Here's our text this morning. I'm reading from 1 John, chapter 4, verse 7 and 8. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Our subject, let us love one another. Now, we know that perseverance in faith is absolutely essential to salvation. We know that a person must continue in the faith. The Word of God plainly declares that we're reconciled to God by the death of His Son, that we're redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, provided we continue in the faith. That's what it says in the book of Colossians. It says He's reconciled us unto Himself by the death of His Son, that Jesus Christ our Lord presents us before the Father, holy, unblameable. But Colossians 1.22, right after these two things are stated, declares this, if we continue in the faith. Christ will present us holy and harmless and undefiled before the Father. We are reconciled to God by the death of His Son if we continue In other words, the Bible plainly declares there's no hope of salvation for any person who denies Christ and departs from the faith. The book of Hebrews is full of warnings. You remember he told about Israel in the wilderness and how they could not enter into the promised land because of unbelief. And Paul sets forth this clear-cut warning, take heed, brethren, lest there be found in any of you an evil heart of unbelief." And then in chapter 3 of Hebrews, verse 14, he says, "...we are made partakers of Christ if we hold fast the profession of our faith firm unto the end." We are made partakers of Christ if we hold fast our confidence, our profession, firm unto the end. What I'm saying is this. True believers will not depart from Christ and he will not depart from them. So perseverance, anyone who loves the Word of God, anyone who knows anything about the Word of God is firmly persuaded that a person in Christ will not depart from the faith. If someone does profess faith in Christ and departs from that faith, And from that confidence and from that position, he's certainly not a redeemed person. John had this to say. He said, talking about people who had left the faith and left the church, he said, if they had been of us, they no doubt would have continued with us. Now, that's one of the clear-cut marks and evidences of saving faith, is persevering in the faith. Persevering in the faith. Well, here's another, and this is my subject today. Here's another found in 1 John 4, 7, and 8. Beloved, let us, believers, love one another. For love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, whatever his profession, he that loveth not, whatever his claim, he that loveth not, whatever his gifts, whatever his talent and ability. He that loveth not knoweth not God. Now, I believe this is the second clear evidence of regeneration. This is the second clear evidence of salvation, persevering in the faith, continuing in Christ. But the other here is loving one another. He that loveth not knoweth not God. Now, we're talking here of true, sincere love for God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and true, sincere love for our neighbor." Not just the Brotherhood, not just the Church, not just believers. Our Lord said, if you love those that love you, what thank have you? Anyone does that. If you give to them from whom you hope to receive something in return, what thank have you? Anyone does that. But I say unto you, love your enemies, not only your friends and family, not only the brotherhood, not only the church, but all men." Now, this is the commandment of Christ. This is the commandment of our Lord. He says this in John 15, 12, this is my commandment. And we hear a lot about the Ten Commandments and people preach about the Ten Commandments and talk about the Ten Commandments. But our Lord said the Ten Commandments are summed up in two commandments. And Paul repeats this in the book of Galatians. This is a sum and substance of the whole law of God. Someone came to our Lord one time and said, which is the greatest commandment? He said, the greatest commandment is this. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength, and thy neighbors thyself. On these two hang all the law and all the commandments. So this is the commandment of our Lord. He said, this is my commandment that you love one another. as I have loved you. And now watch secondly. This is not only the commandment of our Lord, but this is the evidence of regeneration. We just got through reading this. Love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God. But listen to this verse. By this shall all men know that you're my disciples, if you love one another. By this, by this trait, by this characteristic, shall all men recognize that you're one of my disciples if you love one another. Not only that, but love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. When the nine characteristics of faith and the fruit of the Spirit is given in the book of Galatians, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, which is the first one? This is the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, kindness, and so forth. But love is the first one named. And then love is the crowning grace. In 1 Corinthians 13, 13 it says, And now abideth faith, hope, and love. These three. But the greatest, the crowning grace, the greatest of these is love. And John says in 1 John 4, 20, If any man say, I love God. Now this is strong language. If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he's a liar. He who loves God loves his brother also. And then in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, Paul says the absence of true love for God and for one another is the great absence. For a man may have many gifts and many talents and much knowledge, but if he does not have this one thing, love, all of these gifts and talents and all of this knowledge will profit him nothing." Now, let me show you that. In the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul talks about the gifts of the Spirit. You know, their languages and their knowledge and discernment of spirits and faith and healing and miracles and all these different gifts are talked about, the uses of them, the importance of them, the right use of them. And then the last verse in chapter 12, he said, covet gifts, desire these gifts. that you may be used of God for His glory and the good of the church. But I'll show you a better way. I'll show you a more excellent way. And then chapter 13, verse 1, starts this way. Though I have the gift of tongues, though I speak with tongues, not only of men, but of angels, and have not love, I am a clanging gong, I am a sounding gong and a tinkling cymbal. The Amplified Version says, I am a noisy gong. That's all I am. And watch verse 2. If I have the gift of prophecy, or the gift of preach, and though I understand truths and mysteries and secret things, and have not love, and though I have personal faith so that I could say to this mountain, be thou removed and cast into the sea, and have not love, I'm nothing. This is the great absence. This is what I'm saying. A man may have many gifts and much knowledge and great talent and ability, but this is the great absence. This is the evidence of faith. This is the evidence of regeneration. This is the evidence of the new birth. Now, watch the third thing. I may be very generous to the poor. I may bestow my goods to feed the poor. I may be willing to die for my doctrine, in other words, give my body to be burned at the stake for what I believe, for my doctrines and my traditions, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing." What Paul is saying here is this. True love for God and for others is not a fancy virtue to which certain special saints may attain by working and studying and striving, but true love is the common everyday character of God's people. And then love is not the prerogative of a few. It must be the possession of all believers. It's not a thing desirable. It is a thing absolutely necessary. That's what he's saying in 1 Corinthians 13. It's not a prerogative. It is a possession. It's not a thing desirable. It is necessary that every believer have this this grace of love. And we're not to look upon love as a high virtue that's only attainable by a few. But love is shed abroad in the heart of every person whom God saves, and the absence of love is clear evidence that that individual does not dwell in grace. He that loveth not knoweth not God. Now, I want to look at several things, and I'd like for you to take your Bible and turn to 1 Corinthians 13. I want to look at several characteristics of this love. I've given you two attributes of saving faith, two characteristics of the redeemed, perseverance and love. Now let's go to the characteristic of love and let's see what Paul says love is. What is the definition of love? Someone said love is a principle of the heart which wishes to bestow the best that it can on the object of its affection. That's a good definition. But no definition is quite as good as this one given right here in 1 Corinthians 13. Will you take your Bibles and turn to 1 Corinthians, the 13th chapter? Let's begin with verse 4. Now, let me make this clear. It is not love that saves. It is Christ that saves. It is Christ who loved us. It is Christ who died for us. It is Christ who puts away our sins. It's Christ who is our mediator. It is Christ who is our representative. Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. But where Christ dwells, love dwells. And where love does not dwell, it is evident that Christ is not there. Now, let's take some of these characteristics, and I'll try to move quickly and get them all in. There are about 10, 11, or 12 of them that I want to give you this morning. First of all, from verse 4. Paul says, love suffers long. What does that mean? It means this, that love is patient. Love is long-suffering. True love makes a person patient and long-suffering with others, slow to anger, and not easily offended. James says in chapter 1, verse 19, My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to rap. Here's the illustration that our master gave. He said there was a lord, a king, who was calling in all the people that he did business with and demanding an account, demanding that they settle their accounts. And a man came in before the king. He owed him an enormous sum. It was just a tremendous sum of money. And the king says, You must pay. And these are the exact words he said. He said, Master, be patient with me. Be patient with me. And I will someday be able to repay. I'll be able to repay you. I don't have the money now, but I will someday. Will you be patient?" The Scripture says that he forgave him of the whole debt, just wiped it out. And this man, who had just been forgiven, walked out on the street, and he met a person who owed him a very small pittance. And he took him by the neck. And this man, who owed the small debt, cried the same words, Master have patience with and I will pay you all but he would have no patience with him and he demanded that he pay now or go to prison and stay till the debt was settled and When the servants of the king heard about it, they told the king and he sent for the man He said did not just forgive you of an enormous sum. He said that's right He said and you went right out and demanded that a man who owed you a small pittance pay that and you put him in prison and He said, bind him hand and foot and cast him into prison till every last cent has been paid. And our Lord said, if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours. Here's what He's saying. As God Almighty through Christ has been patient with us and longsuffering with us, let us be patient and longsuffering with those whom we love. Notice the second word, verse 4. Love is not only longsuffering, but it's kind. Love is tender and compassionate, ready to do good, does not wish to wound and to hurt. Love produces in a person a desire to be kind and courteous and considerate of others. And based on the same principle, you remember the first illustration I gave you, love is long-suffering. God is long-suffering to us. He's so patient with us. He puts up with so many Sins and errors in us so many failures and we must be patient with others if we love them we will God is patient with us because he loves us for Christ's sake and God is kind to us and he says in Ephesians 4 32 be ye kind one to another tender-hearted Gentle kind tender hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake forgave you that's the basis of this whole thing even as God, for Christ's sake, forgave you. Someone said, let every word that we speak pass through three doors. The first door is this, is it true? We certainly ought not tell things that are not true. You're not supposed to tell it just because it is true, but that's the first question to ask, is it true? Secondly, is it necessary that I tell it? Is it absolutely necessary? Will it accomplish any good by me repeating this story? Thirdly, is it kind? Is it kind? Now, those three doors. If we pass our words through those three doors, it's very, very possible that we will not offend and hurt and wound and be unkind in our conversation. James says in chapter 3, the tongue is a little member And it boasteth great things, but how great a matter a little fire kindleth. The tongue is an unruly evil, listen, full of deadly poison. A believer does not carry a poisonous tongue. He does not carry a poisonous heart, therefore he doesn't carry a poisonous tongue, because out of the heart the mouth speaketh. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Out of the abundance of the heart comes forth the things that are considered there and thought So love is kind. Kind. All right, thirdly, love is not envious. That's the translation. In the Amplified, it says, true love does not boil over with envy and jealousy. Nothing is more adverse to true love than envy. Love envieth not. Because of envy, Cain rose up and slew his brother. Because of envy, Joseph's brethren sought his death and sold him into slavery. Because of envy, the church at Corinth was divided, the preachers were divided one against another. But love does not envy. Love rejoices at the prosperity of another. Love rejoices at the success of another. Love rejoices when God blesses another person. It weeps over their misfortune and rejoices over their good. Love endeth not. Now, notice verse 4 again, and watch this. Love, true love. This is a definition of true love, the characteristic of the redeemed. Love vaunteth not itself. Preacher, I've read that often, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. What does that mean? It just means this in plain, everyday language. True love is not conceited. It is not proud, haughty, and arrogant. John Newton once said this, for an object of the grace of God to be proud, arrogant, and high-minded is the most inconsistent thing in the world. In 1 Corinthians 4, 7, what do we have to be conceited about? What do we have to be proud of? 1 Corinthians 4, 7, Paul says, who maketh you to differ? What do you have that you did not receive? Now, if you received it, Why do you glories if you had not received it? The Pharisees stood in the temple and said, God, I thank you. I'm not like other men. I'm not like... If you're not like other men, it's by the grace of God and not by your own strength, righteousness, merit, worthiness or morality. The great business of the gospel is twofold. The great business of the truth is to reveal to a man two things. Number one, his own sinfulness. His own unworthiness, His own inability. Number two, the undeserved goodness of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Pride and self-esteem is contrary to the gospel. It's contrary to the truth. And it's the most contrary thing to love that there is. In the fifth place, verse five now, love does not behave itself unseemly, unseemly. Now, what that means is this, true love is not rude. Have you met rude people? Rude, unmannerly, just rude. Well, you know what begets rudeness when you won't speak to a person or you're haughty and proud around the individual and rude to them and unkind to them and unmannerly? You know what causes that? Pride. Pride begets rudeness, conceit begets haughtiness, and self-righteousness makes a man unmannerly. In Romans 12, 10, the Scripture says, let your love be sincere. Now watch this. A real thing. As members of one family showing honor to one another. Look not on your own things, but on the things of others. Love is considerate and kind. The opposite of that is rude and unmannerly, and love is never rude. In the next place, in verse 5, love seeketh not her own. That is, love does not, watch this, insist on having its own way. Have you ever heard people say, I'm going to have my way or I'm going to quit? I insist on my rights. I hear that so much. My rights, my rights, my rights, my will, my way. I must have my way. That is not true love. Love seeketh not her own. Love does not demand its rights nor insist on doing things its way. Listen to 1 Corinthians 10, 24. Let no man seek his own welfare but the welfare of others. Now, that's true love. Love seeketh not her own. It does not insist on its own rights, its own will, and its own way. Not true love. But true love wishes to make the other person or the object of affection happy. And in giving happiness, happiness is received. In giving love, love is received. Love begets love. Now, watch in the next place. In verse 5, love is not easily provoked. thinketh no evil." Now, let's look at that. In plain words, it says this, love is not touchy. You heard about folks who always go around with a chip on their shoulder. That's what it means, touchy, resentful, easily offended, easily provoked, looking for a reason to fall out. Love does not carry a suspicious nature. Love does not read between the lines and judge by appearance. True love interprets words and actions by the rule of grace, not by the emotions of the moment. Love pays no attention to words spoken in haste. Love is not easily offended. I must hurry. Verse 6. Love does not rejoice in sin, rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in truth. What does that mean? It means this. Nothing is more contrary to love than to take pleasure in, to point out and to rejoice in somebody's fall. That's not love. When you just take place, someone has fallen, or someone has committed a sin, or someone has a misfortune, and you tell it, you just hasten to tell it, you rejoice to tell it, you just can't wait to tell it. That's not love. Love doesn't rejoice in another person's fall. Job said, I do not rejoice at the destruction even of him that hates me. Do you know how much King Saul hated David? Tried to kill him on several occasions. And yet when King Saul died, David wept. David didn't even rejoice over the death of one of his greatest enemies. Love does not rejoice in. It does not repeat bad tidings. It rejoices in good. It rejoices in truth. It rejoices in beauty. You know what makes people rejoice in evil and repeat evil and keep evil tidings going? I'll tell you what causes that. If a person's heart is evil, he delights to see evil in others. It makes him happy to find in another person that which he finds in himself. And he insists on telling us, see, I told you what he was like, I told you what she was like. They're just like me. Now, notice verse 7, Love beareth all things. I was careful to look up this word, barith, in the Greek, in the Greek concordance, and this is what it says. This is the correct translation. Love covers with silence all things. That's exactly what it means. Love barith all, it covers with silence. And this is what Solomon wrote in the Proverbs several times, not once, but several times. Listen to these verses, Proverbs 11, 13. A tale-bearer revealeth secrets. But he that is of a faithful spirit, he that is of a faithful spirit, not just the spur of a moment, but this is his tenor of life, this is his spirit, this is his attitude. He that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. Proverbs 10, 12, hate stirreth up strife, but love covers all sins. Just puts a covering over it. That's what love does, hides it from view, hides it from sight. Hides it from the stares of others. Love covers a multitude of sins. That's what Scripture says. Proverbs 17, 9. Listen. He that covereth a transgression seeketh love. He that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. In the next place, love believeth all things. Love wants to believe the best. It doesn't want to believe the worst. It doesn't want to believe it. If someone comes to you with a story about a friend of yours, do you want to believe it? Not if he's your friend. Not if you love him. You don't want to believe. Love believes the best. It wants to believe the best. It believeth all things. It hopeth all things. What love can't see, it hopes for. What love does not see on the surface, it hopes that it's at least underneath the surface. Love believeth all things, believeth the best, hopeth all things. Watch this. Love endures all that. It'll endure conflict. It'll endure sickness. It'll endure trial. It'll endure disappointment. It'll endure misunderstanding. It will go through thick and thin. It will go through dark days and sunny days. If true love is present, I'm telling you, it'll always be present. And if true love is not there now, you say, well, I used to love. No, you didn't. You loved yourself. You never did love. Because love endureth. Love never fails. Whether they be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether they be this, that, and the gifts and tongues, they shall fail. But now about it, faith, hope, and love, these three, the greatest of these is love. One poem before I quit. Let us for each other care, each the other's burdens bear, each to each by love endear, one in faith, one in hope, one in fear. This message is on a cassette tape along with another message, The Saving Promise, that I'll bring next Sunday. If you want this tape about love and the saving promise, write to me and send two dollars. That's what it costs to produce the tape and send it to you. The address will be given to you right now. Until next Sunday, may God bless you, everyone.