1 Cor 13_1_13

Text: 1 Cor. 13:

Title: Love in Action

Intro: We have been talking about faith for the past 5 weeks, since Valentines was Thursday I thought I would look at Love.

Love is essential to Christianity. By faith we please God, by Love we put God into action.

In these verses, Paul gently rebuked the sins of the Corinthians.

They did not have patience with each other in the assembly (14:29–32);

they envied the spiritual gifts others possessed (14:1);

they were proud and critical (12:21–26);

they did not have modesty or grace in their behavior (12:2–16);

they sought to uphold their own rights (chaps. 8–10) even if it hurt others;

they were easily provoked, and even sued one another (6:1–8);

and they rejoiced at seeing sin in others when they should have judged it (5:1–13).

We can also see in these verses a picture of Christ who alone perfectly manifests the love of God to us. We can substitute the word “Christ” for “charity” in this chapter.

I.Love Is Essential (13:1–3)

The word “charity” means “love in action”. It is not simply an emotion; it is the heart reaching out to others.

Illustration: “Charity” today makes us think of giving away old clothes or making gifts to “charitable institutions.”

These activities can be Christian love in action, but Paul is demanding much more.

The word he uses for love is agape, which is love that is unconditional, it sacrifices for the good of others.

He takes up some of the spiritual gifts of 12:8–10

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

Paul shows their emptiness apart from love.

Tongues apart from love become mere noise, like the clanging of a cymbal. (No good)

Prophecy without love makes the prophet nothing.

Knowledge without love is just useless information…. (I can know all the scriptures, memorize a thousand verses…. But if what I know is not put into action it is useless information)

Love puts these gifts into action

Might be given that heroic faith which is able to remove mountains. Yet if these wonderful gifts are used only for his own benefit and not for the edifying other members of the Body of Christ, they are of no value, and he is nothing, he is of no help to others.

Paul is not minimizing these gifts; he is simply saying that they will have no good effect on the individual or on the church unless there is love in the life of the Christian in the exercise of his or her gifts.

We might go so far as to sacrifice our body, but apart from love, this act would amount to nothing. Love is the measure of all things.

The Corinthians were using their spiritual gifts and offices with an attitude of competition and self-service not of love.

The church was divided and what was meant to be used to build up the church was doing being used in that manner. It was doing more harm than good.

Application: We all have been given gifts and we each need to put these gifts into action to build up the church.

But in order for them to be truly effective they have to be done in the right attitude.

Preaching without love is just so much noise.

Praying without love becomes an empty speech.

Giving without love is just a ceremony.

Is it any wonder that Christ asked Peter the leader of the early church, “Do you love me?

This love “agape” is God’s love, it’s divine, it can’t be accessed by any way other than by the love God has poured out into your heart by the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Transition: Love is Essential! Without God, you can’t love in the needed manner. Without Jesus as your Lord and savior, all your “good efforts” in life are rubbish

II. Love Is Effectual (13:4–7)

Gifts have no spiritual effect on the life of the church if there is no love, it is love that the Spirit uses to build the church.

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up,” 1 Cor. 8:1.

Love is patient and kind (v. 4). Charity (Love in Action)

Love rises above petty things and is generous in the way it treats others.

It is easy to “love” when people are lovable; how difficult it is to love when they injure or attack us in one way or another.

Think of Christ’s patience with Peter after the times Peter sinned against Him,

He rebuked Jesus when He spoke of the cross.

He put his foot in his mouth on the Mount of Transfiguration when he didn’t know what to say.

The night of His arrest Peter denied Him three times….

Yet on the third day the women went to anoint Jesus body and the angel told them Jesus had been resurrected……… But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you Mk 16:7.

Love not only patiently bears with wrongs, but it positively acts in deeds of kindness.

B. Love never simmers with jealousy (v. 4).

Envy is a terrible sin; Cain envied his brother and killed him!

How do we react when other Christians receive blessings or benefits that we lack?

Do we allow the sparks of envy to burn and then come to a full flame?

C. Love is not boastful or proud (v. 4).

“Proud” refers to the inward feeling; “vaunteth” (boastful) refers to the outward displays of self-importance.

Love walks in humility

D. Love is not rude or self-seeking (v. 5).

There is a graciousness about the person who acts from Christian love, this is something the world cannot give.

True love seeks only the good of others; it is unselfish.

Can you see this love displayed in Christ’s life? Suffered for the good of us!

E. Love is not provoked, nor does it harbor evil thoughts (v. 5).

Christian love shows no irritation, as the flesh too often does.

Love does not keep account books of the evil things people do, or the hurts received from them.

In fact, love is never glad when others get involved in evil, but love is always glad when others are walking in the truth.

F. Love gives victory (v. 7).

Through Christ’s love in us, we can bear up under anything, have faith, and continue in hope.

“It gives us power to endure in anything” v. 7, (WMS). Love always leads to victory!

III. Love Is Eternal (13:8–13)

The Corinthians were spiritual babies,

they were striving for the temporary and neglecting the permanent.

They wanted temporary gifts not lasting Christian character.

Love will never “fail” - it will never cease to authority

Christ will never fail – He will never cease to have authority.

These other gifts will pass away; (vs.8)

They wanted to Prophesy- prophetic utterances has been replaced by the written Word of God;

tongues would no longer be needed;

gifts of special knowledge would be put aside for the teaching ministry of the Spirit from the Word.

But love, and the graces it produces, will last forever.

They battled wanting the special gifts not the Lord of the Gifts.

God didn’t always use Miracles to attest to His truths but during the infancy of the church there were many. The time was coming when these “Special Gifts would cease and Church would have to stand on the written word of God.

THAT IS WHAT WE STAND ON!!!

In v. 11, Paul tells them to Grow up.

“When you were a baby it was ok for you to talk like a baby, but an adult doesn’t talk like a baby. Talk like adults.”

Tongues and other special manifestations belong to spiritual childhood. Grow up!”

He tells them again to quit acting like children. Vs. 14:20

There will always be room for growth in the church, and while we are growing, we will know and see imperfectly.

Illustration: Paul uses an Illustration: Corinth was famous for its bronze mirrors,

If you polish bronze enough you can see a dim reflection of yourself, just as we see only a dim reflection of God today.

But when Christ comes, we shall know Him as we are known by Him!

And we shall be like Him!

Application: We should strive to be like Him now!

The church (Body) grows closer to perfection through love:

believers loving Christ and one another;

holding the truth in love;

practicing the truth because we love Him.

Eph. 4:16 “Building the body up in love” and this is a ministry all of us share.

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 1 Jn 3:18.

Put love into action!

Put Christ Jesus into action!

Faith, hope, love—these abide forever; and love is the greatest, for “God is love”