The Most Excellent Way

The Most Excellent Way!

SONG:  “Without Love”

George Sweeting shares this formula with us, “Life – Love = 0”

How would you like to get to the end of this life and stand before God and find that everything you did . . . all that you said . . . all that you had become - amounted to a zero before God. Sadly, this IS without question going to happen to some who believe they are Jesus-people, but are NOT: “Lord, Lord did we not . . . I never KNEW you.” This is why the Apostle Paul made love the GOAL of his instruction.

With this series we have tried to do the same.

Dave N.—Our lives are sacraments of God’s love

Clint T.—Love is lifestyle; a choice

Dave R.—Love is the choice that connects us to the “yes” of God.

TEXT:  “And now I will show you the most excellent way . . . And now, these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Cor. 12:31 & 13:13.

WHY?  Why is the way of love the most excellent?

Between faith, hope and love, why is love the greatest? Why isn’t faith the greatest? By faith we can move mountains. Hope keeps us through the toughest times

BACKGROUND: Not contrasting the gifts vs. love / Gifts are fruitless apart from love / Gifts need to function out of WHO God is – LOVE.

§        1 John 4:7-12—Love is God’s Character - God is passionate & loving

§        God so LOVED the world, that he gave His only Son.

§        His love is seen on the cross AND in those who’ve been to the cross– sacrificial

If we are His– living lives of love should flow from us:  1 John 2:3-6

Conclusion 1:   John 13:35 – Love will show us to be His

Jesus said “ . . . by this [love] shall all men know you are my disciples.”

ALL MEN—God’s love gathers ALL who will

2 Peter 3:9—His will is that ALL be saved

Conclusion 2:   John 17:23 - Love will win the nations

Faith [past & present] will no longer be needed Heb. 11:1 — . . . certain of what we do not see / then We will SEE Him face to face . . . then know fully

/ sure of what we hope for

Rom. 8:24 “who hopes for what he already has?”  Hope [future] will no longer be needed—

Love is forever / It will never end

Conclusion 3:   Love never ends

ILLUS: Doctor’s little dog—“He knows I’m on the other side”

“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all”

--Isaac Watts