Love Covers A Multitude Of Sin

THF SUNDAY SERMON

2nd of FEBRUARY, 2023

 

SERMON

SERMON TITLE:      Love Covers a Multitude of Sins

SERMON TEXT:     I Corinthians 13: 1-8, 13

PREACHER:            Pastor (Prof) Olawuyi

 

MESSAGE

Content:  God bless you beloveth. Please be seated. We are in the season of valentine. But as a child of God; we are talking about Agape love. The bible says if everything fails; love will never fail. All prophecies may fail; but love will remain. Therefore, the season of love should not be celebrated a day but every second of every minutes of the year. It must be a usual thing. It is not something that should comes up just for a day. We all have a day set aside for every memorable moment of your lives such as birthday, weddings etc. However, we shouldn’t be celebrated just once in a year, but every day. Love needs to be celebrated every day of our lives. Love covers multitude of sins. The disciples asked Jesus how many times they should forgive their brothers who sinned against seven times. Jesus answered seventy times seven times. Jesus says you have to keep on forgiving as long as you live. So loved the world that he gave – he did not give something ordinary. He did not give an ordinary person. Greater is he who gives than receives. God came up with a plan for mankind and that is remission of sins. The blood of lambs, goats tried but could not do the perfect sacrifice and atonement, and so man was doomed but our Father, in His perfect love, used his only begotten son (and He allowed Himself to be used) for the atonement of sins of the whole world. Daddy daddy how many times has our Mummy offended you that you have told her: to your tent O Israel. Daddy good morning Hmm.. Hmm.. That you started behaving in such a way that they won’t say you are keeping malice with them. Our darling Mummy, how many times has Daddy refused to give you money for food in the house and you decided to take your children out and feed them only and yourself  without preparing anything for the father of the house.  Even at the stage that it becomes so difficult. The bible says Jesus was sweating but even at that He said Lord, not my will but your will be done. He became a scapegoat for you and for me on the cross. Even while that was going on; the people were mocking, but He said Lord forgive them for they don’t know what they were doing. The stage of adolescent is a stage of confusion and that your adolescent child decided to talk back at you because you talked to him. Did you decide to disown him because of that? A neighbour walked up to you and asked you for help because he couldn’t afford for his family but you decided to turn him down. What did that neighbour did to you that you said the differences between you and him are irreconcilable? Proverbs 17: 17. That is, no matter what happens; a friend will continue to love. No matter how spiritual I am; I will be deceiving myself if I have no love. Beloveth, when we get home; let us ponder more on this: Love covers all sins. Proverbs 10: 12. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. It is when you don’t understand someone that you begin to dislike the person. But if you don’t harbor hatred in your heart; you will be able to walk up to the person and clear up your misunderstanding about the person and then there won’t be strife. Hatred is contrasted with love. So, you can’t be in-between. You either love or you hate. Hatred promotes conflict, but seems to make peace by covering up all wrongs. In life; you need to humble yourself so that God will honour you. In life; the way up is the way down. Such a man is more honourable than the man who likes to enforce his ego in the home.

Love desires peace between warring parties. To be at peace with all men; that is the work of love.  Love will struggle to cover every wrongs as much as possible. There are those who feeds on chaos. The become warriors in evil. We will not become warriors in evil in Jesus name. The righteous are motivated by love. The same proverb was also quoted as we look at it in I Peter chapter 4 verse 8. Above all; love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Love is expressed through forgiveness. The idea of love is associated frequently with forgiveness. I John 4: 10.  We can also see that in I John 3 verse 16. You will not be able to bear it for your brother to go hungry when there is something to share by you with him, if you love your brother. And He himself shared himself. We know his footsteps. We know what He did when He was here on earth. The bible called Him Jesus Christ of Nazareth going about doing good. We should be able to correct the wrongs of our partner in love, not recount all the wrongs they did in the past. In I Cor. 13: 5, one of the characteristics of love is that it keeps no record of wrongs. Love always forgives.

For Love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. This is the season of love, but we should not let it end at this time. Let love lives in our heart on daily basis. I don’t know that person who wronged you and you purposed in your heart that not in this world will you forgive the person or that the person must suffer even if you are going to accept the person back to your life. Though your sins be as scarlet; they shall be as white as snow. I don’t know if you are here this morning but you have not stretched out your heart to receive the love of God, through Jesus Christ, into your heart. Receive that love today. I want us to take a stanza of today’s hymns together as we go to pray. When every other thing fails; love cannot fail. In the home, in life; love covers up multitude of sins.

Beloveth, I don’t know what your relationship with God is. Perhaps your relationship with God is soured with sins. And perhaps you are here, but have not yet received the love of God by receiving Him as your Lord and saviour. I want you to lift up your hand so that I can pray for you. You want to accept the love of Christ into your life by accepting Him as your Lord and saviour today; raise up your hand so that I can pray for you.

 

 

 

Prayers