1Corinthians 13:4-7 Status Update: Jesus, You're Killing Me!

Proposition: God's love is not just in us to make us nicer but to kill the person we used to be and make us a totally new person in Christ.

“4 Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity braggs not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; 6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

True LOVE is not proud.  There's a distinction between Pride (the root; means insubordination to God) & bragging (the fruit).  Bragging is hot air which comes from the furnace of a proud heart.  Bragging is the attempt to make others jealous.

Proverbs tells us pride produces such things as contention, strife (13:10) and destruction (16:18).  Pride can be hard to detect though.  Who doesn't appreciate some form of being admired or people noticing our successes? What strategies have you developed for minimizing your failures and maximizing your successes? Do you often find yourself subtly drawing the conversation back to you?

Do you ever exercise false humility or pretend to be humble (Col 2:18)? Remember, we don't just flip pride on and off, pride is deeply rooted in our hearts and God is working to kill our deep craving for self-exultation. God is changing our hearts so we choose to the role of servant instead of making others inferior to us. As we do good works and serve others we are actually humbled. We begin to realize without Jesus we would not even desire to do these things (I Cor. 15:10).

True LOVE is not rude. The word for Rude means unbecoming, shameful, unattractive, graceless with no concern for what others like and dislike.  The word used in Bible/Greek Literature means sinful and degrading sex acts and excrement. 1Corinthians 7:36...also seems to indicate a lack of consideration for what is customary. 

Paul rebuked Corinthian rudeness.  Vs. 10 Not considering the weaknesses of younger believers (Just eat!) vs. 11 Women attempting to blur gender distinctions in worship...dishonored husbands publicly and shaming the poor by eating up all the food (right before the Lord's Supper).  Vs. 14 Everyone talking in tongues at once (it’s rude to talk/cut off when another is talking).

Jesus gave us an excellent example in Luke 7:36-50 (he shielded the prostitute from the pharisees' rudeness). Why do religious people think it's okay to treat lost people rudely? Why do Christians think it's okay to not care about the joy of other believers? Love cares too much about the joy of others to behave in shameful and disgraceful ways.

True LOVE is not easily provoked. This conveys the idea of being irritated or quickly angered. You know why we're easily provoked...because we're self-centered.  Jesus was an interesting case, in Matthew 27:13-14, in front of Pilate he was lied about and didn't even open His mouth.  He showed God's astounding ability to refrain from sinful anger.  In John 2:14-17 He drove people from the temple with a whip. He showed God was not indifferent toward sin or the mistreatment of others

So what are we to learn? James 1:19-20 says our (human) wrath does not work God's righteousness.  Anger is not always sinful (Eph 4:26) and we can be moved to act when others are mistreated or God's glory is shamed.  We just need to do so patiently!

Here are some gospel steps to help with pride, rudeness and anger...

*Trust the work Jesus already did...Believe the Gospel/Holy Spirit
*Read and pray over Scriptures which deal with these traits – renew mind
*Get help from the church body - accountability

Songs With This Lesson
For Your Goodness Lord
Your Love O Lord
Beneath The Cross
Hallelujah

1Corinthians 13:4-7 Status Update: Jesus, You're Killing Me!

Proposition: God's love is not just in us to make us nicer but to kill the person we used to be and make us a totally new person in Christ.

This text describes God's love as a nature within us (opposite of our sin nature) and how it manifests itself in everyday life.  Paul described to the Corinthians ways God's love is supposed to change believers.  So correctly viewing this passage means asking, “What part of me is God trying to kill?”

So what’s the deal with ‘Envy’?  Envy is desire that’s gone bad.  There’s nothing wrong with desire until you boil with anger wanting what others have.  This is human 101...we want to do/have something else, somewhere else, with someone else.  James 3:16 says “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work”. 

Ever read the verse “God is jealous” in Exodus 20?  Why is that OK? Because God's love looks out for the ultimate good of creation.  Human jealousy is often directed toward what does not glorify God and is not good for people.  The opposite of envy would be contentment...trusting that God's plan and gifts for you are perfect.

Humans generally love in a self-seeking way.  Literally we place self first and others second.  God's love seeks and finds joy in the good of others.  We simply should not seek personal, private benefit without considering the good of others.  So in any situation we should ask: is this beneficial to everyone or just me?  Of course, we should not ignore the legitimate needs of ourselves and our family for that would go against I Timothy 5:8 but God's love teaches us to lay down our supposed rights if it is best for others (Phil. 2:4-8).

As unnatural and unjustified as it may seem, true love offers forgiveness over and over again. Bitterness is the opposite of love.  Bitterness literally means to keep a record or account of wickedness.  Keeping records really only stresses you out...it’s much healthier to forgive.

Forgiveness is NOT “Letting people off the hook”.  (Matt. 6:12; 18:21-35)  God hasn’t let anyone off the hook.  Either we pay for our sins in hell or Christ paid for them on the cross.  God’s forgiveness allowed Him to come inside us to help us change.

Forgiveness is NOT “forgetting”. (Ps. 103:12)  God chooses not to remember our sin.  We are not called to ‘forgive and forget’.  We can’t truly help each other if we ‘forget’ what the problem is.  Forgiveness simply says, “I am no longer going to allow your sin to separate you from my help”.

Here are 3 steps to true contentment, self-less love and forgiveness...
1 Trust the work Jesus already did...Believe the Gospel/Holy Spirit
2 Read and pray over Scriptures which deal with these traits – renew mind
3 Get help from the church body - accountability
Utilizing the above steps will help you change from the inside out (heart change) rather than just incorporating another layer of moral (“good”) behavior.

CHALLENGE

What quality is God developing in you?
Envious or Content?
Self-seeking or selfless?
Grudge Holding or Forgiving?
In what ways are these qualities important to church unity? Why?

Songs With This Text
You Never Let Go
Your Great Name
Jesus Paid It All
Beneath The Cross
In Christ Alone

1Corinthians 13:4 Status Update: Jesus, You're Killing Me!

Proposition: God's love is not just in us to make us nicer but to kill the person we used to be and make us a totally new person in Christ.

“4 Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity brags not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; 6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

It is hard to read this text without thinking of “being loving” but that's not the point.  Here love is a noun representing God's nature in us...THINK “the opposite of our sin nature”.  This passage likely brought shame to the Corinthians because they realized their behavior had been just the opposite.  Each of the qualities listed were indictments on a particular way they had lived as a church.  Would you want to be told  you were just going thru religious motions which in essence amounted to NOTHING?

To be patient literally means “long suffering” or “to have a long fuse”.  Patiently endure the misfortunes, troubles, offenses and injuries of others without losing heart, being slow in avenging yourself, slow to anger, slow to punish or repay offenses.  Patience is a challenge because we all strongly desire to have a trouble-free life.

How do we view patience in God? (Ps. 86:15)  It is God's right and duty to punish sin immediately...and yet, He does not.  Without being unjust or ignoring sin, God forbears sin on the basis of Christ's work.  Instead of punishing His creation for their sin, God remarkably punished Himself.

So what does this teach us about patience?  We often view patience as if it is for “self”... “Lord give me patience”...BUT it's not about you!     Patience helps you get over yourself so you can see past your own nose.  Patience helps you position yourself in someone's life so you can help them change.  A patient person finds ways to deal with sin which allow God lots of time to change hearts and bring about such things as repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.  Exercising patience shows we trust God's control rather than our own.  Exercising patience shows we are grateful God didn't immediately wipe us out for our sin.

Kindness means “mild” and is all about how we treat others.  It is a mild, pleasant, concerned disposition which produces good and charitable behavior.  People more often view kindness as self-interested politeness.  Being nice to manipulate others into giving you what you want or letting you control them.  Many pretend to be nice while hiding hatred, anger or frustration.  Some even view people pleasing as a form of kindness...just give in, not rock the boat, fear.  BUT, kindness is first a heart attitude before it ever becomes an action.  What do we learn about kindness from God?   (Eph. 2:1-7) 

We need to learn to point out what is sin while kindly pointing people to God's solution...JESUS.  So what does this teach us about kindness?  In Romans 2:4 we see that kindness has a purpose or goal...repentance (A changed mind that agrees with God).  It is God's goodness or kindness which softens hearts and brings repentance.

It is important to remember God's truth is always involved...kindness never leaves out truth.  Kindness is something which sinful hearts do not expect.  Jesus often surprised people by responding kindly and gracefully toward them.  God uses kindness to soften stony hearts (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

So how does God deal with our impatience and harshness?  The answer is not try harder.  Here are some ways we can pursue repentance over our failures.

1. Trust the work Jesus already did...Believe the Gospel/Holy Spirit

2. Read and pray over Scriptures which deal with these traits – renew mind

3. Get help from the church body – accountability

You'll never change until you allow Christ's church to do life with you every day!

I Corinthians 13:1-3 Status Update: Good Deeds - Jesus = ZERO

Proposition: Because God calls us to more than BEING and DOING good, we must see Jesus as the POWER SOURCE of all we are and all we do.

“1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing.”

Just knowing “What Would Jesus Do” is not enough.  Paul used hyperbole (exaggerated statements to create emphasis) to make his point in these verses.  IF I could speak every language, IF I had the prophetic gift to know every secret God knows, IF I give everything to the poor or give my body to be burned…all these things are not enough by themselves.

Paul wanted to shock the Corinthians.  Can you imagine the shock and horror of the Corinthians upon opening & hearing this letter?  They thought they had their religious “ducks in a row”, however, they lacked one essential thing….LOVE!  Their 'tongues' neither edified the church or allowed pagans to respond to the word (14:1-25).   Their 'knowledge' led to pride and the 'destruction of a brother for whom Christ died' (8:2, 11).  Their 'wisdom' led to quarrels and rivalry (1:10; 3:4).  What the Corinthians called “spirituality” lacked the primary evidence of the Spirit.

To Paul, love was more than merely doing loving or kind deeds.  Paul was not saying, “Be more loving” or “Add love to your gifts...be more patient, kind...”  This love Paul was speaking of is about an identity.  It’s God’s love inside the believer so you either have it or you don’t.  It’s not a feeling or some things you do necessarily it's more about how God’s love flows from us in everyday life.  This is a process of growth that will take place throughout our lifetime.

Why is this important to understand? Because acts devoid of Godly love fall short of God's righteous laws and God's glory.  Humans, on their own, cannot measure up to God's standards or earn God's approval even by doing seemingly “loving” things.  The only one who does live up to God's standard is Jesus and He must empower every act we do in order for it to qualify as worthy.  Fulfilling God's law requires being indwelt by the nature of Jesus, the law keeper (Jn 15:5).

So love is NOT “A” behavior, it “IS the SOURCE of” behavior (I John 4:7-16).  Those in Christ bear fruit which flow out of the new nature of love.  Over time...Scripture, prayer, the Holy Spirit and the body make us more loving.  Love is the natural fruit of the Spirit which flows into and out of believers (Galatians 5:22).  Love is a heart attitude which constrains your life (II Cor. 5:14).  Love is something from which you CANNOT be separated (Rom 8:38-39).

So Paul point?  God is love and God is the source of love.

CHALLEGE

Is God making you more loving or are you just trying harder to be religious or spiritual?
Has anything become more important to you than loving God and neighbor?
In what ways is God's love being poured into you? How are you pouring it out?

Songs With This Sermon
Blessed Be Your Name
You Alone
Beneath The Cross
How Great Is Our God
Are You Washed

1Corinthians 13; 2Corinthians 5:14-18 Status Update: The Old is Gone; The New has Come

Proposition: Since we have been made new creatures, it is time to view things through the lens of redemption rather than seeing and living in the same old ways.

We've been studying God's love nature within us.  Let's look ahead to see Paul's perspective for this nature and God’s goal for us.

2 Cor. 5:14-18  “For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that from now on they which live should not live to themselves, but to him which died for them, and rose again. 16 Wherefore from now on know we no man after the flesh: yes, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now from now on know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”

2 Cor. 6:11, 13 “Our heart is open wide to you...Now open wide your heart to us”

7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2Co 7:1)

The Scripture tells us that God's love constrains us which means it squeezes us like a ship into a narrow straight.  Love is not merely an action but a driving force; it's our new nature squeezing us in a new direction.  The new direction (nature) should feel less and less optional for you as time goes on.  God's love changes the way we view life.  It causes us to no longer know (view/perceive) humans after the flesh.  We stop evaluating others from a human point of view.  At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view but now because of God's love in us, we view him entirely different!

We are new creations! We have been given FRESH EYES!  The old way of viewing life is passed away and all things are becoming new to us.  Maybe you have lost hope that people or life can actually change.  God's love fills us with hope!  Instead of viewing things as hopeless, we now view things though eyes of love. (1Cor 13:4-7)

3 Takeaways:

We accept that all things are of God and we are to redeem all things (no secular/spiritual labeling)

We must open our hearts wide to one another (2Cor 6:11, 13) = no more riding the fence

We must allow the Spirit to make us holy (2Cor 7:1) = let go of old, unhelpful points of view

2012 will be a year of authentic discipleship for us (Living in the New Nature) as we focus on building up each other and those whom God gives us!

I Corinthians 13 Status Update: Jesus is God's Gift of Love to Us

Proposition: IS GOD'S LOVE AROUND YOU OR IN YOU?

“1 ¶ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing. 4 ¶ Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity braggs not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; 6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 ¶ Charity never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now stays faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1Co 13:1-13 AKJV)

Has God Poured His Love Nature Into You?

God gave us Jesus because you and I have a problem we cannot fix by ourselves.  We are nowhere near as loving as we think we are. Love is far more than a feeling or something we do.  Love is first a nature which humans are not born with.  True Godly love does not come naturally to us.  All of us are born with a nature which keeps us from loving God and others as ourselves.  We have a sin nature which falls way short of God's definition of love. 

1John 4 tells us God is love...Love is God's nature.  God poured love, His nature, into a human body and called it Jesus.  Jesus came, lived, died and rose again so that we could also have God's new love nature.  Having the new love nature does not cause us to love perfectly. Sadly, even believers (like the Corinthians and you and I) struggle to perfect the new love nature.  We will continue to grow in our love until we see Jesus face-to-face (vs. 9-13). 

CHALLENGE

How loving to you think you are? Ask those who are closest to you in order to receive an honest look at your character.

Songs With This Sermon

Emmanuel, Emmanuel
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Joyful Joyful We Adore You
Joy To The World

I Corinthians 12:28-31 Status Update: Our Identity is in Christ not Gifts

Proposition: A firm grasp of who we are in Christ helps us better understand the gift of the Holy Spirit and the variety of ways He works through us everyday. 

Here's a problem we have:

We have a limited view of God's works because we typically reject what we don't see or understand. Most of us are only comfortable with things we've experienced. We'll even come up with all kinds of reasons to discredit whatever is outside our comfort zone. This just tells me we're too focused on self and would rather have a God Who fits in a box.

“27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I to you a more excellent way.”

Our focus must be the Holy Spirit…not gifts! It can be easy to overlook Paul's main point in this chapter and we often do.  Why? Because most of the verses are illustrations of his point and discuss the various body parts.

Yet there's a far more crucial question at the root of this chapter. It is NOT... “Which gift do I have?” or “What is my role?” or “What should I do?” In fact, this is often our struggle in Bible reading...we try to apply before we understand the point.  Let’s keep a couple things in mind:  The Bible is first about God before it's about anything else. The Bible is a revelation of HIM.

So what is the point of chapter 12? The real clue is found in 12:7... “How is God's Spirit displaying himself?”  Paul wants us to consider the manifestation of the Spirit, not the manifestation of the gifts. Therefore the “gifts” are not really our works, rather the “gift” is the Spirit of God (John 16:7-15).  This gift of God's Spirit in us then manifests itself in all kinds of ways every single day.

Thinking about “What is my gift?” can cause us to miss opportunities for God to work through us. If I think, “My gift is preaching to crowds” then I'm relatively useless 6 days per week but if I think, “God will display Himself through me every day” won't that make me more useful? (Rom 12:1-2) I don't need a label I just need to serve…presenting myself daily God's service.

The whole point comes back to your identity (vs. 1-3).  What you do is always rooted in who you are BECAUSE who you are in Christ never changes even if your role/gift does.      The more we're sure of who we are, the more open to the Spirit we can be.         This can also help prevent having an identity crisis regardless of how things change.    

Challenges:

Am I defining myself by my role or by my relationship with Christ?
Is my focus on MY works or on GOD'S “gift/work” within me?
How is God's Spirit displaying Himself through me at this moment?
Do I see myself as part of the whole body & responsible to build it?

Songs With This Sermon:

First Noel
Hark The Herald
What Child
Son of God Came Down
Emmanuel