Love in Action

2019-03-03

Key Verses:
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love.

1. Be Ready

  • “Watch…” (vs 13a)
  • This statement is given Paul as a reminder to those in Corinth, and us, to be ever mindful of the sudden return of Christ
  • When we keep our eyes fixed on Christ’s return, it will keep our hearts fixed on the mission we’ve been given
    • 1 Thess 5:6 – (NLT) So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded
  • When we keep our eyes fixed on Christ’s return, it will keep our hearts fixed on being more like Him
    • 1 John 3:2-3 (NLT) Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

2. Be Right

  • “…stand fast in the faith…” (vs13b)
  • Paul wanted to encourage the church at Corinth to stay committed to the doctrines of God’s Word, not the world’s idea of what’s right
    • 4:1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord.
  • “False doctrines lead to loose morals, and Paul wants them to tie their conduct to their beliefs.[1]”

[1]Staton, K. (1987). First Corinthians: Unlocking the Scriptures for You(p. 266). Cincinnati, OH: Standard.

3. Be Tough

  • “…be brave, be strong…” (vs 13c)
  • Andrizomai(ahn-DRID-zo-my) – “to show one’s self a man”
  • Paul was literally calling them to “be a man” (KJV, NKJV, ESV, CSB)
  • In today’s culture, men are either viewed as bullies or babies but God wants us to be men shaped the Word of God
    • 2 Sam. 10:12 Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.
    • 1 Cor. 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.
  • 1 Timothy 3 gives us a great view of what a Godly man is supposed to be. While this passage gives us the prerequisites for leading in the church, it is also a great list of leading in life
    • 1 Timothy 3:2 (NLT) So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation….

 

4. Be Tender

  • “Let all that you do be done with love.” (vs 14)
  • When we have a genuine, Godly love for others; it will define how we will act and treat others
    • 1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV) And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins”

 

1 Kings 2:1-4 (NLT) As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon: 2 “I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man. 3 Observe the requirements of the Lordyour God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. 4 If you do this, then the Lordwill keep the promise he made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’

 

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