1-Corinthians 13 : 4-7

        I have chosen this scripture text: 1-Corinthians 13:4-7,  because I believe in all my heart that this is something that every Christian should hear quite often. I need to hear this quite often myself. So I'd like to say that' In the first 3 verses, Paul is going to show us how that LOVE is superior to other things, even what is described in chapter 12 as the gifts of the Spirit.

        Many people today in churches place much emphasis on the Gifts of the Spirit. Yes, they are real, and Yes, they are vital. But Paul said that Love is far superior than any of the Gifts. Verse 1 says; "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not Love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal."

                In the King James Bible, the word for Love is translated "Charity", is Greek word agape. We AGAPE one another. It is a word that was coined or created for the New Testament. It is a word that is not found in Classical Greek. The classical Greek language has other words for Love, such as EROS, which means Love on the physical level. PHILEO, which is Love on an emotional level. But we need to remember that the classical Greeks knew nothing about the AGAPE Love. Agape simply means, The GIVING KIND OF GOD LOVE, or The divine Love of God.

        Now this word AGAPE was translated Charity because the King James translators followed the pattern that was set by Wycliffe, who first translated the scriptures into English. When he made his translation, he was translating from the Latin Vulgate, and in Latin, the word Keratos is the word for LOVE and thus in translating the word Keratos, he transliterated it, and made the word CHARITY. The idea for the word originally meant; A GIVING KIND OF LOVE, not a taking, but a giving kind of love.

        But through the years, the word Charity, has come to mean something entirely different. It has changed its meaning. Today Charity means a Giving that is sometimes out of PRESSURE. Someone would ask me, would you give to our organizations? If you give to our organization, we will give you a Plaque to put on your wall. And I feel pressure on me to give. It is not necessarily anymore, a giving, that is motivated by Love. Charity means something today entirely different than what it meant 2000 years ago.

        It is not used any more in the English Language to describe the Heart motivation, or the God kind of giving Love. It is a word that we use to express one of our deepest feelings and emotions, LOVE is again used to express one of our deepest feelings and emotions. But yet at the same time, in the English Language, the same word can be used to describe how I feel about God, I Love God! the same word is used to describe in the English how I feel about Pizza. I Love Pizza! You see the same word. But it was never meant to be like that in the ancient language. So the word is used when I say that I love Pizza. We have lost over time, the original intent of the word, and again that was to describe; THE GOD KIND OF GIVING LOVE! So we take the Greek word Eros and translate it Love, we take the Greek word Phileo, and translate it Love. Stergeo and translate it Love, and then Agape, and we translate it Love. All those words mean Love, but on different levels, and different degrees. It would be more proper for me to say; I have a great EROS for Pizza, because Pizza with my Flesh. I have a great Eros.

        I have a great Phileo for my wife! Because Phileo is more on the Emotional level, I have a great emotional love or Phileo for my wife. This word AGAPE is a word that gives us its definition that is found in verses 4～7. This word Agape describes GOD'S ATTITUDE TOWARD US! God's attitude towards you and towards me is one of GIVING. John chapter 3:16 tells us God's attitude towards you. For God so Loved (Agaped) the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe on Him, should not perish, but have eternal life. God Agapes you every day. It is the word that should be used to describe our attitude towards each another. The Bible says Love or Agape or GIVE FROM YOUR HEART TO ONE. Remember that love is superior to any and all the gifts that a person may possess. If I have many gifts, and I am very smart, and I do not have Love, its nothing. I am have the ability to make much money, but if I do not have Love, its nothing because LOVE IS FAR SUPERIOR to any gift.

        If I sacrifice and give all of my goods to the poor, and even if I go to the extreme of sacrificing my life in Martyrdom and I do not have Love, it profits me nothing.

        So in verse 4 it says; LOVE SUFFERS LONG and is kind...

        Love in this sense here suffers long it means it is Patient with People, that you can't stand or patience with Imperfect people. It is used to describe Patience with people. John Chrysostom said that it is the word used of the man who is wronged and who has it easily in his power to avenge himself, and yet who will not do it. If you are suffering and you suffer patiently there is a reward, but many people, we think we are patient until we suffer, and then we are not Patient anymore. We want to be away from suffering along with suffering, Love also is kind.

        AND IS KIND

        Kindness is always used by God to deal with us, but what would we have done to the Woman at the well, you see, when I am suffering, and people are treating me wrong, can I still be kind? The Bible says we need to! We need to be kind to one another. Again what would we have done to the women that Jesus spoken to her who was caught in adultery? Would we been patient?

        Would we have been kind? You see, she was suffering a great pain, according to the Jewish Law she could have been killed, but what did Jesus do? He showed kindness to her. In History if you remember Philip the Second the King of Spain and yet he founded the Spanish Inquisition and he was a very Religous man, he went to church everyday and yet we know that he wasn't kind because he founded the Spanish Inquisition and killed thousands of people who disagreed or who thought differently from him. So remember; Love is kind.

        LOVE DOES NOT ENVY

        This word for envy is "Zeloo" which means to burn with desire and also to desire eagerly or intensily. Now listen very carefully! Love does not desire the good things that you have. Because I Love You, I rejoice that good things have happened to you, or I rejoice that God has blessed you with good things or has blessed you materially. I rejoice that you have received the Promotion at work because I love you. You see, the Love is so Great that you rejoice in the Blessings of others.

        You do not become Jealous, we do not become envious because someone else is driving a better car than we are or someone else lives in a nicer apartment than we do. It is not Envious or Jealous of what you have received.

        LOVE DOES NOT PARADE ITSELF

        Love isn't seeking to Promote itself. Now on my car that the Church has provided, they put some stickers on the window with my picture on it and I had to drive the car with the stickers on the window of the car. I felt very uncomfortable because it seemed like I was promoting myself.

        I would drive the car and my stickers would be on the car window, and many people would look at the window and look at me, and I felt very very uncomfortable, because I felt like I was promoting myself. So I asked Pastor Kim can I take the stickers off of the window please? I don't know what he thought but I went ahead took the stickers off the windows, because I did not want to seem like that I was promoting myself. True love never lifts itself up.

        LOVE IS NOT PUFFED UP....(Love is not Arrogant)

        Now I made a new Korea word for this here. Love is not PUFFED UP, Love does not have a POONGSUN MORIE. Do you understand? BALLON HEAD! Poongsun Morie. No, Love is not puffed up, is not arrogant. Love does not have a SUPERIORITY ATTITUDE, I do not consider myself better than you. We should not consider ourselves better than one another. We should always remember that LOVE KNOWS IT HAS NOTHING BUT WHAT IT HAS RECEIVED GOD.

        As Christians, we have nothing except what Jesus Christ has given to us. Before we were Christians. In God's sight we had nothing, we might have had money, we might have had cars, or homes, but in God's sight we were very very poor. We have nothing to be arrogant or puffed-up about. Every man whose heart is full of the Love of God is full of HUMILITY! Love doesn't create class distinctions or look down on others.

        You see I want to bow to the little kids as well as bow to the Pastor. I want to bow to you as well as how to the Pastor. I want to bow to you as well as bow to a poor person on the street, because I love them and want to give them respect. Love doesn't look at itself as better than others.

        LOVE DOES NOT BEHAVE RUDELY

        Love does not make a spectacle of itself. It doesn't try to draw attention to myself. Love should always display good manners and courtesy toward others. Husbands, you should always display good manners and courtesy towards your wife. Wives, always display good manners and courtesy towards our husbands. Wives, don't push your husbands, LOVE IS NOT PUSHY! Husbands, don't argue with you wives. Amen. Love doesn't do that. Just love them the Bible says.

        LOVE DOES NOT SEEK IT'S OWN WAY

        Love does not insist upon it's own way or it's own rights or it's own privileges. I do not say; I want it my way, and that's the only way. No, I must be able to say; If that's what you think, go ahead. Love does not insist on it's own way, it's own rights or it's own privileges. Why? Because Love is always seeking the welfare comfort and salvation of others.

        You see if you are looking at other people and Loving them, you will not look at yourself. You're always going to keep your eye on Jesus and you're always going to be loving the other person. You're always going to be seeking the welfare of the other person, and then God will take care of you.

        LOVE IS NOT PROVOKED

        Love is not irritable, touchy or hostile while under pressure.

        LOVE THINKS NO EVIL (Keeps no accounts of evil)

        Love does not take a book and write down; Well you did something wrong to me today I'm going to write it down and I'm going to remember that. Love doesn't do that. LOVE FORGETS! In ancient culture, it was customary for each man, in Pak-India many  years ago it was customary for each man to hang something in their house to remind them of someone that they hated. They always wanted to remember someone that they hated. To keep alive the memories of the wrongs that someone had done to them. When they would hang it, they would look at it and they would say "I hate him." I remember him. I hate her, because I remember what they did to me. Love doesn't do that. Love forgets. LOVE FORGETS!

        LOVE DOES NOT REJOICE IN INIQUITY

        How many times would we like to say Oh look, "The Gyung chal got them for speeding" Ha Ha, They are getting a ticket, Ha Ha. Love doesn't do that! Because if you laugh, you might be the one to get the ticket. Amen. Love does not rejoice in iniquity. Love does not say; I'm glad that he got what he deserved. No, Love doesn't do that.

        LOVE REJOICES IN THE TRUTH...

        When God's word is being perched, I rejoice in the truth because the Bible says; "My word are truth" Jesus' words were truth, they were not lies. We are to rejoice when someone preaches the Gospel, we are to rejoice because Love rejoices in the truth.

        LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS

        Now listen very closely. Love can bear any insult, any injury to itself, any disappointment, and still continue to uplift and hold others up and never bringing out the faults and mistakes of others. How many in this room have always or at sometimes made mistake? How many of you have made mistakes?

        I have made mistakes and I will continue to make mistakes. Because we are not perfect on this earth. We will never make mistakes in Heaven, but on other peoples mistakes! Love does not say; "You made a mistake! Look what you did." Love doesn't do that. Love never points the finger at other people. Why? Because we are not perfect either. The only one that can say, You made a mistake is Jesus Christ. He is the only one that can say that to us. We cannot say that to each other because we all make mistakes. Amen?

        LOVE BELIEVE ALL THINGS

        We could receive this verse in 2 ways;

        1) In relation to God: It means that Love takes God at his word, and can take every promise which begins with WHOSOEVER, and say "THAT MEANS ME" I am whosoever, and you are whosoever.

        2) In relation to our fellow man: It means that Love always believes the best about other people. Love believes that you are going to be Okay. Your going to be good, your going to make it because God is on your side. God the Bible says is for you and not against you! Love believes the truth. It means that Love always believes the best about other people. Love is not suspicious about other people.

        LOVE HOPES ALL THINGS

        Love never gives up on people. I do not believe that Jesus ever gave up on anybody. He never gave up on me! You see someone prayed for me for 7 years, they didn't give up, and Jesus didn't give up. When there is no place left for believing good about a person, then Love comes in with hope. You see Love hopes all things.

        LOVE ENDURES ALL THINGS

        Love endures and perseveres and remains loyal to the end. Love never says that something cannot be endured. Love never says I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! This cannot be endured. Even though I am going through a trial, even though I am going through an Affliction. Even though someone says Pastor Randy, You are ugly, I endure with kindness I endure with a smile, Yes, I am not ugly, I don't believe that, but if you say that, I still love you. Amen?

        The last one I want to say is in verse 8 remember.

        Verse 8 says; LOVE NEVER FAILS

        You might ask the question, can I do this in my own human strength? No! The Bible says in Romans 5:5 That the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. You cannot love like God, you cannot Agape one another, unless you are BORN-AGAIN! Unless you have the God kind of Love dwelling in your heart, you cannot Love one another.

        How do I get this God kind of Love? You must be BORN-AGAIN. You must ask Jesus Christ to come into your Heart. When you believe on Jesus Christ and you accept him as your LORD and SAVIOUR, and you say in your heart, I believe he was raised from the dead, I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD, the Bible says that you shall be saved, and then the Love of God will be shed abroad in your heart. You must remember that! Because, in your own strength you cannot love the way God loves!

        But through the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit, you can. And you need to remember that Jesus Christ wants inpoured or poured into your heart so that you can have the ability to love one another, many people try to do it and they give up. Because they have never really accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. So, remember that the Love of God is shed abroad in your hearts by the Holy Spirit, and that the fruits of Love are located in 1st Corinthians 13. I pray that the Holy Spirit has spoken to you today and showed us what areas he wants to change us in, because he is the teacher and we always have to keep learning from Him. Amen!