Maturing in Love – Love Never Fails
Maturing in Love
Together Church | Pastor Brandon Werner
Pastor Jerry Wells | March 30, 2025 | Series: Love Never Fails
1 Corinthians 13:1–13 (Jordan)
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
INTRODUCTION
Brandon
To inherit eternal life in His eternal kingdom, Jesus said we must become as little children.
Matthew 18:2-4
2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,
3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus was using this analogy in a positive way to describe the way a little child must depend upon their parent to meet their physical needs. In the same way, to receive eternal life in His eternal kingdom, we must become as little children and depend upon Jesus to meet our spiritual needs.
Jerry
In this passage the apostle Paul is using the analogy of a child in a negative way.
1 Corinthians 13:11a
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child;
Children are very limited in their understanding of everything. As a result, they are immature. And this immaturity causes them to be irresponsible.
Brandon
Paul uses three Greek words to precisely describe how children are irresponsible. The first word means speech or the words they use. The second word means their affections and their opinions about what is important. The third word means their estimation of themselves or what we would call self-awareness. Little children are not aware of their immaturity and how they are being irresponsible.
Jerry
Paul is saying that when he first became a follower of Jesus, he was just like a little child in this negative way. Even though he was born again of God’s Spirit and a child of God, he was immature with regards to how he loved God. And he who is immature in how they love God will always be immature in how they love others. He said things he should not say. He had the wrong affections and opinions. He was not aware that he was being irresponsible.
Brandon
But, Paul grew up in his love for God.
1 Corinthians 13:11b
but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
And when he became mature in his love for God, he said he put away those words, those affections, and the lack of self-awareness that made him so immature, so childish.
Jerry
Even though Paul became mature in his love for God, he made it clear that God’s work in him was not finished and would not be finished until he was delivered from his flesh and saw the Lord face to face.
1 Corinthians 13:12
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
Brandon
Take a step back and follow Paul’s story…
- There was a point in time when he was a spiritual child.
- When he was a child, he was characterized by immature…
- Speech
- Affections and opinions
- Perception of self / self-awareness
- But then he grew up and put away those childish things!
Jerry
Paul knew that absolute perfection was still in front of him – when he saw Jesus face to face. But he also knew that childish immaturity and living irresponsibly was behind him! He had grown up into spiritual maturity.
And then, Paul makes one last emphatic statement to the Corinthian church that reveals what caused him to grow up into spiritual maturity. Paul grew up by abiding in faith in God, hope in God, and love for God. And of these three, what was most important to his spiritual maturity and to theirs was abiding in his love for God.
Brandon
What a claim! Paul is not diminishing faith and hope with this statement! Both are powerful and critically important!
- Without faith it is impossible to please God; and without it, we cannot be saved (salvation is by grace alone through FAITH alone).
- Without hope we could not endure, as seeing Him who is invisible; nor have any adequate notion of the eternal world; nor bear up under the afflictions and difficulties of life.
But as great and useful and necessary as these are, love is greater.
Jerry
Why does Paul say love is the greatest?
Love is the image of God in the soul of man!
By faith we receive the promises of God.
By hope we expect a future and eternal life with God.
But by love we resemble God.
We reveal what God is like and bring glory to God.
Brandon
An unbeliever may be impressed with our faith and devotion to God, they may even envy the hope we have in God for our future; but, what draws them to seek God is when they see who God is in us. God is love!
BODY
Jerry
Here’s the truth: like Paul, God wants every believer to grow into spiritual maturity; He wants our lives to reveal His love.
Here’s the million-dollar question for us as believers…
How did Paul know he had become a mature man in his love for God who had put away childish things?
- He was God centered.
An immature child is self-centered. Parents, can we get an amen?
Brandon
Immature children believe the world revolves around them. They expect everyone around them to adjust to their needs, wants, and desires. Children love themselves more than they love God and others.
Paul used this analogy of physical children to reveal to the Corinthians that they were spiritual children! They may have grown up physically, but they were still acting like selfish children. Their spiritual immaturity was revealed in all the things Paul said in today’s passage: through their speech, their affections, and their prideful view of themselves.
Jerry
The Corinthians were behaving like immature children! Paul was telling them it was time to grow up and put away childish things.
A mature believer is not self-centered, they are God centered. They have grown to love God so much that they want their whole life to revolve around Jesus and His purpose for their life – no matter what it cost them.
Brandon
Paul knew he had matured in his love for God because he had grown from being self-centered to being God centered.
- He was team centered.
Jerry
An immature child is not a team player. They don’t want to share. They aren’t interested in personal sacrifices for the embitterment of others. They resist adjusting their preferences to help the team. Children are not team centered; they want the team to work for them!
Brandon
But a mature believer is team centered (or others centered). They have grown to love God so much that they want what is best for the team (church) no matter what it cost them personally. Instead of making decisions based on personal interest or preferences, they adjust their lives and relationships to revolve around what is best for others.
Jerry
Paul knew he had grown up in his love for God because he was willing to lay down his life for the team and serve others in love.
- He loved his enemies.
Brandon
This might be the ultimate test of spiritual maturity in love. We all have at least three kinds of people in our lives…
- Those who love us
- Those who are indifferent towards us
- And those who are our enemies
It’s one thing to love those indifferent towards us or to love those who love us: but what about loving our enemies?
Jerry
Our enemies are those who cause us harm. Instead of relating to us in a loving way, our enemies do things that cause us pain and cause pain for those we love.
An enemy could be anyone who is hurting you or has hurt you in the past, anyone who has taken advantage of you, anyone who says evil things about you, or anyone who causes you harm.
Brandon
It’s natural for us to form enemies and despise our enemies!
An immature child does not love their enemies. And, you know, it’s pretty easy for children to form enemies at a very young age. To become a child’s enemy, all you have to do is not give them what they want!
Jerry
But a mature believer loves their enemies. Spiritually mature Christians have grown to love God so much that they want what is best for their enemies even when their enemies do not want what is best for them!
Brandon
Jesus said this in…
Matthew 5:43-48…
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Think about that for a moment. The people hearing Jesus had never heard anything like this before. Jesus taught us to love our enemies.
Jerry
The Apostle Paul is the one writing this letter to the Corinthian church. This lesson on loving our enemies was very personal for Paul.
When Paul was a Pharisee working for the Sanhedrin, he was spiritually dead and ignorant about the love of God. At that time in his life, Paul (who is also known as Saul) was characterized by his hatred towards those he perceived to be his enemies. We see this in Acts 9…
Brandon
Acts 9:1-2
1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Before Jesus saved Paul, Paul’s enemies were Christians! And he was an enemy of Christians. But when Jesus saved Paul, everything began to change.
Jerry
After Paul learned who God was through Jesus, His love for God began to grow. It continued to grow until Paul reached a place where he actually loved his enemies!
- His growth in his love for God caused him to love the church of Jesus which had been his enemy.
- His growth in his love for God caused him to love the pagan Gentiles that were the enemies of the Jews.
Brandon
- His growth in his love for God caused him to even love the Gentiles who persecuted him.
- His growth in his love for God caused him to love the Jews who persecuted him.
Jerry
- His growth in his love for God caused him to even love the Jews and Gentiles that conspired together to end his life.
Paul had a lot of enemies, and he loved them all!
His love for God grew so much that he was willing to go wherever God told him to go, serve whoever God told him to serve, and tell them people about the love of God – even if it could cost him his life.
Brandon
When it came to personal boundaries to protect himself from harm, the only boundaries Paul established in his life were the boundaries God told him to set…
- There were times Paul would flee because the Spirit was leading him to escape.
- But there were also many times Paul stayed or went to dangerous places because the Spirit of God was leading him to suffer many things for the sake of those who were his enemies.
Jerry
What a radical transformation! Paul went from persecuting Christians to becoming a Christian who loved those who persecuted him! How did this happen?
It happened as Paul learned to abide in God’s love. Paul grew in his understanding of just how much God loved him. Paul admired that Jesus would die for him while he was still hostile towards Him! Paul knew he would have never become a Christian if Jesus had not loved him while he was still His enemy. Paul understood that God’s love was now abiding in him and giving him the power to love others at great personal cost just like Jesus.
Brandon
Paul believed this truth: if Jesus had to suffer for God’s will to be accomplished in His life, then he would also need to suffer for God’s will to be accomplished through him!
Growing up in spiritual maturity looks like sharing God’s love for everyone… including your enemies!
Jerry
This is the example of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Brandon
So here is the ten-million-dollar question for us today…
How do we grow up in our love for God?
- Like Paul, you must believe in Jesus.
To believe in Jesus means believing Jesus is Lord of all. It means believing that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again. It means believing He has the power to forgive your sins and give you a new life. Believing in Jesus means repenting of your sin and choosing to follow Jesus as your Lord.
Jerry
This is exactly what happened to Paul.
When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, his eyes were opened. He realized how wrong he had been about those he had called his enemies. Paul saw his sin and realized Christians were not the real enemy, he was.
Brandon
When Paul saw that he was an enemy of God, Paul turned to Jesus for forgiveness of sins. Jesus was Paul’s enemy! When Paul turned to Jesus, how did Jesus respond? Jesus loved him and saved him from his sins! And the Holy Spirit came and transformed Paul’s life.
You will never grow in your love for God until you realize that even though you are an enemy of Jesus, Jesus loves you.
Jerry
Like Paul, to grow in your love for God, you must believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God who died for your sins.
- Like Paul, you must get to know Jesus.
Paul’s love for Jesus began on the road to Damascus. But Paul’s love for God was immature. When he first believed in Jesus, he was a still a child in his understanding of God’s love for him.
Brandon
As he learned more and more about Jesus, his love for God grew. After he was converted, Paul spent the next three years of his life in Arabia getting to know Jesus. It is interesting that this is the about the same amount of time that Jesus spent with His disciples.
Jerry
The more Paul learned about Jesus, the more he grew in His love for God. This is why Paul’s chief ambition became to know Jesus. Paul said this in…
Philippians 3:7-8
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ…
The reason Paul loved God so much is because he knew God so well. And he knew God through Jesus.
Brandon
Our love for God is directly connected to our knowledge of God. The more we know Him, the more we love Him.
Like Paul, to grow in your love for God, you must get to know Jesus.
- Like Paul, you must learn to depend upon Jesus for everything you need.
When Paul first met Jesus, he realized how wrong he had been about Jesus. He humbled himself as a little child and believed in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin and committed his life to follow Him.
But as Paul got to know Jesus, he realized that God was committed to meet all his needs through Jesus.
Jerry
Denying yourself to love others is not dismissing yourself. To deny yourself to love others you must become more and more dependent upon God for everything you need. When you are looking to Jesus for what you need you are freed from selfishness to be a blessing to the needs of others.
Brandon
We will never truly be free to love others if we are dependent on others to meet our need for love…
Like Paul, to grow in your love for God, as you get to know Jesus, you must grow deeper in your dependence upon Jesus.
CONCLUSION
Jerry
To mature in love, we have to be like Paul. We have to believe in Jesus, grow in our knowledge for Jesus, and be totally dependent on Jesus for all we need.
At Together Church, we want everyone to grow up in their love for God by getting to know Jesus better and by becoming more and more dependent on Jesus to meet our every need.
Brandon (SCMD)
We do not believe that you can do this alone. We believe the best way to grow up in your love for God is to be plugged into Jesus daily but also to be plugged into real life relationships in His church.
In the church we share life together, we share lessons together, and we share love together. As we do this we grow in our understanding of God’s love for us, we learn to depend upon Jesus for all that we need, and we have a place to practice to loving others.
Our love for God grows and His love is forged in us through this discipleship process that we practice in our small groups.
INVITATION
- If you have already believed in Jesus, will you join a small group and build relationships with people who can help you grow in spiritual maturity through love?
- If you’ve already believed in Jesus, will you love God by loving those who are still enemies of God? (IMPACT Month)
- If you have never believed in Jesus or if you are not following Him, will you believe in Him today and chose to follow Him as Lord?