The Greatest Gift

WELCOME

Good morning brothers and sisters in Christ, It is once again good to be in the house of the Lord this morning to worship our mighty God together.

I hope you all had a good week.

This morning I will be preaching on 1 Corinthians 13 by request. A chapter in the Bible that focuses on love.

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It is interesting how the Lord works in our lives. He is always present, always moving, always working. Even when we do not see it.

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In just the past few months I have been told things like, I have really come to recognize that I do not naturally come of as a loving person.

A sobering thought I can assure you, especially as an under-shepherd.

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Just last night my wife brought up my rigidness, not in a negative way, our conversation was cordial and edifying to the both of us.

People trying to be nice might call this rigidness, stoicism. …

I told her, ‘well I am preaching on love tomorrow, so it looks like I will be standing before the congregation as a hypocrite.’ Don’t worry, I was a joking… mostly.

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There is usually a story behind people that come off as being a bit hardened, or rigid.

That is not an excuse, but it is a reality, and one that some of us may need to reflect on. I know that I do.

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As a child I always felt different than everyone around me. I saw meaning in everything. I saw sanctity and purity and beauty in so many things that everyone else just seemed to ignore, or worse, corrupt.

I always felt like an outcast. Like I did not belong in the world that I was living in.

Perhaps some of you can relate.

It was not long before other kids noticed my sensitivity to things. So naturally I was bullied, shunned, and rejected by most of my pears.

Looking back at this time though, I see that even then the Lord was with me. I always had that one friend, an outcast like me, that kept me sane and gave me a sense of hope. I like to think that I provided the same to them.

As I grew older, being the nice guy continued to do more harm than good to my social life. The years passed and brick by brick my illusion of goodness in this world was slowly dismantled.

And if I am honest, for several years of my life, before the Lord brought me to the depths of despair that he might begin a new work in me, I had become part of the world that I had so despised.

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Whatever our story, life has a way of making us a little rough around the edges.

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Many of us could tell similar stories. Many of us have hurt that has caused us to put up barriers. Many of us have been torn down and rebuilt of a stronger material that is less pliable and certainly less aesthetic.

But it does not mean that we do not love.

In fact, if we are in Christ, than our love is not only genuine, but it is rooted in the purist form of love, the Love that is our Almighty God.

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Let us not put our hope in this world or in ourselves. If we do we will forever be disappointed. Rather let us put our hope in Christ and look to Him. There we will see purity, sanctity, and the kind of love that we so long for.

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OPENING PRAYER

This morning I will be opening our service with a prayer from Matthew Henry titled ‘We Will Walk in Your Ways’.

Let us pray

Lord, our souls have told you, you are our God.

Other lords have had dominion over us, but we affirm the Lord this day to be our God.

We will walk in your ways, keep your commandments, honor your judgements. We will listen to your voice and give ourselves to you as your people - for your praise and for your glory.

Lord truly we are your servants, born in your house. You have loosed our bonds. We are bought with a price, so we are not our own, but yield ourselves to you. We join ourselves to you in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.

We are yours. Save us, for we seek your ways. We give you what is yours, that which comes from your hand.

All praise and glory be to Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Congregation, please rise in body or in spirit and join me for our call to worship.

Pastor:

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. People:

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

SONG: LUYH 538 - Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty

CONGREGATIONAL GREETING

Now brothers and sisters in Christ, please take a moment to greet one another.

SONG: LUYH 603 - Shout to the Lord

CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE

Prayer of Confession

Pastor:

God of everlasting love, we confess that we have been unfaithful to our covenant with you and with one another.

Pastor:

We have worshiped other gods: money, power, greed, and convenience.

We have served our own self-interest instead of serving only you and your people.

We have not loved our neighbor as you have commanded, nor have we rightly loved ourselves.

People:

Forgive us, merciful God, and bring us back into the fullness of our covenant with you and one another. Through Christ, our Lord. 

Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Pastor:

Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners;and that proves God’s love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Glory to God. 

Amen.

HEIDELBERG CATECHISM

Congregation will read the questions, pastor will read the answers.

Lord’s Day 20

Question 53

Q. What do you believe concerning “the Holy Spirit”?

A. First, that the Spirit, with the Father and the Son, is eternal God. Second, that the Spirit is given also to me, so that, through true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his benefits, comforts me, and will remain with me forever.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER (Elder Roger)

SONG - The Servant Song

CHILDREN’S LESSON

Watch Video

Read ‘Teach the Lesson’ on Pages 61.

CHILDREN’S PRAYER

Children and parents, please join me up front for our children’s prayer.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the precious gift of these children. We lift them up to You this morning and ask for Your hand of protection over their lives.

Lord, grant them wisdom and a desire to know and walk according to your statutes. Surround them with good friends and guide them in every decision they make. Give them courage when they are afraid, strength when they are weak, and a heart full of compassion, kindness, and the kind of love that only you can manifest within them.

Be with them this week and may they grow in grace, favor, and the knowledge of Your love.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

OLD TESTAMENT READING - Psalm 89:1-18

READ FROM THE PEW BIBLE - PAGE 638

English Standard Version Psalm 89

I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the LORD

A MASKIL OF ETHAN THE EZRAHITE.

SERMON - That You May Know

READ FROM THE PEW BIBLE - PAGE 1232

SERMON SCRIPTURE

English Standard Version Chapter 13

The Way of Love

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

Let us pray

Most good and gracious Heavenly Father,

Lord we come before you this morning and ask that you would fill this place with the peace and clarity that comes about by Your Spirit alone.

Grant us this morning, hearts of flesh prepared to receive, eyes and ears to hear your word, focused minds to gain wisdom and knowledge for the edification of the body of Christ and for the glory of Christ.

We pray these things in the precious name of Jesus, our blessed Savior.

Amen.

CONTEXT

An introduction and overview of First Corinthians

We have completed our journey through the First Epistle of John and this morning we are taking a quick detour to look at 1 Corinthians 13.

Perhaps you are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, perhaps even intimately familiar.

Base on reading frequency, search traffic on Bible study websites, and citation analysis, 1 Corinthians 13 is the most popular chapter in the entire New Testament, and only second in popularity, to Psalm 23, in the entire Bible.

For many people, like John and Trudy, this chapter reminds them of one of the most significant days of their lives, the day they took their wedding vows, vowing to love one another for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do they part.

A very appropriate chapter indeed.

For many Christians, if you ask them, ‘what is love?’, their mind will immediately jump to 1 Corinthians 13, and it may even be their answer… “Go and read 1 Corinthians 13, there you will find your definition of love.”

And this certainly is not a bad place to start a biblical study on the topic of love.

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The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, which we typically call First Corinthians, was written by the apostle Paul sometime around 56 A.D.

The basic theme of this epistle if the application of Christian principles to carnality in the individual as well as in the church.

Paul taught the word of God in Corinth for eighteen months in A.D. 51 and 52, leaving Apollos to preach and teach in his absence.

When Paul was in Ephesus during his third missionary journey, he became disturbed by reports of discord in the church of Corinth.

First Corinthians is a record of Paul’s initial response to these problems.

And at the core of this epistle we see Paul’s emphasis on love, love for one another, love for the church, and love for Christ.

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EXEGESIS

English Standard Version Chapter 13

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English Standard Version Chapter 13

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Although some might focus on this idea of speaking in tongues of angels, as though this passage of Scripture lends support for such a practice, that is not where Paul is putting the emphasis in this sentence.

What Paul is driving home here is that regardless of what you speak and how it is spoken, if it is done apart from love it is worthless.

And more than worthless, it is actually doing harm.

And what kind of love is it that Paul writes about anyways?

This is not a surface level kind of love, the kind of love that is merely emotional, but a deep Christ centered, familial kind of love. A love that is sacrificial in its very essence. A love that seeks to edify bothers and sisters in Christ, draw them together in unity, in purity, and in truth. For the building up of the individual in faith and the edification of the body of Christ for the glory of Christ.

The Greek word that Paul uses here is Agape (ἀγάπη), and unlike Phileo (φιλέω), which typically describes an emotional, reciprocal fondness or tender affection shared between close friends and family, Agape is used to describe a choice-driven, higher-level love characterized by total commitment and action, famously seen in God’s sacrifice for humanity.

This is not to say that there is no emotional, reciprocal fondness or tender affection in Agape love, but it is to say that there is so much more than that.

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English Standard Version Chapter 13

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If this statement does not open our eyes to the significance of love, I do not think anything will.

I mean has anyone but Christ himself had prophetic powers understanding of all mysteries and all knowledge, and faith to move mountains.

And Paul says even if he were to have all this and yet not have love, he would be nothing.

And yes, I have said that Agape love is sacrificial love, but this love that Paul talks about is even more than mere sacrifice. It is sacrifice rooted in love.

English Standard Version Chapter 13

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So then we see, all of the spiritual gifts in the world and all of the actions that a person can possible take, up to and including self sacrifice, if not done in love are void.

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Love is at the very core of Christianity.

It is at the very core of the law of God.

It is at the very core of the grace of God.

And at the very core of what we have been called to do.

When Jesus was challenged by the Pharisee as to which of the commandments of God was the greatest commandment.

The New King James Version Chapter 22

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The two greatest commandments, the commandments upon which all others hang, are rooted in love.

First a love for God.

Second a love for our neighbor.

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And this love that embodies what it means to be a Christian, is a love of action, a love of truth, a love of purity, of righteousness.

It is a love of those things that are good in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.

It is not a love for the world, or the things of the world.

As the apostle John wrote:

English Standard Version Chapter 2

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And Jesus himself told us what love for him looks like.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

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Abiding in the commandments of God is more than the recipe for love, it is the result of love.

The manifestation of love.

Love that has come to fruition.

And as we have discussed in previous sermons, we are not talking about perfection, we all know that on this side of glory we will fail time and time again.

And thank God that we have our Great High Priest in heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ, that always lives to make intercession for us.

When we fall short in our love, let us rejoice in knowing that our Savior does not fall short.

His love is perfect.

His forgiveness complete.

When we come to our Savior with a broken and contrite heart, seeking his grace and mercy, he gives cheerfully, covering us in his robes of righteousness.

That we might stand blameless before our Holy God.

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And this evidence of love, it holds true for our love for one another. If we truly love one another, there will be evidence of that love.

And in the case of marriage, if we love our spouse then we will abide in the covenant relationship that we have come into with our spouse.

And in the case of our children, if we love our children we will raise them up in the fear of the Lord, teaching them the will of God and what it means to walk in a right relationship with him. Not abiding in the natural desires of their flesh but abiding in the natural desires of the the Spirit.

As the Danish philosopher and Christian theologian Søren Kierkegaard wrote:

Christianity is spirit. Spirit means opposition to flesh... therefore, it is the denial of the flesh, of the natural man.

And our love, if genuine love, will produce fruit.

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English Standard Version Chapter 13

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Books have been written on these four verses.

So simple, an yet so profound.

Now we can, and should, reflect on these attributes. To see how far we have fallen, to see how sanctified we have become, to see where we still need to grow.

But the answer to our growth in love is not merely the practice of righteousness, this will only lead to piety at best, and pride at worst.

The answer to our growth is to focus on the root, or shall we say the Vine.

As our Lord taught:

English Standard Version Chapter 15

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So our focus must not be the fruit, but the Vine that brings forth fruit.

Then we will begin to see the fruits of the Spirit manifest within us.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

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Then we will begin to develop a Love that is patient and kind; A love that does not envy or boast and is not arrogant or rude. A love that does not insist on its own way and is not irritable or resentful. A love that does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. A love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

All of this begins with abiding in the Vine.

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English Standard Version Chapter 13

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The already and the not yet.

The shadows of the things that are yet to come.

Right now, in this very moment, we are living in the present evil age.

We are living in a world that is still ravaged by sin.

But one day this present evil age will be done away with.

The veil that exists, the veil that prevents us from seeing clearly will be removed.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

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And the apostle Paul goes on to say:

English Standard Version Chapter 4

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There is a time coming brothers and sisters where all things will be made new. Where the fallen flesh that prevents us from loving perfectly will be removed, and we will love as we have been created to love.

But until that day, the love that we have been given by the Spirit of God, and the love that we are called to live out, is a gift beyond measure.

English Standard Version Chapter 13

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Christianity is not a set of rules that we follow, although there are rules we follow.

It is not a worldview, although it contains within it a worldview.

It is not a emotional charged spiritual journey, although it is a spiritual journey charged with emotion.

Christianity is the complete, love laden, self-denying, God glorifying, submission to Jesus Christ as Lord.

It is freedom from sin in the bondage of Christ.

As our Savior said:

English Standard Version Chapter 11

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And in our complete submission, the natural man dies, is buried, and what springs forth is a new creation filled with abundant life, abundant light, and abundant love.

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When we feel as though we have not been as loving as we should be, let us go to fount of living water and drink.

Let us come to our knees in prayer, come to our Bibles with fervor, and take our brokenness to the cross.

Let us put on the Christ, and love like Christ, that the world might see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father,

SONG: LUYH 256 - They’ll Know We Are Christians

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let me send you with a blessing. Our sending blessing this morning is from Psalm 121.

SENDING BLESSING

May the Lord keep you from all evil; May he keep your life, May he keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore, (from Psalm 121:7–8)

Praise be to God!