first Corinthians 13 we'll go ahead and
just read it in its context this time
beginning in verse 1 1st Corinthians
chapter 13 verse 1 says if I speak in
the tongues of men and of angels but
have not 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
have not love I am nothing if I give all
I possess to the poor and surrender my
body to the flames but have not love I
gain nothing love is patient love is
kind it does not envy it does not boast
it is not proud it is not rude it is not
self-seeking it is not easily angered
love keeps no record of wrongs love does
not delight in evil but rejoices with
the truth it always protects always
trusts always hopes always perseveres
love never fails we'll stop there and
we'll finish up the last half of the
chapter next week dear God I thank you
thank you Father for the power of love
god I thank you that at the end of all
things our lives will be evaluated
before you're awesome thrown by the
quality of our love father I pray that
this concept would continue to move out
of the realm of being a sentimental idea
and be concrete an action-oriented for
us that we would learn how to love that
we would discover how wide and deep and
long and highs the love of God Lord
Jesus that we would swim in your ocean
of love that we would live it out in
practical ways and God speak to us now
speak to me God take this awesome truth
Lord and bring it home as only you can
do in Jesus name
amen and amen so we've already talked
about how love is not rude how love is
patient remember we talked about love
being like the shock absorbers talk to
how love is kind we spoke about how love
does not delight in evil but rejoices
with the truth about how love stands for
something love is not equal to a blind
tolerance we've talked about some very
difficult issues by the way all of this
is available on the website you can
click in and there's a whole menu of
these that we're now recording so feel
free to check them out but today we're
sort of reading the last verse that ends
the poetic part in a way or a particular
part of this poem verse 7 is where we're
going to focus says love always protects
always trusts always hopes always
perseveres in the King James it says
love beareth all things believeth all
things hopeth all things endureth all
things love bears all things believes
all things hopes all things endures all
things Eugene Peterson put it this way
put love puts up with anything love
trust God always love always looks for
the best love never looks back but keeps
going to the end todo lo que todo lo
sufre no todo lo sufre todo lo crato doe
Louis para todo lo support us if you
want to speak Spanish with it this is a
powerful verse it ends with a punch with
four punches it's sort of a poem that's
meant to end with that if you do music
it's the idea of a staccato kind of
rhythm kind of bang bang bang bang God
is hammering something to us the Greek
really captures it you're going to learn
a little Greek today huh not just so
that we can be pedantic but because it
sounds cool in Greek it is Ponte Steg a
Ponte be stay away panted biz de Ponte
OBO many to hear the rhythm it's almost
a rocking kind of rhythm a hammering
kind of rhythm let's say it
okay the word panita means everything
all things you say with me Ponte pant
it's like the Spanish deauville Spanish
this captures it English kind of always
in all things I don't know it does this
doesn't quite got that punch Ponte say
with me steg a Ponte to stay away ponte
el pase de Ponte Hoople many there's
that banging that hammering always net
always trusts always hopes always
perseveres all things love is a powerful
thing love is a stubborn thing love has
some attitude love is not just a
sentimental feeling love has a
fierceness to it love has an intensity
that will not give up that will not give
in that never looks back and never looks
down love is intense love is powerful
love gives us backbone and fire and
passion in life for the people that God
has put around us and that's what we're
going to talk about today stubborn love
tough love intense love punching love in
a good way not that poetically since
we're looking at the poetic part of this
it's a chiasm if in poetry terminology
there's a particular form that they'll
use sometimes called a chiasm where it
will begin and end on the same note and
there will be symmetry in the middle so
it begins with something a and then it
goes on to another idea be and then it
mirrors that and then another B and then
an a so it goes a BBA it begins with an
idea then it goes to an idea and then it
stays with that same idea and then it
ends where it began have I lost you I
just lost you let me try it with colors
here I thought of it this way it starts
with yellow i'm going to say yellow
because that's the color I like then it
goes to purple then it's purple again
and then it ends with yellow again so
it's sort of a chiasm it's a unit it all
goes together and we see that in this
verse love bears all things love
leaves all things love trusts all things
and love endures all things so the
beginning and the end go together it's
like a sandwich right it begins and ends
with bearing or enduring or supporting
all things and in the middle there's the
attitude of love trusting and believing
and those two go together so we're going
to talk about this as a unit today we're
going to talk about how love is hard and
intense and also tender and hopeful they
go together I've put it this way in the
past love has a thick skin and a soft
heart love is tough and love is tender
love is intense but also has a soft
welcoming attitude to it and the two
have to go together intensity without
love results in sort of a legalistic
kind of sterile intensity that just
comes on hard but the feeling of
tenderness without strength just comes
across as a sentimental feeling love is
not mushy love is strong love is
stubborn it's also hopeful and trusting
so let's start with the first and last
word in verse 7 here so verse 7 chapter
13 love always the NIV translates it
love always protects and then in the
last part of it it says love always
perseveres in the King James it's a love
bears all things what does it say and at
the end it says love endures all things
let's talk about that a little bit the
first word there love bears all things
or love always protects is a very
interesting word in Greek it's the word
steg a it's the word used for patching a
roof in New England not really but I'm
going to pretend it's in New England if
you have a roof with holes in it in New
England there's going to be some
problems right sometimes there's that
hard rain there's the blowing storms the
the wind this word has to do with a roof
that is air water tight that it has been
sealed and it is so strong that it can
handle intense amounts of rain and
elements and wind blowing against it it
can bear up under the elements love is
like that that's why the NIV translates
it love always protects they have that
idea of love shielding or protecting
those underneath it but I think the
emphasis is more that love is so
determined so so strong that it can bear
with a lot of difficulties and doesn't
give in love doesn't cave in under the
challenges and the difficulties that
come love is strong the last word in
that verse is love always persevere zor
love endures all things it's a word the
word in greek is who poem na it means
remains under a load you ever carried a
load that is so heavy you feel like it's
going to break your back well the word
here is love is so determined that it
remains under load and indoors a heavy
load for the benefit of the person that
is loved so love bears all things love
endures all things let's start with the
first one there love bears all things
this is very appropriate because this
speaks to the love that goes into a
missionary who is determined to bless
the people around them no matter what
love bears all things a great way of
putting it love puts up with anything
love puts up with anything how many
people know that when you love someone
there is a lot to be put up with if
you're really going to love them there
is a lot to be born with the couples are
all kind of giving each other a look
there are things to be tolerated there
are things to be born with it's like a
roof well it's going to snow if you have
a roof it is going to snow
that roof it's going to rain on that
roof it's going to sleet on that roof
it's not it has to be strong or it will
cave in the love is like that love has
to put up with a lot let's look back at
first Corinthians chapter nine couple
chapters back same boat same letter the
Apostle Paul uses this word when he
talks about the love that he has for the
Corinthians and look at how he puts it
he's talking about a controversy that
goes on because certain certain
creatures accepted payment from the
Corinthians and the Apostle Paul did not
and he argues that a missionary as a
missionary that who was a full-time
missionary that it was his right to
receive his living from his preaching
that it was his right to do that it
wasn't wrong for him to expect to
receive his salary from what he does
that he had a right to that but he says
he chose not to exercise that right in
order not to put any stumbling block in
the way of his ministry with the people
and look at what he says he says in
verse 12 first Corinthians 9 verse 12 he
says if others have this right of
support from you shouldn't we have it
all the more but we did not use this
right on the contrary we put up with
anything rather than hinder the gospel
of Christ same word steg a weeb or
anything don't you know that those who
work in the temple get their food from
the temple those who serve at the altar
share and what is offered on the altar
in the same way the Lord has commanded
that those who preach the gospel should
receive their living from the gospel but
verse 15 but I have not used any of
these rights now i'm not writing this in
the hope that you will do such things
for me i'd rather die than anyone
deprive me of this boast yet when I
preach the gospel I cannot boast for I'm
compelled to preach woe to me if I do
not preach the gospel it says if I
preach voluntarily I have a reward if
not voluntarily I'm simply discharging
the trust committed to me what then is
my
or just this that in preaching the
gospel I may offer it free of charge and
so not make use of my rights in
preaching it see how often he used the
words his rights he says he willingly
yielded his rights out of love for the
Corinthians love does that love does
that know we talk a lot and it's
important that we do about human rights
that people have certain rights to
politicals they have civil rights their
human rights there's nothing wrong with
insisting on that but when it comes to a
loving relationship if a person
approaches the relationship insisting on
what they have a right to things are not
going to go very well the whole idea is
yielding your rights for the benefit of
the person you love the team that's
going to Honduras it would have been
perfectly appropriate for them to raise
support to cover their own expenses
perfectly appropriate nothing wrong with
that but they yield did that out of love
for the people that they were going to
serve now wouldn't have been unloving to
do otherwise but love motivate this
yielding of your rights for the benefit
of the other person in a marriage
ceremony there is a covenant that is
repeated and by the way I want to
specify I'm not aiming this at anybody
right I always have to say that right if
the shoe fits do please wear it but I'm
not like you know aiming it at people
but in a marriage ceremony they repeat
certain rights you know they make a
commitment to the other person and it's
it's beautiful vows promises made in the
presence of you know to love to have and
to hold from this day forward in bed for
better what is it for better or for no
for better for better is what we want
because expecting it to make me happy
and fulfilled right for better or for
for richer or for but wait a minute he
doesn't make enough money so I'm out of
here richer for poorer for better for
worse for richer in sickness and in no
but he's sickness and in health wow that
commitment that vow that no matter what
I will put up with love bears all things
I will put up with the sniffles I will
put up with the bingo bada-boom all the
things that we bear with that love
yields it's right for the good of the
others now that translates into ministry
we approach ministry not for what will
get out of it but for what we can give
into the lives of the people we come to
serve no matter what supporting bearing
with all things look what the Apostle
Paul says is that I decided to make
myself a slave to everyone even though I
belong to no man why to win as many as
possible this is verse 19 and then in
verse 20 the Apostle Paul says to the
Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews
to those under the law I became like one
under the law though I myself am not
under the law so as to win those under
the law to those not having the law
became like one not having the law
though I'm not free from God's law but
under Chrysler why so as to win those
not having law to the week I became weak
to win the week I have become all things
to all people so that by all possible
means I might save some I do all this
for the sake of the gospel that I might
share its blessings yielding his rights
he's like if I have to become Jewish if
I have to keep kosher if I have to take
a vow and shave my head I'll do it and
he did by the way and if I Dwight to win
an Orthodox Jew the Apostle Paul then
says but I'm willing to do whatever I
have to do to win a Gentile here let's
have some bacon and eggs I I'm not gonna
be if keeping the law is going to impede
them from hearing my message I won't do
that whatever it takes I will do what I
have to do for the benefit of the person
I am reaching out to that's why I
respect different kinds of ministry in
the city some people who who minister
wearing the fancy suit downtown some
people who minister in Harvard Square
who have a mohawk and tattoos I'm not
going to judge them they're trying to
win people with mohawks at tattoos right
and I'm not going to judge the person
who wears the suit and reaches out to
two people working
in in the businesses downtown God has
put them there to win as many as
possible the idea is love is saying I
will put up with anything I have to to
reach this person love bears all things
supports all things there's a
stubbornness to it Haddon Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon preached hunt a couple
hundred years ago this same text talking
about the idea of Love's Labour's that
love has to work at it love is not going
to be easy and pleasant all the time
love is going to suffer sometimes gonna
have to put up with some things there's
going to be rain storms they're going to
be elements to be born with what are
some of the things that come against
love or relationship the enemy himself
will come against its Satan will throw
anything he can to undermine the love
you will have four people people you
love will make your life difficult there
will be things you can have to tolerate
from them you're trying to love them and
they're being difficult maybe you're
being difficult to but you're more
noticing them being difficult but love
puts up with anything love bears all
things we will have that strength but it
takes work it takes covering up the leak
leaks it takes being intense and saying
I am willing to suffer because of a
higher purpose a little later in the
same text the Apostle Paul uses the
image of an athlete in verse 24 of first
Corinthians chapter 9 he says do you not
know that in a race all the runners run
but only one gets the prize run in such
a way is to get the prize everyone who
competes in the games goes into strict
training they do it to get a crown that
will not last but we do it to get a
crown that will last forever therefore I
do not run like a man running aimlessly
I do not fight like a man beating the
air no I beat my body and make it my
slave so that after i have preached to
others i myself will not be disqualified
for the prize
someone in training to be an athlete has
to suffer they have to put up with a lot
right they have to abstain they're not
they can't go out for beer and pizza
with their friends why because they've
got to compete in a race and that's what
love is like love says I know it would
be easier to not put up with all I have
to put up with from this person but I
love them that's what a mother does
right changing all those diapers then
when they're a teenager role in their
eyes at you right maybe they're an adult
still rolling their eyes ii love puts up
with it love says I am committed and I
will stick with you love is stubborn
love is intense love indoors under the
burden of love that image of staying
under love is tough love suffers for the
good of the other person if you'll go
with me to Isaiah 50 verse for Isaiah 50
verse 4 it talks about the attitude
prophetically it's talking about the
attitude of Jesus in the future as our
Savior Isaiah 50 and verse for this as
the sovereign Lord has given me an
instructed tongue to know the word that
sustains the weary he wakens me morning
by morning he wakens my ear to listen
like one being taught the sovereign Lord
has opened my ears and I have not been
rebellious I have not drawn back verse 6
I offered my back to those who beat me
my cheeks to those who pulled out my
beard I did not hide my face from
mocking and spitting because the
sovereign Lord helps me I will not be
disgraced therefore I have set my face
like flint and i know i will not be put
to shame he vindicates me as near love
has to set your face like flint and say
no matter what I'm going to hang in here
now I need to put a caveat in here this
is Jesus suffering for the people he
came to save I do not believe that a
person I always need to put this in
needs to willing
he suffer physical abuse out of love for
a person that they're with we don't
teach that here we don't say that you
need to do that in order to be faithful
when there's physical abuse a person
needs to be safe from that okay I need
to say that but in general the attitude
of love says I am going to hang in there
I'm going to bear up what I have to do
and especially in ministry all true
ministry all true service whether you're
a Sunday school teacher with children
whether you're going on mission trips
whether you're serving as an usher it
means you will have to put up with pain
even from the people you serve and that
pain endured results in something
positive for the people you've come to
serve a person shouldn't expect to be
finding just fulfillment from what they
do although guess what happens you
suffer for the people you're serving you
take it for them and you give yourself
for them and there are surprises that
come with it there is abundant life
there is joy that comes with it but it
doesn't come by taking shortcuts around
sacrificial love I'd like to take
another look at this word to endure the
Apostle Paul puts it this way in second
Timothy chapter 2 verse 10 he is in jail
his disciples are wondering you've just
been preaching the gospel and it landed
you in jail it's no fair what's your
attitude going to be the Apostle Paul
says I endure everything in 2nd Timothy
2 10 I endure everything for the sake of
the elect that they too may obtain the
salvation that is in Christ Jesus with
eternal glory he could suffer being
imprisoned because he knew why he was
there he knew for whom he was there he
says I am in jail chained like a
criminal because I know that God's Word
is not chained I can be here behind bars
because I know
that there's a purpose to it there are
people who will be blessed because I'm
suffering for them he refers to them as
the elect the ones that God has chosen
that they may obtain salvation that is
in Christ Jesus with eternal glory see
he has his eyes on the prize he has a
vision of what these people can become
someday if he will hang in there and if
he'll suffer for them he sees them
through eyes of faith and that brings us
to the inside of the poem it says love
bears all things love believes all
things love hopes all things and love
endures all things how can we put up
with everything how can we endure
because we have hope and we have faith
that it will pay off we know that God
can change people that he can bless them
that he can give them a new beginning so
we don't give up on them love never
gives up on people have you ever been
tempted to give up on somebody sometimes
for very small reasons you might be
tempted to say this person ja basta I've
had enough of them that's enough I've
had it with them sometimes you say in a
little way sometimes in a big way what
this verse is saying love never gives up
on people because of the faith and hope
that we have that God has a purpose for
them I'd like you to go with me to
Hebrews chapter 12 there's a beautiful
verse have you ever wondered how Jesus
could go to the cross how could he do it
he knew what he was going to suffer he
knew what he was going to go through but
he did it anyway how did he do it how
did he find the strength to go through
with what he had to do it says in
Hebrews 12 verse 1 and 2 we'll start
with that it says therefore since we're
surrounded by such a great cloud of
witnesses let us throw off everything
that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangle and let us run with
perseverance the race
out for us in other words don't give up
it's like you're running a marathon
don't give up verse 2 let us fix our
eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter
of our faith who for the joy set before
him endured the cross scorning its shame
and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of god jesus could go through the
cross for the joy set before him because
he knew on the other side of the pain
joy was waiting for him he how what kind
of joy was waiting for him have you ever
heard the song that says that Jesus
endured the shame and he did it all for
you or did it all for me I don't know
exactly how it goes but there's a chorus
that says that he took the shame he took
it all he did it all and he thought of
you and he thought of me when he did it
I always had a hard time singing that
because I felt like it was kind of
self-centered that's right so you mean
Jesus was thinking about me when he was
on the cross you know I wasn't even born
yet couple thousand years later and even
then there seemed to be a lot of people
he might have been thinking about but it
is not unbiblical it says for the joy
set before him Jesus endured the shame
what joy the joy of seeing the people
whose lives would change and be saved
because of he was suffering it's why the
Apostle Paul was willing to be in jail
because he knew that the people i am
here to serve one day we'll know god and
will shine with his glory and i will see
them in heaven what does this faith and
this hope refer to sometimes we read
this saying love believes all things you
ever wondered what does that mean love
believes all things that mean love is
gullible does that mean if you love
someone you believe anything they're
going to tell you if you have a teenager
I don't recommend that kind of love does
it mean we just blindly accept anything
a sort of a gullible innocent in
Hannibal kind of thing no it's not
necessarily unconditionally believing in
people even although that's a powerful
thing I would say have you ever had a
teacher who really
believes in you they see the potential
you have and they believe in you they
expect great things for you it motivates
you doesn't it or if you have a coach
you I know you can do this I have high
hopes for you it's a beautiful thing the
kind of faith and hope that's being
talked about here is even greater than
that it's saying I believe that you have
a future that there's hope for you not
just because of you but because of the
God who loves you I believe you have a
future because God knows the plans he
has for you plans to give you a hope and
a future and not to harm you and because
of the god I serve I know there's hope
for you and I won't give up on you
because love believes in the midst of
all things and has hope in the midst of
all things seeing people through eyes of
faith that you see people and you say i
know i believe and expect that god will
do something wonderful in this person
and so it's worth suffering for them
it's worth putting up with the garbage I
will endure because I believe that God
has a good purpose for them and I'll
hang in there it can be hard to do that
sometimes are there some people you know
maybe where it's hard to have hope for
them it's hard to believe that God has a
purpose for them even know I mean maybe
you believe it intellectually you said
of course God loves everybody he has a
purpose for them but there are some
people that are just so difficult they
seem so far gone that's hard to believe
God knows that and that's why in his
word he talks about seeing people
through eyes of faith rather than from a
worldly perspective we know that if
someone is in Christ there a new
creation the old has gone the new has
come and we know that anybody can become
that new creation and even once having
become a new creation God is able to
complete the good work that he's begun
in them God isn't done with them
sometimes I'll have people try to
complain to me about other people in
church isn't that shocking that that
would happen how could there be
conflicts in church they'll complain
they'll say but so and so they're in
church but they're really you know not a
nice person or whatever
the benefit of having been here for a
long time is that I know people for a
long time sometimes and I said well you
should have seen him before it was much
worse they've come a long way bear with
them it gives me hope it gives us hope
because I see where God has brought
people from I see how they've changed I
know that it works this gospel that we
believe it really works sometimes it's
hard to picture someone as a Christian
we need to ask God for a love that
believes all things are possible in him
a love that has a hope Jesus was like
that right he called some rough
fishermen Peter James John he saw
apostles other people maybe saw Simon
right I suspect that Simon Peter had
rather colorful language before he
became a follower of Jesus I don't know
why I imagine that maybe it's because he
was a fisherman in the ancient world I
don't know but jesus said you're not
just going to be Simon you're going to
be Peter the rock and on this rock I'll
build my church there was a tax
collector that everybody hated a corrupt
collaborator with a corrupt imperial
government named Levi and he was sitting
at his tax collectors booth and Jesus
saw Matthew he said you know let's
change this name from Levi to Matthew
come follow me he saw him with eyes of
faith he saw who he could become he
believed all things were possible for
that person Jesus bumped into a woman at
a well one day you know the story he's
in Samaria he bumps into a woman it's
the middle of the day it's high noon
normal women don't go to the well at
noon it's too hot you go in the morning
or you go at night but she was there
alone probably as an outcast to be away
from everyone a woman who had lived a
dissolute life Jesus saw that this woman
is worth getting to know this woman is
worth talking to about leaving water and
not just the water she's getting out of
a well there's a hope for her there's a
future for this person now he dealt with
her he did say go call your husband
remember that part of the story and
she's like
husband um don't have one at the moment
and he's like yes you've had several and
the guy who a guy you're shacking up
with now isn't your husband etc etc and
but you know what she didn't take it as
condemnation because she knew this man
takes me seriously enough to talk to me
even though it's kind of scandalous for
him to do so a good Jewish rabbi doesn't
strike up a conversation with a woman of
ill repute on the street but Jesus
didn't let social convention convention
stop them because love puts up with
anything love and doors anything love
believes in the potential of people love
has hoped for them because God has hoped
for them and this woman went and
single-handedly shared her story and the
whole town came to hear about Jesus he
stayed for two days a revival breaks out
because of this woman Mary Magdalene a
woman who had worked as a prostitute
Jesus had to cast not just one demon out
of her he had the cast seven demons out
of this woman we believe in that here by
the way it must have been one of those
crazy all night banging things where are
you know if I can you ever seen those
but it happens it happens even here
casting demons he had to cast seven
demons out of this woman she became one
of the chosen few who was with him at
the foot of the cross all most of the
men ran away but Mary Magdalene they're
right next to marry Jesus's mother
didn't run away Jesus saw her with eyes
of faith love believes all things love
hopes all things for people love knows
that God can do it in this person's life
and I will not give up on them because I
know that one day this person could be
before God in glory this person can be a
servant of the Living God sometimes it's
hard to picture it's hard to imagine and
our tendency is to give up and that's
why we need to ask God for a spirit of
faith and i hope the Apostle Paul says
our hope for you is firm because we know
that just as you share in our sufferings
you also will share in our comfort Paul
didn't give up Paul had hope in people
and so should we now part of that hoping
and believe
leaving means that you approach people
with an attitude that says I want God to
bless you I want your life to go in a
good direction and I believe it's
possible now sometimes there are people
that you might not want to be successful
and blessed doesn't this sound
scandalous when you are watching a
soccer game and maybe you're choosing
one of the teams to win do you are you
hoping good things for that other team
no I want him to be healthy and happy I
just want him to lose this game then I
wanted to go home and be blessed right
you kind of feel like as a Christian
it's kind of you know especially when
you're in a visiting stadium i'll never
forget i was watching an angels game in
Los Angeles with my wife and they happen
oh thank you that's nice of you I'm
watching an Angels game and they happen
to be locked in a tight pennant race
with with the Red Sox right and i'm
watching the Angels play they're not
playing the Red Sox they're playing some
other team and there's ten you know tens
of thousands of people in the stadium
little children and in my heart I'm
wanting them to go home sad and I'm like
I felt conflicted a little like I want
the home team to lose that you know they
show that when when result when brazil
lost they showed all those kids crying
all those little Brazilian they always
zero in on the kid crying and like look
I'm sorry I don't want the kid to cry I
just want it's a shame their team has to
lose I just want okay where am I going
with all this if love hopes the best for
people it's hard to hope that God will
bless a person with whom I am engaged in
competition see where I'm going with
that many times in life we believe the
people around us are not just people
their rivals their competitors
especially at work someone else at work
is prospered their work is noticed their
advanced we feel like it might in some
way demean or diminish us that's the
root of all kinds of gossip right
passing along a fail you're passing
along something negative someone's on
why because we believe it promotes our
own position
love though isn't like that obviously
love hopes you know i love the way
Steven cut a covey puts it life doesn't
have to be one big competition it
doesn't have to be the good guys and the
bad guys I can hope the best even for
someone who might be on the other side
of the field and that's why Christian
Asheville athletes they're very good at
that I think a lot of good christian
athletes are able to even verbalize that
that that yes they want to win but
there's still a heart of blessing
towards their opponent but so often in
life we view life is a big competition
we view people around us as rivals
rather than hoping the best for them we
want to give up on people give up on
certain people in certain situations and
just not even deal with it anymore but
love believes all things love hopes all
things and that motivates an attitude to
persevere and to endure that is a
powerful thing I'd like to wrap it up
with a couple testimonies 33 different
testimonies one is of some dear friends
of mine who have a daughter teenage
daughter who is experiencing extreme
rebellion and is engaged in types of
behavior that are extremely destructive
and these are good parents these are
good people they love their daughter
right they really do and they've done
the best things have just happened this
way this part this kid is just given it
in their in their face all the time all
the time and they use a particular
phrase that just touched me so deeply
it's the phrase of I want to continue
constantly moving towards her in love
food and that's a phrase they repeat I
want to move towards her in love towards
her in love rather than away in
rejection that doesn't mean that some
tough love and discipline might not be
applied but it's a heart attitude of
saying I will not give up on my kit I
will not give up on her I don't care
what she's done I don't care what's
going on out there I will continue to
move towards her in love love
puts up with anything love endures
anything love believes all things hopes
all things and I know it's going to pay
off this girl is going to be okay
somehow somehow some way it will work
because love never fails that kind of
love is a powerful love it's a love that
cuts through there's a great book that
all of you should read this will be
testimony number two written by Dave
Wilkerson called the cross and the
Switchblade right cross in the
Switchblade don't see the movie okay
sorry about the movie it was Pat Boone
he couldn't help it but the book the
book read the book okay the cross and
the Switchblade it's about the founding
of Teen Challenge ministries it's about
a a country Pastor Dave Wilkerson in
Pennsylvania who one day he was looking
at a picture of kids on trial for some
sort of violent crime in his in his
study and for some reason he found
himself just weeping and this the tears
were all over this magazine is like what
is going on and in his heart he knew
I've got to go to the city and I've got
to talk to those kids he went to New
York City he was very much a country
pastor he was a fish out of water but he
went tried to meet the kids couldn't but
just out on a street corner he met some
other kids who were involved in drugs
and crime on the streets and he just got
to know one kid after another and he got
to know one particular kid named Nikki
who was especially hateful a kid who
would talk about how when he would do
violent things he would find himself
laughing and he didn't know why this was
a kid who was really bad off and at one
point he engaged with this kid and he
formed a relationship and he got to know
him and the kid wants threatened I'm
going to cut you into a thousand pieces
and he answered sounds corny but ask any
teen challenge graduate and they'll
quote this verbatim you can cut me into
a thousand pieces and every piece will
still love you a skinny teen challenge
graduate they've all heard that line
because he started the Tea Challenge
program every piece of love you love
never gives up love is stubborn love
it's intense love believes love has hope
that there's hope for you that boy named
Nikki ended up becoming Nicky Cruz I
don't have you ever heard of him
that he has written a lot of books and
preached a lot of people to a lot of
people millions of people and I've heard
to put this way he could just read the
telephone book and you'll want to cry
and accept Jesus he's got that kind of
anointing Nicky Cruz why because of love
the thing is when there is love that
kind of real love not just sentimental
love but committed love believing love
hopeful love there is a spiritual
anointing that flows through that first
Corinthians 13 we read this at weddings
don't we but you know it wasn't written
for weddings it was written for people
who want to move in the power of the
Holy Spirit even though it applies very
well to marriage it was written for
people who were learning how to use the
gifts of the Holy Spirit the gift of
miraculous healing the gift of tongues
the gift of prophecy the gift of
teaching the gift of service all kinds
of powers of the holy spirit and love
was used in this chapter first
Corinthians chapter 12 is about the
supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit
sue first Corinthians 14 is about the
supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit
and first Corinthians 13 is about love
love is the channel through which the
power flows when you love people with
this kind of love there is a spiritual
power that flows through it that makes a
difference in people's lives it works
love works the gospel works Jesus works
through people the final testimony i
want to share is one from Acts chapter 7
we won't look it up but is the case of
the first martyr in the Christian Church
his name was Steven and people were
throwing they were stoning him for being
a Christian throwing rocks at him the
people who were throwing the rocks had
put all their tunics aside and there was
a young man watching or there was a
particular Jewish Pharisee watching
those tunics and everyone else was
throwing the rocks at this man killing
him and as he was dying the Bible says
he looked up to heaven his face glowed
with the glory of God and he said I see
heaven opened icg
Jesus at the right hand and he says Lord
do not hold this sin against them he
loved even the people who were
persecuting him now many of us know that
the young man who was guarding the coat
of the people who are throwing the
stones was a very passionate young
Pharisee named Saul just a chapter later
we read about how God knocked this man
down on the road and said Saul Saul why
do you persecute me who are you lord I
am Jesus whom you're persecuting you're
going to be my chosen vessel to the
Gentiles saw becomes Paul as in the
Apostle Paul who wrote the Bible how did
he get saved I believe that God heard
Stephens prayer God heard him say God
don't hold the sin against him because
love endures all things love bears all
things love always hopes love always
trusts and believes that God can do it
in people's lives and God did I
encourage you to have this kind of love
for the people around you a tenacious
love a fierce love a dedicated love
where you approach people and they see
in your eyes a certain fire of
benevolence and goodwill and care and
kindness and faith that says I will not
give up on you and you just watch what
God does through you people who everyone
else will give up on you will not give
up on them and God will do the work in
their life through you let that kind of
love be in this ministry so that
everybody who visits here bumps into
people and in every set of eyes they see
that love that hope that faith that
intensity let that define us as a people
amen that's something we want that's
what I want I wanted for me and I want
it for us so let's pray for this i
invite you to stand Lord Jesus I thank
you that you modeled this kind of love
for us the love of the Good Samaritan
whose eyes saw a person who was beaten
up and broken with eyes of care
in kindness faith and hope and even in
the cloudiness that glow cut through and
Lord Jesus I thank you that that's what
you did when you suffered for us on the
cross that love lays down its life for
its neighbor and Jesus I pray that we
would lay down our lives for the people
around us and the people that you have
called us to serve God I pray for fierce
love I pray for stubborn love God I pray
in Jesus name that you would teach us
how to patch the roof of our love so
that when the elements come against it
that we can bear up and put up with
anything to stay firm with a person god
show us the leaks in our own attitude
that allow the annoyances and the
problems to cause us to give up on
people too easily and God I pray right
now in Jesus name by the power of your
Holy Spirit that you would bring to mind
a person or people whom you are calling
us to love in that way maybe it's
somebody that we are tempted to give up
on maybe it's somebody who has led us
down and we've just had it and no more
we're just going to give up god I pray
that you would fill us with a fierce
faith for them with a hope against hope
Lord God that sees things that are not
as though they were that gives life to
the dead god I pray also Jesus that we
would have this kind of eye of the tiger
this dedicated love towards the people
that are closest to us Lord in our homes
and our families God that we wouldn't
give up that we wouldn't let go we
wouldn't look back let it be Lord Jesus
let your love rule powerfully through us
let your anointing flow through this
love God let people experience
deliverance and thrive around us Lord
God let your life giving energy flow we
pray all this in Jesus name Amen
you