The Practice of Love pt.2

Text

1 Corinthians 13:1–13 NASB95

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Tina Turner in the mid 80’s sang a song that became extremely popular earning here a three-week stay as the #1 song on the Billboard Top 100.

The song asked the question, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” - it further stated “what;s love, but a second-hand emotion”

It questioned the significance/relevance of love between two people when it only leads to pain, heartache and brokeness. Suggesting that the relationship could exist without, “what’s love got to do with it?”

If Paul, Peter, Jesus were to give a theological answer to that question, I believe they would say, “Love has everything to do with it”

This is why Paul began this chapter showing the priority of love over:

Gifts and skill

Prophecy and knowledge

Sacrificial giving, even death

To all of these Paul says they are nothing, they mean nothing if you don’t have love

The Spirit doesn’t simply want us to have theory of love

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

Paul is telling us how to do that

Love is patient, love is kind . . .

Love Does Not

Does not take into account a wrong suffered

It keeps no record of being wronged (NLT)

This word means to keep pondering (present tense) about. This is not talking about remembering something.

It does not calculate and add up the wrongs (Love covers a multitude of sin)

2 Corinthians 5:19 “19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

When God saved us, He did not count our trespasses against us. He forgave us and He will never bring it up again.

When we have to practice love we need to get to a space where we can learn to let things go.

Psalm 130:3 “3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” None of us would be able to.

True love does not keep a black book of bad deeds to bring up at any instance.

It might be suggested contextually, Paul has the issue of brethren taking brethren to court in mind (1 Cor 6:1-11)

This is a good time to also remember that God said, “vengeance is mine, I will repay”

I don’t know what they said, what they did, how you felt but God does! That’s who really matters, becasue that’s the one that can make the difference in any situation.

When Sarai treated Hagar harshly and she fled, the angel came and comforted her, reassured her. To that she said, “You are the Lord who sees”

Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness

Love is not happy with injustice and sin

Love does not delight in evil things, find joy in sinfulness and things that are displeasiing to God.

Romans 1:32 “32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

Romans 12:9 “9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

This can be viewed in a few ways:

Love does not enjoy sin, sinfulness - we are on mission. we are about making disciples helping people get out of sin, not stay in it.

Love does not enjoy when others fall in sin - loves is not standing there to laugh at others when they fall. Love is kind (helpful), love does not seek its own, “in love serve one another”, through love, “bear ye one another’s burden.” Not enjoy it.

The First Epistle to the Corinthians b. The Nature and Action of Love (13:4–7)

Love takes no pleasure in someone else’s failure, and delights in integrity and reality. If the situation is bad, love wants to help; if the situation is good, love wants to celebrate. It

Love Does

Love rejoices with the truth

Not lies, falsehood, rumors, unconfirmed stories, accustaions, and allegations.

But with what is consistent with righteous living. A far cry from what was present in the Corinth church or the Galatian church.

1 Cor 5, they were arrogant in dealing with the sinful situation plaguing the church

Because I have agape love, I will celebrate what is righteous

Love Always

1 Corinthians 13:7 “7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NIV)

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The adj. panta (all) eliminates the presence of limits. It’s not some things or sometimes/ most things or most times

ALL things/ ALL Times

#1 Love always stego (PRESENT) - this word means to put up with a difficulty.

Love puts up with the stuff, hardships, periods of trouble

The background of this word is a covering like a roof on a house. It implies a sheltering or a protection. This is what agape love does, it covers, it protects. This meaning is favoured since Paul uses many rare words to address the Corinthian behaviour.

The First Epistle to the Corinthians b. The Nature and Action of Love (13:4–7)

“love throws a cloak of silence over what is displeasing in another person” (Harnack).

This is the kind of love God has toward us, he covers us

Things would go much better if our love covered insted of castigated

#2 Love always believes (FUTURE)- this does not mean love is stupid or naive or gullible, or that we strip ourselves of any intelligence or discernment

Because this is corrective, it is targetting the brethren. This does not displace God (the true object of belief), but Paul applies this to the brethren to believe in each other. We need to believe the “best” of each other.

APPL. God doesn’t want us to be overly worreid about how much chances I gave them, love continues to beleive

I know what you’re thinking but Matt 5:11.

Not for power or blessing but, one day we’ll be better, we’ll make it, we’ll change. . .love keeps on believing.

APPL. If I only believe you will fail, I can never celebrate your victories. I must believe in you, that you will overcome, get the breakthrough, change, come to repentance - I MUST BELIEVE - This helps me to be patient.

This paired with the next thing Paul says. . .

#3 Love always hopes

Love keeps on hoping, it “never gets exhausted”

Against all probabilities, I’ll hope, against all the odds I’ll hope - The God I serve is too big and too trustworthy, not to hope!

#4 Love always endures

The word means to remain. Inspite of all things I’ll remain.

There is an enduring character to LOVE - This is why, especially in a community setting, I can’t abandon ship when things are tough.

The Corinthians faced factions and church camps/sexual immorality/court cases with brethren/marital issues/issues from a pagan background/fighting over gifts/theological differences over the resurrection - Paul’s answer wasn’t to run/set up a church down the street/fight

Paul’s answer was LOVE

And the final point seals it. . .

Love Never

Love never fails