Message Series – Love Gifts: What Matters Most – Part 1 – True Love

Sermon Series:  Love Gifts: What Matters Most – Part 1

 Message Aim:  What matters most in healthy relationships, love; what it is.

 Sermon Title:    “True Love”

 Scripture:   1 Corinthians 13

13 If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Synopsis:

Today we’re going to talk about what matters most in healthy relationships and we will start with Love – true love.  A lot of people question, “What is true Love?”  A lot of times we don’t know why it acts like it acts.  We’re going to talk today about how to develop a kind of love that just gets better and better and that can last for a lifetime.

“What is your definition of love?”  and “Who can tell us what love looks like?”  Fortunately, the God who thought all of this up in the first place, Who made us to be loving people, the God who is Love, He tells us how love acts.  I Corinthians 13 is the definition of how love acts.  It tell us here’s how love acts:  “Love is kind, patient, isn’t jealous, doesn’t brag, is not arrogant, doesn’t act unbecomingly and is not provoked.”  It gives us this list of how love acts.

I want us to take this list and let it help us evaluate how healthy are our relationships — our marriage relationship, our relationship with our parents or with our kids or with our friends.  How healthy are our relationships?

“Love is patient…”  It’s hard to change old habits. We hate change. We always think the other person needs to change …but not me. People need to see themselves for who they are …not what they think they are. Love is patient.  That means it has to take time.  We spend so much of the time of our lives in the waiting room and we wait. That has to be part of our relationships.  But the most important part isn’t waiting with each other.  It’s when we have to wait for each other that we really struggle. Patience means I make allowances for the faults of another person.

“Love is kind…”  We are confused about life. We think life should be without conflict …if there is, we think life is unfair. We grow up with a false view of life. The problem is not that each person has negatives and positives …but how we view the person with them. Love should always be unconditional. Kindness means I have a tender heart and a forgiving heart towards other people.

“Love is secure…”  We think if we point out another’s fault enough, correct enough, criticize enough …then they will grow. Growth never happens because of pointing out the negative. A person will grow by loving them for who they are …not for what you want them to be. You are special, you are unique …because you are you! Security is one of the number one issues in relationships.

“Love is giving…”  Each person has value …worth …because they are wonderfully made.  Each has tremendous value …because they are unique. They deserve to be loved for who they are. We have a real dangerous habit in our society of exchanging love. You scratch my back…. I do this for you and you do this for me.  True love gives attention.

“Love is action…”  Appreciate a person for what she is …not what you want her to be. She is part weakness and part strengths …part good and part bad.  Like marriage vows …for better …for worse. Focus on the positive. Notice the little things …tell her …appreciate them. Let her know what you like about her. Her core!

Have you discovered the amazing truth that your actions tremendously impact your feelings?  By the way you act you can change the way that you feel.  That’s one of the most exciting discoveries of life.  When you begin to act in kindness towards someone — compassion, tenderhearted, forgiving — with patience — it will change the way you feel about them.  Here’s God’s advice to us about how to do that:  “Love always protects, love always trusts, love always hopes and love always perseveres.”  It all starts with God’s love for you.  Today, we need to begin to discover that kind of love that God has for us.  “Love is kind, patient, secure, giving, action.”