it to illustrate the fact that there will be sacrifices that we will have to make as believers. As I read it again this week, I saw it differently. I did not see Jesus calling him to sacrifice. I saw Jesus looking into his heart and seeing this man’s love for his wealth competing with his love for God. In order for love to be fully set on Jesus, this stuff had to go.
Now, you may have given up some things for the Kingdom of God in your life. I know I have. However, we cannot allow the sacrifice of time, money or possessions to take the place of love in our lives. We are to give of ourselves for the work of the church. We are to give of ourselves to win the lost. We are to give of ourselves to help those in need. All these things are good, but we gain nothing when we do them without love. When we do them out of obligation, it is of no use.
We are told in the Bible that God desires obedience more than sacrifice. This means that God wants us to follow His plan, His ways, and His commands first. But, if we make a mistake, there is a sacrifice we can call on to take away our sin. However, His wishes are that we obey his commands. This is no little thing because we show that we love God by obeying his commands. So, sacrifice is alright, but love through obedience is the best way to go.
The Way of Love:
A number of children were asked what they thought love was. Here are some of their responses:
• When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So, my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.
• Love is when someone hurts you, and you get so mad, but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings.
• Love is in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.
• Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.
• Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.
Paul puts it this way:
• Love is patient – it waits for people to change and allows them to make mistakes
• Love is kind – it involves being nice to others even when they aren’t nice to you.
• Love does not envy – it allows you to feel good for others even if they have more than you
• Love does not boast – it does not tell the world how good you have it.
• Love is not proud – it does not put on a show for others to see
• Love is not rude – it does not hurt those around it
• Love is not self-seeking – it is always looking out for the other person
• Love is not easily angered – it puts up with the worst of others
• Love keeps no record of wrongs – it doesn’t compile a list of everything someone has done wrong to us
• Love does not delight in evil – it is grieved when things go badly for another
• Love rejoices with truth – it does not lie, even to make others feel good
• Love always protects – it shields others from harm
• Love always trusts – it allows us to see the good in others
• Love always hopes – it is an eternal optimist
• Love always perseveres – it keeps going and going and going
• Love never fails
I will tell you that truly loving someone is a lot of work. It is a lot of hurt and a lot of pain; however, it is also a lot of joy. Mother Theresa once stated, “Love, to be real, must cost. It must hurt. It must empty us of self.” She was absolutely right. Because of this, we might be tempted to take a shortcut when it comes to love, but I will tell you that they are all roads to nowhere. Without love, your words are a clashing cymbal. Without love, your knowledge and faith are nothing. Without love, you can give up everything and it will gain you nothing. Love is the only way you can please God. God, please teach us how to love, and God, please help us to love one another. Let’s pray.
