Turn with me if you would, to
the book of first Corinthians. First Corinthians chapter 13. Our pastor and Janet are in Danville
this morning. So keep them in prayer. The message
goes forth in power and brought back home to us traveling mercies. Pray for our brother, Dan, who
has the message this morning as well. Before we read through it, let's
go to the Lord and ask for his presence this morning. Our Lord, our heavenly Father,
we thank you for this time that you blessed us with, and we do
pray for your presence, that you send your spirit, that we
may worship you in spirit and in truth, that you don't leave
us alone to dare to look into your word and presume to know
anything, but rather that we hear a word from you. We pray
that blessing where your word is being declared everywhere.
We thank you that you've seen fit to make yourself known amongst
your people through Christ. We thank you for Christ, for
his perfect work and his perfect sacrifice. We have so much to
be thankful for. We can't even begin. But by your
grace, we do thank you from our hearts that you've given us.
We do thank you. We ask that you be with us at this time.
Be with Sabrina and her class, that you plant that seed of faith
and knowledge according to your will. What we pray for ourselves, we
think of our unsaved loved ones, that according to your will,
your word go forth in power and draw them. You've seen fit to
call the chief of sinners. And we pray that for your glory,
that your will continue. in Christ and for his sake, it's
in his name that we pray. Look here with me, if you would,
and in first Corinthians chapter 13. We're going to look this morning at
God's love, at God's love. I don't know that I've, that
I've ever spoken that the verse hasn't come to my mind that he's
able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.
And if we could see a glimpse this
morning of God's love, our prayer be answered, right? If we could
see just a glimpse of who God is in Christ and the love that's
displayed to his people in Christ, if we could understand a glimpse
of that, this morning would be a very good morning. And yet,
as Paul says even here in our text, even then, we see through
a glass darkly. Even then, he's able to do exceeding
abundantly above. Even then, if we get a taste
here on this earth of God's love in Christ, just through a glass darkly,
right? But if we could, if we could this morning, our prayer
would be answered. As we read through, look for these three
points. God's love found only in Christ.
Nowhere outside of Christ. God's love found only in Christ. And two, we'll look at the characteristics
of God's love as an expression of himself and who he is. And
then three, and you'll pardon this point, I just can't find
a better word. The importance of God's love, and I'll admit
I don't like that. The importance of God's love,
the necessity of God's love, just how important God's love
is. As we read through, look for those three points and then
we'll look at them more in depth. Starting here in verse one, Paul
says, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels
and have not charity and have not love, I am become as sounding
brass or a tinkling cymbal. Though I have the gift of prophecy
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, though I have
all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not love,
I am nothing. Though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, though I give my body to be burned and have
not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long and is kind. Love envieth not. Love vaunteth
not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things,
love never faileth. But whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, they shall cease.
Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know
in part, we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect
is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When
I was a child, I spake 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 through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. For I know in part, but then
shall I know even as also I am known. Now abideth faith, hope,
charity, faith, hope, and love, these three, but the greatest
of these is love. We'll turn to quite a few scriptures
this morning. For the sake of time, I'll quote
quite a few, but obviously this book has a lot to say about love,
and the love of Christ. Paul sees the necessity here
to describe exactly what that love of Christ is. I mean, it
vaunteth not itself up, it never faileth, because we, left to
ourselves, we would never figure out that kind of love. We hear
the word love, we think we know what it means, but it has to
be God's love. has to be described to us. We
would never know that on our own. That has to be revealed
to us. God's love is found only in Christ. Hebrews 1.9 says of
Christ, thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Loved righteousness
and hated iniquity. At the same time, Psalm 51, David
says, behold, I was shapen in iniquity. I was created in iniquity. So Christ who, who loveth righteousness
and hated iniquity. And yet I was shapen in iniquity. I was, I was created in iniquity
and that's the issue, right? That's the issue for, for man. That's been the issue from, from
the moment that, that Adam rebelled against God. And we're born with
that exact same nature as our father, Adam, We're born rebellious
and sinful. We're shapen in iniquity. It's
our nature. We're shapen in iniquity. God
loveth righteousness and he hated iniquity. We're born in that
state of being unjust and unholy. I heard one time a man said that
a good definition of the word holy is other. We're born unholy. We're born other than God. We're
born separate. We're born unjust and unholy,
and that's very quickly proven by our actions, right? It doesn't
take very long after we're born that the result of that sinful
nature comes right out of our mouths and shown in our sinfulness. We're shaping, we're born in
iniquity. Since I was born in iniquity, and God loveth righteousness
and hateth iniquity, then what's my hope? Why are we here? What is that good news? Well,
Christ's righteousness is the good news. loveth righteousness
and hated iniquity, the good news is found in Christ. What right do I have to think
that anything in this, it's such a beautiful description of love,
right? You hear this read at weddings very, very frequently. I've read it myself a couple
of times, very, very frequently at weddings. It's such a beautiful
description of love. What right do I have to think
that that love, that God's love is for me? What right could I
possibly have to think that? To think that this text has anything
to do with me? How is that even possible? How
is it possible that God could love me? And that's what we're
doing here this morning, right? One sinner telling other sinners
that there is hope, there is hope in Christ. How is it possible
that God would love me? That God would not only remove
that separation that's caused by my iniquity, that's caused
by the nature, the state in which I'm born, because God loveth
righteousness and hated iniquity, that he would not only remove
that state in which I was born, remove that iniquity, but also
love me and make me righteous. What right? Turn with me, if
you would, to Philippians chapter three. God's love is found only in Christ. Look here at Philippians chapter
3. Starting in verse 8, near the
end, Paul says, that I may win Christ, right? That I may win
Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ. And you'll notice he doesn't even say that which is
through my faith in Christ. No, it's that which is through
the faith of Christ. the righteousness, which is of
God by faith, Christ accomplished righteousness by his, his perfect
life. And he removed iniquity through
his perfect sacrifice. Uh, look over in first Corinthians
with me chapter one, starting here in verse 26. For you see your calling, brethren,
how not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of
the world to confound the wise. God hath chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things that are mighty, and base
things of the world, things which are despised hath God chosen,
yea, the things which are not, to bring to naught the things
that are, that no flesh should glory at his presence. But of
him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us. Christ
Jesus is made unto us, wisdom and righteousness, sanctification
and redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. God's love is found only in Christ. And Christ is our right, Christ
is our hope. To read 1 Corinthians, to read
our text in 1 Corinthians and see that as God's love, God's
love, in Christ for this sinner, never fail, never fail. That's
the right that I have to read that as good news for this sinner.
God's love is found only in Christ. And as Paul says in Ephesians
1, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, who has
chosen us in Christ, who has predestinated us under the adoption
of children by Christ Jesus, who has made us accepted in Christ,
who has given us redemption and wisdom in Christ, and who has
made this known to us, this, the mystery of his will, which
is this, as says in Ephesians, that in the dispensation of the
fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth, all in
him. He says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. And that's what we say, right? Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have revealed Christ to us,
who have granted us this love in Him, who have redeemed us
and reconciled us to Him, who has removed the iniquity and
also given a new heart and a new life and a new nature to be one
with Him, who has birthed us by the Spirit to be one with
Him. And we say, just as Paul said
in Ephesians, blessed be the God. and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. What else can we say? When we
pray and we try to say thank you, that's such a little word. I think everyone who's ever prayed
publicly has tried to find some other word. You just can't find
it. We say thank you. Paul says it
much better. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ who has done this for undeserving children born in
iniquity. Blessed be God, right? God's
love found only in Christ. And secondly, what is this? What
is this love? What are the characteristics
of this love that's found in Christ? Because I only know of
human love. And I know that that's not going
to be enough to save my soul. I know of human love, which at
its best is vanity. That's what scripture says, right?
Even at our best, we're all together vanity. That's the best of us
in our best moment, all together vanity. Our love here on this
earth, human love is fickle. That's not going to be enough
to save my soul. We're to strive for the love
described here in chapter 13, right? Scripture says, brethren, if
this is how Christ has loved us, we ought also to love one
another, right? We should strive for this. This is never going
to describe my love. It's not. This is God's love
for me. This is love. What are the characteristics
of this love? God's love for His children. Well, God's love, it gives. John
3.16 says, For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but should
have everlasting life. For God so loved. Is that a manner
of degree? God so loved, He loved this much.
No, it's in this manner. God loved in this manner. This
is how God loved. he gave his only begotten son
to be the propitiation of sins, that whoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. He loves in this manner. Characteristics of God's love
is God's love gives. He gives from himself, not as
a response to something else, which is, I'm thankful for that,
not as a response. What have we done in our lifetime
that would engender that response? Right? I'm thankful that his
love isn't isn't in a response to us. His love is in a response
to his own character. It's in response to himself.
It's because God is love. It's because that's who he is.
Therefore. God, God's love gives for God
so loved the world in this manner that he gave his only begotten
son. God's love gives. God's love is. It's expressed
again only in Christ. In Ephesians, we read, husbands
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for it. God's love gives. It gives. God's love comes from him. Again, it's not a response. That
would be a debt, right? God's love as a response to something
that we've given him. That's not love. That's a repayment.
That's a debt. God's love isn't a debt. God's
love comes from him because of who he is, because it's an expression
of his character, because God is love. It comes from him. It's
according to his will. It's according to his goodness.
It's according to his character. Nowhere in the Bible did we ever
read anywhere of God's love being according to anything from me.
It's according to him because of his goodness, his character,
his will. James 117, we quote this in our
household frequently, don't we kids? Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above. Cometh down from the father of
lights. And we quote that verse frequently because if we experience
any good and perfect gift, there's no question where that's from,
is it? Scripture says so. Every good and every perfect
gift cometh from above. Including God's love in Christ,
it cometh from above. Not as a response. not as a response
to us, but as a response to his goodness, to his character. Romans
5.8 says, God commended his love toward us and that while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us. God's love comes from him. 1 John says, we love him. Why? Because he first loved us. It begins and ends from him in
Christ. Let's not, that last bit, The
last verse two, we love him because he first loved us. I focused
on that bit because we're talking about God's love coming from
him, right? That there's no question as to
the source of God's love, the cause of God's love. He is the
cause of his own love. Let's not forget the first part
of that verse either. It says we love him. I mean, that's amazing. We do. We love him. That's granted
to us also. His love. coming from him because
of his character and his goodness. And he grants us life and love
in him. That has a response. He's given us life. He's given
us a heart. We do love him. And again, we can't say thank
you. We can only say blessed be the God and father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who is not only made that possible, but
has caused that to happen, right? He gives his children life to
love him. He loved us first and Brethren, we do love him. And
that's amazing. We do love him. And that love
that we have for him is also from him. Three times in John,
Christ asked Peter, lovest thou me? Three times he asked, lovest
thou me? Three times Peter answered him,
yes, Lord, thou knowest. How'd the Lord know that Peter
loved him? It certainly wasn't because of his actions. It's
not because of our actions, right? How the Lord know that Peter
loved him? Peter had just denied him three times and all the apostles
had left him alone to be crucified on the Christ. They had all turned
their back on him. How did Peter say? How did Peter
say when he was asked by Christ, Peter, love us, tell me, how
did Peter say, Lord, you know, I do. Certainly wasn't because
of his actions, was it? Certainly not because of our
actions. It's because Christ knew because Christ put that
love in Peter's heart. Christ birthed that new nature,
that new man within Peter's heart. So therefore, Christ did know. Certainly not by his actions.
He said, Lord, you know, I love you. Because that love had been
given to Peter by Christ, because God's love is in Christ and from
Christ solely. We were at the beach over the
summer. Those waves just come and come and come, wave after
wave after wave, right kids? If I'd have taken my bottle of
water and splashed the cap full into one of those waves, would
it have caused any effect whatsoever? Maybe a little ripple, huh? Would
it have moved the tides? Would it have added to the level?
Would that little cup full of water have done anything at all
to the ocean? That's our actions, our actions to Christ's love.
Don't even cause that little ripple. and they also don't cause
it to diminish either. When Peter was denying Christ
three times, God's love for Peter never diminished, not even a
little bit, not at all. His love for Peter never diminished.
The effects of Peter's denying of Christ was Peter's grief.
That was the effect. It didn't affect God at all.
It didn't affect God's love at all. It didn't affect God's mercy
in Christ at all. Peter's actions and Peter's sinfulness,
same as our actions and our sinfulness, Don't even cause a ripple in
the waves of God's love. Not even a ripple. What it did
cause was Peter's grief. Our sin causes us grief. That's
what it does. Our disbelief, our unbelief,
our rebellion, it causes us grief. And so that when Christ asked
Peter that third time, scripture says Peter was grieved when he
heard it the third time, as he remembered. I've denied Christ
three times. But this love of God is from
him and it's immeasurable and it's unstoppable. and it's forever
and it's in him and our actions don't thwart that, not for a
minute. God's love is forever. Lovest
thou me, Peter? He says, Lord, you know I love
you because the Lord had given Peter that love. God's love comes
from him. God's love is binding. And I
will just quote most of these verses, but listen, you can turn
to them later if you want to, but God's love is binding. First
John 4.16 says, We have known and believed the love that God
hath to us. God is love. He that dwelleth
in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. His love is binding.
He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 John
says, behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Binding, called
sons of God. God's love is binding. God's
love is real. It's not cold. It's not cold. Turn with me to this one if you
would. Second Corinthians chapter nine. God's love's not cold. It's not out of an obligation. Second Corinthians nine verse
seven. Every man according as he purposeth
in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, not of necessity. God loveth a cheerful giver.
Why does God love a cheerful giver? Because God is a cheerful
giver. He doesn't give grudgingly. He doesn't give out of necessity.
He doesn't give because he's bound to give. God's love is
real. God's love's not cold. It's not
a legal transaction. God's not bound to love us. He
loved us, therefore he gave. His only begotten Son. Not grudgingly,
not out of necessity. Scripture says God delights to
show mercy. God's love is real. God's love's not cold. John 16
said, for the Father himself loveth you. And this is the evidence. Because ye have loved me and
have believed that I came from God. God himself hath loved you,
as is evidenced by the faith that he's given you. Because
you've loved me, believe that I came from God. And then in
Zephaniah chapter three, the Lord thy God in the midst of
thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice
over thee with joy. He will rest in his love. He
will joy over thee with singing. God's love's not cold. It's not
given begrudgingly. It's given with an open hand,
as we do to our children, right? With an open hand, holding nothing
back. That God would delight to show a sinner mercy, not out
of obligation, out of his character, because that's who he is. And
then finally, the importance of God's love. Here in our chapter,
in Psalm 37 states, how excellent is thy love, thy loving kindness,
O God. Therefore the children of men
put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. And our text says
that this love is greater than tongues. It's greater than prophecy. It's greater than knowledge and
wisdom. It's greater than generosity. says that though a man give his
body to be burned and give all everything that he owns to the
poor, that that's very, very generous. God's love is greater
than that generosity. God's love is even greater than
faith and hope, greater than faith and hope. You and I, Sean,
have talked about how often I heard your dad pray to increase our
faith. And I learned from that to pray
for that myself. I learned from hearing him. Lord taught me that's
a good thing to pray for, right? Increase our faith. We pray for
that all the time. God's love is greater than faith.
Even faith. Scripture, our text says God's
love lasts forever. That's forever backward and forever
forward. God's love is eternal. Not, I
think our pastor said last week or maybe the week before that
in our arrogance, we tend to think that forever starts now
with me. forever started forever ago when when God, the Father,
God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit. Made a made a promise
to themselves. When God made a promise to God.
Eternity ago, that's when God, God's love began. An everlasting
love forever forward, forever backward. Jeremiah 31 says, Yea,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving
kindness have I drawn thee. tenderly, drawnly. Romans 8 says,
Nay, in all these things we're more than conquerors through
him that loved us. For I'm persuaded that neither death nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other circumstance,
any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The love of God in Christ is
forever and can't be separated. God's love gives worth to the
object, right? Three times in the first three
verses of our text, Paul says, I'm nothing. He says, though
I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not love,
I'm become a sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. I'm just making
noise without God's love. Though I have the gift of prophecy
and understand mysteries and all knowledge, though I have
all faith so that I can remove mountains and I have not love,
I'm nothing. I have no worth. Though I bestow
all my goods to feed the poor, though I gave my body to be burned
and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Three times in the
first three verses, Paul says, without love, I'm nothing. God's
love gives worth to the object of that love. Outside of God's
love, Paul says, I'm nothing. But inside God's love, Ephesians
says, but God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ, by grace are ye saved, hath raised us
up together, made us sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that
in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace and kindness toward us through Christ Jesus, Grace
you save through faith, that not of yourselves, that's the
gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We are
his workmanship, Ephesians says. We are his workmanship. His love
gave us worth, right? Without his love, just as Paul
says, we are nothing. But in his love, in the love
of Christ, that love that he earned the right to share with
his children, to pour out on his children through his perfect
work and through his perfect sacrifice on the cross, That
sinless blood shed, made sin for us, life given to us, gives
him the right to create his workmanship. And that workmanship has value.
That's us. His workmanship created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that
we should walk in them. Worth in and of ourselves? Never.
because of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts? Absolutely,
absolutely. God's love gives worth to the
object of that love. And as a result of this, God's
active, eternal, warm, willing love, as a result of that, as
a result, all as a result of that Christ love, to which we
say, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because
thank you just certainly isn't enough. And as the scripture
says, as that love has been poured out on us, shouldn't we also
love one another? I hope that's been a blessing. Pray for our
brother, Dan, as he prepares.