Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“Impossible Love” Part Four
I. Terms of Endearment
II. A better way to go
1. Inadequate love
The short version:
Love is a desire and decision to meaningfully connect with others evidenced by deeds.
2. Humanly impossible love from 1 Corinthians 13
a) Love is continually long-tempered not short tempered
Since love desires to deepen connection with God and others…
Love deliberately retrains negative response and is not short tempered.
b) Love is Kind not cruel or apathetic
Love continually offers kindness not cruelty or apathy.
c) Love is continually supportive not jealous
Love continually supports others without jealousy.
d) Love considers others first (humble) not self (arrogant)
Love continually considers others before self.
e) Love is tolerant not provoked
Love tolerates the imperfections of others without provocation.
f) Love articulates the qualities of others not self (does not brag)
Love looks for ways to articulate the attributes of others, not self.
See previous notes
g) Love acts honorably not shamefully
Since love desires to deepen relationship with God and others…
Love acts honorably and thoughtfully not shamefully.
h) Love serves others not self
Since love desires to deepen connection with God and people…
Love continually strives to serve others first not self.
i) Love forgives not tracts the offenses of others
Since love desires to deepen connection with God and people…
Love always forgives rather than tracts the offenses of others.
j) Rejoices in truth not unrighteousness
The world suppresses the truth by living the lie. The world lives according to what is right in their own eyes but wrong in God’s. Those bound in bitterness focus on unrighteousness. Those who forgive can find the good in most anyone and anything. The focus is on truth not unrighteousness. To rejoice means to take delight in, indicate an inward delight by an outward expression. A smile, a laugh, a song, a word which expression what we are feeling inside.
One who really loves God does not express delight in things that are contrary to the character and purposes of God. In contrast, genuine love expresses outward delight at the triumph of truth over evil. If we really love God and all that he stands for and tells us is good and right, how is it we can express delight in the things that grieve Him? You can’t watch television very long until you find yourself laughing along with the laugh track at things that should normally outrage us. To laugh at the unrighteousness that destroys relationships makes us hard and destroys our own relationships. You can’t rejoice in evil and pursue meaningful connection.
Since genuine love desires to deepen connection with God and others…
Love always rejoices in truth not in violations of God’s truth
Take Inventory! What puts a smile on your face? What causes you to rejoice? Truth or evil?
k) Love protects not reveals all
This verb comes from a stem meaning “to cover,” “to conceal.” It is a rare term but persists in both prose and common speech. Its basic meaning is “to keep covered,” but this gives it such senses as “to protect,” “to ward off,” “to hold back,” “to resist,” “to support.” It can also mean “to keep secret,” “to keep silent,” “to keep a confidence.”
The thought here is to deal with the sin while protecting the sinner. We are so quick to expose the failures of others for ungodly motives. Impossible love cannot ignore sin but seeks to protect and restore the sinner.
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions. Proverbs 10:12
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2
True love corrects, disciplines, guides in a way that deepens relationship. True love longs to protect the one they love as Joseph did Mary.
Since love desires to deepen connection with God and others…
Love continually protects not reveals all.
l) Love trusts not questions all
This is not gullibility. Love longs to give the benefit of the doubt and believe the best from others. Love looks and expects the best and good in others. Love also maintains faith in God to bring about good even from difficult situations and relationships. We have a tendency to wonder what good can come of a situation. We have a tendency to question the motives of others.
Since love desires to deepen connection with God and others…
Love trusts not questions.
m) Love hopes for the best not the worst
The next step in belief or trust is hope that things will improve. When love runs low on faith it holds on to hope. Love not only believes the best but hopes for the best. As long as God’s grace is operative, human failure is never final. Paul hoped for the best and believed the best for the Corinthian believers in spite of the catalogue of failures already addressed. Our tendency is not to hope for the best for others. We secretly expect them to continue to fail. In fact, sometimes we not only expect them to fail but we hope they fail. Love hopes for the best from them and for them.
Since love desires to deepen connection with God and others…
Love always hopes for the best not the worst.
n) Love endures not evades all
Paul employs a military term meaning to hold a vital position at all costs. Love holds out for the best no matter what. As Jesus loved them to the end we too must love one another to the end. As long as there is breath, there is hope for change. It may be painful. It may be uncomfortable. It may mean letting go and backing off. But it definitely means that no matter what, we never stop loving. We never give up on the possibility of taking our relationship with others to deeper levels. Love chooses to bear the pain generated by relationships with people in hopes of deepening relationship. This does not mean that we may not change our actions toward someone but deep down we continue to hope that God will bring about the necessary changes to restore them to meaningful relationship with Him and us. We will be with each other for eternity. Eternity is all about relationship with God and people. Living forever without meaningful connection is not heaven.
Since love always desires to deepen connection with God and people…
Love endures not evades difficult in relationships.
o) Love lasts forever and never fails or quits
When everything else runs its course and no longer applies, love will remain as the glue that continues to hold the community of believes together with God. After love protects, it believes. After it believes it hopes. After it hopes it endures. And not for a short time but such love never quits or fails because God never fails.
Since love always desires to deepen connection with God and people…
Love always lasts and never fails or quits.
God is love. God puts his love in us. Love is a result of the direction and enablement of the Holy Spirit. If I am struggling in ANY of these characteristics it is a sure indication that the flesh still has control of my behavior. Listen to tell tale signs of someone walking in the flesh in Galatians 5:16-21. Most of the characteristics have to do with relationships.
Now listen to the characteristics or signs of one who lives by the direction and power of the Holy Spirit from Galatians 5:22-26.
Spirit-driven relating Flesh-driven relating
Restrains negative response Flies of the handle quickly
Extends kindness Ignores or abuses
Supports Covets what other have
Focuses on others Focuses on self
Tolerates the actions of others Reacts to others
Articulates the qualities of others Articulates their own qualities
Acts thoughtfully Acts shamefully
Seeks to satisfy others Seeks to satisfy self
Forgives and overlooks other’s offenses Tracks other’s offenses
Rejoices in truth Rejoices in evil
Protects all Reveals all
Trusts all Questions all
Hopes for the best Always expects the worst
Endures difficulty Evades difficulty
Lasts forever Quickly Fails or Quits
Such a list causes me to question the genuineness of my love. Am I going through the motions or do I truly desire to meaningfully connect with people? Much of time we go to great length to avoid people we find different from us. God built us for selfless community. (Mutuality) The fallen nature pursues selfish celebrity. The point of all this is not to discourage you but awaken you. As long as we convince ourselves that we really love when we don’t, we stop walking in the truth bearing fruit in every good work. This is deeds motivated by a desire and a decision to connect with people. The Spirit is all about meaningful connection. The flesh is all about self. Only as we experience His love for us and through us will we ever realize the fullness of God Himself who is love.
Receive His covenant love today.
Reflect His Love always
Genuine Love Test from 1 Corinthians 13
? I willingly restrain any negative response to people’s flaws rather than react quickly.
? I easily feel compassion for the needs of others and joyfully seek to meet them.
? I eagerly rejoice at the success of others and deny jealousy of what they have.
? I intentionally seek to consider others more important than myself.
? I consistently seek to build others up rather than brag about my own accomplishments.
? I purposely overlook the irritating actions of others rather than get provoked by them.
? I act honorably and thoughtfully toward others so as not to bring shame of them or me.
? I look for ways to serve the needs of others before my own.
? I choose to forgive the offenses of others rather than keep track of them.
? I delight in the triumph of truth and the overthrow of unrighteousness
? I am more interested in healing the sinner than exposing the sin.
? I want to believe the best, not the worst in others.
? I choose to expect and desire that God bring about His good in every relationship.
? I choose to forebear difficulty and continue to pursue meaningful connection.
? I refuse to quit or giving up establishing and maintaining meaningful connection with others.
May we all as a church body release the kind of love that causes the world to know for certain that we are truly disciples of Christ who loved us, gave Himself for us and calls us to be a blessing to others.
