1 Cor. 13 Christlike Love

Christlike Love

Prayer for Offering

Rejoice in generous giving the past two weeks. Though we did not make budget for February, the generosity of the past two weeks has put us back above budget for the year. Remember we are asking you to give faithfully and consistently throughout the end of March as you plan to give for the rest of the year, so that we can accurately plan for the rest of the budget year.

South Marietta (Pastor Tommy)

Hurting families and those struggling.

Corona Virus.

Election.

Love one another.

Chair Bible p. 959-960

Prayer

Tina Turner: “What’s love got to do with it, what’s love but a second hand emotion.”

If the Corinthians had asked, “What’s love got to do with it?” Paul’s answer is EVERYTHING!

And FYI…love is not an emotion, love is a verb.

Love is active and ongoing. Love, as described in , is distinctly Christian.

Antioch first called Christians...

Main Idea: Christlike love distinctly marks the body of Christ.

Mountain peak texts of the Bible and of 1 Corinthians. Must be read and interpreted in the context of both.

Christlike love distinctly marks the body of Christ in the exercise of spiritual gifts.

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

A few points of clarification...

Spiritual gifts are not denounced.

Love is not the only thing. The gifts are necessary for the flourishing of the church. However...

Love is the defining characteristic of all Christian action, otherwise....

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Tongues and possibly eloquence…either without love is simply a noise.

2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

4 gifts alluded to here. prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, faith. Practicing these gifts without love equals nothing. Why?

All 4 can be turned into self promotion. The purpose of the gifts is the common good; the love of the brothers and sisters in Christ, for the upbuilding of the body, not for the sake of the individual exercising the gift.

3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Jesus said in  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. An individual can take what appears to be a sacrificial act and turn it into a self promoting act by not having love.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Either I am getting older and more jaded or the world around us is becoming less and less loving. Not to say the world was a place of love in the recent past. It certainly appears that it is becoming more unloving. Sadly, those attitudes and actions are making their way into the church. We must see them for what they are and see ourselves for who we are.

You can take what appears to be a sacrificial act and turn it into a self promoting act by not having love.

We are converted and called to a distinct manner of living.

1 John 4:7–8 ESV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Love is the result of being born of God. New life brings a knowledge and reality of love in the life of the believers that is shared with one another.

Without this love, we can cannot claim to know God…because...

Christlike love distinctly marks the body of Christ in their treatment of one another.

Barbara Fredirckson, professor of psychology at UNC, in her new book Love 2.0 suggests that love needs an upgrade. The old love--the kind we’ve been talking about--is outmoded, and we need a new model. What does Fredrickson’s new model look like? Here are her words: “Love is not exclusive.” “Love’s timescale is far shorter than we typically think. Love, as you’ll see, is not lasting.” “And perhaps most challenging of all, love is not unconditional.”

What then is love for Fredrickson? “Love is that mirco-moment of warmth and connection that you share with another living being.” Love is an emotion, a momentary state.” (Um 235-236)

Read text and flow to

love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Ephesians 5:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

“walk in love” active

model Christ: as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Reread 13:4-7 with Christ in place of love.

The Word became flesh and loved among us. He did not simply explain love, he demonstrated love. He demonstrated His love toward us, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

He acted!

The paragraph is made up of action verbs(15 in fact) not of adjectives describing love. Indicative. When you see love, you see action that is indicative of love.

Not a list of sentimental emotions.

Description of love. what love is(present active indicative) and what love is not.

All of these verbs involve action where others are involved.

4 Love is patient and kind;

patient forbears, puts up with another persons weakness or weirdness or even offence. Does not mean that you ignore or are indifferent to sin.

kind

At the heart of Christian kindness will be a reflection of what the kindness of God and of Jesus look like. Certainly this will involve mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. (Gardner 569)

The next grouping is the opposite of patient and kind. (things the letter has been addressing on multiple levels.

love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

envy apparently issue with gifts. Issue with stuff and life.

boast How do you use social media in love without seeking to create envy and boasting?

arrogant—proud—puffed up Paul uses this word 5 times in the epistle.

or rude. It does not insist on its own way; the two can go hand in hand and often do. As you press to the front of the line, you do so assuming that you deserve to be there.

Rude involves what you say and what you do. Ignores the likes and dislikes of others by disrespectfully ignoring them.

it is not irritable or resentful; easily angered or treating others for some past offence or perceived offence.

Illus: Current political climate (envy, boasting, arrogance, rudeness, irritable, and resentful. We must participate as citizens of this nation as citizens of another kingdom, particularly with one another.

6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Love is not soft

Many see love as little more than an attitude of “niceness” to everyone. This means that any dispute, any strong speaking over important matters, and any firm spiritual discipling or disciplining of another is...regarded as unloving. (Gardner 584) One of the modern myths so prevalent in our society is that love will tolerate all things, promote all things, and deny nothing. (Gardner 584)

Polyamory article in Christianity Today.

Love takes delight when righteousness flourishes and advances (cf. ). (Schreiner 277)

7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

believes all things,

Beautiful poetic ending. Notice structure

hopes all things,

endures all things.

7 Love bears all things, (endure something unpleasant) for the sake of the gospel and for the sake of one another.

believes all things, not the best in people, the power of God revealed in the Word of God.

hopes all things, beyond the hear and now. people disappoint, life is hard. . (Illus: Sherron Philemon) “It is about maintaining the hope set before us by the one to whom we have entrusted our lives and our futures, and being empowered by...hope for our future to take the risk of loving those around us in the present”. (Ciampa 650-651)

endures all things. (face with courage)

Illus: Corona virus. Fear must not drive us. If it becomes a pandemic, the corona virus will serves as opportunity for the body of Christ to distinctly love.

What then is love for Fredrickson? “Love is that mirco-moment of warmth and connection that you share with another living being.” Love is an emotion, a momentary state.” (Um 235-236)

Our love is not simply in the here and now...

Christlike love distinctly marks the body of Christ for all of eternity.

Eternal/Temporal “Love stands in contrast, then, to spiritual gifts, which are temporary.” (Schreiner 278)

8 Love never ends.

There is one thing that is nonperishable, unspoilable, death-proof--love itself. Verse 8a says: “Love never ends.” Love is categorically different. It fills life with permanent significance. It injects eternal importance into the present. (Um 235)

As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will not last forever, they are restricted to this age. (Schriener 279)

A day is coming when charismatics and noncharismatics are not going to having anything to fight about. (Carson 97)

Why will they pass away? They are partial and incomplete.

Perfect/Imperfect

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

What is the perfect that comes? the coming of Christ. “The perfect then refers to the arrival of the eschaton, when all God’s purposes for human beings will be realized and fulfilled.” (Schreiner 280)

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Saying that believers will know fully does not mean that they will enjoy infinite knowledge, as if they will become omniscient as God is omniscient. (Schreiner 281-282)

1 John 3:2 ESV

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;

abide-remain present active indicative

Paul has already bound up faith and hope into love. Thus love “believes all things” and “hopes all things.” (Gardner 582)

Paul does not deny that faith and hope will be fulfilled in a significant way when Jesus returns; thus they probably remain in a significant way when Jesus returns though they probably remain in a different sense. Life in the coming age will continue to be marked by trust in God and hope in God. Believers will continue to rely upon him, and they will look forward to the future with anticipation. There is continuity and discontinuity between present and future faith and hope. (Schreiner 282)

but the greatest of these is love. Why is love the greatest?

God is love.

Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, displayed love.

Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, displayed love.

Love is the foundational virtue that characterizes the people of God.

Love is the foundational virtue that characterizes the people of God.

Paul has clearly established the preeminence of love for the church’s life and identity. Unlike grace-gifts that not all possess, it is the marker of true community membership. All who are Christians possess it. Since it is active, it can be worked at and imitated, and since it comes from God and reflects God, it remains forever. (Gardner 582)

So What?

Does Christlike love distinctly mark Parkwood?

3 Reminders this week...

Death of Marlene VanTassel: love of a Christian family and ladies GG.

Meeting with Sherron Philemen, battling brain cancer, love of a Christian family, talking of the love of his GG.

Rick Martin moved to Robin Johnson, love a Christian family, outpouring of love by his GG.

John 13:34–35 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What’s love got to do with it? Everything.

Our internal witness to one another and our witness to a watching world rises or falls on love.

Prayer for Offering

1

Rejoice in generous giving the past two weeks. Though we did not make budget for February, the generosity of the past two weeks has put us back above budget for the year. Remember we are asking you to give faithfully and consistently throughout the end of March as you plan to give for the rest of the year, so that we can accurately plan for the rest of the budget year.

South Marietta (Pastor Tommy)

Hurting families and those struggling.

Corona Virus.

Election.

Love one another.

Sending starts now in how we love one another. Yes, we are called to love our neighbor and share the gospel with the lost. As we go, we must not overlook one another.

See one another?

END