Christ Methodist Church Memphis
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Christ Methodist Church Memphis
The Higher Way of Love | Rev. Paul
Spiritual gifts without love are empty. Discover how the supremacy of love defines true spirituality, holiness, and life in Christ.
[0:18] If you will, join me this morning in today's scripture reading, which is 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
[0:25] 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
[0:31] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, And if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way It is not irritable or resentful It does not rejoice at wrongdoing But rejoices with the truth, Love bears all things Believes all things Hopes all things And endures all things Love never ends As for prophecies, they will pass away As for tongues, they will cease As for knowledge, it will pass away, for we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
[1:58] When I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three. But the greatest of these is love. This is the word of God for the people of God.
[2:35] And amen and amen. I greet you this morning in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My name is Paul Lawler. I have the honor of serving as a lead pastor of Christ Methodist Church, and we welcome you this morning. Let's pray for just a moment. Lord, we pray that the meditations of our minds and our hearts would be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
[3:02] Many of you are aware Jesus said these words, A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another even as I have loved you, and that you also love one another. By this, all men will know that you're my disciples if you have love for one another. And we note in that passage that Jesus is teaching us to love in the same way he loved, that he laid his life down for others. We're all aware that the word, primary word used for love in the New Testament is the word agape. It is not a popular word in Greek literature, but it is the primary word that's used for Christian love in the New Testament. Initially and biblically, it has nothing to do with your passions and your affections because you can't command an emotion. But because Jesus commands you to love, love, agape love, is a choice of the will. Now, that's so important. Let me say that again.
[4:06] Love for a Christ follower is a choice. It is a choice of the will. It's not rooted in what we feel. It is a choice that we make. And so the Corinthian believers, as we've been journeying through this book, are fighting over the issues, or many issues, one of them being spiritual gifts, struggling over whether spiritual gifts made them feel spiritual or if it was a sign of being spiritual. There were some who didn't want anything to do with spiritual gifts. There were some who didn't want anything to do with certain spiritual gifts. And this is why, when we get to 14th chapter next week, this is why Paul corrects them. And he says in 1 Corinthians 14, 1, it's not about what you prefer. I'm paraphrasing his words. And he instructs the church, earnestly desire spiritual gifts, especially that you'll prophesy. We'll teach on that next week. But what Paul's addressing is that the church is not to be indifferent about spiritual gifts. We're to desire, pursue them.
[5:15] And so as we pursue God, we're also aware that in the Corinthian church, there were some, however, who were puffed up regarding their spiritual gifts, prideful about them. And this is why Paul ends chapter 12 with this phrase, listen, let me show you a better, a more excellent way. And so if you're really desiring to pursue God, if you're really desiring to be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit, then you, Corinthian church, will choose to love. And in choosing to love, this will be the grandest marker that you belong to Jesus Christ. And so, if you are in the Spirit and not living as a carnal Christian, that is a fleshy Christian, a Christian living out of one's old nature, Paul's declaring, there will be love. This is why Galatians 5.22 says, if you walk in the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will be produced through your life. And the first fruit of the Spirit, as we all know, is love. Paul lists them in Galatians, love, joy, peace, holy, etc. But the first one is love. And so what we want to do for a few moments this morning is.
[6:35] Is take note of the supremacy of love by valuing three categories. Here's the first one. How love is primary for the believer. How love is primary. Listen again to the Word of God, verse 1 through 3. If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but if I have not love, I'm a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. That's a euphemism for I'm an irritant. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but I have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Now think about this for a moment. Just reflect.
[7:23] I have incredible prophetic gifting. In other words, if a person's able to stand and proclaim the truths of God and eloquently just polished and they give away all their possessions to the poor in our community without love, none of this means anything before God without choosing to love. So we recognize that Paul goes on to say, let's say I could speak with the tongues of men with great fluency in all languages. I could speak with the eloquence of angels as they spoke in the Old Testament to Old Testament saints. But if I cannot love, I would be as a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. In other words, if it's not spoken, shared, ministered, or ministry expressed with a heart of love, it only resembles a dull, lifeless, dead instrument. So it may be loud. It may be impressive. It could even be persuasive in what's being expressed, but it means absolutely nothing if the motive behind it is not love for God and love for people. There's a good way to sum up this section. Here it is.
[8:38] A full head with an empty heart is useless. And Paul continues, let's say I did the ultimate act of benevolence and compassion, and I gave everything away for the poor. I even gave my body to be burned at the stake to be a martyr. And Paul tells us if he did all that, and it didn't come from a heart motive of love for God and love for people, then it means nothing in the eyes of God. Even the Apostle Paul, if he had the ability to speak with great eloquence, if he had all knowledge, if he was willing to sacrifice everything without love, it is meaningless. And so as we read, we recognize these things may win admiration from other people while he or she speak with great eloquence. But as far as God is concerned, if it's void of love for God and void of love for people, it means nothing. It gains nothing. Sobering words from the word of God. So, here's the basics. If you're a Christian, if you're a follower of Christ, love is your nature.
[10:01] This describes the nature of a person who knows God. Now, many of you know a song that was based on 1 John 4, 7. You may have sung it in vacation Bible school. But it goes like this. I'm not singing it. I'm quoting it. But love, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
[10:32] I remember this is one of the shortest passages in the Bible. I remember my mom, when she gave our oldest son his first Bible, she highlighted 1 John 4, 7 and 8, just God is love and instructed my oldest son to memorize. That was his first little verse to memorize. I remember one afternoon, he was reaching for a cookie after he had already had one. And I stood up and walked toward him and said, Luke, you're not to. And he backed up and said, God is love. Where's my Bible?
[11:07] But if you ever wonder what God is like, even when a child asks you a question, what is God like? While we understand that God's nature is holy, you can't be holy without being loving. God is love. And notice that what Paul begins to do in chapter 13 is express what it looks like in practicality. Listen to this, loved ones. For love to operate, the agape love of God to operate in your life, that kind of love is patient. That kind of love is kind. That kind of love doesn't get jealous of others. That kind of love doesn't brag. That kind of love is not arrogant. Church, one of the sobering things in this verse is that this word patience.
[11:58] Listen to this, loved ones, This will challenge all of us. This word patience in the original language means the ability to be wronged again and again and have the power not to retaliate or grow bitter. It takes a long time before a believer who is operating out of the spirit of God to flame out or explode. You can, And what's happening in the Corinthian church is that many of them have spiritual gifts operating in their lives, and they're being very flamboyant with their spiritual gifts and bragging and being arrogant about them, which demonstrates for us you can be right about spiritual gifts, but wrong about the spirit in which you operate in the way God has gifted you. Let me list maybe one example to illustrate.
[12:54] Because there's a vulnerability. This is what Paul's writing about here. There's a vulnerability that comes not only in human nature, but in the operation of spiritual gifts. Let's pick one spiritual gift. Let's pick the spiritual gift of discernment. Discernment operates when you, to use maybe a worldly term, you intuit spiritually that something may be off. And it can be off in a person. It can be off because of a spirit that's operating in a circumstance. And so you're discerning, and that's a gift from God. You discern that something's off, and it may be off in an individual. If you operate out of your old nature, your carnal nature, the way that can manifest itself is a man or a woman can go, you know what, I don't know about her, or I don't know about him, and began to say things, I sense that something's not right about her or right about him in a way that it becomes gossipy and doesn't build up, it tears down.
[14:00] But a spiritual believer, one operating where love is primary, may very well discern that something's off, but the way they steward the gift is they know they're to pray into the circumstance and maybe even love the individual they have concerns about in a way that says, hey, can we talk and break bread or have a cup of coffee together? I just want to see how you're doing. That's one of the ways that love functions primary. So take note, loved ones, of the supremacy of love by noting how the Apostle Paul is describing that love is primary.
[14:41] Secondly, take note of the supremacy of love by valuing how love responds to others. A carnal Christian reacts to others. A spiritual Christian responds to others. A carnal Christian has a critical spirit. A spiritual Christian has a constructive spirit. A carnal Christian is independent. A spiritual Christian is interdependent, collaborative, recognizes that he or she is a part of a greater body, the body of Christ. And so notice the way Paul gives us this in verse 4, where he says, Love is patient and kind. It does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant. All of those are characteristics that are relational in nature.
[15:34] Patience means, I remind you, the ability to be wronged again and again and have the power, the agape love of God in you, not to retaliate or grow bitter. I remind you, we've covered this little piece before, but Jesus said, In the last days, the agape of many will grow cold.
[15:58] Now, when he said that, it is impossible for an unbeliever to have the agape of God dwelling in them. Only Christians have agape, because an unbeliever, you can't expect them to function with the love of God in Christ in their life. That's not said in a judgmental way. It's just factual. But in the last day, agape, last days, agape will grow cold. And Jesus goes on to say, and many will be offended.
[16:27] Listen, you ever been around someone who's easily offended? They're always offended at something. I made a choice years ago by the grace of God. It's a choice, not a feeling. It's a choice. I'm not going to be offended. I'm just not. I'm not going to pick up an offense. God, give me the grace of your agape love not to be offended. Somebody says something that's a little demeaning, Lord, give them grace to grow and mature. I'm not superior over them because I have the same fallenness in my own life, but I choose not to be offended. And that way I stay free, free in Jesus, and I find life in Jesus. So don't get bogged down with being offended or building a wall with another brother or sister in Christ. Remember that a part of the symptom of a Spirit-filled life is that it takes a long time before you flame out or explode. This is why believers are instructed to bear with one another.
[17:39] To forgive one another and to go to one another if there's something that you need to work out with a brother or sister. Look with me, verses 5 and 6. Love is not rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. In other words, love is not provoked. And when you see that it's not provoked, This word provoked is actually, in the original Greek, represents spurs used on a horse. So in other words, when you overspur a horse, it's provoked. And I know we all get that. So here, let me give you some examples. So husbands, men, and before I address you, please understand, I too am in your shoes, all right? But when you come to the door and maybe your wife, the first thing she says is not, hey, honey, I love you. Maybe she just looks at you and says, honey, would you take out the trash? Okay, Missy's awesome, but we have days too. But the question is, what I mean by that is we have real days, if that makes sense.
[18:55] The question is, are you provoked? Do you let that be a spur in your side? Or when your kids say, Daddy, tell Johnny to quit touching me as you're riding down the road. Can you correct without it being provoked? Or when your upset neighbor is saying, you know, your dog, get your dog off my lawn and you don't have a dog. Are you provoked, or do you respond rather than react? Because Christian love is not provoked. Christian love doesn't lose its temper, and it's not provoked. The Scripture says in this verse, biblical love also does not take into account a wrong suffered. The word in the original language literally means bookkeeping. In other words, when you love the way that God commands you to love, you don't keep a list of past wrongs. And by the way, this disease is eating up a lot of Christians. This list-keeping disease is running some marriages.
[20:04] Real love forgives. Real love does not bookkeep. Real love tears up the list. Real love doesn't return to the previous hurt or withhold love from others in some type of passive-aggressive behavior. By an act of the will, you choose. You don't wait for the feeling to sweep over you because it's not going to happen. You choose to forgive by an act of the will. You choose to let go, symbolically burying it in the backyard. heart. Scripture says, verse 6, in the practical ways that agape love is expressed, love does not rejoice in unrighteousness. In other words, unlike the locker room in high school and college, love never brags about sin. Love doesn't hear or read or watch sin with approval. Love never rejoices when others are hurt, even when it can be interpreted as some sense of justice. Love rejoices with the truth. Verse 6, who is the truth?
[21:20] Jesus, where is the truth found in the word of God? Where do we hear the truth explained in our discipleship groups, in our Sunday school classes on Sunday morning as the word is proclaimed? And when truth exposes sin in your own heart in life, do you rejoice because you're growing closer to Jesus, that you can say with David who had a heart for God, search me, know me, show me any unwayward way in me. That was not because David thought he was polished and above anyone. It was because David wanted intimacy with the one true sovereign God of the universe. And when others respond to the truth, are you also glad? And when the truth in Jesus saves someone, or they move and grow in their sanctification, will you rejoice? So take note of the supremacy of love by valuing how love is primary and how love responds to others. And then thirdly, take note of the supremacy of love by valuing how love responds to circumstances. Look with me in verse 7. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Now listen carefully, loved ones. Love bears all things?
[22:50] Meaning the pattern of love is reluctant to spread a rumor, but seeks also to cover up gossip, and it seeks to suppress slander. And the question for us, do you seek to protect the reputation of others, or are you quick to tear a good name apart? Love labors not to talk about anybody negatively.
[23:20] Love also believes all things, meaning as a Christian, you believe that others have best intentions. In other words, couples, when your spouse had to make a tough decision alone because you weren't there, maybe you were traveling on a business trip, did you believe the best about him or the best about her? Or when your church leaders have to make a tough decision, love says you believe the best, you trust, or the love of the Spirit seeks to believe the best about others in general. Love also hopes all things, literally expecting, hoping, wanting God to do good things in the lives of others. Love also endures all things, literally in the heat of the battle. Love continues the selfless fight to do what is best for the people around you, even when it's costly. And those who don't love give up on others. Those who choose to love never give up on others.
[24:32] I've said this to you before.
[24:39] I watched my stepfather come to know Jesus when he was well into his senior years. And it ruined me. It ruined me to never give up on anybody. Somebody who might not be responsive to the gospel today or the depth of what we're seeing in 1 Corinthians 13 right now. Somebody who may even be sitting in the sanctuary sound asleep during this sermon. Don't give up on them. Because it may not happen today, but it may happen at some point. Those who love don't give up on others. Now, loved ones, as we've covered this chapter, it is possible that you're saying this morning, I can't love like that. I can't do that.
[25:38] May I challenge you? Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Because you have the power of God and the way of God available to you. God has not given you a spirit of timidity, but he's given you a spirit of power, love, and discipline, a sound mind. That's God. Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. As all of you know by now, Missy and I had four children. Each of them had their wisdom teeth taken out at different stages. And we, like many of you, witnessed our children under the effects of anesthesia as they rode home and sat in the living room and said silly things. And we filmed part of that. I will not play those videos.
[26:35] But it was a memorable moment, and the anesthesia demonstrated they were not quite themselves.
[26:43] Can I submit this to you, church family? Let us break out of the anesthesia of carnal Christianity, living in the power of what you and you alone can do. Because a recovery of love is really the recovery of Jesus in your life. A recovery of love is the recovery of the power of the Holy Spirit that you operate out of, and it's in this power, his power, that you choose for God. Love will do the right thing that is often the hard thing for the sake of the real thing. Now, many of you know a couple of years ago, Missy and I got a dog, a 220-pound English Mastiff. And when people come to the door, it's kind of intense at our household. But this dog was a rescue dog. And my daughter, at a certain time, was working on a farm, and that's a whole other story. But this dog had been abused, and the family was going to put the dog down. And so our daughter called her mom and dad and said, look, would you take this? They're going to put the dog down. Would you take him? And of course, my question is, why are they going to put the dog down? And it was because the dog was reacting violently to the children in the family.
[28:10] And Laura expressed to us that it was because he was being mistreated. And so what was happening is the husband and the family would ball his fists and literally strike the dog across the head when he was angry with him. Now, the dog's name is Biggie. We renamed him Biggie Lou in honor of C.S. Lewis. And when we took the dog in, in our household, the dog was afraid of me. I'm the male. He cuddled up with Missy, but every time I walked by him, and you know, when you walk, sometimes you don't even realize that your hands are kind of, you know, and you're even in a relaxed state or kind of in a ball. And when I would walk by Biggie Lou, he would just cower. He was afraid he was going to be hit.
[29:04] And I just kept loving on him. I would talk to him. He wouldn't get near me. I gave him a treat. I kept treating him nice. And one day he let me pet him. And in a few weeks, he's cuddling up in my lap. He thinks he's a lap dog, but he just, now when I leave, and it happened this
[29:28] morning, when I leave the house, he goes bananas. He does not want me to leave. When I come home, he's right up against me Let's get out in the backyard and walk Now he's my buddy.
[29:43] And Biggie had been conditioned by his past experience not to try to be close with me. Some of you, out of your past experiences, you've been betrayed. You've been wounded. I say it tenderly, some of you have been abused.
[30:15] Some of you have been lied to, you've been lied about, some of you have experienced a friend that turned his back or her back on you, and out of the revelation of those experiences, you cower. But if you will understand the nature of your heavenly Father. Who wants to heal you and free you and show you a new and living way, the way of agape love, where you get free, where you understand that you don't have to cower in his revelation, because in his revelation, his motive is pure love for you. His motive is to liberate you. His motive is to heal your heart, set you free from bitterness and unforgiveness and shame. He wants to liberate you into the way of agape love that truly sets you free, that heals your wounded heart and conditions you into a way of life rather than a pattern of fear.
[31:37] Know that love will do the right thing that is often the hard thing for the sake of the real thing but it's not by your power it's by my power says the lord god has not given you a spirit of timidity or fear but of love and power and a sound mind disciplined for his glory so draw near to him, and know that he's not a God of condemnation. He's a God of light and life. Draw near to him, sister. Draw near to him, brother. The scripture says, as you draw near to him, he'll draw near to you. Jesus did not come to condemn you, John 3 says. Jesus came to save you. And one of the root words of that word save in the original language is to heal you. Not only birth you into eternal life, but to heal your broken heart. To heal you in relationship with Jesus for his glory. Draw near to him. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let's pray for a moment. Lord, would you grace us? Grace us, God. We need your grace.
[32:52] To move in the power of your love that does the right thing, that is often the hard thing, to choose to love for the sake of the real thing. And so we pray, have your way in us, O God. And we thank you that you're not a tyrant, that you're a loving God, a merciful God, who we've been invited into your presence through what Jesus Christ has done in taking our sins on the cross, and that there is no condemnation in you. We thank you for new life in you, O God. And as we give thanks, we pray for new life to flow not only in us, but flow through us in the name and power of Jesus. Amen.