Love Never Fails - Part III

"Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited,
⁵ does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs.
⁶ Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.
⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease;

as for knowledge, it will come to an end."

I Corinthians 13:4-8

Love: Love is a beautiful thing. A composer wrote that "Love is a many splendored thing." And a famous line in an old movie, "Love Story," says, "Love is never having to say that you are sorry."

But those of us who have ever been married, know that love contains a whole lot of apologies. We are constantly saying, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll never do it again." And, sometimes, we mean it. Other times, we just want the argument to end.

Today's Message: Love Never Fails Part 3

The Apostle Paul comes close to being the composer of a great love song in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians. In that chapter he creates a picture for us perfect love, an ideal love. Much like the song writer, he steps out of himself for a moment and describes how love had ought to be. But most of us know, the love in this world, is rarely perfect.

Open with me, your Bibles to the Word of God, I Corinthians chapter 13. This glorious and beautiful chapter, a magnificent one, but more importantly, it is highly instructive; so much so as to be critical for all of us who are engaged in ministry. Allow me read these verses to you, as you follow along, from I Corinthians 13:4-8.

"Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end."

And in I Corinthians 13:4-8, he says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

The apostle Paul, was said, to have most generally wrote his epistles by dictating them to someone else, who wrote what he was saying down. At this particular point, however, if this is true, I'm pretty sure the writer, must have dropped his quill pen, looking into Paul’s face at the sudden dramatic change in the style of dictation. This chapter astonishing, poetic chapter, has a rhythmical beauty; it has a dramatic tone, one of such rich imagery.

Paul knows what we're like. We are working men and women, living in a competitive world where love is not always evident, moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons and daughters are constantly trying to relate to one another.

He writes these words and says, "As idealistic and beautiful as this love may be, you and I can actually experience it. In a world that is complicated, -in a world with pain and sorrow,- this kind of love can and should exist."

I began a sermon some time ago, based on the first few words of Paul's description of love, that "love is patient." And today, I want us to look at the next three words of Paul's description, "love is kind."

Some time ago I read a story about a preacher who saw a rather sad-looking man trying to hitchhike a ride on a wet & dismal day. Feeling a surge of pity, he stopped and picked up the hitchhiker.
But when the hitchhiker identified himself as a pickpocket who had just been released from the penitentiary, the preacher began to be a bit apprehensive. And, in his uneasiness he became careless running a stop sign. A policeman who saw it, immediately pulled him over, and ordered both men to get out of the car.

After questioning them, the policeman pulled out his citation book, wrote out a ticket, and handed it to the preacher. Then he put the ticket book back in his pocket, got back into his patrol car, and drove off. Rather shaken by it all, the preacher didn't say much, but he just drove to the spot where he was to let out the hitchhiker. As he got out, the pickpocket turned to the preacher and said,
"Thank you for being so kind to me.

And I believe that one kind deed deserves another." Then he pulled out of his pocket the policeman's book of tickets and gave it to the preacher. Though, I'm not sure what the moral of that story should be, but I'm convinced that it is good to be kind because sometimes kindness produces great dividends.

So today, I want to mention three important things about kindness.

Kindness Is Powerful, Kindness is powerful.
Kindness, is a concept the world really doesn't seem to understand. As the world looks at love, especially God's love, it often sees it as weakness, not as power.

The German philosopher, Nietzsche, who so influenced Hitler, looked at the Christian world and said that Christianity strips strong men of their power because Christianity encourages people to be kind. They spend their energy trying to take care of the feeble and oppressed. Nietzsche said, "If we could rid the world of Christianity then we could develop supermen." Nietzsche and all who think like him are wrong, because kindness is powerful. Kindness, is love in action.

Probably a good example is the love of a parent. The moment a child is born, the parents who know what love is all about begin to think, "We must help this child grow and mature and become a responsible adult." So they sacrifice. They unselfishly give of themselves. They make certain that the examples they set are good and right. And something amazing begins to happen.

The child begins to grow up, make decisions, oftentimes much like the decisions the parents have made. They share the same values, the same concerns. Why? Because love has been in action, it has molded and shaped the life.

Jesus did this same thing for His apostles. We see Him in the upper room as He takes a towel and He washes their feet. Why did Jesus do that? Jesus tells us in John 13:15, "For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you."
That is love in action, it is the power that can turn the world right side up!

Kindness is Vulnerable, Kindness is vulnerable.
Secondly, kindness is vulnerable. When we reach out to be kind we soon realize that being kind is risky. However, kindness can also be misunderstood.

A woman's car breaks down on the road, she worries whether to accept the offer of help from two strange men.

A man is kind to a woman who is not his wife, or a woman is kind to a man who is not her husband. And the world looks at that and often misinterprets the act of kindness.

Kindness can be misused. You help someone, and then that person becomes dependent upon you. They come back again, and again with open hands, in order for you to repeat your act of kindness. And you start to realize that repeating your act of kindness, is no longer helpful to the person.

So what happens? Some have decided, that it is too risky to be kind. So they turn kindness over to the welfare agencies. They say, "They're professionals, they know what to do." As a result, bureaucracy replaces kindness and therefore, the act of love has become absent.

Kindness requires action, kindness requires action.

Perhaps, we see a documentary about starving children, or abused animals, and if you're like me, you feel a mixture of emotions and you say to yourself, "Someone ought to do something about that." And then we think we're kind simply because we were moved by what we have seen. Allow me to make something very clear, that is not kindness. Kindness is love in action. Kindness jumps into action and seeks to help resolve the problem. Kindness offers help to find a solution. Kindness requires action!

And there are times, when acting in kindness may cost you something, because kindness dares to be vulnerable to the needs of others. That is God's love. God looked at the human situation and what did He do? He became one of us. He wept with us, He fed us, He cured us, He showed us how to live.
But what did that man do? He took God who is now in a vulnerable position and crucified Him. He nailed Him to a cross on a hill where all could see him, the world walked by, shook its head saying, "He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him!" in Matthew 27:42

 

But wonder of wonders, in that moment of vulnerability, power is unleashed. The power to save. the power to heal. Power to mend broken hearts and broken homes. Power to forgive, the power to forget. Because "Love is kind," and kindness dares us to be vulnerable.

Kindness Is Tough:
Sometimes, kindness must also be tough.

The story is told of a preacher who was putting forth some great effort, trying hard to get some back slide church members, to return to attending church once again. He called on them, prayed about them, even asking others to help also. But nothing seem to help. They just didn't bother to attend.

One day, one of the newer Christians, an old farmer who was on fire to serve the Lord, volunteered to go and visit these delinquent members, urging them to come back to church. But the preacher was hesitant because the farmer was rather crude, unpolished in his appearance and his speech.
So, he tactfully suggested that instead of taking the time to go and visit each person, that the man write letters to them instead. And to help him with that, the preacher gave him some church stationery to use.

Much to the preacher's joy, a several weeks later, one of those who had received a letter, a rather prominent lawyer, was back in church once again. After the service, the lawyer approached the preacher and said, "Preacher, I don't know who wrote the letter I received, but I wish you would tell him that there is only one 'T' in 'dirty' and there is no 'C' in 'skunk.'"

There are times when kindness has to say to the alcoholic or to the drug addict, "You must suffer the pains of withdrawal." That may seem unkind, but in reality that may be the kindest thing a person can say.

There are times when kindness says to a spoiled child, "No! You cannot have it." And you may have to enforce that with a physical action. That's kindness. Though it may not appear to be. Sometimes, being kind, is tied to being tough, it can seem uncaring, but it isn't.

So, when is kindness to be tough, and when is it to be tender? The apostle Paul does not give us a clear answer that question. He simply says, "Love is kind," and he just leaves it there.

Now I'd you to notice that Jesus demonstrated both types of kindness.

First, when He drove the money changers out of the temple He was being tough. When He told the Pharisees they were "like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones..." In Matthew 23:27, Jesus was being tough.

In Matthew 7:3, Jesus said to them, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?", Jesus was being tough.

But is there anyone here who could ever accuse Him of being unkind? No! I don't believe we would, Jesus was not unkind, in fact, He very kind. He was doing the kindest thing He could do, and at the same time, it was tough kindness.

There were other moments when He demonstrated tender kindness. He walked by a sycamore tree one day and He saw a tax collector. He could have said, "Zacchaeus, you're a low life, the scum of the earth. You have used and abused your power to extort from almost everybody here." And, in reality, He would have been absolutely correct. But He didn't! Jesus, in tender kindness he said, "Zacchaeus make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." Luke 19:5, and Zacchaeus was changed forever because of the kindness of Jesus.

Jesus showed both tough kindness and also tender kindness. We especially recall those moments of tender kindness because we like them best.

We think of Simon of Cyrene, the man who was made to carry the cross for Jesus after he stumbled, and fell on the way to Golgotha. Jesus had suffered much from the beatings, cruel scourging by the Roman soldiers. Even though Simon was made to carry the cross, when we get to heaven we want to say, "Thank you, Simon, for carrying the cross for our Lord."

Or we think of the nameless person standing on Calvary's hill who heard Jesus cry through parched lips, "I thirst." That man took a moistened sponge, pressed it to the lips of our Lord. We feel moved to say, "Thank you for being so kind to Jesus."

Then there were Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who came after Jesus was dead and took down His body, wrapped it in linen and placed it in a new tomb. We want to say, "Thank you for your kindness."

Paul’s great concern, is that the main issue is not the exercise of our faith, but the action, in kindness and love that accompanies that exercise. To love in kindness, is a more excellent way. When he says, "I show you a more excellent way," obviously, the very next words that come out of his mouth have to do with love.

The apostle Paul was talking about a more excellent than the way the Corinthians were functioning; more excellent than their discontent, distrust, jealousy, envy, selfishness, and pride, all of which had begun to characterized them.

Paul, was speaking about the context in which you serve must be love; it must be love.
To love others, in the way that Jesus demonstrated His love for all of us.

That love, is the reason, why there is an invitation to salvation. Because "For God loved the world in this way..", John 3:16

And that is why there is a time offered for each of us to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. God is willing to come into our lives and send us out into the world to change things, not just to stand back, not to be spectators, but to take action, in order to actually to change what is there.

Today, Jesus is calling upon all the lost to be saved. He is calling the saved to be committed. He is calling us all to be kind. He is calling you. Will you come?

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

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