HOW WILL THEY KNOW?

As we start a new year it might be good to take a few minuets to think about our life as a Christian. What is the driving force in our life? How should we feel about other Christians? What should our reaction be toward other people? How can people tell we are Christians by just watching us?

Jesus told us how the world would be able to tell we are Christians. It is not by doing great deeds that appear magical. It is not by saying the right things. It is....

John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

But love can mean so many things what is Jesus talking about? You see the Greeks had three root words for the word we use for love.

One was Eros which is where we get the word erotic from and it is physical love.
The second is philos which is brotherly love and it is where Philadelphia comes from the city of brotherly love.

Agape is the word used in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. That is the word we'll will look at this evening. Love that is so all consuming that nothing could ever put it out. So let's look closely at what that love looks like . I would never embarrass someone for a response to this question but as we look at these verses ask yourself "Do I love like that?" "When people look at me do they see this love?" I will post each verse one at a time and discuss them but if you want to read ahead go ahead.

1Co 13:1 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."
1Co 13:2 "And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."
1Co 13:3 "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

The first three verses go together to make one thought. Paul begins the study of love (the King James word is "charity") With "what if?" He says "what if I could stand and orate with the best of them? I could tell everyone about the love of God. What if I even talked God's language? Where would that alone get me? What if I could foretell to you exactly what was going to happen from here on out? What if I knew everything there was to know ? What if I had enough faith to move mountains? What if I gave everything away I had to the poor?" And finally "what if I gave my very life for others? Where would all that get me?" And the answer is with out God's love flowing through you it would get you exactly nothing. There would be no benefit to you what so ever. The preaching without love is just noise. The prophesying and faith with out love would make you a complete zero in God's eyes. And the giving of all you had to the poor and dying for your fellow man without love will get you absolutely nowhere. All of this without God's love is a total bust. Now you well might say you could not do all of that without Gods love in you, but I would disagree. You see everything good that God has introduced into man Satan has attempted to duplicate.

Many people in the world who know nothing of God or his love are "good" people. They give to charities They feed the poor. They offer themselves in selfless giving. But listen to what the word says without God's love in them they are still bound for hell. God's love makes the difference. You can not be "good" enough to make it on your own. That is what the Old Testament is there to teach us. "Good" without God equals lost.

1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Christ was once asked how many times do I forgive someone who has done me wrong? The law said seven times. Jesus said seventy times seven and he did not mean four hundred ninety he meant do not keep count . You see the first two attributes of love are that it is long suffering and it is kind. Have you ever seen a mean nice guy? If you find one let me know ok? I want to meet him. I do not think it is possible to be mean and love at the same time they are mutually exclusive. They can not exist in the same person. The next attribute of love is that it has no envy in it. If you love you want the very best for the one you love and therefore you could not envy them anything they have. The next attribute of love is that it never puts itself before the one it loves.

If you are full of yourself then you can not love anyone but yourself. God did not think of himself as his son hung on a cross. He was thinking of each person who would ever live.

Next God's love does not pick and choose who it will be directed toward. White supremacists pay attention. The word says that God's love does NOT seek her own. God's love never is a respecter of persons whether it be their color or their back ground, God sent his son to die for everyone.

God's love also does not get upset over every little thing that happens. It also does not think everyone is out to get them, or is out to do bad stuff.

God's love is never happy to see someone caught in trouble. Love loves the truth. You can not be a liar and love at the same time. I have heard people say that they lied to protect the one they loved. Well if you lied to them you did not love them.

Love bears, believes, hopes and endures all things. If you have figured out that it is not easy to love like God does you are getting the point.

1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Paul next begins a discussion about how love will stand the test of time. He states that very plainly when he says love never fails. Everything else will but not love.

Prophecy will, words will and knowledge will. Because we will never know everything there is to know as long as we are on this earth. I am sorry if that pops any ones bubble but it is the truth. All prophecy is limited. All knowledge is fleeting. Think of this - man used to think the earth was flat. You see as we grow up our understanding grows up with us. As knowledge increases we find more and more to know. As we grow our language changes our understanding changes. We come of age so to speak. Compared to God's knowledge we are little more than an amebas in our understanding. But love covers all of that. As we learn more and more about God's love we understand more and more about God because you see he is love. If you hope to understand anything about God you must understand and live love.

1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Finally, our faith is in God and he is our only hope, and it is all because of his love for us. He calls us to love like he does. To invite his spirit into our hearts is to make love, his love, a part of us. Everyone that is his takes on his nature.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

We are new in his love. You see the old sin nature can not love it is impossible. The new creature we are is new because of God's love.

Let's Pray

OH LORD TEACH US TO LOVE THE WAY YOU LOVE GIVE US A BURNING DESIRE TO SEE THE LOST COME TO KNOW YOU. MAKE US USABLE VESSELS FOR YOUR SERVICE. LORD THANK YOU FOR YOUR MARVELOUS LOVE TOWARD US LORD AND FOR YOUR WATCH CARE. FORGIVE US LORD WHEN WE FAIL YOU. IN YOUR HOLY NAME WE ASK AS WE WAIT ON THEE AMEN