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Paul Mahan

Does God Love Everyone

Jeremiah 23
Paul Mahan September, 19 2021 Audio
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15 Minute Radio Message

Paul Mahan's sermon entitled "Does God Love Everyone" addresses the theological concept of God's love as understood within a Reformed framework. The preacher argues that contemporary interpretations of God's love, particularly the notion that God loves every individual unconditionally, distort the biblical teaching. Mahan emphasizes that throughout the Scriptures, particularly in Jeremiah 23 and various Psalms, the love of God is not a blanket acceptance for all but is specifically towards those He has chosen. He asserts that many modern preachers misinterpret key verses, such as John 3:16, by disregarding their context, and instead presents a God who is just, holy, and who indeed has wrath against sin and sinners. This understanding of God's selective love is of practical significance, as it underscores the importance of recognizing God's holiness and the seriousness of sin, rather than perpetuating a sentimental view of God.

Key Quotes

“Any man or woman that says that God told them something last night, or they had a dream or a vision, that person is a liar and a false prophet.”

“None of the prophets from Moses to Malachi ever, one time, stood up and told the people, 'God loves you.' Not one time.”

“God's love is effectual. Yes, He draws, He saves everyone He loves.”

“Behold, I and the children thou hast given me. God's love is in Jesus Christ.”

Sermon Transcript

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I hope you will follow along
with me in your Bibles this morning. I have many verses of Scripture
I want us to look at together. You can begin by turning to Jeremiah
chapter 23. And I hope you are using a King
James Bible because there are so very many perversions of Scripture
out there that men have literally translated the meaning out of
most of God's Word. I'll be reading from Jeremiah
23. Now, God only speaks through
His Word, no other way. He does not speak today in dreams
and visions and signs and wonders. In Isaiah 8, verse 20, God says,
To the law, or that is, to the Word and to the testimony, If
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is
no light in them. Now look at Jeremiah 23, beginning
with verse 25 with me. God says, I have heard what the
prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have
dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the
heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? Yea, they are prophets
of the deceit of their own heart. They think to cause my people
to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to
his neighbor. In verse 28, the Lord says, A
prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream. He that hath
my word, let him speak my word faithfully. In verse 30, he says,
I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words. Verse 31, I am against the prophets,
saith the Lord, that use their tongues and say, He saith, or
God saith. Now write it down, people. Those
who are listening this morning, write it down that any man or
woman that says that God told them something last night, or
they had a dream or a vision, That person is a liar and a false
prophet, and anyone who is saying anything other than or in addition
to God's word is a liar and a false prophet. And yet the woods are
full of preachers who take one verse of Scripture out of context,
regardless of all the rest of God's word, and lie on God and
create a whole system of belief. This morning, let's talk about
the love of God for a minute. That is, let's talk about what
men are saying about God's love today, and let's read from God's
Word what God's Word says about His love. So-called preachers
today have made an absolute mockery of the love of God. They tell
anyone and everyone, God loves you. None of the prophets from
Moses to Malachi ever, one time, stood up and told everyone, God
loves you. Not one time in all the scriptures
will you find from Moses to Malachi one prophet standing up and telling
the people, God loves you. None of the apostles from Peter
to Paul ever, one time, ever stood up in a public place and
told everyone without exception, God loves you. Not one time.
You'll not find it in all the scripture. Yet, men and women
today have taken John 3.16 out of context and lied on God and
telling everyone without exception, God loves you. And most everyone
has accepted that as fact. Most everyone believes God loves
them. They don't really care because
it doesn't mean anything. Why, it's a slogan on a t-shirt
of a professional wrestler. Why, they don't believe God hates
anybody. They don't believe God will judge
anyone. They don't believe God is angry.
He's just a sentimental old man upstairs. We don't need to fear
God. God does not judge us. Why, He
accepts us, no matter how perverse we are. Men don't believe there's any
absolute right or wrong, any absolute good or evil. No, God
loves everyone. Preachers have told them that,
so they accept it. God loves you. Well, that's a
lie. Now, I want you to turn with
me to Psalm 50. Psalm 50 says this. Well, it
says this. God says this. He said in verse
21, These things hast thou done, and I kept silence. Thou thoughtest
I was altogether such a one as thyself." In other words, you
think I'm just like you, a man, but I will reprove thee and set
them or set these things in order before thine eye. Now consider
this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces. Does that
sound like a God who loves everyone to you? Turn to Psalm 5, the
5th Psalm. Psalm 5. Turn over there with
me. And while you turn, let me explain
something to you about John 3.16, which says, For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. There
are many verses before that verse, and there are several verses
after it. You can't pull it out of context. He must realize who
is speaking, to whom is he speaking, and what is the subject. John
3.16, the Lord Jesus Christ, and I want you to be turning
to Psalm 5. We are going to look at that. But in John 3.16, the
Lord Jesus Christ was speaking to a Jew named Nicodemus. Now, Jews thought only Jews were
saved, not Gentiles, not the Gentile world. It was to the
Jews, it was the Jews against the world. One thing which especially
made the Jews mad was when our Lord told them that God healed
only a Gentile leper and passed by the Jews. That made them furious. And another time He said He fed
a Gentile widow and passed by the Jews. Well, that made them
furious, the Jews. They thought it was Jews against
the world. Now, when Christ told Nicodemus,
God so loved the world, He's telling him that God has a people
out of every tribe, kindred, nation, and tongue under heaven.
He says that many times throughout the Scripture in speaking of
His people all over the world. The world, not just Jews. The
world. It also means His creation. The world. God so loved His creation. that He came to save a people
out of it, whosoever believe it. That's who He's going to
save, and that's who He loves. Believer. The world does not
mean every single individual person to ever live. No, you
cannot use it in that fashion. In 1 John, if you want to jot
this down for yourself, in 1 John 2, verse 15, it says, Love not
the world. Neither are the things that are
in the world. If any man loved the world, the love of the Father
is not in him." Well, of course, that doesn't mean every single
individual person. In 1 John 4, verses 5 and 6,
it reads this way, "'You are of God, little children, and
have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than he
that is in the world. They are of the world, therefore
speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.'" He
says, We are of God, not of the world. Chapter 5, verse 19 of
1 John says, We know we are of God, and the whole world lies
in wickedness. So the word world sometimes means
Gentile, sometimes means God's creation, sometimes it means
a system of beliefs, sometimes it does mean every person, depending
on the context. And Romans 3.19 says, Whatsoever
things the law saith, sayeth to them that are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world, yes, every
individual, become guilty before God. So what's the context? Well, let's look at some verses
which expressly tell us that God hates some persons. Yes, persons. It speaks of His
hatred, His anger, His wrath against certain persons. Now,
people, you don't destroy people that you love, do you? Would
you? If someone, your child, would
you destroy your child? Or would you save your child
that you love? Well, that's what God does according to preachers. He just destroys them. All men
are His children. He loves them all, yet some of
them are going to perish at the hands of this God. Well, that's
a lie. Listen to Psalm 5. Now, David
is the writer here. David, a man after God's own
heart, who spoke of God's love, often of God's mercy. The man
God ordained king and chose for his own son, Jesus Christ, to
be called the son of David. Listen to the man after God's
own heart. In Psalm 5, verse 5, it says,
"...the foolish shall not stand in thy sight." Thou hatest all
workers of iniquity. That's persons. That's sinners,
not just their sins, but sinners. Psalm 7, I'm still reading, Psalm
7, verse 11 and 12, God judges the righteous. God is angry with
the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet
his sword. He hath bent his bow and made
it ready. Sound like the love of God to
you? Why do I read these verses? You ask me why do I read these
verses? Because they are in God's Word,
number one. Because thus saith the Lord.
Because of the lies being told about God today. Because no one
is reading these verses today. Because men and women need to
know the true and living God. The God of the Bible. Because
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Because God is holy. first and foremost and chiefly
holy, righteous. He said, I'm a just God. Before I'm a Savior, I'm a just
God, because God will judge and punish sin. Because God is true,
Scripture says, and every man a liar. These are just a few
reasons I read these verses, but I need no other reason than
the fact that God said it. I'm still reading from God's
Word over in Proverbs 6. And if you're not following along,
I urge you to write these verses down and look at them for yourself. Don't take my Word for it. Take
God's Word for it. Proverbs 6. I'm still reading
God's Word. Proverbs 6, verse 16. Now, this is Solomon speaking.
You know who Solomon was, don't you? Yes, the man whom God gave
more wisdom than any other man who ever lived, other than the
Lord Jesus Christ. And he writes in Proverbs 6,
verse 16, these six things doth the Lord hate. Yea, seven are
an abomination unto him. A proud look, a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood, a heart. Now as the heart of
a man is, that's the way he is. We're talking about persons here.
A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift
and run into mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and
he, yes, a person that soweth discord among brethren. You say,
well, that's Old Testament, preacher. God's different. No, He's not.
Malachi 3, verse 6, God says, I'm the Lord, I change not. Well,
let's look at the New Testament. In Romans 9, verse 8 says this,
"...they which are the children of the flesh." These are not
the children of God, but the children of the promise. In verse
13 it says, "...as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated." That's not love less, as preachers say. No, God's love is perfect. He
doesn't love one less than another. No, God's love is eternal. Jeremiah
31, verse 3, speaking of his people, he says, "...I have loved
you with an everlasting love, and therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee." God's love is effectual. Yes, He draws,
He saves everyone He loves. It says, "...Behold, I and the
children thou hast given me." God's love is in Jesus Christ.
Romans 8, verse 39, the love of God is in Jesus Christ our
Lord. Yes, whosoever believes it. God
loves believers, and they believe because He loved them and gave
them that faith. It's not of themselves. It's
the gift of the God who chose them and loved them. So understand
this about God. He is not what preachers are
saying about Him today. And I urge everyone who listens
to this this morning to take these things and search the scriptures
to see if these things be so. Until next Sunday, good day.
Paul Mahan
About Paul Mahan
Paul Mahan has been pastor of Central Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, Virginia since 1989; preaching the Gospel of God's Sovereign Grace.
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