Life Is All About Love
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
* We live in a day of confusion. Because of our listening to the culture of today we are confused about many things which are basic to a healthy culture.
* We’re confused about manhood. We’re confused about womanhood. We’re confused about childhood. We’re confused about marriage and sexuality. In large measure, we’re confused about happiness. We confused about our purpose. We’re confused about life, and yes, we’re even confused about LOVE. Would you like couple of examples?
* Men are told to get “in touch” with their feminine side. I have looked at me from every angle; there is not a feminine bone in my body. Women are placed on a guilt trip if they don’t believe that women can and should do everything a man does. Why would a wonderful woman desire to compare herself to a man? That is like comparing “apples” and “oranges.” In God’s design of creation, man is not made better (or worse) than a woman, just different, with different roles, goals, and purposes. While we can apply this same logic to cultural changes in marriage, sexuality, and a whole list of other subjects, it is interesting to note that while some truly believe the changes which have come about in the past 40 or 50 years have been for the better, our society is suffering, our culture is crumbling, and life as we know it may be a thing of the past. A confused culture is a dangerous culture.
* It is in this type of confused culture that each of us desires to find the best life we can possibly have. Because of this, many people live in houses we can’t afford, drive cars beyond our means, bury ourselves in a sea of debt, and wind up having too much month left at the end of our money. We do this because of a genuine belief that “money and things will be you happiness, which is “life at its best.” Simply put, if you and I are to find life at its best we must first discover what are the best things in life. In his book, Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren begins Chapter 14 with, “Life is all about Love.”
* Reading those words caused me to wrinkle my forehead and then dive into the Bible to see if this was a reality. Know what I found? This could be true. In the Bible the word ‘love’ appears in some form (I.E. love, loved, loving, etc) over 775 times. Then, we are told that God IS Love. Jesus tells us that the world will KNOW US by our love and that we should love one another and our enemies. Additionally, we are told to “put on love”, “walk in love,” “speak the truth in love”, and all that we do is to be “done in love.” Among many other things, the Bible instructs us that “If we do not love, we do not know God.” Allow me to put this in terms like the old time preachers would have; “If you do not love, you are not saved.” Tough words, but true.
* As we come to our text today, let’s place the context. Corinth was a highly worldly church who had many spiritual problems. Chapters 12-14 are a unit of scripture which works together. Chapter 12 speaks of spiritual gifts.
* While chapter 14 gives controls for the operation of these gifts, Chapter 13 transitions to “spiritual fruit”. As Paul ends this section (chapter 12), he is teaching about the giftedness within the body of Christ and the importance of each person deploying his/her gift within the body? As he end the chapter, you get the feeling that Corinth (was Baptist) might place a status on specific gifts. So he ends by saying, “While all of this is good, here is what’s better” and then breaks out in this chapter on love. Let’s consider this;
a) The Dangers – What are the dangers of love? Candidly, as Paul bridges the gap between the spiritual gifts and a spiritual fruit, in fact he does offer us warnings, cautions, and/or dangers. The dangers are given in the many of substitutes. We all know what substitutes are. They are replacements of the original. What is it that we might be tempted to replace “love” with?
a. He begins with gifts. Spiritual gifts are no substitute for love. There is a huge danger of discovering, developing, and deploying your spiritual gift and losing the sensitivity which Christ calls us to. There is a huge drive to discover your gift(s) and we should do this. When we discover our SHAPE, we will recover our passion, and uncover our potential in Christ. But Satan will attempt to use our strengths as weaknesses. He will push us into a mindset of egotism about our usefulness to God. Obviously, Paul understood this and challenges us to understand that we can have and use every spiritual gift which God hands out and without love, it’s pointless.
b. He moves to knowledge. This is a huge issue for Baptists today. We have turned into intellectual giants which has seemingly dwarfed our love for God and one another. Rick Warren said it this way, “We have overdeveloped heads and underdeveloped hearts.” One of the dangers is to make everything in our lives an intellectual assent to God. The Bible tells us that with the mouth we confess and with the “heart” we believe. When the heart believes, the head is changed by renewal! People today are looking for the newest, latest, greatest, deepest, and coolest study. They stay home from corporate gatherings because they have the knowledge and need nothing else. Candidly, to have true knowledge should lead us to love more like Jesus, but if we don’t have love?
c. He mentions faith. - Think about the many TV preachers who say if you believe it you can have it, just have faith because faith is everything. Yet, Paul says, “You can have enough faith to move a mountain but if that faith wrapped in the garment of love, then you are nothing.
d. He finally list sacrifice. Does this surprise you at all? You can give your body to be burned (sounds like a sacrifice to me) but if you do it for the wrong reason and it is not motivated by love, then you don’t gain anything at all. Most may sacrifice these days “IF” they get something in return. But if you give for what you can get instead of ‘for love,’ you’ll be disappointed.
b) The Description – If life is all about love, then we need to know what love is. Paul gives us cliff notes on what love is and is not as well as what it does and does not. This is not an exhaustive list, but it is a good start. Look at what love is NOT and DOES not; it is not boastful or conceited, not selfish or easily angered (provoked), it does not envy or act improperly, & it does not keep a record of wrongs. Think about all those things which true love does not do and be honest. Most of the things on this list, of what NOT to do, feels like the most natural to do. Why is that? Because of our sin nature. We were made in the image of God with the capacity to love by not doing these things and yet when that image was shattered in the Garden of Eden all these became second nature to us. This is why we live in a world where it is “all about me.” And when it is not about me, I am tempted to start bragging and getting angry (even when I don’t understand why I feel this way). The same enemy who slithered into the garden to tempt Eve is the same enemy who promotes our arrogance, selfishness, unforgiveness, and envy. What is more is that HE KNOWS how to push our buttons &cause us to be unloving. Here is the hard truth; a person never really knows love or how to love until that person knows God. And we simply cannot know God outside of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ which includes walking together daily. Without Him, we can never hope to cast off these things which are the antithesis of love. In contrast, when He controls us, we can put on love.
* So what IS Love? How does God define love? It is not that ‘feeling’ which you have about your boyfriend, girlfriend, your husband or wife. In fact, the Bible describes love by some specific characteristics. Scripture tells us, it is patient, kind, finds no joy in unrighteousness, and rejoices in truth. For most of us, this doesn’t sound like the “love” which Hollywood has super-imposed on us! And for good reason! The modern day concept has to do with personal gratification, instant attraction, and even feelings. But think about it this way; if someone were patient and kind with you when you blew it, and if they demanded the best for you and were always looking to offer life to you in a truthful and authentic way, would you not feel loved?
* Furthermore, if that person were to bear all that you go through and still believe in you and want the best for you (hope), would you call that love? I submit we want people to treat us with all of these and guess what—others want the same thing from us. Jesus said, “Love one another in the same way I have loved you (sacrificial) and the world will then know you are mine.
c) The Duration – It is vital that we catch the truth of this thought. Many today are chasing after many spiritual issues. We think we must study, know, and understand all prophecies (for some—they want to prophesy), yet scripture tells us that prophesies will stop. Others want to speak in languages, yet those will go away. We want to possess knowledge, but that will pass.
> We are told that “Love is the better way” to live and that love will last forever. Could this be why Paul begins chapter 14 with “Pursue Love?” Pursue literally means to “chase after” and why should we do this? Because Love never ENDS!! Love will never fail, perish, come to an end, disappear or cease to exist. Love was here in the beginning because God was in the beginning and God is love. It will be here in the end because God is the Omega (the last letter of the Greek alphabet) and thus, will be here in the end, and again God is love.
> The text says, now we see in a glass indistinctly (like a foggy or funny mirror), but one day we’ll see face to face. It also says 3 things remain faith, hope, and love. Faith will turn into sight. Hope will become reality. Love will always be Love.
> Many people want to get connected to something that will last. Your job, your retirement fund, you social security (stop grinning), even friendships; but there is nothing that we can deploy our sails with which will outlast love. Love is forever. However, there is one little catch.
> The sport of surfing is a wonderful sport. To get up on that board and ride a wave, I am told, is a real rush. We watch the professional surfers on TV ride those big waves and make it look so easy. Yet, every surfer knows that they have no control over the waves. When they surf, everything they do is a decision. They have to decide if today is a good day to surf. They have to decide if this is a good wave to catch. Once they have caught the way they must figure out which way the wave is rolling so they can get the most out of it. In this thing called love, we have decisions to make.
d) The Decision - What have you, are you, or will you pursue with your life? First, will you follow after Jesus? Only in Jesus can we find, know, and offer love. Only in His grace will we be able to put off those things which are not indicative of love. God will begin this process in you. His Holy Spirit will move into your heart and begin to give you unrest about where you are spiritually. He will make you highly uncomfortable, like a knot in your heart. And He expects you to respond to Him.
> Next, when you follow after Jesus He will seek to make you like Him. If you resist, be careful—because it is worse than resisting your parents.
> Next, you will decide how Jesus impacts your relationships.
> God has called us to loving relationships. Relationships with Him, His Son, His family, and His world.
