Living With Excellence (part 1) - 13:1-8a

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1 Corinthians   •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  52:36
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Introduction

I have great admiration for people who do things with excellence.
Recently our youngest child has really been excited about monster trucks and motorcycles.
Probably once a day he sits on my lap and we look at videos of these two loves of his life.
In this process I have learned a lot about monster trucks.
I remember the monster trucks of my youth. All they did was drive over cars.
Now, however, these drivers can do flips, drive on the front or back tires, and even roll over and keep going!
I’ve seen videos of guys and gals riding a wheelie on a motorcycle across fields, up and down hills, and down the open highway.
Looking at all these videos I have seen a few that reveal the level of practice that goes into these feats.
Hours are spent attempting these tricks and failing at them.
Injuries are sustained and money is spent, all in the pursuit of excellence.
I realize that some of you can’t relate at all to monster trucks and motorcycles.
There is another series of videos my family has enjoyed where an artist chooses random drain hole covers and wall features and incorporates them into a drawing.
There is another artist we have seen who spent 95 hours on one picture.
What is the point of all this?
The pursuit of excellence requires hard work and dedication.
Repeat - Read Aloud.
When we reached the end of 1 Corinthians 12, Paul was presenting to the Corinthians how the body of Christ is diverse in its gifting.
He reminded this 1st century church that desiring a certain gift is foolish.
Chapter 12 closes with these words “Yet I show you a more excellent way.”
Here in chapter 13 we are introduced to what that “more excellent way” is.
Purpose:
For the follower of Jesus, a life of excellence requires love.
Guidance:
Our ability to love depends on what we know.
Outcome:
Knowing the truth about love enables us to live in love and excellence.
We cannot live with excellence if we do not know the truth.
Let us then consider two truths about a life of excellence.
Truth #1…

1. A Life Of Excellence Knows The Necessity Of Love vv. 1-3

Paul is about to make the clearest case ever presented for the necessity of love.
Love is a universal language.
In John 13:35 Jesus said this.
John 13:35
John 13:35 NKJV
35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Our love, or lack of love, declares to all who we really follow.
In this passage Paul reveals the importance of love in the use of Spiritual gifts.
His point is clear.
Any exercise of Spiritual gifts, no matter how fantastic, is nothing apart from love.
Love is necessary in three key areas.
Area #1. Love is…

a. Necessary in conversation v. 1

1 Corinthians 13:1 NKJV
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
Paul’s intention here is not to give a description of tongues.
It is erroneously stated by many that tongues as used today are angelic language.
Hyperbole. Paul also says he gives his body to be burned. He didn’t.
In every Biblical instance we find Angels speaking languages that the people they spoke to understood.
No interpreters.
This drives us to a conclusion.
As far as Biblical revelation is concerned, there is no such thing as an angelic language.
I believe Paul’s point is flowery or eloquent speech.
The ability to speak better than anyone else would be useless without love!
Eloquence is not the issue.
Language is not the issue.
The issue is our heart.
Sounding brass = used in theatre to amplify voices.
The point of them is that they were empty.
Speech without love is an empty irritant.
Clanging cymbal - played at the wrong time and in the wrong way.
Speaking without love is like a clanging cymbal.
Let me illustrate this.
Remember, the primary application is in the church.
Over the years, here are some of the things I’ve heard said.
“Stop holding the door open, your wasting the church’s money.”
CLANG CLANG CLANG
“The color of (insert almost anything. Nursery, stage, carpet, chairs, parsonage etc) is ugly and I don’t like it.”
CLANG CLANG CLANG
“People just need to grow in their faith, then they will realize that what I think is best.”
CLANG CLANG CLANG
Love must inform all our speech.
This love that Paul is going to be talking about through this entire section is the same love that God displayed for mankind when He sent His son to die for sin!
It is a love that goes into action, that does what is best for the person loved no matter what.
This is the love referred to when we are told that God is love!
Let’s do some secondary application.
Marriage:
“You look good since you finally did your makeup.”
CLANG CLANG CLANG
“My dad could have fixed that.”
CLANG CLANG CLANG
Parenting:
“Why do you always disobey?”
CLANG CLANG CLANG
“Do it because I said so!”
CLANG CLANG CLANG
Love should change how we talk to one another.
Ephesians 4:15
Ephesians 4:15 NKJV
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
One of the evidences of maturity is that we speak the truth in love.
How do you talk to your family members, your spouse, your neighbor, or the people in church?
Also, how do you talk about them?
We must be loving in our speech.
The love of Christ should be evident in our speech.
Repeat - Read Aloud
Is it?
I don’t want to be a clanging cymbal.
I don’t want to be empty and useless.
Love is necessary in three key areas.
Area #1. Love is necessary in conversation.
Area #2. Love is…

b. Necessary in maturity v. 2

1 Corinthians 13:2 NKJV
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Prophecy is what is referred to as a revelatory gift.
Meaning that through prophecy God revealed Himself to mankind.
Prophets proclaimed truth from God.
Sometimes this truth was about future things, sometimes it was truth for daily life.
Paul’s point here is that receiving direct revelation from God to the point that we understand everything about what God has done and why, is nothing without love.
Having the answer to every spiritual mystery, knowing everything about spiritual things.
Both of these sound incredible.
I am nerd. I would love to know all these things.
But that knowledge is nothing without love.
What about possessing incredible faith?
In Matthew 17:20 Jesus said this.
Matthew 17:20
Matthew 17:20 NKJV
20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
To move a mountain, all we need is mustard seed faith.
But that kind of faith, incredible as it may seem, is nothing if it is exercised without love!
We could understand every spiritual mystery, we could have faith like no one else, yet without love these are empty.
We are nothing.
That last phrase is very hard hitting.
“I am nothing.”
The Corinthians thought they were something.
They thought that their spiritual gifts made them important.
Without love all our usage of spiritual gifts is worthless!
It is nothing.
It has no significance whatsoever.
Love for others is what makes a difference in their lives!
That’s why Jesus said that the greatest in His kingdom is the servant of all!
We all want spiritual maturity.
Learning more, knowing more, trusting more.
These are good things.
However.
Spiritual maturity without love is empty.
It’s a clanging cymbal.
CLANG CLANG CLANG
Where there is no love, there is no real maturity.
Repeat - Read Aloud
Someone may seem like a Spiritual giant, but if they don’t love they are really a Spiritual mouse.
The thing about mice is that they ultimately end up in a trap.
Spiritual gifts exercised without love are a trap that leaves us unable to truly minister to others.
Love is necessary in three key areas.
Area #1. Love is necessary in conversation.
Area #2. Love is necessary in maturity.
Area #3. Love is…

c. Necessary in sacrifice v. 3

1 Corinthians 13:3 NKJV
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Though we can meet practical needs without love, it is worthless, pointless, and profitless.
That’s what Paul is saying here.
We live in a culture that really promotes giving to feed the poor.
We have many actors, actresses, and other rich people who go overseas and feed the poor.
The problem is that many times it is done for publicity or out of duty, not love.
Many Christians do these kinds of things either because they feel they have to, or because they want to look Spiritual.
Give everything away. Sacrifice everything, even life. It has no benefit if love is not the motivation.
This is a difficult statement.
Ultimate acts of service are of no value, no benefit without love.
We honor those who pay the ultimate price in ministry, and we should.
However, even if you die for the cause of Christ, if the foundation for that sacrifice is not love, it means nothing.
These seem like harsh words!
I gain no benefit from all these sacrifices if I don’t have love!
Why is Paul talking about profit and benefit?
The Corinthian Church wanted to have certain gifts so that others looked up to them and thought well of them.
Paul is saying that even if they had that, even if those gifts were theirs, there would be nothing gained by it because there is no love.
All the praise and glory this world has to offer is empty without love!
Love should motivate us to meet practical needs!
James tells us that faith without works is dead. Paul tells us here that works without love are dead.
If we say we know the Lord and want to serve Him than we should be ministering to people and doing so out of love!
Jesus addressed this in Matthew 6:1-2 turn there please.
Matthew 6:1-2
The reward that Jesus speaks of parallels the profit that Paul mentions.
If our ministry is built on any foundation other than love, it will fail.
Love must characterize everything done in the body of Christ.
Repeat - Read Aloud
Wow Paul. Love is really important!
These assertions beg the question, what then is love?
That brings us to our second truth this morning.
We cannot live with excellence if we do not know the truth.
Let us then consider two truths about a life of excellence.
Truth #1: A Life of Excellence Knows the Necessity of Love.
Truth #2…

2. A Life Of Excellence Knows What Love Is vv. 4-8a

One of the entertaining things about raising children is when they learn new words.
This is entertaining because they often use the biggest word they know in the mist bizarre contexts.
Recently, our youngest learned the word “annoying.”
For probably the first week of using that word, he used it totally wrong.
Food, clothes, siblings, and inanimate objects were all dubbed annoying.
You see, when we know a word, but not what it means, it is impossible to use it correctly.
This makes a very important point.
Definition is of vital importance.
We live in a culture that casually throws the word love around.
We are guilty of this as well.
We say I love you to our people, and then in the same breath talk about how we love our coffee.
We “love” our sports team, favorite outfit, brand of clothing, or that new song we just heard.
Using love in that way falls far short of what Paul is talking about here.
The Corinthian church has a problem.
The don’t have unity.
Here Paul traces the root cause of their disunity.
Where there is no love there can be no unity.
My brother Ben has shared that at the Bible school he attended there was a professor who believed that 1 Corinthians 13 is where Paul reaches the pinnacle of his frustration with the behavior of the Corinthian church.
He says that we should read this almost shouting.
What is love?
Love knows three things.
#1…

a. Love knows who matters v. 4a

1 Corinthians 13:4 (NKJV)
4 Love suffers long and is kind;
This is a statement of outward focus.
Here’s what I mean. Go with me to
Philippians 2:3-4
Now look at
Romans 12:10
Romans 12:10 NKJV
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
And finally, go to
Ephesians 4:2-3
What do these verses tell us?
God cares about how we treat one another in the body of Christ.
The attitude of love says that my brother or sister in Christ matters more than I do.
Suffers long – μακροθυμέω (makrothymeō) be patient. to be patient (enduring) v. — to be even-tempered while enduring trying circumstances. Finite verb, present, active, indicative, third person, singular.
Suffers long – μακροθυμέω (makrothymeō)
Are we patient with one another?
Even in the middle of difficult circumstances?
“I don’t like this. I don’t like that.”
It’s not about you!
It’s not about me!
The Christian life is about the glory of Christ and the good of the body!
Suffer long! Endure with patience!
That is what love does!
Husbands and wives, are we patient with one another?
Parents, are we patient with our kids?
Are we patient with our friends?
Kind – χρηστεύομαι (chrēsteuomai) be kind. to be kind (gentle) v. — to be or become warmhearted, considerate, humane, gentle, and sympathetic. Finite verb, present, either middle or passive, indicative, third person, singular.
Kind – χρηστεύομαι (chrēsteuomai)
The Corinthians church failed in both suffering long and kindness.
They took one another to court in ch. 6.
They divided over personalities in ch. 1, didn’t consider the consciences of others in chs. 8-9, and thoughtlessly ate without concern for the poor in ch. 11.
In the body of Christ here at Grace Church, are we considerate of one another?
We must place the cares and concerns of others before our own!
Let’s look at some other areas of application.
Men. Some of you are not kind to your wives.
You are not warm, gentle, and sympathetic.
All you want is for her to stop having feelings so you don’t have to deal with them.
That is a sinful attitude and you need to repent of it right now.
Ladies. Some of you are not kind to your men.
You have no sympathy for the pressures and cares he takes on.
All you want is for him to change so you can be happy.
That is a sinful attitude that you need to repent of right now.
Parents. We are not always kind to our children.
It doesn’t matter of they are little or grown and gone.
Are you gentle with them?
Do you have unrealistic and uncommunicated expectations?
Are we sympathetic?
Friendships. Are we kind?
Do we think of the needs of others first?
I think we all need to be reminded that kindness is a command.
Ephesians 4:32
Ephesians 4:32 NKJV
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Love is patient. Love is kind.
Love puts others first.
Repeat - Read Aloud
Is this the kind of love that I have? That you have?
If we asked those closest to us, what would they say?
Love knows who matters.
Secondly…

b. Love knows what to avoid vv. 4b-6a

1 Corinthians 13:4–6 (NKJV)
4 Love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity,
Love doesn’t envy.
This encompasses jealousy.
A jealous person resents every success achieved by others.
We are to celebrate the successes of others.
Are we jealous?
Or are we loving?
These are mutually exclusive.
Love doesn’t parade itself.
Boasting self-importance.
That’s the picture.
Love doesn’t plan a parade in its own honor.
Anyone here just love being around boastful people?
No?
That right there should be all the encouragement we need not to be boastful.
We are to attract people to Jesus.
Boasting repels others.
Boastfulness can kill a relationship faster than almost anything.
Love is not puffed up.
Love has no tolerance for arrogant pride.
When we are filled with pride, we feel big and important, but we look ridiculous.
Think puffer fish.
He might feel big, but he looks kind of silly.
The more puffed up we are, the more likely the chance someone comes along to deflate us.
More than that, here is God’s attitude toward the proud.
James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 both quote Prov. 3:34 and here’s what they all agree on.
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
If you are loving, you won’t think you are better than everyone else.
V. 5
Love doesn’t behave rudely.
There is no hint of indecent or disgraceful behavior.
I will never forget when a high school friend was leaving for college and we decided to take him out to dinner. The whole night he was rude to the restaurant staff, disrespectful, and arrogant. The rest of us were so embarrassed and ashamed to be seen with him.
Rude people are embarrassing.
This is not something that should characterize a believer.
Don’t be rude to anyone.
Don’t be rude to your spouse.
Don’t be rude to your children, grown or not.
Don’t be rude to your friends.
If you need help knowing if you are rude or not, ask those closest to you.
They know.
Here’s the bottom line.
A loving person acts in a way that is consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Rudeness is a stain on the reputation of Christ and His church.
REPEAT
Love does not seek its own.
ESV translates it this way, love “does not insist on its own way”.
Here’s the idea.
Am I a “what can I do for you” person. Or. Am I a “what can you do for me” person.
REPEAT
This is huge in the church context.
Are we here for what we can get, or what we can give?
Do I parent my children out of a desire for them to make me look good, or out of a desire for what is best for them?
Do I value the needs of my spouse over my own desires?
In a friendship context, am I there for others when they need me?
We need to keep this thought in mind.
My wants are secondary.
If all of us did that, everyone’s needs would be met and we would all be much happier.
Love is not provoked.
Irritable and angry people are not pleasant to be around.
Don’t be a grump!
Don’t be a jerk!
Don’t be provoked!
People are going to do things that could make you angry, choose not to be.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit we all have the capability of making this choice.
Love thinks no evil.
This is one of the few times where the NIV is actually a more literal translation.
Here’s what it says.
Love keeps no record of wrongs.
It is neither helpful nor healthy to ponder and think about all the bad things that have been done to you.
Love chooses to let it go!
Proverbs 10:12
Proverbs 10:12 NKJV
12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.
Get rid of that mental list of offenses!
Wives, do you keep a list of your husband’s faults so you can talk about them with your kids and friends?
Husbands, do you keep a list of her faults so you have “ammunition” for later?
Church people, do you keep lists of the wrongs of those around you?
STOP IT!
Show love.
V. 6
Love does not rejoice in iniquity.
What brings us joy?
We live in the midst of a culture that finds joy in sin.
This word “iniquity” has the idea of unrighteousness, injustice, and immorality.
If those are the things that bring us joy, we are not walking in love.
Our greatest joy should be found in the exaltation of Jesus Christ.
These are the ideas and behaviors that love avoids.
We could sum it up with this lesson.
Love seeks always to avoid sin.
Repeat - Read Aloud
We are to have the character of Christ.
We are to be examples for others to follow.
This is how we love and live with excellence.
Love knows who matters.
Love know what to avoid.
Finally…

c. Love knows what to do vv. 6b-8a

1 Corinthians 13:6–8 (NKJV)
6 but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails.
Love rejoices in truth.
The more our society glorifies evil, the more we should rejoice in the triumph of truth.
That is what love does.
Love is motivated by a love for truth and a desire to see truth triumph over evil.
Nothing portrays truth better than the gospel of Jesus Christ.
My heart overflows with joy when a sinner is saved by grace!
That is the ultimate triumph of truth!
One day truth will triumph completely because the One who is truth will make all things new.
Are we rejoicing in truth?
Do we rejoice in the triumph that truth has in our spouse? Our children? Our church?
Or are we too focused on faults and failures?
Do we rejoice in the successes of others or are we looking to add to the list of failures?
Are we motivated by a desire for truth?
Love bears all things.
This word means to endure something that is unpleasant or difficult.
In the Corinthian church there were a lot of behaviors that were unpleasant.
Paul is encouraging them to endure.
Love stands firm when the going gets tough.
When the church struggles, love stays.
When the marriage is hard, love stays.
When the kids rebel, speak unkindly, and ignore you, love stays.
When your friends show their faults, love stays.
Love doesn’t quit when things get rough, it endures.
It doesn’t give up just because there are some bumps in the road!
Love endures!
Love believes.
Love has faith.
This isn’t believing someone when they have given you a reason not to.
This isn’t trusting someone who has proven themselves untrustworthy.
This is giving someone the benefit of the doubt.
Are we trusting of one another?
Usually we are not, because our society has taught us to be skeptical.
Give people the benefit of the doubt, trust, believe.
Have faith that there are good times ahead.
Love hopes.
Biblically speaking hope is a confident expectation.
Love is confident in the promises and goodness of God.
We may not always be able to hope in another person.
Our hope is in the Lord.
Love teaches us to be confident that God is at work in other people even when we cannot see it, even when everyone else may say they are a lost cause!
Love doesn’t despair.
Love sees the bright side of things because it is confident in the God we serve!
Love endures.
This is different than bearing all things.
Bearing all things has to do with the fact of our endurance.
Here Paul speaks of how we endure.
Love endures with courage.
Love perseveres!
Love is courageous!
Love fights through the storms and trials of life!
Love clings to Christ our Rock!
Why? Because…
Christ alone will get us through the struggles and difficulties of life.
The picture is this, love doesn’t quit, and it doesn’t lose faith or hope.
It doesn’t waver or falter!
When we really love, we bear, believe, hope, and endure!
Turn to Romans 12:9-14.
Romans 12:9-14
Here we have pictured a love that doesn’t quit.
It clings to what is good, is kind, diligent, and serving.
It is rejoicing, patient, and steadfast.
It gives to those in need and blesses those who persecute.
True love never quits.
Don’t quit on your marriage!
Don’t quit on your family!
Don’t quit on your friends!
Don’t quit on your church!
True love never quits.
Love never fails.
Never is a temporal adverb.
That is significant because it means this.
At no time in the past, present, or future has love ever failed.
Fails – ἐκπίπτω (ekpiptō) fall; fall off. to fall (suffer ruin) v. — to suffer defeat, failure, or ruin. Verb, present, active, indicative, third person, singular.
Fails – ἐκπίπτω (ekpiptō)
Love never fails because love is a choice.
Love never fails because God is love.
Love never fails because God never fails!
Love never fails because we will dwell in the Love of God for eternity.
It is true that love is something that you feel.
However, you can choose to love even when you don’t feel it.
If you choose to love no matter what, you will never “fall out” of love.
It will be impossible!
Everything that Paul has talked about requires choice.
You choose to speak with love, believe with love, and meet needs with love.
You choose to love in action, attitude and motivation.
And you choose to love and never quit!
God chose to love us when we were enemies!
Sinners cut off from Him and yet He loved us because He chose to!
I am so thankful that God didn’t “fall out” of love with me!
He has chosen to love me imperfect though I am because one day He will make me perfect!
When we love with God’s love it means we choose to love.
Choose to love your spouse even when they don’t meet your standards or expectations.
Choose to love your children even when they disappoint.
Choose to love your friends even in the hard times.
Choose to love your church family even when they let you down.
Love is a choice - so choose to love.
When all else fades, love remains.
This is how we live with excellence.
We choose love.

Conclusion

It is impossible to live a life of excellence if we are not loving.
A life of excellence is a life of love.
Love transforms us.
It changes our attitudes, our actions and our motivation.
What Paul makes clear here is that love should change every relationship that we have.
We have made application throughout the message today.
Let me summarize it like this.
Love your brothers and sisters in Christ.
This doesn’t mean enabling sin. Gal. 6:1 is clear that we confront it.
It does mean that we put up with the quirks and inconveniences.
Love your friends.
Don’t just take in relationships. Give as well.
Love your children.
They need more than your words. They need your time and attention.
If you need to make something right, remember that love is not proud.
Love your spouse.
They are not perfect and neither are you.
Love is not given only when someone meets your standard.
Love is given because God has called us to love.
He loved us when we were unlovely.
We can do no less.
COMMITMENT:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
To leave a legacy when you are gone, love well.
To make a difference in the lives of others, love well.
To have peace, joy, and fulfillment, love well.
To live a life of excellence, love well.
Let us love with the genuine, uncompromising, and unconditional love of Jesus.
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