“What Love Really Looks Like!”.....Part 6......“Love Is Not Provoked!”

“What Love Really Looks Like!” #6

Text: 1 Corinthians 13

“Love Is Not Provoked!” - vs 5

Why are we so offended these days? Love sets aside the natural fleshly response and continues to do what's right! The cultural definition of love is vague at best, watered down, these days it's just a word used loosely, typically to get an advantage or a desired outcome! We're so removed from the practical use of the word but what's scary is how far removed we've become from the spiritual weight of the word!

So far we've covered the biblical truth that Love is patient, Love is Kind and is Not Jealous, Love does not brag and is not arrogant, Love does not act unbecomingly, and Love does not seek his own! With this blog I want to go verse by verse through the thirteen pictures of what “agape”, true, biblical love looks like! I want us to see how Jesus' loved!  In each blog I want to view the particular picture of love in these scenarios, Spiritually, Specifically, and Socially! 

** But what does it mean, love is not provoked? **

It means that love isn't offended! Nothing others do can dissolve true love! Love is the essence of the Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ! It depends not on others, their actions, or their response!

Romans 12:19King James Version (KJV)

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

- Even Further! -

Psalm 119:165King James Version (KJV)

165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Proverbs 19:11King James Version (KJV)

11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

** Before we dive into what it looks like lets do a word study concerning our text **

- The Greek for Provoked here is paroxynō – pä-ro-ksü'-nō -

Which means -

to make sharp, sharpen

1. to stimulate, spur on, urge
2. to irritate, provoke, arouse to anger
   1. to scorn, despise
   2. provoke, make angry
   3. to exasperate, to burn with anger

- It's used three times in the NT, twice here in our text and also in

Act 17:16

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred G3947 in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.

When Paul saw the whole city given to idolatry!

1.) Specifically

* Person to Person Relationships, spouses, friends, siblings, etc. *

This is displayed in David's relationship and reaction to Saul. He refused to stop loving and honoring the King, even when the King sought his very life! Throughout the latter part of Saul's life he was consumed with jealousy and anger toward David, so much so that he desired to kill him! Several times David had the opportunity to slay Saul yet spared his life and respected the king! Real love knows it's place and waits it's turn! We find that at the news of Saul's death, David weeped! -

More importantly this unprovoked love was put on display vividly as Christ hung on the cross and cried out “Father forgive them, they know not what they do!” If any man in the history of the human race had any valid reason to be provoked it was our Lord Jesus Christ yet love is stronger, love holds when everything else falls apart! In the midst of ridicule, pain, betrayal, and the greatest of evils, Christ was thinking of us!

2.) Socially

* Individual to Society, to Individuals with which we don't have a “personal” bond. *

We see this play out as Christ looked down upon Jerusalem.

Matthew 23:37King James Version (KJV)

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Instead of anger he displayed sorrow, pain, and sympathy! What would this world be if we reacted to the offenses of men this way? I can tell you one thing, racism would dissolve, riots would cease, hatred would hide, and unity would form!  Our great country is in turmoil and rendering evil for evil will not work! 

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

MLK

True Love Agape Love

3.) Spiritually

* God to Man and Man to God! *

- Spiritually is the most important as it's correct position will produce the first two! -

- Man to God -

Here we must again go back to Job! The devil's plight all along was to get Job to respond to God with vitriol, anger, disdain, and eventually denounce God but Job was faithful! In the face of provocation, Job remained committed to God, yes he questioned, yes he hurt, yes he wondered, but he stayed faithful, he didn't despise God for what came, he wasn't provoked!

- God to Man -

I see this greatly portrayed in God's love for Paul!

Paul wrote these words.....

Romans 5:8King James Version (KJV)

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 Timothy 1:12-17King James Version (KJV)

12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

WOW! All that Paul did, murder, vexing the church, despising Christ, and yet God loved him, saved him, and ultimately used him as the vessel to the Gentiles and two-thirds of the NT! If I was God, Paul would have been slain in Acts 7 as he consented to the stoning of Stephen! I'm glad I'm not God! What trouble would we, the church be in if that would have been the case? 

How often does anger get stirred in you by others? How often are you provoked? Did the events of the past weeks arouse you to anger or sadness, burden, into prayer and love for the very ones who hate you and others?

- Love is not provoked! -

1 Corinthians 13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Excellence of Love

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.