THE MORE EXCELLENT WAY

The More Excellent Way

1. Love Is Indispensable

The More Excellent Way of Love

“And I will show you a still more excellent way.

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.” (1 Cor 12:31-13:3)

1. Without Love: Evan Heavenly Language Sounds Annoying
2. Without Love: Knowing it all helps no one
3. Without Love: Risk-taking faith is worthless
4. Without Love: Giving all one’s Money to the poor is unprofitable
5. Without Love: The ultimate sacrifice of one’s life is pointless

2. Defining Love

        A. Describing the More Excellent Way of love

             1. Love suffers patiently with people and the wrongs they inflict

                 “Love is patient”

             2. Love treats people with kindness

                 “Love is kind”

        B. Love curbs the deadly vices that destroy loving fellowship

            1. Love is not jealous; Love delights in the betterment of others

                 “Love…is not jealous”

            2. Love doesn’t brag; love promotes others

                 “Love…does not brag

            3. Love isn’t arrogant; love is humble

                 “Love…is not arrogant”

             4. Love does not act inappropriately toward other; love promotes proper decorum

                 “Love…does not act unbecomingly”

              5. Love is not selfish; love promotes self-giving and self-sacrifice

                 “Love…does not seek its own”

              6. Love is not easily provoked to anger; love is calm and slow to anger

                  “Love…is not provoked”

              7. Love doesn’t keep records of wrongs suffered by others; love forgives

                  “Love…does not take into account the wrong suffered”

              8. Love does not delight in wrongdoing; rejoices with the truth

                   “Love…does not rejoice in unrighteousness”

         C. Love’s Enduring, Tenacious Nature

                “Love…bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

   3.  Love Never Ends

   “The greatest of these is love”

“Love never ends.” 13:8

“But when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” 13:10

“Seeing face to face” 13:12

“Son now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 13:13

Heaven is a home of love