Love You Left Undone

Transcript

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[0:02] Well, I didn't send in my greeting, so good morning. I do love the words in our communion liturgy, and I think different words resonate on different days, but today the words that resonated most were the words, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.

[0:28] It's from both of those things that we need to repent. And so we're going to continue this morning in our journey through 1 Corinthians, and we're talking about love through a most famous passage. And though it's easier to refer back when we're preaching or when we're talking through things, it's easier to refer back to that which we have done.

[0:53] We need to make sure we are consistent. We need to make sure we are considering also that which we have left undone. It's often the things that we've left undone that we consider, we don't consider, actually. We don't think about it, but they leave profound scars on others. And so passivity is this freedom that we have because we don't really have to think about it. And it's a freedom that's enjoyed by those who have privilege. And we have the ability as people of privilege to look at even the most horrifying situations and do nothing, simply because we are less affected, or we think that we are less affected, and not directly impacted by these horrifying circumstances. In fact, sometimes we do nothing. simply because it helps us to maintain privilege. And so today's message is not just about what we have done, but what we have left undone.

[2:06] But before we go any farther, please turn with me to the reading in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. If I could speak all the languages of the earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

[2:33] If I had the gift of prophecy and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith, that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I had to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.

[3:07] Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It is not callous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable and it keeps no record of having been wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice, but it rejoices whenever truth wins out.

[3:36] Love never gives up, never loses faith. It is always hopeful. And endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in an unknown language and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever. Now, our knowledge is partial and incomplete. And even the gift of prophecy reveals only a part of the whole picture.

[4:11] But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now, we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror. But then, we will see everything with perfect clarity.

[4:45] All that I know now is partial and incomplete. But then, I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever. Faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

[5:09] Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you that above all, you are love. God, we ask for your blessing on this word. We ask for your movement in our hearts. We ask that we would know your love for us. And be your love for others.

[5:43] These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. It was only two months ago that this passage was read at Rebecca and Tim's wedding. In fact, I'm guessing that all of us have heard some portion of this chapter read in some wedding at some point or another. And there's a reason for that. It's poetic and it's beautiful. And it really is easy to think about all these qualities of love when you are watching two people who really are in love about to spend their life together.

[6:26] But Paul didn't write this chapter for people who were already swimming in love. He wrote it for a church in trouble. One filled with animosity and suffering with selfishness. And as we watch our world just bursting at the seams with violence and injustice, I don't know if we really have a right to point fingers of blame or fingers of accusation at the Corinthians or the way that they did things unlovingly.

[7:05] They had their struggles and we have similar ones. They were a group of people coming from all walks of life. They came from every background. They came from every socioeconomic status. They were Jews and they were Gentiles who had generations upon generations of disdain for each other. And now they are here. They were supposed to be considered one body.

[7:38] There were pagans that brought in many, many beliefs into the church. Everybody you can imagine all piled into one community and expected to get along with each other and not just get along with each other but love each other. And the one thing they did have in common was Jesus. But the truth is that a lot of them did not even know all that was faith in Jesus had entailed. They didn't know necessarily that Jesus was a God of justice and love or that Jesus sacrificed himself in love for them because many people were coming into the church on a daily basis. Corinth was a lot of things but it was a city of spirituality.

[8:40] Not necessarily of faith but of people craving spiritual encounters, supernatural happenings. And so some people participated in many, many religions just to gain this experience and it was an experience done for the sake of human knowledge. And there were philosophers all over trying to gain new spiritual insights.

[9:12] And this whole kind of culture surrounding this church in Corinth was one of people trying to better themselves and trying to gain spiritual wholeness. But they tried to do it by themselves. And so this was a whole city of people doing this. And from this whole city of people from all different walks of life and from all of these beliefs, they came to the church and tried to interact as one body.

[9:47] And the church was a mess. So different religions, different classes, different races, different ethnicities, different beliefs. And there was tension. And some people had advantages over others. They had advantages of social power and they had advantages of wealth. And they also had these perceived advantages of being more profoundly spiritual.

[10:20] And as I said earlier, this is an entire city of people who strive for being spiritual. And so someone who is seen in the eyes of others as a very spiritual being or having arrived at ultimate spirituality, well, that's a great power advantage in the eyes of the others around them. And so they exploited these advantages just as people do. Just as people did then and just as people do today.

[10:58] There was another way people exploited their advantages. They were distinguishing themselves pridefully in the church. And I feel like you've heard ten weeks of this. Ten weeks of the Corinthians doing prideful, boastful, ridiculous things. Ten weeks of the Corinthians trying to prove their worth to each other. Ten weeks of the Corinthians pushing each other. Pulling each other down and pulling themselves up. And here's another week of this.

[11:34] The Corinthians have found another way to classify themselves as the best. And that is by the gifts that God gave them. So they had decided that certain gifts meant they were better. God had bestowed everyone with spiritual gifts.

[11:57] And that's what he still does. One year for Christmas, my mom got ornaments for both of my brothers and for me. And mine said, youngest child. And right underneath it in smaller print it said, mom's favorite. And I think we can all agree that every youngest child at some point has come to the obvious realization that they are in fact the favorite. So it really wasn't saying anything shocking to me, of course.

[12:34] But then my oldest brother, Nathaniel, his ornament said, oldest child, mom's favorite. And then my middle brother, Lauren, his ornament said, middle child, mom's favorite. And of course it was a joke. We knew that from the get-go. From the very first ornament opened. We got the bottom line. We are all her children.

[13:02] She's given a Christmas gift to each of us because she loves us. And we are all her favorite because she loves us equally. And I think it would have been a really awkward moment if one or more of us didn't get that bottom line right away.

[13:24] And yet. I feel like this is where the Corinthians are at. They were God's children who didn't get that bottom line. They were given gifts. Things that they didn't buy and didn't earn. And they interpreted these certain gifts to mean that God favored some above others. And we don't even have to guess who is who. Paul gives us a little insight right into the passage. Into which gifts were deemed more and less honorable among the Corinthians. It was the Corinthians who believed that speaking in tongues was the language of the angels.

[14:07] As Paul writes in the introduction. It's not that Paul believes speaking in the tongues is the language of the angels. It's that they believe it. And they looked at the gifts they were given. Especially gifts like prophecy. Or gifts like speaking in tongues. And they said, oh I've been given the gift of speaking in tongues. This is a language so great that the angels themselves speak it. So I am clearly God's favorite.

[14:45] Except the whole time the gift giver himself had deemed them all equal. All of the gifts were equal. And they were given to his children equally. Who were equally loved in his sight. They were equally his favorite children. But they never got that bottom line. So they used their gifts not to glorify God. Or to benefit the kingdom. But to put other people down. And to build themselves up. Because they thought their gifts were rewards for their own greatness.

[15:28] And their bragging sounded ugly. And there's no other way to put it. Paul says like a clinging cymbal. Like a noisy gong. Other translations might say a reverberating gong. It was in reference to stages. Like stage plays. Where they would use a special vase. That was meant for acoustic help. So it was meant to project sound. But if a cymbal or a gong clanged next to it. And then reverberated inside of this vase. It distorted the sound. It still projected the sound. So many, many, many could hear. But it distorted it. So that it was just this ugly, frustrating sound.

[16:21] The Corinthians abused their gifts. And they showed off in such a way. That it was painful and uninspiring to listen to them. But they were powerful within their own church. So it's kind of like they were amplifying their sound in that vase. For the world beyond the church to hear.

[16:45] Their sound went to the outside. To the greater community. And the sound was distorted. So instead of the outside community hearing the beauty of the gospel. Hearing the truth of God's ultimate love. They heard this distorted message that said. Some people are better than others.

[17:10] Well it was a lot like the message they already heard. From other religions and other beliefs. That you had to struggle. You had to strive. And you had to work. And you had to achieve spirituality for yourself. And once you achieved spirituality for yourself. You were done. You had arrived. You were great. People could listen to you. Because you were worth listening to. It was the same message given by every religion. In their entire area.

[17:44] It was distorted. Uninspiring. Clinging. And of course it left an unpleasant ringing in people's ears. Even people within the church. Who knew the gospel. Who knew of God's love. It made some people ashamed to use their own gifts.

[18:13] While others felt more and more justified. In their superiority. And pretty soon there would be nobody left at all. Who had a truly healthy view. Of who God made them to be. And what he gave them to use. It is not easy for a church full of contention. And boasting. And imbalance.

[18:43] Mixed with extreme differences. Lack of. Lack of kingdom knowledge. To hear these words. Sure they are beautifully poetic. They're also painfully convicting. Here. Paul tells them. Love. Is many. Many. Things. Things that you are not doing.

[19:12] And here Paul tells them. And love. Is not. These things. Things which you are pridefully. Happily engaging in. In all things considered. Paul made a fairly short list. Love is a lot of things. We heard earlier the passage from 1 John. That says God is love. And love is God.

[19:48] If you want a list of what love is. Look in the Bible. And pick out characteristics of God himself. The list could go on and on and on. And so these qualities that Paul picked out. Make up a fairly short list. Conclusive I think. I think some of them cover. Other areas. But Paul chose these qualities specifically. Because these were the areas that the Corinthians were struggling with.

[20:22] Now there's a thing called Minnesota nice. I actually. It's a phenomenon of confusing pleasantness. I think it probably stems from. The just the high. High percentage of Scandinavians in Minnesota. But there's. There's this point where. People are a little too polite. To want to. Respond appropriately. So there's this. It's just this reserved politeness. But the problem with Minnesota nice or. Reserved politeness. Is that. Eventually it has this probability of turning out. And turning into passive aggression. So there are times when. You could instigate.

[21:17] An unsavory encounter. With a Minnesotan. And they will very respectfully. And politely. Respond to you in such a way that you end up having no idea. Whether you were thanked. Or apologized to. Or reprimanded. You just don't know. And so. The situation spirals. And it festers underneath. Until that Minnesota nice. Becomes like this passive aggression. Because. Why didn't you pick up on my reprimand earlier. That's. That's what it is. And make no mistake. Minnesota nice. Is kindness. To a degree. But it's not love. And passive aggressiveness.

[22:04] Well that's where the true spotlight lands. Isn't it. Passive aggression. Is often confused as niceness. And I think it's a problem in the church. Maybe not. Foothill. I really don't think it is. A problem here. But it's a problem in the church at large. I think. Where people have. A duty to act nice.

[22:31] But not necessarily a prompting to be kind. Love. Is kind. Sometimes love. Does not feel nice. And that's confusing. Paul has no tolerance. And no time. For niceness without love. Within the church. It's childishness. He says it. He says it. Right. Right there. This is childishness. When you're new to the church. To God's kingdom. And you're just learning.

[23:19] You are a child. And that is acceptable. But when you are claiming to have arrived at spiritual greatness. And you know the truths of God. And you are claiming to be God's favorite. But you're not. You're using your power to squash others down.

[23:41] You are not a child yet. You are acting childishly. And that's unacceptable. And further. These things. This reasoning. And this knowledge of humans. That's childishness. That's child's play. There's a time for it.

[24:02] Before you're given the truths of God's kingdom. And then. Once you hear God's truth. The gospel of Christ's love. There is no time for childishness anymore. That becomes ignorance. True love. Agape love. Is unconditional. It is the unconditional love.

[24:30] That God gives to us. It's the same love. That is unrelenting. And self-sacrificing. It is the same love that is God. And so. Again referring back to 1 John. There is no way around it. If you do not love others.

[24:51] With that absolutely unrelenting. Selfless. Kind. Patient. Unrelenting agape love. Then you are not. Of Christ. And you are not known. By God. And I think those are the. Hardest words. That. A Christian can hear. That there is something we could. Be. That would not be of Christ. And this is it. If you are not.

[25:27] Acting in the love of Christ. If you do not know love. Then you do not know God. And so. The Corinthians needed some definitions. Of what exactly. God meant. And Paul gave them a list. Love is patient and kind. Well I think the last time I preached. It was on. Idle food.

[25:54] The Corinthians were not patient. They were casting down. Those people that they thought were weak Christians. They were being. They were building themselves up. And they had no time for a weak Christian. To tie them down. And so they wanted those weak Christians reprimanded. They wanted. Regulations to keep those weak Christians in line. Maybe. They didn't even mind if those weak Christians were cast out. Because those weak Christians. Were thwarting. Their journey to greatness.

[26:34] That is not patient. I think if there's one thing the Corinthians weren't. It was patient. The list goes on. And on. And I think if we. Read through this list. Not jealous or boastful. Well they were jealous of leadership. They were boastful of themselves. Not proud or rude. We talked about how they. They partook. In. Communion. Right in front of other people. Well. Well kind of showing off. What they had.

[27:11] It's not irritable. It keeps no record of being wronged. I'm pretty sure this. Entire book was written. Because they had sent Paul a list of ways they had been wronged. We can just go on and on. It does not rejoice about injustice. And yet they did.

[27:34] Because they were the people of privilege. They were enjoying the injustice. Because they thought it benefited them. It rejoices when truth wins out. It never gives up. All these things. Were things that if you look back. Over the past few weeks. You will. You can just tick down that list. And say. Well they got that wrong. And they got that wrong. But the one I'm going to focus on today.

[28:07] Is that love is not selfless. Or. Sorry. Is that love is selfless. That's a biggie. It was a biggie back then. And it's a biggie today. Love does not carry. A hidden personal agenda. It's a biggie. So if you look at some I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body. I could boast about it. But if I did not love others, I would have gained nothing.

[29:12] And you think to yourself, isn't that loving? To give everything you own to the poor and even sacrifice your own body? But there were hidden agendas there too. They were selling themselves as slaves. And they were giving the proceeds to the poor. And you have to think, wow, that sounds like extreme love to me. Like if I heard that somebody had sacrificed themselves, sold themselves as a slave just to give money to the poor, I would think that's impressively kind. That's love. But it wasn't. It was just another way for them to be able to boast about how great they were. That's what their spirituality was. And it was just another way for them to boast to the poor who had nothing to give away about how unspiritual they were.

[30:13] There is no love involved in boasting. And there is no boasting involved in love. And honestly, what a senseless thing to do. That's an extreme example. But it's just absolutely senseless to sacrifice yourself to that extent and have it all be in vain. And have not only yourself not benefit from it, but other people suffer from it. And so that's an extreme example. And I don't think that people are selling themselves as slaves to give money to the poor. But we do other things.

[30:51] We do other things. We make decisions. We take actions. Or we step back and remain inactive in such a way that somehow protects us or somehow gives us an advantage or somehow feeds a different motive and hurts other people.

[31:22] I've heard it suggested many times in this chapter. That you can replace the word love with the word, with the name Jesus. And it would not change the meaning of the passage. And that's true. God is love.

[31:39] So we can ask ourselves, how did Jesus love? Because that's a question that the Corinthians, not just the church at Corinth, but the Corinthians at large couldn't ask. Their gods were. Gods of selfish ambition.

[31:59] But Jesus is a God who wants us to love relentlessly. And so he pulled no stops himself. He loved to death. And this is the most important thing. Jesus did not put himself first. And so we cannot put ourselves first. And you ought to take care of yourself. Absolutely. Amen. Absolutely. But when it comes to love, if you're making a decision that benefits yourself unfairly, or you're making a decision at the expense of anyone else that is not love, and love is the most excellent way.

[32:42] That is to say, love is the way of Christ and of wholeness and of perfection. Paul says everything else will fade away. These gifts that the Spirit has given, like the gift of healing, you're not going to need healing when the time of God's kingdom comes, because people will be whole.

[33:06] And the gift of healing will be useless. You're not going to need the gift of tongues when everybody can communicate with each other. These gifts that God gives are good because they are of God. But they are also imperfect because they are a response to an imperfect world. And when the world is no longer imperfect, and when the world is restored, they won't be necessary. But what will be is faith and hope and love.

[33:39] And the greatest being love. Now, Paul intertwines love with faith and love with hope. And he does so in other places. But love is not the only thing that is important. Love is true perfection because love is God. God is perfect. And God is love.

[34:03] So these Corinthians striving in vain for perfection through their own struggles and through their own efforts, they're never going to reach it. Because true perfection is love. And love is exactly what they're ignoring in all of their efforts to climb to the top.

[34:29] Now we talked a little bit about passive aggression and about Minnesota nice. And I said love is not always nice. Love is always kind. Not always nice. Sometimes you have to do things that feel mean. You have to stand up and be bold and speak for the truth when that truth will help somebody.

[35:02] It feels mean. Sometimes you don't want to step in and intervene. Sometimes you say, well, they can do their thing and I'll do my thing. But all the while, someone else is suffering. It is not love to be passive when someone else is suffering.

[35:22] Sometimes you have to speak those words even if they don't feel nice. And yet on the flip side, sometimes people have this niceness about them that is not truly love. And we see this infection in a lot of churches actually. This infection where there's a niceness and people say, hey, I have some gossip about so and so.

[35:57] We'll phrase it as a prayer request. Or sometimes people say, I'm going to speak the truth in love to you, but that's just really a way to tell you that you are driving me crazy. So there is a way that you can be nice and not loving. And there is a way that you can be loving but feel like you're not being nice.

[36:25] And this is the test. This is the measure of which is right and which is wrong. The measure is that love, true love, will never look like cutting someone down. Love will never be building yourself up at the expense of others.

[36:50] Is your action one that benefits only yourself? Are you acting based on a hidden motive? Or is your action one that puts another down? If so, that is not agape love. On the other hand, are you motivated to act or speak on behalf of another person or on behalf of what is right and what is wrong? And if so, that is agape.

[37:23] And I think we all have a mix of both within ourselves. So we're going to end on this, simply a reflection. When it comes to agape love, the love that Christ calls us to have for all, where have you loved well?

[37:42] And where do you have room to grow? These are things we can reflect on as we prepare for the day. We can prepare for the offering. But for now, let's pray. Our gracious God, we would be nowhere without your gift of love to us.

[38:07] God, help us to repent for what we have done and what we have left undone. Help us to seek your love. And to be bearers of your love and your gospel to all of those around us. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.