A More Excellent Way

Intro

Would you rather err on the side of truth or love?

This is a false dichotomy

In God’s infinitude, He is always love and truth

The world has warped our sense of what love is

Love is an emotion or feeling

“God loves you just the way you are.” Perhaps better put is God loves you where you are and He doesn’t want you to stay there.

1 Corinthians 13:1–13 ESV

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Context

The Corinthians were very prideful in their worship

Tongues and prophecy were great but they lacked humility and love

This chapter was written to the church

It is extremely applicable to marriage, but we need it in our churches as well

If I Have Not Love

Everything you do needs to be done in love

A Defining Of Love

Pride Parades

Pride is already a sin

“Love is love” “Love Wins”

We cannot rejoice in their wrongdoing

COMPASSION

Black Lives Matter

Furthers the racial divide

Reparations are demanded

The worth of the individual is cheapened, reduced to the color of their skin

COMPASSION

My poor response

I was irritated and shot back a rude irritated response

I had to apologize and make things right

Grow Up

No seriously, grow up

Stop being so easily offended or upset

Rejoice with others as they rejoice

Stop acting out in your frustration

Have some compassion

The Greatest Of These

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

One day we will see and our salvation will be complete

Hope is waiting with anticipation

Romans 8:24-25 “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Love will always remain because God is love

1 John 4:16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”