The Art of Loving: Love Never Fails (1 Cor. 13:4-8)

The Art of Loving: Never Lets Others Down
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

INTRODUCTION:
There was a man named Frank who came home late from work one night, extremely tired. It had been "one of those days," and his family was out, so he was looking forward to relaxing for a few minutes by himself. Shortly after he got in the door, though, the phone rang.
The caller asked, "Are you the people who have custody of the old hotel downtown?"
"Yes," Frank answered, "we have charge of it."
"Well," the caller said, "my wife and I spent our honeymoon in that hotel, and this is our 50th anniversary. We stayed in room 803, and I wonder if you'd let me go down and get the door plate off that room so I can give it to my wife." Frank wanted to do anything in the world but get up, put his shoes back on and fight traffic to go downtown again.
Nevertheless, he did all that and met the caller at the hotel, now out of business and condemned.
The caller turned out to be well up in his 70s, and they started climbing those eight flights of stairs. Frank said he thought he would end up having to carry the old man, whose knees were giving out. He just hoped they would make it all the way.
When they got to the eighth floor, Frank gave the old man a screwdriver, and he took off the plate on the door. They made it back to the ground floor, and Frank thought he would Finally get to go home and rest. But the elderly gentleman said,
"Say, have you got a minute?"
"Sure," Frank said with a hint of resignation.
"You know," the old man continued, "my wife and I made a promise that we'd tell each other 'I love you' every day. But we also made an agreement that if we ever got to the place where we couldn't say it, we'd just say ‘803.'
That couple knew that relationships are the key to happiness. Their loving hearts had found a wonderful way to express their affection, helping to forge a bond between them that had only grown stronger through the years.
Solid relationships with God, with others and even with ourselves really are vital to our well-being. So we need to learn to relate before it's too late. And relationships are sustained by a love that never lets others down the most powerful force in the universe. "Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8).

This year, as you know, we have been unpacking the description of love Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. This is the last lesson in that study and it is, perhaps, the most important: Love never fails.

The verb for “to love” (agapao) is used 143 times in the NT.

Matthew - 8
Mark - 5
Luke - 13
John - 37

Romans - 8
1 Corinthians - 2
2 Corinthians - 4
Galatians - 2
Ephesians - 10
Colossians - 2
1 Thessalonians - 2
2 Thessalonians - 2
2 Timothy - 2
Hebrews - 2
James - 3
1 Peter - 4
2 Peter - 1
1 John - 28
2 John - 2
3 John - 1
Jude - 1
Revelation - 4

The noun “love” (agape) is used 116 times in the NT.

Matthew - 1
Luke - 1
John - 7
Romans - 9
1 Corinthians - 14
2 Corinthians - 9
Galatians - 3
Ephesians - 10
Philippians - 4
Colossians - 5
1 Thessalonians - 5
2 Thessalonians - 3
1 Timothy - 5
2 Timothy - 4
Titus - 1
Philemon - 3
Hebrews - 2
1 Peter - 3
2 Peter - 1
1 John - 18
2 John - 2
3 John - 1
Jude - 3
Revelation - 2

The verb “to love” (phileo) is used 25 times in the NT.

Matthew - 5
Mark - 1
Luke - 2
John - 13
1 Corinthians - 1
Titus - 1
Revelation - 2

The noun (philos) is used 29 times and always translated “friend.”

Let’s take a brief look at six aspects of love which are mentioned in the NT. It all begins with…

GOD’S LOVE FOR US:
John 3:16 - Loves the world
John 3:35; 5:20 (phileo); 15:9; 17:23-24 - Loves the Son
John 10:17 - Jesus lays down His life
John 14:21 - If we love Jesus, we will be loved by the Father
John 14:23 - If we keep Jesus’ words
John 16:27 (phileo); 17:23 - Loves the followers of Jesus

John 17:26 - The Father’s love for the Son will be in the Son’s followers

Rom 5:5 - Poured out through the Holy Spirit
Rom 5:8 - Christ died for us
Rom 8:37 - We overwhelmingly conquer
2 Cor. 9:7 - A cheerful giver
2 Cor 13:11 (agape) - “God of love”
Eph 2:4 - Great love
2 Thess 4:8 - The Church
1 John 4:10 - Sent His Son
1 John 4:19 - He loved first

God loves us even when we don't respond as we should - love never fails. Aren't you thankful He has never given up on you or stopped loving you? I know I am. Just as Jesus never gave up on His disciples-weak, slow learners, interested in worldly positions - He never forsakes us.
Another name for this kind of love is unconditional love, love that gives without concern for whether it receives anything in return. Someone has said that such love may not make the world go around, but it makes the trip worthwhile.

JESUS’ LOVE:
Mark 10:21 - rich young ruler
John 11:3 (phileo), 5, 36 (phileo) - Mary & Martha & Lazarus
John 13:1; 15:9 - Jesus loved His disciples
John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2 (phileo); 21:7, 20 - The disciple whom Jesus loved
John 14:21, 23 - Keep His commandments
John 14:31 - Love the Father, do exactly as He commands
John 21:15-17 - Peter
Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2 - Loved me & gave Himself for me
Eph 5:25; 1 Thess 1:4; 2 Thess 4:10 - The Church
Heb 12:6; Rev 3:19 - He disciplines
Rev 1:5 - He released us from our sins

"60 Minutes" described people who had undergone major heart surgery. Some of them had pets; others didn't. And a follow-up study showed that nearly a third of those who didn't have pets had died within a year of their surgeries. Of those who had pets, however, only one had died within a year.
People shouldn't need to get all their love from pets, however. We have the ability as fellow human beings, and especially as Christians, to give people love and to build relationships. That’s what happens when we “love like Jesus loves.”

SPIRIT’S LOVE:
Rom 15:30 (agape)

LOVE GOD:
Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33; Luke 10:27 - God
Luke 7:42, 47 - the one forgiven much, loves much
Rom 8:28 - All things work together for good
1 Cor. 8:3 - Known by Him
1 John 5:1 - We will love His children
1 John 5:2 - Keep His commandments

Our love for God needs to be unfailing. A minister was talking to his Sunday school class of teenagers about things money can and can't buy. "You can't buy laughter," he said. "That comes from the soul. You also can’t buy love." Then, to drive his point home, he asked, "What would you do if I offered you a thousand dollars not to love your mother or father?”
A moment of silence followed as the boys and girls thought that over. Then a small voice piped up and said, "How much would you offer me not to love my big sister?”

We ought to love God without any further conditions on our part. Can we love God without any conductions on His part?

LOVE JESUS:
Matt 10:37 - Love Him above family
John 8:42 - If God is our Father, we would love Jesus
John 14:15; 14:21; 15:10 - We will keep His commandments
John 15:9 - Abide in His love
1 Cor 16:22 - If we don’t love Him, we are cursed
2 Cor 5:14 - Controls us
Eph 6:24 - Grace to those who love JC with incorruptible love
James 1:12 - Crown of life
James 2:5 - The eternal kingdom
1 Peter 1:8 - Without seeing Him

When I was in high school, my sister - who is 1 year older than me - and I were in a theater class together. The class put on the play “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. In the play, a girl named Emily dies, and then she's given a chance to return to earth and relive one day. She's asked which day she wants it to be, and she says, "Oh, I'd like for it to be my 12th birthday.”
All the other dead people in the graveyard beg her, "Emily, don't do it! Emily, no!”
She answers, "But I want to see my mama and papa again." So she returns to that day and comes down the stairs in her pretty dress. But her mother is busy making the birthday cake, so she doesn't notice. Emily says, "Mom, look at me. I'm the birthday girl.”
“Fine, birthday girl" her mother answers, “Sit down and eat your breakfast.”
Emily stands there and says, "Mom, look at me!”
But Mom doesn't look. Then Dad comes through the house, but he doesn't look, either, because he's busy making money for her. And her big brothers sure don't look.
The scene ends with Emily standing in the middle of the house and saying, "Please, please, will somebody look at me? I don't need your cake and I don't need your money. Please just look at me." Nobody does, so she turns to her mother one more time and says, "Please, Mom.”
Finally, Emily turns to the stage hand and says, "Take me away. I forgot what it was like to be a human, Nobody looks at nobody. Nobody cares anymore, do they?”
The answer to her question is yes, we care. If we love Jesus then we will love each other, and we’ll care.

LOVING OTHERS:
In 1964, Frank Sinatra recorded a song by the title “Softly as I leave you.” The lyrics were written by an Italian named Geno Calabreezy.

Geno Calabreezy was in the hospital with terminal cancer. His wile of 36 years was constantly by his bedside. She left only when it was absolutely necessary.
One Sunday afternoon, she was so exhausted that as she sat next to his bed, holding his hand, she put her head down and fell asleep. We don't know exactly what happened next, but obviously Geno came out of his coma. He must have reached over with his left hand (his wife was holding his right and he wasn't left-handed) picked up an envelope, and written some words on it.
When his wife awoke, Geno was dead. But he was clutching that envelope, and the words on that envelope were so beautiful that someone set them to music:
“Softly I leave you, for my heart would break if I should wake and see you go. So I leave you softly, long before you miss me - long before your arms can beg me stay for one more hour or one more day. And after all the years, I can't bear the tears to fall, so I leave you softly. So I leave you there.”
That's the true story behind the song.

Matthew 5:43-46; Luke 6:27, 32, 35 - enemies
Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13 - masters
Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31, 33; Rom 13:9-10; Gal 5:14; James 2:8 - neighbors
John 13:34-35; 15:12-13, 17; 1 Thess 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22 - Love one another & lay down life
Rom 13:8 - Love one another, fulfill the law
Eph 5:25, 28, 33; Col 3:19 - Love wife
1 Peter 2:17 - The brotherhood
1 John 2:10; 3:10-11, 14, 18, 23; 4:7-8, 11-12, 20-21; 2 John 5 - Our brother

A fable tells of a young girl who was walking through a meadow and saw a butterfly hung on a thorn. She released it, and it started to fly away, but then it came back as a good fairy and said, "For your kindness in releasing me, I'll grant you your fondest wish.”
The girl said, "I'd like to be happy."
And so for the rest of her life, no one was happier than she.
As she became old, all the neighbors feared that the secret of happiness would die with her, so they begged her to let them in on it. She simply said, "The fairy told me that everybody, no matter how secure they seemed, needed me. They needed me.”
When we realize that others need us, we, too, can choose to be givers and builders. The fact is that everyone we meet needs some encouragement, some recognition, maybe something as simple as a smile. And every contact we make affects the other person (and us) either positively or negatively.

CONCLUSION:
“Pursue love” - 1 Corinthians 14:1
“Let all that you do be done in love” - 1 Corinthians 16:14
Gerald Kennedy told a story about a time years ago when he was on a speaking tour in Australia. He was working hard, spending every spare minute in preparation for the next engagement. One morning when the maid came to clean his room, he took a chair out in the hall and continued to work there.
As he was trying to concentrate, someone in an adjoining room began to play the violin. That really annoyed Kennedy because he had so much to do. He picked up his chair and went back into the room, complaining to himself.
The maid overheard him and said, "Oh, Mr. Kennedy, do you know who that is playing the violin?”
"No, I don't," he said. "Who is it?”
"Why, Mr. Kennedy," she answered, "it's Yehudi Menuhin, the world-famous violinist. He's getting ready for a concert tonight.”
Kennedy was shocked. He couldn't believe it. But he took his chair back into the hall and just sat there, listening to the great artist rehearse. "It was a wonderful concert." he said, "the most beautiful music l'd heard in my entire life- once he realized who was playing!”

God is playing a masterpiece in the lives of each one of us. Since He is the one playing, let’s be patient with each other, loving without failure. Everything will be alright in the end.

Take home message: Love never fails.

Start an evangelism conversation: “In your opinion, who was/is Jesus Christ?”