THE GREATEST ACT
Notes
Transcript
Week 35 (5th Sunday)
This Week’s Theme: A Love for Others
Word for the Week is Charity: God-like love that sacrificially seeks the good of others through patience, kindness, truth, and endurance
Memory verse: 1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.
Sermon Focus: Love is the greatest evidence of spiritual maturity and must govern every gift, action, and relationship among believers.
Sermon Passage: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
INTRODUCTION:
THE CHURCH AT CORINTH
WAS GIFTED BUT DIVIDE
1 Corinthians 1:12
Love would have challenged their factionalism.
They were proud
“Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:1
Love would replace self-exaltation with concern for others.
Love “does not seek its own.”
They were insensitive toward weaker believers
IN CHAPTERS 8-10
THEY EXERCISED THEIR LIBERTY
WITHOUT CONCERN FOR THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Love considers how one’s choices affect another believer.
IN CHAPTER 11 THEIR
FELLOWSHIP MEAL LACKED FELLOWSHIP WITH THE POORER MEMBERS
Love would refuse such selfish treatment.
They competed over spiritual gifts
THEY WERE
KNOWLEDGEABLE BUT IMMATURE
SPIRITUAL BUT SELFISH
ACTIVE BUT ARROGANT
THEY HAD LIBERTY BUT LACKED LOVE
I. LOVE IS CRUCIAL
I. LOVE IS CRUCIAL
PAUL PRESENTED THE ARGUMENT THAT
OUR COMMUNICATION,
OUR COMPREHENSION,
AND OUR CONTRIBUTION
WILL BE NOTHING WITHOUT LOVE.
LISTEN TO VERSE 1
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
CONDITIONAL STATEMENT
PAUL ARGUED THAT
IF HE COULD SPEAK WITH
THE VARIOUS LANGUAGES OF MEN
AND THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS
WITH OUT LOVE
HIS COMMUNICATION WOULD BE
WOULD BE JUST CLANGING
LOVE IS CRUCIAL TO OUR COMMUNICATION
IT IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT WE SAY
BUT IT IS HOW WE SAY IT.
OUR WORDS CAN BE ELOQUENT
BUT ELOQUENT WITH OUT LOVE
IS JUST NOISE
LOVE IS CRUCIAL TO OUR COMMUNICATION
IT IS ALSO CRUCIAL TO OUR COMPREHENSION
LOOK AT VERSE 2
2 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.
PAUL STATED, IF HE HAD THE GIFT OF PROPHECY
IF HE HAD THE ABILITY TO COMPREHEND
ALL MYSTERIES
AND ALL KNOWLEDGE
IF HE COULD HAVE FAITH TO REMOVE MOUNTAINS
HAVING THESE ABILITIES
PAUL SAID I AM NOTHING
UNDERSTANDING WITHOUT LOVE FOR OTHERS
KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT LOVE FOR OTHERS
COMPREHENSION WITHOUT LOVE FOR OTHERS
MAKES US NOTHING
LOVE IS CRUCIAL FOR COMMUNICATION
LOVE IS CRUCIAL FOR COMPREHENSION
LOVE IS ALSO CRUCIAL FOR OUR CONTRIBUTION
LOOK AT VERSE 3
3 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.
IF HE SACRIFICIALLY CONTRIBUTED
TO GIVING ALL HIS GOOD TO FEED THE POOR
AND GAVE HIS BODY TO BE BURNED
USING THESE EXTREME
THESE ACTIONS WITHOUT LOVE
YIELDED WOULD NOT PROFIT IN HIS LIFE
LOVE IS CRUCIAL
PASTORS PREACHING MUST BE DONE WITH LOVE
TEACHING MUST BE DONE WITH LOVE
WITNESSING MUST BE DONE WITH LOVE
COMFORT MUST BE DONE WITH LOVE
II. LOVE IS CONSIDERATE
II. LOVE IS CONSIDERATE
LOVE IS THOUGHTFUL
LOOK AT VERSE 4
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
LOVE IS
CALM — patient
CARING — kind
CONTENT — not envious
Love is patient WITH PEOPLE because it is considerate.
Love is kind because it is considerate.
Love does not envy or boast because it is considerate.
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
IN CHAPTER 6
THEY FOUGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS
INSTEAD OF SUFFERING FOR CHRIST
THEY PUSHED TO WIN
RATHER THAN EXERCISE WISDOM IN HANDLING DIFFERENCES OR DISPUTES
CONSIDERATE — not rude
LOVE DOES NOT INSIST ON HAVING ITS OWN WAY
IT IS CONSIDERATE
CONCEDING — not self-seeking
Love is not easily provoked because it is considerate.
CONTROLLED — not easily provoked
Love does not keep score because it is considerate.
LOVE IS THE BASIS FOR FORGIVENESS
THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS WITHOUT LOVE
WHY BECAUSE
LOVE IS CHARITABLE — keeps no record of wrong
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
CLEAN — rejects unrighteousness
Love rejoices in truth because it is considerate.
COMMITTED — rejoices in truth IN RIGHTEOUSNESS
162 I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.
4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received a commandment from the Father.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
LOOK AT VERSE 7 .
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love bears,
COVERING — bears all things
Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.
He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
believes, hopes, and endures because it is considerate.
CONFIDENT — believes and hopes
LOVE WANTS TO SEE GOD’S GRACE ACCOMPLISHED IN OTHERS LIVES
CONSTANT — FAITHFULLY endures
IS FAITHFUL UNDER PRESSURE
IS CONSTANT all things (DOES NOT WEAKEN)
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.
WEDDING VOWS
I, [Name], take you, [Name], to be my wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part"
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
BE CONSIDERATE
LIKE JESUS:
PATIENTLY ENDURED SINNERS,
SHOWED KINDNESS TO THE REJECTED,
DID NOT SEEK HIS OWN ADVANTAGE,
HUMBLED HIMSELF,
BORE OUR SINS,
ENDURED THE CROSS,
SOUGHT OUR SALVATION.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY
WE ARE CALL TO OPERATE WITHOUT SELFISH AMBITION OR CONCEIT
WE ARE CALLED TO BE LIKE CHRIST
TO BE CONSIDERATE OF GOD
TO BE CONSIDERATE OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS
AND THEN OTHERS
DON’T CONTINUE TO FAIL
RELY ON CHRIST
DO
“TRY HARDER TO BE NICE.”
IT IS:
BECAUSE CHRIST LOVED US SACRIFICIALLY,
HIS SPIRIT ENABLES US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER SACRIFICIALLY.
III. LOVE IS CHIEF
III. LOVE IS CHIEF
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these [is] love.
MAKE ABOVE
God-like love that sacrificially seeks the good of others through patience, kindness, truth, and endurance
Romans 5:4–5 “4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,
IT IS COMMANDED
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and great commandment.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
IT WAS COMMUNICATED BY GOD
God so loved the world
His SON LOVED US SO THAT
Love caused Jesus
To leave heaven’s glory
Love caused Jesus
To preach the gospel of the Kingdom
Love cause Jesus
To heal the sick, raise the dead, and open the blinded eye
Love cause Jesus
To endure the lies
Love cause Jesus
To endure the cross
Love cause Jesus
To give His back, His hands, His head
Love cause Jesus to give His life
