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I’LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The sacrificial “agape” love of 1 Corinthians 13 is not a listing of qualities to develop. In fact, human effort to do so will fall short every time. Instead, “real” love, for the Christian, is not behavioral at all – it’s an experience. We must first “meet love” before we can “do love.” And we meet love in Jesus Christ, the personification of God’s love.

“Love Like That!”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is Jesus’ response to the question from a lawyer, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells of a Jewish man who was beaten and left for dead. Religious leaders and pious Jews passed him by, but a “hated” Samaritan cared for him. Jesus asks, “Who was the neighbor?” The lawyer answered, “The one who showed mercy.” Jesus basically says, “Go and love like that!”

The More Excellent Way

The Corinthian church had gifts, means, ministry, influence, and growth, but it was also caught up in immorality, scandal, and “secularism”.

Paul tells them of a more excellent way through his personal words of verses 1-3. It doesn’t matter what you say, pray, teach, do – whatever! If you do it without love, it’s nothing! Worthless!

Love Validates Our Relationship with Christ

We can come to Christ as self-centered, egotistical people, but we can’t stay like that! When we come to Christ we move from being all of what we were to becoming a lover!

The Bible teaches that if our commitment to Christ is valid, if it’s genuine, we’re going to live a life of love – biblical agape love!

1 John is permeated with verses about genuine love, especially 4:8 – “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

Love Qualities Listed

Paul begins listing the qualities of genuine love. They build and get higher as though we were climbing a mountain. Nobody has the capacity to climb that mountain or live up to that list.

Love is not a set of rules for behavior!

Love Is not a Checklist – Love Is a Person

Love is not behavioral – love must be experienced. We must meet love before we can do love.

The qualities of love are impossible to display apart from a relationship with Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Paul personifies love – Paul turns love into a person!

We must be broken so Christ can enter our lives and expose us to true, genuine love.

What breaks us?

Spending time at the Cross of Jesus Christ and seeing His brokenness, His shed blood for us.

Brokenness can be defined as “the shattering of self-will.”

It’s amazing what God can do with a broken heart when we give Him all the pieces.

Love is not something you do – It’s first something you “meet” in Christ and something you “experience” in Christ. Then we can begin to climb the mountain of love qualities.

Real, Genuine Love Defined

Love bears all things – The word “bears” means “covers or protects.”

Love believes all things – The word “believes” means “trust” – “put your full weight down.”

oWe must believe in people – Illustration of Billy Graham and Richard Nixon – A shepherd stands with his sheep.

Love hopes all things – “Hope” in the Bible is often associated with Joy. Hope is the realization and the desire for that which answers everything in your life! It’s the ultimate passion of your life!

Love endures all things – “Endure” is a military term. “Stay at your post!”

It is impossible to love like 1 Corinthians 13 humanly – but Christ enables us to “Love Like That” and that’s the kind of lovers we must become!

Think It Over

In this message, we discover that love is not a checklist of qualities we try to achieve under our own power. Have you ever found yourself striving to love and live like God wants you to through your own efforts? How did that work out? What advice would you give to others when it comes to growing in the love qualities of 1 Corinthians 13?

Summarize in your own words how Paul personifies love. How might you explain to someone that we first must meet love before we can do love?

Christmas is the season we express our love to God and to family and friends. What steps will you take to grow in “real” love and to spread “real” love in your sphere of influence?

Service Dr. Ed Young

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