August 23, 2026
Passage: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Speaker: Pastor Rodney DeJager
Main Idea: Gods design for His church is that believers would love one another with a sincere and sacrificial love.

I. Love is essential (v. 1-3).
            A.  Even the most gifted speech is worthless without love.
            B.  Even the greatest spiritual gifts and knowledge are worthless without love.
            C.  Even the most extreme generosity and self-sacrifice are worthless without love.

            Application: Is love essential in how I serve in the church, relate to other believers, disciple my children, and approach my marriage? Will I allow love to shape every part of my life?

II. Love has defining attributes (v. 4-7)
                ⁴Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not puffed up;  ⁵ it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,  ⁶ it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;  ⁷ it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

            Application: Which of these characteristics am I lacking?  How is God leading me to grow in these areas?

III. Love never fails (v. 8-12)

            Application: Do I hold my gifts and ministries loosely, knowing they are temporary, while pursuing love as what is eternal?

IV. Love is the greatest (v.13)

            Application: Will I love others sincerely and sacrificially even when I don’t feel like it?