This morning, we

continue our message series helping us to better understand and live out

unconditional love.

This series is

entitled, “Love Is” and it is based on that familiar passage found in

1 Corinthians chapter 13. 

We were created by

God with the need for love that can only be expressed through relationships.

As there are

different types of relationships, there are different types of love.  There is, however, a type of love that we are

to express toward anyone and everyone. 

In fact, the Bible teaches that if we learn how to express this type of

love toward God and others, that we will entirely fulfill all that God’s law

requires of us. 

This distinct type

of love is the love that God has for us. 

In the Greek language, it is the word agape.  It is this type of unconditional love that

we’ll be covering through this message series.

To be able to

possess and express this unconditional love, we’re going to break it down into

parts as Paul chose to do in his letter to the Corinthians.  He taught all about spiritual gifts and said

that it is not using these gifts that truly matters, but how we choose to use

them, our motive, that matters to God. 

We can do all sorts of good things for God, but if we do not do them as

an expression of God’s love, then they are pointless, useless, and meaningless.

1 Corinthians 13:1-5

1 If I speak in the

tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong

or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but

do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give

over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain

nothing.  14 Love is patient, love is

kind.   It does not envy, it does not

boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered…

Love is slow to

anger.

Angry, enraged,

short-fused, hot-headed, irritable, touchy, explosive, hot-tempered; not a fun

person to be around and a nearly impossible person to live with.  One second, everything is great and you’re

having a good time, the next second, something sets them off and you’re getting

screamed at and something is flying your way. 

When their anger is directed toward you, you definitely aren’t feeling

loved.  Walking on egg-shells in an

attempt to not set them off is no way to truly live.

Now does this mean

that we never get angry with those we love? 

Certainly not.  We know that

nothing can separate us from the love of God, but even God’s anger burned

toward those he loved.  The reason for

His anger and His response to His anger is what defines healthy anger versus

unhealthy anger.

When we warn our

toddler not to run out into the road so that they do not get hurt, it is a

healthy anger that rises up within us when they ignore us and do it

anyways.  It is an anger birthed out of

love and concern for our child.  It is an

anger coupled with compassion that causes us to run to their rescue and sweep

them up in our arms and out of the street. 

It is also an anger

that causes us to explain to them clearly why what they did was wrong and how

they could have been harmed by their poor decisions.  It is an anger based on timeless truth and

not based on circumstances alone.  It is

an anger that disciplines them in love and ensures that some appropriate

consequence accompanies their actions such as spanking them or taking away some

privilege.  This helps them to understand

how serious their poor decision truly was and directs their paths away from it

in the future.

When we warn our

toddler to stop making that noise and they continue to do it, it isn’t

necessarily a heathy anger that rises up. 

It is an anger birthed out of annoyance and irritability toward our

child.  It is an anger that provokes

us.  It tempts us to discipline them not

because they are in any danger, but because we want t