Introduction: The NFL was the first of professional sports to use the phrase: THE

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1 LOL PART FIVE ARE YOU A TRIPLE THREAT? 1 CORINTHIANS 13:13 - DR. LARRY L. THOMPSON (2015) Introduction: The NFL was the first of professional sports to use the phrase: THE TRIPLE-THREAT. THE TERM REFERS TO A PLAYER WHO EXCELS AT ALL THREE SKILLS OF RUNNING, PASSING AND KICKING. BECAUSE OF THE SPECIALTY PLAY IN TODAY S NFL YOU NO LONGER FIND THE TRIPLE THREAT HOWEVER, THE LAST ONE TO HOLD THAT TITLE WAS GEORGE BLANDA, A QUARTERBACK AND KICKER WHO LAST PLAYED FOR THE OAKLAND RAIDERS. Blanda finished 26 professional seasons having passed for 26,920 yards and 236 touchdowns. He rushed for 344 yards and 9 touchdowns, kicked 335 of 641 field goals, and 943 of 959 extra points, giving him 2,002 total points. He also had 1 interception, 2 kickoff returns for 19 yards, 22 punts for 809 yards, and 23 fumble recoveries. This note accompanies his biography: The NFL has changed so much today that it is obvious to say, we will never have another triple threat like George Blanda! TODAY, WE WILL EXAMINE THE CHRISTIAN S OPPORTUNITY TO BE A SPIRITUAL TRIPLE THREAT WHEN WE LEARN TO LOVE OUT LOUD. BACKGROUND: THE LOCAL CHURCH AT CORINTH WAS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. Sad to say, their problems were like many we have seen in all churches. Sadly, even churches in our area! Like all major church problems, they did not stay within the church family; they were known by the unbelievers outside the church. The church at Corinth was dealing with Sexual Immorality Public drunkenness Abusing God s word to live worldly lives Divisive church, taking sides on minor issues and dividing the fellowship Preacher worship exalting a man and not the Messiah Divided leadership 4 different groups were competing for control In short, God s church at Corinth was a disgraced church. Instead of glorifying God, and LOVING OUT LOUD in a great city, they were hindering the progress of the Gospel. We often quote 1 Corinthians 13 as the love chapter! We use it for weddings, marriage counseling, friendships, and so forth. The principles in this chapter are in fact universal enough to apply to those situations, but, to be clear, Paul wrote the 1

2 church to address the appropriate use of spiritual gifts that would enable them to LOVE OUT LOUD! Paul reminds us that the purpose of all spiritual gifts is to build up the body of Christ, and to touch a world without Christ. Paul states: Even the greatest gifts, without love, are nothing (13:1-3). Spiritual gifts are temporary and pass away at the return of Christ, but love is eternal (13:11-13). Paul describes the characteristics of love and what it means to LOVE OUT LOUD. In the book of I Corinthians, Paul is correcting the church; either in doctrine or practice, in every chapter. In chapter 12, Paul corrects their misunderstanding of spiritual gifts and in final verse says: So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you A WAY OF LIFE that is best of all. I Cor. 12:31 A WAY OF LIFE There is intentionality about that phrase. THIS IS HOW YOU LIVE! Chapter 13 SHOW US what it means to LOVE OUT LOUD! The most helpful gift is LOVE. The Greek word Paul uses for love is 'agape.' It is the unselfish and unconditional love for others. We conclude the study of 1 Cor. 13 today by examining the final verse that reminds us our goal is to LOVE OUT LOUD! Three things will last forever faith, hope, and love and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT) Paul presents us with the Christian s TRIPLE THREAT! FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE is what we need if we are to be successful in following Jesus Christ. Let's take an indepth look at the TRIPLE THREAT and let s focus on our own personal life and see which one of the attributes we may possess or what we need to develop in order to truly LOVE OUT LOUD! I. FOR THE LOVE OF FAITH (Heb 11:1) Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) As we focus on what it means to LOVE OUT LOUD it is important to know that our LOVE will never be what God has designed without an understanding of the importance of faith. FAITH IS INDISPENSABLE TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE! 2

3 The Bible declares that, without faith it is impossible to please God. The Bible tells us, We are saved by grace through faith. Scripture warns us, We are instructed to live by faith and to walk in faith. The Bible clarifies for us, We cannot be a follower of Christ without faith! Faith is a key to LOVING OUT LOUD. I can tell you to LOVE OUT LOUD; we can give you opportunities to LOVE OUT LOUD; but if you are not driven by FAITH; the first aspect of the Christian s TRIPLE THREAT, then you will be responding to man or guilt but not to God. Faith means you will act on God s revealed will! Faith involves believing and acting upon that belief. Hebrews 11 provides one account after another of people who expressed their faith. Their faith was always driven by their obedience to God s word. Faith is taking God at His Word believing what He said is true THEN acting in obedience to His direction. Let s see how we are doing with that definition: What about what Jesus said about your eternal life? If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10 (NLT) What about what Jesus said about your eternal security? I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me. John 10:28 (NLT) What about what Jesus said about heaven? Don t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:1-3 (NLT) What about what Jesus said about hell? 3

4 But I ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he s the one to fear. Luke 12:5 (NLT) ONCE AGAIN: Faith is taking God at His Word believing what He said is true THEN acting in obedience to His direction. How then does FAITH play a part in LOVING OUT LOUD? The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Luke 10:29 (NLT) JESUS proceeds to tell the story of the Samaritan who stopped to help the one who was robbed, beaten and left to die. He didn t know him, he wasn t related to him, he was not a part of his race, he was not practicing his religion the only thing that brought them together was the need he had the Samaritan stopped to meet the need; THAT IS LOVING OUT LOUD! ALLOWING FAITH TO DRIVE YOUR LOVE. Next Three things will last forever faith, HOPE, and love and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT) II. FOR THE LOVE OF HOPE (Rom 15:13) I pray that God, the source of HOPE, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident HOPE through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NLT) LET S TALK ABOUT WHAT IS NOT BIBLICAL HOPE: I hope the Dolphins win the Super Bowl or I hope she gets a raise. Biblical hope is not a hope-so, it s a know-so! It isn t wishing for the best. It isn t waiting to see what happens and hope that it turns out well. Hope is not a feeling or an emotion. Hope is the knowledge of facts. Here is a solid definition of biblical hope: Biblical HOPE is not wishing or hoping for something to happen! A follower of Christ KNOWS that their HOPE is solid, concrete evidence because it is grounded in the WORD OF GOD and we know that God cannot lie! So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence AS WE HOLD TO THE HOPE that lies before us. Hebrews 6:18 (NLT) The modern definition of hope: to wish for, to expect, but without certainty of the fulfillment; to desire very much, but with no real assurance of getting your desire. 4

5 However, in scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated for HOPE: Hope is an indication of certainty; a confident expectation. Though certainly archaic for us today, biblical hope is akin to trust and a complete confident expectation. By its very nature, biblical hope stresses two things: (a) future, and (b) invisibility. It deals with things we can t see or haven t received, or both. So, what s the difference between faith and hope? Faith believes that God CAN do it Hope believes that God WILL do it III. YOU CAN T BE A TRIPLE THREAT WITHOUT LOVE v.13 THREE THINGS WILL LAST FOREVER FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE AND THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE! (I COR. 13:13) Have you ever considered the question, WHY IS LOVE THE GREATEST OF THE TRIPLE THREAT IN THE CHRISTIAN S ARSENAL? Because LOVE is the only one of those three that will actually last forever. Faith will not last (remember it is the evidence of things unseen), but when we get to heaven our faith will be turned to sight. Hope is our confident expectation, but when we are with the Lord all our hopes will be realized. THE ONLY ONE THAT WILL CONTINUE ON IS LOVE WE WILL LOVE THE LORD THROUGHOUT ALL ETERNITY! WHY DO WE NEED TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO LOVE OUT LOUD? JESUS SAID LOVE IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses? 37 Jesus replied, You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. Matt. 22:36-40 (NLT) LOVE GOD LOVE OTHERS! 5

6 THE FIRST LOVE DRIVES THE SECOND LOVE! ONLY when we get this right LOVE OUT LOUD will be able to communicate with the people we love who do not have the FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE we are talking about this morning. This type of divine love starts with us HOW DO WE EXPRESS OUR LOVE FOR CHRIST? 1. HONORING HIM OBEDIENCE If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. John 14:15 (MSG) 2. HONORING ONE ANOTHER LOVING AS CHRIST LOVES US This is My command: Love one another the way I loved you. John 15:12 (MSG) Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:35 (NLT) 3. HONORING THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW THE SAVIOR RESPECT AND TIME Remember that God loved us while we were still sinners. (Rom. 5:6-10) Stephan: Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, "Master, don't blame them for this sin" his last words. Then he died Acts 7:60 (MSG) Conclusion: We can t love out loud until we have personally known the love of God. Have you ever met Christ? Do you have that personal relationship? To understand the power of the TRIPLE THREAT: Faith, Hope and Love it must begin with your willingness to take ONE STEP OF FAITH AND TRUST CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR, YOUR LORD, YOUR MESSIAH. To all the Christians listening to this Word: WE WILL ONLY BE SUCCESSFUL AT LOVING OUT LOUD when we are accurately represent the love of our Lord to this community in which we live! We demonstrate the TRIPLE THREAT THAT CHRIST INTENDED FOR EACH OF US TO BE. FULL OF FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE.But never forget, THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE! Today s Take-A-Way: Based on today s challenge, ask God to place ONE person on your heart that needs experience the LOVE OUT LOUD life JESUS called us to share. (initials of the person you will reach out to this week) 6