AGAPE WINS!

 

As the campaign to legitimize what God condemns has won battle after battle, we who stand for Biblical Virtue have been shocked to read the boasts of those who oppose our Lord’s definition of marriage: “One man, one woman, for life.”  On the internet and in the streets of America they have celebrated proclaiming, “LOVE WINS!”

There are no symbols or truths that are off limits to those intent on perverting the Divine order. 

Rainbows, the symbol of God’s promise to never destroy the world again with a flood, have been hijacked by godless men who have neither fear nor love of God. 

In a few weeks we’ll sing, “Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.”  What the composer intended to mean “happy, joyful, fun” now has come to stand for a sin that that brings no happiness, produces no joy, and finally is no fun.  The meanings of words have been changed so that they no longer mean what they once meant. 

And as if symbols and words were not enough, now these blind leaders of the blind have twisted our understanding of virtue itself.  Lies are repeated so often that they are thought to be the Truth.  

We used to think that courage was daring to do what ought to be done at great personal risk, now we think that  the courageous awards should go to those who are daring to do what should never be done—redefining deviancy down.  It’s not courage for a man to put on a dress and present himself as a woman on the cover of a fashion magazine.  That’s cowardice--unwilling to face the truth about himself and his God-given identity.  God calls it, “an abomination.”

SHOULD THE RAINBOW TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR LITERATURE BECAUSE OF ITS NEW ASSOCIATION?

SHALL WE STOP SINGING A FAVORITE CAROL BECAUSE OF THIS RECENT RE-DEFINITION OF TERMS?

MUST WE ACCEPT THIS “BRAVE NEW ‘VIRTUE FREE’” WORLD?

NO, NO, AND NO!

BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS “LOVE WIN’S” BOAST?  It's not only the mantra of those who oppose God's definition of marriage, it's the title of a book by Rob Bell who announces that there is no hell and that everyone will end up in heaven.

THE ANSWER DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY LOVE.

If you mean EROS WINS--that physical desire wins, then the answer is No!

If you mean PHILEO WINS—that brotherly concern wins, then the answer must also be No!

But if you mean AGAPE WINS—that divine love, the highest form of love as exampled in Christ and experienced by the Spirit filled children of God, then we proclaim without fear, YES! AGAPE WINS!

THE BEAUTY OF AGAPE LOVE:

AGAPE LOVE IS SACRIFICIAL 

John 15:13 - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

1 John 4:10 - Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

AGAPE LOVE IS OBEDIENT  (TO THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW OF GOD)
John 14:15 - If ye love me, keep my commandments

AGAPE LOVE IS 1^ST CORINTHIANS 13 LOVE:

Charity suffereth long, and is kind  AGAPE LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND

Charity envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.   AGAPE LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL OR PROUD.

Doth not behave itself unseemly,  AGAPE LOVE IS NOT RUDE.

Seeketh not her own, IT DOES NOT DEMAND IT’S OWN WAY

Is not easily provoked, IT IS NOT IRRITABLE

Thinketh no evil; AGAPE LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF BEING WRONGED

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, DOES NOT REJOICE IN INJUSTICE BUT HOPES THE TRUTH WINS OUT

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things  AGAPE LOVE NEVER GIVES UP, NEVER LOSES FAITH, IS ALWAYS HOPEFUL, AND ENDURES THROUGH EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE.

YES! YES! AGAPE WINS!

THIS IS THE WAY!  THIS IS THE TRUTH!  THIS IS THE LIFE

I HEAR JESUS ANSWERING THE INQUIRING PHARISEE?  WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT?  (MARK 12:29-34)

²⁹ And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: ³⁰ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

³¹ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. ³² And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

³³ And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. ³⁴ And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

YES! YES! AGAPE WINS!

THE APPLICATION OF AGAPE LOVE

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN PEOPLE DON’T COME FROM MY NATIONAL HERITAGE? FROM MY POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE? FROM MY DENOMINATION? OR FROM MY THEOLOGICAL ALLEGIANCE?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN SINNERS ACT EXCEEDINGLY SINFUL?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH ME?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN I AM THREATENED AND PERSECUTED?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN THERE ARE MISUNDERSTANDINGS—THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND, OR MAYBE I DON’T UNDERSTAND?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN GOD DISAGREES WITH ME—LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD TO THEM WHO DESPITEFULLY USE YOU, FORGIVE SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN DAILY.

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN I’M REPROVED—DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD--DENY THE LUST OF THE FLESH, THE LUST OF THE EYE, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE?  (Choosing what to wear?)

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN I AM SENT TO LABOR UNREWARDED.

So send I you to labour unrewarded
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, ot suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for Me alone

So send I you to bind the bruised and broken
Over wandering souls to work, to weep, to wake
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary
So send I you to suffer for My sake

So send I you to loneliness and longing
With hart a-hungering for tthe loved and known
Forsaking kin and kindred, friend and dear one
So send I you to know My love alone

So send I you to leave your life's ambition
To die to dear desire, self-will resign
To labor long, and love where men revile you
So send I you to lose your life in Mine

So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred
To eyes made blind because they will not see
To spend, though it be blood to spend and spare not
So send I you to taste of Calvary

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN MY BROTHER OR SISTER FALLS, AGAIN, INTO SIN?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN THE CHURCH—THE CALLED OUT—GATHER TOGETHER.  Jesus urged his disciples

JOHN 13 ³⁴ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  ³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

WHY DOESN’T AGAPE WIN IN ME?

YES AGAPE WINS.

BUT UNTIL THE HOLY GHOST CLEANSES OUR PRIDEFUL, CARNAL HEARTS, WE CANNOT TESTIFY THAT AGAPE WINS WITHIN OUR HEARTS.

Holy Ghost, with power divine,
Cleanse this guilty heart of mine;
Long has sin, without control,
Held dominion o’er my soul.

Holy Ghost, with joy divine,
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart,
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down every idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.