HOW TO LOVE AUTHENTICALLY

TEXT- 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13

INTRODUCTION

DURING THE 60'S AND 70'S HAL DAVID AND BURT BACHARACH WERE VERY FAMILIAR NAMES TO MUSIC LOVERS ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES.

SOME OF THE WELL KNOWN SONGS THEY PRODUCED INCLUDE:

    •    I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR YOU. B, CLOSE TO YOU.

    •    ONE LESS HELL TO ANSWER.

    •    RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN ON MY HEAD.

ONE SONG IN PARTICULAR HOWEVER THAT WON THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO WERE LONELY AND HUNGRY FOR LOVE WAS "WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE".

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE, SWEET LOVE,
NO-- NOT JUST FOR SOME BUT FOR EVERYONE;
LORD, WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER MOUNTAIN,
THERE ARE MOUNTAINS AND HILLSIDES ENOUGH TO CLIMB,
THERE ARE OCEANS AND RIVERS ENOUGH TO CROSS...
ENOUGH TO LAST 'TIL THE END OF TIME.
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE, SWEET LOVE;
NO- NOT JUST FOR SOME, BUT FOR EVERYONE;
IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT THERE'S JUST TOO LITTLE OF.

TODAY WITHIN THE WORLD AS WELL AS WITHIN MANY OF THE LORD'S CHURCHES THERE IS JUST NOT ENOUGH AUTHENTIC LOVE.

THERE IS PLENTY OF PHONY OR HYPOCRITICAL LOVE, PLENTY OF FICKLE LOVE, AND PLENTY OF CONDITIONAL LOVE; BUT WHAT WE NEED IS AUTHENTIC LOVE.

THIS MORNING OUR TEXT IS FOUND IN 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13 AND THE TITLE OF MY MESSAGE IS, "HOW TO LOVE AUTHENTICALLY.”

ONE WAY TO UNDERSTAND AUTHENTIC LOVE IS TO LOOK AT WHAT IT IS NOT.

IN HIS BOOK, "THE FRIENDSHIP FACTOR" ALAN MCGINNIS DESCRIBES THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF LOVERS.

THE GUSHER - THIS INDIVIDUAL FLATTERS YOU WITH SWEET SYRUPY WORDS THAT ARE COMPLETELY LACKING IN FEELING. THEY DO WHAT PEOPLE DOWN SOUTH CALL, "BLOWING SMOKE- AND NOTHING MORE. UNLIKE THOSE WHO DEMONSTRATE AUTHENTIC LOVE, GUSHERS HAVE NO INTEGRITY IN THEIR WORDS.

THE PRESSURIZER - THIS PERSON SAYS "I LOVE YOU" JUST TO HEAR SOMEONE SAY THE SAME THING BACK TO HIM. HE is THE YOU-SCRATCH-MY-BACK-SINCE-1-SCRATCHED-YOURS KIND OF PERSON.

THE RAMROD -THIS KIND OF LOVER IS INSENSITIVE AND IS DETERMINED TO PUSH THEIR LOVE ON YOU. SOME PEOPLE ARE SO DETERMINED TO LOVE AND BE LOVED THAT THEY ARE LIKE A SAVAGE CUTTING HIS WAY THROUGH A JUNGLE WITH A MASSIVE MACHETE.

THIS IS NOT AUTHENTIC LOVE.

AUTHENTIC LOVE IS THE KIND OF LOVE THAT CARES ENOUGH TO CONFRONT AND BIG ENOUGH TO FORGIVE WHEN IT HAS BEEN WRONGED

DURING 1967 TO 1969 THERE WERE TWO RUNNING BACKS WHO PLAYED ON THE CHICAGO BEARS FOOTBALL TEAM.

ONE WAS NAMED GAYLE SAYERS WHO WAS A BLACK MAN AND THE OTHER WAS A WHITE MAN NAMED BRIAN PICCOLO.

WHAT MADE THESE TWO DIFFERENT WASN'T THE FACT THAT THEY WERE DIFFERENT COLORS, BUT RATHER IT WAS THE LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP THAT THEY SHARED WITH ONE ANOTHER.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAUSED THEM TO BE SUCH CLOSE FRIENDS WAS BECAUSE BRIAN PICCOLO CONTRACTED CANCER DURING THE 1969 SEASON.

THAT YEAR AT THE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL WRITER'S BANQUET IN NEW YORK WHERE GAYLE SAYERS WAS TO RECEIVE THE GEORGE S. HALAS AWARD AS 'THE MOST COURAGEOUS PLAYER IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL" HE WALKED TO THE MIKE AS THE AUDIENCE APPLAUDED WITH TEARS FLOWING FROM HIS EYES AND SAID:

“YOU FLATTER ME BY GIVING ME THIS AWARD, BUT I TELL YOU HERE AND NOW THAT ? ACCEPT T I T FOR BRIAN PICCOLO. BRIAN PICCOLO IS THE MAN OF COURAGE WHO SHOULD RECEIVE THE GEORGE S. HALAS AWARD. I LOVE BRIAN PICCOLO AND I'D LIKE YOU TO LOVE HIM. TONIGHT, WHEN YOU HIT YOUR KNEES, PLEASE ASK GOD TO LOVE HIM T00."

WHAT WE NEED IS NOT A PHONY, CHEAP, IMITATION LOVE, BUT RATHER AUTHENTIC LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER.

THIS MORNING I WOULD LIKE US TO EXAMINE WHAT OUR TEXT REVEALS ABOUT AUTHENTIC LOVE AND SEE HOW WE CAN APPLY IT TO OUR LIVES TODAY.