Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 1 Cor. 13. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Because of our innate selfishness and sin, love is not something that comes naturally to us. At least this is certainly the case if we allow God’s Word to define love.
- In fact, we can very easily view love as something that principally benefits ourselves – something that makes us feel good, or fulfilled, or happy.
- And often love is mistaken for an emotion, for the good feelings we sometimes have for others. But emotions are often out of our control – so if we think of love as principally an emotion, why would we ever require someone to commit to “loving”?
- Rather, our text clearly shows us that love is about “being and behaving” certain ways toward another. If we utilize our text for a definition it would read something like this: “Love is an unconditional commitment to put the good and welfare of another over and above one’s own good and welfare.”
- Certainly our text provides instruction as to how we are love one another, especially within marriage. However, it is even more important that we remember that “God is love.” [1 Jn. 4:8,16] Therefore this description of “love” is also a description of God. And since God is perfect, obviously His love is perfect, a complete fulfillment of the description in our text.
- The apostle makes clear that:
I. Love Is Of Preeminent Importance
Text: “I will show you a still more excellent way. . . . If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. . . . So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Statement: I suppose this makes perfect sense, that if “God is love,” then love would be the greatest thing! And since love is at the heart of everything that is truly good, and good is good, then love is critically essential for good.
Application: Therefore it is critical for us to consider this carefully, and to rejoice greatly that “God is love.” For then we will understand that:
II. This Description Of Love Actually Describes God’s Perfect Love For Us
A. God Is Patient And Kind To Us
Text: “Love is patient and kind.”
B. God Is Gentle Toward Us At All Times
Text: “Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.”
C. God Is Selfless And Devoted To Good
Text: “Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”
D. God Is Forbearing, Full Of Faith, Hope, And Steadfast Endurance
Text: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends.”
Statement: These are all the things that we could most hope for when it comes to God. His commitment to our good and welfare is eternal; it never ends! He continues to bear all things, He keeps faith in us, He is always hoping the best for us! And whatever we do or say or are, He continues to endure all things!
Furthermore, God does not keep a record of wrongs, and He is able to bend in order to best serve us. Indeed, He must be flexible to work all things together for our good! His patience, kindness, and goodness toward us is remarkable, astounding!
Application: And if we know ourselves as we truly are, we know that unless God is like this, unless God is love, there would be no hope for us whatsoever. But He is love, so He does forgive us, provide us with redemption, save us, and give us all good things!
Transition: And if we understand these things, then we also know without doubt that:
III. To Love Is To Engage In True Godliness
Eph. 4:31 – 5:2 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Statement: First we must know that God is love, and know what it means practically speaking to love another. Then we must be grateful and thankful to God for His great commitment to our good and blessedness. Then we can contemplate real goodness and love, and consider that this might be a good way, a more excellent way for us to be and behave!
Application: And when we see and acknowledge our shortcomings and failures to love, then we return to the comfort of knowing that Christ loved us and made the self-sacrifice that redeems and saves us! And in this we are strengthened to once again set out to “walk in love, as Christ loved us.”
Conclusion: We have made promises and vows to love our spouse. This was not a promise to always “feel” a certain way, but rather to “be and behave” a certain way toward another. Actually, to be imitating God.
And if this takes a long time for us to get good at loving, that’s okay, because “love never ends.” God will grant what we need to be growing in love.
And our love is to extend to all people, even our enemies – as Jesus taught. [Matt. 5:44]
And let us remember that love is always preeminent, the more excellent way! Thank God that He has incorporated us into His great love! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.