What's Love Got To Do With It?

Never laugh at your wife's choices.

You’re one of them.

A man once relayed the following story:

I was on a flight the other day and I found I’d been seated next to a beautiful young woman.

As I sat down next to her I said, “Does the airline charge you extra for sitting next to good-looking men?”

She said, “Yes, but I wasn’t prepared to pay.”

I like to show my wife who’s the boss in our house.

I do this by holding a mirror up to her face.

A wife asks her husband, “How would you describe me?”

He replies, “ABCDEFGHIJK.”

The confused wife asks, “What does that mean?”

Her husband replies, “Adorable, beautiful, cute, delightful, elegant, fashionable, gorgeous, and hot.”

The wife says, “Aw, thank you, but what about IJK?”

“I’m just kidding!”

Historical/Cultural Context -

Paul preached the gospel in Corinth in the early 50s AD during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–18). When opposition grew fierce there, the Lord Jesus spoke to him in a vision assuring him that he had ‘many people’ in the city (Acts 18:10). With this encouragement, Paul stayed on for eighteen months, ‘teaching them the word of God’ (Acts 18:11). God used Paul’s ministry to bring about the birth and establishment of the church in Corinth.

Biblical Text -

1 Corinthians 13:1–13 NKJV

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 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. 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. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - Agape Love Is More Important Than Anything For Christians & Will Revolutionize Your Life If You Let It.

Life Point- Love Is The Important Part Of The Christian Experience

Exegetical -

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NLT

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Homiletical -

Last week The scripture ended with “Yet I show you a more excellent way to live.”

This week we find Paul writes the more excellent way.

This chapter is often called the Love Chapter. It fleshes out the importance of Love in the Christian’s life and what that Love looks like.

He starts by says that if he could speak in any language on earth and any angelic language that exists, it would mean nothing without love.

In other words if a church believes themselves to be spiritual people yet they do not show the acts of love there is no reason for that church to exist.

So it might be important that we find out what kind of love the Apostle is writing about here.

Our term love in English is so convoluted, so watered down that it has become to mean anything from out and out lust to a love that is pure and self-sacrificing. This is especially evident when we look at how the world has redefined the words we use everyday. I find that the older I get the the more words don’t mean what they used to mean.

For example, and this is just a silly example, I have kids that use the term “say less.” Now to me, that seems kind of rude. I am telling a student he needs to do such and such an activity and his immediate response is “Say Less.” My response to him at the time was “Excuse me?” Come to find out, to them at least, it means you don’t have to say anymore, I got it and I am taking care of it.

So, let’s take a minute and look at the different kinds of love that the ancient Greek language had to offer.

There are 4 word used during this time for love in Greek. Only three ever appear in scripture.

1) Eros - This is the root word for where we get erotic. It is a purely physical kind of love

2) Phileo - This is a brotherly or familial kind of love. This is the root for the Philadelphia which means The city of brotherly love. You could say this is the I love you because you love me kind of love.

3) Agape - This is the God kind of love. This says I love you with no conditions. I love you just because.

When Paul writes love here, he is referring to God’s kind of love. It is Agape that is used.

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 25.43 ἀγαπάω; ἀγάπη, ης

to have love for someone or something, based on sincere appreciation and high regard—‘to love, to regard with affection, loving concern, love

This term is used in john 13:34:

John 13:34 NLT

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

Luke 16:13 NKJV

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

John 3:35 NKJV

The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

1 John 4:19 NKJV

We love Him because He first loved us.

Agape, this kind of love is missing in today’s churches.

love is not considered to be something to be strived for, sought after, or put into practice. Agape is not something that should be overlooked.

Churches have plenty of activities, plenty of programs, plenty of music but they lack the one thing that God calls for His people to demonstrate. That is agape. The love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:1–5 NKJV

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

With this in mind let’s look at our main text again.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NKJV

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

now go back and insert the term agape for every time you see love and you will find this text expands itself in your mind, if not convicts us all of our sin of not walking in Agape Love.

Only you know if Agape is missing from your life toward God and your fellow Christians. If it is missing, today is a good day to repent and ask God to supernaturally shed this love all over your inner being so that you may serve Him more faithfully and with more passion that you ever have before.

Life Point - Agape Love Will Revolutionize Your Life

Exegetical -

1 Corinthians 13:4–10 NLT

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

Homiletical -

Sometimes Love is lacking in our lives. There is a good test there to see if your walk with Christ is what it should be. There is no person in the church who should not be truly pricked in the heart by these words. Every Christian upon self-examination will find a need for repentance in this section.

replace the word love in verse 4-7 with your name:

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (NLT)

Joe is patient and kind. Joe is not jealous or boastful or proud

or rude. Joe does not demand his own way. Joe is not irritable, Joe keeps no record of being wronged.

Joe does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Joe never gives up, Joe never loses faith, Joe always hopeful, and Joe endures through every circumstance.

Take this verse by verse with your name and examine your life through each verse. You know what you will find? You’re not where you should be in your dealings with Christ or your dealings with other people.

You will find a need to repent. You will find a need to make sure your life is genuine and genuinely lived before God and others.

Yes folks this is what is missing from modern Christianity. Jesus was and is all of these things, but those that swear by His name have become fake.

Today it is more about the music and the emotional manipulation of people than it is about serving God and Others. Today churches spend ungodly amounts of money on lighting, instruments, and fog machines to put on a show, rather than loving each other. Let this charge never be brought against First Baptist Church of Minneola.

Don’t get me wrong, it is nice to have music to worship God. This is not the problem. The problem is when that becomes more important than Love. The problem is that is where all your money is going to put on a show and not worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth.

John 4:24 NLT

For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Now remember Paul is talking to a church that isn’t caught up in God’s love. They are caught up in the spiritual gifts. They have become unloving and seeking the wrong thing. So he writes:

1 Corinthians 13:8–10 NKJV

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

This scripture is often used to say that the Gifts of the Spirit have ceased.

Why?

Because the Bible is perfect in its’ original manuscripts and we now have the Bible so this means that the Gifts are gone.

This is faulty logic.

1)Paul never imagined a time when everyone had their own copy of the scriptures. This concept would have been far from him.

2)Do we today, know all things about Jesus fully in the sense that our loves are a perfect reflection of who He is? Do we no longer disagree about side issues that have no effect on one’s salvation? Have we all fully grown into the maturity and perfection of Christ?

The answer is NO.

What Paul is referring to here is the second coming of Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 NKJV

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

We will be changed and we will be with Him, in whom all perfection dwells. Then we will not need the gifts because Jesus will be with us. The gifts of the Spirit are given to put focus on Christ. When Christ is with us, He will have all the focus because He is God clothed in resplendent Glory.

Paul shows the futility of placing some much emphasis on the Gift of The Spirit while at the same time rejecting Agape Love.

You know all that stuff you are seeking after? Hey, one day that won’t matter. You are wasting your time.

Life Point - The Greatest Thing That Will Remain For All Eternity Is Love

Exegetical -

1 Corinthians 13:11–13 NLT

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Homiletical -

Paul says all these things that are so temporary that you are all so worried about, will not last forever. Stop putting so much emphasis on the temporary.

These gifts as wonderful as they are, will be gone one day. That building, that boat, that motorcycle, them lights and fog machines will be done away with. Get your heart and your mind off of the temporary. You are acting like children.

It is time for Christendom to grow up and keep the main thing, the main thing.

I have a little test I try to ask myself when I am upset about something.

Is what I am upset over have any eternal value? If it doesn’t then pray and ask God to help you to put your mind in right thinking, put your mind in right order.

why?

Because it is time for the Christian to put away the temporary, the childish things and know that as we cross over into eternity only 3 things will remain for you.

faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love.

By faith we are saved:

Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Our Hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He has risen from the dead, we will rise as well in a perfect reflection of His glory:

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 NKJV

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Though faith by which we are saved, hope by which we know we will spend all eternity with Christ, and Agape Love are the things that will remain for all eternity. We know that the greatest of the three is Agape Love. Because with Love, your life means nothing, your life will be spent doing activities but will not have Eternal Value.

Life Principle– Agape Love Is More Important Than Anything For Christians & Will Revolutionize Your Life If You Let It.

Call to Action – altar call….