Quinquagesima
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1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we come to Quinquagesima Sunday and have a wonderful epistle lesson from St. Paul as he spoke to a congregation that had fallen into discord and chaos. They had lost sight of this most precious gift, Love. Now how we use the love is important for many times people confuse it and think that the word is pure gospel, when in fact it is proclaiming the law. So let us hear what our Lord and Savior would have us glean from this beautiful passage.
A Church Torn Asunder
The Church in Corinth was full of troubles.
If you people ever complain about life in their church, and wonder why the church isn’t a golden and perfect place, point them to corinth, and they will realize, things aren’t so bad. Is your church split 5 different ways? Are people participating in pagan festivals and then coming to church? Is one group eating and drinking everything at the Lord’s Supper so other members don’t get anything? Do you have a member who is proudly taking communion after marrying his step-mom? Even the pagans realize that ain’t right.
They had about 100 members.
You would think with this many problems that the church would be bigger. So when people are called out in the Epistle, you know who it is. Paul doesn’t mention them by name, but they know, and they know that Paul knows them, because He had worked to establish that church for a year and a half.
They were bringing shame to the name of Christ.
For this is not at all how Christians are to act or care for one another, and for this reason, the letter is harsh, but not because Paul didn’t care about them. He cared about them deeply and he saw what their failures would cost them, and he was their spiritual father, speaking to wayward children for they had forsaken what Christ had taught his disciples.
In their hearts, they lacked love.
Now, for Jesus when he spoke to his disciples and said John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”” That is why we have this beautiful chapter dedicated to the importance of Love. Which has been passed down to us, that we also may know what Love is, and what it is not.
The Greatest Commandment
The Law can be summed up as Love God.
To love him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. That is what it means to have no other gods, there is nothing else in this life that you treasure more highly than God himself, and if there is something than you have an idol, and God will not tolerate those.
The Law does not save, but we are called to live by it.
It is through the Law that comes knowledge of Sin, but that doesn’t mean that we get rid of or ignore the Law. The Law is still good, and right and proper, and useful for us to guide our lives by it.
It should be no surprise that it is difficult.
In Romans, this tension is explained as knowing the right thing to do, and the wrong thing adn wanting to do the right thing, and yet somehow ending up doing the wrong thing that we didn’t want to do! Which is why the only one that can save us from this body of Death is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Love Defined
Love looks to benefit our neighbor.
The world tells us to love ourselves, but the Scriptures teach us to love others. Love is meant to be pointed outwards not inward. This is different than the world, the Scriptures teach us to love our neighbor, that’s what love is. It cares about someone other than ourselves, which is why the self-love movement quite often falls short, for it just sends us back inside ourselves.
We have 16 definitions of Love.
When we get to the end of the list we discover that this is not easy nor simple, but love actually requires a whole host of things to be done for our neighbor, it isn’t just an amorphous feeling that we have for someone, it actually has bounds.
It is defined both positively and negatively.
That is to say things that we do, and things that we don’t do. That is important when establishing a definition lest one stray too far in one direction and neglect the other.
This is the love we are to have for all mankind.
This is what catches every one of us, we have no issue saying that we ought to love family, friends, and the like, but this is the love that we are to have for each and every soul on earth regardless of who they are. People are fine if they think of love only being applied to those they like, but for all mankind.
We Love Because...
This is the love Jesus has for you.
Jesus loves you is a word of pure gospel. For Love is required of us, then it is Law, but when we hear that good news, that Jesus loved us while we were yet still sinners, while we were yet still the loveless. It is a sweet message that gives hope, and comfort, and transforms us. For
Jesus has poured this love into our hearts.
Filled us up from the inside out, by cleansing us of all of our sins, washing away our imperfections and our flaws and speaking to us words of healing. He restored us from sin, and death to eternal life, and righteousness. All of this Jesus did out of Love for you
We can only do these works, because Jesus loved us first.
This is why it is impossible to do good works without faith. For then the only reason we do them is out of threat of punishment, and we do it hoping to merit some favor or some blessing from God, to right the wrongs that we have committed, but the Scriptures tell us that
Jesus did this for you while you were still a sinner.
The only reason that Jesus descended from the heavenly realms, and came along side mankind, and took our burdens upon himself, is because the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, love you. They didn’t want you to perish eternally. A cost had to be paid for your sins, and so Jesus paid your debts for you.
Christ’s Love Guides Us
Why show patience or kindness?
How patient has Christ been with me in my sins, in my failings, my imperfections, has He shown me kindness that I didn’t deserve? He has shown me far more, than I can appreciate, and from that overabundance that Christ has given me, I will share that with my neighbor.
Why not insist our own way?
This is a way of saying in the greek that a person cares only about themselves and puts them self first as opposed to their neighbor. Well who is Christ there on the Cross for, Jesus isn’t there to save himself, he is there to save you, to save me. So, how can I not also seek the benefit of my neighbor?
Why do we confront sin?
The Scriptures tell us that love doesn’t rejoice in wrong doing, and the world believes that to tell anyone that they are doing wrong, or committing sin is an act of great hatred. We should not speak against evil. That is not love, if you see a car coming to hit your neighbor, do you remain silent? If you see a kid running into the street, do you just let them go? So we not only warn, we also rejoice when people repent and come to the truth.
Why are we willing to look like fools?
We are willing to be fools for the sake of Christ, who in the eyes of the world did something foolish. He died not for good people or righteous, but for those who did not yet know him, out of love.
Love Never Ends
Faith and hope will be fulfilled.
Faith and hope look ahead to what will be. Faith trusts in the promises of Jesus that have not yet been fulfilled. We have hope that is sure and certain that even though we die, yet shall live for Jesus Christ our Lord overcame the grave for us. But love continues
God is love.
and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. For Jesus has promised to take us to His kingdom where we will be with God for all eternity, and that is why Love will not pass away.
In Christ’s Kingdom, there is no end of love.
For there we dwell with God for all eternity, there is no more sin, no more pain, no more sorrow, just peace and joy as we are finally united with our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ our Lord, as the Spirit binds us all together in love.
So my Brothers and Sisters, do not underestimate love or set it aside, for when love is lacking, there is no end of trouble and sorrow. When you find your heart empty, and that you cannot stand that one person, or cannot find it in your heart to forgive, look to the Cross, and see there the Love that Christ had for you. Love that was patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. The Love never ends. Then after the love of Jesus has filled your heart, you will see your neighbor in a new light, and will share that same love with them. In Jesus name. Amen.