Galatia New Life Church
Sunday, January 4, 2026
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  • You Love Me Anyway
  • Nothing But Noise
    TEXT: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NKJV)
    I. INTRODUCTION:
    Today we’re starting a new series called The More Excellent Way, and we’re going to spend the next six weeks in one of the most misunderstood passages in the entire Bible—1 Corinthians 13.
    Most people know this as the love chapter.
    You’ve heard it at weddings. You’ve seen it on coffee mugs and throw pillows. It’s been turned into greeting-card poetry and Valentine’s Day sentiment.
    But that’s not why Paul wrote it. He wrote it to correct a church that was tearing itself apart.
    The church in Corinth had everything people admired:
    spiritual gifts
    powerful experiences
    rapid growth
    But they were divided, competitive, arrogant, and obsessed with who was more spiritual.
    And right in the middle of Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts—between chapter 12 and chapter 14—he stops everything and says:
    “Let me show you a more excellent way.”
    And that way is love.
    Not romantic love.
    Not “be nice” love.
    But the kind of love that governs everything else.
    Over the next six weeks, we’re going to walk through this passage verse by verse and learn what it really means to walk in love—not as a feeling, not as an option, but as the foundation of the Christian life.
    Let's read our text for today. 1 Corinthians 13, verses 1 through 3:
    1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NKJV
    Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 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. 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.
    II. CONTEXT:
    Before we look at what Paul says, we need to understand why he says it here.
    Paul wrote 1 Corinthians around AD 53–55, while he was living and ministering in Ephesus.
    He had planted the church in Corinth earlier during his second mission trip, and now reports had reached him that things were not going well.
    I presents this letter as a pastoral correction to the Corinthian church.
    Corinth was a Roman city known for wealth, immorality, and pagan worship. And the church there reflecting that culture more than Christ.
    By the time Paul writes 1 Corinthians, they’re arguing about everything.
    Chapter 1 — Division, pride, and loyalty to personalities over Christ Chapter 2 — Valuing human wisdom over spiritual discernment Chapter 3 — Spiritual immaturity, jealousy, and competition Chapter 4 — Arrogance and resistance to spiritual authority Chapter 5 — Sexual sin tolerated in the church Chapter 6 — Lawsuits among believers and confusion about the body Chapter 7 — Confusion over marriage, singleness, and calling Chapter 8 — Knowledge used without love, harming weaker believers Chapter 9 — Abuse of Christian freedom and refusal of self-denial Chapter 10 — Compromise with idolatry and false spiritual confidence Chapter 11 — Disorder in worship and division at the Lord’s Table
    They were debating:
    Who’s the better pastor—Paul or Apollos
    Who’s the most spiritual
    What to do about sexual sin
    Whether marriage or singleness is more holy
    If food sacrificed to idols is acceptable
    Why the Lord’s Supper had turned into a mess
    And now—spiritual gifts and worship.
    Their services were chaotic. People were showing off spiritual gifts. The wealthy were eating while the poor went hungry. Worship had become a performance instead of a place of unity.
    So in chapter 12, Paul pulls them back to the foundation:
    The church is a body, not a talent show. Every gift matters—but no gift stands alone
    Then Paul says something critical at the end of chapter 12:
    1 Corinthians 12:31 NKJV
    But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
    Which leads us to Chapter 13.
    This chapter is not a break in the conversation. It’s the hinge.
    Paul is saying, “You want gifts? Fine. But without love, none of it works.”
    Chapter 14 picks the conversation right back up, which tells us this:
    Love is the lens through which every gift and every act of worship must be seen.
    Without love, even your most impressive spiritual activities amount to nothing.
    “Now we need to be clear about what Paul means by love. The word he uses here is the Greek word agapē.
    It described a unconditional, committed, covenant kind of love—love that acts for the good of another, even when it costs something.
    This mattered in Corinth because their culture was built on status, honor, and self-promotion. People did things to be seen, recognized, and rewarded.
    Paul takes this word agapē and redefines spirituality around it. He’s saying,
    True spirituality is not measured by how powerful your gifts are, but by how selfless your heart is.’
    III. THE PROBLEM:
    Here’s the problem with the Corinthians—and with us.
    We assume that doing big things for God means we’re right with God.
    If we’re serving, keeping busy, visible, and productive—we assume obedience is automatic.
    Paul says, not so fast.
    You can speak in tongues and still be noise.
    You can prophesy and still be nothing.
    You can have faith, sacrifice everything, even suffer greatly— and gain nothing.
    Why?
    Motive matters more than activity.
    It’s not enough to do the right things. They must flow from the right heart.
    And the right heart is love.
    Here’s the line to remember:
    A living sacrifice without love will crawl off the altar every time.
    You can show up. You can serve. You can sing. You can give.
    But if love isn’t the fuel, you’ll burn out, blow up, or bail out— because activity without love is just religious performance, and performance always runs out of gas.
    IV. MAIN POINTS:
    1. WITHOUT LOVE, YOUR WORDS ARE JUST NOISE (v. 1)
    "Without love, you're just NOISE"
    Paul starts with the gift the Corinthians were obsessed with: speaking in tongues.
    1 Corinthians 13:1 NKJV
    Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
    Paul starts with the gift the Corinthians prized most—speaking in tongues.
    In Paul’s day, pagan temples used loud gongs and cymbals in their worship. They made a lot of noise, but it had no meaning. Paul is saying, that’s what you sound like without love.
    Loud. Impressive. Empty.
    You can say all the right words and still say nothing that matters.
    You can preach, teach, post Scripture, or share your testimony—but if it’s not fueled by love for God and love for people, it’s just noise.
    Love is what gives words weight. Love is what turns sound into substance.
    Without love, your words don’t build—they echo.
    Transition: So words without love are noise. But what about knowledge? What about prophecy?
    2. WITHOUT LOVE, YOUR KNOWLEDGE IS WORTHLESS (v. 2a)
    1 Corinthians 13:2 NKJV
    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.
    "I am NOTHING"
    Paul goes after what the Corinthians valued most— prophecy, deep insight, and knowledge.
    He says, even if you have it all, even if you know Scripture, understand deep truths, and speak powerfully—without love, you are nothing.
    Not your ministry. Not your gift.
    You.
    Knowledge can impress people. Only love builds people.
    You can know the Bible and still hurt those closest to you. You can defend truth and still fail to live it.
    Here’s the line that matters:
    If your knowledge doesn’t make you more loving, it isn’t making you more like Christ.
    That’s Paul’s warning.
    Transition: Okay, so words are noise and knowledge is worthless without love. But what about faith? What about sacrifice?
    3. WITHOUT LOVE, YOUR FAITH IS EMPTY (v. 2b)
    1 Corinthians 13:2 NKJV
    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.
    Now Paul goes after mountain-moving faith.
    The kind of faith Jesus talked about—faith that sees the impossible and says, “Move,” and it moves.
    Paul says, you can have that kind of faith— faith that works miracles, faith that gets attention, faith that produces results—
    but without love, you are nothing.
    Why?
    Faith without love is just spiritual power in the hands of a selfish heart.
    You can believe God for big things and still be hard to live with. You can pray bold prayers and still wound people. You can move mountains and still crush relationships.
    Faith is essential. But faith without love is dangerous.
    Jesus didn’t move mountains to prove something. He moved them to love people and set them free.
    Transition: And finally, Paul goes to the ultimate test—sacrifice.
    4. WITHOUT LOVE, YOUR SACRIFICE MEANS NOTHING (v. 3)
    "It profits me NOTHING"
    1 Corinthians 13:3 NKJV
    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.
    This is where Paul drops the hammer.
    You can give away everything you own. You can feed the poor, fund the mission, sell it all, serve full-time. You can even die for the faith.
    And Paul says—without love—it profits you nothing.
    Not others. Profits You Nothing!
    Because God doesn’t just care about what you do. He cares about why you do it.
    You can give to be seen. Serve to be needed. Sacrifice to be remembered.
    And God says, that doesn’t count.
    Here’s the bottom line:
    You can do all the right things for all the wrong reasons—and in the end, it means nothing.
    Love is the only motive that lasts.
    Love is the only fuel that carries into eternity.
    ILLUSTRATION:
    Let me give you a picture.
    Let call this person Don. Now Don serves in the church every week. He's on the worship team, leads a small group, volunteers in the kids' ministry. From the outside, he looks like a model Christian.
    But at home, he's impatient with his wife. He snaps at his kids. During small group, he checks his phone while others are sharing. He serves at church because it makes him feel important, not because he loves people. He's building a reputation, not a relationship with Jesus.
    That's noise. That's nothing. That's sacrifice without love.
    Now let's call her Mary. She's not on any stage, doesn't lead anything, and most people don't even know her name. But when she shows up, people feel seen. She remembers your kid's name and asks about their recital. She brings meals when you're struggling. She prays for you by name. She's patient when you're difficult. She loves like Jesus loves.
    That's the more excellent way.
    APPLICATION:
    So what does this mean for us this week?
    1. Evaluate your motives.
    Why do you serve? Why do you give? Why do you show up? Are you doing it to be seen, to feel important, to build your platform? Or are you doing it because you genuinely love God and love people?
    2. Let love be the test.
    Before you post that comment, send that text, make that decision—ask yourself: Is this loving? Is this building up? Is this serving the other person, or is this serving me?
    3. Remember that everything without love is nothing.
    Your serving. Your giving. Your knowledge. Your faith.
    If it's not rooted in love, it's not rooted in Jesus. And if it's not rooted in Jesus, it won't last.
    Conclusion:
    Here's the truth, church:
    Without love, you're just noise.
    Over the next six weeks, we're going to learn what that looks like. But today, let's start here:
    Let love be your motive.
    Let love be your method.
    Let love be your message.
    Because everything else is just noise.
    So this week, don't just show up. Don't just serve. Don't just sing. Love.
    PRAYER:
    Be Blessed
    .

      • 1 Corinthians 13:1–3NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 13:1NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 13:2NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 13:2NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 13:3NKJV

      • Bible Trivia
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Galatia New Life Church
info@galatianlc.org
1-618-268-4026
http://www.gnlc.life
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