The Resurrected Life: Love in Action (1st Corinthians 13:1-8a)

 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC...

[Title]The Resurrected Life: Love in Action (1^st Corinthians 13:1-8a)

 

[Slide] In heaven, a man and woman ask God if they can get married.

God says, “Not yet. I'll get back to you.”

Three or four years pass. God finally tells them they can get married.

A few more years pass and the man and woman fall out of love.

They ask God for a divorce.

God replies, "It took me four years to find clergy in this place. How long do you think it'll take me to find a lawyer?!"

 

Love is so fragile. And Love is the strongest power in the universe. How can we hold those two truths together? It comes down to understanding what we mean when we use the word love.

 

We toss the word around like it’s just any other verb. [Slide] We wear I love New York tee shirts. [Slide] I love french fries and ketchup. [Slide] I love Star Wars! [Slide] [Slide] I love rock n roll! Put another dime in the jukebox, baby! We love all kinds of things. [Slide] We have an affinity for certain activities like sports or fishing or Starbucks coffee and we say we love them. But when we speak of loving a friend or family member we mean something different, don’t’ we? Or do we?

 

[Slide] I mean love for family should be unbreakable, but it’s not. Many alcoholics and addicts choose their buzz over their families. It leads to brokenness. Many choose career over family. They may say they love their children, but their behavior broadcasts where their love truly lies. The love and attention family deserves is sacrificed on the altar of success.

 

 

[Slide] The Greeks had several words to describe love. There’s philia, brotherly love. It’s where we get the name Philadelphia. Eros, meaning romance, sexual attraction and passion. We get the word erotic from the Greek. Storge means familial love, the affection we feel toward close relatives or even friends. The Greeks have different words to describe self-love, longstanding love, and obsession.

 

But when Paul writes to the Corinthians about love, [Slide] he uses the Greek word agape. The word means high esteem, welcome and the feeling of contentment with another. But the church uses the word agape to describe the love of God. When Paul writes love never fails, another translation says love never ends, he is saying God’s love never fails. God’s love has no end. Agape is forever. Agape can be ultimately trusted.

 

[Slide] When I was a boy, Love is… was a popular comic that ran in the newspaper. After its first appearance in 1970 Love is… is still printed in the Chicago Sun Times and the Los Angeles Times. This panel says “love is being there for each other.” [Slide] Nowadays the couple wears clothing. Love is coffee and companionship.

 

One popular proverb of our culture says, “Love is never having to say you’re sorry.” [Slide] The phrase comes from the book Love Story, which was made into the hit film of the same title in 1970 starring Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Neal. I always have strongly disagreed with that statement. It’s like saying, “My ego won’t allow me to apologize, so let’s make up anyway.” But if you look at it from agape love, God the giver of love is extremely generous. Agape makes no demands on another. Love forgives. Love liberates.

 

What is love? Paul tells us what love does, which points to the nature of agape.

 

 

 

 

 

[Slide] First of all, agape love is the greatest gift of God. Paul’s discussion of agape comes in a discussion of spiritual gifts God gives to the church. Love is the greatest grace-gift. Agape gives life worth and meaning. Paul says I can be very generous and give to charity, but if I do it without love, I gain nothing. In other words, my giving is empty without love.

 

[Slide] My grandma made the best tasting fruit pies. She used the same ingredients as pies in the grocery, but there’s something store-bought pies don’t have: love. Grandma made pie and served it with love. Can’t put a price on that.

 

I can preach eloquently, but without love I’m just a talking head making noise. I accomplish nothing without love behind my words.

 

[Slide] Paul tells us what love is and does and does not do.

 

Love is patient and kind and delights in the truth. Love protects. Love trusts, and love hopes. Love endures, never quitting.

 

We all know that human love quits, but God’s love never gives up on us.

 

We sang One Thing Remains.

 

Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me!

 

God’s agape love for you never ends! [Slide] As the Psalms say, “His Love endures forever!” You can always count on it. One might ask, .

 

“Well, what if I sinned really badly, I mean like criminally, will God still love me?” The man crucified next to Jesus was either a thief or a violent rebel who killed a Roman soldier. We don’t truly know for certain. The Greek word translated as criminal means evil-doer.

Luke describes what happened. (Luke 23:40-43) One of the criminals mocked Jesus. “If you are the messiah, save yourself, and us as well!”

 

⁴⁰ But the other criminal scolded him. “Don’t you fear God?” he said. “Remember, you are under the same sentence of death. ⁴¹ We are being punished fairly. We are getting just what our actions call for. But this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

 

⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, today you will be with me in paradise.”

 

See? God’s love for you is unconditional. No sin is too great. God loves you without condition. He loves you and He will never give up on you. He’s calling you to live in His love.

 

[Slide] Paul says what love does not do. Love is not arrogant; it doesn’t brag. Love is not self-serving or envious or rude. Love is not focused on getting what you want or what you think you deserve. Agape Love is other-focused. Agape Love desires to help others get what they need.

 

Love is not easily angered or resentful. I tend to blow my top over the littlest things. I forgot my coffee thermos at home the other day and cursed myself. [Slide] Alice Cooper has a song about bottled up anger in his song, It’s The Little Things.

 

You can burn my house
You can cut my hair
You can make me wrestle naked
With a grizzly bear
You can poison my cat
Baby I don't care
But if you talk in the movies
I'll kill you right there

 

It's the little things

Yeah it’s the little things
That drive me wild

 

I'm like a mad dog
I'm on a short leash
I'm on a tight rope
Hanging by a thread
I'm on some thin ice
You push me too far
Welcome to my nightmare
No more Mr. Nice Guy

 

Love does not act like that! Love is patient, forgiving and long-suffering. Love doesn’t blow up on people. I need God’s love to save me from the little things that drive me wild.

 

[Slide] Love is not happy when injustice occurs. Love does not enjoy unrighteous behavior. Americans are entertained by violence and sex in television and movies. Popular music is loaded with such things. Agape love is not entertained by revenge, or war, or cops and criminals shooting at each other. Agape love does not enjoy sinful behavior.

 

Instead, agape love delights in the truth revealed to us in the word of God and most specifically in the person of Jesus Christ.

 

[Slide] The New Testament defines agape love for us.

 

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for each other. (1^st John 3:16)

 

Our model for love is the cross of Christ, self-sacrifice. Paul says that love keeps no record of wrongs. Well, we sure do! But God’s love does not. In 2^nd Corinthians, Paul writes one of my favorite expressions of the gospel. [Slide]

 

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. (2Co 5:19)

 

John follows his definition of love by urging the church, (1Jn 3:17-18)

[Slide] If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Let us not love with words alone but with actions and truth.

 

[Slide] Jesus was a man, not simply of words. He was a man of action. He was in ministry, out among the hungry, sick, and harassed, widows and Roman soldiers who sought Him out. He fed the multitude. He brought god-breathed words of hope to them. He laid hands on them and healed them. He helped them to experience forgiveness and restored their health. He set the demon-possessed free. And he stood up against religious leaders who looked with contempt upon common sinners.

 

The resurrected life is living in and sharing God’s agape love.

We live the Resurrected Life by loving action, just like Jesus did.

 

[Slide] How do we live in love? First, recognize that your love is fallible. It is agape, God’s self-giving, eternal love that never fails. The Holy Spirit fills your heart with agape.

 

Last week we talked about grace and how grace works in our lives. Another way to think about grace is God’s love at work in us, helping us to love like Jesus. That means we must make a conscious decision to step out of the way, lay ourselves aside, and let Jesus love through us.

 

This takes practice. Spiritual practices of prayer and meditation will help you know the difference between yourself and the presence of Christ. His love will fill you to overflowing and empower you with divine energy. The love of Christ can feel like a mighty waterfall. Love can crush our hearts and reshape them.

 

Once you learn by experience to tell the difference between yourself and the Spirit of Jesus, you can begin to die to yourself and allow Jesus to remake you in His image. Learn to act with His agape love working through you.

 

Encourage others with hopeful words filled with love. Walk with others who are hurting, be a loving friend. Show kindness to strangers. Show hospitality and entertain angels! Give to those who ask of you; expect nothing in return. [Slide] The Resurrected Life is Love in Action.

 

Love, Love Love, Love!

The gospel in one word is love.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Love, Love Love!