Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: I Corinthians 12:31b-13:13

Theme: Love is the motivation for Christian ministry.

Date: 02/13/2022 File name: 1_Corinthinas_23.wpd

ID Number:

Lucy van Pelt of Peanuts fame, says to Charlie Brown: “You know what I don’t understand?

I don’t understand love!”

Charlie Brown responds, “Who does?”

Lucy says, “Explain love to me, Charlie Brown.”

Charlie Brown says, “You can’t explain love.

I can recommend a book or a poem or a painting, but I cannot explain love.”

Lucy responds, “Well, try, Charlie Brown, try.”

Charlie Brown says, “Well, let’s say I see this beautiful, cute little girl walking by …”

Lucy interrupts — “Why does she have to be cute?

Huh? Huh?

Why can’t someone fall in love with someone with freckles and a big nose?

Explain that!”

Charlie Brown says, “Well, maybe you are right.

Let’s just say I see this girl walk by with a GREAT big nose ... “

Lucy screams at Charlie Brown bowling him over, “I didn’t say GREAT BIG NOSE,” and Lucy stomped off.

Charlie Brown’s sighs, “You not only can’t explain love, You can’t even talk about it.”

This morning we’re going to talk about love — at least were going to let the apostle Paul talk to us about love.

Love, indeed, is a difficult thing to explain.

Is it a sensation?

Is it a behavior?

Is it a feeling?

The use of the word has become so polluted in our society.

We use the word to refer to affection and compassion, to devotion and emotion.

We say we “love God,” that we “love our spouses,” that we “love Mexican food,” and we “love the Super Bowl.”

What does the word mean for us as Christians?

For the believer, the best place to go to find an explanation of love is the timeless authority of Scriptures.

Just after the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””

(John 13:34–35, ESV)

We will be known, Jesus said, not by our influence, not by our wealth, not by our doctrinal orthodoxy, not by our programs, not by our religiosity, not by our morality, but by our love for the brethren.

According to Jesus, love is THE distinguishing mark of discipleship and the most important virtue believers need to have.

For the first three centuries of the Church mutual affection was the characteristic the pagans most closely associated with the early Christians.

“My, how they love each other, and how they are ready to die for each other!” they would say.

In this morning’s text, the Apostle Paul paints the most remarkable image of love that has ever been penned by man.

It is the greatest, strongest, and deepest thing he ever wrote.

I. PAUL WRITES THAT LOVE IS ESSENTIAL

1. now think about it ... why would an Apostle have to tell a bunch of Christians the “love is essential”?

a. something has gone horribly wrong within the Church at Corinth

b. they are rife with dissent, and schism, and division

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.”

(1 Corinthians 1:10–11, ESV)

b. one of the reasons for this division was the abuse and misuse of the charismatic endowments — the grace gifts — of the Holy Spirit

c. chapters 12-14 are Paul’s word of rebuke and correction in their proper use

2. when he gets to the end of chapter 12 he writes, “And I will show you a more excellent way”

a. the more excellent way — it is the indispensable way in which all the gifts of the Spirit are to be ministered — in Christ-like love

b.

Paul writes a poem that summarizes the preeminence of love in Christian ministry and church life

3. the saints at Corinth considered six attributes as essential in the Christian’s life

a.

Paul refers to these elements in the first three verses

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

(1 Corinthians 13:1–3, ESV)

b. do you see them? they are ...

1) oratory

2) prophecy

3) discernment of spiritual mysteries

4) miracle-working faith

5) philanthropy

6) martyrdom

c. Paul told the Corinthian believers they could have all of these qualities, but if they didn’t cultivate the virtue of love, all those other things didn’t matter

1) in vs. 1 Paul claims that without love the use of tongues is nothing but an intrusive, loud, and indistinguishable cacophony of noise that doesn’t edify anyone

2) in vs. 2 he says that powerful preaching, intellectual brilliance and amazing displays of spiritual faith, unaccompanied by love makes him a nobody

3) in vs. 3 Paul reminds us that if he were the world’s greatest Christian philanthropist, or Christendom’s most noted martyr, that if his sacrifices are not motivated by a Christ-like love for the brethren that I gain nothing

4. I couldn’t help but wonder what would Paul write to today’s Church if he were to list the virtues or attributes that seem most important to modern believers?

a. let me suggest some items that Paul might list ...

1) money

2) pleasure

3) health

4) autonomy

5) education

6) power of influence

b. in our culture, attainment of one or more of these elements are considered part of the “abundant life” that Jesus promised to his followers

1) Christianity is, for too many believers, all about having your best life now and believing that the “abundance” Jesus promised is correlated with money, pleasure, health, autonomy, education and influence

5. Paul’s conclusion for the modern church would be equally pointed and clear ...

a. even if we have all the money in the world ... even if our lives are studded with the good things of life ... even if our health is excellent ... even if we have a Ph.D. from the most exclusive university ... even if we have influence over men, even if we have life under control, if we do not have Christ-like love, we have nothing

b. all other virtues, all other characteristics, all other qualities, all other spiritual gifts, all other attainments are nothing without the love of Christ coursing through our lives

A. LOVE IS ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE

1.

What is this Thing Called Love? asks American composer and songwriter Cole Porter

a. let me give you a biblical definition ...

2. Biblical love is a divinely inculcated virtue that inclines the human will to cherish God for His own sake above all things, and to cherish other men for the sake of God

3. the biblical passage that best defines this virtue is

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

38 This is the great and first commandment.

39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

(Matthew 22:37–40, ESV)

a. noticed I said that Biblical love inclines the human will not human emotions to cherish God and men

b. the true seat of love is not centered in our feelings or our emotions, but is centered in our will — our rational conscience decision-making process

1) does love affect our emotions and our sentiments?

2) of course it does — and often intensely

4. but Godly love, biblical love, is almost always defined by verbs and not nouns

a. Godly love, biblical love, is not a state of feeling, but a state of doing

b. though it’s harder to see in our English Bibles, in vs. 4-7 Paul will tell us seven things that Christian love chooses to do and eight things that it refuses to do

c. he uses verbs to describe each