The Greatest of These is Love
(1 Cor 13:13 NIV) And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
The Greatest of These is Love from Rick Pina on Vimeo.
We have covered the 20 characteristics of God’s love found in 1 Corinthians 13.
- Paul closed out the 12th chapter with a statement that set the stage for the supremacy of God’s love.
- Paul, after going into such detail about spiritual gifts and the composition of the Body of Christ in chapter 12, closed out the chapter by saying, “But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.”
I felt led to point out this morning that Paul not only led us into this chapter by exalting love, but he closed the chapter the same way.
- Paul concluded that the major facets of Christianity can be summed up into faith, hope, and love.
- Furthermore, Paul made it clear that the greatest of the three is love.
The word greatest in the text means exactly what you think it means.
- Love is superior to any other quality of Christianity.
- Being an usher, singing in the choir, or wearing a clergy collar; means nothing to God if you do not operate in love.
- Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and having pity on the poor; means nothing to God if you are not doing it because of love.
- Preaching on Sunday morning, teaching on Wednesday night, and even knocking on doors on Saturday afternoons; means nothing to God if you are not compelled with love towards those that you are seeking to minister to.
God is love (1 John 4:8) and operating in His love is:
1. The greatest requirement
2. The highest goal
3. The ultimate achievement
1. Check your heart to ensure you are growing in God’s Love.
a. Who are you (really)?
b. Is who you really are close to who God is?
2. Check your motives to ensure that you are doing what you do out of Love.
a. Why do you do what you do?
b. Do you do it because you love God, or because you want to impress people?
What God’s Love Is #11: Love is not Self-Seeking
(1 Cor 13:5 AMP) It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
- To be self-seeking is to be overly concerned with your own interests, desires, or needs.
- Being passionate and determined for personal advancement in and of itself is not a bad thing, but people who are self-seeking are passionate about their personal advancement, even if it comes as the cost of others.
- Self-seeking people are simply selfish. The root word for selfish is “self.”
- These are people that simply put their desires above everyone else’s and neglect others in their pursuit of personal satisfaction. This is definitely not a characteristic of a person who is walking in the love of God.
What God’s love is #11: Love is not Self-Seeking from Rick Pina on Vimeo.
There are many descriptions in the Bible of what God is “like,” but I have only found two declarations of what God literally “is.”
- (1 John 1:5) says “God is light.”
- (1 John 4:8) says “God is love.”
- God is like many things, but it is clear that He literally is both light and love.
- The opposite of light is darkness. There are many scriptures that support the fact that God wants us to “walk in the light” and not the darkness of this world.
- The opposite of love is selfishness. There are many scriptures (today’s text included) that support the fact God does not want us to be selfish.
In closing:
1. Your success should not come at the expense of others.
- You should strive to be your best, you should endeavor to succeed in everything God allows you to do, and you should seek excellence in every area of your life; but you should not do it while neglecting and stepping on/over other people.
2. The Blessing is not limited. Others being successful does not threaten your success.
- The Father wants you to be blessed, but to also bless others along the way.
- God does not want to know how many times you made it up the mountain of success; He wants to know how many people you were able to take with you.
3. Don’t seek self, seek God!
- When pursue God – who is love – success will pursue you. (Mat 6:33)
- You can give without loving, but you cannot truly love without giving.
Winning the War Within (Part 9) – SuperNatural Power to Change
Points I want to highlight this week – PASSION WEEK:
1. Jesus endured the pain of the cross by faith.
2. Faith works by love (Gal 5:6).
3. If we live by faith and remain in love, then the same Power that Jesus operated in – and the same Power that raised Him from the dead – are available to us… and with that Power WE CAN CHANGE!
Winning the War Within – Part 8 (Change from the Inside-Out)
Two major points I want to make this week:
1. You can be IN CHRIST and still full of ‘dark stuff.’
2. If you give the WORD priority, it can wash you and change you from the inside out.
Winning the War Within – Part 7
Two major points I want to make this week:
1. You cannot live a life pleasing to God in the flesh (human ability)
2. Fasting gives you an opportunity to do HANDS-ON TRAINING for submitting to the Spirit, versus succumbing to the flesh
Winning the War Within (Part 6)
Three major points I want to make this week:
- You have to be brain-washed
- You must change your environment
- You must change your input
1. Accept the fact that you must be brain-washed
(Romans 12:2 NCV) Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.
a. You come to God with stinking thinking.
b. If you don’t change the way you think you are going to be Carnal and not Spiritual.
2. Changing your environment is critical
(Prov 13:20 NCV) Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer.
a. Both wisdom and foolishness are transferred by association.
b. Don’t yourself into thinking that you can hang out with the wrong people and still become the right person.
c. Your friends have a lot to do with who you become.
d. Surround yourself with people of like-precious-faith.
3. You must change your input
(Mat 15:11) It is not what people put into their mouths that makes them unclean. It is what comes out of their mouths that makes them unclean.”
a. Your Words expose the condition of your heart.
b. Your heart only got that way by what you put in it.
c. Your eyes and ears are the gates to your heart (your soul).
d. If you don’t like your output, you must change your input!
Winning the War Within – Part IV
Two major points I want to make this week:
• Spiritual Understanding is possible.
• We must “learn-to-learn” from the Holy Spirit.
(Recap) There are three parts of you:
• You are a Spirit (this is the real you).
• You possess a Soul.
• You live in a Body.
(Eph 1:3 KJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
(1 Cor 2:9-12 NLT) That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
1. Some believe Spiritual Insight is something they cannot receive
a. Either because God’s ways cannot be understood.
b. Or because they feel incapable of such understanding.
c. Revelation is RECEIVED, not figured out.
2. The Holy Spirit is IN us to bring us Spiritual Understanding
a. The Author of the Bible lives IN YOU!
b. You can know all that God wants you to know – through your Spirit.
3. God put His Spirit in you, so now you have access to His thoughts
a. Human example.
b. God’s example.
4. Learn-to-Learn from the Holy Spirit!
a. Stop stopping the process.
b. This is why your mind must be renewed.
Winning the War Within – Part III
Two major points I want to make this week:
- The Battle is in the Mind
- Winning is Possible
(Recap) There are three parts of you:
- You are a Spirit (this is the real you).
- You possess a Soul.
- You live in a Body.
(2 Cor 10:3-5 KJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
1. This isn’t an EXTERNAL battle – it’s an INTERNAL one (a War Within)
- This is not war in the flesh (not with flesh and blood)
- We can’t win this war with physical weapons
2. Many come to Christ with STRONGHOLDS
- Thoughts lead to images, images (if unchecked) lead to strongholds
- Strong words: pulling down, casting down, taking captive!
3. You can be a PRISONER in your own MIND
- A slave to negative thinking
- A slave to low self-esteem
- A slave to sexual sin (pornography, fornication, lust, etc.)
4. Change is POSSIBLE!
- We can be deprogrammed & reprogrammed
- We can take thoughts captive and bring make them obey!
5. The Opposite is also POSSIBLE!
- Unrighteous thoughts can create unrighteous images, and unrighteous images (if unchecked) can lead to unrighteous strongholds.
- Godly thoughts can create Godly images, and Godly images can lead to Godly-type strongholds.
- At this point it is hard for the devil to get you think any less of yourself than what God’s Word says you are!
Winning the War Within – Part 1
Two major points I want to make this week:
- Before you cam make a difference in others you must with the WAR for YOURSELF!
- You won’t ever WIN the WAR WITHIN if you don’t understand the way God made you (your composition).
(Gen 2:7 KJV) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
(1 Thes 5:23 NIV) May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are three parts of you:
- You are a Spirit.
- You possess a Soul.
- You live in a Body.
Your Focus right now should be on Your Soul:
- Your Spirit was saved (instantly) when you gave your life to Christ.
- Your Body will be saved (eventually) when you receive a glorified body.
- Your Soul is being saved (progressively) through the Word of God.
Your Soul is comprised of:
- Your mind (your thinker).
- Your emotions (your feeler).
- Your will (your chooser).
(Rom 12:2 NLT) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Closing thoughts:
- What you allow through your eye and ear gates gets down into your soul.
- Whatever gets down into your soul will affect the way you think, feel, and make decisions.
- If you get the Word down in your soul it will change the content and quality of your heart.
- Once you change what’s on the inside you will change the way you think, feel, and make decisions.
- Once you have changed the way you think, feel, and make decisions, YOU HAVE CHANGED!
Purpose and Vision – Part 5
Two major points I want to make this week:
- You can’t do any of what we have taught this month if you don’t know who you are.
- You won’t know who you are until you know who Jesus is!
(Mat 16:13-19 KJV) When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Simon discerned Jesus’ true identity:
- Jesus asked who others identified Him to be
- Other misidentified Jesus to be either: John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Isaiah, or one of the prophets
- He then wanted to know is His disciples could properly identify Him
- The question was posed to all 12
- Only one (Simon) received the answer
- The answer came by revelation (not flesh and blood)
By identifying Jesus’ true identity, Simon found his own (Peter):
- You ID’d me, so let me now ID you
- Simon, You are Peter
Closing thoughts:
- When you find Jesus you are able to find yourself
- When you find yourself you will be able to discover your purpose
- You don’t come up with your purpose, you discover it
- When you discover your purpose you will receive incremental vision
- When you walk in accordance with God-given vision you will experience divine provision and favor