Sincere Love, Part 4

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.

Helping others to follow Jesus can't be done purely out of self-will. It requires love—the power to love beyond what man alone can produce. For this kind of love, we must look to our Savior, who has loved us, spending Himself so fully for us on the cross. Today's message, titled, Sincere Love, comes from 2 Corinthians 12, 11-19.

Let's listen in. This is part 3 of a message that was first preached on August 24, 2014. To hear the whole message, you can visit www.delightingrace.com. To help someone follow Jesus means you have to help them understand that selfishness is inconsistent with following Jesus. And a loving person is willing to do that, and that person can be criticized.

And so this is something that Paul was facing here. So these four elements of sincere love—sincere love grants authority in God's economy, in God's ministry. Sincere love grants authority in ministry, not just if you're in a position of authority, but if you are an influencer, and all Christians are, you're an influencer, and whether that is exercised corporately or individually. If your message, if your investment in another person's life is going to have any believability at all, any authority attached to it at all, it's got to be with sincere love. And sincere love, even though there may be indifference.

Even though there may be indifference. Paul said in verse 11, I ought to have been commended by you, speaking to the Corinthian church. There's implication here that as Paul was being viciously attacked, there should have been some people in the church that stood up and said, hey, this is not right. We recognize his authority, his apostleship. We recognize that the signs of an apostle are being done here.

But there seemed to be an indifference there, remaining silent as he was being viciously accused. Meaning what? That sometimes people can take ministry for granted. People can take faithful ministry for granted.

If you are ministering to someone, you might feel like they're indifferent towards your relationship with them, towards the truth that you share with them. Stay with it. Stay with it. Invest yourself. Work for their betterment.

Stay with it. Exercise sincere love, even though you might feel there is indifference there. Sincere love grants authority in God's economy, even though there may be indifference and even though there may be criticism. And there will be criticism. I believe Jesus warned us of that. Anyone who is ministering in any way, anyone who is influencing another or others in terms of the gospel, there will be criticism. And Paul faced quite a bit of it. Verse 13, for what is it in which you were inferior to other churches except that I myself was not burdensome to you?

Forgive me this wrong. What an interesting way to put it. He was accused of taking advantage of the Corinthians, even when he sacrificed for them more than for anyone else.

Try to figure that one out. Behold the power of human hubris. Verse 15, and I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved. Paul said, it seems like the more I invest myself in you, the less you care about what I'm doing and the more you misunderstand what I'm doing.

Did I take advantage of you? He says what he says in verse 16. Did I take, verse 17, did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you? They say that Titus, Paul, you sent Titus and his accusers are saying, Paul sent Titus.

Paul's about doing his stuff and he sends Titus to take all this money from us. And we're accusing Paul of taking advantage. You know, any leader who does anything is going to be criticized. I think it's the responsibility of each one of us to make sure that we're not the ones being the unjust critics. The more he gave, the more he was criticized. But you know, sincere love grants authority to our ministry, to our helping others follow Jesus, even if there might be indifference, criticism, even if there might be misunderstanding.

Because there will be misunderstanding. Verse 19, again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? Do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? What is he saying? It's not your opinion we seek, but Christ. Paul said this earlier, 1 Corinthians chapter 4. He says, actually, I want you to know that I have a very low opinion of your opinion of me.

But he didn't stop there. He says, I also have a very low opinion of my opinion of me. I'm not my judge. You're not my judge. God is my judge. And I stand before God. I am accountable to him, and I recognize the gravity of that truth.

That's the very reason that I invest myself the way that I do. Paul was not in the business of appeasing the criticisms or the opinions of his detractors. He made his appeal to the highest judge. And he did so out of sincere love. Something we need to point out here as we look at Paul's example in this, as he relates to the Corinthian church here on the issue of authority. If there's going to be any authority in ministry at all, it has to come with sincere love. Because without love, ministry will not be believable. Paul makes that very clear in 1 Corinthians 13. As we pointed out before, gifts minus love equals nothing. So how does he define love? Well, it's very similar to what he does in 1 Corinthians 13 to what we've pointed out today in this paragraph of his example. 1 Corinthians 13, love is not something deserved, but committed freely.

And this is the message that we have from the apostle here today through the Holy Spirit. Love is not something deserved. If I only loved you because you deserved it, or if you only loved me because I deserved it, that wouldn't be love.

Love is not something deserved. It is something committed freely. And there is an element of commitment in that. I commit myself to this. I invest myself in your God-ward movement. I commit myself to your betterment. I will personally sacrifice myself for your betterment, for your God-ward movement. I will stay with it for your sake. Those are the elements of sincere love. And we see that in 1 Corinthians 13, verses 4 and 7. Love suffers long.

That's patient endurance, patient endurance. Love does not seek its own. It's not focused on itself.

Look at me, draw attention. And Paul says, it's not you, it's not yours that I seek, but you. It does not seek its own.

It's not building up its own kingdom. Love is focused on the greater purpose. Love is not provoked. Love is not provoked.

Why? Because it's not about me. You know, there may be misunderstandings. There may be criticisms.

There may be indifference. And sometimes you feel like you're just pouring yourself and pouring yourself into the lives of another or a group of people, and you feel like you're just giving and giving, and there's criticism, there's indifference, there's misunderstanding, and all of these things Paul had in the Corinthian church. But Paul was not provoked. He loved them sincerely.

Why? Because it wasn't about him. The ministry was not about him.

The ministry was not about him. Love is not provoked. Love bears all things, burdens, sacrifices, weaknesses. Love endures all things, hardships, mistreatments, criticism. Love stays with it. Love is willing to make that personal investment, that personal sacrifice for the betterment of another, for another's God-ward movement.

So in conclusion today, let's just remember these words. Remember what ministry is. Ministry is helping another follow Jesus, helping others follow Jesus.

Ministry cannot be done purely out of self-will. It requires love, the power to love, beyond what man alone can produce. It must be the outflow of one's walk with God, who is love. And the minister, that's you and me, the instrument in the grip of that love.

In the grip of that love. When I am gripped by the love of God, then my ministry to you is the outflow. My helping you to follow Jesus, you helping each other to follow Jesus, the unbelieving friend of yours, helping them to become a follower of Christ. As you are in the grip of God's love, then you invest in them that sincere love in your ministry towards them. Therein, we will see the authority of God to influence the lives of others. Therein lies the authority, the genuine authority of God. Paul pointed this, John, I'm sorry, the apostle John made this very clear by this. 1 John 3.16, we know John 3.16, we should also know 1 John 3.16. By this, we know love because he laid down his life for us.

That's part A, here's part B, it's the natural outflow. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. You see, that's perfected love. And that's going to be our focus this evening at the Lord's table, as we remember the Lord and his love for us. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in him, the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.