OceanSide church of Christ

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LOVE PICTURED BY PAUL

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   The most important quality that a Christian should possess is love.  Without it, we are nothing (I Cor. 13:1-3).

 

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.  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 moun-tains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  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 profiteth me nothing.

 

B.   Who is to be loved?

1.     Our enemies (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35)

 

But I say unto you, Love your enemies…

 

2.    God (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27)

 

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 

3.     Neighbors (Matt. 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27)

 

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

 

4.    One another (John 13:34-35)

 

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

 

5.    The brotherhood (I Pet. 2:17)

 

Honor all men.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king.

 

C.   Somehow, however, love does not always seem to be the highest priority for some Christians.

 

D.   Too, love is grossly misunderstood in many circles where it is said to be practiced.

1.     Love for some is just a tender, “feel good,” emotion.

2.    Love for some means the toleration and acceptance of sin.

3.     Others believe that love never condemns or disciplines.

4.    Some think that love does not have to really act on another’s behalf.

5.    Others will practice love in a hypocritical way toward others.

 

I.          THE PRACTICE OF LOVE (I Cor. 13:4-8a)

 

Charity suffereth love, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  Charity never faileth.

 

A.   In this list, sixteen (16) qualities of love are listed.  There are eight that are positive and there are eight that are negative.

 

B.   Brief definition of words:

1.     Suffereth long

a.    Strong (3114):  to be long spirited…forbearing, patient

b.    Thayer:  to be of a long spirit… to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others, to be mind and slow in avenging

2.    Kind

a.    Strong (5541):  to show oneself useful, that is, act benevolently

b.    Thayer:  to show one’s self mild, to be kind, use kindness

3.     Envieth not

a.    Strong (2206):  to have warmth of feeling for or against

b.    Thayer:  to burn with zeal, to be heated or to be filled with envy, hatred, anger

4.    Vaunteth not itself

a.    Strong (4068):  braggart, to boast

b.    Thayer:  to boast one’s self, a self-display, employing rhetorical embellish-ments in extolling one’s self excessively

5.    Puffed up

a.    Strong (5448):  blowing, to inflate…make proud, haughty

b.    Thayer:  puffed up, to be puffed up, to bear one’s self loftily

6.    Doth not behave itself unseemly

a.    Strong (807):  unbecoming

b.    Thayer:  to act unbecoming

7.    Seeketh not her own

a.    Strong:  to desire for one’s self

b.    Thayer:  to seek, require, demand from someone for himself

8.    Is not easily provoked

a.    Strong (3947):  so sharpen along side, exasperate

b.    Thayer:  to irritate, provoke, arouse to anger, make angry, to exasperate, to burn with anger

9.    Thinketh no evil

a.    Strong:  to take an inventory of that which is worthless, depraved, or injurious

b.    Thayer:  to take account or make an account of that which is trouble-some, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful

10.  Rejoiceth not in iniquity

a.    Strong:  to be full of cheer, happy over legal injustice or moral wrong-fulness

b.    Thayer:  to rejoice, be glad about the injustice of a judge, unrighteous-ness of heart or life, a deed violating law and justice

11.   Rejoiceth in the truth

a.    Strong:  to sympathize in gladness, congratulate truth

b.    Thayer:  to rejoice with what is true in any matter under consideration, especially what is true in things appertaining to God and the duties of man, moral and religious truth

12.  Beareth all things

a.    Strong (4722):  to roof over…to cover with silence (endure patiently)

b.    Thayer:  deck, thatch, covering, to protect or keep by covering, to cover over with silence, to hide, conceal of the errors and faults of others

13.   Believeth all things

a.    Strong (4100):  to have faith in

b.    Thayer:  to think to be true, to be persuaded of…place confidence in

14.  Hopeth all things

a.    Strong (1679):  to expect or confide in, have hope

b.    Thayer:  hopefully trust in

15.  Endureth all things

a.    Strong (3278):  to stay under (behind), to remain, that is bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere

b.    Thayer:  to remain, abide, not recede or flee, to endure, bear bravely and calmly, ill treatments

16.  Never faileth

a.    Strong (1601):  to drop away; specifically be driven off one’s course, to lose, become ineffective

b.    Thayer:  to fall out of…to fall from a thing, to lose it...to fall powerless, to fall to the ground, be without effect

17.  Other qualities of love

a.    Without dissimulation (Rom. 12:9)

b.    Worketh no ill (Rom. 13:10)

c.    Same (Phil 2:2)

d.    Unfeign (I Pet. 1:22)

e.    No hate (I John 4:20)

 

II.        LOVE IS ACTIVE

 

A.   Matthew 5:44

 

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.

 

B.   John 14:15; 14:21, 23; 15:10; I John 2:5; I John 5:2-3; II John 6

 

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

 

 

 

 

C.   John 14:31; 15:10

 

But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me command-ment, even so I do.  Arise, let us go hence.

 

D.   John 15:13

 

Greater love hath no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

E.   Romans 5:8

 

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

F.    II Corinthians 2:4

 

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which have more abundantly unto you.

 

G.   II Corinthians 12:15

 

And I will gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

H.   Galatians 5:13

 

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

 

I.     Ephesians 2:4-5; I John 3:16; I John 4:9-10

 

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).

 

J.    Ephesians 5:2

 

And walk in love as Christ also hath love us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

 

K.   Ephesians 5:25

 

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.

 

L.   I Thessalonians 1:3; Hebrews 6:10

 

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.

 

 

M.  Philemon 7

 

For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee brother.

 

N.   I John 3:16-18

 

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:  and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

 

O.   Revelation 3:19

 

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:  be zealous therefore, and repent.

 

P.   I Peter 4:8

 

And above all these things have fervent charity among yourselves:  for charity shall cover a multitude of sins.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   Our love needs to increase and abound toward one another (I Thess. 3:12).

 

And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.

 

B.   We learn to abound in love by increasing our knowledge and judgment (Phil. 1:9).

 

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.