Sunday, May 24, 2009

Lygon Sermon on the mark of the church - love

Today's sermon at Lygon was good... Melvin expounded on one of the most famous verses of all time, 1 Corinthians 13 about love... :)

I will build my church
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Ps Melvin Lo

Mark of the church
The mark of spirituality is not giftedness, but love.

Love's necessity (13:1-3)
Spectacular 'spirituality'
A spectacular performance doesn't mean the mind if God is there. It is jus noise.
Like speaking in tongues, without love, it is jus clanging cymbals.

Limitless knowledge
All knowledge is useless if not meant or used to build you up or edify God.
Neither should you use your limited knowledge with pride to shun people or judge them.

Unbounded Sacrifice
For example suicide bombers, They do so to have personal self gain.
True Godly love is always selfless and self sacrificing.
Like ingredients in a cake, if u leave that one important ingredient out, no matter how good it looks, it'll still be a disaster. Love is that ingredient.

Love's character (13:4-7)
What love does? (v.4)
- Patient & Kind
Being patient is passive... Being kind is active.
Do we jus 'siam' a person? Coz that's not enuf.

What love avoids? (v.5-6)
- Envy
Not jealous. Share the joys of someone who has more than you or does better than you.

- Boasting, proud
It's always about him/her. Love is about being humble.

- Rude, self-seeking
It's a reminder that the world doesn't revolve just around you.

- Easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs
Love forgives others.
The world is more than just your lonely world.

- Does not delight in evil, rejoices with the truth
Some churches even now boast of how open they are with regards to homosexual ministers.

What love pursues? (v.7)
- Perseveres
It doesn't give up on people nor expects anything in return.
Love perseveres, keep trying. We all fall short from time to time.

Love's permanence (v.8-13)
- Love remains
*Growing up
When we all grow up, we leave childish things behind.

*Mirror
We will one day see face to face and we shall know fully for we will know God fully.

- Mark of the church (Love)

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