True Love
By
John Orlando
Voice of the Gospel Mission Church, Middletown NY
6
November 05
Text: 1 Cor 13:4-8a
I’m sure many of us remember the Tina Turner song What’s Love Got To Do With It? She answers her own question by saying that love is just a secondhand emotion, and old-fashioned notion, and who needs love when your heart can be broken.
This song really exposes the view of love that many people have. When we hear the word love, we usually think of it merely as a nice feeling that we have toward someone. The problem is that our feelings go up and down depending on a number of circumstances. Thus, when love is viewed merely as this sentimental feeling, it loses its true significance, and it really becomes of no practical value. It really becomes, just as the song says, "a secondhand emotion." It has no practical value, and why should we bother with it if in the end we are just going to get hurt.
When we come to the Scriptures, we discover that real love, far from being a secondhand emotion, and an old fashioned “notion” that is really of no value, is in fact one of the most fundamental principles of Biblical Christianity.
So, what is love, and just what precisely does love got to do with it all?
Well, as we turn to our passage this morning, one thing becomes obvious from the start: Paul never describes love as merely a sentimental feeling. That’s not to say that there is no feeling involved in love. But, we must understand that love is not merely a nice feeling that we have toward someone. Paul instead speaks of love in terms that have a direct bearing on how we relate to one another. In other words, Paul doesn’t just tell us what love feels like; he shows us what love looks like.
I.
What Love Does:
A. “4 Love suffers long" – That is, it is patient. We must realize that those that we see around us are not perfect, and what will help us in this regard is to just take a long look in the mirror. You see; it is real easy to look at others and find their flaws, and then form an opinion about them, or react negatively toward them. But, what do I do with the person in the mirror? What do I do about the many ways that I fall so short? And could it be that the reason I’m impatient with someone or some thing has more to do with the evil in my heart than with the other person? Impatience, maybe more than anything else, exposes us for just how self-centered and self-serving we really are deep down inside, because we do not get what we want when we want it, and we do not tolerate the imperfections, perceived or real, of others. True love, though, is patient, and it:
B. “...is kind;” – The word kind has within it such traits as being sympathetic, gentle, generous, tenderhearted, cordial, and courteous, and to be kind is to be actively in search for, and to seize every opportunity to show favor, to do good, to be tenderhearted, generous, and courteous.
Paul now tells us:
II.
What Love Does Not Do
A. “love does not envy;” – Paul was writing to a church that was divided because some were flaunting
(not to mention misusing) their gifts, which caused others to covet those gifts.
The word envy is related to the word jealously as well as coveting. There is nothing wrong with desiring certain things or with desiring success; however, our desires become a problem when they turn into an unhealthy obsession. We begin to get so consumed with things that we think will make us happy to the point that we harbor bad feelings and react negatively toward those that have what we think we want.
The root of this problem comes right back to the 10th Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet.” One commentator notes that this commandment is, "The most inward of all the commandments, forbidding not an external act, but a hidden mental state…which is the root of nearly every sin against a neighbor...It is basically the sin of Adam and Eve; to desire that which is not God's will that we have.” (Wycliffe Bible Commentary). Instead of reacting negatively toward the success of others, we should rejoice with them.
It is this disposition that really lays at the heart of all of the other things Paul is about to mention, because it is here where we find that we have exalted our wants, desires, gifts, and talents. It is here where we have exalted “self” at the expense of others. Love does not envy, and:
B. “love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up;”” – In other words, it doesn’t brag or boast. It isn’t full of self-conceit and arrogance. It doesn’t go around bragging.
C. “5 does not behave rudely,” – It is not indecent, shameful, vulgar, mean, or unmannerly.
D. “does not seek its own,” – We are not to be totally self-absorbed and absolutely driven to getting what we want, and the things that we want are only those things that are superficial at best and that we believe will benefit us and only us in. It doesn’t matter who gets in the way, or who has to be stepped on; just as along as we get our way. Love, however, is about self-denial and self-sacrifice. It is about putting the needs of others before our own. It is about serving.
E. “is not provoked,” – It isn’t quick to fly off of the handle, or to make rash decisions. That is not to say that there is never a time when we should not have what is called a righteous indignation toward some injustice or that we should not react when we see attacks on the truth. But, do we get bent out of shape over every little thing that bothers us? And, how is it that we respond? Do we respond in uncontrollable fits of rage, or do we respond in an even-handed and fair manner?
F. “thinks no evil;” - Other translations state this more clearly, saying, “it does not take into account a wrong suffered,” or “it keeps no record of wrongs.” How many times have we been wronged by someone, and we allow it to fester until finally we react. We are prone to holding grudges, and we allow past offenses to cloud our view of a person. Not only that though, it is impossible to have such things as forgiveness if we are keeping a record of wrongs. True forgiveness does not keep bringing up the ways in which we wronged; the very things that we said we had forgiven the one that offended us.
G. “6 does not rejoice in iniquity…” – The word iniquity here would refer to unrighteousness or wrongdoing. Two things to take note of here:
1. First, love does not take delight in the wrongdoings of others in the sense that we are seemingly joyful to see how much harm is coming to them as a result of their sin. Instead, our hearts should break for those that we know are entangled by sin and are reaping what they have sown. It is amazing to see how we are so quick to put ourselves on a pedestal at the expense of someone we think we are better than. As Paul says, we should consider ourselves lest we fall as well! (cf Gal 6:1-3)
2. Secondly we must be careful that we do not allow sin to entice us to where we begin to dabble in it and enjoy it. Nor should we give our approval to those that do.
Paul has told us what true love really does and doesn’t do, and he now goes on to sum up his exposition on love by focusing again on what love does:
III.
Summing Up Love
A. “…rejoices in the truth;” What is the truth? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except by Me.” Love then rejoices in all that God is, all that He has done, all that He is going to do, and all that He has commanded. Love seeks to find and conform itself to the truth at all costs. Love rests firmly upon the immoveable foundation of the mighty fortress that is our God, and it exalts in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not just in word, but in deed.
B. “7 bears all things,” – Love puts up with the flaws and sins of others, and doesn’t seek retribution. This does not mean that we condone the sin. But, we do not seek to unnecessarily expose the sins and faults of others, and we are given to an attitude of forgiveness instead of retaliation when we are wronged. Think of how God bears with us, beloved. Even as believers we fall so short of God’s glory in so many ways, yet God bears with us for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose from the dead for us, and then ascended to the right hand of the throne of God where He ever lives to make intercession for us!
C. “believes all things,” – I believe there are two very real senses in which this is to be understood:
1. First, in terms of how we relate to one another, we believe all things. In other words, we give each other the benefit of the doubt. We don’t go around constantly suspicious of one another, thinking things like:
“Oh, yeah, I know he or she did that nice thing, but I bet you the reason they did it was just because they wanted to get something from me!”
2. Second,
to believe all things does not mean that we blindly believe everything we hear;
rather, we must root this in what we saw before as it relates to the truth. So, love believes all things that are related to the
truth. We accept the
truth, all of the truth, even the things that we do not particularly care for or
cannot fully comprehend and explain.
D. “hopes all things,” – Again, as it relates to the truth. Paul drove this point home in Romans 8:18-39 (allude briefly to this passage). As the great hymn says:
“My hope is based on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and His righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ Name, on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
E. “endures all things.” - This naturally flows out of the previous two things mentioned. If we trust in the Lord, we will also have hope, and if we have hope, we can endure anything that comes against us. This not only refers to the suffering that we might endure, but also in terms of our personal relationships. Love endures; that is, it survives all things. Nothing can cause it to ever stop being or doing what it does. Matthew Henry states that love:
“holds firm, though it be much shocked…[it] sustains all manner of injury and ill usage, and bears up under it such [things] as curses… slanders, prison, exile…torments, and death itself, for the sake of…others; and perseveres in this firmness.”
Consider Jesus, beloved, and how His deep and
unsearchable love for His people was displayed and endured despite His being
persecuted, mocked, spat upon, humiliated and crucified…ultimately because of us.
F. “8 Love never fails.” It never fails because God will always be glorified by it, and He will accomplish His purposes through it. Thus, the reason it never fails has nothing to do with how men react to it, but what God has chosen to do through it.
As we examine these things, we discover that what lays at the heart of what love does is a disposition given to self denial and sacrifice, while the disposition of what love does not do is one of self-righteousness and self-exaltation. This love that Paul has described can be seen most clearly and profoundly in God Himself.
III.
The Perfect Demonstration of Love
A. The most profound display of love is that which God’s Himself demonstrated. Rom 5:8 says:
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Notice that God demonstrates His love to those who are ungodly--to those that are said to be His enemies. You see, beloved, outside of Christ we were God’s enemies. The Scriptures tell us that we were dead in our trespasses and sin, and that there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. We have all turned aside; we have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Our throats are open tombs; with our tongues we have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under our lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Our feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in our ways; the way of peace we have not known; there is no fear of God before our eyes.
The great Reformer John Calvin summed this all up when he wrote:
“Therefore let us hold this as an undoubted truth…the mind of man has been so completely estranged from God’s righteousness that it conceives, desires, and undertakes, only that which is impious, perverted, foul, impure, and infamous. The heart is so steeped in the poison of sin, that it can breathe out nothing but a loathsome stench.”
Beloved, I realize that those words sound particularly harsh, especially to our modern ears. But, in light of the Scriptures analysis of the human heart, I dare say that even Calvin's statement may not fully capture the ugliness that is sin.
The plain fact of the matter is that we are sinners to the core and deserve absolutely nothing except the unmitigated wrath of God. The only reason any one of us is saved has absolutely nothing to do with us, but everything to do with the incredible redemptive love and grace of God—which is owed to none of us. Those enemies of God that God has chosen to bestow His mercy upon have no room for boasting, for God determined to act this way toward them before time began, not because of who they were and are, but despite who they were and are, as Paul tells us in Eph 1:4-6:
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
B. What an incredible love! But, the only way this love could be realized and consummated was through the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. And that is precisely what the Father sent Jesus to do, and which the Holy Spirit applies to us. Jesus came to live the perfect life that we could never live, and to die on the cross to pay the full penalty for all of our sins, past, present, and future. He who knew no sin became sin for us. He took all of my sins upon Himself, and it was there, upon that old rugged cross, that Christ bore the penalty that our sins deserved. And the Holy Spirit comes and perfectly applies the perfect work of Christ to us, causing us to cry out to God for salvation. No wonder, beloved, the hymn writer wrote:
“O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free! Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me! Underneath me, all around me, is the current of thy love; leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!”
But
now we must turn our attention to:
IV. Our Call to Love
A. To love like this, we must have the mind of Christ. Phil 2:5-9: says:
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!”
Jesus
came to serve, not to be served. He
came, not to do His own will, but the will of the Father.
He, more than anyone else, endured all things for the sake of His people.
Jesus could have destroyed all of His enemies, but instead He came to
save those that were His enemies. Even
while being nailed to the cross, instead of being provoked to destroy them, He
prays for their forgiveness.
Of course, Jesus did those things, but how can we live this way?
B. By Faith: We must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We must consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest we become weary and discouraged in our souls.
We look to Christ, who seized every opportunity to do good to others and bore patiently with those that despised Him. We look to Christ, who put up with faithless family members, faithless disciples, faithless and ruthless religious leaders, and the hordes of people that were constantly trying to get something from Him. We look to Christ who could have come in great power and glory; yet, He came humbly. He did not come to be served, but to serve, and He came to perfectly accomplish all that the Father sent Him to accomplish. He didn’t get ahead of the plan, but patiently stayed the course, and the course was one of suffering, whereby He would lay down His life on the cross to pay the penalty for sins, and then rise from the dead for our justification, so that all those who turn from their sins and trust in Christ are forever declared not guilty by virtue of having Christ’s perfect righteousness credited to their account.
VI.
Conclusion
So beloved, what’s love got to do with it? Everything! Love is not merely a nice feeling that we have toward someone that loses its meaning, and becomes irrelevant. When we come to the Scriptures, we discover that love, far from being a secondhand emotion, and an old fashioned “notion” is indeed the most fundamental principle of Biblical Christianity, for in it we find our call to take up our cross, and to follow Christ...to follow Christ in the love that is revealed most significantly and dramatically in the cross.
This is what it is to live the crucified life, and the crucified life is one that rests upon the perfect works of Christ, and is marked by this love. It is patient, it is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not puffed up, it does not behave rudely, it does not seek its own, it is not provoked, it thinks no evil, it does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. It never fails because God will always be glorified by it, and He will accomplish His purposes through it. It never fails because at its heart is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Amen.