One: More Excellent way 1 Corinthians 13 Introduction Telling Joey that I still get Netflix sent to my house. Main Point: He thought that was so funny, and introduced me to a thing called streaming. Who would have known. Streaming a more excellent way. Transition: Sandwiched between the body and the churches different gifts, and instructions on the gift of tongues, is this critical passage to our thinking, understanding and working together in church life. It is the passage most often read at weddings. Some consider this the most beautiful passage ever written by the Apostle Paul. In the context of a broken, dysfunctional church this passage stands out like a wonderful oasis that is a gentle reminder of 1
the character of our God. In fact, the simplest description of our God May be God is Love. (1 John 4:16), and as Christians we should be growing to be more like God and so our character should be reflecting more and more the love of God. Before we unpack and ponder the chapter on love we need to be reminded that the context. Spiritual gifts were being elevated, causing divisions, and disunifying the church body so Paul says this to conclude chapter 12 1 Corinthians 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. (ESV) Transition: So Paul is saying I. Love trumps gifts. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong 2
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. (ESV) A. Paul is using hyperbole: Extreme exaggeration to make a point. 1. I am not convinced this is commentary on tongues. (V. 1) 2. The idea here is if we could speak with all the languages of heaven and of earth But we do not love, we are simply making a noise. 3. Hyperbole continues with knowing everything, faith so strong as to do the unthinkable but do not have love, we have nothing. B. Personal sacrifice without love gains nothing. 3
Illustration: I always wonder how my faith would hold up under extreme pressure. The Apostle Paul in prison, Steven being stoned to death, Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego. How would I stack up in those moments? Main Point: Yet, all of that sacrifice without love for God and others means nothing. Nothing. I think about his in regards to CCC. I mean many, many people made some tremendous sacrifices to be in this building. I am planning this fall to put some vision in front of us as a church body. Where we are hoping to grow and continue to expand the ministry of Coastal for the fame of Jesus Christ. But without love. If we do not love God, and love each other, it is for nothing!!! Transition: So Paul defines love: II. Love Defined. 4
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 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. 8 Love never ends. (ESV) A. Patient: Long suffering, or long tempered. B. Kind: Goodness towards others. C. Does not envy: Do you celebrate when someone else does well, especially at something you were hoping to accomplish. D. Does not boast: Literally not a wind bag, does not parade your own accomplishments. E. Not arrogant: some have said, Arrogance is big headed, love is big hearted. 5
F. Not rude: Literally: Not according to proper form. In other words, not bad manners. G. Not insistent on its own way: Selfassertiveness. H. Not irritable: Not aroused to anger, or with sudden outburst of emotion. Not touchy. I. Not resentful: Keeps no record of wrong. Bookkeeping term, like a ledger. Illustration: Counseling appointment where I took a calendar and asked the person to circle the date they wanted to let go of their spouses past mistakes and give them a fresh start. J. Does not rejoice at wrongdoing: Mourning sin. Illustration: Man caught in adultery mourn this sin not celebrate it (1 Corinthians 5:2) 6
K. Rejoices with the truth: At the heart of Christianity is the idea that it is true. God s word is truth, that Jesus Christ is truth. We rejoice with the truth. Now the positives of love: L. Bears all things: Covers a weakness. Illustration: When someone comes to me and complains about a weakness of a staff member at CCC, sometimes I look at them and say, Yep you nailed them. That s their weakness. Now what? Should I fire them, or should we love them. I know my staff and Elders do the same for me. Nobody is perfect and love bears with one another. BTW: This isn t covering up sin, or unrighteousness, or abuse, or living in the shadows. This is in the context of righteousness. M. Believes all things. 7
Illustration: This is not being gullible. But it is not being unnecessarily suspicious or cynical. Being eager to believe the best of others. Love is a harbor of trust. This was the sin of the Pharisees against Jesus in Luke 5:21 when Jesus forgives the paralyzed man sin. They immediately believe the worst. Or Matthew 12:24 where they accused Jesus of casting out demons because he was the prince of demons. Believing the worst. This what I hate about American politics. If the person you did not vote for is in office, our tendency is to believe the worst about that person, including their motives. N. Hopes in all things: hoping for the repentance of others when they have sinned against us. Eager to offer forgiveness when someone sins against us. O. Endures all things: Military term, To hold a vital position at all costs. 8
Finally: Willing to endure hardship for the things listed above. P. Love never ends: there is a permanency to love. (Never use the D word in a marriage argument My wife and I have never, ever, ever said that to one another which gives incredible freedom for both of us to be human, make mistakes in the safe confines of permanency.) Two things I enjoy doing with this passage: Replace the word love with my name, and then replace the word love with Christ s name. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 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, 9
but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. (ESV) 1. My name reminds me of my failure the mirror of the law. 2. Christ s name Reminds me how much I love and worship Christ. Transition: Paul now reminds that all the things that the Corinthian church was being divided over are lesser things. 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 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; 10
then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (ESV) Right now, we see III. Partially and dimly. A. There will be a cessation of gifts. 1. The things this church was clamoring for were of short duration. 2. The gifting that they were bragging about and divided over were to serve the church for a season. 3. The next chapter on tongues- is a rebuke, not an exhortation. 4. Corinthians were focusing on the wrong thing tongues a temporary thing, while love is what will last. Paul is literally encouraging this church to stop acting elementary and to B. Time to grow up. 1. They are being encouraged to be heavenly minded. 11
2. When the perfect comes lots of debate over this but I think it means when Christ returns and His plans for eternity are carried out. 3. We will see that the greater things were not fussing over various spiritual gifts, but rather the focus of this church should have been on the greater things. 4. And ultimately the greatest of things IV. Faith, hope and love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (ESV) A. Faith and hope are encompassed in love. 1. Love believes all things. 2. Love hopes all things. 12
B. Love is the greatest of these 3 great truths. Conclusion We can have a lot of great things at Coastal. We have great location. We have some great ministries. We can have our theology perfect. Next week some of you will agree with everything I say (Unlikely). Some of you will agree with some of what I say. Some of you will disagree with much of what I say. Some of you will disagree with everything I say. But if we do not have love, we have nothing. Love for God, and love for each other is how the world will know we are followers of Jesus Christ. John 13:34-35 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 13
disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV) My prayer is that we would be a church, that our families would be dominated by, that our ministries would ooze. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 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. 8 Love never ends. (ESV) 14