Love Is Most Important

Dr. George Bannister

Woodville Baptist Church

The Letters to the Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

1 Corinthians 13:1–13

Love

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Genuine love is defined in scripture and is to be reflected in the disciple's life.

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Transcript

Love Is Most Important

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Corinthians 13:1–13 (NLT)

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!

10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

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.

12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

INTRODUCTION:

We are entering the time of year in which love is celebrated. For the next couple of weeks, we are going to be taking a closer look at the biblical concept of love.

I- DEMONSTRATING LOVE TRUMPS ABILITIES. (1 Cor. 13:1-3).

A. Without love, languages fail to communicate. (1 Cor. 13:1).

1 Corinthians 13:1 (NLT)

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαλῶ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, γέγονα χαλκὸς ἠχῶν ἢ κύμβαλον ἀλαλάζον.

1. What kind of talk (γλώσσαις)?

a. Worldly talk (ἀνθρώπων = Men)

b. Heavenly talk (ἀγγέλων = Angels)

2. The analogy:

a. “Sounding brass”= χαλκὸς ἠχῶν (LIT. “the sound of echoing brass)

b. “Clanging cymbal” = κύμβαλον ἀλαλάζον = a clanging cymbal, (a hollow basin of brass, producing sound when struck together - a musical sound)

B. Without love, possessing and communicating knowledge becomes worthless. (1 Cor. 13:2) .

1 Corinthians 13:2 NLT

καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω προφητείαν καὶ εἰδῶ τὰ μυστήρια πάντα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω πᾶσαν τὴν πίστιν ὥστε ὄρη μεθιστάναι, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐθέν εἰμι.

1. Great ability or giftedness does not produce a worthwhile life.

a. Note the giftedness discussed:

1) Prophecy: the ability to communicate the message of God.

2) Understanding of great mysteries (μυστήρια πάντα = all mysteries)

3) Great knowledge (πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν = ‘knowledge, what is known. ) Lit. all knowledge.

(1 Cor. 8:1)

1 Corinthians 8:1 (NLT)

1 Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.

4) Ultimate faith (πᾶσαν τὴν πίστιν ὥστε = possess all faith)

b. Note the verdict:

1) “οὐθέν εἰμι”= “I am nothing”

C. Without love, good works avail nothing (1 Cor. 13:3).

1 Corinthians 13:3 (NLT)

3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

καὶ ἐὰν ψωμίσω πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μου, καὶ ἐὰν παραδῶ τὸ σῶμά μου, ἵνα καυθήσομαι, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦμαι.

1. Self-sacrifice, by itself accomplishes nothing.

a. Notice the self sacrificial acts discussed:

1) Expending all possessions to feed the poor.

(ἐὰν ψωμίσω πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μου)

2) Sacrifice of own life for religion.

ἐὰν παραδῶ τὸ σῶμά = if I surrender my body

2. Actions without love are worthless.

ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦμαι = without love I am nothing (οὐδὲν = no one, none, nothing)

II. LOVE REFLECTS A TRANSFORMED CHARACTER . (1 Cor. 13:4-8)

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NLT)

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

A. Love reflects a character that has been transformed by Christ . (1 Cor. 13:4-8)

1- Selfless, rather than self-centered. (1 Cor. 13:4-5)

1 Corinthians 13:4–5 (NLT)

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

4 Ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ, χρηστεύεται ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐ ζηλοῖ ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐ περπερεύεται, οὐ φυσιοῦται,

5 οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παροξύνεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν,

patient = μακροθυμεῖ = to demonstrate patience despite difficulties—‘to be patient, to remain patient, to wait patiently.’

kind = χρηστεύεται = to provide something beneficial for someone as an act of kindness—‘to act kindly, to be kind, kindness.’

not jealous = οὐ ζηλοῖ = to experience strong envy and resentment against someone—‘to be jealous, to be envious.

not boastful = οὐ περπερεύεται = to praise oneself excessively—‘to be a braggart, to brag.

not proud = οὐ φυσιοῦται = to cause someone to be proud, arrogant, or haughty—‘to make proud, to make arrogant, to make haughty.’

not rude = οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ = to act in defiance of social and moral standards, with resulting disgrace, embarrassment, and shame—‘to act shamefully, indecent behavior, shameful deed.

does not demand its own way = οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς

not irritable = οὐ παροξύνεται = to be provoked or upset at someone or something involving severe emotional concern—‘to be provoked, to be upset.’

keeps no record of being wronged = οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν, = λογίζεται - to keep a mental record of events for the sake of some future action—‘to keep a record, to remember, to bear in mind. κακόν - pertaining to having experienced harm—‘harmed, harm, injured.’

2- Seeks to rectify injustice rather than reflecting or ignoring it. (1 Corinthians 13:6)

1 Corinthians 13:6 (NLT)

6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

“οὐ χαίρει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ, συγχαίρει δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ·”

3- Stands strong in commitment against all odds. (1 Cor. 13:7-8)

1 Corinthians 13:7–8 (NLT)

7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

7 πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ἐλπίζει, πάντα ὑπομένει.

8 Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει. εἴτε δὲ προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται· εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται· εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται.

love never gives up (πάντα = always) (στέγει, = to put up with annoyance or difficulty—‘to put up with, to endure.)

never loses faith (πάντα = always) (πιστεύει = to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance—‘to believe in, to have confidence in, to have faith in, to trust, faith, trust.’)

is always hopeful (πάντα = always) (ἐλπίζει = to look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial—‘to hope, to hope for, hope.’)

endures through every circumstance (πάντα = always) (ὑπομένει = to continue to bear up despite difficulty and suffering—‘to endure, to bear up, to demonstrate endurance, to put up with.’)

Prophecies will cease (εἴτε δὲ προφητεῖαι καταργηθήσονται·)

speaking in languages will stop (εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται)

knowledge will cease (εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται)

love will last forever (never fail) Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει

B- Love replaces spiritually immaturity with maturing attitudes and actions. (1 Cor. 13:9-13) .

1 Corinthians 13:9–13 (NLT)

9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!

10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

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.

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

9 ἐκ μέρους γὰρ γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν·

10 ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται.

11 ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος, ἐλάλουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐφρόνουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐλογιζόμην ὡς νήπιος· ὅτε γέγονα ἀνήρ, κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου.

12 βλέπομεν γὰρ ἄρτι διʼ ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι, τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον· ἄρτι γινώσκω ἐκ μέρους, τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσομαι καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην.

13 νυνὶ δὲ μένει πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη· τὰ τρία ταῦτα, μείζων δὲ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη.

1. If I am to have a maturing love, I must recognize the problems of emotional and spiritual immaturity. (1 Cor. 13:9-11)

1 Corinthians 13:9–11 (NLT)

9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!

10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

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.

a. Speaking like a child (νήπιος = a small child above the age of a helpless infant but probably not more than three or four years of age).

1). How does a child speak?

a) He says whatever comes to mind.

b) He is the center of his conversations.

b. Thinking (ἐφρόνουν = to have an attitude, to think in a particular manner) like a child.

1.) What does a child think about?

a) What he wants.

b) How to get what he wants.

c. Reasoning (ἐλογιζόμην = to think about, to reason about, to ponder, reasoning.) like a child.

1.) How does a child reason things out?

a) Simple Cause-Effect Reasoning:

(1) If I cry loud enough I will get what I want.

b) Simple feelings-Based Morality:

(1) If it makes me feel good- It is good; If it does not, it is not.

c) Simple Selfish Desire Fulfillment:

(1) I will only play with you if you do what I want.

2. If I am to have a maturing love, I must repent of following the path of immaturity.(1 Cor. 13:11b-13)

1 Corinthians 13:11b–13 (NLT)

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.

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

a. Accept the fact that I am no longer to behave in childish ways.

1.) Behaving in childishly has devastating consequences:

a) It destroys relationships.

b) It disrupts spiritual effectiveness.

b. Turn away from childishness and behave in a mature fashion.

(1 Cor. 14:20).

1 Corinthians 14:20 (NLT)

20 Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.

(1 Cor. 3:1-2)

1 Corinthians 3:1–2 (NLT)

1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.

2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,