Christian Fellowship (5) What is Love? (2)

The point: Do what Paul, by the Spirit's inspiration, says love will always do in the presence of its brethren. Do you want to know if you love the brethren? Then see if you are refraining from those things which love does not do.

Paul's structure in 1 Corinthians 13 is compared to a sandwich, with verses 1-3 (supremacy) and 8-13 (permanence/priority) as the bread, and verses 4-7 (practical manifestations) as the filling, to help remember the passage's organization.

And last Lord's Day, after a rather lengthy review for the sake of our visiting pastors, we took up our first study of 1 Corinthians 13, 4 through 7. We noted the place of these verses in the overall structure of 1 Corinthians 13, and I trust you'll remember the homely sandwich illustration. Verses 1 to 3, Paul underscores the supremacy of love. In verses 8 to 13, the permanence and the priority of love.

12:17 - 12:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Do what Paul, by the Spirit's inspiration, says love will always do in the presence of its brethren. Do you want to know if you love the brethren? Then see if you are refraining from those things which love does not do.

The unrealistic, fairy-tale notions of love in romantic songs (Mr. Right, Miss Right, continuous bliss) are contrasted with the intensely realistic description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, which accounts for remaining sin and imperfections in believers.

Here on earth particularly in the family of God where though all the true members of the family have had God's initial work in them experienced to the point where the dominion of sin is broken and the image of Christ is beginning to be formed in them, there are still many things about us that are the remnants of what we were in Adam. What we were when we were nothing but old men and women. And even though we are new, creations in Christ, we are imperfect new creatures. And even though sin's dominion has been broken, there is still the problem of remaining sin. And the grace of love is set befo...

15:18 - 16:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Mannequin religion will take people to hell. As surely as an active religion that fights and claws and scratches and screams against all that is God and gospel and Christ and his people.

A mannequin in a store is used to illustrate a passive, unresponsive 'virtue' that neither retaliates nor actively helps. This 'mannequin religion' is condemned as leading to hell, just as active wickedness does, because it lacks both negative restraints and positive actions of love.

Because you did it not. Unto the least of these, my little ones, you did it not unto me, and these shall go away into everlasting punishment. They're damned for what they didn't do. We have no mannequin virtue recognized in the word of God.

19:32 - 19:53 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Long-suffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish. It is the opposite of anger and is associated with mercy and is used with reference to God.

The etymology of 'macrothumia' (long-tempered) is explained by contrasting it with a 'quick temper' or 'short fuse,' suggesting a 'long and very wet fuse' or 'no fuse' at all, akin to Solomon's description of being slow to anger.

In fact, one could actually say that etymologically, the word is just the opposite. We say so-and-so has a quick temper. This means long-tempered. Thumos.

40:56 - 41:13 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are experiencing repeated slights or unrequited love from a brother or sister, can you find it in your heart to suffer and to suffer long in the interim period before addressing the issue?

The experience of offering warm greetings (sparkle in eye, handshake, tone of voice) within the church and receiving an icy, chilly, blank stare or quick, weak handshake in return is used to illustrate a common provocation that requires long-suffering love.

In fact, it has no fuse. It's that described by Solomon when he speaks of the man who is slow to anger, who is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that takes a city. So in summary then, the suffering wrong is the spirit-wrought quality of love that brings a man, a woman, a boy or girl to that place of restraint when his face is slapped, when his shins are kicked, when names are called out, when warm greetings given to another are ignored and spurned, where looks of love and affection that go out to others are met by the icy, chilly, blank stare of evasive, non-looking...

41:26 - 42:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Husbands, when your wife snaps at you undeservedly, do you stand your ground and start a verbal battle, or do you have the love that suffers long?

A husband asking a simple question about supper and receiving an unwarranted, angry snap from his wife is used to illustrate a common marital provocation that calls for long-suffering love, rather than immediate retaliation or verbal battle.

where you didn't deserve to be snapped at, you asked a perfectly legitimate question. You didn't know whether you ought to change the oil before or after supper. You said very sweetly, Honey, when is supper ready? And she turned and said, What do you think I am?

47:19 - 47:37 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He defines 'kindness' (chrestates) as the active, beneficent side of love, stretching out to do good even to those who cause provocation. He shows God's kindness through Luke…

The hymn 'Depth of Mercy' is quoted to capture the essence of God's long-suffering and kindness, particularly His active love and intercession despite human sin and ingratitude.

And isn't this exactly what God does to us? The hymn writer captured it in that beautiful hymn, Depth of Mercy. Can there be mercy still reserved for me? I have long withstood His grace, long provoked Him to His face, would not hearken to His calls, grieved Him by a thousand falls.

56:12 - 56:41 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He shares a story of a widow whose children rejected her, yet she remained kind and understood Christ's suffering, exemplifying love that suffers long and is kind. He applies this…

A story of a European widow whose children, after prospering in a new country, rejected her when she came to visit. Despite their unkindness, she remained sweet, without bitterness, and found comfort in understanding Christ's own rejection, exemplifying love that suffers long and is kind.

The disposition must clothe itself with deeds. I conclude by reading this true incident that I came across in one of the volumes of sermons on 1 Corinthians 13 that I was reading in preparation for this morning. It's a brief story. The writer, underscoring the necessity of this kind of love, said, The Lord Jesus gave us his own blessed life, in his own blessed life, the example of one who lived all his years amidst ingratitude and enmity and never lost the sweetness out of his spirit.

59:26 - 60:07 Read in full sermon