I. Love Doesn’t Vaunt Itself (v4b) II. Love is Not Puffed Up (v4b) III. Love Doesn’t Behave Unseemly (v5a) IV. Love Doesn’t Seek Its Own (v5a)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I greet all of you in the most blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It's been some time since I last spoke to you God's word, and I praise God for the opportunity this evening so that I can stand before you to speak His truth. I also bring greetings from the brethren in Myanmar. We have been praying for you, and we know that you have also been praying for us. Despite the various challenges in life, God has been so good to us, and we praise God for His faithfulness and goodness upon us. We want to express our thanks to all of you for praying for us and for giving us your support.
This evening, I have chosen 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 for our meditation. Previously, I have spoken two sermons from this chapter, chapter 13 of First Corinthians, and tonight we are going to focus on the last part of verse 4 and the first part of verse 5 together. In order to capture the entire context, I want to read to you from verse 1 right through verse 7. So, if you have your Bibles, please turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 13, reading from verse 1.
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
May the Lord bless us in the reading of His holy and perfect word. Let us look to the Lord in prayer: Almighty God, Thou who art our most gracious Father in heaven, we thank Thee for giving us life and we thank Thee for giving us salvation in Thine only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank Thee for continuing to give us the chance to live on this planet Earth so that we can be witnesses for Thee. This evening, as Thy people, we come together, whether in person or on Zoom, to worship Thee, to praise Thee, and to pray unto Thee. As we do so, we want to ponder and meditate upon Thy Word, particularly 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 and 5. We pray for Thy Holy Spirit to be with us in a very special way. Enlighten our hearts and help us to understand Thy truth so that we can live lives that are pleasing unto Thee. We commit our lives and our time unto Thee. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
In one of my first two sermons on 1 Corinthians chapter 13, I focused on verses 1 to 3 on the title "The Supremacy of Love." In this entire chapter, the Apostle Paul discusses and explains to us what it means to love in the Christian way. In other words, this is the best explanation of biblical love, what ought to be true in our lives as Christians. After that, I also preached focusing on verse 4, the first part of verse 4, entitled "Love's Relation to Others." Love, in its relation to others, when it comes to others, relating to others, love suffers long, love is kind, and love does not envy. And that is where we stopped the last time.
Tonight, I want to pick up from the second part of verse 4. So please look at verse 4. I'm going to read this way: ‘Love vaunteth not itself, love is not puffed up, love does not behave itself unseemly, and love does not seek her own.’ And that is for an easy understanding. Of course, as it stands in the King James Bible, all the translation is true and correct. I simply want to simplify. So we are going to focus on these two verses. We find four words used by Paul in these two verses to explain what it means to love. So I want to focus on those four words, and I want to entitle my message this evening as "The Nature of Love: Love in Its Relation to Self."
Previously, in its relation to others, when it comes to relating to others, how does love behave? Now tonight, what about our own self? If we say we have agape love, we already explained that the word love here is ‘agape’, the best and the purest form of love, and that's what we find in this chapter. So if we claim, as we ought to as Christians, if we claim that we have agape love, then these are some of the practical ways whereby we can manifest that love.
In this entire chapter, the Apostle Paul used 15 different words, and they are all verbs, explaining what love does and does not do. Instead of expressing what love is and is not, all these are action verbs, or in other words, verbs that explain what love does.
I. Love Doesn’t Vaunt Itself (v4b)
Now, what does love do when it comes to itself? What we find in the second part of verse 4: "Charity vaunteth not itself." So our first point is love does not vaunt itself. Love does not vaunt itself. And of course, the most important word in this regard is the word ‘vaunt.’ What does it mean? Interestingly, this is a very rare word in the New Testament, only used once in the entire New Testament, and the meaning can be explained this way. The word ‘vaunt’ means to make a vain display of one's own worth or attainment or to call attention to oneself pridefully and often boastfully. And that is how Webster's dictionary explains the word ‘vaunt,’ and it does not contradict the biblical usage.
Love, when it comes to self, does not vaunt itself. And this is in contradiction to the Corinthian believers' behaviour because they were very prone to vaunt themselves, to show off their spiritual gifts and spiritual abilities to others. Maybe this way of explaining may help us. One commentator explained this way: vaunting is the other side of jealousy. Jealousy is to want to have what someone else has. Vaunting is to make others jealous of what we have.
Are we guilty of this sin? That is what we need to examine ourselves. In simple language, to vaunt itself is to show off, to show off. As Christians, are we accustomed to show off ourselves, our physical attainments, our physical worth and attainments, achievements, and so on, or even our spiritual maturity, our spiritual growth? Are we guilty of vaunting ourselves? Do we show off what we have and what we can do? That is what the Apostle Paul doesn't want us to have. He says love does not vaunt itself. If you and I are Christians who have the agape love, then we are not to show our attainments, our abilities, and whatever we have and whatever we can to others in a manner that people will be jealous of us, whether it is physical or spiritual things. We must be very careful not to display it in a very prideful expression.
The remedy for this is found in James 1:17, where we have God's Word telling us that ‘every good gift comes from God Himself’. In other words, anything you can do, anything you have that others don't have, in fact, those things come from God. Those good things come from God. When you acknowledge that those things come from God, then there is no reason for you to vaunt yourself.
So dear brothers and sisters in Christ, of all the people in the world, we Christians are the people who ought to show genuine love among ourselves, among people of the same faith. Have we been guilty of showing off our physical as well as spiritual abilities and attainments and achievements? Let us examine ourselves.
II. Love is Not Puffed Up (v4b)
Let us go to the next point, still in verse four: "Charity is not puffed up." Charity is not ‘puffed up.’ To be ‘puffed up’ is to be proud of one's position and to see oneself as superior to others, explains one commentator. There is a difference between ‘vaunting’ and being ‘puffed up.’ Perhaps the difference may be explained this way: in ‘vaunting,’ one expresses itself of what he has and what he can do. But when it comes to being ‘puffed up,’ the person does not show off. It is a kind of mentality which others may not be able to see.
So, being ‘puffed up’ is to be proud, to be prideful inside, in ourselves. It speaks of the feeling that we have in ourselves, which others may not see. You can see there's a very close relation between these two ideas. The first, ‘vaunting,’ is expressing and showing, and being ‘puffed up’ is having arrogance or pride in ourselves which may not be expressed to others. Yet these two should not be true of us, should not be maintained or sustained in us as Christians because outward expression often comes from inward reality. So, the person who is prideful and arrogant inside himself, which others do not see, very often he expresses it outwardly so that others may see. But sometimes he just keeps it down and he keeps it to himself. Yet these are two sins that should not be true of the person who is loving. In other words, the loving Christian does not vaunt himself, and the loving Christian does not feel pride or vanity within himself. He is not boasting in any sense, outwardly or inwardly.
Maybe this illustration may help us understand how pride, arrogance, and expression of what we have and what we can do often bring harm to ourselves and no good to all of us:
Once upon a time, there were two ducks and one frog living together in a pond. They were good friends. In the summer, the pond dried up, and the two ducks were thinking where to move to because the pond was dried up. They had this idea that they should move to a place where there's plenty of water. Since this frog had been a friend of ours for so long, we should bring him together with us. They decided to carry the frog with a stick, one duck holding one side of the stick and the other duck holding the other side. In between, in the middle, the frog was hanging on with his mouth.
As they went, a farmer saw it and he asked, ‘Well, isn't that a very clever idea! I wonder who thought of it?’
Then the frog answered, ‘I did.’
That is how boasting brings harm to oneself.
We all know the story of the Titanic back in 1912. When the Titanic was completed, they were about to sail from Liverpool to New York for the first time. At that time, one of the inventors of the ship was asked a question in an interview if this whole ship could actually sink in the ocean. Replying to the question, he said, ‘Not even God himself could sink this ship.’
But the sad story is that we all know the Titanic sank down, and as a result, about 1,500 people were plunged into the depths. There is a debate over who said those words, and according to some sources, it was Edward John Smith who spoke those words. Whoever it was, if those words were spoken, they reflect arrogance. Think of it: ‘Not even God himself could sink this ship.’ The opposite came true.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, even for a moment, let us never think that way. In ourselves people do not see us, yet God sees us. Outside ourselves, when we express ourselves, of course, others see us. So whether it is in ourselves or outside ourselves, let us never maintain a prideful behaviour, a prideful mentality. Remember, love does not vaunt itself. Love is not puffed up.
III. Love Doesn’t Behave Unseemly (v5a)
Let us continue with verse five. Here is the top point: "Love does not behave unseemly." Love does not behave unseemly. Love does not behave itself unseemly, says verse five. What does it mean? This is talking about ill behaviour, unmannered behaviour, inappropriate behaviour, whether it is in speech or deed. The Christian who is loving is very careful of his behaviour. He is very decent. He is very careful of his speech, of his deeds, and of course, his mentality as well.
When the Bible says, ‘Charity does not behave itself unseemly,’ it seems to emphasise the outward expression. But we must remember that outward expression comes from what is true inside the person. So in other words, the loving Christian does not behave unseemly before others because he does not behave unseemly in and of himself as well. Even when people do not see him, even when no one else sees him, he does not behave unseemly. And that is very challenging, isn't it? People care so much about what others see and what others say; they care very little about what is true of themselves.
The Bible says, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." (Luke 6:45). In other words, the person who behaves appropriately and decently is a person who also behaves appropriately in and of himself. And we ought to be very careful of our behaviour and our attitude as well.
The Apostle Paul also tells us in other epistles: in Colossians 4:6, he says, "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." And in Ephesians 4:29, he says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." So the principle being taught by the Apostle Paul here is that we ought to always maintain good manners. Our speech, our deeds, and our attitude must be right before God, right before others, and right in ourselves as well.
People who do not maintain this godly and appropriate and decent composure are often people who do not love others enough. If you love people around you enough, then you should be careful of how you speak, how you think, and how you do the things that you ought to do.
IV. Love Doesn’t Seek Its Own (v5a)
And lastly, also in verse five, and this is our fourth point: "Love does not seek its own."
Look at verse five again: ‘Love seeketh not her own.’ Interestingly, we have four words here in verses 4b and 5a. These four words are all in the present tense, which means this ought to be true always, continually, of us as Christians. It shouldn't be once in a while; it should be habitual. It should be the way we live. In other words, vaunting of ourselves should never be true of us, and being puffed up should never be what we are, and we should never behave ourselves unseemly.
So what does it mean when the Apostle Paul says, ‘Love does not seek her own?’ Of course, he doesn't go further than that. So by way of explanation and application, we can add on. For example in this manner, love does not seek its own praise, its own profit, its own pleasure, its own satisfaction, its own interest, and so on. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is very natural for humanity, for the human being, to seek our own. In fact, everybody by nature seeks his or her own benefit.
Sometime I happen to listen to those meetings in the United Nations to keep up with the news of the world, and one thing I noticed is this: Here you have a representative of a particular country. Every representative, when they speak, they speak for their own country, for the interest and benefit of their own country. And that is very natural because they are human.
So even after we have become Christians, it is still natural for us to seek our own, our own glory, our own profit, our own pleasure, our own gratification, our own satisfaction. It's all about me, me, me. It's all self-centred. But the loving Christian, the Christian who has agape, God's love in his life, is very careful about how he behaves. He does not seek his own profit, his own pleasure, his own glory.
So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us examine ourselves if we have been guilty of this very sin. I'm afraid many of us at many times are guilty of this, including myself. So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us return to the Lord, let us return to His truth, and examine ourselves. Have I been seeking my own praise, my own profit, my own pleasure, my own satisfaction? Even in the church, even when you come to the church, are you seeking your own comfort, your own praise, your own satisfaction in the church? Rather, we should be coming to the church to glorify God, to praise God, and to edify others.
So let us examine ourselves and try to correct ourselves if we are wrong in some ways. I want to read some portions from the same epistle written by Paul. Chapter 10:23-24, he says, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth."
In 12:25, he says, “That there should be no schism in the body;” - no division - “but that the members should have the same care one for another.” You care for others.
Philippians 2:4: "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." Nature tells us you must please yourself, you must seek those things that will benefit yourself. But the Bible tells us you need to care for others. Look not on yourself, not on your own things, but every man also on the things of others. We should live for others, we should care for others.
So, there are four lessons we need to learn when it comes to ourselves as loving Christians: Firstly, we should not vaunt ourselves. We should not show off, whether physical or spiritual things. Secondly, we should not be puffed up, whether inside ourselves where people do not see, we should never maintain a prideful or boastful mentality. Thirdly, we should always behave ourselves appropriately, not unseemly. And fourthly, we should not seek our own, our own name, our own glory. It should be others' glory, the edification, the satisfaction of others.
So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, have we been living for others or for ourselves? Let us examine ourselves. The Apostle Paul devoted one entire chapter to explain what it means to love others. This chapter is talking about loving others as Christians. So, have we succeeded to some extent? It is my prayer that everyone of us here tonight will do our best to live up to the Bible, to live out the truth of God's word found in this chapter.
Let us pray. Father, we thank you for tonight. We thank you for Thy word. We thank you for the Apostle Paul who wrote these words. We pray for the Holy Spirit to help us remember these words and help us to live these words in our daily lives. We pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you. God bless.