Love Is Not Selfish | 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Scripture

• 1 Corinthians 13:4–8

About this sermon

Introduction: What is love? The true definition of love is the definition that God has given us in His Word. That is what God is doing here in 1 Corinthians 13. He is telling us what love is by telling us what love does and doesn’t do. Love is not simply words. Love is not simply a feeling. Love is a choice, and love’s true choices are the choices that please God. We have seen several descriptions of love already. *Love is patient *Love is kind *Love is not jealous *Love does not brag *Love is not arrogant *Love is not rude Tonight, we focus on the fact that God’s love, true love, IS NOT SELFISH. I. LOVE DOES NOT SEEK ITS OWN INTERESTS (vs.5b) Woodenly translated you could say that “love does not seek the things of itself.” The ESV has does not insist on its own way.” The NAS has “does not seek its own.” I think a faithful way to describe it is to say that LOVE IS NOT SELFISH. One source has it, “one’s own advantage.” LOVE IS NOT SELFISH — IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING. One of the great ironies of our time, and one of the clearest indicators of the blindness of lost humanity, is that we have lived our lives in an era that has preached the message of SELF-LOVE. “YOU MUST LEARN TO LOVE YOURSELF” is the message. It has been a very popular message, that has even made its way into the church by the church’s fascination with psychology. THE IDEA IS THAT YOU CAN’T REALLY LOVE OTHERS UNTIL YOU LEARN TO LOVE YOURSELF. And so, the teaching was that we need a positive self-image, a positive self-esteem. We cannot love others (in a marriage for example) unless we KNOW OURSELVES, and LIKE OURSELVES, and PURSUE A KIND OF FULFILLMENT discovered through INDEPENDENCE. We must FULFILL ourselves. There be no teaching that so turns the truth upside as that one. What the Bible always assumes about sinful man is that HE DOES love himself. He is an INCURABLE SELF-LOVER. And the Bible does not view that as a positive thing. ESV 2 Timothy 3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, Nowhere does God command us to LOVE OURSELVES — but He CLEARLY COMMANDS US to love Him supremely and to love our neighbor as ourselves. In fact, God tells us that all His commands are summed up in the command to love God with all our being and to love others as we love ourselves. SATAN’S LIE IS THAT MEN WILL FIND HAPPINESS AND MEANING THROUGH SATISFYING OUR SELFISH HEARTS. Is anyone listening to me who has bought that lie? Is there anyone who imagines that if you just GET YOUR WAY, if you can just pursue what you have always wanted to pursue, achieve what you have always wanted to achieve, enjoy what you have always wanted to enjoy, that THEN YOU WILL BE A SATISFIED PERSON? THE WHOLE WORLD TESTIFIES THAT SUCH A HOPE IS A VAIN HOPE. THE MORE SELFISH A PERSON BECOMES THE MORE MISERABLE A PERSON BECOMES. ESV Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?" 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine-- my heart still guiding me with wisdom-- and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

Topics

• Love & Compassion