Love Is Protective | 1 Corinthians 13:7

Scripture

• 1 Corinthians 13:7

About this sermon

Something evident in this section is that God’s love is something much greater than just words. God’s love is greater than mere sentiment. It’s not just what we say … it’s not just how we feel — true love is about how we LIVE. True love effects the whole person, it is expressed through the whole man — mind, emotions, and will. It affects how we think, how we feel, and what we do. LOVE IS PRACTICE. As love is described in verses 4-8 this is evident. Love is active. It is a choice. IT GOES INTO ACTION ON BEHALF OF GOD AND PEOPLE. It is important to remember how Jesus defined what it means to love Him and to love people. ESV John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ESV John 14:21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." ESV John 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. ESV John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. ESV 1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. Love is defined in terms of obedience, keeping commandments, — not just some nice feelings. LOVE IS PRESCRIPTIVE Never forget that this entire section is offered as a SOLUTION to a CORINTHIAN problem. The answer for the problems in Corinth was the application of love. This is the answer for the problems we face. The problems that we face in the church The problems that we face in a family The problems in an individual life THE ANSWER IS THE APPLICATION OF THE LOVE OF GOD. Warning: Love’s solution is often DIFFERENT from what men envision. It will NOT mean putting away doctrine. It will NOT mean affirming people in their sin. The common ways that so many think about love are exposed by this section to NOT BE LOVE AT ALL. So far we have seen that love is: Patient Kind Not jealous Not boastful Not arrogant Not rude Not selfish Not irritable Not unforgiving or list keeping IS DISCERNING (does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth) Now we see that love BEARS ALL THINGS. I. SHARED CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LAST FOUR QUALITIES Before we look at this particular quality, we need to see some common characteristics shared by these next four qualities. A. THE EXHAUSTIVE NATURE OF LOVE When he says “all things,” he obviously means ALL THINGS THAT LOVE IS ABLE TO DO THIS WITH. That is, he doesn’t mean that love is naïve, or that love is without discernment, or standards. He doesn’t mean that love would believe what the Mormons teach or would accept anything and everything as truth. Rather, he means EVERYTHING that love is able to rightly practice these things with. Its only limits are the limits of godliness. But this is still a SUPERNATURAL STANDARD.

Topics

• Love & Compassion