Title: " The Church's Greatest Gift "

Text: I Corinthians 13:1-7; I Corinthians 12:7, & 27-31

INTRO: Charity comes from the Greek Word " Agape " which means to

Look Out for the Positive Good of Another . It carries the idea

of looking out to find the needs of another and a willingness to

meet those needs in accordance with the resources available .

1. The Heart of the Old Testament Law -- Matthew 22:36-40

a. Man Should Love God Supremely.

b. Man Should Love Others as he Loves Himself.

2. The Religious Leaders of Israel were Always Focusing on the

Outward Appearance , so Jesus had to reprove them, because

their Hearts were not right before Him.

Matthew 15:1-20

3. God is Primarily Concerned with Man's Heart.

I Samuel 16:7; Jeremiah 17:9; Psalm 139:23-24; &

Matthew 23:25-28

4. If Man can Learn to Focus his Heart on the Love of God and to

Walk In that Love, he will Fulfill God's Will for his Life.

John 15:9-17 c/f I John 3:11-18 & I John 4:6 - 5:3 5. Man's Love ( Eros & Phileo ) Will Never be Enough to Fulfill

God's Expectations, because Man's Love is Self Serving & Shallow.

a. Eros - Sensual Love - Based on How Someone Makes us

Feel

b. Phileo - Brotherly Love - Based on What Another Person can

Do For Us

*** Only God's Agape Love can Look Beyond Its Own Needs &

Desires to Reach Out to Another and Meet Their Needs.

John 3:16 ; Romans 5:8 ; & John 15:13

6. God Has Given His Love as a GIFT to the Church to Build Up

His Body both Numerically & Spiritually.

Ephesians 4:11-16 ; Romans 5:5 ; & I Corinthians 12-13

I. The Preeminence of Love

I Corinthians 13:1-3

A. Love is More Excellent & Desirable than ALL the Other Gifts

that God has Given for the Overall Benefit of the Church.

I Corinthians 12:7, & 27-31

B. Great Preaching without Love - No Matter How Eloquent - will Fall

Short of the Desired Goal.

I Corinthians 13:1

*** Even if We could Communicate Clearly with Every Single Creature

C. Great Understanding & Spiritual Insight without Love will Not Profit.

I Corinthians 13:2

*** Even if We could Unlock & Know All the Hidden Mysteries of God

D. Great Faith without Love will be Meaningless.

I Corinthians 13:2

*** Even if We Could Literally Move Mountains by Faith

E. An Outward Expression of Concern for the Needs of Others

without a Genuine Heartfelt Love within will Not Profit.

I Corinthians 13:3

*** Even if We Give All our Worldly Possessions to care for the Poor

*** You can Give Without Loving, but you Cannot Love without Giving.

F. Dying as a Martyr in the Most Excruciating of Agonies Possible

without Love will Not Profit.

I Corinthians 13:3

*** Even Giving our Bodies to Be Burned as a Martyr

II. A Catalogue of Love's Characteristics

I Corinthians 13:4-7

A. Positive Characteristics

1. Long-suffering

2. Kindness

3. Rejoices in the Truth

4. Bears All Things

5. Believes All Things

6. Hopes All Things

7. Endures All Things

B. Negative Characteristics

1. Envies Not

2. Vaunts Not Itself

3. Is Not Puffed Up

4. Does Not Behave Itself Unseemly

5. Seeks Not Her Own

6. Is Not Easily Provoked

7. Thinks No Evil

8. Rejoices Not in Iniquity

III. Love is Long-suffering & Kind.

V-4

A. God's Love Enables the Christian to Put up with Frustrating People

& Circumstances for Long Periods of Time.

1. How long can you Tolerate Frustrating People & Circumstances ?

2. When we find ourselves getting extremely Impatient & Agitated with

Frustrating People & Circumstances it should be a Red Flag to Warn

us that we are Not Walking In the Spirit or in the Love of Christ.

Galatians 5:22-23

3. When we get Impatient & Agitated with Frustrating People &

Circumstances we can Hurt our Testimony before others and

Cut off our Ability to Draw others to Jesus Christ & His Church.

4. There are 2 Things that God will Work to Produce in our Lives and

Build Into Our Character that Closely Parallel these Characteristics of

God's Spiritual Love.

a. Patience -- James 1:2-4

b. Death to Self -- II Corinthians 1:8-10

5. The Gift of a Long-suffering Love will Provide a Tremendous Glue

that will Bond New People to the Church like Nothing Else Can.

B. God's Love Enables the Christian to Suffer Long & yet to Continue

to be Kind.

1. Does Your Level of Kindness toward others Deteriorate in Direct

Proportion to the Length of Time that you have to Deal with a

Particular Frustration ?

2. Kindness can be Demonstrated in Many Different Ways.

a. As a Calm & Considerate Response toward Others when we are

faced with frustrating situations -- Even Long Term Ones

b. As Bowl of Hot Chicken Soup for a Neighbor that is Sick

c. As a Freshly Baked Pie & a Gentle Caring Visit to a Lonely Widow

or Widower

d. As a Word of Encouragement for the Heart of One who is Discour-

aged

e. As a Sealed Envelope with Money inside for the Man at Church

who recently got Laid Off at his job -- with a Note saying: " Here

is some Grocery Money. I am Praying for you & your Family."

f. By Remembering when we were young & Impetuous before we

are too severe in criticizing others who are what we once were

g. By Being Gentle & Patient toward those who are not on an Equal

Level with us -- Physically, Mentally, or Spiritually

3. Kindness is Looked Down upon in Today's Macho Society and is,

therefore, Particularly Difficult for Men to Demonstrate because of

the Fear of being Labeled a Sissy.

4. Kindness will be a Tremendous Blessing to those who are the Re-

cipients of it & also to those who Exercise it.

5. Kindness will Reproduce itself in the People who see it Modeled, &

like a Wonderful Virus it has the Potential of Infecting Everyone who

Comes into Contact with it.

6. The Kindness of God's Love is Tremendously Effective in Building

Up the Lord's Church both Spiritually & Numerically.

IV. Love Does Not Envy.

V-4

A. Envy may be defined as the Negative Emotion which Directs itself

toward People who Have things that we Covet for Ourselves.

B. Envy is Disastrous to our Health.

Proverbs 14:30

1. Bones Provide the Skeletal Framework for our Physical Existence.

2. Bones are where the Marrow is Located, & the Marrow is where the

Red and White Blood Cells are Produced.

a. White Blood Cells Attack Infections in the Body & Keep it

Healthy.

b. Red Blood Cells Carry Oxygen & Food's Nutrition to the Various

Parts of the Body and Carry away the Waste Toxins.

C. Envy Can be Very Irrational.

1. Envy Often Assumes that Others Think they are Better than We are,

because they Have what we Want.

2. Envy Can then Proceed to Hate these Others for their " Perceived "

Superior Attitude Toward us.

3. Envy May also Aggressively Seek to Find Fault in the Lives of those

who Already Have what We Covetously Desire to Have.

4. Envy then Attacks these Others for their Faults, because they are

No More Worthy to Have what We Desire than We are.

D. Envy Assumes that there are Not Enough Blessings to Go Around, so

We Want Yours.

E. Envy Can't Stand to Wait on God's Blessings for itself when it Sees

Someone Else who Already Has them.

F. Envy can be Seen Very Early in Children & is a Good Indication that

Man is Born with a Sin Nature.

G. Love Does Not Begrudge Others the Blessings they Have.

H. Love is Not in Competition with Others to Always Have the Best

( or at-least that which is Better than Anyone Else's ).

I. Love Actually Seeks to Put Others First Before Ourselves, so there's

No Room for Envy to Gain a Foothold in the Life.

V. Love Does Not Boast About Itself & Is Not Conceited.

Verse 4 -- Vaunteth Not Itself , Is Not Puffed Up

A. The Word Vaunt Means to Thrust Forward and has the Idea of

Forcing It's Way Into the Limelight or to the Front of the Line.

B. The Words Puffed Up Carry the Idea of Being Self Inflated .

C. These Two Phrases Go Hand in Hand and Describe a Kind of

Arrogance and Pride that Always BRAGS on Itself.

D. The Best Example I Have Ever Seen of These Attributes Being

Demonstrated in an Individual is in Muhammed Ali .

E. God's Love Does NOT Vaunt Itself and Is NOT Puffed Up.

F. The World Says : " If You Don't Blow Your Own Horn , No One Else

Will."

G. God Says : "Every One that Exalteth Himself shall be Abased ;

( Brought Down Low ) and He that Humbleth Himself shall Be

Exalted."

Luke 18:14

H. Pride Brought About Lucifer's Fall.

Isaiah 14:12-19 & Ezekiel 28:12-19

I. Pride Can Cause a Diotrephes Syndrome to Develop in the Church.

III John Verses 9-11

J. Pride Should Find No Place In the Lord's Church & Among His

People.

Matthew 18:1-4 c/f I Peter 5:5

K. God Wants Us to Demonstrate the Mind of Christ , and the Love of

God Enables Us to Do So.

Philippians 2:5-11 -- He Humbled Himself ...

VI. Love Does Not Behave Itself in an Unattractive Manner.

Verse 5 -- Not Behave Itself Unseemly

A. The Word Unseemly Means Unbecoming or Unattractive .

B. There are ALL KINDS of Unseemly Behavior which can Make the

Christian and His Testimony Unattractive to the World.

1. Cussing

2. Smoking

3. Drinking

4. Immorality

5. Uncontrolled Anger -- Ephesians 4:26 -- Losing Our Tempers

6. Phariseeism -- Luke 18:9-14 -- Looking Down on Others

7. Partiality -- James 2:1-9 -- Respect of Persons

8. Sectarianism -- Mark 9:38-40 -- Denominationalism

9. Judgmentalism -- Luke 9:51-56 -- Being Condemnatory

C. God Commands the Christian to Live his Life in Such a Way as to Make the Gospel Attractive to the World, and the Love of God

Enables him to Do It.

Philippians 1:27

VII. Love is Not Self Seeking.

Verse 5 --- Seeketh Not her OWN

A. The Very Definition of Agape Love Forbids that It be Self Seeking

in It's Orientation.

B. The Man who is Filled with the Love of God Will Not Always

be Striving to Push his Own Agenda Forward and Have his

Own Way.

C. God's Love Will Direct a Man Toward Fulfilling God's Love

Agenda .

1. To Reach Out to and to Save Lost People

John 3:16-17

2. To Build Up All of His Children by the Truth of His Word and the

Fellowship of His People

Ephesians 4:11-16

VIII. Love Does Not Get Provoked Very Easily.

Verse 5 --- Is Not Easily Provoked

A. The Key Word in this Phrase is EASILY .

B. The Bible Does Not Say that the Love of God is Beyond Provocation.

C. Thirty Times in the Old Testament the Word Provoked is Used , and

Twenty Six Times It Says God Himself was Provoked .

D. There are Many Things that DEFINITELY Provoke God

BECAUSE of His Love.

Hebrews 3:7-18

1. His Love for Little Children Caused Him to be Provoked by His

Disciples into being Greatly Displeased.

Mark 10:13-14

2. His Love for the Hurting and Infirmed Caused Him to be Provoked

at the Hard Hearted Jewish Leaders on Different Occasions.

Mark 3:1-6 & Luke 13:10-7

3. His Love for His Father and the House of God Caused Him to be

Provoked at the Money Changers at the Temple.

John 2:13-17

*** 4. No Doubt, His Love for the Innocent Victims of Abortion in Our

Society Provokes Him Still Today Along with Many Other Unjust

Things that are Happening in Our World.

E. There Are Things in Our World Today that Ought to Provoke

Us , IF We Have the Love of God IN Us.

Romans 12:9 c/f Ephesians 4:26

1. The Promotion of Abortion On Demand

2. The Promotion of the Homosexual Lifestyle

3. The Promotion of Sorcery to Our Children - Harry Potter Series

4. The Promotion of Sexual Promiscuity to Our Children - Condoms

5. The Censorship of Christianity & the Bible in Our Culture

6. Racism - Especially in the Name of Christianity

F. God's Love - though - is Not Touchy or Grouchy or Easily

Irritated with Irritating People & Circumstances.

1. Touchiness and Grouchiness are the Result of EGO & PRIDE

and Go Back to the Sin of Cain.

Genesis 4:5 --- Cain Couldn't Have things His Own Way , so

He Got Mad.

2. People who are Easily Offended are Not on Right Terms

with the Word of God.

Psalm 119:165 -- "... Nothing Shall Offend them."

F. Two Key Questions We Need to Ask Ourselves

1. What is the Source of the Provocation in My Life ?

a.) My Own Ego & Personal Preference

b.) Genuine Love of God & the Abhorrence of Evil that Goes

Along With It

2. What am I Doing With that Provocation ?

a.) Am I Repenting of My Ego & Personal Preference Strivings ?

b.) Am I Responding in a Sinless Manner to That which Provokes

the Love of God Within Me ?

IX. Love Does Not Consider Evil to be Something of Value.

Verse 5 -- ( Thinketh No Evil )

A. The Word Thinketh here Refers to the Idea of Taking Something

into Consideration to Determine its Level of Value.

B. The Principle Thought being Conveyed here is that the Love of God

Considers Evil ( that which goes Against God's Will ) as Not Having

Any Positive Value at all.

C. The Biggest Problem that we have Today is that the World System

Promotes One Set of Values, yet the Bible Presents an Entirely

Different Set of Values.

Isaiah 55:8-9 ; I Corinthians 3:19 ; & Matthew 16:21-23

1. The World Despises the Things which God Highly Values.

2. The Lord Despises the Things which the World Highly Esteems.

D. The Terrible Truth is that the Majority of Professing Christians

Have Not Truly Traded In their Old System of Values for the Ones

which are Revealed in the Bible.

E. The Question for our lives is What do we Value Most : God's Ways

of Doing things or OUR OWN ?

X. Love Does Not Greet an Act which Violates God's Law with

Gladness.

Verse 6 -- ( Rejoiceth Not in Iniquity )

A. The Word Rejoiceth carries the Idea of a Salutation of Joy or

Gladness being Directed Toward Something ( or Someone ) Upon

its Arrival.

B. It Refers to An Affection Toward Actions which Violate God's Laws

or the Mindset ( One of Self Will ) which Leads to those Actions.

C. It Deals with Our Tendency to Have More Affection toward Sin & Our Own Self Will than we have toward God's Will.

D. IF we will Acknowledge our Tendency Toward this, God's Love will

Help us to Overcome it in our lives.

XI. Love Congratulates the Excellence of Truth

Verse 6 -- ( But Rejoiceth in the Truth )

A. The Word Rejoiceth Here carries the Idea of Rejoicing With

Something ( or Someone ) because of its Excellence & the Attendant

Rewards:

*** Like a Professional Boxer's Trainer would Rejoice

with His Fighter after His Winning of the Heavyweight

Championship in the Ring

1. He Rejoices with the Fighter & Congratulates Him for

His Excellence as a Fighter & the Victory He has Won.

2. He Rejoices with the Fighter because of the Rewards

that both he & the Champion will Share as a Result of

their Success Together.

B. The Word Truth speaks of Both what is True in Any Matter

under Consideration & what is True in things pertaining to God and

the Duties of Man as Prescribed in His Word.

C. Do You Recognize the Inherent Excellence of the Word of Truth, the

Bible, and the Attendant Rewards that Go Along with Working With

the Truth in Your Life -- Instead of Against it ?

Joshua 1:8 ; Psalm 1:1-3 ; & II Chronicles 24:20

XII. Love Provides a Protective Covering for All Things

Verse 7 --- Beareth All Things

A. The Word Beareth Carries the Idea of a Protective Covering.

1. This Covering Conceals the Errors & Faults of those Under its

Protection.

2. This Covering Also Protects by Keeping Off Something which

Threatens.

B. God's Love is Strong Enough to Cover All our Faults & Keep Off

our backs the Burdens which Threaten our Lives.

C. He Invites the Guilty Sinner to Come to Him for a Covering for

his Sins and the Rest that Only He can Give.

Matthew 11:28-30.

D. He Commands His People to Cast their Burdens Upon His Strong

Shoulders, so He can Sustain Us

Psalm 55:22 & I Peter 5:7.

E. God's Love will Not Only Work For us as we Cast Our Heavy

Burdens Upon Him, but His Love Can Also Work Through us

as we Reach out to Others to Help them with their Burdens in Life.

Galatians 6:2 .

F. Reaching Out to Others to Bear their Burdens with them is One of

the Most Effective Ways to Build up the Body of Believers that there

is in this World.

XIII. The Love of God Believes, Hopes, & Endures All Things.

Verse 7

A. These Last Three Characteristics of Love are Very Closely Linked

with Each Other & Flow in a Natural Succession Out of the Nature

of God.

1. God Is Truth, & His Word Is Truth.

John 14:6 & John 17:17

2. God Is Love.

I John 4:8

3. God's Love Nature Responds to His Truth Nature with

Unquenchable Faith. --- Believeth All Things

4. This Unquenchable Faith Produces a Continual Hope --- Hopeth

All Things

5. This Continual Hope Produces a Lasting Endurance --- Endureth

All Things

B. These Three Characteristics of Agape Love are the Natural Responses

which we would Expect from the Soul which Focuses its Attention

on the Truthfulness of God's Nature & the Trustworthiness

of His Word.

1. Faith is the Natural Response to Truth & Trustworthiness.

2. Hope is the Natural Response to Faith.

3. Endurance is the Natural Response to Faith & Hope.

C. Faith is Essential to the Life of a Believer.

1. We're Saved by Faith. -- Ephesians 2:8-9

2. We Walk by Faith. -- II Corinthians 5:7

3. We Live by Faith. -- Romans 1:17

4. We Overcome the World by Faith. -- I John 5:4

5. We Resist the Devil by Faith. -- I Peter 5:8-9

6. We Get our Prayers Answered by Faith. -- Matthew 9:28-30

D. If we Are Filled with God's Love, we'll be Able to Believe His

Promises, and that Faith will Always Give us Hope.

E. As Long as we Have Hope, we'll be Able to Endure - no matter

how difficult the trial may be.

Psalm 27:13