Would you turn back to first
Corinthians chapter 14? I've entitled this message. What
love looks like. And the love that I'm speaking
of is. Not romantic love. It's not the
love between a parent and a child. It's not even a love between
friends. We're thankful for that kind
of love, but you know, none of those loves will last. They really
won't. But the love that I'm talking
about or that the scripture is talking about is eternal. Now, what does this love look
like? The end of the year and the end
of a decade is always a time of reflection. Time marches on. You know, every morning I do
this. I drink my first cup of coffee and I turn it off, the
coffee pot off, and my next cup, I don't like it to get or whatever
it is, if you let it go too long, it gets nasty. So I put the next
cup in the microwave for about 38 seconds. And every time, I
think, 38 seconds have passed, and they'll never be here again.
And I wonder what has happened throughout the world in that
little 38-second period. I mean, there have been people
die. There have been people brought to a saving knowledge of the
gospel. There's been catastrophic events. There's been great, happy
events for different people. What all happens during that
time? But that time's gone. It can't
be recovered. Time marches on, doesn't it? Now, in considering the past
year, I'm so very grateful for the mercies and grace and blessings
that the Lord has given us. I'm also sorry over the sins
and the failures of this past year. And I have a desire, and
I know you do too, I don't know how to explain it, but I hope
2010 is better than 2009, don't you? In whatever way. You know, there's nothing wrong
with wanting to have goals for the coming year. There's nothing
wrong with that. Now, I'm not much into resolutions
because I've never kept one. But it's still good to have goals,
things that we want to see improvements in ourselves and so on. There's not a thing wrong with
that. But here is something that should
always be on our mind. Paul said in first Corinthians,
chapter 14, verse one, make love your aim. Pursue it with all
your might. Make this your goal. And if there
would be something that we should be seeking for this coming year,
here it is. Make love your goal, your pursuit,
what you follow after. Now, you probably know that the
Greek word is agape. Everybody's heard that word and
it's sometimes translated charity. And it sometimes translated love. Now, quite often in the translation
of the scriptures, the Greek word is translated by different
English words, and generally the context determines what word
is used. Now, in 1 Corinthians, chapter
13, we read of charity. Charity. Paul is telling us what
love looks like. Charity is an action, isn't it? It's something you do. Now, love
can be a concept. Love can be a feeling. But charity
is never a feeling. Charity is love in action. It's what love does. Now look
in verse 31 of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Paul says, but covet
earnestly the best gifts and yet show I unto you a more excellent
way. Now, here Paul tells us, I'm
going to tell you what love looks like. I'm going to show you,
I'm going to demonstrate to you this more excellent way. Now, the charity Paul is speaking
of. Is the fruit of God, the Holy
Spirit, I repeat. This is not talking about a romantic
love, the love between a man and a woman. You know, that love
can be real and begin, but it can cease. You know, there's
people who fall out of love. They really love each other and
they stop loving each other. That's a human love. It's not
the love being spoken of here. It's not even the love between
a child and parent. This is talking about an altogether
supernatural love, the fruit of God the Holy Spirit. It's
the product of God, and listen to me, no unbeliever possesses
this love. Now they may have these other
kinds of loves, romantic love, and love to their neighbors,
and love to their friends, love to their country. Those are good
things, but they're not spiritual things. They won't last. All
those kinds of loves, they're going to fade away. But this
love is eternal And only a believer possesses this love. This love
is the product of the new birth. Would you turn with me for a
moment to First John, Chapter four? First John, Chapter four. Verse seven. Beloved. Let us love one another. For love is of God, and everyone
that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. Now, do you hear
that? Everyone that possesses the love that I'm speaking of,
and only God's elect possess this. Only the true believer
who has been born of the Spirit possesses this love. But everybody
that possesses this love is born of God. This is the product of
God. This is the fruit of God, the
Holy Spirit. Everybody that possesses this
love knows the living God. Now, Paul calls this the more
excellent way. I love the way he says this.
He says, covet earnestly the best gifts. And I do covet earnestly
the best gifts. I want to be gifted to preach
the gospel. God's gift, not just a human
gift, but I mean, God's gift. I want gifts from God to enable
me to be faithful in preaching the gospel. But this is something
that's even more to be desired. He says, I show unto you a more
excellent way. As a matter of fact, this is
the greatest of the Christian graces. Look in First Corinthians,
chapter 13, verse 13. And now abideth faith, hope,
charity, these three, but the greatest of these It's charity. Now, why is it greater? Because
faith is not eternal. One of these days, my faith is
going to be turned to sight. Hope is not eternal. What I hope
for is going to be turned into experience. Now, I have a hope
that I'm going to be just like Christ. One of these days I will
be. I won't have to hope for it anymore. But you know what
will be eternal? What I'll still be doing? Charity. Turn with me to Matthew chapter
22. I want to show you some scriptures regarding this before we get
back into 1 Corinthians 13. Verse 35. Then one of them, which was a
lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him and saying, Master,
which is the great commandment in the law? Good question. Jesus said unto
him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and
great commandment, and the second is likened to it. Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang
all the law and prophets." Paul put it this way in Romans chapter
13, verse 10. of the law. And Paul said in
1 Corinthians 16, 14, let all your things, whatever it is you're
doing, let all your things be done with charity, with this
love that he's speaking of, let it permeate everything. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 16,
or in Ephesians chapter 6, he said, grace me with all them
that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Well, that's something to stop
and make you think. Love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Remember that passage in 2 Corinthians
8 when Paul's talking about giving? And he says that giving proves
the sincerity of your love. Not what I say, but what I do. Not me saying I love Christ.
But it's my giving that proves the sincerity, the reality of
my love. If that giving is not there,
it's insincere. Bottom line. Love is what causes us to do
more. Remember when he said, what do
ye more than others? If you love them that love you,
what do you more than others? In Colossians 3, verse 14, Paul
said, Above all things put on charity this love which is the
bond of perfectness. In 1 Timothy 1, 5, Paul said,
Now the end or the goal of the commandment is charity. Charity. That's the goal. That's
the purpose. That's the end. And our Lord
said in John 13, verse 34, By this shall all men know you are
my disciples. Not by your doctrinal stance,
although your doctrinal stance is right if you're a believer,
but that's not what he says. He says, by this shall all men
know you're my disciples, if you have love one to another. Now, that is the evidence, that's
the mark of God's grace in the soul. Now, in this passage of
scripture, in First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Paul tells us what
love looks like. And I want to know, don't you?
You know, read verses four through eight real carefully with me,
and I want to let you know that every one of these things are
verbs. Every one of these things are verbs. It tells us what love
actually does. And remember, love is defined
by what it does. Now, here's what love looks like.
Love, charity. Remember, charity is something
you do. It suffers long. It's patient. It's long suffering. It's kind. Let me remind you,
these are verbs. It doesn't envy. It doesn't vaunt
itself. It doesn't push itself. It's
not puffed up with pride. It doesn't behave itself unseemly
or rudely. It seeks not her own. It's not
easily provoked. It thinks no evil. It rejoices
not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things.
It believes all things. It hopes all things. It endures
all things. Charity never fails. That word means it's never reduced
to inactivity. It's always doing something. That's what love does. A love that's in word only is
not love at all. John said, let us not love in
word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Now here's what love looks like. This is the more excellent way.
Now let's look at verse 1 of 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Paul says, Though I speak with
the tongues of men and of angels. Now, the Corinthian church were
enamored with this gift of tongues and they abused it. made it to
be what it never was in the first place. I mean, it's the ability
to speak in other languages. They tried to make it into something
else. And Paul rebukes them about that. But knowing that they're
so infatuated with tongues, Paul says, though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels. What if I had the eloquence of
an angel? Don't you love to hear someone
speak who can really speak well publicly? It's enjoyable. What
if I had the greatest gift of public speaking and I could move
people by my ability to speak and I could just pull their hearts
out? What would that be if I didn't
have love? It'd be offensive. It would sound
like a symbol or a gong. It would be offensive to God,
it would be offensive to you. You know that. If even if I speak
with the tongues of men and angels and have not love, this love
he's speaking of, the gift of God's grace. God's got to do
something for you to have this. If I don't have this love, I
am nothing. Look what he says in verse 2.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, I can foretell future events.
and understand all mysteries, and he's even talking about scriptural
knowledge. I can tell you what all the types are and what all
they mean. I know the ancient languages.
And though I have all knowledge. Though I know right, I have all
the right information. What is that without love? What
is it? Look back in 1 Corinthians chapter
8. Now, as touching things offered
unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. We know that
that thing that is offered to an idol is nothing in itself
and that an idol is just a false god. It is non-existent. We know
that. We have some understanding. We all have knowledge. Now look
what he says next. Knowledge puffs up. with pride. Look what I know. Aren't you
impressed? I know something that you don't
know. I've got some kind of advantage over you. Knowledge only puffs
one up with pride. Now I'm thankful for knowledge.
I'm thankful for the knowledge of the gospel, aren't you? You
can't Love somebody you don't know. You can't love Jesus Christ
the Lord if you don't know him. You know him, you love him. I'm
not saying anything against knowledge, but if all I got is knowledge,
I don't care how much knowledge it is. All it does is puff up
with pride. Nothing more. It's offensive. There's no benefit in it. Knowledge
puffs up, but charity builds up. It edifies. It doesn't puff up. Actually,
charity deflates you. It deflates you in your self-seeking and
so on, in your self-promotion. It deflates you. It humbles you.
It builds you up in reverence and awe of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, listen, let's go on reading.
He says in verse two, the first Corinthians chapter eight. And
if any man think that he knows anything, he knoweth what? Nothing. Nothing. Yet, as he ought to know, But
if any man loved God, the same is known of him. This is what
God recognizes. Not what you know, who you love. That's what God recognizes. Knowledge
puffs up. Charity builds up. This is the gift of God's grace.
Back to 1 Corinthians 13. Paul says, though I have the
gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains and
have no charity, I am nothing. Verse 3, and though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor. Now that would be impressive.
If somebody in this room sold everything they had and used
it to help feed poor people, I'd be impressed. You would too,
wouldn't you? I mean, that's an impressive
deed. But Paul says, if I don't do it with this charity that
I'm speaking of, it's nothing. And though I give my body to
be burned, now here's the ultimate sacrifice. And this is almost
a scary thing to think about. You know, I could give my body
to be burned for the cause of God and truth and do it in just
a way that's promoting myself and not have the love of God
in my heart. There are people who've given their body to be
burned and yet they had no love to God and it didn't profit them
a thing. It was nothing but a big whitewashed
sin. That's a scary thought, isn't
it? I can give my body to be burned.
And if I don't have this charity, it profits me nothing. Now, Paul is going to tell us
what love looks like, what charity looks like. Let me remind you
about what charity is. It's an action. It's what love does. When you
see this, you see charity. And if you don't see this, you
don't see charity. It's not there. Charity suffers
long. You know, if you love somebody.
You'll be patient with them. Now, you will, if you love them.
You'll be patient. I think this is interesting,
you could take the Lord's name and put it in the name of charity
and it would work with it. Christ suffers long and is kind. Christ envies not. Christ vaunts not himself. Christ
is not puffed up. Christ doesn't behave himself
unseemly. Christ doesn't seek his own. Christ is not easily
provoked. He thinks no evil. He rejoices
not in iniquity. He rejoices in the truth. He
bears all things. He believes all things. He hopes
all things. He endures all things. This is a beautiful testimony
concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. But that's
not what the Holy Spirit says. Although that is true, what I
just said, it's talking about the charity that's in us if we're
believers. It's patient. Patient. And charity is kind. It's gracious. It's easy. It's pleasant. It's good toward
the object of its affection. Charity is kind. Now remember, this is what charity
looks like. Charity is kind. And then he says in verse 4,
Charity envieth not. Now, you can't envy somebody
you love. If you envy somebody's prosperity,
you don't love that person. But if you love them, you're
thankful when they're prospered. You're happy when they're prospered.
You're happy when they're blessed. It's good. You're glad it's just
as if it happened to you if you love that person. And listen,
if I love you when you're prospered, I'm prospered. When you're blessed,
I'm blessed because your blessing is my blessing because I love
you. That's charity. Charity envies not. It doesn't have that feeling
of dissatisfaction, of the prosperity and the blessing of others. Now,
when you see charity, you see something that does not envy.
Now, if you envy people, if you're jealous of those people because
of blessings they have that you perceive ought to be coming to
you, you don't love that person. Charity envieth not. And then he says in verse four,
charity vaunteth not itself. Charity is not a braggart. Charity is not seeking to promote
itself, but the object of its love. It doesn't push itself
forward. It doesn't seek the spotlight.
Charity takes the back seat and believes that's where he belongs
and enjoys staying there. Charity vaunteth not itself. And then he says, it's not in
verse four, he says, it's not puffed up. Now, remember, this
is what charity looks like. It's not puffed up, it's not
swollen with pride, it's not. Puffed up. You know, all pride
is, is self love. Where there's pride, there's
this feeling of superiority, there's this feeling of above
someone else, that's contrary to love, real love where you
see this charity, it's not Puffed up, they look in verse five. Charity does not behave itself. Unseemly. That means charity
is not rude and charity is not indecent and charity is not thoughtless
concerning the feelings of others, you're not rude to somebody you
love you, you're You're very sensitive about their feelings
if you love them. Charity does not behave itself
unseemly. Now, this charity that's a gift
of God's grace that every believer possesses, this is what it looks
like. Where you find rudeness, you don't find this charity that
is the gift of God. And then he says in verse five,
charity seeketh not her own. It's not seeking its own best
interest. It's seeking the best interest of the object of its
affection. That's what charity is. That's the gift of God's
grace. And then it's not easily provoked. It's not touchy. It's not moody. It's not easily offended and
irritable. Not towards somebody you love.
Remember, I repeat, this is what love looks like. It's not easily
provoked. It's not so sensitive, always
flying off the handle and becoming offended. Love doesn't do that. And he says in verse five, the
last phrase, it thinketh no evil. It's not suspicious. of the one
it loves. It's not suspicious. It puts
the best construction on what takes place. It's not always
putting the evil construction. It thinks the best. It's what
love looks like. It's what charity looks like.
Verse 6. It rejoices not in iniquity. It doesn't rejoice in the fall
of somebody. It rejoices in the truth. It
doesn't get any feeling of satisfaction in somebody falling. No, it only
rejoices in the truth, the truth of the gospel. That's what I
rejoice in. That's what I glory in. The truth of how God saves
sinners by his grace. Rejoice in that. And he says
in verse seven, I love this. Charity beareth all things. Now, if you look that word up,
it's this. Charity covers in silence all
things regarding the one it loves. You see, if you love somebody,
you want their faults covered, not exposed. Aren't you thankful the Lord
covers our sins? Everybody He loves, their sins
He covers. And if I love you, I want your
sins to be covered, not exposed. If you love me, you want my sins
to be covered. That's what love does. It covers
with silence. I love it. What a beautiful definition
of love. It covers with silence. Now, that doesn't mean it doesn't
have anything to say. You know, if you love somebody,
there may be times when you need to say something to them. You
may need to rebuke them. You may need to correct them
in some way. And you hope that it's taken well. And really,
the scripture says, faithful are the wounds of a friend. But
the kisses of an enemy are death. You know, I hope the Lord makes
it to where I can always receive correction and rebuke. I hope
I have that attitude. I hope I don't become offended
when somebody needs to correct me. Don't you want to have that
attitude? That's what love does. It speaks when in need. You know,
your children, your children, you love them. What do you do
because you love them? You correct them. And if you
don't love, you don't correct other folks' children, they're
not yours. I mean, there's a different relationship there, but you correct
your own because you love them. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
and he scourges every son that he receiveth. But love covers
with silence. It believes all things. Believes the best. Believes the
best and refuses to believe the worst. If somebody tells me something
bad about somebody, if I love them, I'm going to say, I don't
believe it. I don't believe it. I know them better than that.
I think more highly of them than that. Now, that's the attitude
of love. It believes all things. And what it can't see, it hopes
for. It hopes for. I might not see
it, but it'll be there. I love them. I know the Lord
will give them grace. They'll grow. They'll grow. Be
patient with them. They'll grow. It hopes for. And
it endures all things. It never quits. Now, this is
the only kind of love that doesn't quit. All these other kind of
loves, they can quit here in this life. But I guarantee you,
after death, they're not going to be anymore. All these earthly
relationships, they won't be. There won't be husbands and wives
and moms and dads and so on. I don't understand that. It's
hard for us to get a hold of it. But if so, these relationships
are temporary. But this love I'm speaking of,
the love the Bible's speaking of, is eternal and it endures
forever. And Paul tells us it never fails. It never is reduced to inactivity. It's always there. Isn't charity
beautiful? Truly, this is the fruit of God,
the Holy Spirit. And this is what I and you and
I are to make our aim and our goal. Make love your aim. Let's
go on reading, verse 8. Charity never fails, but whether
there be prophecies, they shall fail. Now, this doesn't mean
that a prophecy that God has made will not come to pass. What this is a reference to is
this gift of prophecy. The word fail is cease. When
the full canon of scripture comes, it hadn't come yet. As a matter
of fact, most people say First Corinthians was the first epistle.
You didn't have a New Testament at that time the way we do. Now,
when we have the full canon of scripture, that prophecy shall
cease. Whether they be tongues, they
shall cease. The ability to speak in other
languages, and the early church had that. They could speak it.
I could go into any country if I had to get to tongues and speak
the gospel of that language. He says, But that shall cease,
whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away, for we know
in part, we know partially, and we prophesy in part, but when
that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be
done away. Now that's talking about the full canon of Scripture.
When that which is perfect is come, the Holy Bible, the Genesis
through Revelation. We don't need the gift of tongues.
We don't need the gift of prophecy. We don't need the gift of knowledge,
all these gifts that the early church had. done away with. Now he says in verse 11, when I was a child, I speak as
a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when
I became a man, I put away childish things. I grew up I grew up. Verse 12, for now, right now, we see through a glass
darkly. Isn't that so? You know, this
is where we get the word enigma from. Enigma. I'm an enigma to myself. I really
am. I'm an enigma to myself. And
I'm sure you all feel the same way about yourself. Some of you
are an enigma to me. Good enigma, but an enigma. We see through a glass darkly.
We can't get our minds wrapped around everything. We can't do
it. We see through a glass darkly. But then. Face. to face. And now. I know, in part, just partially. But then shall I know, even as
also I'm known to you, think about how the Lord knows you.
Lord knows me all together. There's not a word in my tongue
that he doesn't know all together. He knows me. He knows me all
the way through. And he knows the real me, too. You know the real me? The real
me is that one who loves Christ. He knows the real me. He has
fellowship with me. He has communion with me. He
knows me. Now, I don't know him anywhere near the way he knows
me. But the day is coming when I'm
going to know him. I'm going to know him. And this
is more than just knowing things about him. I'm going to know
him. face-to-face with Christ my Savior, face-to-face what
will it be when with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ, who
died for me? Then shall I know, even as also
I am known. Verse 13, And now abides Faith,
hope, charity, these three. Now, these are the three Christian
graces that covers everything. This is what abides. The tongues
are not abiding. The gift to heal is not abiding. It's not still here. The gift
of prophecy, to actually be able to say, thus saith the Lord,
it's not here because we've got the full canon of scripture.
We don't need those things. Those things are vanished away.
Those things are no more. But here's what abides. Faith. I am relying on the Lord Jesus
Christ right now to make me perfect before God. But you know what? One of these days, in my experience,
I will be perfect before God and I won't need faith. I have a hope. I have a hope that one day I'm
going to stand perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
I have a hope that I'll have no more sin in my experience,
but that I'll be just like Christ. I have a hope. Do you know what? When I'm in glory, it won't be
a hope. It'll be an experience. You see,
Faith and hope are not eternal things, but charity is. I will continue to love him. I love what John Newton said. And I understand it. He said,
help me love you more and more. If I love at all, I pray, And
if I have not loved before, help me to begin today. Make love your aim. He says in chapter 14, verse
one, follow after charity. Make this your goal. Make this
your aim. First of all, this love to God,
this love to the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to love him more, don't
you? I want to love him more. Oh, he's altogether lovely. And
when I think of my love, it's something that I'm very ashamed
of. I ought to love him more. Now, I do love him. I say with
Peter, Lord, you know all things. You know I love your person.
I do. I love Jesus Christ. I love him. But I want to love
him more, don't you? You know, you love him more You
can love all the other loves are going to be better, aren't
they? This is loving to owe to to love him. I understand why
Paul said, if any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him
be anathema maranatha. Let him be damned upon the return
of the Lord. Christ is so lovely. If somebody
doesn't love him, they ought to be damned. Amen. Amen. That's it. That's who he is.
And I want to love you more. You see, my love to the person of Christ
is only seen in my love to you. That's the only way it can be
demonstrated. I want to love you more. And I want to love
all men more. I mean, all men, I want to I
want us to seek. You know how you love men? By
preaching the gospel to them. By seeking their salvation, by seeking
the good of their bodies, yes, but most especially the good
of their souls. And I want to learn to love my
enemies. You know, the Lord said, love
your enemies. Pray for them, which despitefully
use you. Charity is the greatest thing
in the world. I want to remind you of an old
saying. Charity begins at home. May this year we're looking at
be a year where we love the Lord more. And love one another more. And love all men more. and love
our enemies. And may this love begin at home.