SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2009, WHAT MATTERS MOST, Bruce

This message is adapted from one preached by Rick Warren in the original series. A sermon on the same theme is being preached at all five churches in the Camberley Group this morning.

Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 13

We can become a little callous to the fact that there are people around us who are hurting, who need love and care, and who need concern.

Today we’re going to begin a new series called “Living Real Relationships – With God’s Love.” We’re going to look at the most famous chapter in the Bible on love, 1 Corinthians 13.

The chapter mentions a number of challenging issues:

1. If I don’t live a life of love, nothing I say will matter.

Verse 1: ‘If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth, but I didn’t love others I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a claiming symbol.’ (NLT) God says words without love are just noise. Words without love are empty.

2. If I don't live a life with love, nothing I know will matter.

1 Cor 13:2 (NLT) ‘If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody’.

3. If I don’t live a life with love, nothing I believe will matter.

‘If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.’ (NLT)

1 John 4:20 (NLT) ‘If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?’

4. If I don’t live a life of love, nothing I give will matter.

1 Cor. 13:3 (NLT) ‘If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.’

So what is love? We are going to investigate this important question over the next seven weeks.

1. The Bible says that love is a command.

God commands that we love each other. It’s not optional. If we don’t do it, the Bible says that we are sinning. The Bible says this in 2 John 1:6 (NLT) ‘Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.’ Love is not a feeling.

2. The Bible says that love is a choice.

We choose to love, and we choose to not love. It’s a choice. The Bible says in 1 Cor. 14:1a (NLT) ‘Let love be your highest goal…….’

That means make a choice. Love is a choice. We choose to love or to not love.

3. The Bible says that love is a conduct.

It’s a behaviour. It’s an action. It’s a way of acting. Love is something you do. The Bible says in 1 John 3:18, “Dear Children, let us stop just saying we love each other, let us really show it by our actions.” (NLT). Be on the look out for opportunities to act lovingly, to do things for people this coming week.

4. The Bible says that love is a commitment.

1 John 4:16 says, 1 John 4:16 (NLT) ‘God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.’
Love never fails … but we will find it hard to live lives of love, even for the season of Lent. We will need to work at it, because we will be tested.

How do you do it? How do you build a life of real deep love? Again, it’s going to take about six weeks to unpack that question. It’s really profound. But I can give you some things to get you out of the starting block. Five things that you can do this week that will help you get on the road to becoming a truly great person of love. Because this is what matters most in life.

1. Learn how mature love acts and responds. What is God’s perspective?

2. Start your day with a daily reminder to love. The first ten minutes will set the tone.

3. Memorise what God says about love. Get God’s word inside!

4. Practice acting in unselfish, loving ways. Love is like a muscle. Practice makes perfect.

5. Get support from other loving people. Think about joining a group. You cannot learn to love alone in a room.


There’s so much we have to share about love. There’s no way that sermons lasting a few minutes can do justice to this mighty subject. That is why we are offering the four fold strand of

Sermons
Daily reading
Groups
Sunday evening extension sessions

Why is love the greatest? Because it is going to last forever. If the average person lives for 30,000 days, perhaps we can spend some time during 40 days to get better at it.