During the month of September, we have been looking at the subject of
love, using I Corinthians 13, as the basis for our studies. Today is part
two in the sermon series. In part two, we are looking at the middle
section of I Corinthians 13 that St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church
at Corinth.
I like to think of the middle section as the core section, in other
words, the section that truly defines what love is. In I Corinthians
13:8, we find these words, “Love never fails”. An amazing
statistic that I found this week in preparation for this message was that
55% of marriages fail across the nation.
Love never fails. In other words, I like to think that, “Love
always succeeds”.
Before we go to in-depth with the sermon, we need to examine what the
definition is of love. As I was preparing for the sermon, I looked in
Webster’s Dictionary, and there were eight definitions of love. The
one that I will use this morning is love is a strong devotion to something
or someone.
There are three words that the Greeks used to describe the three stages of
love. Haros is the beginning state of love. Kayos is the term for the
sexual state of love. And finally, agape is that stage of God’s
eternal love. I like to think of agape as this.
AGAPE LOVE===GOD’S LOVE
Over time, psychologists have said that love is a feeling. It can be a
feeling, but more importantly, love is a choice that you make. Now, when
I was finding my bride, I sat down and made a list of 50 things that I
wanted my wife to have. My wife fit 98% of those qualities. When you
are trying to define love, think of this statement.
GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU WILL NEVER FAIL
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.
Now, in this sermon, I will give you three basic principles or a set of
three laws for love. Keep in mind that these laws are not someone
else’s. They are my opinion on love.
First, Always Follow the Facts.
As I said earlier, love is not a feeling, it is a choice.
Feelings are undependable, they can change at any time. Facts on the
other hand are the same, they are dependable. Facts are reliable.
So we come up to this three-part conclusion:
FACT ------ FAITH ------ FEELINGS
Once you have the facts, you get the faith, and then you get feelings.
FACTS ARE THE ENGINE.
Imagine a train, if you will. The engine is the main part of the train.
It is what makes the train run. The facts are the engine. The train can
depend upon the facts to be there.
So you say, what are the facts? Here they are:
God loves you. His love is unconditional. His love can never be
measured. His love never fails nor ends. Think of a wedding. The rings
that are exchanged by the groom and bride are Christian symbols of the
love of God. They are in the shape of a circle, meaning that God’s
love will never end, it is continuous.
God is dedicated and committed to you. God wants to know your life, he
wants to be involved. He is dedicated to anything in your life, and he
is also committed to you. But it is important to know that you must take
the first step in him being dedicated and committed to you.
God’s promises are real. Think back to Genesis 12. In Genesis 12,
God made three promises to Abraham. Those promises were a great nation,
making his name great, and out of you many children. Those promises came
true.
In Galatians 5:22 and 23, Paul defines the fruit of the Spirit. I believe
that those characteristics defined by Paul in Galatians 5:22 and 23 apply
to love.
(Read Galatians 5:22-23)
But too many people turn it around. And then we have to remember:
FACTS ARE THE ENGINE….
FAITH IS THE COAL CAR….
FEELINGS ARE THE CABOOSE
When I was searching for my wife, a friend told me:
USE YOUR HEAD FIRST, THEN YOUR HEART WILL FOLLOW.
Second, Make the Best of What Is Given to You
BUMPS – ROADBLOCKS – NATURAL
(Read John 16:32-33)
Know that God’s love looks beyond qualifications, etc.
Lastly, You will always win in the end.
Death is not final; we will all experience it. Death is transitional,
going from this life to living with Jesus Christ, and knowing that we will
have a newness of life.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,
The old has passed, behold the new has come!”
-- 2 Corinthians 5:17
Love never fails. Love always succeeds.
Begin with the actualization that God loves us and that
love always succeeds in whatever it does.
LOVE NEVER FAILS!!
The power of love is the legacy of success.
