AGAPE NEVER FAILS
(Romans Bible Study Series Tape Twenty-Four)
Recommended reading - Romans 8:31-39.
The word agape is the Greek word for unconditional love.
Our God has love that never fails and will always be with us, especially
in times of great trouble. How should we prepare ourselves to face the
time known in scripture as the great tribulation? There are many various
beliefs concerning the protection of God's people during that time of
tribulation. The Bible says that all Christians living in the last time
will go through the time of trouble. The Bible also states that they will
be delivered by God. We cannot make the suffering of the great tribulation
the most important thing in our lives. The suffering of the great
tribulation does not impact our salvation. What is important, is remaining
faithful to God. If we improperly base what we believe on the verses in Luke
21, we end up with an incorrect concept. We do not qualify for a place
of safety by merely looking at world events. The whole context of these
scriptures deals with drunkenness and the lifestyle in which most live
today. The scriptures say to watch and to pray that you don't live in that
lifestyle. We are to watch our lifestyle and not become part of this
world. We must continue steadfast and not leave our place in Christ.
I. We must endure to the end.
· Matthew
24:13, states that to be saved we must endure to the end. Our
endurance may include a time of tribulation.
· Paul gives an
answer in Ephesians 3, of how to prepare for a time of crisis.
Paul's prayerful answer was that only those whose faith is rooted and
grounded in the love of God will be able to stand.
· We must have an
unshakable faith that is rooted and grounded in the love of God. Paul
discuses the love of God in Romans 8:31-39.
II. Who can be against us?
· Paul boldly
states in Romans 8:31, that if God is for us, who can be against
us? Paul is not saying that no one will be against us. There will be
accusers and individuals who will be against us. The world will turn
against God's people.
· If we, as God's
people, have to go through tough times, we will not be the first to
experience such trials. We must consider all of the Apostles and Saints
throughout history. Paul is saying that if God is on our side, does it
matter if anyone is against us? If we have God, it does not matter if
the world is against us.
· In Verse 32,
Paul gives the greatest evidence that God is on our side. The Father did
not even spare His Son.
· In Genesis
22:16, we find the very same meaning of the word withheld, that we
find in Romans 8:32. Abraham was in a very severe test and by
faith he did not withhold his son. The word withheld, is the same word
as not spared, that is found in Romans 8:32. Paul is saying that
God did not withhold from His Son the full wages of sin that rightfully
belonged to us.
· God delivered
His Son up, for all of us. We see in Luke 22:42, that Christ
prayed in great agony to be spared. He was facing the wages of our sins.
God did not spare His Son because He so loved us.
· He so loved a
world that had rebelled against Him, that He did not spare His Son. Romans
8:32, states that Christ was delivered up for all of us. Since God
did not spare His Son, He now graciously gives to us everything in
Christ.
III. We are not condemned, we are justified.
· Paul then asks
the question in Verse 33, who shall bring a charge against God's
elect? The word elect does not mean those predetermined to be saved. God
predetermined all men to be saved; however, salvation is a gift.
· The gift of God
cannot be enjoyed, if it is deliberately refused. The elect are those
who, by a heart appreciation, have said thank you God for Your
unspeakable Gift - Jesus Christ. We must receive that gift.
· God does not
accuse us because He is the one who justifies us. He justifies us, not
because we deserve it, but because He loves us and He gave His Son to
die for us. Christ died so that there is no condemnation for us, as Paul
explains in Verse 34.
· The Law does
condemn us and we have all failed because we have broken that Law. The
good news is that Christ has redeemed us. We need to see that not only
are we not condemned, but our Savior also sits at the right hand of the
Father interceding for us.
· Christ
intercedes for us because Satan is our accuser. We cannot defend
ourselves from the accusation because, often what we are accused of is
correct. We are sinners, but we have a Savior who can rightly defend us.
· Christ is our
righteousness and our intercessor. Christ will say to Satan - the Lord
rebukes you. God is on our side; we are on the winning side. All of this
is because God is love.
IV. We cannot be separated from the love of Christ.
· We cannot be
separated from the love of Christ as revealed in Verse 35. We
must clearly understand that everything described in this verse has
occurred to God's people in the past, and will again occur in the
tribulation.
· Paul in Verse
36, quotes David, who experienced these things and wrote about it in
Psalm 44:22.
· If our whole
life and hope revolves around being protected and not experiencing
tribulation, you will not be properly focused. Put your whole being into
loving God and Jesus Christ.
· We should put
our whole being into watching our life and behaving ourselves. The world
will treat true believers in the manner David describes - we will be as
sheep for the slaughter.
· In the long run
we will win. We know the war is over; Christ has won. We can read Verse
37 with assurance, because God is on our side. In all things we are
more than conquerors, not because of us but, through Him who loved us.
To endure to the end, we need to be rooted and grounded in the love of
Christ.
V. An unconditional love.
· We need to
listen to the words of the Apostle John in I John 4:16-18. We
have known and we believe the love of God. It is unconditional and never
fails. God is love.
· God does not
have a characteristic of love, He is love! Everything about Him
can be defined by the word Agape - God is love. Our anchor is in Him who
is love.
· There is no
fear in love; perfect love casts out fear. We may be afraid in the time
of trouble, but deep down we know in whom we believe. We know that the
love of God is greater than the fear that is in the flesh.
· We will not be
afraid of the judgment to come because we belong to God. We are
justified and not condemned. Paul states that he is persuaded, convinced
without a shadow of a doubt, in Verse 38. Not one thing will
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We may feel at times that God has forsaken us. If we are
not rooted and grounded in the love of God, we will not make it. When we
are rooted in the love of God we will be able to say with Paul that, we
are persuaded that nothing in heaven or earth can ever separate us from
the love of God. We have to develop that kind of faith. Jesus had that
faith as He hung on the cross. He knew that God's love never forsakes.
Agape never fails. In John 13:1, we see that God will love us to
the end. We are the children of God and joint heirs with our elder brother
Jesus Christ. |
Agape Never Fails 