PowerPoint

Guest (Male): Love is something you are and love is something you do. God is love and the love of God is in us. And God has demonstrated his love toward us while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Guest (Male): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about a vibrant love in your life, your home and your marriage. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message, All You Need is Love.

Jack Graham: Begin finding the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians. The world that we live in today is a loveless and therefore hopeless world. And the greatest thing in the world in response, the greatest powerful weapon against hate is love. The love of God. The greatest thing in the world for you and me is to be a channel of God's love to the world.

Jesus said love others as I have loved you. And when you know that you are loved by God, when you experience and embrace the love of Jesus Christ in your own life, then you are able to give that love to others and to show that love in the way that you live. When we know that we are loved, we can generously, authentically, genuinely love others. We have received love and therefore we give love.

So let's talk about that love today. 1st Corinthians chapter 13. You know it as the great love chapter of the Bible. And we're going to read it all today because it's so important that we see it. And I know you've seen this. It's a familiar passage. It's perhaps even read or sung at your wedding, but here's what God says about love.

If I speak in the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and knowledge, and I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have and if I deliver up my body to be burned but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. As for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and in prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child, but when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part and then I shall know fully even as I have known. And the next verse, the next sentence in 1st Corinthians 14:1 probably should have been included at the end of chapter 13 says, pursue love. Chase after love.

The title of this series is The Way Home and we're talking about the kind of love that lasts. The marriage that can experience lifelong love. A love that is both tough and tender. Real love, authentic love, genuine love has staying power. It will not always be looking for the next exit strategy. It doesn't quit when things get difficult or hard.

Real love is resilient. It is reliable. It is righteous. It keeps us going, this kind of love. It's why we keep fighting for our families. It's why we keep working on our marriages. You know, you could have a marriage that is good or bad. You could have a marriage that is average or a marriage that is great. Or you could have a marriage that is great or elite and excellent.

And if you want an elite marriage, if you want an excellent marriage, the scripture says here at the end of chapter 12, let me show you a more excellent way. If you want that kind of marriage, an elite marriage, it's going to require passion and work and devotion and dedication and a determination that says love never fails.

And I'm here to tell you today that God can resurrect your marriage if it's dead. That God can rekindle your love. Yes, this love of God that the world needs so much. But the world doesn't need and you don't need a silly, shallow, soft, sentimental love. You need a love that is truly the love of God. That's what my home needs and your home needs as well.

1st Corinthians chapter 13 is a portrait of Jesus. It's been called the lyrics of life, 1st Corinthians 13. It's a lyric of love of course, a poem about love inspired by the Holy Spirit. This is not just a human expression of love, but love as inspired by the spirit of God written from the pen of Paul.

And it was written regarding Christian love in the context of the church, but of course it applies to all relationships and home and family and marriage. And it is in fact some have expressed an interpretation, 1st Corinthians 13, of Jesus's sermon on the mount. I know it's a wrap-up of what Jesus said when he was asked, "Well, what is love?" and "What is the greatest commandment?"

He said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul and love your neighbor as yourself. So when you've said love, you've said it all. All you need is love. God's love. The fruit of the spirit is love. The Holy Spirit pours out in the believer's life the love of Jesus Christ.

And when you look at this passage of scripture, it is so idealistic, it is so ideal that perhaps it can be intimidating to say, "Well, I know I don't love like this. I certainly don't love like this all the time." Well, nobody can sit for this portrait in 1st Corinthians 13 except Jesus. But Jesus perfectly portrays love as it is lived.

So love can be defined in some ways, but mainly love is demonstrated. And when you read this chapter, especially these verses 4, 5, 6 and 7, we see the practices of love because love is not static, love is active. And all of these words, and we're going to hone in on the heart of this passage, which is the practice of love, all of these words here are verbs.

Because love is something you are and love is something you do. God is love and the love of God is in us. And God has demonstrated his love toward us. In fact, that's the gospel. That God has demonstrated his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And it is that love of God now that lives in us. It's the love of Jesus Christ.

So when you read of the priority and the preeminence of love and the practices of love and the perseverance of love and the permanence of love, love never fails, you realize this is something that only God can do in my life. This is not me. This is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is God's great love. Love does.

It is authentic, it is not sentimental. It is strong, it is not superficial. There are actually in verses 4 through 7, 15 expressions, practices of love. The love of God in us. And with this, if we by God's grace and with the help of the Holy Spirit, isn't it good to know that we have a Father who loves us in heaven, a Savior who redeems us and the Holy Spirit who counsels us?

If you want a great counselor, listen to the Holy Spirit through the word of God. If you want your love to last and your marriage to be elite, then listen to what God says. He says love never fails. He says in verse 13 the greatest of these of all the virtues of life, the greatest of these is love.

So there are 15 specific expressions of this kind of love. Let's look at them briefly. And I want you to apply this to your own life and if you are a couple, if you're married, I want you to think about how your marriage would maximize if you practice in the power of God's spirit what we are all commanded and called to do by Jesus himself who said, "Love one another as I have loved you."

And how did he love his disciples? It says he loved them to the end. All the way. Because love never fails. I discovered just this week in studying this passage that that word love never ends or love never fails down at the close of the passage, it's a picture of a flower that never fades. It's like a flower that flourishes and never fades.

This is the love that we are to pursue. So love is patient. Love is patient which means it is long-suffering. Love is patient with one another. Not irritable or constantly critical. Love is kind. To some people, kindness seems like weakness. Not to God. Kindness or meekness is life under control.

Love is kind. I'd say that this is love in the little things. Love in the little things of daily life. But the kindness of love is powerful, isn't it? It's the most powerful force in the world. It is the love that moves us to be kind to people who are weak or kind to people who are hurting or kind to people who are difficult.

Kindness is an act of love in ministry and in service. This is what love is. This is what love does. And love is kind to one another. Does things that shows, that expresses that kindness. The special touch, to reach over and hold a hand. I don't want to just get sentimental. These are strong things.

These are powerful things that move the needle in your marriage from good to great, from great to excellent or elite. Love is kind, love is long-suffering. Because of your kindness, we say to God, "Your kindness, your loving kindness is better than life." The loving kindness of God is better than life.

And when we love like God loves us, that loving kindness is expressed to our mate, to our spouses, and of course our children.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, All You Need is Love. We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content.

To join, start a new text conversation by texting the word CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789. Every gift given to PowerPoint Ministries before June 30th will be doubled through a $200,000 matching grant. This is a crucial moment as we close out the financial year because your support helps ensure that the truth of Jesus continues reaching people who are searching for something real they can trust.

And as our thanks for your gift, we'll send you the Jesus Discoveries by Dr. Jeremiah Johnston. A resource designed to strengthen your confidence in the truth of the gospel. To give your gift and request your copy, text JUNE to 59789. That's JUNE to 59789. Now let's get back to today's message, All You Need is Love.

Jack Graham: Love is not jealous. Here he turns in these, in this verbiage to the opposite of what love is. He says love is not jealous. Why? Because love is humble. Love cheers the other one on. And then envy. Love is not envious. People get all worked up about what somebody else has. Even in our own families.

The way to overcome jealousy and envy in our lives is to be grateful for what God has done in our own lives. Therefore we're not running around being competitive or critical of others and what others are doing. Isn't it amazing how some people think that it is their calling in life to criticize what others are doing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ?

That's not love. Love is not jealous. Love is kind. Love is long-suffering. Love is humble. In fact, the antidote for envy and jealousy, which the Bible describes as rottenness to the bones, the antidote is humility. Love is humble. It is kind. Love does not boast. It is not arrogant. The boastful is the know-it-all.

That person who walks in the room and they just tell you by their very presence that they think they're smarter than everybody else in the room. That's not love. Love verse 5 is not rude. That should explain itself, but think about how that might apply in your life and how your marriage would be different if you just practiced this admonition.

Rudeness here is a word which refers to unbecoming behavior, behavior that is unbecoming. Love is considerate and it is graceful. And what I see in marriage is always the temptation to treat the people we say we love the most the worst. The people that are the closest and dearest and nearest to us, they get the worst of us.

But when we practice the love of Jesus, then everything changes. Our life changes. Love lasts, is patience, is kind, is responsive, not reactive. It's not critical, it's not carnal. It's not difficult or demanding, but it is sacrificial. The word love here is the unique biblical word for love, which is agape.

If you've been around the church, you've probably heard this explained in the past, the various words for love in the Bible. But this is the ultimate love, agape love, and it is love that is selfless. It's the love of God that is sacrificial. And in this practice of love we find the permanence of love that endures hard times and tough times and difficult days.

When Deb and I were married, we were both 19 years of age. But we had to grow up in a hurry. We were students at Hardin-Simmons University where I was preparing to preach and having a great life with a new wife and playing baseball. And in that first summer of our marriage, you know some of my story, my father was tragically murdered.

Within another 12 months, Deb's dad, Doyle Peters, was diagnosed with melanoma cancer. Such a wonderful man, such a great dad. I loved Doyle Peters. I was with him when he took his last breath. He died. Two or three short years later, my mother died of a broken heart at the loss of my father.

No question in my mind. It was a coronary, but she just never got over the brutal death of my father and she died suddenly. So listen, in the first five years of our marriage, we lost three of our four parents. And God used those days not only to prepare us for our life's calling, but to strengthen our marriage as a foundation.

Jesus talked about this in the end of the sermon on the mount when he said in life the storms are going to come and the winds are going to blow and howl. And if you build your life with no foundation, just on sand, he said, then your house is going to be crushed. Your marriage will fail. Your home will collapse because you have no foundation.

But then he said, if you build your house on the rock and the rock is Jesus, he said, if you believe me and obey me, my words, then this is the foundation upon which you can build your life. And when the storms come and yes they do, I tell every couple through the years that I've married at the altar, storms do come to all of us.

The rain falls on the just and on the unjust. It comes. If you're not in a storm, get ready because you're headed towards one. In this world you will have tribulation. But when you're built upon the rock, Jesus Christ, you not only stand but you grow stronger. So tragedies, just think about the tough times that we all experience.

I'm no exception. Deb and I are no exception. You had tough times and things to deal with. Tragedies, illness, financial ruin, a prodigal child, physical handicaps. We all live under pressure. And how we deal with pressure is how we deal with life. Your marriage will be tested, but love perseveres.

The love of Jesus Christ keeps going. And what that requires if you are going to hold together when your world is falling apart, then it requires a total commitment. You may have heard that marriage is a 50-50 proposition. Not so. It's 110 and 110% on both sides. It's a total commitment. Our marriage is the most important commitment in our lives.

You got your hobbies, you got your buddies, you got your career, you got your work, you got your grandkids, you got all that, but the most important commitment in your life is the commitment that you have as husband and wife, man and woman living and loving together as long as we both shall live.

This requires trust in God and trust in one another. That trust means that you are trustworthy and says, "I'm here to stay when it gets going no matter what." And it means, "I depend on you and you depend on me. We are one in the bonds of love." And we are held together by the kind of love that we see in the Bible.

In Ecclesiastes, the wise man Solomon said a threefold cord is not easily broken. And the threefold cord is you, husband, you, wife, and God holding it all together. He is the cord that holds us together and every problem that we face is an opportunity to grow stronger and deeper in our marriage relationship.

Unfortunately as a pastor, I've seen too many times people allow fiery trials and troubles and difficulties to burn their house down because they couldn't take the heat. But on the other hand, praise God, I've seen many, many others whose lives and families and marriages are built upon the rock, the sure foundation, persevere through it all.

Experience the love of Jesus in your life. Aim for it. Make it your holy ambition to pursue love in your marriage and in your family for the glory of God.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, All You Need is Love. When you support PowerPoint Ministries, you help share God's word with people around the world through programs just like this one. And as a thank you for your gift this month, we'll send you the Jesus Discoveries by Dr. Jeremiah Johnston as our thanks.

This powerful resource walks through real historical evidence that points directly to Jesus, helping strengthen your faith and giving you confidence in the truth of God's word. And right now, every gift given before June 30th will be doubled through a $200,000 matching grant.

This is a crucial moment as we close out the financial year because your support helps ensure that PowerPoint Ministries continues reaching people with the gospel in the months ahead. To give your gift and request your copy, text JUNE to 59789. That's JUNE to 59789. We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us.

It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting the word CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: It is impossible to truly, really love someone unless you know firsthand the love of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and then allow his love to fill your life and to pour out on someone else. Perhaps today you don't know Christ as your Savior. Maybe you have a religion but you don't have a real relationship with Christ.

His love doesn't live in you. So today why don't you take a step of faith? Bow your head wherever you are right now and invite Christ into your life. Tell him you believe and trust in him. Tell him you want to turn from your sin and follow him with all your heart. Invite Jesus into your life and I promise you he will come to live in you and his love can begin flowing through you.

If you're already a Christian and you struggle with loving like this, let me challenge you to pick just one relationship, probably starting at home, and make a commitment today to love that person as Christ has loved you. Ask God to give you the strength to pour out his own love in your life and then give that love to someone else.

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul and your strength. And the second one is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. These are the priority commandments. So today start loving as God has commanded. I believe that before you know it, you will begin loving others as God has described it.

And one other thing. Pray for those that you have a hard time loving. If someone is difficult to love or maybe you find animosity, perhaps even hate in your heart, pray that God will take out the hate and replace it with love and begin loving by faith. Your family, your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers, and even that person who may be hard to get along with.

If you will love in the spirit of Christ, not only will your love last, but your love will make an impact for the gospel of Jesus Christ wherever you go.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Jeremiah Johnston's book, The Jesus Discoveries. Just text JUNE to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how to be the husband of a happy wife. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.