We Serve Out of Love/Love's Actions (6)
Our Blueprint for a New Testament Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
We started last week examining a comprehensive list characterizing Biblical love. Again, Biblical Love is a purposeful commitment to sacrificial action for others. In our text the Holy Spirit is answering this question. What does Biblical love (agape love) look like practically? The Holy Spirit provides us the answer.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
In these verses, there are...
13 Characteristics of Biblical Love.
You can divide this list into two categories. The two categories are what is Biblical Love and what it is not.
DISCLAIMER: It will most likely take us a few Sundays to work through this list. It is an essential list, and I do not want to hurry through it. Whatever time it takes to go through this list will be worth the time. We will do as many as time allows each Sunday until we finish.
Please remember that God instructed us to love others as we go through this list. That can be difficult sometimes, but it is still our duty to do our best.
Last week, we covered two characteristics that are NOT found in Biblical love. They were...
Biblical Love is...
NOT Envious
NOT Envious
Note again that our text says...
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
The word “envieth” in Greek indicates jealousy towards another. It literally means to be or become painfully desirous of another’s advantages. Advantages mean any strengths, privileges, or attributes we desire but do not possess. It mainly shows itself when we become aware of others receiving more attention than us. In other words, they receive the recognition that we think belongs to us or desire to have for ourselves.
BIBLE EXAMPLE: King Saul was painfully jealous of David’s accomplishments knowing God’s hand was upon David.
7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.
Biblical love does not allow our service to the Lord to become a competition for approval or praise. Biblical love rejoices with others when they do things for the Lord. It does not operate on suspicion. Instead, it sets aside self and seeks to uplift or build up the welfare and good of others.
Biblical love does not envy others.
Biblical love is...
NOT Boastful or Braggadocios
NOT Boastful or Braggadocios
Look again at verse 4.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Note that it says “vaunteth not itself.” The word “vaunteth” is not commonly used today. In Greek, the connotation behind this word means to be or become boastful and exhibit self-importance. Basically, Biblical love doesn’t “toot its own horn.”
BIBLE EXAMPLE: The rich man who build more barns essentially was tooting his own horn and God judged him for it.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
The reason this particular story stood out to me as I was studying is this. Too many times, we, as believers, take credit where credit is not due. We brag either directly or indirectly about the spiritual gift we have. Our issue is the same as this rich man’s issue. We are taking credit for what God has so graciously bestowed upon us. That is not the way by which Biblical love behaves. Loving God and loving others means not flaunting ourselves boastfully and engaging in self-glorification. Yes, you might be very good at what you do. You may even have achieved a level of understanding and use of your gifts that far exceed others. However, you are not demonstrating Biblical love if you boast or brag about it. Instead of boasting, Biblical love works to lift (build up) the Lord and others, not ourselves.
Here is another characteristic of Biblical love.
Biblical love is...
NOT Arrogant
NOT Arrogant
Return again to 1 Corinthians 13:4
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
The last phrase of this verse states, “charity…is not puffed up.” Again, if you study the Greek behind the word “puffed up,” you will find that it means to be or become proud. It is conceived as being puffed up with air like a balloon. Such a person is a person who once again thinks more of themselves than they do others. They are arrogant believing they are superior than others. Additionally, they look down upon others and have an attitude that they are always right and everyone else is wrong.
BIBLE EXAMPLE: King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4.
30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
King Nebuchadnezzar achieved a level of greatness not many have ever accomplished. He was the ruler of a vast empire that spanned much of the known world in his time. I don’t think anyone could argue that he was a great intelligent man with a special gift of military and political strategy. However, he made one huge mistake. He became proud and arrogant. We see his arrogance in the verse we just read. He forgot that Jehovah God was God.
Biblical love...
DOES NOT Act Unseemly or Unbecomingly
DOES NOT Act Unseemly or Unbecomingly
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
The first part of verse 5 states, “Doth not behave itself unseemly.” Again, if you go to the Greek, it means to behave unbecomingly-to not behave in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in certain social groups. However, in context, Biblical love never acts against the accepted standards of what is correct or appropriate according to God’s righteousness. In other words, God’s Word is the standard by which we live. Thus, Biblical love always acts according to His standards, not the world. The world or society has its own standards. The world says it is okay to be rude, boastful, and overbearing to get what you want. If someone crosses you or steps on you, you should step up and put them in their place. Make a big scene. However, God expects us to love others Biblically. In fact, Biblical love is sacrificial action. It means we sacrifice our wants, desires, and even whatever amount of respect we think we are owed for the wants, desires, and respect God and others claim.
BIBLE EXAMPLE: Jonah was the example that I gave you. Instead of loving his enemy with Biblical love, he rudely disobeyed God. Jonah acted unseemly and unbecoming as a man of God. Later, even when he had fulfilled God’s instructions and Nineveh repented, he continued to operate without Biblical love. He parked his butt outside Nineveh and pouted that God had not destroyed it.
Sometimes serving God does not go how we intended it or thought it should. In fact, being a servant of the Lord means we carry out His will, not ours. It is the same when it comes to utilizing our spiritual gifts. God gifts us to serve Him, not ourselves. And, when things do not conform to what we think is right, fitting, or appropriate, we must submit to Him and act out of Biblical love. What does that mean? It means we stay obedient to the standard of God’s Word. We don’t color outside the lines by acting unseemly.
Another “is NOT” of Biblical love is this.
Biblical love...
DOES NOT Seek Its Own
DOES NOT Seek Its Own
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
“Seeketh not her own” simply means not seeking or trying to get something that is out of reach. This characteristic is another aspect of envy or jealousy. It is when you desire something or someone that is not yours and is beyond your ability to have it. Additionally, it can mean taking it all or grabbing it all for yourself.
BIBLE EXAMPLE: For this characteristic, I gave you the story of King Ahab and is desire for what was not his, Naboth’s vineyard.
Obviously, there was no Biblical love involved in this story of Ahab and Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab and Jezebel clearly were not committed to following God and His word. However, they are great illustration of the self-love that this world follows. That is the point the Holy Spirit is making in our text. This world’s love always seeks its own. It goes after whatever satisfy self. What God is saying to us as believers is do not love as the world loves. No, Biblical love (agape love/sacrificial love) does not try to fulfill its own desires. It does not ask for its own way and does not try to acquire gain for itself. On the contrary, God’s love is an act of the will that seeks to serve others and not be served. It is a love that places the needs of others before our own.
Here is the next characteristic of Biblical love.
Biblical love is...
NOT Easily Provoked
NOT Easily Provoked
This is a very interesting characteristic and one that needs to be emphasized more.
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
The word “provoke” means the same as it does today. It means to incite or stir up. This word can be used in a positive or negative way. In fact, Scripture uses this word in a positive manner concerning love.
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
We are encouraged by God to incite or stir up each other to love as He loves and to do good works. However, in our text, it is used negatively. We are NOT to let the actions and words of others incite or stir us to the point we lash out against them.
There are many examples in God’s Word.
BIBLE EXAMPLE: Moses striking the rock versus speaking to it as God instructed. He reacted to the people instead of ACTING as he should.
8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Here is the next characteristic of Biblical love.
Biblical love...
DOES NOT Take Into Account A Wrong Suffered
DOES NOT Take Into Account A Wrong Suffered
This where the statement “Love is Blind” becomes a reality for us as believers.
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
The key word here is the word “thinketh.” In Greek, the understanding is a little different than our understanding in English. Our definition of “think” is to use our minds as the means to decide or arrive at judgments or conclusions. However, in our text and in Greek, the word “think” actually is word that means to tally or keep count. In other words, Biblical love does not tally or keep a record of all the wrongs done suffered. There are many people who keep count of every negative thing said or done to them. They then use that tally as the foundation of how they treat others. For example, if a person has done more good than bad to them, they are friends with them and express love towards them. However, if a person has been hateful to them, oh boy, you are now on their bad side. Thus, any believer who keeps a tally of wrongs suffered is not a exhibiting Biblical love.
Bible Example: Joseph did not keep a list of wrongs suffered. Instead, he exhibited Biblical love realizing that God ordained all things in his life so that he might be in a position of service when the time was needed.
Another characteristic of...
Biblical love...
DOES NOT Rejoice in Unrighteousness
DOES NOT Rejoice in Unrighteousness
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Here we find a couple of word studies that are necessary for us to fully understand what IS NOT Biblical love. We have the word “rejoiceth” which is an action verb. In Greek, it means simply means to feel happy or joyful. The other important word is a noun. It is the word “iniquity.” Again, it simply means unrighteousness which is the failure to adhere to the principles, commands, and law contained in God’s Word. Since God is righteous, anything outside of God is consequently unrighteous. Putting all that together gives us then this understanding about Biblical love. Biblical love never is happy or joyful about sin or sinful actions. It takes no pleasure in things that fall outside of God’s righteousness. Instead, Biblical love should drive us to mourn over sin and its effects upon us personally as well as all those around us.
Bible Example: We never see God rejoicing in the unrighteousness of men. His reaction to man’s condition is never to be happy, but it causes Him to mourn or grieve for He is a God of compassion.
Here are the next three that I plan to cover today.
Biblical love...
REJOICES With the Truth
REJOICES With the Truth
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Until this point, we have dealt with what IS NOTBiblical love. Now, we turn to what IS Biblical love. Note that it “rejoiceth in the truth.” This particular point stands in contrast to last week’s negative. Biblical love DOES NOT rejoice in anything that stands outside God’s righteousness which is iniquity. It does, however, REJOICE in the TRUTH.
Again, two keywords here. The word “rejoiceth” is essentially the same in Greek as the first “rejoiceth” in this verse. Yet, a Greek prefix is attached to it that gives a slightly different meaning. With the prefix, the idea is it is a companion that rejoices with the truth. As a companion, it works alongside of the truth and is quite happy to do so. Thus, it goes deeper than just being happy or feeling joy.
A whole host of verses indicate that God’s Word is the only truth in the world. It is true to fact. It is the actual Word of God. Thus, I contend that the text simply states this one fact. Biblical love is the happy companion of God’s Word, which is TRUTH. Consequently, any believer who exhibits Biblical love will enjoy or feel satisfied knowing God’s Word, studying God’s Word, and obeying God’s Word. For God’s Word is TRUTH. This verse then folds in nicely with 2 Timothy 2:15 “15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Bible Example: Here is what I want to note about these Bereans. They “received the word with all readiness of mind.” Paul preached the TRUTH of the Gospel. They listened, which drove them to search “the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” In other words, they determined to know if God’s Word was TRUTH or factual. As they did, the Holy Spirit records that “many of them believed.” They found that God’s Word was TRUTH and accepted it.
5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
Here is the next characteristic of...
Biblical love...
BEARS All Things
BEARS All Things
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Again, this is Biblical love. It is the ability to bear all things. You could interchange the word “cover” with the word “beareth” here. The term “beareth” has the connotation of bearing or covering up something that is unpleasant or difficult. The undesirable or difficult thing could be something personal or on behalf of someone else. Thus, Biblical love bears or covers even the most unpleasant and bitter circumstances.The essence of this characteristic is summed up by the Holy Spirit’s statement in 1 Peter 4:8
Bible Examples: Many examples of people who endured challenging situations in God’s Word. Joseph underwent many different times of suffering. Moses withstood the constant complaints of Israel as he led them across the wilderness. David endured King Saul’s treatment as Saul chased him, seeking to end his life. Over in the New Testament, we see the ultimate example of Biblical love in Christ as He hung on the cross, dying for the people who cursed, beat, and mocked Him. Later, Paul suffered much as he preached the Gospel throughout Asia. In each instance, their love for God and others allowed them to endure or cover the circumstances they faced.
One last characteristic for today is this.
Biblical love...
BELIEVES All Things
BELIEVES All Things
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Our last characteristic for consideration today is this. Biblical love “believes all things.”
The word “believe” simply means to have faith or to put one’s trust in something. Again, we must put this into context. The context is utilizing our spiritual gifts as we serve the Lord and minister to others. Anytime we do so, we work alongside and with other people. As we have noted several times throughout this study, working with other people inevitably brings problems and issues. One of those problems is that we often find ourselves not trusting others.We feel that our faith in them has eroded due to their actions. Actions that we often find to be somewhat hard to discern or even contradictory. In other words, they say one thing and then do another. Thus, we often conclude that we cannot trust them. This is where we must allow Biblical love to come into play. The world says if you can’t trust them, then abandon them. Biblical love says, “believe all things.” In other words, do not judge people’s motives and love them despite what you perceive about them.
Bible Example: Philemon and Onesimus - What was Paul asking Philemon to do? He was asking him to demonstrate Biblical love. What is Biblical love? It is a purposeful commitment to sacrificial action. Paul was asking Philemon to again accept this runaway slave back into his household. However, the request went beyond just taking him back. It was also a request to believe once again in Onesimus.
Here is another great characteristic of Biblical love!
Biblical Love...
HOPES All Things
HOPES All Things
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
“Hope” simply means to expect and/or wish for something. However, when it comes to a Biblical understanding of hope, we find a different meaning than just wishing for something. Biblical hope can be defined this way. It is the continued expectation that we will enjoy God’s blessings upon our lives as He promised both now and in the future. I know that is an extended definition, so let’s briefly break it down. Biblical hope is a continued expectation. In other words, we consistently and repeatedly expect God’s blessings. However, our expectation is based on His promises which never fail. Consequently, each day is a day of hope as we look to God’s fulfillment of His promises both now and in the future. Such hope gives us much to live for each day.
As our text states, Biblical love (charity) hopes all things. If we go with our definition, we understand that Biblical love is based upon God’s promises, even when nothing appears to be going right. You might say that Biblical love is persistent through the good times and the bad since it is based solely on God’s promises.
BIBLICAL EXAMPLE
Abraham was unique in so many ways. God’s dealing with Abraham is a beautiful picture of how God still deals with men today. If you know the story of Abraham, when God first directed Abram to follow Him to a land of promise, things didn’t go so well at first. In fact, it took a while for Abram to trust God. A great example is when God promised Abram and Sarai a child even though they were past the time of childbearing. Abram questioned God, and Sarai laughed out loud. Even after the promise, Abram tried to figure it out for himself instead of simply placing his trust and HOPE in God. Yet, when we get to Mount Moriah, things are different. The incredible natural birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarai solidified within Abraham that God’s promises were true. Over time, Abraham’s hope grew. When we get to Mount Moriah, God not only tests Abraham’s faith but also his hope. God demands that Abraham sacrifice Isaac, the promised and supernaturally given child. Without hesitation, Abraham obeys God. Note what the Holy Spirit testifies of Abraham in Hebrews 11.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Abraham obeyed God because now Abraham had great faith and hope in the promises of God. God told Abraham that “in Isaac,” his seed be called. In other words, Isaac would become the father of a great nation. Thus, when God said to sacrifice him, Abraham accounted for the fact that God was faithful to His Word in that Isaac would live. In fact, Abraham was so confident in the promises of God that Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead. Therefore, Abraham marched up that mountain with Isaac, carrying the wood and the fire but no sacrifice. When Isaac asks about the missing sacrifice, Abraham maintains his HOPE in God by stating...
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
A love demonstrated by our continued expectation of God’s blessings promised by Him in His Word, aka HOPE! It is an expectation we must live out each day by our simple obedience to His Word, no matter the circumstances. You, as a believer, may have come to church this morning thinking that nothing ever goes right for you. You may have come with the whole glass is empty attitude. May I say to you this morning that such an attitude is not reflective of a true saint of God! We must not have a negative outlook on life. Instead, we must live with a positive attitude as we hope and trust in the unchanging promises of an immutable God.
Here is another characteristic of Biblical love.
Biblical Love...
ENDURES All Things
ENDURES All Things
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
As I was studying this week, I thought the order of this verse was interesting. Biblical love bears all things. How do we bear all things? We must believe all things, especially those of God and His Word. But then, we find that Biblical love HOPES all things. We discussed this at length and found that Biblical Hope is based upon the fact that God never changes and His promises are true. Our endurance is tied to our hope in God. This thought then brings us to Biblical love ENDURES all things.
Endure means to face and withstand with courage. We, as believers, can meet and withstand negative people or circumstances that we think we can’t tolerate any longer.
HEAD
HEAD
Again, how does this fit in with the attributes of God?
5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
You will note that the Holy Spirit attributes “patience” to God. He is a God of patience. In Greek, the word “patience” in this verse is the same Word as “endures” in our text. We are to be like-minded toward one another just as God is patient and long-suffering.
Praise God that He is long-suffering! This quality of God is the one that enables Him to bear long with those who annoy or provoke Him. Note these verses, which deal with God’s long-suffering, also known as endurance.
14 O God, the proud are risen against me, And the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; And have not set thee before them.
15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; Give thy strength unto thy servant, And save the son of thine handmaid.
17 Shew me a token for good; That they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: Because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
Men are immature, dull, ignorant, and highly obstinate regarding their relationship with God. Yet, despite their frailties, God acts with compassion, grace, LONG-SUFFERING, mercy, and truth. In other words, He endures their shortcomings.
Here is another verse to consider.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
As a believer, I praise God that He is “long-suffering” towards me. Even while I was a sinner condemned to live eternally apart from Him because of sin, He was not willing that I should perish. Thus, He provided the way of repentance by sacrificing Himself on the cross at Calvary.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
You see, Biblical love, the same love of God, endures all things. It is patient and long-suffering. Patience is demonstrated by the many opportunities presented to men to hear the gospel.
What is the gospel?
The gospel is the good news of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. It is good news because it is through Christ that a person can escape the bondage of sin and be reborn spiritually.
How do I accept Christ?
First, you must admit the obvious fact that we are all sinners.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Second, you must know that there is a great penalty for your sin.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Third, you must accept Christ’s death on the cross as redemption for your sin.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Redemption is the act of God whereby, on the basis of Christ as our ransom payment, He (God) releases you from the bondage of Satan’s control and from the penalty of sin. Christ secured that release by sacrificially dying on the cross. It was the single greatest act of LOVE!
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Now, based on all that you know. God asks that you respond in faith. Believe in Christ and His atoning work on the cross. Acknowledge your sin and the fact there is a penalty for your sin. Repent by changing your mind and attitude towards God and the gospel.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Inwardly, in your heart, believe by making a conscious decision to fully accept Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as atonement for your sins. Outwardly respond with your mouth by verbally confessing your sin and your acceptance of Christ and His Word.
When you do, God promises to...
Cancel all the debt and judicial guilt of your sin.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Cleanse your heart giving you a new spiritual life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Causes you to become a new creation standing righteous before God.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Counts you a member of His family
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Commits His Spirit as your permanent, indwelling Help
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
Knowing all that, why would you turn Him down?
Perhaps that is you this morning! Once again, God demonstrates His patience with you by allowing you to hear this message and the gospel. How long will you hold back? How long will you take advantage of His patience? Listen, my friend, today is the day of salvation. Even now, God is pressing you to accept Him.
HEART
HEART
Now, here is the heart of this point. God’s love endures all things, so we must demonstrate that same love to others. Yes, men and women can be difficult. They can be annoying. Dealing with people can be extremely trying. People often seek to provoke us. Yet, God expects His people to ACT with long suffering and endurance. We are not REACT in response to them with the same provocations.
Note what Ephesians 4 says.
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Now, remember, these words come from the Holy Spirit. He is speaking to the local church of Ephesus. Therefore, He speaks to believers. He says we are to “walk worthy” of our “vocation.” The word “walk” means that we are to conduct ourselves in a manner befitting or deserving of the title “Christian.” In fact, the term “vocation” means the calling or the summons we all answered when we accepted Christ as our Savior. If we are going to say we are His disciples, then we must live as His disciples. We have to put our feet where our mouth is. There is more to being a believer than knowing we have a home in Heaven. Being a believer or follower of Christ comes with a call to separate ourselves from others by living lives pleasing unto God and not man. A life that the Holy Spirit goes on to describe in verse 2. It is a life of lowliness, meekness, and long-suffering.Note the expansion of the word “long-suffering” given in verse 2.
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
We are to “forbear” one another in what? We are forbear one another in LOVE (charity, Biblical love, God’s love). Guess what the word “forbear” means? It means to endure.
O, and by the way, note something else important about the endurance of Biblical love. Look at Galatians 5:22
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
One of the fascinating things about this particular verse we often miss is this. To whom does this fruit belong? It is the Holy Spirit’s fruit. Now, stay with me here. Note later in this same passage, verses 24 and 25.
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If you claim to be a true believer in Christ, then you are not to live according to the affections and lusts of the flesh. They are crucified with Christ. Instead, we are to live in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. As a result, our walk (daily conduct and conversation) is also to be in the Holy Spirit. For this reason, we are to let the Holy Spirit rule our lives, and it is then that His fruit becomes evident to others. What fruit? It is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
HANDS
HANDS
How does this translate to Biblical love endures all things? As believers, we can love as God loves when we submit to His control. Surrendering to His power means we live in obedience to His Word. God’s Word is always directly connected to the Holy Spirit.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Note that we must not allow alcohol to be the controlling influence. Instead, we are to allow God’s Spirit to control us. Then, the Holy Spirit says, “speaking to yourselves psalms...” Where do we find the psalms? Are they not in Scripture, God’s Word?
Here is my point. If you are going to demonstrate Biblical love, love that endures all things, then you must submit to the Holy Spirit’s control in your life. The only way He can have power is when you determine to obey God’s Word. It must become the controlling factor of all that you say and do. When He is in control, His fruit shines outwardly in your life. You then find yourself enduring the provocation of others with courage and love. You begin acting in the manner befitting a child of God.
BIBLICAL EXAMPLE
BIBLICAL EXAMPLE
As we know, the Lord Jesus Christ is the prime example. He demonstrated this wonderfully as He went to the cross and as He hung on the cross. However, I want to draw your attention to a man in the book of Acts. My reason for this example will become apparent in a moment. The man that I am referring to is a man named Stephen. Stephen was not an apostle. In fact, Stephen was a simple man who committed himself to Christ and sought to be obedient in his service to Christ. We first find out about Stephen when a problem arises within the local church of Antioch. It was a simple problem that the Holy Spirit remedied rather quickly.
In that church, there were two types of widows. Some Christian widows were Jewish, and some Christian widows were Gentile. Jewish widows received better care and treatment during daily life than Gentile widows. As with all things, sinful flesh reared its ugly head, and an argument broke out about the treatment of the Gentile widows. The apostles recognized they didn’t have time to deal with the issue as they needed to spend time teaching, preaching, and praying. Then, the Holy Spirit stepped in and instructed them to call out and separate twelve faithful men to serve the widows and the local church. These twelve men were called out and separated. This calling became what we know as the office of the deacon in local churches today. One of the first deacons was Stephen. Now, to make a long story short, God used Stephen mightily. As he boldly served God, his obedience and dedication angered the unbelieving Jews. The end result was they, the unbelieving Jews, had Stephen arrested, falsely accused, and then sentenced him to die by stoning. After preaching a great sermon about Christ, these men were so infuriated that Scripture records...
54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
Now, put yourself in Stephen’s position. Did Stephen do anything evil, sinful, or worthy of a death sentence? The answer is no. The only thing that he was guilty of was speaking and testifying about Christ. Yet, these evil men gnashed on him with their teeth, cast him out of the city, and started throwing stones. Stephen did not REACT to their provocation. He ACTED simply by trusting God.
You might argue that Stephen lost his life doing so. Yes, he did. Let me remind you of...
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Yes, Stephen gave his life to the Lord that day. However, guess who stood there witnessing Stephen’s dedication to the Lord! It was a man named Saul who later became known as Paul. Saul watched a man filled with the Holy Ghost. Do you know what the word “filled” literally means? It means “controlled.” Stephen places himself under the Holy Spirit’s complete control. Paul watched as Stephen didn’t fight back or run. No, he watched as this man, this ordinary deacon, ACTED with Biblical love as he endured everything.
There is a reason the Holy Spirit notes...
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
The mention of Saul’s name is no accident. Later, on the road to Damascus, God gets Saul’s attention. However, I believe it was the testimony of Stephen that planted seeds of doubt in Saul’s mind about his own life and relationship with Christ. A seed that God later used when God stopped Saul on the Damasus road.
Let me wrap this all up with this thought. Living a life in obedience to God is to live a life of Biblical love. Biblical love hopes all things and endures all things. Undoubtedly, each of us has and will face some adverse circumstances and people who seek to provoke us. However, it is in those moments that our testimony speaks loudly. In those moments, we reveal who we genuinely let reign on the throne of our hearts.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Head - Our focus is Biblical love. As we close, may I remind you that God is love. If we, then, claim to follow Him, we have no choice but to love others. He is love, He loved us, and He loved us first. Therefore, we are to love, love him and others, and love them before the love us. Any believer who claims to love God must be love others as well.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Heart - This means that was are to love then Biblically. Essentially, it means loving others even when we don’t fee like it. And, it also means loving others according to the characteristics indicative of Biblical love.
Hands - Let’s get busy living a life of Biblical love.