Hunger Mountain Christian Assembly
Love
HMCA
February 7, 2010
“Love”
1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (Living)
If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn't love others, I would only be making noise. 2If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. 3If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn't love others, it would be of no value whatever.
4Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. 6It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. 7If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.
8All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever.
Introduction: I have been speaking to you this New Year about “mission.” “Our mission is transition, transformation, and training of common people of our region to become uncommon followers of Jesus Christ.” I believe that this will be our track for the next decade. But there is a factor in everything that we seem to miss and I believe that the missing factor in all things is “love.” Our mission cannot be accomplished without love. We must have love for the lost in order to have transition. We must love people in order for transformation to be achieved. And finally, we must have love for people we are training to become disciples of Jesus Christ because the Scriptures tell us that He loved His disciples to the end. And so my message today is “Love.”
1 Cointhians 13:4-8 tells us what love is.
1. Love: agape, love, affection, or benevolence; especially a love feast: charity, dear, love. It is God’s unconditional love.
2. Love is patient. In the Greek it means long suffering and enduring.
3. Love is kind. Act benevolently; be kind: Thoughtful, considerate, compassionate, understanding, charitable, friendly, generous, etc.
4. Love does not envy. It is not jealous and does not covet.
5. Love is not boastful. Braggart or vaunts itself.
6. Love is not proud. Blowing, to inflate, puff up. Filled with or showing excessive self esteem. Think to highly of yourself.
7. Love is not rude. Lacking the graces and refinement of civilized life; uncouth; Ill- mannered or discourteous.
8. Love is not self seeking. Does not demand it’s own way.
9. Love is not easily angered. It is not irritable or touchy.
10. Love does not hold grudges. Keeps no record of when it has been wronged.
11. Love does not delight in evil. It is never glad about injustice.
12. Love rejoices with the truth.
13. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him or her no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him or her, always expect the best of him or her, and always stand your ground in defending him or her.
14. Love will go on forever. It will be our entrance into heaven.
Conclusion: The Scriptures tell us that without love we have nothing. Jesus said that love is the greatest commandment; to love God and our neighbor. He also said that the way that we love one another will show the world that we are His disciples. We will not accomplish our mission without love. We must have love for those that don’t know Jesus, love for those that are seeking transformation, and love for those that we train to become Jesus’ disciples. Pray that God would give you agape and pour it out on others just as God has poured it out on you.
Close: Mark 12:28-31 (NKJV)
Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" 29Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. 31And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."