1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 4a

• Notice this, as Paul enters into the revelation of what love is, at the very beginning, we see that love is active. Action is the result of resolve.  Last week we defined strength, resolve, determination and purity and all of their collective definitions are all love.  Now you see that once again.  Love is described by action words, not because it is an action primarily…but rather the effects of look…strength, resolve, determination and purity…
• As you grow in love you will gain the resilience you need to be successful in this fallen world. Jesus said in John 16:33 that He has given us the truth of His word that in the receiving and in the resolving, in this fallen world…we may have peace.  In this world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!  And God IS love!  Why do we have so much depression, decay, fragility…I mean literally people that cannot handle anything, any offense?  Because there is no more strength of love…
• Love in its true form will include Why?  Because you cannot be about someone else unless you are not about yourself.  But, if you do truly love, whether it be your wife, your friend, or as you profess that you love the Lord, then you’re ok with patiently enduring some sort of hardship for their sake.  That’s really a key right there.  It’s either for their sake…or forsake.  If you’re not willing to endure for them then truly you forsake them…but, if they are that important to you, you have made that choice, and agape is there, then they won’t be forsaken by you, but you will endure rather for their sake.
• Love involves grit and demands a unity between your mouth and your attitude. What you say must align with what you do and how you do it.  How many times has someone said, “I love you” and then acted like you weren’t even there…that’s not love.  Love willingly endures hardship, love is ok with suffering…and in patience, love will accept pro-longed suffering without keeping an account.
• Peter trying to impress Jesus in Matthew 18:21-22 came to him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Jesus said to Him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven!”  That doesn’t mean 490…the point is lose count!  Don’t count!  Don’t care to count!  Love gives and gives and gives and keeps on giving.  And in that, if there is suffering, if there is offense, then while there is grief, that grief is defeated by kindness. 
• Love suffers long and is Kindness in the suffering and at the conclusion of the suffering, kindness.  Not a reasoning or reckoning…this is why I share with married couples in pre-marital and marital counseling that the world will tell you that forgiveness is an essential ingredient to a good marriage.  I completely disagree.  Let those babies have their immature self-focused marriages!  Love.  Love overshadows and mutes the offense.  Don’t fixate on forgiveness…love each other!
• Love is not only the cure but it is the pre-cure! Why, because love always flows in the character of kindness!  When the righteousness of God is on display there is love and that love is kind.  Now think of the protests and the pickets with the signs that say, “You’re going to hell,” or “Your life is in sin.”  That is not love and yet it is done in the name of Christianity.    Prophecy is being exercised but the message is not kind, love is not flowing and so at the center of it isn’t the desire to see folks saved, the desire is self-justification and egotistical gratification.  Love suffers long, and within and in the end, love is kind. 

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 4b

• This must be the heart of the Lord. Why?  Because the heart which does not envy was once described as someone who is ever willing that others should be preferred before them.  That is out of reach and not available to the natural man.  And yet this is precisely the definition of God’s character illuminated in the Person of Jesus Christ!  Envy is rejected when there is agape love.  I like what Guzik says about this, “Envy is one of the least productive and most damaging of all sins…it accomplishes nothing except to hurt.”
• Envy sees the blessings upon another and resents. Love does not say, “Why did you get that?  Why are you being honored?”  But rather love sees the blessings of others and   And when you do that, that’s when you share in the blessing.  That’s really the core of envy…is that you want the blessing!  The enemy, our fallen nature whispers into our hearts saying, “Can you believe it…I should have that…,” and the lie is that in some way it will soothe you as you suffer by not having what they have…but it doesn’t…it only brings about harm. 
• But, if you have the love of God in your heart, then the wisdom of the King of Kings will teach you that if you sense the natural tendency of envy…if you applaud, encourage and congratulate…that envy is defeated and then you share in the blessings and good fortune of others!
• Most of the time, envy is present because of shame. Folks that are super-blessed, have responsibility, fortune and the like, most of the time it’s because they were willing to put the work in for it.  Those that envy are typically those that are deep-down ashamed because while that person was working and sacrificing, I was wasting time…Proverbs 10:4 says, “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”  Typically, the most lazy are the most envious and that manifests in complete lack of love and kindness.  Let me just tell you…you who have talent for days and superior intellect…hard work beats talent every day…and love is a reward of hard work!

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 4c

• Love does not parade itself…in other words, it’s got nothing to prove! If you have real love for someone then you will never have to convince them that you love them.  No parade needed!  “Look how loving I am!”  No!  It is just fine being unacknowledged or even just behind the scenes…Real love doesn’t post selfies of them loving!  HA!  It works anonymously!

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 4d – 5a

• Love is kin to humility…doesn’t keep company with pride, and there is no rudeness in it! The thought behind this bit about being “puffed up” is the thought of being a wind-bag.  Always talking about things they did or something about themselves.  Jonathan Edwards gave a powerful sermon on The Spirit of Love being the Opposite of a Selfish Spirit in the 1700’s and in that sermon he said, “The ruin that the fall brought upon the soul of a man consists very much in the man falling wholly under the power and government of self-love.”  He went on to say, “A person of selfish spirit is ready to make much of the afflictions that he himself is under, as if his privations or sufferings were greater than those of anybody else…”    Growing in love releases you from pre-occupation with self…which is the single source of all ruin we’ve ever seen or known…
• Another way to view or interpret, “Does not behave rudely,” is love is not weird. There includes this mentality that Christianity is promoted and spread by bull horns and posters and wearable billboards and taking to the streets to “street-witness…” listen, Jesus neither strived nor cried out in the streets.  Isaiah 42:2, says, “He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street…He is not far from the discouraged!”  This is repeated in the New Testament almost word for word in Matthew 12:19…
• Jesus wasn’t weird…He wasn’t even offensive to the culture! He was a bright Light shining in the darkness!  People loved to be around Him!  Filled with warmth, honesty, authenticity and integrity…it was the religious stiffs that wanted to take Him out!

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 5

• I wonder are you hearing not only what love does but also what love does not do? Your greatness is not only what you display but equally what you choose to suppress….
• Love thinks no evil…it’s not suspicious and love doesn’t create doubtful scenarios that aren’t true! Love starts at yes, thinks well of the other, thinks well of the intentions of God…and always will give the benefit of the doubt!  Love defaults to purity.  Love defaults to trusting in the goodness of others and chooses to only see that which is favorable.  Listen, give up your god grip on the life of others…
• Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” No man, no woman…if I am walking in love…owes me an account…God is the Banker of goodness!  Not me!  But an important element of that is I BELIEVE HIM!  I believe God will work…I still believe in the God of Ananias and Saphira…they didn’t lie to Peter…what did Peter say?  You have lied to God!  And then…well, it didn’t work out for them…

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 6

• Love doesn’t find satisfaction in bad things happening to other people. You hear of a nightclub getting shot up and your heart doesn’t mourn…you say, “Oh well…,” that’s a love issue!  A maturity issue!  Love mourns evil and it rejoices in good things…many Christians don’t even do that!  Delighted for others!  Love rejoices when the other guy does well…

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verses 7 – 8a

• This is the strength of love in full flex…love is not Love sees it all and chooses to love still.  Love actually sees more…and because of it…love chooses to see less.  Love gives you the strength you want but this is what it costs.  Love sees the cross.  Knows its ahead…and yet chooses to wash the feet of its own betrayer.  What kind of strength is this?  That teaches us that the only time we should deal with the dirt of others is when we are washing their feet?  If you’re not willing to start at their feet, stop trying to wash folks…you’re doing it wrong…
• Love hopes all things…hopes the best…they won’t get away with it. God’s word is true.  Love endures with trust and resolve.  Grit, man.  You cannot will yourself into this.  This is the work of the Holy Spirit in a surrendered heart.  This is the fruit of the Spirit within you and within me.  He is the Vine, we are the branches…there should be no struggle.  The fruit simply will come…
• We had grape vines in VA…they didn’t make it. Why?  We never did anything for them…never fed them, never cared for them, never pruned them…never worked at all…the fruit would have come….it's the same with me.  This is no struggle unless I struggle against it…