A More Excellent Way
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Faith, Hope & Love
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 (ESV)
12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Sermon Outline
Love is the true way of excellence (12:31)
1. Necessity of Love
vv1-3 “if… but have not love… I am…”
12:31 “earnestly desire the higher gifts”
2. Manifestation of Love
vv4-7 “love is… is not…”
3. Possession of Love
v12 “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known”
v8 “love never ends”
Questions for Reflection
What are the primary characteristics of excellence? How does one become excellent at something?
Think of examples of achievement or success where love is absent. How can great ability and power be dangerous when it is without love?
What role does ambition play in the Christian life? Does a pursuit of love and a humble life mean a Christian shouldn’t be or can’t be successful?
What symptoms manifest in your life that reveal unloving attitudes, thoughts, or a self centered orientation? What do you do when these things come out? What can you do to wisely deal with whatever is coming out?
Do you conceive of love primarily in emotional terms? Do you think of it primarily as action? Other thoughts?
In an effort to always act in love, how do you navigate times when what you feel is in conflict with what you think? How can you navigate those situations with God?
What can you do to become a more patient and kind person? How can rudeness, envying, boasting, resentment, etc. be reduced in your life?
As we currently don’t know all things (we know “in part”), what role does faith, hope and love play in filling out how we navigate life without knowing all we need to know?
Does God’s love for you leave an impression on you? Have you experienced God’s love?
What practices, attitudes, or commitments will help you grow and remain aware of God’s love for you? How can your actions flow out of that deeper reality?
Prayer of Confession
Our loving Father, we need your forgiveness again. We don’t do all things in love, but we continue in our self centered and self serving ways. We strive for excellence to attain honor and power. We are unable to handle our flaws and failures because our striving has not been rooted in love. We have not demonstrated deep, consistent patience and kindness. Rather, we have revealed our envy, boasting, rudeness and irritability. Lord, you know us fully, and you know our need. We appeal to you for on-going patience with us, and for continued kindness. Help us to see your love so that we are deeply changed. May your love work powerfully in and through us. Amen.