Sermon “Pure Love”

Yeah same tune so we recognize it because of the tune we don’t want to just be a clanging cymbal we want noise of people recognize.

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 and though I be still all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned but have not love it profits me nothing love suffers long and is kind love does not envy love does not parade itself it is not puffed up. Does not behave rudely does not seek its own is not provoked thinks no evil did not say it thinks some evil did it love thinks no we’ve all

does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth love bears all things believes all things hopes all things indoors all things love never fails

let that sink in for just a moment friends of love will never fail you always go on the side of love because it will never fail but whether there are prophecies they will fail whether there are tons they will seize whether there is knowledge it will vanish away for now we know and for we know in part and we prophesied in part but when that which is perfect has come then that which is in part will be done away 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 for now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face now I know in part but then I shall know jest as I also am known and now by faith hope love these 3 but the greatest of these is love may god add his blessings to the hearing and the reading of His Holy Word let us pray. Heavenly father we do praise you and magnify you we thank you thank you for your amazing love for us Father love that is so great that you allowed your only son to come to this earth and die in our place father that’s a love that is a mystery thank you that we will know that mystery as it should be known one day we thank you for that we just thank you father that you’ve extended your grace to us thank you for your Holy Spirit to guide us and lead to sin all we do and made your spirit be present in this place today by the May we experience your love in a most amazing way father but may we take that love and shared father for your glory for your kingdom in Jesus’ name amen.

Chapter 13 is just a continuation of Chapter 12

if you remember last week we talked about all of the gifts Paul addressed the spiritual gifts within the church and of course he’s drug addressing the spiritual gifts because there is dissension in the church again because those thought that their gift was greater than the other you know well I speak in tongues I am better than you because you’re just a ministration that’s all you know so he’s addressing this because of the quarrels in the church but he say in not one gift is above the other so with all of that he says but now and yet he ends Chapter 12 with this and yet speaking of all those gifts no matter how poor you think it is and yet I will show you a more excellent way a more excellent way matter of fact we’ll just look at the end of Chapter 12.

To get those last couple verses in there.

Verse 27 he says now you are the Body of Christ and members individual and God has appointed these in the church 1st apostles 2nd prophets 3rd teachers after that miracles and gifts of healing helps administration varieties of tongues are all apostles are apostles.

Are all prophets No Are all teachers are all workers of miracles do all have gifts of healings do all speak with tongues do all interpret but earnestly desire the best gifts yet yet I show you a more excellent way.

We move on to love don’t we

you know I will say this and Paul was this was I’m sure what Paul was saying to them if someone does operate in one of the spiritual gifts I mean God blesses those with healing God blesses those that remain with great teaching blesses those with words of prophecy but if anyone is operating in the gift of one of the gift things of the Holy Spirit and if they are disputing with someone else that has a gift they are not operating in love period

if you have a gift and you in your heart think well my gift better than them you are not operating in love you are not operating in the most important one and that’s love

you know 1st Corinthians 13 has held a special place in the church for many ages it is a beautiful passage

it’s about what it’s all about love it’s love and God’s love for us and our love for Him It defines the capacity in which the church is supposed to operate everything we do should be driven by love.

Whatever we do friends ought to be driven by love everything that the church does should be driven by that by love everything we do individually as a believer in Jesus Christ ought to be driven by love

not selfish motives but by love 1st who said that one could have the get the prophecy

prophecy can be a word of encouragement to pay to be obedient to God It can be a word to proclaim a warning about something that may take happen take place in the future it can be an inspiring message but all of that think about that a great preacher could preach wonderful words of prophecy but yet if he’s not doing it in love it’s nothing means nothing but you know God can use it but it may be nothing for him it may bless others but it’s going to be nothing for him it’s not going to get him in every war if he’s doing it with the wrong motive if he’s doing of the making self look good to look holy

It has to be accompanied with love or it’s empty you know one could understand the great mysteries of God Paul says have all knowledge understand the deep things of God then I could have chapters after chapter and verse after verse memorize and understand all that

I could have faith that could grab that mountain and throw it in the sea

but if it’s not a company with love it’s empty it’s nothing it’s no good

you know there was no are some Christians that are blessed with spiritual gifts

but they use those gifts for the wrong motives

they speak to glorify themselves in Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 721 through 23 Jesus said not everyone who says to me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of My Father in Heaven many will say to me in that day Mord Lord have we not prophesied in your name

ma’am we preached in your name or we cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in your name

and then I would declare to them I never knew you Depart from Me you do practice lawlessness Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them I would liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock so friends we can do we can it’s possible to do wonderful things for God But if we’re not doing it out of love It means nothing it may not bring us any reward at all that’s how important love is

the kind of love that Paul speaks of here is not a romantic love

he speaks of a got paid love

it is the purest and greatest form of love that we could possibly know a got a love as defined as the active love of God for his son and his people his people friends who sat raise your hands it’s us right

but it also describes the act of love his people are to have towards him towards God and towards others

a GAAP a love describes the act of love that we are to have towards others

John 1st John $416.00 be the last part of 16 says God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him abide means to remain so we must remain in love walk in it all the time not part time if we’re not walking in love all the time a way a part time Christian.

Odd we’re supposed to be full time Christians right 247 we don’t get any holidays.

When it comes to walking in love

the most important word in the definition I believe is active the most important word in the definition of a GAAP a love is active

last year I read that book by Bob Bob Goff titled Love does

love does it’s not just talk it’s not talk about what I’m going to do it’s doing it it’s not hoping something will happen it’s making something happen because of love it’s an act of thing in her book Living with love Josephine Roberts tells a story of active courageous love in 883 a youthful clergyman the Reverend Joe Roberts a ride by stagecoach that’s one of those things pulled by horses children I mean it’s you know it’s not a car don’t have a rubber tires stagecoach All right so he arrived in a blizzard to minister to the Indians in Wyoming this great wild area had been assessed assigned to the Protestant Episcopal Church by President Grant soon after Joe Roberts a rock arrived the son of the chief was shot by a soldier in a brawl and chief was Shockey valid to kill the 1st white man that he met

since this meant

that that would be the start of a long bloody few young Roberts decided to take action seeking out the T.P. 15 miles away in the mountains he stood outside the tent and called to the chief. It was stocky appear Roberts opened his shirt he says I have heard of your vow he said I know that the other white men have families but I am alone kill me instead the cheap was a maze and motioned him to come into his tent How do you have so much courage the chief asked Joe Roberts told him about Christ his death his teachings they talk for hours and when Joe left the chief of the so Sheens had renounced his vow to kill and resolved to become a Christian was Shockey had seen love in action every group which calls itself Christian would do well to decide what it should do to make love visible in our home in our church in our community and the world for unless love becomes visible visible it is not love at all.

If it is not visible I love that then it’s not love it has to be visible We can’t just keep it within it has to be visible Romans $129.00 A says Let love be without hypocrisy

so what I mean will fostered appear before you today and preach to you or not to be drunkards you’re not to drink and I go out myself and drink and get drunk Well that’s a hypocrite if I tell you you need to get on the stick and you know you’ve got to start feeding the poor and take care of the widows but I’m not willing to go do it myself makes me a hypocrite doesn’t love does what it says others should do we should do to or does not do what we say we should not do

1st John 3181900 that US not love in Word or in tongue but indeed in truth so what’s I mean in action right.

And by this we know that we are of the truth and shout was sure our hearts before him 1st Peter 122 says Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love with a brother in love one another fervently with a pure heart we have to have sincere love love for our brother and for our brothers and sisters

Paul says that love suffers long

love suffers long and it is kind of the word used here means to suffer along means to be slow to anger

are we slow to anger slow to anger means to have patient in durance

long suffering kindness goes hand in hand doesn’t it if we’re going to be slow to anger and kind if they go hand in hand

we put love into action friends if we are walking in love we say I’ll believe or in Jesus Christ and I’m filled with His love and I’m walking in love if we fly off the handle

and get all angry and mad start cussing rant and rave and carrying on are we walking in love no

we are not that means we might have to once in a while bite the.

Right we might have to bite the tongue

and be kind

we cannot have a harsh attitude towards others if we claim that we are filled with the love of Christ and walking in love

we ought to respond with respond with patience we ought to respond with a gentle word courteous towards others

and not just to those who are kind to us

but towards everyone

for this is what we’re called to do

those who deserve the love the least need it the most right.

They need it the most they need to see it in us they need to see it the most Matthew 543 and 44 says you have heard that it was said You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy Jesus says but I say to you love your enemy bless those who curse you do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you

that’s a hard one is it not it is.

Paul says that love will not envy you no envy is more than just desiring what someone has or desired to be like them it also means that we could desire ill will for that person well if I don’t have it nor take it away from them too

we should never does our ill will for anyone we should desire the best

for others good health blessings on others no matter who they are

sin does not empty F.B. Meyer was pastor of Christ Church in London at the same time that G. Campbell Morgan was pastor of Westminster chapel and to John’s relative John or Charles Spurgeon was pastor of the Metropolitan chapel

both Morgan and Spurgeon often had much larger audiences then did Meyer troubled by in the mark and fest that not until he began praying for his colleagues that he have peace at heart. He says when I prayed for their success

the result was that God filled their churches so full that the overflow came to mind.

And it has been full ever sence friends we want to fill this church start praying for our neighbors start praying for our neighboring churches.

Maybe they’ll be praying the same prayer for us pray for all of. Brothers and sisters in Christ pray for all the Christian Church it’s

the god will blossom who are poor a blessing upon love does not parade itself it is not puffed up Jesus gave us a good example of this in Matthew 235 he says but all their works they do to be seen by men they make their Kalac teres broad and enlarge the borders of their garments they like to be seen they like to look Godly they like to look in a religious

were not to be puffed up but were to be humble

humble before others humble before God especially love bears all things

love my friends believes all things hopes all things and indoors all things love will endure evils or wrongs committed against them

you know if there is any attribute of love that reveals a supernatural significance of love friends this is it

to bear all things to endure things wrongs done against you

if someone punches you in the nose What does the flesh want to do.

The bench press wants a poke right back in the nose right

but that’s the flesh

that’s what we have to overcome

by the presence of his spear by his love in us what will we do then we’ll turn the other cheek

that’s a hard thing to do but that’s what Jesus calls us to do turn the other cheek we are called to endure to bear evils against us

because friends the opposite would destroy us because the opposite is what bitterness the opposite is bitterness and anger and you know what the effects that will be

Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote bitterness in prisons life. Love releases it bitterness paralyzes life but love in pairs it bitterness sickens life but love will heal life bitterness blinds life love anoints the eyes love is the cure my friends love is the cure for evil and bitterness and anger and all those things 1st well said for now I see in a mirror dimly but then face to face now I know in part but then I shall know jest as I also am known in ancient times they didn’t have these nice fine glass mirrors that we have today and we go look at it when my wife does her hair in America she’s got a nice mirror and she can even pull this way and you know see the back of her head on nice mirror gives her a very good image of herself that looked just like it she looks to me right back in those days they didn’t have nice glass mirrors like we had they have polished metal so the reflection that they would see back out of that polished metal was not a true image of the person it was in a true reflection so it was kind of distorted or dim

we shall know we shall see face to face 1st John 31 through 3 says Behold what manner of Love The Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God therefore the world does not know us because it did not know him Beloved now we are children of God and is not yet been revealed what we shall be but we know that when he is revealed that we shall be like Him for we shall see him

as he is and everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as he is pure We shall see Jesus face to face isn’t that also

when I think back.

To the ancient times when they had to the to Tabernacle in the temple they had the most holy place whenever the priest would go into the most holy place they’d have bells tied around his the bottom of his garment so it was in there moving around if he had any sin that he had failed to repent for he might drop dead when he goes into God’s presence and they would know something happened and I was thinking there was a patchwork so they had a rope tied to make a drag him out of there

because you could not go into God’s presence with sin friends we are going to see Jesus face to face

I think that is the most awesome thing and we are going to be able to do that because he shed his blood we are purified by His precious blood that we will be able to enter in face to face and see him without die

because our sins has already died soon repented and believe in Jesus Christ but I love that face to face because when you look at a person that has love in their hearts you know it why you see it you see it in their eyes and I’m here to tell you today I believe when we see Jesus we are going to see the most beautiful loving face that we give we have ever seen in our lives because we’re going to see the one that died for us the one that is love he is the love

I can’t wait what I can wait I mean as I say we have to we should be saying Lord give us more time to bring others to you we should want to rush it we should be rushing out here to tell us about Christ so they’ll be more

but that’s love

verse 13 said and now by faith hope love these 3 but the greatest of these is love the now is not temporary but it sums up this whole paragraph these 3 graces are fundamental they’re very important.

And we will not fully understand all these until he does return

until he returns will fully understand it but we can understand that love is the greatest because it is the root of the other 2

it is the root

how are we going to have faith without love how are we going to have hope without love we can’t

it is the greatest

because love friends is for our neighbors

if we have love that is for our neighbors faith is for us right it’s going to save our sorry selves.

Our faith says of we have faith we believe in God and.

Share eternal life with him hope our hope is that hope in the future but if we have love that is for others to give to others to share with others it is the greatest gift

the greatest gift

pure love must be completely selfish as wrapped in this sure love must be complete I’m sorry I said selfish in a selfless self-less

Philippians want to turn to Flippy’s we was talking about this Wednesday night

in Bible study Libyans chapter 2.

Verses one through 4. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ if there is any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spear if any affection and mercy fulfill my joy by being like minded have the same love being of one of cord of one mind let nothing be done let nothing be done through Selby’s ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind that each esteem others better than himself that each of you look out not only for his own interest but also for the interest of others.

When we walk in love friends.

We will walk in selflessness we will be concerned about ourselves God will take care of that or care in our concern will be about others blessing them helping them encouraging them reaching out to others that’s what true love looks like

as Bob says Love does friends let’s do that love work through us that we can bless others with God’s love Amen.