Fourth Sunday after Ephiphany 1/31/10 Text: 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 Title: Love
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
1/31/10
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Title: Love
I am going to continue speaking to you this morning on the first letter that Paul wrote to a congregation of Christians in Corinth. They were a pretty independent group of believers. Some said, “We follow the teachings of Paul.” Others said, We follow the teachings of Apollo.” Others said, “We follow Cephas.” And then there was the group that said, “We follow the teachings of Jesus.” Although, by what Paul wrote, by their behavior you would have to wonder. Paul responded to all this division with a question that struck at the very foundation of the Corinthian congregation and every congregation that calls itself a Christian congregation. “Is Christ divided?”
Of course the answer has to be, Christ is not divided. How can he be? He is God and God cannot be divided. Even in the language of the Trinity God is not divided. He is one in three and three in one.
Paul addresses the problems of the congregation. There are those who are who having sex without being married. Others are going around with pompous attitudes concerning the eating of food, observance of holy days, and worship practices. The congregation is a mess; although I would dare say they would never have admitted to it, and Paul is guiding them back to what they should be, that is Christ’s body on earth.
It is sad, but nothing much has changed in the average Christian congregation today. The same things still go on and people still get in conflict with each other in the congregation. Things are mess and unless a congregation gets back to what it is suppose to be, that is be the body of Christ, not just in confession, but in deed too, it will never be able to fulfill the mission God has given it.
Two weeks ago I showed you from the Holy Scripture that each person in the congregation has been given spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit to be used for the common good of the congregation. If that is true and it is, the only conclusion that you can come to, is that to not use one’s gifts, and we all have at least one, is to hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in the congregation.
Last week we saw from Holy Scripture that the congregation is made up of many parts, but is one body in Christ. We saw that a part, say a foot, cannot say that it is the body, for without all the other parts there is no body. God created the Christian congregation to be unified and when it is not, it does not work very well, or is, at times, completely dysfunctional.
Some examples are when people have to be in control, or look down on someone as being less valuable than they are. When that happens Christ’s body is hurt. We learned that we can never say that we are the body, for we are the body only because we are united in Christ through baptism in his death and resurrection. Just as the body has many parts doing different things, the congregation has many parts, that is members, who do different things for the good of the body; all using the spiritual gifts that are given to each by the Holy Spirit, for the common good of the body.
Today’s Epistle reading for today starts with, “And I will show you a still more excellent way.” Then he starts talking about love. What is going on? Love is the ultimate? Without love; there is nothing? How can that be? First Paul tells us that we should seek the higher gifts, using them for the ultimate good of the congregation and now he is saying there is something better than that and it is called love.
This is another case of Christ turning the upside down world; you know the common sense way of looking at things, right side up. It strikes us as being kind of wrong, for if you don’t take care of yourself who will? I will love you as long as you deserve my love, as long as I need your love, but to put love over everything is too much to ask.
Verse 2 and 3 of the Epistle reading are the key verses concerning Paul’s statement that love is the most excellent way. “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love I gain nothing.”
Let’s look at the word love as Paul; actually the Holy Spirit is using it in this text. The love Paul is speaking of is not sexual love that, for the most part is about making one’s self feel good for a time, nor is he speaking of brotherly love which can be more about the other, but for the most part is still about self.
The love that Paul is speaking of is sacrificial love, the love Jesus has for us. In church language we call that type of love agape love. It is a love that does not keep track of wrongs, or even expects love in return.
Agape love is a love bound up in a covenant that says I love you so much that I am willing die for you, even though I personally will get nothing out of dying in your place. Agape love is all about loving the loved one, especially those that are considered by those with the minds of the world un-loveable. It is pure love.
You will never be able to achieve agape love on your own. It just goes against your nature, as it does mine, although some people seem to be more loving than others, but having said that I need to tell you that when you let the Holy Spirit works in and through you, enlightening your understanding of the great love of Jesus you will grow in agape love.
You will, without realizing it, love others more. You will no longer keep track so that you can see if they deserve your love. You will become more aware and repentant of those times when you are not as loving as God wants you to be. You will in affect develop a servant’s heart. And in being more servant inclined you will naturally through the power of the Holy Spirit want to do more for the body of Christ.
To love in that manner, knowing that you will more than likely be taken advantage of, goes against the grain of conventional wisdom; especially in the world’s view of taking care of self first. But it is just the way it is, for Jesus and the Apostles have told us that will happen. It is called taking up your cross. You’re not asked to die on it, as Jesus did to show you his love, but to only to suffer on it because when you love you are loving with the love of Jesus.
Suffering because of love is not all that love is about. Peter tells us in 1Peter chapter 4 verse 8, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” We also read the same thing in Proverbs 10:12 where we are told, “Hatred causes strive, but love covers up all offenses.”
What these passages are telling you is that the love of Christ in you will come through to all around you thus helping to smooth out those rough spots in relationships. Life will be better and who does not want that?
Sometimes people will reject your love even when you have loved as Christ wants you to, but don’t be surprised when it happens, for people reject God’s love shown through Christ all the time. To be rejected is no reason not to love.
Love, even agape love does not save anymore than any other good deed does. Forgiveness only comes through the work of Jesus on your behalf. What love does is show the strength of one’s faith, the relationship that one has with their Savior. It is the fruit of being justified; that is being forgiven, for when a person has truly received the good news of forgiveness and acceptance they can’t help but love, for they were first loved. It is just the way it is. Amen
1/31/10
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Title: Love
I am going to continue speaking to you this morning on the first letter that Paul wrote to a congregation of Christians in Corinth. They were a pretty independent group of believers. Some said, “We follow the teachings of Paul.” Others said, We follow the teachings of Apollo.” Others said, “We follow Cephas.” And then there was the group that said, “We follow the teachings of Jesus.” Although, by what Paul wrote, by their behavior you would have to wonder. Paul responded to all this division with a question that struck at the very foundation of the Corinthian congregation and every congregation that calls itself a Christian congregation. “Is Christ divided?”
Of course the answer has to be, Christ is not divided. How can he be? He is God and God cannot be divided. Even in the language of the Trinity God is not divided. He is one in three and three in one.
Paul addresses the problems of the congregation. There are those who are who having sex without being married. Others are going around with pompous attitudes concerning the eating of food, observance of holy days, and worship practices. The congregation is a mess; although I would dare say they would never have admitted to it, and Paul is guiding them back to what they should be, that is Christ’s body on earth.
It is sad, but nothing much has changed in the average Christian congregation today. The same things still go on and people still get in conflict with each other in the congregation. Things are mess and unless a congregation gets back to what it is suppose to be, that is be the body of Christ, not just in confession, but in deed too, it will never be able to fulfill the mission God has given it.
Two weeks ago I showed you from the Holy Scripture that each person in the congregation has been given spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit to be used for the common good of the congregation. If that is true and it is, the only conclusion that you can come to, is that to not use one’s gifts, and we all have at least one, is to hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in the congregation.
Last week we saw from Holy Scripture that the congregation is made up of many parts, but is one body in Christ. We saw that a part, say a foot, cannot say that it is the body, for without all the other parts there is no body. God created the Christian congregation to be unified and when it is not, it does not work very well, or is, at times, completely dysfunctional.
Some examples are when people have to be in control, or look down on someone as being less valuable than they are. When that happens Christ’s body is hurt. We learned that we can never say that we are the body, for we are the body only because we are united in Christ through baptism in his death and resurrection. Just as the body has many parts doing different things, the congregation has many parts, that is members, who do different things for the good of the body; all using the spiritual gifts that are given to each by the Holy Spirit, for the common good of the body.
Today’s Epistle reading for today starts with, “And I will show you a still more excellent way.” Then he starts talking about love. What is going on? Love is the ultimate? Without love; there is nothing? How can that be? First Paul tells us that we should seek the higher gifts, using them for the ultimate good of the congregation and now he is saying there is something better than that and it is called love.
This is another case of Christ turning the upside down world; you know the common sense way of looking at things, right side up. It strikes us as being kind of wrong, for if you don’t take care of yourself who will? I will love you as long as you deserve my love, as long as I need your love, but to put love over everything is too much to ask.
Verse 2 and 3 of the Epistle reading are the key verses concerning Paul’s statement that love is the most excellent way. “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love I gain nothing.”
Let’s look at the word love as Paul; actually the Holy Spirit is using it in this text. The love Paul is speaking of is not sexual love that, for the most part is about making one’s self feel good for a time, nor is he speaking of brotherly love which can be more about the other, but for the most part is still about self.
The love that Paul is speaking of is sacrificial love, the love Jesus has for us. In church language we call that type of love agape love. It is a love that does not keep track of wrongs, or even expects love in return.
Agape love is a love bound up in a covenant that says I love you so much that I am willing die for you, even though I personally will get nothing out of dying in your place. Agape love is all about loving the loved one, especially those that are considered by those with the minds of the world un-loveable. It is pure love.
You will never be able to achieve agape love on your own. It just goes against your nature, as it does mine, although some people seem to be more loving than others, but having said that I need to tell you that when you let the Holy Spirit works in and through you, enlightening your understanding of the great love of Jesus you will grow in agape love.
You will, without realizing it, love others more. You will no longer keep track so that you can see if they deserve your love. You will become more aware and repentant of those times when you are not as loving as God wants you to be. You will in affect develop a servant’s heart. And in being more servant inclined you will naturally through the power of the Holy Spirit want to do more for the body of Christ.
To love in that manner, knowing that you will more than likely be taken advantage of, goes against the grain of conventional wisdom; especially in the world’s view of taking care of self first. But it is just the way it is, for Jesus and the Apostles have told us that will happen. It is called taking up your cross. You’re not asked to die on it, as Jesus did to show you his love, but to only to suffer on it because when you love you are loving with the love of Jesus.
Suffering because of love is not all that love is about. Peter tells us in 1Peter chapter 4 verse 8, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” We also read the same thing in Proverbs 10:12 where we are told, “Hatred causes strive, but love covers up all offenses.”
What these passages are telling you is that the love of Christ in you will come through to all around you thus helping to smooth out those rough spots in relationships. Life will be better and who does not want that?
Sometimes people will reject your love even when you have loved as Christ wants you to, but don’t be surprised when it happens, for people reject God’s love shown through Christ all the time. To be rejected is no reason not to love.
Love, even agape love does not save anymore than any other good deed does. Forgiveness only comes through the work of Jesus on your behalf. What love does is show the strength of one’s faith, the relationship that one has with their Savior. It is the fruit of being justified; that is being forgiven, for when a person has truly received the good news of forgiveness and acceptance they can’t help but love, for they were first loved. It is just the way it is. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 4:52 AM
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