Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Francis Schaeffer once said, “When Christians differ, there is a golden opportunity to show the world how we love each other.”

You see, Schaeffer was convinced of two truths simultaneously: 1) Christians will disagree because the gospel is too deep and people are too different for it to be any other way.

2) Christians have the opportunity to demonstrate the power of the gospel by loving one another well and remaining bonded with one another in the midst of those disagreements.

Unfortunately, the church has become more famous for how viciously she fights rather than for how ferociously she loves in many places.

And, such was the case at the Church at Corinth during the first century.

The early Corinthians had found the gospel, but they had been slow to grow in it.

And, there were a number of divisions that had arisen in the church, especially regarding the spiritual gifts.

So, Paul writes to them to address these differences, and he tells them that “(He) will show them a more excellent way.”

Iron City, I want us not to be famous for how divisive we are because of our differences; rather, I want us to be famous for how united we are in light of our differences.

I want us to be living examples of Paul’s ‘more excellent way.’

God’s Word

Read

The People of Greatest Love

“And I will show you a more excellent way” What may shock you is that the 'love chapter' of the Bible is not written about marriage, though it is certainly appropriate for you to let it inform the way you love your husband or wife.

The 'love chapter' is not even written about primarily to express God's love for us or our love for him.

The 'love chapter' of the Bible was written to explain how we are to love one another within the Church.

APPLICATION: Now, I wonder how many of you could use to describe your experience with the Church.

There are likely some of you here today for whom church is synonomous with meanness.

It may have been for you that Church was the very place that you felt least loved in the whole world, and so you abandoned the whole idea.

And honestly, it's a miracle that you're even here today.

But, this vision that Paul gives us of the church here is one that is worth pursuing, isn't it?

It's worth not giving up on.

It's worth not quitting on.

Because what these words cannot be written about any other place on the earth other than church.

There is no bar or coffee shop that is like this.

There is no social club or sorority that can be described this way.

This is an extraordinary love that must find its origination in the love of God himself and thus is only possible within the people of God.

This is the kind of church I dream of us becoming.

The Church is the people of greatest love, and love should be the defining virtue of the people of God.

This morning, we come to one of the most famous passages in all of the Bible.

It is a passage that many of you probably had read at your wedding or that you have memorized.

And, it is the perfect place for us to begin our 'Love One Another' series, as we plan to spend the next five weeks on our value of emphasis.

What may shock you is that the 'love chapter' of the Bible is not written about marriage, though it is certainly appropriate for you to let it inform the way you love your husband or wife.

The 'love chapter' is not even written about primarily to express God's love for us or our love for him.

The 'love chapter' of the Bible was written to explain how we are to love one another within the Church.

This beautiful, even poetic, passage was given to us for the purpose of teaching us what it means to live out the new commandment that Jesus gave to us as his disciples, which is to love one another in a way that is both distinctive and magnetic.

APPLICATION: Now, I wonder how many of you could use to describe your experience with the Church.

There are likely some of you here today for whom church is synonomous with meanness.

It may have been for you that Church was the very place that you felt least loved in the whole world, and so you abandoned the whole idea.

And honestly, it's a miracle that you're even here today.

I've been an active part of a church for almost 20 years now, with at least 12 of those years being on a church staff.

And, I can tell you that many of the most painful experiences of my life, some of the meanest things that I've ever had said to me came from within the Church.

But, this vision that Paul gives us of the church here is one that is worth pursuing, isn't it?

It's worth not giving up on.

It's worth not quitting on.

Because what these words cannot be written about any other place on the earth other than church.

There is no bar or coffee shop that is like this.

There is no social club or sorority that can be described this way.

This is an extraordinary love that must find its origination in the love of God himself and thus is only possible within the people of God.

This is the kind of church I dream of us becoming.

For the Good of the Church and the Glory of God

One of the ways that we know that Paul is talking about the Church here is the context within which we find it.

Both chapters 12 and 14 are about the spiritual gifts, that is, those gifts that are given to us by God through the Holy Spirit for the good of the Church and the advancement of the Gospel.

So, when we come to chapter 13 that is sandwiched in between, Paul is making sure that we keep our eyes on the big picture and understanding the end to which our spiritual gifts are aimed.

You see, we have a tendency within the church to become so enamored by gifts and so busy in the work at hand that we often miss the main thing.

Apparently, such was the case within the Church at Corinth.

Regardless of your view of speaking in tongues, the Church at Corinth really seemed to prefer it.

They believed that it made them more spiritual and that it was the greatest of the gifts.

So, if you didn't have it, they looked down up you.

If you did have it, they held you up as being a super Christian of sorts.

And, much of what Paul is writing is to rebuke them for their view.

They were championing this great gift from God, but they were only doing as a part of some spiritual excercise.

They had no apparent interest in using their gift for the purpose they were intended: to build up their brothers and sister in the church and to reach others with the Good News about Jesus.

So, Paul calls them out for having the appearance of being deeply spiritual, when in fact they were practicing dead religion.

Thus, he wants to teach them a more excellent way.

Not Charisma, but Love

“If I speak in the tongues of men…but have not love…I am a noisy gong/clanging cymbal” They believed that it made them more spiritual and that it was the greatest of the gifts.

So, if you didn't have it, they looked down up you.

If you did have it, they held you up as being a super Christian of sorts.

And, much of what Paul is writing is to rebuke them for their view.

They were championing this great gift from God, but they were only doing as a part of some spiritual exercise.

They had no apparent interest in using their gift for the purpose they were intended: to build up their brothers and sister in the church and to reach others with the Good News about Jesus.

So, Paul calls them out for having the appearance of being deeply spiritual, when in fact they were practicing dead religion.

Thus, he wants to teach them a more excellent way.

One of the ways that we know that Paul is talking about the Church here is the context within which we find it.

Both chapters 12 and 14 are about the spiritual gifts, that is, those gifts that are given to us by God through the Holy Spirit for the good of the Church and the advancement of the Gospel.

So, when we come to chapter 13 that is sandwiched in between, Paul is making sure that we keep our eyes on the big picture and understanding the end to which our spiritual gifts are aimed.

You see, we have a tendency within the church to become so enamored by gifts and so busy in the work at hand that we often miss the main thing.

Apparently, such was the case within the Church at Corinth.

Regardless of your view of speaking in tongues, the Church at Corinth really seemed to prefer it.

They believed that it made them more spiritual and that it was the greatest of the gifts.

So, if you didn't have it, they looked down up you.

If you did have it, they held you up as being a super Christian of sorts.

And, much of what Paul is writing is to rebuke them for their view.

They were championing this great gift from God, but they were only doing as a part of some spiritual exercise.

They had no apparent interest in using their gift for the purpose they were intended: to build up their brothers and sister in the church and to reach others with the Good News about Jesus.

So, Paul calls them out for having the appearance of being deeply spiritual, when in fact they were practicing dead religion.

Thus, he wants to teach them a more excellent way.

Pagan Worship

One of the ways that we know that Paul is talking about the Church here is the context within which we find it.

Both chapters 12 and 14 are about the spiritual gifts, that is, those gifts that are given to us by God through the Holy Spirit for the good of the Church and the advancement of the Gospel.

So, when we come to chapter 13 that is sandwiched in between, Paul is making sure that we keep our eyes on the big picture and understanding the end to which our spiritual gifts are aimed.

Because, you see, it’s easy for the church to be busy doing a lot of stuff and be aimed at the wrong target.

It’s even easy for us to be so wrapped up in spiritual looking and spiritual sounding things that we forget why all of this exists.

All of this exists because God loves us, and we love him, and through him we love others.

And, detached from that, all of this is pointless.

Apparently, such was the case within the Church at Corinth.

So, in verse one, Paul is speaking to those gifts that are most exciting to us and catch our eyes the quickest, such as the gift of tongues.

It was a gift that was flashy and spiritual-looking and exciting.