Open your Bibles, if you would,
to 2 Samuel, Chapter 1. We're looking at a portion that
Brother Tim read for us. 2 Samuel, Chapter 1. The name
of the message is God's Wonderful Love to His People. God's Wonderful
Love to His People. 2 Samuel, Chapter 1. We'll read
verses 24 to 27. And our text will be found in
verse 26. And if you would put your finger over in 1st Samuel
chapter 20, because we'll be going there very shortly. Just
put your finger in there if you could. 1st Samuel chapter 20. The daughters of Israel weep
over Saul. who clothed you in scarlet with
other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How
are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle? O Jonathan,
thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee,
my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant hast thou been
unto me. Thy love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of woman. How are the mighty fallen? The
weapons of war perished. Today, we'll look at verse 26,
of which we read of the great friendship, respect, and love
that David and Jonathan had for each other. It says, I am distressed
for thee, my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant has thou been unto
me. Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of woman. Now
this love was based upon a covenant which was made between David
and Jonathan which is found over in 1st Samuel chapter 20 verses
14 to 17. Now they loved each other as
dear brothers in the Lord. And what a picture it has, what
a picture this covenant is of the Father and the Son or of
the Father and the Lord making a covenant in eternity. And thou shalt not only while
yet I live shalt thou show me the kindness of the Lord that
I die not, but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from
my house for ever. No, not when the Lord hath cut
off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth.
And then verse 16 says, So Jonathan made a covenant with the house
of David, saying, Let the Lord require even Let the Lord even
required at the hand of David's enemies. And Jonathan caused
David to swear again because he loved him, for he loved him
as he loved his own soul. Now we know that Mephibosheth
was spared because of this covenant right here that was made between
Jonathan and David, between Jonathan and David. David came from battle
victorious over Goliath. And the soul of Jonathan was
knit with the soul of David. Turn, if you would, the two chapters
over in 1 Samuel 18. 1 Samuel 18. Their souls were knit together. Jonathan and David's souls. 1 Samuel 18, verses 1 to 5. And
it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking
unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his
own soul. And Saul took him that day and
would not let him go no more home to his father's house. Then
Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own
soul. And Jonathan stripped himself
of the robes that was upon him, and gave it to David, and to
the garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. And David went out whatsoever
Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely. And Saul sent him over
the man of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people,
and also in the sight of Saul's servants." So a covenant, a friendship,
entered into a solemn, they entered into a solemn agreement to keep
up and maintain a cordial respect and love for each other, which
had both interest in life and in death. And we see David showing
Mephibosheth mercy because of a covenant, because of a covenant
made with Jonathan. Turn, if you would, to 2 Samuel,
chapter 9. 2 Samuel, chapter 9. And I know we're all familiar
with this portion of Scripture, but let's look at it here for
this. And David said, Is there yet
any that is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness
for Jonathan's sake? Now this covenant was made before
Moses was even born. And there was of the house of
Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called
him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And
he said, Thy servant is he. And the king said, Is there not
yet any of the house of Saul that I may show him the kindness
of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king,
Jonathan hath yet a son which is lame on his feet. So Jonathan
and David, their hearts were knit together. Their hearts were
knit together, and they loved each other dearly. And David
shows mercy to Mephibosheth for Jonathan's sake. And oh, has
not God shown mercy to we who are poor, desperate, needy sinners
for Christ's sake? For Christ's sake. That's the
only reason God has mercy on us. is for Christ's sake, for
what He's done, for who He is. And as a result of this covenant
that David had a friend at the king's court, Jonathan. And when
Saul fell out with him, right? And they did. Jonathan was the
one who pleaded his cause and discovered his father's plots
and was the means of preserving David's life. Turn, if you would,
to 1 Samuel 19. 1st Samuel 19. Jonathan let David know what
Saul was scheming to do. 1st Samuel 19, verses 1 to 4. And Saul spake to Jonathan his
son and to all his servants that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted
much in David. And Jonathan told David, saying,
Saul, my father seeketh to kill thee. Now, therefore, I pray
thee, take heed to thyself unto the morning, and abide in a secret
place, and hide thyself. And I will go out and stand beside
my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune
with my father of thee. And what I see, that I will tell
thee. And Jonathan spake good of David
unto Saul, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against
his servant, against David, because he hath not sinned against thee.
David hadn't done any wrong. And because his works have been
to thee very good. Now, when Jonathan was killed
in battle, The portion that Brother Tim read was David lamenting
over the death of his friend, Jonathan, and the death of Saul.
And this friendship they had is very special and very unique.
And I would put it with the friendship that we as brethren and brothers
and sisters in Christ have. It's a dear friendship, a dear
love. The world doesn't know what we
have. They have no idea. They have no clue. I didn't before
I was saved. Did you? Did you know about the
bond between Christians before the Lord saved you? And do you
know why our bond is so strong? Because we have the same father. Because we have the same savior.
Because we have the same Holy Spirit dwelling within us. And the world has no idea. No
idea. This relationship and friendship
was very special, but it pales in comparison, beloved. It pales
in comparison to the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to his
elect. It's a picture of it, but it
pales in comparison. God's love to his people, and
we looked at this in our Wednesday night study, God's love to his
people is an agape love, an unconditional. An unconditional love based upon
nothing in us. God's love to His people is based
upon His sovereign will and His sovereign choice. It's an unconditional, sacrificial
love from eternity. And it comes to us in and through
the Lord Jesus Christ, who God Himself sent to this earth to
redeem my soul and to redeem your soul if you're saved. And
Christ came willingly, knowing exactly what he had to do. I
remember some guy tell me a long time ago, well, Jesus didn't
quite know what he was. He learned what he had to do. That's not
true. He knew who he was. He knew what he had to do. And
his scripture says his face is set like a flint to Jerusalem,
beloved. He is on a mission. I come to
redeem my people from their sins. And beloved, he did it. But think
of the love that sent him. Think of the love that God has
for His people, that He would send His Son into the world to
die for rebels like me. Think of the love. This love is eternal. This love is unlike any human
love. Turn if you would to Romans chapter
5. It's unlike any human love. But we who are born again, we
have this love. Do you know we have this love
shed abroad in our hearts? We love the brethren because
this love is shed abroad in our hearts. Before the Lord saved me, I didn't
even want to be around Christians. It's my shame. But now you folks
are the only people I want to be around. Because you're my
brothers and sisters in Christ. Because we've all been redeemed
by the precious blood of Christ. And because our hearts have been
knit together in love, scripture declares. And it's Christ. It's Christ who knits us together.
It's amazing. I was pondering this a few weeks
back. I was living in Canada as a young
boy. I didn't know any of you. Yet
here you were in Michigan or wherever you had moved from,
wherever the Lord bought you. But the Lord bought you here,
right? To hear the gospel. And I didn't know any of you.
And you didn't know me. And we had no clue that our lives
would be knit together, did we? We had no idea at all. But here,
God in his providence has bought us together. and knit our hearts
together in love. Isn't that amazing? And it's
all God's doing. It's all his work. It's all by
his sovereign power. And when we were born and when
we were living our lives, I know we had no care for God before
he saved us. And now we gather together to
hear about our Savior, to hear about the one who redeemed us
with his own precious blood, To be reminded that we're sinners,
but what a Savior. What a Savior we are. And we
love to hear the gospel. Who made you to differ? Only
God. Only God and His love that's
been shed abroad in your hearts. Look at Romans chapter five,
verses one to six. Therefore being justified by
faith. Now we have to believe on Christ to be saved. And that faith is a gift of God.
He gives it to us. But we believe, don't we? Therefore,
being justified by faith, we have what? Peace with God. How? Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
There's the conduit. It's Christ and Him alone. Nowhere
else. So that takes away anyone else. Anyone else is proclaiming that
their salvation to anyone or any other way? This verse destroys
that. There is only peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's why He said, I am the
way, I am the truth, and I am the life. No man cometh unto
the Father but by Me. And then it says, by whom we
have access by faith into this grace, wherein we stand and rejoice
in the hope of the glory of God. God's people rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory
in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience
and patient experience and experience hope. And hope make it not a
shame, because the love of God is what? Shed abroad in our hearts. The love of God is shed abroad
in the hearts of His people by the Holy Ghost, which is given
unto us. See, it's God's work, beloved.
It's His work. For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. That's
you and I. Turn, if you would, to Colossians
chapter 3. We as believers are to love people unconditionally.
Just as God in Christ has loved us. And we looked at this on
Wednesday night in depth. Look at Colossians chapter 3,
and we'll just read four verses here. Verses 12 to 15. Put on therefore as the elect
of God, holy and beloved, vows of mercy, kindness, humbleness
of mind, meekness, longsuffering. We're to put this on. Being born
again. Forbearing one another and forgiving
one another. Why should we forgive one another
and why should we forbear with one another? Well, look at what
the text says. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as
Christ forgave you, so also do ye. We're to be forgiving people
because God has forgiven us all our trespasses and sins. And
above all these things, put on charity. That's love. That's
agape love. The Greek word is agape, which
is the bond of perfectness. It's the thing that bonds us
together, cements us together. Think of this, we're the body
of Christ, various pieces, and we're bound together by the love
of Christ. It's the bond of perfectness.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the witch.
Also, you are called in one body and be thankful. So God loves
his people within the gap, a love, which is the Greek word for love
and Colossians. And in first John four, 10. He
loves us before we love him. Turn, if you would, the first
John chapter four. He loves us before we love him. And we see here how much love
in the brethren is bought forth. And let us remember, we love
the brethren because God's love has been shed abroad in our hearts
when we're born again by the Holy Spirit of God. And this
love does not come naturally to us. It doesn't come naturally
to us. It's it comes from the source. It comes from God. Look at verse
10 here in his love, not that we love God because we didn't
love God. But that He loved us. And what did He do? And sent
His Son to be a propitiation for our sins. He sent the sinless,
the perfect, spotless Lamb of God into this world. Behold the
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. Christ.
He was made a propitiation, a turning away. He turned away the wrath
and justice of God for His people. And He's a propitiation for my
sins. And if you're saved for your
sins, and then look what it says down in verse 19 to 21. We love
him because he first loved us. If a man say I love God and hated
his brother, he's a liar. For he that loveth not his brother
whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
In this commandment we have from him, if he who loveth God loveth
his brother also. So with that in mind, let us
look again at our verse in 2 Samuel 1, verse 26. And we'll look at
a few reasons why Christ's love to the believer is wonderful,
why this love, the love of Christ is wonderful. To the believer,
our text proclaims this, I am distressed for the my brother,
Jonathan. Very pleasant has now been unto
me. Thy love to me was wonderful. Passing the love of a woman,
love of a woman. Thy love to me was wonderful.
Now part of the object for the believer, part of why Christ's
love to the believer is wonderful, is the object of that love. Thy
love to me was wonderful. It is a wonder that Christ should
love anybody, as we are all sinners by birth, by nature, and by choice. But it is the greatest wonder
to the sinner that Christ loves me. Who am I? Who am I that Christ should love
a sinner such as me? I know you say the same thing. Who am I? Ephesians 2 says this of all
of God's elect. And you, hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins? Where in times past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh now in the
children of disobedience, among whom also we had We all had our
conversations in times past in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and we're by nature
the children of wrath, even as others. So we look at those scriptures
and we say, God loves me? But Ephesians 2, verse 4, but
God, who is rich in mercy, who is
rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us. even when we were dead in sins
hath quickened us together with Christ by grace are you saved
if you're saved you're saved by the grace of God in Christ
so the believer wonders that Christ could love a sinner like
me it leaves us in wonder doesn't it it leaves us in awe Grace, grace, grace. God's marvelous, sin-forgiving,
matchless grace in the Lord Jesus Christ has been given to me,
the believer says. Oh, what grace! What undeserved,
what unmerited grace! And it's only found in and through
the Lord Jesus Christ. Go back to Romans 5 and look at the verses following. Verses 6-8 of what we had read. For when we were yet without
strength, that's our natural state. We have no strength to
come to God. We have no strength to save ourselves. For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. That's
us. For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. In Romans 5.8, look at this.
But God commandeth His love toward us, toward sinners. This is what
leaves the believer in awe. that God would show His love
to sinners. But God commandeth His love toward
us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ died for sinners. Are
you a sinner? Hard to find sinners nowadays. Folks don't think they're sinners
anymore. I'm a sinner. And I'm saved by
the grace of God and Christ and nothing else. I know God's people
all say the same thing, don't we? Because we've been showing
who we are. And I pray that if you don't
think you're a sinner, I pray that God, the Holy Spirit, if
it's his will, that he would reveal to you that you're a sinner
in desperate, desperate need of Christ, because Christ came
to save sinners in that verse. But God commandeth His love toward
us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. When we examine who we are, sinners,
and how we are by nature when we're born into this world, there are many reasons why His
love should have passed us by. But God in His sovereign, free
and sovereign grace and mercy singled us out. and drew us to
Himself. And the believer cries, Woe,
what wondrous love is this! O my soul! O my soul! Jeremiah says this at the same
time, saith the Lord, Will I be the God of all the families of
Israel, and they shall be my people? Thus saith the Lord,
the people which were left of the sword found grace in the
wilderness, even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
The Lord hath appeared of old saying of old unto me, saying,
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore,
with loving kindness, and this is with loving kindness, have
I drawn you. He draws us with loving kindness,
turns us and points us to Christ. What a Savior. What a Savior. We wonder in the wondrous love
of Christ, because when we consider the one, the one who is loving
us, it leaves us in awe. The one who is loving us. Thy
love to me was wonderful. God in Christ is the giver of
this love. For a fallen creature to love
another is no miracle. But for a Holy Creator, the One
who dwells in eternity, the One who dwells in the high and holy
place, the One who Scripture declares is the Holy One, for Him to love a sinful creature, is a miracle of sovereign grace. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the
sons of God. Is it any wonder that God's love
is wonderful to the believer? When we consider to what lengths
Christ loved His elect and loves His elect, His love becomes wonderful to
us. Having loved his own, which were
in the world, he loved them to the end. Turn, if you would, to 1 Timothy
3, verse 16. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the word
spoken of in John 1, 1, who was with God and was God, took human
nature to himself. But God-man took flesh upon himself. God and man intertwined. The
perfect, sinless, spotless Lamb of God. And He did this because
He loves His people. Look at 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. And without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested, manifest
in the flesh. God became a man. justified in the spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, and received up into glory. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man,
bore the sins of his people, and he suffered the wrath of
God for them as their substitute. And this leaves the sinner for whom Christ died in awe. That the perfect, sinless, spotless
Lamb of God would die in my place. Would pay everything that God
demanded of me to pay. And I could never pay it for
myself. that He was manifest in the flesh
to die for the sins of His people. Is it any wonder why we love
Him? Is it any wonder why we call
Him the fairest among ten thousand? What love is this? Wonder of wonders, the Lord Jesus
Christ would take the place of sinners and die as their substitute,
putting away their sins. All of it. So that God can say,
I'll remember their sin and iniquities no more. Turn, if you would, to Romans
chapter 8. How far has our sin gone? So
far that there'd be no judgment for the believer. No judgment for the believer.
because our sins were judged at Calvary's cross. Now, the
word condemnation here means judgment. Look at this, this
is this is marvelous news for sinners, and it leaves us in
awe to what lengths Christ loves his elect and to what lengths
Christ went to to put away our sin. There is therefore now no condemnation. There is now therefore no judgment. God's people's sins have been
judged at Calvary's cross. And God is satisfied. That's good news for sinners.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Outside of Christ there's condemnation. In Christ there's no condemnation,
who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For the
law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sent in his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in
the flesh. That the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, Christ fulfilled the law for
us, beloved. He did it all, who walked not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. The God-man mediator,
the sinless one, the Lord Jesus Christ, dying in the place of
sinners. The just one, dying for the unjust. What love is manifested before
us in these texts, Greater love hath no man than this, than a
man lay down his life for his friends. And God's people are
his friends, his elect, his chosen. And Christ laid down His life
for us. No love on earth can compare
to this love, to the love of Christ for His people, or for
the love the Father has for His elect in sending His Son to die
for them. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, the sinless one. Cursed is everyone that hangeth
on the tree, that the blessings of Abraham might come on the
Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise
of the Spirit through faith. What a Savior! What a Redeemer! What love! What love? And to think that
Christ didn't just do it for this sinner, but He did it for all the sinners
of all the elect. All the elect who are sinners
by birth, nature, and choice, right? He died for His people. He didn't die for everyone in
the world, but He died for His people, didn't He? And He's accomplished
salvation for us. Now, is there any love that even
compares to this? None. None. It's amazing. This is truly agape love. Unconditional,
sacrificial love. The next point that we marvel
at, that leaves us in wonder of this wondrous love is this,
that there's no end to this redeeming love. There's no end to this
redeeming love. Nothing can separate the believer
Nothing can separate now. Now, stuff can separate the unbeliever
or even professing Christians who profess to be believing and
then vanish. But nothing can nothing can separate. Nothing can separate the believer.
The one who's being saved and redeemed by the precious blood
of Christ, nothing can separate them from the from the love of
Christ. And we see Paul bringing forth the everlasting safety
of the church in Christ Jesus our Lord. Turn if you would to
Romans chapter 8. We see this here. Paul brings
forth these things which at first glance might seem to destroy
or harm the church of God in the present or in the future.
But let us look at all and see the everlasting safety of the
church, the everlasting safety of the elect. and see that nothing
can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Now these are
encouraging words to believers because we go through this world
and we have trials and we have tribulations and we have various
things occur to us in our lives, right? And they're hurtful sometimes. They leave scars. And there might
be a trial in your life going through medically or or emotionally. But these words are encouraging
words to God's people. Because whether it be trial,
temptations, God's people can glean great comfort from this
text. Romans 8, verse 35 to 39. Romans 8, 35 to 39. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? That covers a broad spectrum,
doesn't it? As it is written, for thy sake
we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the
slaughter. For I'm 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." What everlasting
safety the believer has in Christ. Now let us remember who's penning
this. Just in case we wonder, well, let's look over in 2 Corinthians. This is Paul saying this by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit of God. What did Paul go through a little
bit? Let's go over to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. This is Paul the apostle who
just said that nothing can separate us from the love of God. In 2
Corinthians chapter 11 we have a list of Paul's suffering. His
sufferings as an apostle. Look at this. 2 Corinthians. We'll read a lengthy portion
here. Look at this. Starting in verse
16. I say again, 2 Corinthians 11,
16. I say again, let no man think
me a fool, if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I
may boast myself a little. That which I speak, verse 17,
I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly in confidence
of boasting. Seeing that many glory after
the flesh, I will glory also. For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing
ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer if a man bring
you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take you, if a
man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. I speak as concerning
reproach, as though we had been weak. How obey wherein? And he is bold, I speak foolishly,
I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham?
So am I. Are they ministers of Christ?
I speak as a fool. I am more. In labors more abundant,
in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths
oft of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice
I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Thrice I suffered
shipwreck. A night and a day I have been
in the deep. In journeyings often, in perils
of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen,
in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils
in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false
brethren. in weariness and painfulness,
in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often,
in cold and nakedness, beside those things that are without,
that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches."
So he went through all those things and he also had the weight
and the care of all the churches upon him. Who is weak and I am not weak?
Who is offended and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will
glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed forevermore,
knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus, the governor under
Ataeus the king kept the city of Damascus with a garrison,
desirous to apprehend me. And through a window in the basket,
I was let down by the walls and escaped his hands. That is the
one who wrote. who shall separate us from the
love of Christ. So we who are God's people, although
we are sinners, we can leave this place today rejoicing in
God's wonderful love to his people as it has been manifested to
us in Christ. And it has been, hasn't it? He
has revealed Himself to us. And we are in awe of our great
God and King. Oh, what wondrous love Christ
has for His people. Glory, honor, and praise to the
great God and King, our Lord, our Savior, and our Redeemer,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Gracious Heavenly Father,
we come before Thy throne in absolute awe that You sent Your
Son to die in our place. And Lord Jesus, we are in awe
that You left the glories and splendors of heaven As we saw
this morning in Sunday school that the angels were falling
down before you crying, holy, holy, holy, you left that to
come to this sin-cursed world and to redeem us with thy precious
blood. Oh, Lord, may we leave this place
in awe of what you have done for your people. And if it's
your will, Lord, oh, if it's your will that you would draw
one of your lost sheep, that you'd save a sinner, reveal to
them what they are, We give you all the glory, honor, and praise.
In Jesus' precious name, Amen.