Psalm 136:1-9 (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever.  ² Give thanks to the God of gods.  His love endures forever.  ³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.  ⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.  ⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.  ⁷ who made the great lights—His love endures forever.  ⁸ the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.  ⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

We continue the sermon theme about the Church in Corinth, with its gifted parishioners that lack love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (NIV)

¹ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  ² If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails.  But where there are prophesies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.  ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  ¹² Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.

The Church of Corinth had forgotten that they were supposed to be different than the world.  That knowledge was what the world valued, but what God wants to know about, what points to a healthy church is not knowledge, but love.

It is possible to manifest the gifts that God has given you without being a follower of Jesus.

Judas was a Biblical example of a person that was a part of the group of disciples but was not a follower and a believer of Jesus.

I don’t think Paul is talking about a set of behaviors.  Paul is describing love as a person.  In verse 7 this has four of the Greek word ‘Panta,’ which means everything, all things.  “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Love bears all things.  Meaning no matter what the person you love does, you always forgive.  Love in spite of sins or flaws.  Jesus’ love is not conditional.

Love always hopes.  We Christians find our ultimate hope in God, in Christ.  We find our hope in Christ; He Himself is the thing we are seeking.

Love always trusts.  One can invest in love, it will always support you, love will never fail you, no matter what happens.

Love endures all things.  God’s love is always present even when we are experiencing trials, no matter what.  His love will sustain us.

Love believes all things.  God’s word is love and we can always believe God’s word; it will change our hearts to enable us to love like God’s love for others.

Christianity isn’t just someone who knows they need to be more loving.  Instead, a Christian is someone who has met love.  Love has shown us that we are helpless sinners, with a bent toward sin, selfishness, wanting unconditional love but unable to give it.  This is the fundamental problem with the OT and people were unable to fulfill the law.

The law doesn’t make us pure; it merely shows us how unpure and immoral we are.

Paul shows us our brokenness and introduces us to what love really is.  We have been loved—not by an idea, but by a person.  That person endured hell on our behalf, because He loves us.  Jesus suffered in the garden, on the Cross, because He knew that real love endures all things, even a cross.

Real Christians are not trying to earn their way into heaven.  We are trying to know love better.  We are trying to allow love to shape us into being one who also loves the way we’ve been loved.

Romans 12:12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

We need to love God for who He is, which will melt our hearts.  Love is the difference between a religious person and a follower of Jesus.

                                                            Conditional Love                  Unconditional Love

                                                                               -Selfish                  -Selfless

                                                                 -Rooted in Ego                  -Rooted in Soul

                                                                  -Seeks control                  -Seeks freedom

                                                           -Has expectations                  -No expectations

                                                                     -Judgmental                  -Non-judgmental

                     -Looks for another to complete them                  -Is already whole and complete

                                                           -Feels threatened                  -Doesn’t worry

                                                                               -Needy                  -Needs nothing

                                                                              -Jealous                  -Secure with self

Love for God means that we obey Him, not to get a benefit, but we are trying to return the love we have received.

His joy is our joy.  He is our happiness.  We have to meet love prior to loving.  Before love becomes a behavior for us, love has to become a person to us.  Love was and is a person.  When we meet that person, Jesus, it changes an approach to God and others.  Love is what it is all about.

This week ask Jesus to introduce us to love, give us the hearts to understand we need Jesus’ love and to allow that love to flow through our hearts.  God bless.