Growing in Love
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What does it mean to grow? How would you see if you have grown in Christ? We have all these ideas regarding what growth looks like. We want to be more like Jesus. Good. What does that mean… In what we way do you want to become more like Jesus?
If I took a summary of what many people might say, they might say one of two things.
The First is Growing in my gifting. Becoming a more effective Christian.
The Second is growing in my knowledge of God. And being transformed by that knowledge.
And this is often may be what we consider Christian growth to look like. An increase in my giftings or an increase in my knowledge.
But this is not the most important indicator of growth. They are important! But they are not the most important. There is something that you must grow in… Something more meaningful and imperative. And if you have not grown in this, you have not grown at all.
Are you growing in Love? Love for God. Love for His Church. and Love for your neighbor.
The sign of a growing Christian, is that they are maturing in Love. They are growing in Love for God and others.
Paul, inspired by The Holy Spirit, writes to the Thessalonians saying…
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is only fitting, because your faith is increasing abundantly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another grows ever greater.
What happens as your faith increases, THE LOVE you have towards the family of God increases! Is this the testimony of The Holy Spirit to you? That your love for the members of the church has grown? Has your love grown?
In Galatians 5:6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
The most important thing is the expression of your faith. And your faith is expressed in Love.
Not Faith expressed in your giftings. Not faith expressed in the dogmas that you can recite. Faith in christianity is not just expressing the write doctrines, it is not just
The pinnacle priority, the most important thing is that your faith expresses itself through Love.
Does that mean the other things are not important? Are the gifts important. Of course! Is growing in your knowledge of God. Important? 100% please buy a good commentary and know the intended meaning of scripture.
But if I have not loved, I missed it! I missed the principal ethic in The Kingdom of God. The foundation of the Faith. It is not just that God has love. Or that he Does loving things. HE IS LOVE. So anyone that does not love has no part with him.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
So that stakes are high!
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So for today’s mediation, we will be going to the book of 1 Corinthians 12:27-30
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.
And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and various kinds of tongues.
All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?
All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?
Not everyone will have the same gifts. The gifts have become a source of division in the church. Can you imagine God gives us good things, and we use it as a means to get angry and create division. But this is the case of the corinthian church they are divided, and so what is the Holy Spirit saying to them?
But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
Even greater the the best gift, There is a better way. A more excellent way. Something more excellent than all the gifts, and all the revelations. What is this thing, Paul is talking about? It is love.
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.
Some might say, I have a gift, I know God wants to use me. That’s good, do you love his church? “I can’t stand these people.” You missed the point. The gifts are not for you, it is for the church!
If I am able to articulate doctrine, but I weaponize doctrine to insult other people, I missed it. If I have faith, extraordinary, but misuse and abuse people. I missed it.
It is possible for me to become a martyr… But if I do not love, it is meaningless.
But it is important we understand exactly what love is. We have confused that term for a lot of things. But luckily the Holy Spirit teaches us what exactly Love is.
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.
This passage is most often recited at marriages and used in instagram posts about marriages. The tragedy there is that because of that, we think that this passage about love is exclusively about a husband and a wife. This has become the marriage passage. But if you pay careful attention to this letter and the context, it is abundantly clear that this passage is about The Church. The love demonstrated between brothers and sisters in Christ, looks like this. It extends to marriage, but is not limited to marriage. In fact the greek word here used is the agape or agape love. So let us spend some time meditating on this. Starting with the very first one.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
Love Suffers Long
Love is patient is also Love “Long Suffering”
No! Don’t you know the testing of your faith produces endurance! So are you being tested. Is your love being tested. Are you pushed. Are you having a hard time loving someone… That’s the test!
That is the opportunity for growth. Don’t let it go to waste!
This is what God’s love look likes. A love that suffers long. This is what Jesus did. His love suffered Long. Despite being the word of God, God in the flesh. He patiently endured the ridicule and rejection.. to the point where even on the cross he forgave.
Dr. Tim Keller says this When our love is tested by an offence, we have two options. The path of suffering or the path of retaliation.
We tend to glamorize Christian Growth. We think that it is often easy… If we are planted by the waters. So we tend to think christian growth is like going to the beach, and putting our feet in the water.. and then we think we will grow. Partly true, not completely true.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
Love is Kind
What kind of thoughts do you have about this person. Are they kind thoughts? Are they gracious and merciful? It is one thing to pretend to be kind, but have evil thoughts of someone
Can you imagine if your savior has these thoughts towards you? He says He is Kind. But in His mind, He is thinking this loser. can’t do anything right. why do I put up with him. NO! His thoughts towards you are kindness. Like a father to a son.
What were Jesus thoughts towards those who rejected Him?
Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
It does not brag. It is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully. Does not seek its own benefit. Is not provoked.
A savior who knelt down. Who stooped low. It is one thing for God to interact with humanity.. The supernatural invading the natural, it is another thing for the supernatural son of God, to stoop so low into the dirt. All for love. He went into the mud. Stooped and washed our feet. He was The Word of God made flesh, and he endured abuse. He made himself of no reputation. And Became a curse on a tree. The Glory of heaven, left the majesty, made himself of no importance, and allowed sinners to crucify him. All for love.
And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;
being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
Loving this way. There is no dignity. Shouldn’t we have some self-respect. This type of love, it is too radical. To love in the way Jesus did. Let’s keep our dignity and our self respect.
In love, let me. I want to share in His sufferings as well.
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
Or keep an account of wrong doing.
Some of us we love grudges. We cannot let go of past hurt. Someone hurt us, and we will carry that bitterness and anger till the day we die. I don’t know of any other message.. other than forgiveness.. But we can’t forgive cause we have such a high opinion about ourselves.
We believe we saved ourselves. We did all the right things and God is doing us a favor by putting us in heaven. Friends, we are the beggar/the blind man on the side of road. Saying Jesus son of God have mercy on me.
If The most Holy God forgive a sinner like you. Why can’t you a, sinner, forgive another sinner.
It does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoice with the truth.
Tolerance vs Endurance. Tolerating sin… Tolerating False doctrine… That is not love. We acknowledge wrong-doing….
Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.
it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
We tend to give an allowance. I know I should love. But there are some situations where I should not love. “God does not expect me to love in this situation. He expects me to be angry” He understands me. He understands why I am angry and furious.
Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
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The perfect expression of Love is Holiness. When I perfectly love people and God, I am Holy.
We fall terribly short. But we thank God. That we cannot save ourselves. He does the saving. We need power, we need the Holy Spirit to love in the way He wants. Holy Spirit, help me know the love of the father, so I may love others.