Tonight we come to John 3, 16. And that's all I'm going to title
this message, is John 3, 16. There would almost be no need
to read it, but we will. 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." Now there is no doubt
in my mind that this is the most quoted verse in all the Bible. And that it is also the verse
that men and women seek to use to try to prove universal love. But if this verse stood alone,
and that was the only verse, you could do that, I suppose.
But this verse, like every verse in the Bible, is to be interpreted
in light of all the other verses in the Bible. And men oftentimes,
according to the Apostle, they rest or twist the Scriptures. to their own destruction and
the destruction of others." If this meant that God loves
every person in the world without exception, then it would put
this book, its truthfulness, in a great, contradictory state. We know, if we know anything
about this book, that two other times, making reference to a
man by the name of Esau, God says, Esau have I hated. He says that in the book of Malachi,
he says that in the ninth chapter of the book of Romans. And then
he says also in Psalm 5, he says, "...the foolish shall not stand
in thy sight, thou hadest all workers of iniquity." All workers
of iniquity. And that is the same group that
he speaks of in Matthew 7, when they hold up all they think they've
done in the name of God, and he says, Depart from me, ye that
work iniquity. I never knew you. I never loved
you. And then turn with me in your
Bibles to Proverbs chapter 6. I'm not going to take a lot of
time in this, but I want us to remember just a few verses that
would prove to be the exact opposite of those who seek to prove universal
love in God. Proverbs chapter 6. In verse
16, he says, "...these six things doth the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination
unto him, a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent
blood. and heart that deviseth wicked
imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false
witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among
brethren." He hates these. But not only do we have these
references wherein we find God saying that He hates some, and
by the way, you cannot dilute that by saying He simply loves
them less. He says that He hates them. But not only that, but also,
the very word world, as we find it in the New Testament, rather
than speaking of every person in the world, it is used in about
seven or eight different ways. But I especially want you to
look in John chapter 17, where we have our Lord praying
to the Father. And as He prays to the Father
concerning His people, He sets them in contrast to others. Verse 9. I pray for them, I pray
not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for
they are thine." Look at verse 14, "...I have
given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, Because
they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. And then verse 16, They are not
of the world, even as I am not of the world. So before you run
and take that word world and make it say, is talking about
every person in the world, you have to look at passages like
that and know that is not the case. People many times have
simply said, well, I believe that the word world means world. Well, then you're a lazy Bible
student. You're a person who rather than
look at what the Bible says, would rather take your own ideas
about the love of God rather than what God says. But even though it is not talking
about universal love, the truth about God's love does not diminish
His love. As a matter of fact, It not only
does not diminish his love, it magnifies his love. And what we find about the love
of God, here and elsewhere, is that it is more, much more, than
mere affection or benevolence. Because you see, the view that
so many have of the love of God, it really renders it down to
virtually nothing without the will and work of men. But you see, the love of God,
as we find it in this book, is eternal. God Himself is eternal. Turn back over to the book of
Jeremiah, where in Jeremiah, every person who is ever and
has ever been loved by God can say with Jeremiah, the words
in Jeremiah 31, and verse 3. He says, "...the Lord hath appeared
of old unto me," or from afar, "...saying, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love." Everlasting. The word, I believe,
Old Gil said, that word means everlasting, going all the way
back before time into old eternity, and also going all the way into
future worlds without end. And because God is as He is,
eternal, And he is also, by his own definition,
one who changes not. The glorious thing, the most
amazing thing, in a sense, about the love of God is that before
time, before we were born, before we ever knew anything about Him,
before so many things happened in old eternity past, He loved
His people. He loved them with an everlasting
love. And if he loved them before they
had a physical existence, then we can rest assured that nothing
that takes place while they're in that physical existence can
ever alter the love that God has for His people. But not only does he say in Jeremiah's
confession, not only does he say that he has loved his people
with an everlasting love, but that he has in that love acted
toward them. He says, since I loved you with an everlasting
love. Therefore, with lovingkindness,"
I believe that's the Old Testament word that is about the same thing
as grace. With lovingkindness have I drawn
thee. I didn't just love you, and wish
you well. I didn't just love you and hope
everything worked out for you." He says, I loved you with an
everlasting love and therefore with these cords of love. Meaning his purpose, and his
will, and his work, working all things, he says, have I drawn
thee. And if you look in this book,
one of the most amazing things to me, and amazing in light of
how the love of God is presented in this day, When we read about
the love of God and what He speaks of it concerning all of His people,
it's always in the past tense. That's what He said to Jeremiah,
I have loved you. And wherever you look in our
day, men and women are being told God loves you. But you see, if he says, God
loves you, that means that evidently, irregardless of how you are,
or maybe because of something in you, that's why He loves you. But if he says, I have loved
you, that puts his love originating in himself. before you ever are
in physical existence, before you ever do anything, and certainly
before you ever are brought to love Him. He says, I have loved
you. And that is an unchanging love. As I said, He does not change,
and that is the reason why, in every sense, we are not totally
consumed. He says through Malachi also,
I am the Lord. I change not. And then he follows that with
a natural consequence of his not changing, especially as it
is in his love and grace and purpose. He says, therefore,
ye sons of Jacob, you would think if we were lovable, he wouldn't
put that name on us, would he? If we deserved His love in some
way, if we had done something that merited His love, surely
He wouldn't call us the sons or daughters of that scoundrel
Jacob. But He said, I change not. Therefore,
ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. The love of God. is a particular
and definite love for His people, and the world that is spoken
of here is the world of His elect being identified as they are
those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Nobody else does. Nobody else will. And they would
not, were it not for the grace of God giving them the gift of
faith, and this is how this world, these that make up this world,
this is how they are outwardly and publicly identified. They believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. And they believe on Christ as
the Bible says that He is. They believe on Christ as the
Bible tells us what it is that He did. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. But when we remember that We're
reading this verse right on the heels of what we looked at in
verse 14 of John 3. This love is somehow connected
particularly to this people through and by Christ crucified. He dies a definite death for
a particular people to accomplish their salvation in its entirety. He died to save his people from
their sins. And when you talk about the love
of God with regard to that death, that particular death on the
cross, turn over to Ephesians chapter 5 and listen to what
the Apostle Paul says in his instruction to the church at
Ephesus. Ephesians 5. Who did he die for? Well, who was that brazen serpent
lifted up for? Not all those peoples around
where Israel dwelt, encamped. That brazen serpent was lifted
up for them. But not only that, listen to
what Paul says in Ephesians 5, 25, speaking to husbands, and
the love that they are to have for their wives. Husbands, love
your wives even as Christ also loved the church. That is such a plain clear statement
on the love of God in Christ. He says, husbands, love your
wives as or in the same manner that Christ loved the church. First of all, singularly. Particularly, your wife as Christ
loved the church. But not only are we to love our
wives particularly as Christ loved the church. Look at the
next line, "...and gave Himself for it." In other words, our
love toward our husbands or our wives is to be one of sacrifice. Sacrifice. And you know what? I'll say this. Oftentimes in marriage, what
you have to sacrifice most is your own will and your own way. But that's what he says. Husbands, love your wives even
as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." You
see, Christ died for the very ones that He loved. He loved
the church and He gave Himself for those that He loved. Listen to Paul again in Ephesians
2. He says, but God, who is rich
in mercy for His great love, wherewith He loved us. Now who is He talking to? Well,
in that letter originally, He was talking first of all to those
believers in the church at Ephesus. But as we know, that letter was
not simply written for them or even for that day alone. But
this is the Word of God to His people as long as time stands. In Ephesians 5 and verse 2, he
says, "...and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and
hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God
for a sweet-smelling savour." In other words, our love and
regard for our brethren. He not only uses the love of
Christ as the example in our marriage relationships, but he
also uses it as the example in our love for the brethren, the
people of God. And he also reminds us that that
too is a sacrificial love. And then he says this in 1 John
4 and verse 10. He says, "...herein is love, not that we loved God, but that
He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins." In other words, the love of God is not only everlasting,
the love of God is not only active, but the love of God is all bound
up in His sending His Son in love to be the Savior of those
He loves. Turn over to Romans chapter 8.
Because it is definitely in Christ Jesus alone. Now, people can talk about the
love of God until they're blue in the face, but outside of the
Lord Jesus Christ, God says He is a consuming fire. The love of God is in Christ
Jesus. And since it is in Christ Jesus,
and since God has chosen His people in Christ Jesus, and put
them in Christ Jesus, and inseparably joined them in union with Christ
Jesus, That love for them is as sure
for them as it is for His Son. Just ask yourself this. Does God love His Son? Does He
not call Him His only begotten, well-beloved Son? Well, look
here in Romans chapter 8 and verse 35. Paul says, as he often does,
asks a question so he can answer it. Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ? Now, he's not talking so very
much about our love for Christ, but he's talking about his love
for us. Shall tribulation? or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Well, surely people that God
loves, they'd never experience those things, would they? I'm
afraid so. Then he says this, as it is written,
for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are accounted
as sheep for the slaughter. But he says, nay, or no, in all
these things we are more than conquerors. Now I don't know
exactly how to explain that, but it sounds good. People are
always talking about getting the victory. The victorious Christian. He says, we are more than conquerors
through Him that loved us. And listen to this, 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." That's a wonderful
few verses there. And the truth is, whatever your
problem, whatever your enemy, whatever your difficulty, whatever
your affliction, whatever, it doesn't matter what it is, He
covers it all. And He says, nothing shall be
able to separate His people from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus. And the other thing about that
love is it is also the cause for our love for Him. You see,
nobody really loves God until they are brought to know from
the Word of God in their hearts just how it is that He has loved
them. But John states it in just a
few words. He says, we love Him because
He first loved us. You see, when he talks about
so loved, that means that there is a design to the love of God. For God so loved these, that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth." Whosoever
is believing on Him. How do any believe on Him? When
God gives them faith to believe on Him. And when they believe
on Him, That is the evidence that He has given them everlasting
life. In other words, everlasting life
has flowed down to His people in everlasting love. And such love is our motivation
to love our brethren. John again in 1 John 4, Beloved,
if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. Sometimes we look around and
we find people amongst the Lord's people, and as some say sometimes,
that person is not easy to love. And I want to say this, do you
think you are? How easy do you think it was
for God to love you? The only way He could love you
and me is to love us in somebody else. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. And this love of God in Christ,
this perfect, everlasting, redeeming, saving love in Christ crucified,
that love toward us in Him is the source of all our consolation
and hope. Paul to the Thessalonians, Now
our Lord Jesus Christ Himself And God, even our Father which
hath loved us, hath given us everlasting consolation and good
hope through grace." Grace is love. And love is grace. While I was working on this this
morning, That's an old hymn. It was written, I think, by a man
by the name of Jehoiada Brewer a long time ago. But the first verse of that hymn says, "...Hail sovereign love!"
Love that God bestows upon His people just because it's his
right to love whom he will. Hail sovereign love that first
began the scheme to rescue fallen man. Hail matchless, free, eternal
grace that gave my soul a hiding place. No, God doesn't love every
person without exception. But He does love a people out
of every nation and kindred and tribe and tongue that He purposed
to love and chose in Christ Jesus. And He will in time, just as
Christ has come and died for them in time, He will come in
time by His Spirit And it says that the Holy Spirit does what? Sheds abroad in our hearts the
love of God. What does that mean? It means
He reveals to us the fact that God loves us, but maybe even
more than that, the way God can love such sinners as we are. The love of God is in Christ
Jesus. The love of God is being demonstrated
on that cross outside of Jerusalem when He loved us and gave Himself
for us. Our Father, tonight we praise
You and thank You for that Immeasurable love that is in Christ Jesus. That perfect love that casts
out our fears. That love that is like the love
of Boaz that he had for Ruth and caused him to go down to
the city gate and do everything necessary to redeem her. That love that Hosea had for
Gomer that caused him, even though she had so mistreated him, neglected
him, abandoned him, to go to the slave market and purchase
her off of that market. We thank you for this love. We
pray that Your Spirit would shed it abroad in our hearts, and
that the consequence would be that we would be filled with
love for You, that love that is the fruit of the Spirit. And
we pray, Father, once more for these that we've mentioned and
more that are upon our hearts, especially those that are lost
and without Christ. Cause Your Word. to find a place
in their hearts. Give them that new heart of faith. Open that heart as you did for
Lydia of old. Do your perfect will. Help and
save and keep and protect the people of your love. We thank
you for that love that is in Christ Jesus And we pray in His
name, Amen.