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Sermon
of 03-08-03
"Transforming Love in a World of Hate"
by Dr. David Farmer, pastor
I would like to share a sermon with you this morning written many years ago by a single man. His name was Paul.
Tradition describes Paul as being short, stooped, and bowlegged. He for sure wasn't anyone to write home about. And even though Paul never mentions it, according to Philippians 3:7-9, there is the possibility Paul may have been disowned by his family after he became a Christian.1
We do know that Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin (see AA 112). And members of the Sanhedrin were required to be married. So it's natural to assume that Paul's detailed counsel in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, suggest he had an understanding of marriage. But I need to add that Paul for sure had been married cannot be proved conclusively. But one thing Paul made clear, whether married or single, we need to love one another.
Allow me to first repeat our open scripture for the Clear Word Paraphrase. "There are three important things in life: Faith in God, hope in the future and Christ like love, but the greatest of these is love" 1 Corinthians 13:13.
While studying for this sermon I discovered that love is a very popular word in our society today. Amazon.com lists 2,652 book titles regarding "heaven." 10,304 for "money." 16,765 for "sex." 18,818 for "God." And 30,066 for "love."
Love is one of the deepest human needs of all. Yet it is also a very misunderstood and misused concept. Consider the following love letter from a single woman:
Dearest Jimmy,
No words could ever express the great unhappiness I've felt since breaking off our engagement. Please say you'll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, and I love you!
Yours Forever, Marie
P.S. And congratulations on winning the state lottery!!!
Genuine love is a powerful reality. Over and over we find the Bible has a lot to say about love. In fact the word "love" occurs 280 times in KJV.
Scripture praise's the transforming power of love. That is one of the reasons for our Singles Sabbath why I chose to look at one of the most beautiful sections of God's Word on love, the great love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.
The Apostle Paul was writing to the Corinth in Greece when he penned 1 Corinthians 13.
He wanted to help them keep on track with God. The chapters before and after 1 Corinthians 13, are about God's family using their spiritual gifts to build up the church family. To me, Paul's main point 1 Corinthians 13 is that our being more loving people is more important than being spiritual busy and active people. Listen to 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 from the NIV;
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."
What I hear Paul saying in verse 13, is "Love" must be the top priority of our lives if we want to be happy. Paul says in verse 1 that love is the greatest thing we possess or experience! Love is greater than our conversation with each other. Many people seem to think that the way we talk to each other will change things. But does it?
Now don't misconstrue what I'm saying. I'm all for communicating with each other. Whether it is in a single or married relationship. But it doesn't matter how eloquent you are. It doesn't matter how clear you make the issues. If there is no love in your discussion, then what good is it? If my communication is not backed up by love, Paul says I'm nothing more than a noisemaker! Talk without love in it, is not only useless, but counter productive. It will lack the real transformation that God longs to bring to us.
The beginning of verse 2 speaks about "knowledge." Some people try to reason their way out of problems. Jesus said in John 8:32;
"the truth will set you free." But free from what? Free to love God? Free to love others? You know it's sad but true, some of the most unloving Christians I know are absolute storehouses of Biblical knowledge. They can quote the Bible word for word. But, if the truth doesn't produce a greater love harvest in my life and those around me, then knowledge of the truth is useless.
The last part of verse 2 speaks on "faith." In case you didn't know it, faith is number one on God's agenda list. Hebrews 11:6 says "without faith, it is impossible to please God." And Paul says all of the faith in the world, without love, is worthless. And to make sure we understand what he is trying to say, Paul finishes verse 2 by saying, we can have faith so strong that it moves mountains, but without love with it, we are nothing.
In verse 3 he writes about our "service" to each other. There are some that kindly meet other people's needs today. We see it all around us. We have soup kitchens in almost every city in North America and many other parts of the world. But if we lack love in sharing our food with the poor, then all our goods we share - doesn't count.
The last part of verse 3 is on "sacrifice." Paul says we can give up our life. But if others can't see the "love" in our sacrifice, then nothing is gained. In Matthew 22:37-39 NIV;
"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Jesus says we must love God 1st! That is the 1st four commandments of the 10 Commandments. Then we are to love others. This is what the last 6 commandments say.
Now in verses 4-6, Paul says we are to remove the barriers that cause us to love our own life more than we love others. So he tries to analyze what love is. He points out seven excellent characteristics of love, and eight acts and approaches that are totally foreign to loves nature.
In verse 4 from the NIV, it says, "Love is patient." The word here for patient means to "suffer long" with people. In other words, patiently work things out.
He then says "Love is kind." This means to be courteous, gracious and pleasant to people. When you skip down to the last part of verse 6, it says
"love rejoices with the truth." In other words, not sloppy compromise, but pure joy with knowing the truth. Love finds pleasure, not in the vices, but in the qualities of others.
Now real quickly let's identify the barriers that we need to remove in order to have pure Godly love.
Verse 4, "Love is not jealous." In others words, we are often impatient and unkind to others because of jealousy. Verse 4 also says,
"Love does not brag." Paul says true "love" does not sound its own praises. It's humble and does not exalt self.
Verse 4 continues. "Love is not puffed up or arrogant."
Love does not produce conceit and self exaltation. In verse 5 Paul continues and says,
"Love does not act rude." Real love is never rude. It never behaves in such a way as to offend others. Then Paul says, "Love does not seek its own."
Probably of all the characteristics of love, this is the hardest for the unsanctified heart to understand. Naturally we think of ourselves 1st before we think of others. I think that another reason Paul said we must die to self daily.
Verse 5 also says, "Love is not provoked." Paul says real love is not provoked or forced. Real love comes from the heart. Real love will shake off the feeling of irritation, impatience, and anger. And real love doesn't keep record of the sins of others!
When we get to verse 6, Paul adds, "Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness." In other words, real love never finds pleasure in any kind of sin. It doesn't matter if they are a friend or an enemy. 1 John 5:17 says,
"All unrighteousness is sin." Bottom line, Paul says true love does not rejoice when anyone is found guilty of sin.
When we get verses 7-8, Paul gives us 5 principles to apply for transforming real love in each of us.
1. Paul says love "Bears all things." True love means that to put up with all the failures of others. 1 Peter 4:8 NIV;
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
2. Love "Believes all things." We must be willing to assume the best of others. Be willing to grant others a fresh start and trust them.
3. Then Paul says, "Hopes all things." However dark things may look, real love still hopes that everything will be OK in the end. That is why we must never give up on others. It doesn't matter if they are our children, a friend, a relationship, and spouse.
Because #4 says true love "Endures all
things". Real love never stops trying to work things out. Your family, friends, children, whoever they are, are too important to ever give up on them.
The last one, #5 says; "Love never fails." Think about it for a moment. Here's something that will never fail in our life. True love never fails to win back the love of others. Love never fails to conquer a stubborn child. Love never fails to overcome hurtful words from someone. Love never fails to crush the pain from a bad relationship.
Whatever your burden is this morning, love will always bring comfort!
1 John 4:7-11 NIV says, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
The Bible says that forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven are free gifts that Jesus died to provide. All you and I must do is transfer our trust from every thing we've ever hoped in, and rely completely upon Him as our personal Savior.
1Horn, Siegfried H., Seventhday Adventist Bible Dictionary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 1979.
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