Love never fails
1.A lot of people
who work in the field of sales get a commission.
2.The more someone
buys, the more they make.
3.Because of
commissions, a lot of sales men and women promote “extended warranties.”
4.We are offered
extended warranties on cars, appliances, computers, and everything else.
5.Even on items
costing less than $10 or $20 we may be offered an extended warranty.
THE BASIC
PREMISE BEHIND AN EXTENDED WARRANTY IS THAT SOMETHING MIGHT FAIL, BREAK DOWN,
AND NEED REPAIR.
a)A warranty will
either pay for the repairs or limit our repair costs to a small amount.
b)
Some
people have bought extended warranties and found they needed them.
c)Others paid for this
protection, but the warranty was never needed.
2)
We
live in a world where a lot of things break down and need repair.
3)
Paul
said love does not break down and fail – 1 Cor. 13:8 “love never faileth.”
4)
If
we stop to consider this statement it would initially seem to be untrue.
a)It would seem
that God got things wrong in 1 Cor. 13:8.
b)
In
our world we see that love does fail.
c)People who say
they love one another quarrel and fight.
d)
People
who say they love each another dissolve friendships. People have falling outs.
e)There are cases
of child abandonment.
f)
All
these illustrations make our point, but one illustration tops them all.
5) In Jas.
3:5 James said a small spark can create a big fire; we have seen this point
with forest fires.
6)
Then
in Jas. 3:6 inspiration says the “tongue is a fire.” It “defiles the whole body.”
7)
In
verse 8 of Jas. 3 we are further told the “tongue is a restless evil no man can
tame.”
8)
It
is used to bless God and “curse men” (verse 9).
9) The
tongue is one of the smallest instruments we have, but it can be one of the
most unloving.
10)
How
do we reconcile man’s tongue, which is like a fire, to 1 Cor. 13:8—love never
fails?
a)We cannot say
that James was wrong about the tongue.
b)
Most
of us have been verbally attacked at one time or another.
c)Maybe what was
said came from a fellow Christian.
d)
Maybe
it came from a close family member.
e)How can an
attacking tongue be squared with “unending failing”?
f)
Was
the person who claimed to be a Christian not a Christian?
g)
Are
there cases where love does indeed fail?
h)
If
love does fail, why did God say it “never fails”?
11)
The
answer is found in the meaning of “never fail.”
a)Never fail does not mean a
person with true love always shows love.
b)
Never
fail means “never pass away.”
c)What is said in
verse 8 of 1 Cor. 13 is part of a contrast.
12)
Paul
was giving an extended discussion about miraculous gifts in 1 Cor. 12-14.
13)
Specific
instructions about supernatural gifts are found in 1 Cor. 14.
14)
One
day we might study the supernatural gifts one by one.
15) Paul
described miraculous abilities like tongue speaking, healing, prophecy, a gift
of faith and knowledge.
16)
The
Corinthians really treasured these gifts.
They boasted about their supernatural abilities.
17)
Paul
wanted them to realize something: the
gifts would vanish.
18)
Prophecies
(verse 8) would be “done away.” Tongues
“would cease.”
19)
Supernatural
knowledge “would be done away.”
20)
Although
these gifts were to disappear (and they have), some things would continue.
21)
There
would still be love. There would still
be hope. There would still be faith.
a)All of these
things would exist, but they would by no means be practiced perfectly.
b)
Faith
exists, but not one of us have a perfect faith
c)We have hopes,
but our hopes are not perfect.
d)
As
Christians we need to ponder the point made by the apostle.
22)
Love
exists and will continue to exist to the end of time.
23)
Because
it will not vanish away, we need to get better and better and practicing it.
24)
Lots
of people seek after spiritual gifts that God took out of the world long ago.
25)
If
people would simply read their Bibles, they would see that they need to pursue
love.
26)
This
should be information everyone knows and applies, but such is not always the
case.
a)Let’s back to
the book of John for a moment—Jn. 13.
b)
Jesus
said He had a “new commandment” for His disciples.
c)He also said He
had “loved them.” Now it was time for
them to do as He had done.
d)
Verses
34-35 of Jn. 13 – READ
27)
It
is hard to miss the point of these words, but Jesus chose to make the point
extra strong.
28)
Two
chapters later (Jn. 15) we find this information being repeated.
29)
Verses
12, 17 of Jn. 15 say – READ
30)
Love
is a central part of the gospel.
31)
Certainly
we sing about love in many of our songs.
32)
“Love
one another thus saith the Savior, tis the blessed command.”
33)
Our
world needs to see this commandment being lived out by us in everyday life.
34)
One
brother said to me when I first started to preach, “Love is the badge of a
Christian.”
35)
I
had never heard anyone express the point quite in this way.
a)In life people
get various badges.
b)
A
person may have a badge for their job—it identifies them as an employee.
c)A club may issue
a badge because
a member has achieved something.
d)
A
Christian’s badge is love.
36)
The
world knows how it loves.
a)It can be kind
and compassionate as long as things are going well.
b)
Be
nice to someone in the world, and he or she may be nice back to you.
c)The world’s love
is fickle and usually based on circumstances.
d)
True
love will always endure, and we want to strive for an enduring love.
37)
If
we are to love in the way the Bible describes, love will be a choice, not an
emotion.
38)
There
may be days when we do not feel like letting love continue.
39)
We
may be in situations where we are tempted to let love fail.
40)
There
may be days when love does not flow through us, but love will not fail.
41)
Love
may not come from us at various times, but God will not love slip away.
a)When Paul made
this point he used a very strong word (“never”).
b)
Never has the sense
of “under no circumstances whatsoever.”
c)Stated another
way, it is impossible for love to fail.
d)
It
will last to the end of time and will also be part of eternity.
e)God wants us to
take that love and show it in our loves.
42) The
word “never” is used in other parts of the New Testament, and I want to read
some of them.
43)
Three
of these passages will come from Matthew.
44)
The
three Matthew references are found in Mt. 7, Mt. 9, Mt.
26.
45)
We
start with Mt. 7:23 – READ
46)
On
the day of judgment Jesus will say to some people,
“You do not belong to me.”
47)
“There
was never, ever a time when you were my people.”
48)
Those
who hear this pronouncement will be surprised.
49)
There
will be people who really thought they belonged to the Lord.
50)
They
will claim to have done works in Jesus’ name, even supernatural signs.
51)
Jesus
will respond, “I NEVER knew you.”
a)Never
literally means never; Jesus never had a relationship with these people in
their adult years.
b)
He
had never saved them from their sins.
c)If we
can understand what “never” means in this context, we can understand never in 1
Cor. 13.
52)
In
Mt. 9:33 (two chapters later) we are told of how a “dumb” man was healed.
53)
A
man who could not speak was instantly given the ability to speak.
54)
It
was said that such a thing had “never”
before happened in Israel.
55)
This
was a rare and unusual event – it had never before occurred.
56)
A
third passage is Mt. 26:33.
a)Jesus was at the
end of His earthly life.
b)
Peter
made a promise. He said others might be
offended at Jesus.
c)He said others
might be “offended” (fall away).
d)
Peter
claimed he would “never” fall away
from Jesus.
e)We can
understand what Peter meant, and we know that he was dead wrong.
f)
He
did deny Jesus, though he said this would “never” occur.
57)
Speaking
of Peter, this apostle helps us demonstrate the unfailing nature of love.
a)I want to read
some additional verses from Mk. 14.
b)
Mark
tells us that some decisions were being made about Jesus.
c)Peter apparently
wanted to stay close by so he found a fire and was warming himself.
d)
A
maid believed she recognized him and claimed Peter was with Jesus.
e)Verses 67-68 – READ
f)
If
we continue reading we come to another of Peter’s denials in verse 70.
g)
It
may appear that the denials are the same, but there is a slight change.
h)
In
verse 70 the denial is an imperfect tense verb (continuous action).
i)
In
the first denial the point was short and to the point.
j)
In
the second denial Peter made a point of repeating he did not know the Lord.
58)
Peter
denied the Lord not twice but three times.
59)
In
spite of three definite denials, Jesus did not let His love fail for Peter.
60)
God’s
love for this man did not fade away.
a)God’s love still
does not fail in our lives today.
b)
God
will not tolerate sin; as shown from Mt. 7 sin will keep people out of heaven.
c)God’s love wants
people to be in heaven; He wants people to obey.
d)
God
waits for people to obey—He gives people time to repent and respond.
e)Today we wonder
if there is anyone here who has not responded to God’s undying love.
f)
God
is waiting for us every single day if we are not one of His faithful children.
g)
He
waits and waits, but some never chose to come to Him.
61)
If
we become His people, we want to work on a love that also does not fail.
62)
There
will be times when our love is not all that it should be.
63)
Our
love may have high and low points.
64)
We
can decide that true love will always be part of our life and a basis for our
faith.
65)
We
love God each and every day no matter what.
We love all people no matter what.
66)
Someone
may say, “I understand that love will last and last.”
67)
How
can I take this information and make it work in my life?
68)
How
can I understand apply the love that has been described?
69)
The
answer is easy – 1 Cor. 13:4-7 – READ
70)
Have
we chosen true love, and are we practicing it day by day in our lives?