Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. You want to follow along, I'll
be in Romans chapter eight to start with. And not verse 28, although it's
still there. And I may mention it later. Romans
chapter eight, I want to begin reading in verse 35. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword. As it is written, for thy sake
we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. Nay, say that again, nay, in
all these things we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us. For I am persuaded that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. My title is The Love of God. Go figure, from that text, right?
In Christ, the love of God in Christ. That's my title, and
here's what I got to say. The love of God is an inexhaustible
subject. And the love of God is more than
I can ever know. And it's more than you can ever
know. And the love of God is more than I could ever say. The
scripture writers and the songwriters are correct. The love of God
is greater than any man's tongue can tell. So I might as well
sit down, all right? I can't tell you. Well, no, I
can't tell you, but I can tell you what the scripture says.
And I'm not gonna sit down anyway. I don't have the words because
there are no words that can actually relate it. There's no words to be able to
teach a man about the love of God. You have to have experienced
it to know just a little bit and to know what I'm gonna talk
about. Because what I have to say is from the
scriptures. It's the only authority we have.
I don't wanna hear about your imaginings, or my imaginings
I don't wanna hear about, about the love of God. Because chances
are we're wrong. And even if we're not wrong,
we're gonna fall way, way short of what the truth actually is.
The scripture tells us, and we'll get to it, God is love. The world wants to do the opposite. They want to say love is God. No, it ain't so. God is love. Love, man's imaginings of love is not
the standard. Because this world, this religious
world in particular, has it exactly backwards as usual. It's not that love is God, it's
God is love. And you need to find out what
love is by seeing who God is. But anyhow, he starts here in
verse 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Wait a minute, I thought you
said you were gonna talk about the love of God. I am. The love of Christ is the
love of God because Christ is God. The Father, the Son, and
the Spirit, these three are one. They don't just think like they're
one. They don't act in all agreement,
and so they're considered, no, they are one. I can't explain
that either, and you can't explain it, but it's so, it's so. Jesus Christ is God, but who
shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation or
distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril Or sword? No. That's what Paul tells us. No, nay. No one, nobody can separate
us from the love of Christ. Now, does that include you and
me? Well, I'm a no one and I'm a
nobody, so that includes me. Understand you can't separate
yourself from the love of Christ. No one nobody and also he goes
on nothing No thing Can separate us from the love of Christ? Whatever you think of it doesn't
matter no one and no thing can separate God's people from God
not even you yourself. Here's the thing about the truth
of salvation. You didn't get salvation, it
was given to you, and you can't push it away, because he's keeping
you. And if he's not keeping you,
it's because you're not saved. And that's as plain as I can
say it. He keeps his people. The scripture is very, very clear. It's not up to you. It never
was up to you, it's not up to me, and it never was up to me.
And no one and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. I like that. But also, I do want
to notice who Paul is writing about here. He uses the word
us, we, we, we, and us. I think he's talking about a
particular people. He's talking about who he wrote
this book to. Let's see, just for the fun of
it, Romans one, okay. Where is it? To all that be in
Rome, here's the word, beloved. Beloved of God. What? Called to be saints. Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. and
who can separate us from him? The beloved of God. In his son. In his son, we'll get to that. He's writing about the only ones
who could possibly know anything about the love of God. Believers. Believers. Saints. Called to be saints. Especially
called as a reference to Romans 8 and verse 28. That is believers
in Christ Jesus. It's written, for thy sake we
are killed all the day long. And for thy sake we are accounted
as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us, that loved
us. Oh my. Believers are the only
ones to whom the love of God, the love of Christ is revealed. The world is gonna look at it
the wrong way. And they do every time. They go looking for love and
think they're gonna find God. They're not seeking God. As he
is. As he is. Because believe it
or not, even though God is love, there is more to God than love. There's holiness, and righteousness,
and judgment, and justice, and God is love. And God is love. And they all fit together in
one supreme being that we naturally know absolutely nothing about. It has to be revealed. John tells
us, this is in 1 John chapter four, of course. Verse six, we,
there we are again, we are of God. We are of God. He that knoweth God, heareth
us. I like that. He that is not of
God, heareth not us. And isn't that the truth? Isn't
that the truth? Walter, you were talking, I think
it was on the TV today, about somebody read Romans 8.28, just
read it to him. Well, I don't believe it like
that. The guy hadn't even talked about the scriptures. He just
read it. This is what the scriptures say.
All things work together for God to those that love God, to
those that are called according to his purpose. I don't believe
that. then you don't believe the Bible,
which is what I knew to start with. Or I don't believe it that
way, I'm sorry, I'll have to give you a different inflection
or something. I can't change the words, I'm not going to change
the words. People wanna change the words all the time, but we're
not gonna get into that. He that knoweth God, heareth
us, and he that is not of God, heareth not us, hereby we know
the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Why? If they won't
hear the scriptures, that's the spirit of error. That's it. And if I'm reading the scriptures
and you won't hear me, you're not of God. That's what it says.
I mean, it's plain. I'm not making this stuff up. Beloved, let us love one another. Well, here's a way to look at
it. For love is of God. Love is from God, not love is
God, love is of God. For God is love. In this was
manifested, what? The love of God toward us, toward
believers, toward his children, toward the elect, toward those
he chose in his son because In this was manifested the love
of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten son
into the world that, there's a purpose here, that we might
live through him, through him. How do we know God loves his
people? He sent his son. He sent his son. And he sent
his son to live and to die and to be resurrected. He sent his
son to be the substitute. God will provide himself a sacrifice. And God did provide himself a
sacrifice. I don't have to make a sacrifice.
Matt, you don't have to make a sacrifice. Paul, you don't
have to make a sacrifice. Paul, you don't, nobody. God
provided himself a sacrifice. Oh my, that's glorious. God sent
his son, his only begotten son. And the end purpose is this,
that, what? We live through him. We live through Jesus Christ. Verse 10 says, herein is love,
not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son
to be the propitiation for our sins. Goodness gracious. That's love. That's love, folks. That's God's love for us. Any
son, any son. God's love is greater than man
can know. I've already said that, I'm gonna
say it again. The love of God is greater than man can say. All we can say is this. God said,
this is my beloved son, in whom I'm well pleased. Well pleased. Hear ye him. What did Christ say? What has
Christ told us in his word? Now I'm gonna give you four things
about the love of God from the scripture. This is what I got. There's more, and there's more
on each and every one of these, but I'm only gonna go so far.
First thing I wanna tell you about God's love. God's love
is sovereign. You gotta start there, I believe. Because if God's not sovereign,
he's not God. And God's love is sovereign.
And here's the thing about God's love being sovereign, this is
what most people will not have. I don't know if you're watching
this on TV or on streaming and welcome to you people streaming.
Here's the thing, God loves whom he pleases. And I don't know
any other way to say that. Romans nine and verses 11 through
13 tell us plainly For the children, being not yet born, either having
done any good or evil, for the purpose of God, according to
election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth,
it was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. Now
most people would be really, really happy if Paul stopped
right there. But he said this, as it is written,
and it's written in the Old Testament, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. Now, you people may have heard the
same things I've heard. And I've heard people, preachers
from pulpits, try to explain this away. And that's exactly
what they're trying to do. They're wanting to get rid of
it. They'd have been really happy if it had never been put in there.
And it wouldn't surprise me if that goofball origin back in
the old days took that verse out. Because they say Jacob have
I loved, Esau have I loved less. Okay. You can look at the Greek
word. You can look it up online. Studylight.org
is a wonderful resource for this. That word is hated. It's not
loved less. Jacob I have loved, Esau I have
hated. That's what it says. And I'm gonna tell you this,
that's what it means. God is sovereign, he doesn't
love everyone. He has never ever said that he
loves everyone. Preachers say that. It's a lie,
but preachers say it. Here's the thing. God has mercy, God has love,
God has loving kindness on whom he will. You can keep reading
in Romans chapter nine. Let's see. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated, that's verse 13. 14 says, what
shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? Yes, people say it all the time. God forbid. There is no unrighteousness with
God. He told Moses, for he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion. God's love is sovereign. He bestows
it where he will. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, it's of God that shows mercy. It's of God that shows love. Oh my. Go down to verse 18, well,
verse 17. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might show my power in thee, that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Now here's what he says. Therefore
hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will,
he hardeneth. He hardeneth. I gotta say something. God does not harden in love. You'll never hear that anywhere
where it says God hardened his children. You will hear this. God chastises every son that
he has. But here's the thing, that word
chastisement in the definition of it is punishment with correction. It's not hardening. You don't
wanna be hardened. Look at Pharaoh's end. Look at
the end of Pharaoh's army. He has mercy on whom he will
and whom he will, he hardens. Excuse me. I don't like bursting
anyone's bubble. Well, okay, maybe some days I
do like bursting people's bubble. But God doesn't love everyone.
And the scripture has never said that. Too many preachers have
said that. And it's not so, it's not so. It doesn't make me happy, it's
just, this is the truth of God. And you're either gonna stand
with the truth of God, or you're not. Because no matter what the world
says, no matter what preacher says, no matter what your mom
and dad have said, brother, sister, anybody else, friend of yours,
okay? There are vessels of wrath fitted
for destruction. That's what it says. That's Romans
chapter nine. That's why in most churches today,
even most Baptist churches, you will not hear any sermons from
Romans chapter nine. Because they don't like it. And
at best, if they do talk about it, they're gonna do their best
to sweep it under the rug and explain it away. I'm not here
to do that. God's love is sovereign. God's
love is sovereign. He loves whom he will, and he
is gracious to whom he loves. He shows his grace to those same
people whom he will, whom he will. The second thing, God's
love is eternal. Let's see, Ephesians chapter
one, verse three through six. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. According as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world. I like that. that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love, in love, in love, in love. Oh, I
like that. Having predestinated us under
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure
of his will. I like that. to the praise, to
the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the beloved. In the beloved, oh my. We are
going to be holy and without blame before him in God's love. In Christ's love. Why, because
we are accepted in the beloved. The beloved. Oh, I like that.
Maybe I should have made that one of my points. God's love
is a blessing in Christ. Bless us with all spiritual blessings. God's love is a blessing. But
this is my point here. God's love is eternal. Understand,
not only did God love you before you were born, God loved you
before there were people. That's another part of that God
being sovereign stuff. God loved you before there were
people. Before Adam, before Eve, we were
what? Before the foundation of the
world, chosen us in Christ. Oh my gosh. God's love is eternal. and he has made us accepted in
the beloved. We didn't deserve to be accepted,
he made us. Understand, it is he that made
us and not we ourselves. That's from the Psalms. Oh my,
God's love was on his people chosen in Christ Jesus before
there were people. I wish I could lay hold of that,
really lay hold of that. Both Jeremiah and Paul wrote
about being known of God, loved of God, in their mother's womb.
In their mother's womb, before they were born. God's love is eternal. It has no beginning, it has no
end. It's been in Christ since the
beginning, since before the beginning, before the foundation of the
world. God's love is eternal. This is not something new. God
is not picking people as he goes along. That's what some people
preach. No, God chose them in Christ,
in love, in love. Oh, I like that. And we're going
to be together with Christ in love. The love of God, the love
of Christ, God's love is sovereign, God's love is eternal, and here's
the other thing, number three, God's love is infinite. That's
why we can't understand it. We are what is known as finite. Compared to God, what is man? A red maggot, a worm, and no
man? Less than the small dust of the
balance. You don't even bother cleaning
it off, because it's not gonna change the balance whatsoever.
It has no effect on anything whatsoever. That's us. That's
us. But God's love is infinite. There
is absolutely no end to the love of God. There is no, here's the other
thing about it being infinite. There's no lack in the love of
God. Nothing lacking. Galatians 2
and verse 20 says this, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live, yet not I. But Christ liveth in me, in me,
in you. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, what? Who
loved me. How much did he love me? He gave
himself for me. Husbands, love your wives even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, the
church. It's Ephesians five and verse
25. God's love is infinite. There's
no lack. There's no shortage. Titus two and 14 says, who gave
himself for us in love that he might redeem us from all iniquity
and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. The scripture tells us that God
is going to gather all of his people together to be with Christ. That's what Paul wrote about
that day coming. And he says those wonderful words
at the end of it. And he says this, he says, and
so shall we ever be with the Lord. Now I wanna put two words
on the end of that. In love. In love. We are in the
beloved. We are chosen in the beloved.
We are brought into the beloved. We're his body.