Real
Love
1Corinthians
13: 4-8
“A new command I give you:…” John 13:34
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the
continuing debt to love another.. Romans 13:8
“What
the world needs now is love, sweet love…not just for some , but everyone.”
If love offered was always returned there would
be enough to go around.
Love is not always returned. Sometimes we redefine
it to fit our own interests.
“Love
Is A Many Splendored Thing”
Love means different things to different people.
We all use the word in various ways. A word which can mean so many different
things can end up meaning nothing at all or lead us to assume that because love
is so unpredictable , there are more important things to think about.
1Corinthians
13:1-3
These word were written to people who knew:
Ÿ
The importance of personal commitment and
sacrifice.
Ÿ
The importance of faith, knowledge, spiritual
gifts, strong leaders and inspiring messages.
Problem: Looked out for their own
interest and lost sight of the goal of their faith and knowledge.
It is possible to study the Scriptures and pursue
the gifts of the Holy Spirit while missing the heart and mind of God.
Without love, our words are noise,
our spiritual gifts amount to nothing, and our greatest sacrifices lose their
meaning.
Corinth
-A City In Need Of Real Love
Ÿ
Morally decadent culture
Ÿ
Commercial prosperity/materialism
Ÿ
Sexually oriented religion
Ÿ
Culture base on personal pleasure
Ÿ
Church began to reflect the conditions of its
environment
Paul’s first letter to Corinth:
Ÿ
Divisions in the family of God (chapters 1-3)
Ÿ
Pride and spiritual arrogance (chapter 4)
Ÿ
Sexual promiscuity (chapter 5)
Ÿ
Lawsuits between believers (chapter 6)
Ÿ
Troubled marriages (chapter 7)
Ÿ
Abuse of spiritual liberty (chapters 8-10)
Ÿ
Confusion of gender roles (chapter 11)
Ÿ
Abuse of the Lord’s table (chapter 11)
Ÿ
Misuse of spiritual gifts (chapters 12,14)
Ÿ
Neglect of doctrinal basics (chapter 15)
All of their eloquent arguments and speeches and
right doctrine and expressions of faith and sacrificial living would actually drive
others away if they didn’t rediscover the real meaning of love.
If
love could change lives in Corinth, love can change live anywhere.
It is possible to have the Spirit living in us,
without caring the way he does for the people in our lives. It is also possible
to see clearly how people are wrong, without seeing that without love we are
not right either.
Not meant to knock us down or condemn us. Meant
to lift us up. Must not let the failure of our relationships and attitudes ruin
our reputation. We can’t let arguments over our own interests reflect poorly on
the credibility of Jesus.
“People
won’t care much about what we know until they see how much we care.”
Without the love of Christ compelling us:
Ÿ
Evangelism becomes judgmental.
Ÿ
Doctrinal purity become pharisaical.
Ÿ
Personal commitment becomes self-righteous.
Ÿ
Worship becomes routine and mindless.
Ÿ
Bible study becomes proud intellectualism.
Ÿ
Service to others becomes tiring obligation.
We can get so full of ourselves, we must allow
the lord to empty us of those things
that are ruining us. We must examine our lives and follow Christ more closely.
He is offering to change us from the inside out. To lift us above our own
natural way and to a work in us that we could never do for ourselves. Must
submit our lives to the Lord and His truth so that He can produce the real love
described by Paul.
Real
love is….
Ÿ
Patient. Slow
to become resentful. It does not retaliate in kind, or seek to get even. It
does not embrace bitterness, but patiently loves, even when experiencing
serious heartache.
Ÿ
Kind. It seeks the welfare
of the one loved. It is gracious. It encourages the good in another person. It
brings out the best rather than the worst in the loved one. (truth and patience
expressed without kindness in not loving)
Ÿ
Does not envy. It
does not resent the blessings, successes, or well-being of another. We can be
disappointed for ourselves and still love others-if we have learned to trust in
God.
Ÿ
Does not boast. It does not push itself into
the spotlight. “let another man praise you, and not your own mouth” (Proverbs
27:2).
Ÿ
Is not proud. Arrogance
can make us unwilling to receive help from others and make us insensitive to
those who need us. Will listen only for the echo of our own voice and look only
for our own interests. Our prayers?
Ÿ
Is not rude. It
will never make inappropriate demands of others. Never ask or pressure others
to prove love by doing something wrong.
Ÿ
Is not selfish. It
does not seek its own interest. (Philippians 2:1-4). Will have oneness in
church, marriages and relationships when we look not only to our own interests,
but also for the interests of others. Real love puts the needs of others ahead
of our own.
Ÿ
Not easily angered. It does not have a short
fuse. Not touchy or irritable. Anger can be expressed in love and without sin.
Ÿ
Does not keep records of wrongs. Does
not keep records with the intent of getting even. It does not hold bitter
grudges and longstanding resentments.
Ÿ
Does not delight in evil. It
does not find pleasure or delight in anything God says is wrong, or take secret
satisfaction in the moral failures of others. It does not keep secrets that
need to be exposed. Does not gossip.
Ÿ
Rejoices in the truth. What we believe and what we do. Truth vs.
deception. All immorality is rooted in a misbelief about reality.
Ÿ
Bears all things. It
bears up and continues to work or the good of others regardless of what
happens. It never stops caring and never stops offering a place of forgiveness.
Ÿ
Never gives up. Our faith in God’s grace
means we can believe that human failures aren’t final. “My hope is in you”
(Psalm 39:7)
Always
Perseveres. It does
not give up, quit, or walk away. It says “the goal is worth it.” How we respond
to life in general when things don’t go our way.
Love
never Fails
Real love is a survivor, because I finds its
source and life in Christ. It can endure anything. Love that reflects the heart
of Christ is real love.