Love Is Not Provoked

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Love Is Not Provoked

1 Corinthians 13:5

November 3, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • 1 Corinthians 13:5

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Introduction:

One of the things that the late Martin Lloyd-Jones would warn about in his preaching was our tendency to read the Scriptures and miss their challenge.

He talked about our tendency to assume that we have already experienced what they call for, or what they describe.

So that, instead of being called to higher ground.

Instead of being challenged to a real surrender of ourselves to the Lordship of Christ.

Instead of recognizing our need to live and experience something only made possible by the new birth — only made possible by the indwelling Spirit — we SETTLE for what is natural.

We settle for what we can produce. WE SUBSTITUTE what is OUR OWN BEST effort, instead of that which God produces.

The quality of love that we consider tonight represents more than just self-control.

It is more than self-mastery, self-discipline.

It is an internal mildness that belongs to Christlikeness.

IT IS A MILDNESS (patience and graciousness) THAT BELONGS TO A RECIPIENT OF THE LOVE AND GRACE OF GOD — A MILDNESS THAT MANIFESTS ITSELF IN HUMBLE AND PATIENT RESPONSES.

It is the graciousness of love.

It is the pliability that belongs to love.

It is an aspect of the inner PEACE that knows the love of God.

IT IS A RESPONSE THAT CAN ONLY BE FOUND WHERE PEOPLE DON’T MAKE TOO MUCH OF THEMSELVES.

God’s love — true love — is not easily provoked.

I. LOVE IS NOT IRRITABLE

That statement is simple and straightforward, but we do well to meditate on it for a while, and honestly examine ourselves in light of it.

I WOULD REMIND US THAT WHAT WE ARE REALLY EXAMINING IS WHETHER WE ARE WALKING IN LOVE.

WHEN WE REMEMBER THAT LOVE IS THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, THEN WE ARE EXAMINING WHETHER WE ARE WALKING BY THE SPIRIT.

WHEN WE REMEMBER THAT WALKING BY THE SPIRIT IS A LIFE OF SUBMISSION TO THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST, AND SUBMISSION TO THE WORD OF GOD, THEN WE ARE EXAMINING WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE MORTIFYING SIN AND HONORING JESUS AS LORD AT THE LEVEL OF OUR ATTITUDES AND RESPONSES TO PEOPLE AND CIRCUMSTANCES.

The word itself means:

BDAG — παροξύνω “to cause a state of inward arousal, urge on, stimulate, esp. provoke to wrath, irritate”[1]

In the word is the idea of “sharpness — to sharpen.”

Here it is in the passive voice, so it means to be irritated, to become provoked or indignant.

It is used one other place in the NT, in Acts 17:16.

ESV Acts 17:16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

As always, context is king. That verse (Acts 17:16) demonstrates that this word could be used in a positive way. It was Paul’s zeal for God’s glory, and his compassion for deceived souls, that moved him when he saw Athens full of idols.

INDEED, SOMETHING IS WRONG WHEN WE ARE NOT PROVOKED BY THINGS THAT SHOULD MAKE US ANGRY.

So, the teaching in our verses is NOT that true love is never bothered BY ANYTHING.

But in 1 Corinthians 13 it is obviously being used in a different sense.

I THINK IT IS INSTRUCTIVE THAT IT FOLLOWS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TEACHING THAT LOVE IS NOT SELFISH.

HERE, PAUL IS DESCRIBING A KIND OF PROVOCATION, ANGER, SHARPNESS, IRRITABILITY, THAT IS SELF-SEEKING, OR SELF-INTERESTED — SELF-FOCUSED.

This kind of agitation, irritability, anger, sharpness, comes because I feel you are infringing upon me. Or you are not being to me (in one or another) what I expect and deserve. Whatever the cause, in this kind of sharpness I am more concerned about myself than I am you.

ONE TRANSLATION HAS “IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED.”

NET 1 Corinthians 13:5 It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.

[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 780.

Love Is Hopeful

December 15, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • 1 Corinthians 13:7

One of the things that we will recognize if we approach the Bible submissively, is that it will take us places we would not naturally go. In fact, one of the things we must resist when we study Scripture is the desire to “naturalize” the text. That is, our natural inclination to turn the Bible into what WE want it to say and mean instead of allowing it to speak for itself. Tonight, we come to a quality of love that challenges our natural inclinations. We want to think through what God is saying to us here in a way that we allow it to challenge us, and to change the way we are living. God says that love HOPES ALL THINGS. True love, God’s love, is HOPEFUL. What does that mean? I. THE MEANING OF LOVE’S HOPE The word hope has more than one meaning in Scripture. A. MULTIPLE MEANINGS When you take this word ἐλπίζω and examine its use in the NT (in its various forms), and then you look at the Hebrew words it translates in the Septuagint, a wide range of meanings emerge. The concepts of trust, taking refuge, a general sense of expectation, where one’s confidence is placed, etc. 1. THE WORD “HOPE” CAN BE USED IN REFERENCE TO THE OBJECT OF OUR FAITH. Our hope is centered on something or someone, so that the word hope speaks of where our confidence is stationed. Are you trusting in chariots or in God? For example. Are your riches your strong-tower, or is God your refuge? 2. THE CONCEPT OF HOPE CAN CENTER ON THE SOURCE OF OUR FAITH That is, our hope is in the WORDS — the message we have received — because of the one who has given us those words. 3. IT CAN SPEAK OF THE CERTAINTY OF OUR FAITH The word hope is used to describe a certain expectation of something that has been promised for the future. YOU COULD SAY, A FIXED-EXPECTATION OR A HOLY CONFIDENCE. B. CONTEXTUAL MEANING But in this context, the most natural way to understand what Paul is saying, because belief and hope are sandwiched between love’s protection and love’s endurance, is to understand hope to refer to a POSITIVE EXPECTATION, A HOPEFUL DESIRE. HOLY OPTIMISIM. THEOLOGICAL OPTIMISM. PRINCIPLE: The principle is this — when we walk in the love of God there will be a desire to, and a decision to, hope for the very best with respect to other people. Remember, all these qualities speak of how we deal with other people. We can say that God’s love is optimistic. God’s love is stubborn in its desire to hope for good things, RIGHTEOUS THINGS, in the lives of other people. II. THE MANIFESTATION OF LOVE’S HOPE How does this manifest itself practically? A. LOVE IS HOPEFUL IN A WAY THAT IS HOLY Before we talk about what this will mean for us, I want to be clear about what it isn’t. There are Satanic counterfeits for every quality God would build in our lives. This is one OFTEN counterfeited. In fact, there are times when faithful believers will be criticized because they are characterized as being too negative, or lacking hope, when they are simply sober about the spiritual condition of another person. The kind of hopefulness we are talking about operates in complete agreement with every other quality of love, including the statement that love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth. It is not a hopefulness that IGNORES sin. It is not a hopefulness that REFUSES to correct. It is not a hopefulness that BLUNTS the truth. B. LOVE IS HOPEFUL ABOUT WHAT IS TRUE OF OTHERS That is, as we consider our JUDGMENTS concerning other people, there is a HOLY hopefulness we choose to operate in. 1. WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THEIR MOTIVATIONS 2. WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THEIR CHARACTER 3. WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THEM THAT MIGHT BE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE

Thanksgiving & Certain Triumph

November 24, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Psalm 9

Introduction: When we think about all the ways that God has blessed us IN THIS TEMPORAL AGE, our reasons for Thanksgiving are overwhelming. OUR GOD HAS BEEN GOOD TO US! Every believer, even those who experienced horrific things in life, has reason for GREAT PRAISE, because God has forgiven us and made us His children through faith in Jesus Christ. But our reasons for Thanksgiving are not LIMITED to the present age. And when we keep the transcendent reasons for Thanksgiving in our minds, it increases our Thanksgiving IN THE PRESENT AGE. Our reasons for Thanksgiving reach beyond this momentary existence. They reach beyond what the eye can see. Today I want us to remember a transcendent reason for Thanksgiving. A reason for Thanksgiving that is above all that takes place in the present age, constantly controls the present age (though in a way lost men don’t recognize), but in a future age will be acknowledged by all. Today we give thanks THAT OUR GOD IS KING. He is King over His world. He is King over all the Kingdoms of this world. He is King over all the circumstances that we face in this world. He is King over the great ones of the earth. He is King over the small ones of the earth. HE IS KING OVER ALL. HE IS KING EVEN IN OUR SORROWS. The world is full of many troubles. The very next Psalm, which has a close relationship to this one — is a Psalm of lament. Psalm 10 acknowledges the difficulties of life in a fallen world. We encounter many true dangers, we sometimes have true enemies, we sometimes encounter powerful fear and anxiety in our hearts, and yet we can know THAT BECAUSE OUR GOD ALWAYS TRIUMPHS HIS PEOPLE ALWAYS TRIUMPH. NAS 2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. NAS Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, "For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. And it is THAT knowledge — the knowledge of the rule and authority of our God that guarantees our ultimate triumph in Christ — that allows us to be thankful in any and every circumstance. ESV Philippians 4:5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Today we think about THE BELIEVER’S THANKSGIVING INFORMED BY THE CERTAINTY OF VICTORY. This Psalm divides into two main sections. Verses 1-12, thanksgiving’s vision in the form of proclamation. Verses 13-20, thanksgiving’s vision in the form of prayer. I. THANKSGIVING’S VISION IN THE FORM OF PROCLAMATION (vs.1-12) This is a Psalm of David. This is a Psalm of praise. And the kind of praise that we find in this Psalm is the kind of praise that would be on the lips of A GODLY KING. Much of what he says would seem to have no direct connection with anything we’re facing today. And yet, his praise relates to more than his own circumstances. His praise relates to more than his own life. And so, it should be with us.

Love’s Rejoicing

November 17, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • 1 Corinthians 13:5

Introduction: Lost man is incurably moralistic. Even when men are immoral, they promote their immorality in the name of morality. Using just one example. When we think about the sexual revolution that our nation has seen over the past few decades —recognize that it has been done in the NAME OF MORALITY. “It is RIGHT,” they would say, “to celebrate sexual diversity, and if anyone disagrees, IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE A BIGOT.” In fact, they are driven by irrational fear. Homophobia. Transphobia. This places the acceptance of all the various sexual sins in the category of virtue. Those who accept such things are more enlightened, more advanced, more educated, more reasonable, or just better people. It places the rightful hatred of these behaviors in the category of bigotry. THOSE WHO ACTUALLY OPPOSE GOD ARE NOW CLAIMED TO BE ON GOD’S SIDE. THOSE WHO ACTUALLY SIDE WITH GOD’S WORD ARE NOW CLAIMED TO BE AGAINST GOD. BUT IT ISN’T JUST A GENERAL MORALITY THAT IS CLAIMED FOR THESE CHOICES — IT IS THE SPECIFIC CLAIM OF LOVE. According to the moral climate of the age: To say that a person’s sexual orientation is sinful or abnormal is UNLOVING. To say that people of the same sex shouldn’t be able to marry is UNLOVING. To refuse to treat such behaviors as normal and acceptable — in the realm of a family, for example — is said to be UNLOVING. This is a tremendous crisis in our time. IT DEMONSTRATES HOW THE MEANING OF LOVE, THE MEASURE OF LOVE, AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF WHAT IS LOVELY — HAS BEEN DISTORTED. The quality of love that we consider tonight IS A GREAT REMEDY if we are willing to listen. What we see here challenges common lies and deceptions that exist in the MORAL REALM, the RELATIONAL REALM, the DOCTRINAL REALM, and the REALM OF MINISTRY. What do we see here? We will consider these two statements under THREE headings. I. LOVE’S DISCERNMENT These two statements are to be taken together. Each statement is true on its own, but when taken together we see the fulness of what is being described. What is being described is that fact that LOVE MAKES A CHOICE. Love does not exist in the gray zone of neutrality. LOVE IS NOT ACCEPTING OF EVERYTHING. On one side of the ledger, we are told what is incompatible with love. What love DOES NOT ACCORD WITH what it CANNOT COOPERATE WITH, and what it will not REJOICE IN. On the other side of the ledger, we are told what LOVE AGREES WITH — what it TAKES JOY IN. This means that LOVE MAKES DISTINCTIONS. And it makes distinctions that require discernment. A. LOVE RECOGNIZES UNRIGHTEOUSNESS For true love, godly love, there is such a thing as sin. THE WORD HERE SPEAKS OF INJUSTICE, INIQUITY, WRONGDOING, EVIL, AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. That is, anything that is contrary to the will of God in belief or practice. Anything contrary to God’s will, anything that would grieve the Holy Spirit, anything contrary to the Scriptures, is unrighteousness. 1. UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE REALM OF PHILOSOPHY The general way that men process the world. The realm of ideas, opinions, ambitions, standards, values, pleasures, theories, morals, etc. WHAT CHARACTERIZES SIN IN THIS REALM IS THAT IT IS A TRUTH SUPRESSOR. What is true, according to Scripture, is exchanged for lies. What would make God truly known is substituted for with lies about God.