Praying with Paul: Love and Prayer
Praying with Paul • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
Tonight, we will continue [Praying with Paul] and the title of my message is [Love and Prayer].
We live in an age of society that confuses love. It cheapens love. It misrepresents love. It minimizes love. It misplaces love. It misunderstands love. It devalues love. Because it does not understand true love.
The word love has become thrown around so much that for many it has lost its meaning.
I have a friend, who is now married, but before he got married he told every girl he dated that he loved her. Needless to say the girl was generally broken hearted when the relationship ended.
I once asked him, did you love her? He answered, no. I then questioned, why in the world did you say you did? His response, it just seemed like the right thing to say.
With such cultural misunderstandings of love, Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13 are necessary to study.
God’s love differs from what the world has to offer. We can throw around the word love, but God knows the difference. Furthermore, we can say we love God and we love each other, but God knows the truth.
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
In the English, we see one word for love, but in the original language, the word love had many meanings.
Two of the common definitions:
Phileo— to like, be fond of, care for
Agape— deep, abiding, self-sacrificing love.
When it comes to God, are we fond of Him or do we have self-sacrificing love for Him?
God is not interested in deep affection for Him, He wants complete devotion.
To attain this type of live, we need to spend time with God in prayer. To have true love for each other, we need time in God’s presence.
Let’s look at three attributes of love, [Love is Important], [Love is Impeccable], and [Love is Indestructible].
Let’s begin
1. Love is Important
1. Love is Important
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging 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, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
It is necessary to look at this chapter within the context of 1 Corinthians.
First, we should remember that the Corinthians were saved, but they were also struggling with carnality. They were boastful, argumentative, overly competitive, jealous, and spiritually immature.
In nearly every chapter, Paul has to address of their seriously flawed issues. Their lack of true love shined through in 1 Corinthians 11-12.
They misused the Lord’s Supper to show off their wealth and important.
They misused the Gifts of the Spirit to show who was spiritually superior.
Therefore, Paul had to address their flawed concept of love in order to help them be the people God called them to become.
He goes through a number of the gifts of the Spirit and shows the importance of love.
Speaking in tongues/gifts of tongues without love is useless. It is like a crashing symbol. People would worship one of the false gods of the time by using cymbals.
Paul is comparing those who speak in tongues but are hateful to those who worship pagans.
Prophecy means very little if we do not have love.
The word of knowledge means nothing without love.
The gift of faith is useless without love.
Even being generous with our resources and time mean nothing without love. We have to have the love of God in our lives.
Paul shows that the very gifts that the Corinthians used the boast of their spiritual superiority meant nothing without love.
People of the Spirit will be people of love.
Love is important.
2. Love is Impeccable
2. Love is Impeccable
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Impeccable is defined, in accordance with the highest standards of propriety; faultless.
When I hear the word impeccable, I imagine someone who is dressed impeccably. They type of person who does not have a hair out of place, their clothes are ironed, shoes shined, and everything in order.
God’s love is impeccable. It reveals His faultless nature toward us and the highest standards in our dealings.
Notice how love brings about impeccable relationships with each other. Wouldn’t life be great if there was an absence of impatience, unkindness, and jealousy?
How many people have faced hurt because someone acted unloving toward them?
Personally, life would be better if we truly had love.
How many people have been:
arrogant
boastful
proud
rude
self-serving
because they didn’t truly know the love of God.
We also should get to the point where we love God so much that we hate every form of sin. Not being easily provoked to anger, never celebrating when something bad happens to someone else.
True love can endure anything and make it through everything. Paul gives an example of the impeccability of love.
Experiencing the perfect love of God will change every part of our lives.
Paul shows us how love should look. Love is important, love is impeccable, and...
3. Love is Indestructible
3. Love is Indestructible
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
Look at those three words, love never fails. God’s love will never end, it will never run out, it will last forever.
Going back to the gifts of the Spirit, which is the context of this chapter, Paul shows us that much of what we value as Spirit-filled believers will eventually end.
There will come a day when we will not need prophecy.
Eventually, people will not need to speak in tongues.
Words of knowledge will not be necessary.
When will this take place?
When that which is perfect has come.
I have heard 1 Corinthians 13:10 used as the basis for arguing that tongues and prophecy ceased. People have claimed that which is perfect came when Scripture was completed.
I hear that and think, look at our world, it is not very perfect. That which is perfect will come in the clouds, returning for His church. When Jesus comes, we will not need the gifts of the Spirit for we will be with Jesus.
Until Jesus returns, we need the Gifts, but we also need love.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
Notice how Paul compares those who lack of love to a child. God wants us to put away childish selfishness that loves us above anyone and everyone else and experience the love of God.
When we have the love of God in our lives, nothing will stop us!
Close:
Love. It never fails. Why?
As I wrote this message I thought, this is good, God’s love is important, impeccable, and indestructible.
Then I wondered, HOW can I experience this love and show this love?
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
— God is love.
Remember, when we know the Lord, we have experienced the Love of God. If God is love and God showed His love by sending Jesus, let’s reread 1 Corinthians replacing love with Jesus.
1 Corinthians 13 (NKJV)
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not Jesus, I have become sounding brass or a clanging 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, but have not Jesus, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not Jesus, it profits me nothing.
4 Jesus suffers long and is kind; Jesus does not envy; Jesus does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Jesus never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, Jesus, these three; but the greatest of these is Jesus.
How do we show the love of God?
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
As we pray in the Spirit, we will fall more in love with Jesus.