The LOVE Of GOD-V—1Corinthians 13:1-13
Attention:
In general people have a similar & genuine confusion about the meaning of love, & what it means to serve a ‘loving’ God. They suppose themselves to be ‘eating from’ the best that ‘love’ has to offer, when in reality they don’t have the first clue as to what they’re delving into.
Need:
To know & apply God’s self-giving(‘agape’) love, so as to prevent anything less from taking it’s place in our lives.
Paul highlighted the necessity of self-giving, sacrificial love to the proper outworking of Christian living.
Self-giving, sacrificial love is essential to true Christianity.
And thru these verses we are answering the question, ?•?How or Why is ‘agape’ love essential to the Christian faith?
1Pet. 4:8—“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”[Prov. 10:12]
1Tim. 1:5—“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, & from sincere faith,”
The pinnacle of God’s agaph love cannot be attained by any of humanity, apart from their approaching it in & thru God in Christ, as empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Previously we found that:
As A Christian, the Love of God must Humble My...
1. SPEECH(:1)
2. ABILITY(:2)
3. SACRIFICE(:3)
4. SUFFERING To PRODUCE KINDNESS(:4a-b)
5. DESIRE & LOSSES(:4c)
Today we’ll find that:
6—As A Christian, the Love of God must Humble My...
SELF-IMAGE/Pride(:4d-5d)
Explanation:(:4d-5d)
:4—“Love suffers long & is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;”
“Love does not parade itself”
*In the free exercise of ‘self-less agaph “love”, I will never purposely call attention to my expression of love or purposely to the fact that I am being loving.
One who truly “loves” as God loves, will never “brag” nor “parade”, nor put that fact ‘on display.’ When a person puts themselves on display, they obviously have too high an opinion of themselves. To do so, would be to cut the source(God) out of God’s agaph “love.”
“Parade/Vaunteth/Brag”—perpereuomai—1) To boast one's self; 2) A self display, employing rhetorical embellishments in extolling one's self excessively. Strong—middle voice from perperov(braggart); To boast Used 1X.?Perhaps by reduplication of the base of peran apparently from an obsolete derivative of—peirw(to “pierce”); Through(as adverb or preposition), i.e. Across.
“Love...is not puffed up”
*In the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I am NOT prideful. I do NOT see myself as bigger, more noble, or better than others.
God’s agaph “love” thrives in humility.
Illustration:
I have had a few people approach me, who are ‘put-out’ & ‘put-off’ by my preaching. And I have had a few people who are ‘put-off’ & ‘put-out’ with my directly sharing the Gospel individually. They perceive my confidence in Christ as ‘arrogance.’ They see me—& all preachers of God’s truth—as ‘pridefully mean-spirited.’
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Balloons get puffed up...They can be painted to look fearsome on the outside, but they are ultimately thin-skinned, weak, & full of ‘hot air.’
* ‘Pride’ is the sworn ENEMY of God’s agaph “love.”
1Cor. 8:1—“....Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.”
“Puffed up/Proud/Arrogant”—fusiow—Present Passive Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To make natural, to cause a thing to pass into nature; 2) To inflate, blow up, to cause to swell up—2a) To puff up, make proud, 2b) To be puffed up, to bear one's self loftily, be proud. Strong—To inflate, i.e. figuratively--Make proud(haughty). Used 7X.?From—fusiv—Growth(by germination or expansion & thus puffed up); Natural production (lineal descent); A genus or sort; Native disposition, constitution or usage. From—fuw—probably originally, To "puff" or blow, i.e. To swell up; but only used in the implied sense--To germinate or grow(sprout, produce).
:5—“does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
GENERALLY:
*Here the attributes of self-less agaph “love”, continue to be described by what “love” is NOT.
*These negating aspects of agaph “love” are much easier for us to envision, because being prone to sin, we have lived them out ‘naturally’, as we were at one point in our lives, unsurrendered to God. Before being saved by Christ, we ‘loved’ in the way of the majority of the world.
•God’s people in the world, are surrounded by & bombarded by that which is NOT God’s agaph “love”, but yet is openly touted by the world as ‘love.’
“Love”...“does not behave rudely”
*In the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love” I will not act in a manner that is inappropriate or improper.
•To act ‘inappropriately’ or ‘improperly’ would dishonor Christ as the designer & designator of what is proper(propriety).
*To NOT “behave rudely” is an act of self-less agaph “love.”
Some may think that, “behaving rudely” is limited to ‘cultural standards’, which range from one extreme to the other & vary from country to country, & vary even within people groups within countries! They have a ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’ mentality. That is only true in scenarios where ‘inappropriateness’ is determined by human cultural reasonings that are solidly outside of God’s will!...
•Rather impropriety is determined & measured according to GOD’s DEFINITION of propriety & impropriety!
“Behave rudely/Behave Unseemly/Act Unbecomingly/Rude”—aschmonew—Present Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1)To act unbecomingly. Strong—To be(i.e. act) unbecoming. Used 2X--1Cor. 7:36; 1Cor. 13:5.?From—A(as a negative particle)—&—a presumed derivative of—ecw/sxew(in the sense of its congener schma); properly--Shapeless, i.e. figuratively--Inelegant.
“Love”...“Does not seek its own”
*In the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I will not be self-SEEKING.
In self-GIVING love, I will NEVER place myself above others. I will not ‘demand’ my rights or what I believe myself to be entitled to.
•Php. 2:3-5—“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”
1Cor. 10:24—“Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
1Cor. 10:32-33—“Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
“Seek/Seeks”—zhtew—Verb—1) To seek in order to find—1a) To seek a thing, 1b) To seek[in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into, 1c) To seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after; 2) To seek i.e. Require, demand—2a) To crave, demand something from someone. Strong—To seek(literally or figuratively); specially(by Hebraism)--To worship(God), or in a bad sense--To plot(against life); of uncertain affinity.
“Its Own”—eautou—Reflexive Pronoun 3rd Genitive Sing. Fem.—1) Himself, herself, itself, themselves. Strong—from a reflexive pronoun otherwise obsolete & the genitive case(dative case or accusative case) of autov; Him-(her-, it-, them-, also [in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons] my-, thy-, our-, your-)self(selves), etc..
:5—“does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
“Love”...“Is not provoked”
*In the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I do not become easily irritated. God’s love compels me to NOT react sharply toward others, even when I may be incited to do so.
•Any incitement to overthrow God’s agaph “love” towards others, is driven by the flesh & the world.
“Provoked”—paroxunw—Lit. = ‘Being Nearby, Make Keen or Rapid’—Present Passive Indicative 3rd Sing.—1)To make sharp, sharpen—1a) To stimulate, spur on, urge, 1b) To irritate, provoke, arouse to anger—1b1) To scorn, despise, 1b2) Provoke, make angry, 1b3) To exasperate, to burn with anger. Strong—To sharpen alongside, i.e. figuratively--To exasperate. Used 2X--Acts 17:16; 1Cor. 13:5.?From—para—From, of at, by, besides, near. Strong—properly--Near, i.e. From beside; At(or in) the vicinity of; To the proximity with; Beyond or opposed to; On account of.—& a derivative of—oxuv—To be sharp; swift or quick; Keen; by analogy--Rapid. The noun means Incitement or Irritation.
“Love”...“Thinks no evil”
*In the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I do not mentally plan or plot various ways to take vengeance on others. Likewise, I do not think the worst of others.
•When empowered by God’s love, “evil” towards a person will not even come to mind in my response to anyone, even if they are my enemy. That is, I won’t formulate a way to ‘get back at’ someone because of what they may have done. I will not force another person to ‘feel my pain’ by having them go thru what I’ve gone thru.
•I will instead, ponder constructive means for mutual edification in Christ. Instead of seeking my detractor’s demise, I will give them what is best for them. I will not give them what is less. My sleep will not be stolen by my pondering any possible means of retribution....INSTEAD, I will ponder the best way to reach EVERYBODY with the Good News of Jesus—including any of my detractors/defamers/discreditors/criticizers, etc.
•“Thinkers of evil” may present themselves as God’s people, while lurking among them & seeking to undo the righteousnesses of brothers & sisters in Christ.
•Thinkers, plotters, & planners of “evil”, expend much time & effort toward contriving or devising various means to UNDERCUT the GODLY actions of (?)their own(?) brothers & sisters in Christ. They are wolves among the sheep!
•Consider Judas Iscariot & his response—betrayal— to Jesus’ not measuring up to Judas’ self-styled ‘Messiah.’
“Thinks/Take into account/Keeps...record/Reckons”(See:11)—logizomai—Present Deponent(middle/passive) Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over—1a) To take into account, to make an account of—1a1) metaph.--To pass to one's account, to impute, 1a2) A thing is reckoned as or to be something, i.e. as availing for or equivalent to something, as having the like force & weight, 1b) To number among, reckon with, 1c) To reckon or account; 2) To reckon inward, count up or weigh the reasons, to deliberate; 3) by reckoning up all the reasons--To gather or infer—3a) To consider, take into account, weigh, meditate on, 3b) To suppose, deem, judge, 3c) To determine, purpose, decide. Strong—To take an inventory, i.e. Estimate(literally or figuratively); middle voice from logov[something said; a topic; reasoning or motive; a computation].
“Evil/Wrongs”“Bad/Evil/Wicked/Wretched”—kakov—Adj.—1) Of a bad nature—1a) Not such as it ought to be; 2) Of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting—2a) Base, wrong, wicked; 3) Troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful. These words[kakov, ponhrov, faulov] may be used with very little distinction of meaning, but often the difference is marked. Kakov frequently means evil rather negatively, referring to the absence of the qualities which constitute a person or thing what it should be or what it claims to be. It is also used meaning evil in a moral sense. It is a general antithesis to agayov. Strong—apparently a primary word; Worthless(intrinsically, such; whereas ponhrov properly refers to effects), i.e. subjectively--Depraved, or objectively--Injurious.
Argumentation:
Ps. 1:1-2—“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day & night.”
Rom. 12:1-3, 16—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”.....“Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.”
1Tim. 6:1-5—“Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God & His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers & beloved. Teach & exhort these things. If anyone teaches otherwise & does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, & to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes & arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds & destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”
Mat. 7:12-16—“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law & the Prophets. Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.”
1Cor. 10:1-14—“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud & in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, & all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, & that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat & drink, & rose up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, & in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, & were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, & were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, & they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
*Again, ‘Pride’ is the enemy of God’s self-less agaph “love”, & God’s self-less agaph “love” is the enemy of pride. They negate each other, so that one cancels out the other.
•Someone has said that ‘Pride’ cannot exist in the presence of ‘agape love’, & neither can ‘agape love’ exist in the presence of pride.
Likewise, anyone ‘serving Christ’ with such self-serving & negative attitudes, is not operating with the kind of love by & for which Christ died.
If your SELF-IMAGE is more important to you than God’s honor, then I encourage you to submit that prideful SELF-IMAGE to God thru Christ!
*May I remind you that ‘pride’(self-importance/self-image) is the defining devil’s sin. Pride is his ultimate undoing, & ‘achilles heel’(1Tim. 3:6)
1Tim. 3:6—Regarding qualifications for overseers/pastors/bishops—...“not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.”...eternity in the Lake of Fire(Rev. 20:10).
Rev. 20:10—“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire & brimstone where the beast & the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day & night forever & ever.”
Illustration:
•There is a Tallahassee used car dealership named, “Ultimate Image Auto, Incorporated”/It bills itself as, “the People’s Car dealer.”b No doubt, that dealership has turned the heads of the prideful for a number of years now, feeding on self-indulgence.
You & I know, that the ‘ultimate image’ is actually, to be like Jesus!
•I have been active in ‘Christian pastoral ministry’ for over 25 years now/I know certainly that God has called me to leave First Baptist Carrabelle/I also know that God has other plans for me/BUT, I currently do not have any prospects for a pastoral position!/My résumé is ‘out there’, BUT I have to wait patiently for the right church to contact me...the one thru which God wants me to serve Him.
•In the interim, for me, to not have work, is an absolutely frustrating & ’demeaning’ situation!/If my situation does not change, my wife will be forced to bear the brunt of supporting our family!/And that’s truly ‘humbling’ to my Self-Image!/But maybe that’s exactly what I need right now?!....To be humbled before God/Maybe there’s something very different that God would have me do!?/
•I must pray intensely that I will be open to God’s will, no matter where it takes me or what form it takes! God’s ‘agape love’ will keep me in check & on point with God throughout this time of transition.
Application:
?IS your SELF-IMAGE/Pride Humbled before God thru His Agape love working in you?
?As a Christian, does the Love of God keep you Humble?
7—As A Christian, the Love of God must Humble My...
JOY(:6)
Explanation:(:6)
:6—“does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
“Love”...“Does not rejoice in iniquity”
*In my free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I will derive NO JOY or PLEASURE in doing or being besieged by what is NOT RIGHT in God’s eyes.
•Some Christians suppose they can insulate themselves from a continual bombardment of all things that are ‘not righteous.’ Their chosen method of doing so is to refuse to learn more of God’s will. They refuse to read the Bible, because they might find something within it’s pages of truth that condemns their current & past actions. They only sporadically involve themselves in Christian fellowship, because thru that fellowship, they may have to be confronted by their own sinfulness.
“Rejoice/Delight”—cairw—Present Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To rejoice, be glad; 2) To rejoice exceedingly; 3) To be well, thrive; 4) in salutations--Hail!; 5) at the beginning of letters--To give one greeting, salute. Strong—a primary verb; To be “cheer”ful, i.e. Calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation(on meeting or parting)--Be well.?From—cara—Cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight.
“Iniquity/Unrighteousness /Evil”—adikia—1) Injustice, of a judge; 2) Unrighteousness of heart & life; 3) A deed violating law & justice, act of unrighteousness.
“but”...“Love”...“rejoices in the truth”
Instead of choosing to “rejoice in iniquity”, God’s self-less agaph “love” compels me to “rejoice in” God’s “truth”, at all times
*So in the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I rather find pleasure worthy of “rejoicing” about, as I share God’s truth with others, & observe it working in them, as we live out God’s “truth” together.
Argumentation:
Jn. 15:10-11—“If you keep My[Jesus’] commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments & abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, & that your joy may be full.”
1Jn. 1:3-4—“that which we have seen & heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; & truly our fellowship is with the Father & with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”
2Jn. 12— “Having many things to write to you, I[John] did not wish to do so with paper & ink; but I hope to come to you & speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”
2Cor. 1:23-24—“But I[Paul] call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.”
“Rejoices”—sugcairw—Present Active Indicative 2nd Sing.—1) To rejoice with, take part in another's joy; 2) To rejoice together, to congratulate. Strong—To sympathize in gladness, congratulate. Used 7X.?From—sun—1) With. Strong—With or together(but much closer than meta or para), i.e. By association, companionship, process, resemblance, possession, instrumentality, addition, etc.; a primary preposition denoting union—&—cairw—1) To rejoice, be glad; 2) To rejoice exceedingly; 3) To be well, thrive; 4) in salutations--Hail!; 5) at the beginning of letters--To give one greeting, salute. Strong—To be “cheer”ful, i.e. Calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation(on meeting or parting)--Be well.
Application:
?IS your JOY Humbled before God thru His Agape love working in you?
?As a Christian, does the Love of God keep you Humble?
8—As A Christian, the Love of God must Humble My...
PERSEVERANCE(:7-8a)
Explanation:(:7-8a)
:7—“bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
“Love”...“Bears all things”
*In the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I do not allow personal threat(s) to move me beyond silence, & will thus hold out against personal threat(s) without retaliation...Protection, Yes! Retaliation, No!
God’s agaph “love” compels me to “bear-up” under the world’s scrutiny & condescension/patronizing.
•By my bearing up, others are protected against a skewed view of God. If I openly expose the faults & failures of others in ignorance, OR for the sake of tearing down my brother or sister, then I have perverted agaph “love.”
•However, IF I openly expose the ‘faults & failures’ of others—without vengeance, & without intending them personal harm/damage—then I have opened the way toward nurturing my brother &/or sister in Christ, as well as the overall health of the church. And I have elevated God’s agaph “love.”
Eph. 5:11-16—“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
“If it bears, it does not bare”—MNTC.
One writer interprets this as, “Love never tires of support.”—Thistleton in NAC
Illustration:
Counseling Situations are expected to be kept private, within reason. Legalities may come into play.
•A person may know that someone has sought biblical counseling. That same person may want to ‘get the dirt on’ the one being counseled.?•In my years as a pastor, I have been inundated with questions(praise God, by few), in an attempt to wear me down & ‘spill the beans’ on someone else....
*Such actions do not arise from God’s self-less agaph “love”!
“Bears/Protects”—stegw—Present Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) Deck, thatch, to cover—1a) To protect or keep by covering, to preserve; 2) To cover over with silence—2a) To keep secret, 2b) To hide, conceal—2b1) Of the errors & faults of others; 3) By covering to keep off something which threatens, to bear up against, hold out against, & so endure, bear, forbear. Strong—To roof over, i.e. figuratively--To cover with silence(endure patiently). Used 4X.?From—stegh—strengthened from a primary tegov(a "thatch" or "deck" of a building); A roof.
“Love”...“Believes all things”
*In the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I am not suspicious.
•Thru “Believing all things”, I will easily forgive a fault & give others a 2nd+ chance as it were. I will look for & expect the best motive(s) & most favorable outcome(s).
*Therefore, I will not be predisposed to see & expect the worst in others.
One writer interprets this as, “Love never loses faith.”—Thistleton in NAC
“Believes/Trusts”—pisteuw—Present Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1)To think to be true, to be persuaded of, place confidence in; 2) To entrust a thing to one, i.e. his Fidelity. Strong—To have faith(in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. Credit; by implication--To entrust(especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ).
•I will “believe” what someone else relates to me or shares with me, UNLESS there is good reason to believe otherwise. And IF there is good reason to believe otherwise, I will approach the person about the matter in God’s self-less agaph “love.”
Mat. 18:21-22—“Then Peter came to Him[Jesus] & said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, & I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
That exhortation from Jesus does not mean that we should ‘sweep sin under the rug’ & pretend it isn’t there. The same measure I use to make my determinations, will be applied to myself as well by God Himself!(Mat. 7:2; Lk. 6:38) A personal awareness of ‘mutual measure’, bound-up in agaph “love” keeps me from being prejudicial or biased in my determinations.
Mat. 7:1-6—“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; & with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; & look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, & then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, & turn & tear you in pieces.”
Jn. 7:24—“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
“Love”...“Hopes all things,”
*In the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I do not accept ‘failure as final.’ I never ‘write somebody off’ as impossible for God to change...After all, He changed me, & you, & continues to change people all the time!
One writer interprets this as, “Love never exhausts hope.”—Thistleton in NAC
•agaph “love” compels me to EXPECT that others will indeed allow God to work in & thru them. And thru their personal surrender to God, I will always be expecting them to grow in their faith.
Illustration:
Those who do NOT operate within the bounds of agaph “love”, ‘give up’ on people very easily. They easily ‘give up’ because they are dissatisfied in those they minister to...
Those who ‘give-up’ on certain ones they minister to, do so because the ones they minister to, won’t ‘fawn’ & fall at their feet, in response to their particular manner of ministry. So they are disregarded as inconsequential.
•?There are a lot of ungodly things wrong in that scenario aren’t there?
“Hopes”—elpizw—Present Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To hope—1a) in a religious sense--To wait for salvation with joy & full confidence; 2) Hopefully to trust in. Strong—To expect or confide.
“Love”...“Endures all things.”
*In the free exercise of God’s self-less agaph “love”, I am willing to be regarded as secondary in other’s eyes. And I will patiently persevere in that position empowered by the Holy Spirit. See Lk. 14:7-11
One writer interprets this as, “Love never gives up.”—Thistleton in NAC
Lk. 14:7-11—Jesus to those invited to eat bread at a Pharisee’s house—“So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; “& he who invited you & him come & say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ & then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go & sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.””
“Endures/Perseveres”—upomenw—Present Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To remain—1a) To tarry behind; 2) To remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee—2a) To preserve: under misfortunes & trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ, 2b) To endure, bear bravely & calmly: ill treatments. Strong—To stay under(behind), i.e. Remain; figuratively--To undergo, i.e. Bear(trials), have fortitude, persevere. Used 17X. A military term used to describe holding a vital piece of ground.?From—upo—1) By, under. Strong—a primary preposition; Under, Beneath, or Through; Whither, Underneath, or Below, or At.—&—menw—a primary verb; To stay(in a given place, state, relation or expectancy).
*“Love” does “endure all things.”.....
...And that is why Paul’s NEXT statement is that...
“Love Never Fails”!
Application:
?IS your PERSEVERANCE Humbled before God thru His Agape love working in you?
?As a Christian, does the Love of God keep you Humble?
9—As A Christian, the Love of God must Humble My...
CONCEPT OF PERMANENCE(:8b-12)
Explanation:(:8b-12)
:8b—“...But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”
:9—“For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
Our spiritual gifts, as we know & employ them now, are not meant to be carried beyond our entry into eternity. Such gifts are are destined for “failure”, “ceasing” & “vanishing” away.
Spiritual gifts are NOT the ‘end all’ of perfection!
Those gifts are meant for winning the lost to Jesus, now! BUT those gifts are meant for use in the world where God is ultimately in control, YET in the world where He is simultaneously prevented from absolute rule. God’s sovereignty is limited by His own character, because of His perfect sovereign commitment to the perfection of the freewill of mankind.
REALITY Of LOOKING BEYOND:
:10—“But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.”
This life that we know & live in, is not the end of all things. We must look ahead. All that we now know, will eventually be leveled by & overwhelmed by eternity.
“Perfection” lies ahead, but we are not there as of yet. We are not looking for some better technology. The world is not ‘getting better.’ Mankind is not ‘evolving’ to become better. Mankind is not becoming more kind & good, more civilized, more caring, or more loving, etc.. Mankind cannot overcome his own sinfulness.
So he can do nothing apart from surrendering himself to God by means of Christ.
An EXPERIENTIAL EXAMPLE:
:11—“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
•A simple picture is what happens when people ‘mature.’ Their manner of “speech” EVENTUALLY matures, because their “understanding” of all things EVENTUALLY matures, because their manner of “thinking” for all of their years as a “child”, was immature.
•An adult, in contrast to a “child”, is distinguished by their personal & purposeful choices to “put away” that which at one time distinguished them as “childish.”
•No doubt, we all have known people who are the age of adults, who have never left the fantasy-world of their childish decisions. They live selfishly & foolishly having never grown up!
RETURN to the REALITY Of LOOKING BEYOND:
:12—“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”
We are known perfectly by Almighty God. He knows every aspect of our being. He knows our thoughts before we even speak them.
Ps. 139:1-6, 13-16—“<<For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.>> O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.”.....“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”
10—As A Christian, the Love of God must Humble My...
PRIORITIES(:8b-13)
Explanation:(:13)
1Corinthians 13:13—
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
*David Guzik says in regard to 1Cor. 13:13—
“The three great pursuits of the Christian life are not “miracles, power, & gifts”; they are faith, hope, & love.”
“Though the gifts are precious, & given by the Holy Spirit today, they were never meant to be the focus or goal of our Christian lives. Instead, we pursue faith, hope, & love.”
“Love is greatest because it will continue, even grow, in the eternal state. When we are in heaven, faith & hope will have fulfilled their purpose. We won’t need faith when we see God face to face. We won’t need to hope in the coming of Jesus once He comes.” BKS—In heaven, we will eternally live surrounded by our ‘know-so hope’s’ fulfillment!
DG—“BUT we will ALWAYS love the Lord & each other, & grow in that love through eternity.”
Argumentation:
1Thess. 1:3—“remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, & patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God & Father,”
1Thess. 5:8—“But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith & love, & as a helmet the hope of salvation.”
Gal. 5:5-6—“For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”
1Pet. 1:21-22—“who through Him[Christ Jesus] believe in God, who raised Him from the dead & gave Him glory, so that your faith & hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,”
Col. 1:4-5—“...we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus & of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,”
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
“It is easier to be orthodox than to be loving, & easier to be active in church work than to be loving...”.... “Love is more excellent than feeling resentful & inferior because you do not have”...“Love is more excellent than”...“feeling superior & independent because you do have” everything except love.—John MacArthur, Jr.
Action:
As A Christian, the Love of God must HUMBLE My...
6. SELF-IMAGE/Pride(:4d-5d)
7. JOY(:6)
8. PERSEVERANCE(:7-8a)
9. CONCEPT OF PERMANENCE(:8b-12)
10. PRIORITIES(:13)
1. SPEECH(:1)
2. ABILITY(:2)
3. SACRIFICE(:3)
4. SUFFERING That RESULTS In KINDNESS(:4a-b)
5. LOSSES/DESIRE(:4c)
Pt#s 6-10 Presented 03/21/2021am to:
1BCCbelle
206 SE Ave. A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pt#1 only! Presented 02/14/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf NC 27054
