February 17, 2019

And the Greatest of these is Love – Part 1
February 17, 2019
Pastor Jonathan Falwell

 

Open:

The world, Hollywood, and movies or TV are all trying to re-define “love” to be consistent with whatever they are seeking to justify in any given set of circumstances. How would you define love? Does your definition differ than you would have described it many years ago?

Recently we’ve been looking at God’s plan for our lives as we seek to obey Him in love. If we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and spirit, and love our neighbor more than we love ourselves, we certainly need to understand what God means by “love.” Today we’re going to hear the first part of a 2-part sermon on love, examining 1 Corinthians 13, inspecting each word to see what God expects from us, and how we are to represent it.

Focal Passage: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.

 

Discuss:

Love is patient and kind:

  • Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 and Matthew 7: 21-23. What is the common thread between these two passages? What is lacking in both? What does this teach us?
  • Read 1 Cor. 13:4. What relationships are you to be patient and kind in?

Give the group time to answer. Did anyone list “enemies”? Why should it have been listed?

  • Why do most of us struggle to be patient and kind? Can they be separated? Why do they act as a team? Will someone give an example?
  • What is the biggest attribute that patience requires? What was the meaning of the original language when it referred to patience? How is that different from the meaning today?
  • Read James 2:15-16. What was lacking in the person who said, “Be warm and be filled!” and went on about his life? Was this kindness? Love?
  • How can one change an outcome by showing kindness? Most of us will say we want to be like Jesus Christ. As the crowds of ordinary people gathered around Him, what qualities did He always show?

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude

  • What do you immediately see as a common thread underlying all four of these attitudes? Who are they all focused on? Where should our focus be?
  • How does jealousy (or envy) begin? How can you quench it when you first detect it? What is the best way to rid yourself of jealousy?
  • How can you detect pride within yourself? What should you do immediately?
  • How do you react when someone is out-and-out rude? How can you respond without being similarly rude?
  • Read Phil. 2:3-8. How are jealousy, boastfulness, pride or rudeness the opposite of what Jesus Christ was like?
  • Why are these four negative traits not to be tolerated in a Christ-follower?

 

Close:

Nearly everyone is familiar with the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians—mainly because we pull verses out to use them when someone in our relationships causes an offense! But God has given us some incredible “meat” to chew on with these qualities. Some should never be found in a mature Christian, others will be a work-in-progress until the day we draw our last breath.

Paul immediately lays out the walk of a Christian as being a heart-condition, rather than external works (which make men Pharisees). Activities done—even in the name of Jesus—without love, are nothing but “civil good,” able to be done by anyone. The same theme is in Matthew, as used in bullet 1. Works will always be seen by men, but the motivator that is acceptable to God is a heart full of love.

Once Paul starts down the road of defining love, there is no room for excuses or weak synonyms. Love IS…., and love is NOT. None of these are natural to our flesh: they are disciplined qualities that the soul sold out to God learns to use to bring Him glory and honor. There are probably few people reading this who can honestly say they are always patient and kind, but never (or seldom) jealous of others, boastful, proud or rude. Most of us fall at least once a day in any of these areas, and probably more often. We want to keep the pathway to     1 John 1:9 wide open, able to run to the Father’s arms and throw ourselves on His mercy and forgiveness, letting Him clean us up from the stains of the world, ready to return to the ministry He has given us. Make it a goal this year to learn the characteristics of love, putting them into practice where it is the hardest (your home? Your job?). Bringing God glory and enjoying Him forever is the first calling of a Christ-follower.

KEY VERSE: And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”   1 Cor. 13:13.