1 Corinthians 13

A Letter to the Church in New Orleans
(God knows I have issues)

Introduction:

Eschatology - the Already and the not yet.
Gospel Ethics - Christianity 101
Ecclesia - the image of the church - As the Body of Christ and the Temple of Christ.

All you need is Jesus (Love)

1 Corinthians 13

Because of the beauty and lyrical nature of this passage it is so easy to think of love as an abstract quality. But for the Apostle Paul, love is primary in this passage because it has already been given concrete expression in the coming of Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. Romans 5:6-8 (NIV) 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In this passage, Love is not an idea, and not even a “motivating factor” for behavior. It is behavior. To love is to act; anything short of action is not love at all. Secondly, love is not set over against the gifts, because it belongs in a different category altogether. Love is the way in which the gifts are to function. Love is the way that our entire lives must function.

Jesus said himself: Matt 22:37-40 (NIV) 37 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.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

I. The Necessity of Love (vs. 1-3)

A. The Corinthians thought that the operation of the gifts among them meant that they were spiritually mature. They prided themselves in their interest in “wisdom” and “knowledge” their false view of freedom based upon the exercise of carnal desires.

B. Their so called spirituality showed evidence of all kinds of behavioral flaws. From chapter one onward the Apostle Paul deals with one thing after another which reflects their condition. Theirs was a spirituality that lacked the primary evidence of the Spirit: behavior that could be described as “having love.”

C. To “have love” means to “act lovingly.” The primary imperative of walking in the Spirit is to love God and love others. There is no one without the other. Impossible! 1 John 4:7-8 (NIV) 7 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.

II. The Character of Love (vs. 4-7)

A. The first two clauses represent the two side of the Divine attitude toward mankind. Love is Patient, love is Kind. Patient here reflects long forbearance toward us, he is long suffering with us... Kindness reflects God’s active goodness on our behalf. On the one hand, God’s loving forbearance is demonstrated by his holding back his wrath toward human rebellion; on the other hand, his Kindness is found in the thousandfold expression of his mercy.

B. The two positive expressions are followed by seven verbs that indicate how love does not behave.

C. Love does not envy - meaning here to the Corinthians that Love does not allow fellow believers to be in rivalry or competition. It seeks quite the opposite: How best do I serve these for whom Christ died, whatever my own desires?

D. Love does not boast - meaning literally does not behave as a braggart or a windbag. It suggest self centered actions in which there is inordinate desire to call attention to oneself.

E. Is not Proud - literally means to be puffed up, carrying with it the overtones of arrogance.
F. Is not rude - the verb means to behave shamefully or disgracefully.

G. Is not self-seeking - meaning it does not seek its own; it does not believe that “finding oneself” is the highest good; it seeks the good of one’s neighbor—or enemy (Phil 2:4 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. )

H. Is not easily angered - it suggest that the one who loves is not provoked to anger by those around them.

I. Keeps no record of wrongs - Just as God in Christ does not “reckon our sins against us” (2Cor 5:19), so the one who loves does not take notice of the evil done against them in the sense that no records are kept, waiting for God or man to settle the score.

J. Does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth - what is reflected here is the truth of the Gospel and all that is opposed to it. Love stands on the side of the gospel and the truth and absolutely rejects that which is opposed to God’s standards of righteousness.

K. Always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres. The character of love is this: “there is nothing that Love cannot face.”

III. The Permanence of Love

A. Love never fails - on the one hand it means that it is never defeated, is never brought to the ground; it persists even when repuffed. On the other hand it means that love is eternal in its nature, because it reflects God’s character and nature.

B. In our present Christian life, there are three imperishables: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.

Reaching our world for Jesus

As promised here are the notes from Wednesday night's Living Room. To all of you, Merry Christmas. I pray that you and your family have a blessed Holiday. Love Anthony and Melanie Freeman

The Living Room – Reaching our world for Jesus

Reviewing the basics to sharing your Faith.

1. What is the Gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

2. What power does the Gospel possess? Romans 1:16

3. What is our basic spiritual PROBLEM? Why do we need salvation? Romans 3:23; 6:23

4. According to Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 2:8-9, what was God's REMEDY for our problem? What did Jesus Christ do for sinners?

5. How must we RESPOND? How does a person become aChristian—a child of God? Acts 3:19; John 1:12

6. According to John 3:1-16 what does it mean to be “born again”?

7. In His witness to the woman of Samaria and to Nicodemus, Jesus varied His approach. How was it different? John 3:1-8; John 4:1-15.

Practical things about your witness to keep in mind:

First—Your own life is a great part of your witness. The apostle Paul wrote, "for it is God who works in you" (Philippians 2:13). If God is at work, then you have something good to share. You don't need to be perfect before God can use you, but your life should reflect the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, the Holy Spirit works more effectively through a clean life (2 Corinthians 4:2).

Second—Earn the right to be heard by sincerely listening to others. People are hurting today and searching for answers as never before. Perhaps their greatest need is to find someone who cares. Everybody needs a friend. Jesus was called "a friend of sinners." People from every walls of life knew that Jesus sin­cerely cared for them. Very few people have the "gift" of evangelism—but every Christian can be a friend. We can all be involved in building bridges of friendship that may lead to natural opportunities to share the "good news" about Jesus Christ. Start by:

· Winning the confidence of people by sharing genuine interest.

· Letting them share concerns, opinions and hurts.

· Not feeling compelled to always do the talking! Listen!

It may mean that you must get more deeply involved in someone's life. But in the long run you will develop trust and have a more sympathetic individual with whom you can discuss the claims of Jesus Christ.

Third—You are presenting the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is alive! It is not a formula, outline or theological system that you have a relationship with—it is the Person of Jesus as Lord and Savior. The Scriptures you have learned and memorized should give you confidence. However, do not make the mistake of thinking that you must always begin with your Bible, turning from passage to passage. Be sensitive to the individual and to the Lord's prompting and use the Scriptures wisely.

Fourth—Stress the love of God. We must admit that we are sinners and we all need the Savior for cleansing and forgiveness. But this does not mean we start there! It is best to present the love of God before the judgment of God.

Fifth—Keep it simple. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you have to ^"prove" the Gospel—or create an intellectual argument to impress people. The apostle Paul stayed with the simplicity of the Gospel, and God blessed His Word tremendously. "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with elo­quence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).

Followup and Disciple making

Jesus frequently spoke of sharing the Gospel as being like a farmer sowing seed. For example, in the parable of the sower in Mark 4, we learn that not everyone who hears the Good News will grow and mature; there are some dis­appointing results. However, we can also learn from this parable that many do respond and will grow and mature spiritually. Indeed, years of evangelistic experience has proven this over and over again.

As we think about a commitment to Christ, the initial decision to receive Christ is just the beginning. Continued spiritual growth and effectiveness will largely be determined by the amount of spiritual care and prayer given on their behalf. In fact, most of the books of the New Testament were letters of concern for young believers written by the apostle Paul. In a real sense they were "fol­low-up" letters to encourage the spiritual growth of churches and individuals.

The apostle Paul was an energetic pacesetter in the area of spiritual pedi­atrics—that's the caring for new believers. Consider the following verses from Paul's letters and from Acts: 1 Thessalonians 2:6-8; 3:10; 3:2; 2 Corinthians 2:9; Acts 15:36.

The precedent is clearly set. New Christians do need care, and every effort must be made to provide it. That care should be provided by someone—and that someone is logically the person who prayed for, befriended, invited and brought the person to meet Jesus Christ. This is spiritual adoption—the "spir­itual parent" needs to be available to offer help, counsel, encourage, guide in the Scripture, teach how to pray and help to provide for regular church atten­dance. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God do their work, and we must do ours.

Some needs of new Christians.

Feeding -1 Peter 2:2;

Protecting- 5:8;

Training-Colossians 2:6-7.

NEXT WEEK LIVING ROOM - INTERCESSION FOR THE HAVEST