And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
During the month of Jun
e we studied Hebrews 11 and learned about Christian faith. Last month we studied Romans 8 and learned about Christian hope. This month (August) we will study 1 Corinthians 13 and learn about the greatest Christian virtue of them all – love. In Hebrews 11 and 12 we discovered that our faith leads us to Jesus – the author and finisher of our faith. In Romans 8 we discovered that our hope is based in Jesus. God’s purpose (hope) in us is to shape us to the likeness of His Son. In 1 Corinthians 13 we will learn that trusting in (our faith) and becoming like Jesus (our hope) is to practice Christian love. Think about it. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is one of the most recognizable passages in the Bible. It has been suggested that if you substituted the name “Jesus” of the word “love’ in this passage, nothing would change. Read the following and see what I mean.
“Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. Jesus is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails.”
Faith, hope and love are necessary virtues to our Christian growth, but the greatest of these is love. That’s because when we love like Jesus, we have become what God wants us to be. Faith and hope points us there, but only in love is the reality of it experienced. Come to worship this month and learn how to love like Jesus.
Below for the sermon titles for August
Sunday, August 1 The Preeminence of Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
Sunday, August 8 The Practice of Love (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)
Sunday, August 15 The Products of Love (1 Corinthians 13:7)
Sunday, August 22 The Permanence of Love (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)
