weekly sermon3-7-10 Love Sweet Love
I want to talk this week on something that means everything to me, Love. Of course I know that love means a great deal to everyone. Everyone wants to be loved, desperately needs love, or goes through this world their whole lives looking for love. This word or feeling if you will, means everything to me for reasons that most folks do not understand. I am not saying that I am the only one that feels the way I am about to explain, because I have met many folks that do, but for the most part, the reasons why for me are usually different than for most folks.
First I want to tell a little story before I get into the reasons, but partial because it will also help you understand the reasons. I was talking with a dear friend the other day about her husband. There was a friend of his that was really treating him badly. It turns out that she treats him this way quite often and he continues to worship the ground she walks on. I told her that he has the type of heart that the world should really be searching. This man has a heart that is so full of love that it can not contain it all. He has such strong love and compassion for folks, that no matter what they may do to him, he still loves them.
This is the reason that this message holds something that means everything to me. I want us to notice the type of love this man gives. For those of you that know me, know that I give of myself and of my love to so many folks and have been crushed by several. Even though I have had my heart stomped on and mangled so many times, I continue to put it out there for that possible stomping once again. The friend asked me how I could do it all the time. I told her that it was just something inside you that makes you a lover of men. It is something inside, that no matter what is done to you, you continue you to love.
I want us to take a look at this message today to get a true understanding why it is that we are to be this type of person that has a specific type of love for man.
Open your Bibles and turn with me, if you will, to 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, "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. (4)Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; 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, but rejoiceth in the truth; (7)Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. (8)Charity never faileth: but whether [there be] prophecies, they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall vanish away. (9)For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. (10)But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. (11)When I was a child, I spake 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 through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (13)And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity."
I want us to look at several things that Paul writes about here. Paul was given such great wisdom, by God, to be able to speak in so many other tongues, to relate to other nationalities, and prophecy many things, that would come to pass, all because of the power of God that was displayed through him. I want us to notice the first thing that Paul states here. Paul says that even with all the wisdom he was given from God, that if he does not have charity, he is nothing more than sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. What does that really mean? Sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal are merely just sounds and not actions. Paul is stating here that if he is nothing more than a loud noise and shows no actions, then what has he really contributed, nothing but noise.
I really want us to focus on the key word in that first verse, as well as this complete passage of scripture, Charity. I looked up the word charity on the internet dictionary that I reference from quite often, http://dictionary.reference.com. This is just a dictionary browser that has no significance to this message, except for me to state that it is NOT a Christian based site. I do not know if the site is broadcasted by a Christian based family or company, but it is a reference site that can be accessed by anyone looking for the definition of words, whether they are Christian or not. I say this only because I want to show you what a dictionary, that is not specific to Christianity, has to say about the word, Charity. There are many references to the definition of the word charity, all basically meaning the same thing except for the last one. The last definition is the one that I wanted us to notice, because it is what Paul is describing here. The definition given on that site, not specific to Christianity, states, Christian love; agape. Naturally from that point, I wanted to research the word agape, not because I did not know the meaning, but because I knew that several folks would ask me the meaning. The word agape is the WHOLE purpose of this message. According to this same site, the word agape means the following; 1.the love of God or Christ for humankind. 2.the love of Christians for other persons, corresponding to the love of God for humankind. 3.unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications; brotherly love. Agape love is a total, unselfish, unconditional love. It is a love that is given from one person to another with no expectation of anything in return, even if the other person has complete hatred for the one giving the love. This is the type of love that is to be given from Christians to all other individuals.
Paul goes on to say in the next several verses that, even though he has all this vast knowledge, the gift of prophecy, all the faith in the world, gives all his goods to feed the poor, and even lay down his life, IF he does not have charity, or love, then he is still nothing.
The next four verses give us the characteristics of love. Love suffers long, it suffers because it is not always returned, or even wanted at times. Love is not envious or jealous, it does not vaunt, or in other words boast on itself. Love does not behave badly, look after its own self, is not provoked to think anything other than true love. Love does not rejoice in sin, but only in truth. Love can shoulder the weight of all things, it believes in all things, has hope for all things, out lasts all things, and never fails.
Paul then states that everything else that is, will pass away, but love will endure forever. The last thing that he states here is that even among faith, hope, and love, of these three things, the greatest is love. Why is it that the greatest is love? Why is it that love will endure forever? John showed us best in 1 John 4:8, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." The reason that love will endure and is the greatest above all things is because, God is love.
I told the friend of mine, in the story we read earlier, that I had to love, in the same manner her husband was, because I am to walk and talk like Jesus, or God, and to do that, I must be as one with God. In order to be as one, I must love because He is love.
I want us to look at one other passage of scripture. In this passage we should, and hopefully will, see what true agape love is and how we are to also be with our love. Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." This is our Lord giving His life, hanging on a cross, and dying so that we may live. Christ has already been jailed, stripped and beaten, spit upon, a crown of thorns shoved into His head, forced to carry His own cross up hill, had nails drove through His skin, the cross dropped into a hole, jarring His body, mocked, hit, and now stabbed, and what does He have to say about all this? "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do." WOW what a powerful statement. No matter what you do to me, no matter how you treat me, no matter what you say to me, or even if you kill me, I will love you. How many of us can make that type of statement?
I want to challenge you to do one thing this week. I want you to find one, or how ever many, folks that hate you for one reason or another and that you also do not care about at all, then I want you to give, tell, or even show them how much love you have to offer them, I mean true love. If we could or would do this to each and every person that is an enemy to us, we would have no more enemies. At the end of that same chapter in Luke, the ones that hated and tortured Jesus, understood the love, glorified God, called Jesus a righteous man and even hit themselves for not believing in the first place.
Why is it that this love works? What is it that more folks than not on this earth are searching for? This type of agape love, the love that only God can give, the love that we can freely give in order to honor our Saviour, the whole reason that Christ died on the cross so that we may have eternal life. This love works because it is God. God is this type of love. God wants us to be this type of love. Do you know of this type of love? Are you looking for this type of love? If you want to be a part of the true unconditional agape love of God, then all you have to do is say a simple prayer with me.
Say this simple prayer with me, Dear Lord, I want you to be the Lord over my life, forgive me of my sins, and give me the gift of everlasting life. Amen.
If you have said this simple prayer, then we believe that you have received salvation. We would love to rejoice with you, so please drop us a note, in our link, to let us know and confess Jesus before man, so that we may send you a few things that we hope will help you in your new Christian walk.
With Love in Christ,
Pastor Stone
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