Good evening. I can bring you greetings from Westminster Orthodox Presbyterian Church. It is a pleasure to be here with you this evening to open up God's Word. And we do that as we come to Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13. First Corinthians, chapter 13. We'll actually begin our reading at the very last verse of chapter 12. This is God's Word. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. And thus ends the reading of God's Word this evening. Would you pray with me? Our gracious God in heaven, we come to you and to your word with thanksgiving, our Lord, as we bless you, as we praise you for the good gift of this salvation that you have given to us, and our God, that you have revealed that salvation to us through your word. Bless the reading of that word now to us. And now it's proclamation that you would enlighten our hearts by your Spirit and draw us ever closer to yourself in Christ. As we pray, asking in his most precious name, Amen. And I will show you a still more excellent way In this closing phrase of chapter 12 in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, Paul transitions into, I trust you are aware, some of the most well-known verses of the Holy Scriptures. These verses of Scripture have been used in countless wedding ceremonies, of course, by Christians and non-Christians alike. These may very well be the most well-known words of Paul. They're typically even printed in literature anthologies for its highly stylized form. This evening we're looking at these verses in two parts, Love's Necessity in verses 1 through 3 and Love's Character in verses 4 through the first part of verse 8 that we read this evening. But before we look at those verses specifically, Let's orient ourselves in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. As I trust you're aware, it can be dangerous to enter a text without a proper context. So let's take a step back to understand the context of this passage and the overall letter. And so if you would, turn with me back to chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians and follow along with me. I'm going to be moving pretty quickly through this letter, but you can follow along with me through this letter as we move and make our way through it. And so as you look at chapter 1, and as you might already have some familiarity, of course, with this letter as a whole, as you look at chapter 1, what seems to be at issue there? At verse 10, the apostle makes an appeal for the Corinthians to agree and that there be no divisions among them. And if you turn over to chapter 3, again, Paul addresses the Corinthians there about divisions among them. Those who claimed Paul, those who claimed Apollos. Again, if you were to turn over to chapter 4, verses 7 and 8 specifically, there Paul castigates the Corinthians for their arrogance and pride. He says, why do you boast already? You have all you want already. You have become rich. He writes to admonish them according to verse 14 of chapter 4. Again, note chapter 5. where Paul is outraged at the boast being made by the Corinthians, for they're having an immoral man within their number. He says, your boast is not good, in verse 6. In verse 9 of that same chapter, he writes that he already told them not to associate with sexually immoral people who bear the name of brother, verse 11. It doesn't end there though. Chapter 6. These Christians are bringing lawsuits against one another. They are defrauding each other and offending each other. In chapters 1 through 6, we see here, at least very briefly of course, Paul addresses all of these problems in the church. Problems of an immature, wealthy, and boastful church. A church divided in many ways, very much looking and sounding like the world. I hope you see from the Scriptures here that even at a cursory look at the Corinthian church in this way, it is very much like the American church in so many ways. These things are so very apt. They're so very relevant for us in the religious culture in which God has placed us. Now, if you were to move on into chapter 7, Paul continues in verse 1 of chapter 7. He says this, he says, Now concerning the matters about which you wrote, So here we come to a transition in this letter. Now Paul is addressing specific concerns, specific questions that the Corinthians has written to him about. And you see this again and again to the end of the letter. Note verse 25 of chapter 7, he says again, now concerning. Again chapter 8 verse 1, now concerning. And then chapter 12, verse 1, now concerning. And then all the way at the end of the book, chapter 16, verse 1, again, now concerning. In the midst of answering the questions or the concerns of the Corinthians with this introductory word, now concerning, we find our passage this evening. Having its context within a larger context. a larger section that begins actually at chapter 12 verse 1, that one now concerning I mentioned, and that goes all the way then to the end of chapter 14. And you'll note now how chapter 12 begins, note the language there, now concerning spiritual gifts. You should note that that word gifts isn't there, it's a word that's inserted to help clarify English translations. The entirety of this section, chapters 12 through 14, is about spiritual things. Yes, spiritual gifts is one of those things in the Church. But we could say more generally, things pertaining to the Spirit. And given the overall context, Paul uses this occasion to correct the Corinthians as to their way of thinking. and their way of behaving regarding spiritual things, regarding the spiritual way. Such that Paul says at the end of chapter 12 and begins chapter 14 with almost identical words, note this language, chapter 12 verse 31, but earnestly desire the higher gifts and I will show you a still more excellent way And then chapter 14, verse 1, pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. Again, spiritual things or those things pertaining to the Spirit. Or in this context, I think to be precise, the spiritual way is what Paul is trying to communicate and to teach the Corinthians the right way, so to speak, of doing things. And that which is in between is our passage, chapter 13. And this passage is the particularly appropriate way for Paul to correct the Corinthians, because he shows them a more excellent way. He shows them the indicative, we might say, of the imperative, pursue love. Paul teaches us in this passage that love is the most excellent way. It is the spiritual way because it is the way of Jesus Christ. You might think of the other great John 3.16, 1st John 3.16, by this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. or consider 1 John 4.10, in this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And also in this passage, another author suggests that Paul points out a path of life superior to a life spent seeking and displaying of temporary spiritual gifts. Of course, That refers to Paul's statement in chapter 12, verse 31, the more excellent way. That is what Paul is showing us in chapter 13. And that word way, of course, refers to a pathway. It refers to a roadway. That way that Paul is setting before us this evening, that way is the more excellent way. And the point is, and this brings us to the first three verses, In all your exercise of spiritual gifts or things, temporary or permanent, be sure to understand their proper place in the overall scheme of things. You must see love's necessity. Love is absolutely necessary for the Christian life. I don't think that's an arguable point, right? Love is absolutely necessary for the Christian life, and it is superior to all spiritual gifts. It is the first in the list of the fruit of the Spirit, and here, to see its necessity, we see that fruit explained and unfolded. We see that fruit of the Spirit blossom, so to speak, like a flower. We see the Apostle unfold the very necessity and the character of love. Paul illustrates the necessity of love vividly, and quite possibly, I might get pushback on this every now and then, even sarcastically. It depends on how you read this text. If I speak in tongues, tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver even my body to be burned and have not love, I have nothing. Now, the Corinthian church was a troubled church. Immature, prideful, arrogant, young. It was a church in a relatively newly constructed city that had become the most productive economic hotspot in the Mediterranean, we're told. It was a booming cultural region with all the pagan amenities of the day to go with it. Pagan temples were all over the place. One author describes it this way, in a city of pagan worship where religious ecstasy was hugely valued as a sign of great godliness. Where the hollow temple gong clanged, to wake up the gods, to call their attention, or to drive away evil spirits, all truly being nothing but meaningless noise. Paul is saying to the Corinthians, if you are exercising the gifts of tongues of men and of angels in this way without love, then you too are nothing but meaningless noise. just like the pagans at the temple down the street. The apostle goes on to the gift of prophecy, mysteries and knowledge, faith so as to move mountains. Jesus speaks of that, doesn't he? But without love, Paul says it's nothing. You see, if faith is motivated by personal glory, then in God's sight that faith is nothing. Isn't this just as much a challenge today as it would have been in Paul's day? Christians can long for miracles, even the moving of mountains. Christians can desire to be noticed and recognized, to be successful and long for attention of themselves. But if there is no love, it is nothing. Now you would think, as Paul goes on, that surely giving away all you have and offering yourself up for martyrdom would be a sign of true spirituality, as all of these things are supposed to be. Surely, giving away all my possessions is a sign of true spirituality, apparently not for Paul. According to Acts, the early church in Jerusalem sold property for the sake of giving to others in need. But it means nothing if there is no love. If giving away all that you have is not done with love, it is nothing. It is heartless. Without love, nothing is gained. Even martyrdom has no value, if it was martyrdom endured without love. I trust that the point is clear. The spiritual life, the spiritual way, is not measured by your gifts. It's not measured by congregational programs, its size or impact. not by doctrine or experiential testimony. Those things have their place, of course, and they are important. But the Christian spiritual life, a congregation's spiritual life is measured by your love. One pastor put it this way, if I have reformed doctrine and have not love, I have nothing. It's not really reformed doctrine if there's no love, just so you know that. We could elaborate, of course. If you have wealth, if you have riches, if you have good works, if you have numerical growth, if you have fill in the blank, right? And have not Christian love, you have nothing. Without the wealth of love and without the riches of love, without the work of love and without the growth of love, you have nothing. And so Paul is pressing us to foster this love within ourselves. Without it, you have nothing. Paul is correcting the Corinthians. He is correcting their wrongheaded, arrogant, prideful way of thinking about the Christian life. Specifically, he's referring to that which is spiritual. One author states it this way, it is only the controlling presence of the motivation of love that denotes the presence of God's spirit, because biblical spirituality is all about the self-giving love of Christ and his atoning sacrifice for sinners. Love is preeminent. Love is necessary. Without love, it's all useless. And it is in this context then that we should read the following verses which describe love's character with a strong emphasis on what love is not. That is, Paul puts it primarily in the negative. Here we have a description of what love looks like and what love does not look like. And when we read this description, we need to remember that this passage is meant to correct the Corinthians again. Paul is speaking to the disunity, he's speaking to those divisions that we reviewed very briefly, but he's speaking to the pride, he's speaking to the arrogance that rang from this congregation like a hollow bell. We must not excise this passage, verses four through eight, from its context in order to make it some form of love song of the Apostle Paul. David Jackman writes, instead of reading this as a purpose prose passage, we should see it as a purple face passage, as seen on the faces of the congregation as their embarrassment and shame would have increased when they first read this apostolic indictment of their loveless practice. This chapter of God's Word, you may be surprised to know, has been referred to as the death chapter. You say, what are you talking about? It's about love. Well, yes. But if you'll note, without one single command or imperative, without one single command by the end of reading through this chapter, you feel as though you've been hit by a brick. because you know that your love is not like this. Tell me, which one of you reads this passage about love and comes to the end and says, you know what, I see myself there. It's all about me. None of us, of course. And without a single command, by the end of reading through this chapter, you feel as though you've been hit by that brick because you know that your love is not like this. To understand what Paul is saying here, and therefore to understand how we fit into things here, we need to remain mindful of the Church at Corinth. Again, there was jealousy and strife among them. Chapter 3, verses 1 through 3. They were puffed up in favor of one against another. Chapter 4, verse 6. Some have become arrogant, foolish, and boastful in speech. Chapter 4, verses 18 through 20. There was immorality in the congregation of such a kind that does not even exist among the Gentiles. And to boot, they had become arrogant about it. Chapter 5. They were filing lawsuits against each other in pagan courts. keeping records of wrongs, holding on to grievances. That means when they sinned against each other or when sinned against, even when they said they had reconciled with that person, they would hold it against them by bringing it up, holding on to grievances. These things already being a defeat for them, as Paul puts it in chapter six. They were arrogant about knowledge and caused others to stumble because of it. All of these things that Paul describes throughout this letter, you see, are corrected here in these verses. Love is patient and kind. Like God, like Jesus, love is long-suffering, bearing up anything and everything to go on serving Christ and His Church. Not only bearing all things in patience, love actively does good for others in kindness. Love does not envy or boast because it does not covet. It is content. Love receives what God has given with thankfulness and uses those things for the sake of building others up And it will certainly not brag about itself. It's humble. It's humble. It does not consider itself greater. It's not arrogant. It is not puffed up in vain glory. If you were to turn back to chapter 8, verse 1, there you would see that Paul describes knowledge in the same way. As arrogant, vain, puffed up. And that in contrast to love, arrogance puts down. Love builds up, you see. Brothers and sisters in Christ, be wary about how you use your knowledge. Even the glorious truths of the Reformed faith, if used in a self-serving way, serves only to put others down. Love builds up. It's not rude. It will not take advantage of others in an un-Christlike manner. It will not insist on its own way. Unity is found only in humility. Paul writes in Philippians 2.4, do not look out for your own personal interests. It's the same idea expressed here with reference to love. Interesting, isn't it, how Philippians 2, Paul puts it, he goes on to say, have this same mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus. And I think we could say the same thing about all these statements describing the character of love, that they are all referring to Christ. As they open up for us the character of God. For God is love. And love is not irritable. Verse 5. I don't know about you, but when you read through this list, you go through chapter 13. But this is the one that hits very close to home every time. And if you have children, you know what I'm speaking about. Love is not irritable. Let's flesh this one out a little bit. Love is not easily provoked. That's the New King James. In the NIV, love is not easily angered. Another renders it love is not quick-tempered. Obviously, the term that Paul uses for irritability has a range of meaning, and the range of meaning offered by one linguistic analysis concludes that this word can refer either to simple irritation or to outright anger, or to anything in between. The word exasperated has been offered as perhaps the best translation. David Garland gives us something of a little bit more color when he says that love is not cantankerous. And Phil Riken suggests many synonyms. He says, love is not grumpy or grouchy. Love does not get ticked off. Love does not go off on a rampage or a tirade. Love does not launch into verbal abuse or give people the silent treatment or do whatever else it is tempting to do when you are good and angry. Dear Saints, it is easily overlooked But angry irritability is a loveless sin. Love is not resentful. It will not allow disagreements to become unresolved wounds where bitterness begins to grow. It is a dreadful denial of the gospel of reconciliation when brethren in the same congregation will not speak to one another because of some wrong in the past. whether real or imagined. Where would we be if God treated us in like manner? Love covers a multitude of sins, dear saints, and certainly Christ has covered your brother or sister's sins on the cross. Paul is driving it home to these Corinthians you see here. His point is that they cannot continue as they are, while still claiming to be found in Christ's love. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth, verse 6. It seems that the Corinthians may even have reveled in untruthfulness. Does it have something to do with their lawsuits? Maybe they were, in fact, frivolous, based upon falsehood. Or perhaps the Corinthians searched for others' wrongdoings in some sort of Gestapo-like fashion, trying to find out others' faults and sins. Now, love does not do this, you see. It rejoices in what is good and right because it rejoices in the God who is love. It rejoices in what is good and right because it rejoices in the amazing love of God. That while we were still sinners, Christ died for His people on that cursed tree, for you and for me. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. And so you're telling me, Pastor, that love is some sort of blind, flighty gullibility so that everyone in the world can simply take advantage of me. Is that what love is for us? Well, John Calvin helpfully explains. Listen carefully. Love would rather be deceived by its gentleness of heart than injure a brother by suspicion. It is always ready to think the best, to put the most favorable construction on anything. Love would rather be deceived by its gentleness of heart than injure a brother by suspicion. Love cannot be rebuffed. It will always hope in God. And love never fails because God is love. And God never fails. He will not fail you. Far from being a Christian love song, this passage is one of the most challenging and convicting portions of God's Word. As it was meant to cause a bit of purple face for the Corinthians, does it cause you to think again about love? Your loved wife? Husband? Neighbor? Friend? sibling, father, mother, colleague, or even your enemy. Without one single command until the first verse of chapter 14. We read through chapter 13, and it's as though we're undone. And that's because we are presented with the very character of God as it is manifest in the love of Jesus Christ. In the end, this love described by Paul is a transforming love because it is the very character of God manifest in the work of His Son on the cross. And as His love transforms us by the Holy Spirit, the power of His Holy Spirit to truly make His people spiritual, so also then should we readily see this fruit of the Spirit blossom in our lives through Christ's continued sanctifying work through His Word. And so may this love transform us. into even more greater lovers of Jesus and his people, that you might truly be a spiritually gifted congregation of the Lord. The command is, pursue love. May this way, the most excellent way, be yours in Christ. Let's pray together. Be gracious to us, our glorious God. You have loved us with an abounding love. A love so amazing. A love so great. We thank you for showing yourself to us. making yourself known, revealing this love. We pray, our God, that you would correct our hearts and our ways by your Spirit. That, our God, you would cause this love that you first loved us with to well up within us. that your people would shine brightly with the love of Christ here, throughout our Presbytery, throughout this nation and world, that the Church of Jesus Christ would be known by our love. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.