Sermon Tone Analysis

Tina Turner sung a song some years ago, and the title was “What does love have to do with it.

“ Jonathan Swift the author of Gulliver’s Travels says “We have just enough religion to make us hate, and not enough religion to make us love one another”.

This passage today goes deeper than telling us that love shows action, and that between faith and hope that Love is the greatest.

This text deals with the divisions that existed in this church in Corinth.

For example, the membership was abusing their gifts in the tongues, there was division that existed in the church, there was envy of one anothers gifts, there existed impatience with the membership in public meetings, there was behavior that disgraced our Lord, and they were suing each other.

I want to suggest to us today, that Love has a whole lot to do with it.

Without Love, in membership there can be no ministry, without love in teaching, there can be no training, Without love for God, there can be no growth.

All that I am suggesting is that without Love the church is a ghost town, where the cobwebs build up from no activity, and the buildings wear down, because of lack of presence.

There are four kinds of Love.

1. phileo love of emotion

2. eros love of boyfriend and girlfriend/ husband and wife

3. storge family love children/parents

4. agape love of devotion , never ending

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

(KJV)

When Jesus says I give you a new commandment, In he’s not talking about eros one another, phileo one another, storge one another, but agape one another.

Paul writes in this passage because there is an absence of Love that does exist in this church.

The first thing Paul suggests is Love enriches.

LOVE ENRICHES

There were many gifts within the body of Christ, and Paul stresses the need that we can have all the gifts in the world, but all we were doing was making a noise, if we did not have Love.

In order for our ministries to be effective, without love for each other, then we just make a whole lot of noise.

We must have harmony, where different ministries are being played but sounding the same message.

In other words, Soprano’s, alto’s, tenor’s, bass, baritone’s holding their notes, while singing the same message producing harmony.

Our ministries such as Church School, Youth, Brotherhood, Senior Ministry, Music Ministry, Prayer Partners, Ushers, Deacon’s, Mothers, etc. must play their roles while preaching and teaching a dead buried and a risen Saviour.

Any ministry of the church is dead on arrival, if Jesus is not the master of its origin.

Love takes the things that I am gifted in, and does it for the glory of God, while my brothers and sisters do their parts also.

(1-3)

LOVE EDIFIES

Knowledge can puff us up.

Paul stresses that Love ought to build up the church.

We should not be so selfish about getting ahead, or being the first to do something.

The Corinthian church was suing each other, had no patience with one another, and keeping a record book of all the wrongs that had been done to them.

Love will not put another brother and sister in court because if both are Christians, then both should be able to work things out.

Love even though you don’t have the skills that I have, Love will be patient enough and show others how to rather than dismissing and starting division, Love will not keep a record book of all the wrongs done to them because Ephesian 4:26 says be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, 32 says be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, Even as God for Christ sake has forgiven you.

(4-7)

LOVE ENDURES

We will receive many different gifts for Valentines Day.

Some will go out to eat, some will get a card and flowers, Some will take a special vacation to Cupid’s corner(G) Some will receive all ,some or other things not listed or stated.

The truth of the matter is for the moment it will have us smiling from ear to ear, it will help us forget those negative things, it will move us to the next level, it will help us get through our arduous days.

As with toys, the newness, the niceness, will wear off, so then what is next.

Paul stresses that all of these great gifts will not last, but Love will endure until the end.

When we get to Heaven Faith will become seeing, Hope will be fulfilled, but Love will be continuous.

This is the only thing that will assist the church in growing up.

Love is an essential ingredient for the church to survive.

Paul says I know some of you are arguing over leadership, but how can one love the leader so much, and forget about the man that called the leader.

I heard that you feel like you are all that, and a bag of chips because of what everybody is saying about your church, how you can speak in tongues, how you can prophesy, etc, but Paul says you are missing a key ingredient, and that ingredient Is Love.

For love has a whole lot to do with it.

If I can’t speak to my neighbor, and Jesus says love my neighbor, then I am just making noise.

But I will go even farther as Jesus did, Jesus said not only if you can’t speak, but can’t share, all we are doing is making a bunch of noise.

For Paul says

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

(KJV)

Love does one more thing, Love ENROLLS

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Rev 2:1-4

In this text we find JOHN IS IN PRISON ON THE ISLAND OF PATMOS.

He is given a vision, a revelation of Jesus Christ.

John sees His glory and says, "WHEN I SAW HIM I FELL AT HIS FEET AS THOUGH DEAD."

Then Christ puts his hand on John and says, "DO NOT BE AFRAID.

I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST.

I AM THE LIVING ONE; I WAS DEAD, AND BEHOLD I AM ALIVE FOR EVER AND EVER."

John is told to write what he sees and the Lord begins this revelation by addressing Seven Churches Found in Asia Minor.

The seven churches listed here in - were actual, historical churches in Asia Minor.

They are representative of churches that have existed throughout the church age.

What Christ says here to the churches is still relevant in our day and age.

Notice what Christ says to this church in the first five verses of this passage.

First, the risen Christ speaks to his church in VS. 1 "TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS WRITE."

• We know a lot about the church at Ephesus

• It was a privileged church that had been greatly blessed

• The church at Ephesus was planted by the Apostle Paul and it began with a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit

• You can read the events in

There is evidence that John had strong links with this church.

Timothy later served as its Pastor.

• Paul tells him to "stay … in Ephesus" in

• When Paul says farewell to the Ephesians Elders in , he weeps and so do they, because they know they won't see each other again

• The Letter to the Ephesians was also written to this Church

• It was a marvelous church, privileged and blessed in every way

• But as time went on we now hear the Lord saying to this Church – You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling

Church history tells us Ephesus was a great Commercial – Political - Religious - And A Sports Town.

The location of Ephesus made it a great place to live and work.

In the beginning part of AD cities that sat at the mouth of rivers commanded the trade of the regions.

Ephesus lay at the mouth of the CAYSTER VALLEY making it one of the greatest harbors in all of Asia Minor.

Not only did Ephesus have a great Seaport, but three great roads also connected it to the rest of Asia, and the world.

• The greatest of these roads was the great trade route from the EUPHRATES, which reached Ephesus by way of COLOSSE and LAODICAEA, and brought the trade of the East by way of the markets

• The road from Galatia came into Ephesus by way of SARDIS, and poured into its lap the trade of Asia Minor

• A third road came up from the south, and added the trade of the MAEANDER VALLEY to the trade of the CAYSTER VALLEY

• In commerce and in wealth there were few cities that could match up with Ephesus in its day

• We have heard the Phrase “ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME”

• In actuality – “ALL ROADS LEAD TO EPHESUS”

Ephesus was also a city of the greatest political importance in Asia.

Once again church history tells us that Ephesus enjoyed the title of ‘SUPREME METROPOLIS OF ASIA.’

• This was what was known as a free city

• Ephesus also was granted political freedom by Rome, because of its status as the premier town in Asia

• Therefore it had its own magistrates called -- STRATEGOI

• It had a democratically elected governing body called the -- BOULE