How Will Others See Your Christianity?

5th Sunday of Easter, 5/8/22 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 How Will Others See Your Christianity? I. Not by love’s absence II. But by love’s presence III. And by love’s permanence The story is told about a Christian boy going to summer camp for a week. This would be his first time away from his parents for an extended period of time. While at camp, they knew he would be exposed to non-Christian influences. And so his parents’ parting words to him included the encouragement to behave as they had raised him—as a Christian. When the week of camp was ended, his parents arrived to bring him home. On the way home, they asked him if it was difficult to live as the child of God that he is. And their son replied, “Not at all. No one even knew that I was a Christian.” Not the answer his parents were hoping for or expecting. During the early days of the Christian church on earth, the unbelieving world took notice of Christians and how they interacted with one another. It was contrary to the general modus operandi that the people of this world were living by. Non-Christians observed Christians and stated, “See how they love one another.” Contrary to the young camper I mentioned a moment ago, early Christians let others know who they were by letting their love for others show. In doing so, they were displaying the power of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. By his victory over sin, death, and hell, Jesus became the undisputed victor over every enemy that opposes his kingdom. As members of his kingdom, one of the blessed opportunities we have is to love others just as the early Christians did, instead of using others which has been and always will be the way of this sinful world. This morning’s worship theme trumpets that kingdom truth: Selfless love marches victorious over self-glorification. As sharers in the victory of Christ by faith in him, we receive the power to live in love for Christ. This morning’s sermon text from 1 Corinthians 13 is likely familiar to you. It’s read at countless Christian weddings every year. In these words, Paul describes Christian love. But Paul didn’t write these words for couples entering into marriage. He wrote them for all Christians of all time. Let’s examine these familiar words this morning under the question, “How will others see your Christianity?” Listen as Paul shares his Holy Spirit-inspired wisdom with us this morning. I. Have you ever noticed how Satan has the uncanny ability to take a blessing from God and turn it into an instrument for sinning? Take the internet, for instance. We can’t imagine life without it. It’s a tremendous blessing to us every day. But look at how some use it for sinful purposes. Think about the damage done to people by those who use the internet to commit crimes and spread lies and hatred. Satan is the master at tempting people to use God’s blessings for sinful activities. The context of this section of 1 Corinthians is important. The Christians in the Corinthian congregation were blessed with some outstanding spiritual gifts. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a congregation with more spiritual gifts than they had. In the previous chapter Paul discussed those varied and abundant gifts at length. The problem facing the Corinthians was that they were abusing the gifts the Holy Spirit had given them. Listen to Paul describe their situation in these opening verses of our text, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” Just what is Paul getting at? The Corinthian Christians possessed great spiritual gifts, such as the ability to speak in tongues, the ability to speak the word of God to others, the gifts of deep spiritual knowledge and insight, and the ability to be charitable towards others. But instead of using those gifts mainly for the good of others, they were using them for self-glorification. And that’s not all. They placed a higher value on some gifts and devalued others, even though all spiritual gifts were given by the same Holy Spirit. They were using their gifts to love themselves instead of others. What’s more, it caused some of the Corinthians to be envious. They wished they had the gifts which others had instead of faithfully using the gifts they had been given. The entire situation was deplorable! When you use the gifts God has given you, what do others see? Is it possible that, at times, they see you using your gifts the way the people of this world use theirs—only to receive praise and glory from fellow humans? There’s no love for the Lord in that, and not any real love for others. II. But when they see your life displaying true Christian love, they see Christ. What do I mean by that? The Greek word which Paul uses for love here in 1 Corinthians 13 is God’s kind of love. Well, what’s that? Of the three Greek words for love, this is the highest form. It’s a love that completely knows its object, coupled with a corresponding good and wholesome purpose. Let’s unpack that for a minute. God knows us completely, better than we know ourselves. He sees us warts and all, even the sordid things that no one else sees. And yet he loves us. And he does so with a purpose in mind. He wants us to enjoy the salvation he has won for us. He wants us to spend eternity with him in heaven. So, he made it happen. He sacrificed his Son for us on the cross so that we could belong to him, and he could bless us eternally in heaven. His highest form of love for us—a love which sacrificed his Son for our eternal good—motivates us to love others, especially in the way that we use the gifts God has given us. It’s how we can love our enemies and do good things for those who hate us. That’s Christ-like love. But just what does that look like? Listen to this version of the middle verses of our text. “[Jesus] is patient, [Jesus] is kind. [Jesus] does not envy, [Jesus] does not boast, [Jesus] is not proud. [Jesus] does not dishonor others, [Jesus] is not self-seeking, [Jesus] is not easily angered, [Jesus] keeps no record of wrongs. [Jesus] does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [Jesus] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. The emphasis in Christ-like love isn’t an emotion; it’s an activity. It’s living the way Jesus always lived. Nothing he said or did was all about him; it was all to the glory of his Father for the salvation of every sinner. It was all about us. Imagine that! How will others see your Christianity? Not by love’s absence, but by love’s presence. III. And that love will never fade away. Paul speaks about the permanence of Christ-like love in these closing words of our text. “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Paul admits that there are many wonderful gifts that God gives to Christians to use in their lives, especially for kingdom work. But almost all of them will fade away. Speaking in tongues already has faded away. There will also come a time—perhaps very soon—when we as Christians will no longer need prophesy—to share with others what we know about our Savior. When with that time arrive? When the Lord Jesus returns in glory on the Last Day, raises us from the dead, glorifies our bodies, and takes us body and soul into heaven. But some spiritual gifts will remain even as we live in the glory of heaven. There are three of them, three that will remain forever: Faith, hope, and love. In heaven, our faith in the Lord will be perfect. We will never doubt again. In heaven, our hope will be perfect. We will never get depressed or disappointed. In heaven, our love will be perfect. We will perfectly love our Lord and each other. We will never be taken advantage of nor take advantage of others. But why does Paul state love to be the greatest of those three? Godly theologians down through the ages have debated the answer to that question. In my mind, the best answer is that love is the greatest gift because the Bible declares that God is love. Love is the most God-like gift there is. So, how will others see your Christianity? By loving others the way Jesus loves them. Many Christians consider these words of 1 Corinthians 13 to be among the most beautiful and inspiring in the Bible. And rightly so. But when we ponder and apply them to ourselves, they’re also among the most indicting words in the Bible. This is the love that Jesus showed for us, for all people, for every sinner. It’s a love we can’t possibly duplicate, not even close. In fact, it’s impossible for us to have and display this kind of love, so why even try? Precisely because it’s the love Jesus showed us. He displayed it on the cross when he suffered the punishment that your sins and mine deserved. He suffered hell for us so that we won’t. And in doing so, he also won heaven for us. His resurrection from the dead assures us of life with him. And, by faith in him, the power of his resurrection lives in us. That power enables us to love others, to do for others what they need us to do for them even though they don’t deserve it, to love even those who hate us. That’s Christ-like love. How will others see your Christianity? By loving others as Jesus loves you. Show that love every day of your lives! Amen.