This is the manuscript of the first sermon in the Christ Church Los Angeles sermon series leading up to election day in the United States, which is Tuesday November 5, 2024. This sermon was delivered on Sunday October 13, 2024.
Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 NIV [1] If I speak in the tongues 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, 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, aways 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.
Introduction
In my opinion, one of the most challenging passages in all of Scripture comes from
Romans 12:17-18 NIV [17] Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. [18] If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
This scripture says everyone and everyone means everyone and the word everyone is in these two verses twice.
Here are some questions though.
Am I to do this when it comes to all my relationships?
What if someone does not share my faith?
What if I find a person’s political views distasteful?
What if he or she votes differently than me?
Well the Bible says, and we believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God, the bible says “live at peace with everyone”
We are not only instructed to personally obey this but to also preach, teach, and model this all the time
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV[18] Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Our divisions seem insurmountable, so we are tempted to think it’s better to ignore addressing the divisions that affect us but The Holy Spirit will not allow me to ignore them. So where do we start?
I am starting a sermon series today addressing five themes which address could what's happening both outside and inside the church today.
The 5 themes are
The Kingdom of God
Unity
Humility
Kindness
Love
As you saw with the scripture that James read, the one I want to start with is Love.
My goal here is for us to do what it says in
Romans 12:17-18 NIV [17] Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. [18] If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Here’s my text.
Text
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV [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.
I am not talking about the kind of love that is a fleeting emotion or an, act of passion. I am talking about a profound and enduring commitment.
Love that transcends political affiliations, ideological differences, and personal biases.
Love that seeks the well-being of everyone, even those with whom we may disagree.
I want us to consider what it means to love in a world that often feels divided and contentious. I want us to challenge ourselves to live out this love.
In The Sermon on the Mount which is in chapters 5-7, of Matthew, Jesus said that we should we should love your enemies.
Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
He was even more specific than this at another time. when asked what was the greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:34-40 NIV [34] Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. [35] One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: [36] “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” [37] Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
To make it plain He went on to describe, with a parable, exactly who that neighbor we are to love is.
In His parable that neighbor actually turns out to be an enemy. We all know the parable of the Good Samaritan. I’m not going to read it because we’re familiar with it. If you want to read it it’s in Luke 10:30-36. To summarize;
There was this Jewish guy who got beat up and robbed and was laying on the side of the road in bad shape. A couple of Jewish men, in fact a couple of religious leaders, a priest and a Levite, passed by, saw that he was in bad shape, looked at him, and even crossed to the other side of the road so as to not come close to him.
Then a Samaritan came by. Now if you look at the history of the Jews after their return from exile in Babylon, you’ll see that the Jews and Samaritans were mortal enemies. It was a lot like the animosity today between Christians and Muslims, Jews and Muslims, conservatives and liberal, Republicans and Democrats.
So this Samaritan, an enemy, somebody who was supposed to hate Jews, is the one who stopped to help, even to the extent of spending his own money to see that he was taken care of.
What Jesus was saying through this parable is that we are to show love to everybody, friends, enemies, everybody, regardless of their background or social standing, or political viewpoint.
The title of this sermon is “All We Really Need is Love”.
What does love have to do with solving the problems and divisions that we have here in this country?
I may be naive but I believe that love is the only way we can solve the problems and divisions.
if we love each other then we can talk to each other,
if we love each other we can admit that we all have problems,
If we love each other we can agree to seek help to solve our problems.
However, if we are going to sustain that kind of love, we have to love like God loves.
1 John 4:7-8 (NKJV)7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
This scripture tells us that not only is love an attribute of God but love is who and what God is. This scripture says that if we are born of God, and once you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are born of God, we should, like God…... actually be love.
Love is a wonderful thing and if we all really start to love each other there will be big changes, not only here in America, but throughout the world. But it is going to take more than just talking about it.
It’s going to take the kind of love that Jesus taught when He walked the earth.
It’s going to take the kind of love that God has for us, in order to make the kinds of changes in us that will heal all these divisions between us.
Yes, love is really all we need, but that means that many of us are going to have to open ourselves up to what it really means to love like God loves… because His love is unconditional. The fact that you are a human being is all that’s needed for God to show His love for you. He did that in sending His son to die for you. There are no conditions on that love other than to believe.
John 3:16-17 NIV [16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
That’s the kind of love that we need before we can begin to solve the problems between us.
One of the Greek words for love and the one I am talking about today is the word Agape. Agape is a Greek word that primarily denotes a selfless, unconditional love. It's often contrasted with eros (romantic love) and philia (brotherly love). Agape implies a love that goes beyond personal feelings or desires.
Agape is not the natural kind of love that we have for a friend, or relative, or spouse. It is the kind of love that God has for us, the kind of love we don’t deserve and can never earn.
That is the kind of love that caused Him to give His Son for our salvation and to give us eternal life when we were sinners and His enemies;
Romans 5:8-10 (NKJV)8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Agape is the kind of love that Jesus showed as He offered Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. Jesus loved us so much that He gave His life for us while we were enemies. That’s real love and the kind of love that we should have for each other and our enemies.
John 15:12-13 (NKJV)12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
1 John 3:16 (NKJV)16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Having this kind of love doesn’t mean that we always agree with each other but it does mean that we should love each other enough to talk.
The psychiatrist R. D. Laing says that "we are effectively destroying ourselves by violence masquerading as love."
The most abused phrase in the English language may be "I love you." Instead of communicating unselfish caring, it often expresses enlightened self-interest, manipulative affection or sheer lust.
So what does agape, the God kind of love, look like. Let’s go to our text for today, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 plus the next verse, verse 8.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
This description of love was part of a letter that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. He was writing to Christians not unbelievers. The Corinthian church had problems. There were those who thought they were more important than others, there were those who were following one leader versus another leader and taking sides, there were wealthy people there that were taking advantage of the poor, the church was divided on many issues. Sounds kind of like the US today doesn’t it
The first part of verse 4 tells us what love is like. It’s patient and kind. That’s the attitude that God has toward us.
2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
That’s the way we should be with each other and with our enemies. Be patient, make your point, state your case and then wait. Give God a chance to work on your enemy, and on you.
The rest of verse 4 through verse 7 tells us what people with agape, the God kind of love, do not do.
1 Corinthians 13:4b-7 (NKJV)4 love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
People with agape don’t envy others, they are not jealous. The kind of jealousy I’m talking about is the destructive kind. The kind that is suspicious of someone or their achievements and advantages.
People with agape are not boastful. People boast to make others notice them. It’s not possible to be boastful and love at the same time.
People with agape are not puffed up or proud. A proud person thinks too much about his own importance. A person with agape is humble.
People with agape don’t behave rudely or badly or act inappropriately. That means more than just being polite. It means to think about others above yourself.
People with agape don’t seek their own first. They don’t look out for their own interests before considering others.
1 Corinthians 10:24 (NKJV)24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.
Philippians 2:3 (NKJV)3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
People with agape are not easily provoked. They do not easily become angry. Paul started this description by saying that love is patient. One kind of patience is to be able to keep calm when other people are angry. Agape doesn’t answer insults with anger. It’s alright to be angry at times but love is patient even in anger.
People with agape don’t take pleasure in evil things, they don’t rejoice in iniquity, the fact that someone has fallen into sin, has made a mistake, and is now suffering the consequences.
People with agape don’t keep a record of how people have hurt them. God in Christ does not keep a record of our sins once we’re saved so if we have agape we shouldn’t keep remembering an action or insult against us.
This kind of love I’ve been talking about is permanent.
1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
There are three things that are essential in the life of a Christian, and really all people, they are faith, hope and love. Faith that God will forgive us because of Jesus’ sacrifice, hope for the future because of Jesus’ resurrection and His love. When Jesus returns on the clouds with a shout there will be no more reason for faith or hope but love will last through eternity because God Himself is love.
Everything that I’ve said about agape sounds great doesn’t it, and if everybody had that kind of love there would be no problems in the world. However the presence of sin in the world prevents us from having agape all the time.
Since all mankind inherited that sin nature, from Adam and Evit became impossible for sinful man to have agape for everybody, all the time even though Jesus told us to have it. He said we must love not only our Christian brothers and sisters but our enemies too.
John 13:35 (NKJV)35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
The only way that we can obey these commandments to love everybody, all the time, no matter who they are, is through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. That’s why unbelievers can’t do it under any circumstance.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
What matters to God is our love for Him and our love for each other. Wealth, power and status count for nothing in the kingdom of God. When we truly love our neighbors, we do our part to make the nation and the world a better place, and we find our own fulfillment in life.
This election season is an opportunity for the church and Christians.
People who haven’t yet come to Christ look to believers for their cues. If they see Christians at odds with one another, treating one another worse than unbelievers do, they’ll question Jesus’ impact on our lives.
These times are an opportunity for us to let our lights shine. To take our lamps from under the bushel, to be that lighthouse to show the world what real love is and lead them to Christ.
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV [14] “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for your Word and the reminder that all we truly need is love. Help us to love you with all our hearts, souls, and minds. May your love flow through us, enabling us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Grant us the grace to forgive those who have wronged us, and the courage to seek forgiveness from those we have wronged. Help us to see the beauty and dignity in every person, regardless of their background or circumstances.
We pray for peace in this nation and our world, for healing of broken hearts, and for an end to suffering. May your love fill the hearts of all people, and may your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
