Sermon Prepared by James McCullen
E-mail Preach Him with Dr. Jim

Expressing Love’s Nature
1 COR. 13:4-8

4 Love is patient, love is kind, {and} is not jealous; love does not brag {and} is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong {suffered,} 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; NASB

Introduction:

Paul uses 16 terms to define love. He gives us several ways in which Love may be expressed. Follow in your Bible as we look at these.

1. LOVE EXPRESSED POSITIVELY. v 4

2. LOVE EXPRESSED NEGATIVELY. v 4b - 5

3. LOVE EXPRESSED JOYFULLY. v 6

4. LOVE EXPRESSED INCLUSIVELY. v 7

5. LOVE'S EXPRESSED ETERNALLY. v 8a

1. LOVE EXPRESSED . . POSITIVELY. v 4

“Love is patient, love is kind, . . . “

A. Love Is Patient.

“Love is patient, love is kind, . . . “

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; . . . " KJV

1. This means patience with all kinds of people but especially Christians.

2. This means patience with circumstances of all kinds.

B. Love Is Kind.

1. Love shows kindness to both friends and foes.

Illustration: TOPIC: Love INDEX: 1623 SUBTOPIC: Conjugal

Authors such as Dwight Small can wax eloquent about the application of agapa love to marriage:

Agape is not born of a lover's need, nor does it have its source in the love object. Agape doesn't exist in order to get what it wants but empties itself to give what the other needs. Its motives rise wholly from within its own nature. Agape lives in order to die to self for the blessedness of caring for another, spending for another, spending itself for the sake of the beloved.

Application:

LOVE'S POSITIVE EXPRESSIONS are patience and kindness.

2. LOVE EXPRESSED . . NEGATIVELY. v 4b - 5

4b {and} is not jealous; love does not brag {and} is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does
not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong {suffered,}

4b envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, KJV 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not

her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; KJV

A. LOVE is not Jealous. ENVY 1 Cor 13:4b

". . . envieth not; . . . "

1. To burn with zeal

a. To be heated or to boil with envy, hatred, anger;
b. In a good sense, to be zealous in the pursuit of good.

2. To desire earnestly, pursue.

B. Love does not Brag

“. . . love does not brag . . . “ NASB

“. . . "vaunteth not itself," KJV (only time word used)

C. Love is not arrogant, "is not puffed up,"
“. . . {and} is not arrogant, . . . " NASB

”. . .is not puffed up, . . .” KJV

1. To inflate, blow up, to cause to swell up; to puff up, make proud; to be puffed up,

to bear one's self loftily, be proud.

D. Love not act unbecomingly;

“ does not act unbecomingly;. . . “ NASB

"Doth not behave itself unseemly," KJV

F. Love does not seek its own,

“. . .it does not seek its own, . . . “ NASB

“. . . seeketh not her own, . . . " KJV

G. Love is not provoked,

“. . . is not provoked, . . . “ NASB

". . . is not easily provoked, . . . " KJV

1. To irritate, provoke, arouse to anger; to scorn, despise, to exasperate.

H. Love does not take into account a wrong {suffered,}

“. . . does not take into account a wrong {suffered,} . . . “ NASB

“. . . thinketh no evil; . . . “ KJV

Illustration: TOPIC: Love INDEX: 2200-2209 DATE: 5/1992.22

Today's quote worth re-quoting is from the Mayo Clinic Magazine, "For the patients who have an especially difficult time after surgery, if they eventually recover, it is because there is a family member who gives them a reason to be strong and a reason to go home." -- Paul Harvey, 12/4/91

Application:

LOVE'S NEGATIVE EXPRESSIONS.

Love is not jealous, arrogant, rude, self seeking; is not easily angered, and does not keep a list of wrongs

3. LOVE EXPRESSED . . JOYFULLY. v 6

“does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; NASB

“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; KJV

A. Negatively, Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness,

“does not rejoice in unrighteousness,. . . “ but rejoices with the truth; NASB

B. Positively, Love rejoices with the truth; "rejoiceth in the truth;"

“but rejoices with the truth;. . . “ NASB

1. Truth is our friend.

Application:

LOVE'S REJOICING EXPRESSED. Love rejoices in truth and not in unrighteousness

4. LOVE EXPRESSED . . INCLUSIVELY. v 7

“bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. NASB

“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. KJV

A. Love Bears all things,

“bears all things, . . . “

B. Love believeth all things,

“. . . believeth all things, . . . “

C. Love hopes all things

“. . . hopes all things, . . . “

1. To hope (in a religious sense, to wait for salvation with joy and full confidence).

1 Cor 16:7 For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit. (KJV)

D. Love endures all things.

“. . . endures all things.” NASB

Illustration: TOPIC: Love INDEX: 1624 DATE: 6/1988.5

Someone once asked Susanna Wesley which one of her 11 children she loved the most. She wisely replied, "I love the one who's sick until he's well, and the one who's away until he comes home."

Application:

LOVE/S EXPRESSION IN ALL THINGS. Love bears, believes, hopes and endures all things.

5. LOVE'S EXPRESSED . . ETERNALLY. v 8a

“. . . Love never fails;. . . “

A. Love is eternal. It never ceases.

Illustration: TOPIC: Love INDEX: 1623 SUBTOPIC: Conjugal DATE: 2/1992.6

Sam Levison once said, "Love at first sight is nothing special. It's when two people have been looking at each other for years that it becomes a miracle." -- Paul Harvey, 11/5/91

Application:

LOVE'S ETERNAL QUALITY EXPRESSED. The quality of Ideal Love is eternal

CONCLUSION:

1. LOVE EXPRESSED POSITIVELY. v 4

2. LOVE EXPRESSED NEGATIVELY. v 4b - 5

3. LOVE EXPRESSED JOYFULLY. v 6

4. LOVE EXPRESSED INCLUSIVELY. v 7

5. LOVE'S EXPRESSED ETERNALLY. v 8a