AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

INTRODUCTION:

A. Well, if you don’t know it, your in trouble already because yesterday was Valentines Day

1. You know that day in which we market – LOVE!

2. I saw a TV commercial Monday – they had all you could want or need for your lover

a. Boxed Chocolate

b. Cards

c. Stuffed Animals

d. Cups, pencils, balloons, jewelry, electronics, power tools.

3. Everything that says I love you.

4. Well, everything accept a vehicle, and then there was a commercial that said they could do that as well.

5. I got a gift, it must be the real thing!

B. What about words to say I love you?

1. Something like Elisabeth Barrett Browning’s poem from Sonnets from the Portuguese titled “How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

2. What beautiful words it must be the real thing

C. Well either of these, things or word, may or may not be a real expression of our love, its kind of hard to tell but I know where to get an idea of the real thing!

1. 1 Corinthians chapter 13 – that famous chapter on love

2. Probably the most read piece of literature at weddings in the Western Hemisphere.

3. Yet, truth if it was ever heard!

D. Do we truly love our spouses? Children? Others?

1. I put to you this morning, a real Valentines gift will not take the form of something we can buy or say – our True Valentines Gift will be seen in the way we love them day to day.

2. As we experience God’s love, we will manifest that love towards others

3. Our understanding of how that should look will not come from within us, or from the great poets, or from the TV marketers, but from God and His word.

4. And so this morning I thought we would take a look at Love – An Expression Of Love from God’s perspective.

5. Here we see the True Valentines Gift – Love!

E. Here Is What We Need To Know About Our Expression Of Love:

1. Love’s Essentiality

2. Love Is…

3. Love Is Not…

4. Love’s Supremacy

F. May each of us have an Expression Of Love that looks like God’s gift of love to us!

PRAY

We begin this morning by looking at

I. LOVE’S ESSENTIALITY, 1 Cor. 13:1-3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. [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, and have not charity, I am nothing. [3] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

A. In this particular passage Paul is speaking to the church at Corinth about how they are to treat one another

1. In particular he was dealing with spiritual gifts – they were boasting of their individual gifts and trying to elevate one gift above another.

2. They were trying to position themselves in order of importance – they were not thinking about each other, just themselves

3. It was this problem that brings about the words we find in this chapter.

4. The Apostle Paul elevates Love and shows Love’s Essentiality in all things.

5. He states love is more essential than speaking in tongues, prophecy, understanding of mysteries, and knowledge

6. Not that any of these things were bad, in and of themselves, but they were not to be elevated above love

B. Folks, love, the true expression of love, is the greatest single thing we can have and express.

1. God’s character is that of love – John stated God is Love! 1 John 4:8

2. God expressed that love as recorded in John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

3. God expects us to love one another, This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12

4. Love is essential to al things good and godly.

Now true love is not expressed in gifts or words but by action, for you see

II. LOVE IS….

A. Patient & love is kind, (v. 4)

1. This means that love is long-suffering

2. The Greek word was used almost exclusively of being patient with people rather than situations or circumstances.

3. Hence its connection to kindness

4. The love God is speaking about here is others centered rather than self centered.

5. Being kind is a partner to patience: Patience takes a lot form others while kindness gives a lot to others.

a. To be kind means to be useful, serving and gracious

b. In other words it works for another’s good

B. Love rejoices in truth, (v. 6)

1. The truth spoken of here is not primarily factual truth, but God’s truth – it is set apposed to rejoicing in iniquity

2. Truth, so called, is not so when it is in opposition to God’s truth

3. Love rejoices in the truth that lines up with scripture

C. Then there is a string of descriptors in verse 7, Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

1. “Beareth all things” - The idea of “beareth” comes from the Greek word stego which means to protect or cover – it covers the object of its love with with support and never gives up.

2. “Believeth all things” – thinking something to be true or trusted – it is not suspicious or cynical

- Another way to think of this is that love looks for the best in all, especially when a sin has been forgiven

3. Hopeth all things” – John MacArthur writes, “Even when belief in a loved one’s goodness or repentance is shattered, love still hopes. When it runs out of faith it holds to hope. A long as God’s grace is operative human failure is never final.”

4. And then “Endureth all things”

a. The Greek word is a military term used of an army’s hold on a vital position of which they are determined to keep at any and all cost.

b. When everything else fails (v. 8) – love keeps on loving!

D. And in all these things Jesus Christ is our example – He showed love as no one else could have and has placed within the Christian His spirit to give us the strength to show that type of love, as well.

Now please note what

III. LOVE IS NOT…., 1 Cor. 13:4-6 …charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, [5] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; [6] Rejoiceth not in iniquity,…

A. Many of these are expressed in the world’s idea of love and they justify them anytime they have too.

1. Love Envieth Not - it does not desire another’s success, gifts, talents, possessions, or friends: it does not feel ill towards those who have them, but rather rejoices for them.

2. “ Vaunteth not itself” – it is not proud, in other words it does not focus on self – it looks out for others: it does not say, “Look at all I do for you – why don’t you do more for me.”

3. “Is not puffed up” – it is not arrogant: The Corinthians thought they had arrived, so to speak – perfect.

- If I may, let me interject something here: Pride and arrogance breed contention, God said in Prov 8:13, pride and arrogance…do I hate.

4. “Doth not behave itself unseemly” - Other descriptors might be: rude, disgraceful, or ill-mannered

- It is speaking about behavior – how it acts and interacts

5. “Seeketh not her own” – it is not interested in its own desires or even needs but centers on the object of love – it does not behave rudely to get what it wants!

6. “Not easily provoked” - when true love in action it will take a lot to provoke displeasure – it will take more than a slight of affection or empty word to make instigate anger

- The Greek word means to arouse anger and is the root for our English word pār'ək-sĭz'əm which describes a sudden outburst of emotion or action.

7. “Thinketh no evil” - The Greek word is a financial term meaning to calculate or figure and can be seen in two different ways

a. Love does not keep a ledger of what one has committed and does not use that ledger to list all that happened in the past

b. Nor does love try to figure out how to get back or even with someone for what they have done.

8. Finally, Love does not “Rejoice In Iniquity” Love never takes satisfaction in sin, one’s own or someone else’s.

- It, therefore, does not try to blame others for sin committed “I did this because… therefore its your fault.

B. It amazes me how many times we say we love someone yet we are doing just the opposite of what love does

1. It would do us well to examine our lives, actions and motives

2. Do we really love?

This question bring us to the last point that needs to be made,

IV. LOVE IS SUPREME, 1 Cor. 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

A. The supremacy of love is found in the fact that it is eternal – remember God is love.

1. Faith shall one day become sight as we stand before our heavenly Father

2. Hope will become reality when we stand in the eternal kingdom of our God

3. But love will endure for all eternity: Our God will love us and we will love Him!

B. Love is supreme!

1. Hence Paul encouraged the Christians in Corinth to love one another

2. To bath each other in love

3. To forgive with love

4. To act in love

5. Love each other so the world will see that they were the children of GOD!

CONCLUSION: In closing

A. If we truly want to give an Expression Of Love

1. Its okay to give gifts and say words, but more than that we must DO love as shown to us by God and our Savior Jesus Christ!

2. He is the perfect example – and to be sure a very high standard

3. But we can strive to do no less!

B. In his commentary on 1 Corinthians John MacArthur states, The loveless person produces nothing, is nothing, and gains nothing.

1. What a sad testimony that would be for a child of God

2. Lets endeavor to love as Christ would have us too

3. Lets be an extreme Expression of Love!