Introduction: Love is so important, it is the first in a list of fruits the Holy Spirit produces in our lives, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness..." (Galatians 5:22) The very first thing the Holy Spirit desires to produce in the lives of believers is agape love. By its definition, agape love is unselfish, and 1 Corinthians 13 reveals what it means to be unselfish in our love. We also find that this agape love is the greatest of all the gifts. 1 Corinthians 12-14 are chapters that deal with the gifts of God. 1 Corinthians 13:13 makes a plain statement, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." In other words, no matter what your gift, if it is not motivated by God's gift of love, then it is empty and worthless.
Jesus made one of the most important statements ever made about agape love, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35) Notice with me that Jesus did not say, "By this shall all men know that ye are born again." He said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples." A disciple is one who goes beyond being simply a believer. The word "disciple" literally means "a learner or a disciplined one." Jesus told His disciples that the rest of the world would know they were learners concerning the things of Christ if they had agape love among themselves. ** The life you live reveals whose student you are!
* A person gets saved when he trusts Christ as his Saviour, but he does not become a true disciple until he decides to be a learner and follower of Christ and His teachings. Are you a disciple or just a believer?
1 Corinthians 13 lists for us the characteristics of agape love:
1. Agape love gives real worth to work.
2. Agape love suffers long and doesn't quit when the trials come.
3. Agape love is kind, which means it's pleasant and desirable.
4. Agape love does not envy or desire the same thing another has.
5. Agape love does not vaunt itself, which means it is not boastful.
6. Agape love is not puffed up; meaning, Bible love is not proud.
7. Agape love does not behave itself unseemly, that is shamefully toward others.
8. Agape love does not seek her own, is not self-seeking.
9. Agape love is not easily provoked, is long-fused.
10. Agape love thinketh no evil, does not keep a list of wrong-doings.
11. Agape love does not rejoice when iniquity reveals itself.
12. Agape love rejoices when truth triumphs.
This brings us to the next two characteristics of agape love:
13. Real love believeth all things. - 1 Corinthians 13:7
"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
- Gullible? Not at all. This means that agape love's relationships are built with trust.
- Every relationship in life is built on trust or destroyed for lack of it. If there is no trust, there is no relationship. Without trust, there can be no real relationship.
- There are those, who have been taught and do teach, that you should trust no one.
- "In God We Trust, every one else pays cash." Sadly, those, who trust no one, usually have a hard time trusting God as well.
- How can you have a relationship with another person in whom you have no trust? You cannot.
- This does not advocate having blind trust in everybody claiming to know the Lord. This agape love trusts its friends.
- This aspect of agape love is missing in many areas of our lives.* We do not trust our husbands.
* We do not trust our wives.
* We do not trust our children.
* We do not trust our parents.
* We do not trust our preacher.
* We do not trust our teachers.
* We do not trust our friends.
* We do not trust our employers.
* We do not trust our employees.
* We do not trust our relatives.- I have met people, who claim to be Christians, who say, "I don't trust anyone anymore." This is a sad commentary, not on those they don't trust, but on they themselves. They are lacking Bible agape love.
- This is why you have no relationship with people with whom you ought to have a relationship with.
- You feel like a loner, an outcast, a round peg in a square hole, out of place, and any other description you care to use. But, the problem is not on the outside; it is inside of you.
- This is where agape love can change a person with a bad past. Notice 1 John 4:17-18, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
- The word "torment" is the same term used to describe the torments of Hell.
- Sure, there are those who have lost your trust. But, if you don't have trust for anybody, there is a problem with you.
- I refer to our text, "[Agape love] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
14. Real love hopeth all things. - 1 Corinthians 13:7
"...believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
- Agape love is always confident in the relationships it has chosen to have.
- Agape love always gives the other person the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.
- Let's say, wives, that you and your husband love each other. Let's say that someone comes to you and reports detrimental information to you about him. Whom will you give the benefit of the doubt; the reporter or the man you married? A few years ago, a young wife I know (not here) said she would doubt her husband, effectively giving the benefit of the doubt to her friend. This is not agape love.
- There is no second-guessing here.
- Again, 1 John 4:17-18 states, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
- Fear will destroy any relationship. Only perfect love can cast that destroying fear out.
Conclusion: Are you practicing agape love in these two vital areas? Have you learned the importance of trust in any relationship? Does the kind of love you practice give friends and family the benefit of the doubt? We have found that saying we have agape love is different than the practicing of it. How is your love?