Summary of Love 1

Title: LOVE IS… Summary of Love- Submissive

Text:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails

Intro: 1. One of the most famous passages in the Bible

2. Follows chapter 12 which is all about Spiritual gifts/manifestations

3. Love is the greatest gift of them all

4. Last week we talked about the Superiority of Love

a. Spirituality without love is annoying

b. Knowledge without love is arrogant

c. Giving without love is manipulation

5. We have no capacity to generate (agape love) on our own

a. It comes from God

b. the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us

c. Every time God touches me it leaves a mark called love

d. At salvation, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, every blessing makes me love others

6. Agape is a divine love that gives and gives, even if it’s never responded to, thanked, or acknowledged

7. You could say that agape is a love that isn’t based on response but on a decision to keep on loving, regardless of a recipient’s response or lack of response

8. Barclay labeled agape as unconquerable benevolence

9. Our world struggles with knowing what love is

a. From Tina Turner- what’s love got to do with it, Foreigner- I want to know what love is to the idea of friends with benefits

b. There’s a difference between love and lust

1) Lust is now, love is patient

2) Lust is about what’s on the outside, love is about what’s on the inside

3) Lust is temporary, love is forever

4) Lust is about me, love is about them

10. Paul’s definition of love from

I. LOVE IS SUBMISSIVE

A. Patient

1. Definition

a. A long spirit, not to lose heart

b. Love is never tired of waiting

c. Never gives up

d. Slow to lose patience

e. It’s just a fact that human nature is short-tempered and intolerant

1) Driving in Dallas, getting in separate lines

f. Agape is slow to anger, slow to wrath, and doesn’t know how to quit

2. Relentless

a. Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven-

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes I sped;

And shot, precipitated,

Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase,

And unperturbed pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat - and a Voice beat

More instant than the Feet -

'All things betray thee, who betrayest Me'.

b. God’s love is relentless and it should make us relentless

c. It supernaturally becomes stronger and more committed the longer it takes to get through to the heart of the one who is loved

1) This isn’t in human nature, it’s only something God can do

d. This is miraculous love — a love that transforms and changes people’s lives

e. Love passionately bears with others for as long as patience is needed

f. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If someone were to offer all of his possession to buy love, it would not be enough

a. Love such as this is priceless; no price tag can be put on love

3. Trusting God to do His part

a. Submissive to God’s timing and plan

1) Not our timing

a) Prayer for my sister

b) We get impatient and try to make it happen on our own

c) We want to manipulate the situation

2) Not our plan

a) Can you love a God who doesn’t do what you want Him to do?

b) Can you love a God you disagree with?

c) Can you love a God who you don’t understand?

· The next President will be the person God votes for (we still have a job to do)

· What if God doesn’t want America to be great again?

3) As a parent I love my kids relentlessly even though they may see it as a burden because I believe that in time they will see that I love them (true love)

· Some parents are worried about their own image or getting even with an “X”

b. What about tough love

1) There are times we cross the line from being loving to enabling

· Our natural instinct when they are hurting is to step in and alleviate the pain

· The more they are unable to care for themselves the more we step in and compensate

· We can even get to the point we blame ourselves and feel as if it is our fault (usually at this point is when it does become our fault because we are enabling them)

· Maturity is accepting responsibility and we are enabling when we take on another persons responsibilities

· Pain is there for a reason- to point out a problem

· One of the definitions of evil- full of labors, annoyances, hardships, hurtful

2) I understand that there is a time for “tough love” but tough love should never be our default

B. Kind

1. Definition

a. To show oneself useful, benevolent

b. To care more for others than for self

c. Looking for ways of being constructive

2. Others focused (submissive to the needs of others over yourself)

a. Greek word chresteuomai, means to be adaptable or compliant to the needs of others

b. You don’t demand that others be like you instead you want to bend over backwards to become what others need you to be for them

c. A willingness to serve and to change in order to meet the needs of others

d. Kindness- Holding a door open for someone, letting others go first, helping someone carry something, providing a meal for a hurting family

e. Do I become what others need me to be, or do I demand that others be like me?

1) Do we always have to do it my way or I won’t participate

2) A person walking in love adapts to those around him in order to impact them in a meaningful way

f. Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as more important than yourselves

g. For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, to those who follow the Law, as one who follows the Law, 21 to those who are without law, as one without law, 22 To the weak I became weak, I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some

1) This isn’t Paul compromising his values. It’s saying I will give up my preferences to help others come to Christ

2) Some churches are dying because they won’t give up their preferences to reach others

h. Being submissive to others preferences

3. Unselfish

a. I’ll take the hit for their sake

1) I will suffer, endure, whatever I need to do if it helps them

2) we remember your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, endurance inspired by hope

· Labor (cut, toil, labor pains) prompted by love

3) In Paul’s writings the more mature believer does without so they don’t hurt others

b. Love is selfless, others centered

1) Love causes us to be selfless

2) A parent that would risk their life for their family

3) Kids say you don’t love me

· Work, give up nice clothes, drive older cars, taxi kids around

c. Jesus was our example. This is what He did for us

1)

a. He took our grief

b. He took our sorrows

c. He was pierced for our transgressions

d. He was bruised for our iniquities

e. The price for our peace was on Him

f. He took stripes on His back for our healing

g. He took the hit so we wouldn’t have to- that’s love/kindness

2) No one has greater love than this, that one lays down his life for his friends

4. Looks for ways to be constructive, to help

a. Love motivates

1) Our love for Jesus motivates us to move away from self and towards Him

2) True love makes us do something when we see a need

a) Pity doesn’t do this

3) Apathy is from Greek word apatheia- without suffering

a) The Priest & Levite felt sorrow for the man in the ditch, but the good Samaritan loved him

b) The Disciples felt sorry for the crowds (send them home) but Jesus loved them (moved with compassion)

4) Real Christian love will cause us to get out of our comfort zone to minister to someone

Cncl: 1. Pastors message a few weeks back about finding his grandkids interests to be involved in their lives

2. It’s easier to ignore it all but that isn’t love

3. Love is patient- submissive to God’s timing and plan, a relentless pursuit

4. Love is kind- submissive to others preferences, an unselfish pursuit

Altr: 1. Salvation- God’s love poured out in your heart

2. Patient- are you upset with how God is doing things?

3. Kind- who are you asking to take the hit/pain?