Canyon Creek Church Sermons Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church

Love is not irritable nor resentful. Meaning love is not meant to store up anger nor keep a long account of anger. This is not an indictment against anger as much as an indictment against what makes us angry. Join us as we continue in this vital series working through how we are loved and how we love others. 

When our intent is that most everything goes to our advantage, our pleasure, our profit or to our honor, we are not motivated or energized by “agape/love” but rather self-seeking love. “Agape/Love” does not insist on self-gain, self-justification, self-worth or self-exaltation to the detriment of others. To the contrary, we Christians come to love our neighbor in a similar way that we love ourselves.

Arrogance, or pride, is considered by many to be the root of all sin. It was arrogance that led to the fall of mankind in the very beginning when Adam and Eve thought they knew better than God and ate from the fruit of the tree. It was pride that led King Hezekiah in Isaiah 39 to show off his treasure house to Babylonian diplomats, who eventually returned with their military to steal everything. Pride is the root of all sorts of sins, including boasting and being rude. But love does not boast. It gives thanks. Love is not rude. It covers shame. Love is not prideful. It is humble, like our Lord Jesus Christ.

Envy: “Love Does Not Envy.” Envy comes from the root word, “to seethe”. A person filled with envy is one who sees the superior aspects of another’s success or achievement and feels pain rather than appreciation and goodwill. In 3:3 Paul tells the Corinthians that their “jealousy and quarreling/strife” is the cause of the divisions among them; this is a mark of the “flesh” not of those led by the love of God. The Corinthians (and we today) grew up in a status-seeking culture and this carried over into the church; but this attitude is incompatible with “agape/love” which does not begrudge the honor given to another but rather delights in the building up of another. This Sunday, Zakk will teach the ancient story of King Saul and a young David to see the insidious hooks of envy play out and where we can find redemption for our own envious hearts.

Kind: Kindness is a love of the mind and heart that we see in actions and attitudes of goodwill, mercy and affection. It is a charitable inclination to do good and benevolent deeds towards others, even when they are not showing goodwill in return. YAHWEH is often characterized as having enduring “loving-kindness” towards his people.

Patient: Prolonged restraint of anger/agitation; to bear or endure pain or trouble without complaining or the loss of self-control. Patience is an attribute of God, He is patient and kind toward those who deserve divine judgment. This is how God wants us to be toward others - to remain tranquil while waiting - to bear up under provocation without complaint. To patiently wait while God transforms others.