I Corinthians 13:1-8 “charity never faileth”
Introduction: In I Corinthians chapter 13 we see how the gifts of the spirit must be governed by Charity (love in action/love that can be shown and seen). Throughout the chapter we see that it doesn’t matter what gift you may have received of God if you don’t have charity, (you are nothing vs 2, it doesn’t profit you vs 3). Charity is important in all things. Charity never fails in any situation, in any discussion, in any fight, in any disagreement. Charity is giving freely without any hope or expectation of receiving- John 3:16. Charity must be followed- I Corinthians 14:1 “follow after Charity”. Charity must be put on- Colossians 3:14- “ And above all these things put on charity”.
Charity never faileth, because:
I. Charity Is Kind- Vs 4. You can never go wrong with being kind. The first attribute of charity that we see is to be kind. For some people this comes easier than others. Kind with those that we deal with more often, our spouses, our co-workers, our family, our neighbors. -II Corinthians 6:1-6 by kindness is how we approve ourselves as the ministers of God.
A. By Being Tenderhearted- Ephesians 4:32 One way to be kind to one another is to be tenderhearted toward one another. We may not necessarily agree with everything each one of us likes however, we listen, speak, and support each other when needed. To be tenderhearted is to be compassionate, impressionable. This is something that is developed- Proverbs 31:26 “She opener her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness”.
B. By Being Forgiving- This means forgiving the little things and the big things. The example in forgiving is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ forgave ALL. Forgave while we were still his enemies. Matthew 18:33 “Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity don thee?”. Forgiving others as Christ forgave us. Matthew 5:44-45 “love your enemies, do good to them that hate you”. Luke 6:35-36 “lend, hoping for nothing again” God is kind to the unthankful.
II. Charity Seeketh Not Her Own- Her own what? Her own anything. Wants, desires, doings, etc. Communication in marriage or with anyone else is always two sided. In marriage or a relationship it’s going to take a lot of patience in having your turn to talk about your wants, needs, and desires. Philippians 2:3-5 In order “to esteem other better than yourself”, we have to put on the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ is already in us however, we have to think like he thinks in this situation.
A. “In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves”. It sure does take a lowly mind to be quiet for a few minutes/hours and just listen to someone else speak and to esteem (to set a high value on) another better than self.
Proverbs 20:6- “Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness; but a faithful man who can find? “
II Timothy 2:24 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto ALL men”.
III. Charity Endureth All Things- II Timothy 2:3-4 Charity endureth hardness. It is easy to endure our friends but to endure our enemies, that’s a hard task and yet charity endureth ALL things.
A. Christ Our Example- Hebrews 12:2- “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne” Endured the cross because of the Charity it would bring to all men.
Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart”.
Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King comet unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass”.
Endures Temptations- James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him”.
Conclusion: As we have seen, Charity is longsuffering, it is kind, it believes and endures all things. “Charity never faileth”, it is always the correct answer in any situation. I Corinthians 16:14- “let all things be done with charity”. All of these are helpful to the marriage because, they will bring peace, joy, patience, and a greater love for one another. If you don’t have these yet, give it time and allow God to work with you as you commit to applying these in your marriage and see the difference it will make.