"THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY"
TEXT: I CORINTHIANS 13
"A NEW COMMND I GIVE YOU; LOVE ONE ANOTHER
AS I HAVE LOVED YOU SO YOU MUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
BY THIS ALL MEN WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES
IF YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER" -- JOHN 13:34,35
"DEAR FRIENFDS, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER
FOR LOVE COMES FROM GOD
EVERYONE WHO LOVES HAS BEEB BORN OF GOD AND KNOPWS GOD
WHOEVER DIOES NOT LOVE DOES NOT KNOW GOD
BECAASUE GOD IS LOVE.." -- I JOHN 4:7,8
"IF ANYONE SAYS, `I LOVE GOD’ YET HATES HIS BROTHER
HE IS A LIAR
FOR ANYONE WHO DOES NOT LOVE HIS BROTHER WHO HE HAS SEEN
CANNOT LOVE GOD WHO HE HAS NOT SEEN.
HE HAS GIVNE US THIS COMMND
WHO EVER LOVES GOD MUST ALSO LOVE HIS BROTHER." -- I JOHN 4:20,21
INTRODUCTION
Years ago back when I was a teenager, a song came out that went like this, "what the world needs now, is love sweet love that’s the only thing that there’s just too little of." The song then went on /to list a lot of different things that we do not need anymore of; and then it came back to the chorus which told it’s listeners what it was that the world really needed, "and the world needed love, sweet love", because that was the one thing that there was just too little of in the world.
If you were to study the book of I Corinthians it would become readily apparent that love was exactly what the Church in Corinth was lacking, and that love was what the Church in Corinth so desperately needed. The Church in Corinth needed was love, agape love and that was the one thing that there was just to little of.
Paul up to this point in his letter has spent a great deal of time, discussing the divisions that were within the Church. In chapters 11-14 Paul addresses some of the problems that were causing divisions in the church. It is within this discussion, in chapter 13, sandwich between chapter 12 and 14 that Paul gives the church in Corinth the solution to their problem of division. In Chapter 13 of I Corinthians Paul talks about love.
This chapter is a favorite chapter of many people and has been read at many weddings. And it really is, a beautiful text to hear at a wedding. There is no other writing in all of literature that I know of, that is as expressive and yet brief and to the point as to what love is.
Paul however, did not write this so that people would have something to read at weddings or so that we would have a handy definition of "love", Rather Paul included this in his letter in order to give the solution to the problems of division, that was running rampant in the Church of Corinth.
In chapter 12 (which we will study in detail tonight) Paul confronted the problem that the church in Corinth had with spiritual gifts, everybody thought they were the most important, the most special part of the church. Everyone wanted to be greater than everyone else, and they were eager to do anything and to go any way to get there.
Paul in chapter 13 is basically telling the Christians in Corinth "slow down ,don’t be so busy, relax and don’t be in such a hurry, running here and there, to prove that you are better than everyone else. Just sit back and let me show you a more excellent way."
And the more excellent way is the way of love.
[Ch 13]
Today, as we study chapter 13 of I Corinthians, we will discover the 3 reasons hat Paul gives as to WHY, "the way of love", IS the most excellent way. And as we examine this timeless instruction, from the pen of the Apostle Paul, we will see these 3 principles unfold before our eyes. And in response, we must be challenged to apply "this most excellent way", to our church life and our home life, and IF we do, we will, destroy division, AND uplift unity, in our homes and in our church.
WHY IS LOVE THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY? BECAUSE:
I. LOVE IS ESSENTIAL
[Ilust]
How many here have plants (real plants, you know the kind that undergo photosynthesis) in your homes? I’m sure many do, and even if you don’t, I’m sure you have a basic understanding of the things that are necessary, for one to do, in order to take proper care of a plant.
I want you to imagine that you went to your local plant nursery and bought a plant (is everyone imagining??), you bought a spider plant or some other kind of house plant.
And now you in your car smiling as you drive your plant home. This plant is really special to you, so you give it a place of highest honor in you home. You put it in you living room and give it the best view of the TV and you even put the remote control in it’s little red pot.
And throughout each day you talk to your new little friend, you say all kinds of nice things to it. You even turn on the aerobics show on the TV and exercise it’s leaves.
You read books about plants, you buy magazines about plants and you watch TV documentaries about plants. Everyday you are constantly increasing your knowledge of plants.
You are sure that your plant just has to be the luckiest and the happiest plant in all of the world.
But something happens a few months down the road, your plant begins to wilt, it’s leaves turn brown and it begins to lean down.
And you don’t understand, Why?, because you still talk to your plant as much as ever, and you still turn on Jane Fonda’s morning workout everyday, but you have notice that it’s little heart doesn’t seem to be into the workouts like before. (stay with me, don’t leave me now).
And one night while your eating popcorn and watching the Award winning PBS Documentary "How To Care For Your Little Green Friend, The House Plant", you look over and notice that your little plant is dead.
How could this happen? you said all the so called, "proper words", You read the right books, you gave it place of honor, you did morning workouts and you were even a member of the "Happy House Plant Club".
The problem is you did everything except what was most essential! You never watered your plant!, so your little plant died of thirst.
As I read I Corinthians [13:1-3] again, you will see that what Paul is saying, is that Love is Essential.
A. In verse one Paul is saying that even if someone speaks in the languages of men or angels IF that person does not have love he produces nothing.
The Church in Corinth had many people who thought that the gift of languages made them special. BUT Paul says that without love, their words rung hallow, they were empty. Love Is Essential!
B. In verse two Paul says that even if a person has great knowledge, and a faith that can move mountains (and there certainly were people in Corinth that were puffed up, like a hot air balloon, over their own "superior knowledge and "supreme faith") But Paul says that IF a person does not have love he IS nothing.
C. Then in verse three Paul says that a person can give all he has to the poor, can surrender his body to the flames (which is probably a reference to dying for ones faith), even if a person does all this, IF that person does not have love, Paul says that he gains nothing.
Without love no matter what we say, do or give,
WE produce nothing
WE are nothing
AND WE gain nothing
D. Love Is Essential!
Though the things that we: do, say and know; and the things we give are important. It is love that is really essential. In our church, in our home, and in all of our relationships, for that matter, let’s make sure that we don’t get so busy doing all of the little urgent things, that we forget the ONE ESSENTIAL THING. Let’s take the time to water each of the plants in our life, because LOVE REALLY IS ESSENTIAL.
Love will help prevent the problems of divisions from ever entering into our homes or in our churches to begin with. And on the occasions when there are problems in our church, or in our home, it is Love applied and LOVE lived, that will always restore those who are divided.
II. LOVE IS EDIFYING
In verses 4-7 Paul defines for, us what love is. Now obviously the love mentioned here is "agape" love: the love of the will, the love of seeking another’s best, the love of sacrificing for others.
And as Paul very distinctly defines love we can easily see that love is edifying, that LOVE builds things up and holds things together.
I sometimes like to visualize love as the cement that holds the spiritual walls of our home and of our church together. And the descriptions that Paul gives in verses 4-7 of LOVE are the recipe for the cement of love.
Paul in these verses not only tells us what must go into our cement but Paul also tells us what must not go into our cement mixture.
As we look at these ingredients, we will readily see that the church in Corinth had many of the prohibited ingredients in their cement mixture and that they also were lacking many of the essential ingredients.
It is also interesting to note here that if we look at the life and example of The Apostle Paul and of Christ, we will see that their mixture was right on target. As they lived their lives both Paul and Jesus were a living demonstration of LOVE.
A. We need to put in the following, BECAUSE LOVE IS:
1. Love is Patient
Love is patient and it puts up with people and their differences. Love suffers and waits. Love refuse to give into anger and vindictiveness. Love waits and hopes for repentance. Love is David with Saul, Barnabas with John Mark , Christ with His disciples and Christ with you and I.
2. Love is Kind
There is a saying that Love is Blond but that’s not really true. Love is not blind, but kind. Love is considerate. Love does good to people, even people who are irritating to you. I like what Knoffel Staton says writes in his commentary, "While patience puts up with a lot, kindness gives out a lot. While patience is a self-restraint, kindness is a self-expression".
3. Love rejoices in truth
Love finds it’s true joy in deeds and words of truth.
4. Love is Protection
The word used here means to protect or preserve by covering, and is the same word used for the roof of a building. The purpose of the roof is to protect the contents of the building. Love is willing to do that for people. To act as a shield to protect them from the damaging winds and problems that may try to hurt them. Love provides a place of safety and shelter where a person can find refuge from the storms of life.
5. Love is Trust
Love looks for the best in everyone. Love gives people the benefit of the doubt. Love takes people at their word and hopes for their trustworthiness, as long as it can, then it mourns over those who stumble and fall.
6. Love is Hope
When love has been disappointed in someone who it once believed in, it always hopes for better things, Love hopes for repentance.
7. Love is persevering
It lasts it is not easily overcome.
These 7 things are what must be part of our cement of LOVE. Now we need to make sure that certain things do not get into our cement of love and contaminate it. And cause it to lose it’s strength and ability to hold things together.
B. We need to keep out the following BECAUSE LOVE IS NOT:
1. LOVE does not ENVY
Love does not be grudge the fortune of others. Only agape love can see all the inequalities of life and still remain content with it’s own place. Paul in chapter 4 of Philippians says that through Christ he was content in whatever situation he found himself.
2. LOVE does not Boast
Love does not brag about itself. Love is not conceited. Many in Corinth were boasting about the gifts and abilities that they had, the others did not have.
3. LOVE is not Proud
Love is obsessed with self-importance. Love is not like the Pharisee who thanked God that he was not like the tax collector. "Give a man a little earthly authority or position and one soon sees whether he has love or arrogance".
4. LOVE is not Rude
Love is courteous, tactful, polite and respectful. LOVE does not say, "I speak my mind, I’ll say what I think", without first asking will our words hurt? are they kind? will they build up?
5. LOVE is not Self-seeking
Love is willing to sacrifice it’s interests for the welfare of others. There can never be true Love with a "ME FIRST" attitude.
6. LOVE is not easily angered
LOVE does not fly into fits of temper. Love is not irritable. "Greatness is not in Position but in Disposition. If we have a problem with our temper let’s not just excuse it anymore.
Love is not easily angered.
7. Here’s a tough one, LOVE keeps no records of Wrongs.
Love does not keep a score card of the wrongs done to it. Love does not hold a grudge. Love forgives and forgets. If we are keeping score for something someone did or said back in 1952, we are not practicing LOVE. I am glad that Jesus Christ does not keep a record of my wrongs, He has graciously removed them as for as the east is from the west.
8. LOVE does not rejoice in evil
Love is never glad when others go wrong. Some get a certain malicious pleasure in hearing of someone else’s fall or trouble. LOVE does not do that.
I think you all would agree that Paul has given us quite an exhaustive list of what love is.
Now it’s up to you and I to look at our own cement mixture and to make sure we have the proper mix. If something is missing let’s put it in, if there is something contaminating it , let’s get it out.
Can you even imagine the impact that LOVE as Paul describes it here would have on our homes and in our church. It would be incredible.
III. LOVE IS ENDURING
[8-13]
There is much debate today as to the specifics of these verses. Today we are not going spend our time dealing with these specifics. We will however cover it in our Midweek Study.
But right now I don’t want us to get bogged down and the specifics and miss the main point, miss the BIG Picture.
And the Big Picture in these verses 8-13 is that love ENDURES!! It lasts, it’s permanent.
LOVE leaves a permanent Mark on our lives.
People may not remember the great Bible lesson you taught, the beautiful song you sang or program you planned. (Now don’t think I’m saying that these things are not important, because they are)
But people will always remember an act of love you’ve shared. An ear you gave to listen to their heart ache, a note to encourage them, a visit, forgiving them when they’ve done you wrong without making them grovel. The time you sacrificed for them.
Friends, in doing acts of genuine LOVE we are storing up for ourselves treasures in Heaven where dust and moth and rust can not destroy. And we will be building up the church of Christ and making it stronger.
We need to give LOVE in our homes. Let me tell you something it really is the most practical thing that we can give. It doesn’t cost us anything and it is permanent.
Toy’s break, Clothes wear out, flowers die, candy gets eaten, vacations come to an end and they may be remembered no more. But LOVE lasts, LOVE ENDURES!!!
Let’s not forget to give our wife, our children, our family, our brothers and sisters in Christ and the Lord’s Church,
THE ESSENTIAL, THE THING THAT EDIFIES AND BUILDS UP, THE THING THAT PREVENTS AND REPAIRS DIVSIONS IN OUR HOMES AND IN OUR CHURCH. LET’S GIVE THEM ALL, THE THING THAT ENDURES FOREVER. LET’S GIVE THEM LOVE, WHICH I AM SURE YOU WILL AGREE, IS BY FAR, IS WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY!!!!
