2021-3-14, The Meaning of Love: Loving Others Well Takes Practice; 1 Cor. 13:7-8a
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2021-3-14, The Meaning of Love: Loving Others Takes Practice; 1 Cor. 13:7-8a
Introduction
Introduction
Daniel Chambliss study on Olympic swimmers- reason for success. The study, “The Mundanity of Excellence.” While many athletes were naturally gifted, “talent” does not lead to excellence.
Michael Phelps, 23 gold medals, most decorated Olympian of all time. 6’7” wingspan, Size 14 foot, long torso, short legs. But his genetics are not the reason for the 28 total medals.
Chambliss found the gold medal generally goes to the person who puts in the most time and effort.
When a teenager, worked out on Sundays in highschool when most everyone else took Sunday’s off (52 extra practices/year).
Chambliss “Excellence requires doing small, ordinary things consistently right.”
Excellence seems miraculous but it’s actually quite mundae.
Excellence is a habit that is repeated consistently and correctly over and over again.
(Batterson, Win the Day, 92-94)
This is encouraging for all of us who are average. It means that excellence in something is not out of reach for us. Being good at something is a matter of practice and stick-to-it-a-tivenes.
This is important given our current series about love. Because a lot of us don’t feel like we love very well.
We tend to look at the people who love well and we think that they must be spiritually gifted that way (and they may), and we think of loving well as something that other people do.
But it is not just for other people. Loving others well, like evangelism and discipleship, is something for each of us.
God has called us to love one another with agape love.
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
But growing in it will take God’s grace in our lives and hardwork on our part.
Wouldn’t be great to have confidence that you love people well? Wouldn’t it feel good to be a conduit of God’s love to other people?
Love Review
Love Review
If you recall, agape love is a strong affection for people which seeks God’s good for them. One of the primary features of agape love is the willing sacrifice of our rights and privileges so that other people may have God’s good. This kind of love originates in the heart of God.
So far, we’ve discovered from 1 Corinthians 13 that agape love commands some behaviors from us.
Patience- a measured response, not easily angry
Kindness- grace in action
It holds no grudges
It delights in the truth and speaks out against evil
Today, we are looking at verses seven and eight.
When we love one another, we act like this...
7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
It may appear to you that Paul restates in these two verses many of the things we’ve discussed thus far. You would be correct. In fact, Paul repeats himself a lot in these few verses. In the repetition we have another point: Agape love takes practice to be done well.
Remember what Chambliss said,
Excellence requires doing small, ordinary things consistently right.
Paul introduces us to the small ordinary things we need to learn to do right consistently in our family, church, communities
John Wooden is arguably the greatest college basketball coach of all time. At UCLA, he led the Bruins to 620 victories and only 147 losses (that’s over an 800% winning percentage!)
The first thing John Wooden did with new recruits was bring them into the locker room. He then explained to that room full of All-American players, “Men, this is how you put your shoes and socks on.” He proceeded to show them how to where the socks with no wrinkles, folds, or creases. He also taught them how to tuck in their jerseys properly and knot the drwastrings of their shorts. (Batterson, 111-112)
For all of us who want to be good at what Jesus has commanded us to do, Paul is taking the opportunity to teach us the basics of love, and to repeat himself to make sure that we get it.
Love bears all things.
Love bears all things.
stego, To bear- To endure something unpleasant or difficult on behalf of someone else. This repeats the lesson of patience in vs. 4 and the instruction not to become irritated in vs. 5
People who love others put up with a lot. This is because we are loving people who are often controlled by their flesh.
The fruit of the flesh is
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
and Gal 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
So guess how the flesh reacts when we work for the godly good for that person? In the flesh. It is ugly to receive.
In addition, We have to be careful that the flesh does not erupt in us. Remember, it is easier to act like a Christian than to react like one.
Instead of reacting, we’ve got to retain a measured response and stay on target.
This means we have to take not offense and easily forgive.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.
Just let it roll off like water off a ducks back.
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
and...
24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
The point- We have to practice bearing with others who are in the flesh. Measured response, count to ten, reflective listening
Love believes all things.
Love believes all things.
pisteuei, To believe- to put one’s faith in
Rejoices in the truth (13:6) This means that we hold in our heart, with conviction, the statements of the Bible. We choose to obey and we train ourselves in believing in the critical truths of the Word. God as creator.
These beliefs feed into loving others. It goes back to the concept of “God’s good”.
Believes in the principles of the gospel. God is Creator, Man is made in the image of God, Mankind sinned, Jesus is the Son of God and died on the cross for our sins and was raised, Salvation is for those who call on the name of the Lord. We must go and tell others about Jesus. These are the beliefs taught in the Word of God.
The only way we are going to be willing to sacrifice our rights and privileges so that others may have God’s good is for us to believe what the Bible says is True. No one sacrifices much for something they do not believe in. In order to love, we need to believe all things that the world teaches.
We have to practice believing the spiritual principles of the Word.
Love hopes all things.
Love hopes all things.
elpizo, To hope- to expect or wish for something
Paul singles out one particular truth of Scripture which we need to train ourselves in- God’s promises about the future. When we love people, we need to have a vision in our mind’s eye for them.
We need to envision them fed and clothed as a result of God’s love working through us.
We need to envision them as believers in Christ and enjoying fellowship and unity in a local church some day. We need to envision them someday in the New Jerusalem completely satisfied as they dwell in the light of the Lord forever.
If we are going to love well, we need to love with vision. We need to practice seeing the hope people have in Christ.
Love endures all things.
Love endures all things.
hypomenei, to endure- to face and withstand with courage
People who love face a lot. This is different than bearing all things above. That had to do with putting up with the flesh, hypomenei means being willing to deal with adversity in order to love others well. Paul had an incredible track record in this with the Corinthians...
12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?
Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
He suffered a lot at the hands of the world in order to get the gospel and God’s good to the Corinthians.
I think of missionaries. Lottie Moon giving her food away to the chinese whom she was trying to reach is a good example.
Just how much are we willing to surrender our rights and privileges for others that they may have God’s good? How much will we suffer for the love of others?
Just like everything else, this is something we can grow in. So, as strange as it may sound, We need to practice enduring so we will be willing to sacrifice for others when it counts.
Love never fails.
Love never fails.
piptei, Fail- ends, fall; fall down
As God’s redemption story completely unfolds, love will continue on into the new eras and epochs.
Love is a permanent fixture
Prophecy and tongues (true languages, not pagan gibberish), which the Corinthians were very much obsessed with, would pass away as obsolete when better modes arrive, namely the written Word of God, the Holy Bible, the arrival of the perfect kingdom of God.
Love is something worth practicing, because we will be doing it forever.
How about you? Are you willing to become excellent in loving others?
In order to love others, you need to receive God’s love
In order to love others well, you need to empty yourself of you and fill yourself with Christ.
Practice means not getting discouraged at set backs.
Excellence of Mundanity
Alan Stein, “Why do you do a very basic and boring routine?” Kobe Bryant, “Why do you think I’m the best in the world? I don’t get bored with the basics.” (Batterson, 116)
How do you need to practice love so you can be the best you can be in loving others. Of all the things Paul has told you about,what do you want to work on. Just one thing. Do it for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year