The title of my message tonight
is the love that God hath to us. The love that God hath to
us. Our text is 1st John chapter
4 and verse 16. Let's read the entire text together,
but my message will be taken from just the first sentence.
1st John chapter 4 and verse 16. And we have known and believed
the love that God hath to us. God is love. And he that dwelleth
in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. We have known by divine revelation,
by the sweet experience of God's grace, by the teaching of God
the Holy Spirit in the experience of salvation. We have known and
believed, known and relied upon, known and rested ourselves in. We have known and believed the
love that God hath toward us. This is not some impersonal ambiguous,
meaningless notion of love, about which there is much talk and
singing and preaching in our day, as though God loves everybody. He never did. He does not now. And he never will. To say that
God loves everyone is to say that God's love is utterly insignificant. To say that God loves everyone
is to say that God's love doesn't matter. To say that God loves
everyone is to say that God's love is meaningless. For if God
loves the multitudes who are in hell and the multitudes who
at last shall be damned in everlasting destruction, God's love is utterly
meaningless. John is not talking about some
ambiguous, meaningless notion of love. Oh, no. He's talking
about a special, personal, distinct, loving favor of God for us and
toward us. He's speaking now of us, God's
elect. God loves sinners chosen by him
from everlasting, us, those who are redeemed by the precious
blood of his dear son. God's love is manifest in the
sacrifice of his son. He loves all for whom his son
died. His son died for all who are
the objects of his everlasting love. all of them and none but
them. He redeemed those whom he loved
from everlasting. He loved us, his church, those
who are called by his grace, called from darkness to light,
called from death to life, called from bondage to liberty, called
by the effectual, irresistible power of his spirit to the Lord
Jesus Christ, called and conquered by his love. It is the love of
God toward us, us sinners saved by his grace. Now that makes
the love of God special, special to all who know it, special to
all who experience it, special to all who are loved of God. I don't know how on this earth
people in the religious world, Imagine that the love of God
has some meaning, some greater meaning even, than when they
say God loves everyone, than to speak of God's distinct, special,
sovereign love. I'll tell you what you can try
sometime. Rex, you and Debbie are fixing to go on your anniversary
trip, aren't you? Sometime next week when you've
got Debbie all alone, you snuggle up next to her and say, honey,
I love you just like I love every other woman in the world. See
what that gets you. What a stupid. That's insane. That's a mockery of love. And
that is insignificant compared with the mockery men make of
God's love when they speak of God loving all people. He does not. We have known and
relied upon the love that God hath to us. This special distinguishing love. God is love. Never was anything so deep, so
comprehensive, so endearing, and so exciting expressed in
such few words. God is love. but glorious as
that fact of revelation is, it is lightly regarded by most. That which the angels of God
admire and the people of God adore is despised, mocked, and
laughed at, trampled underfoot by the majority of men. And yet
there are some who know this truth of divine revelation. and we are deeply grateful for
it. God is love. That which is despised by the
wise and prudent of this world is cherished by God's saints. This is the one character of
all who are born of God. This is the one thing you can
be certain of concerning every heaven-born soul. We have known
and relied upon the love that God hath toward us. Every heaven-born soul, young
or old, in whatever circumstances, we have known and relied upon
the love that God hath for us without question. God's love
is seen in many things, but John specifically in this portion
of scripture is talking to us about the revelation, the manifestation
of God's great love in the sacrifice of his son. In this was manifested
the love of God toward us because God sent his only begotten son
into the world that we might live through him. Herein is love,
not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son
to be the perpetuation for our sins. Our Lord Jesus himself
declares, the father's love toward us was his motive for coming
into this world. 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. That which moved God to
send Christ here was his love for us. That which moved God
to make us his people in his Son was his love for us. And
the Apostle Paul tells us, that the greatest revelation of God's
love is that which God did in the sacrifice of his son at Calvary. God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is how God commends his
love. This is how God sets forth his
love. Christ died for us. This is the
very thing John is teaching us. Every true believer knows the
love of God to such a measure of fullness that he rest his
entire being upon the love of God. He rest his entire being upon
the love of God. If God loves me, all is well. If God loves me, No harm can
come to me. If God loves me, no injury shall
ever be made upon me. If God loves me, I shall never
lack anything. If God loves me, all is well. Convince me that God loves me
and you've convinced me of everlasting salvation. Convince me of God's
love toward me and you've convinced me that there is no Danger in
front of me. No reason for me ever to be alive
God loves me God loves me. All right now I want to look
at this brief statement and Make four statements concerning it
first understand this and this will be the bulk of my message We have known and believed the
love that God hath toward us. That is the summary of everything
I've ever experienced. That's the summary of all our
past. Second, it's the summary of our
testimony to men. Third, this is the foundation
of all our hope. And fourth, this is the one thing
I want you to know. All right, number one. This is
the essence, the summary of all our past experience. As I stand
here, I'm about to celebrate my 63rd birthday. Just a few
more days. And I'm a little nostalgic, I
reckon. I like to look over the past.
and I look over the past. And I say this only so you will know the meaning of what I'm telling
you. I was raised in a hellhole. I
don't have a single memory of a pleasant day in my life until
God saved me just before I was 17 years old. And I look over
my past. And I recognize that the misery
and the pain was in great measure my own fault. I heaped upon myself
constant misery. But I look upon all my past,
all my past, before God saved me and since God saved me. All my experiences in grace and
in providence, and this is the summary of all, I have known
and relied upon the love that God hath toward me. He who loves me has done all
things well. I repeat, this is the distinct
character of God's elect. Every heaven-born soul knows
this. O hope of every contrite heart! O joy of all the meek! To those who fall, how kind thou
art! How good to those who seek! But
what to those who find are this, nor tongue nor pen can tell,
the love of Jesus, what it is. None but his loved ones know.
Others talk about God's love and may talk about it in a doctrinally
accurate way. They may be ungodly and talk
well of God's love. They may be ungodly and know
much about the facts of God's love. They may even see some
theory of it that you could appreciate things they say concerning it.
They may even talk like a believer and express joy because of it.
But the child of God alone knows the love that God hath toward
us. Only the child of God knows this
love. We know God's love as the source
of our joy, and we believe and rely upon God's love as the foundation
of all our hope. We know the Father's love, I
grant, in differing ways and in differing degrees. None know
it perfectly. Still, if we have known and believed
the love that God has for us, our hearts overflow with that
love. The love of God fills us with
wonder and admiration. Sinners loved of God are unceasingly
astonished at God's love. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed on us, all the depths, all the depths of
God's love. The love of God fills our hearts
with astonishment and with gratitude, with praise and love for him,
so that, as Paul speaks, every believer honestly says, the love
of Christ constrains us. The love of Christ constrains
us, not law, not fear, not promise of reward, not fear of losing
things. Oh, no, no, no. But we we worship
and serve our God with willing hearts. We seek his honor and
his praise. We seek to live for him. We make
whatever sacrifice we make for his cause with willing hearts
because the love of Christ constrains us. You remember how Paul spoke
to the Corinthians when he was Encouraging them to Take up a
Gift and send it to the Saints the poor Saints at Jerusalem
He said now you had it in your mind to do this a year ago. He
said now Prove the sincerity of your love Prove now the sincerity
of your love and this is how he inspires them for you know
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and How that though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty
might be made rich. Now, now then, you prove the
sincerity of your love like the Savior did. You prove your love
like the Son of God proved his love. How is that? By personal,
willing, and great sacrifice. The love of Christ constraineth
us. Believers are people who know
the love of God and are constrained by it, and their hearts overflow
with adoration and praise to him for his love. Deep in their
souls, God's saints give shouts of praise to him for his love.
This knowledge of God's love to us comes by divine revelation
in the book of God, yes, It's revealed upon the pages of Holy
Scripture. God's love is revealed to us
in the person and work of his son, in his sacrifice for us,
so that hereby perceive we the love of God, John says in chapter
three, verse 16, because God laid down his life for us. And
yet these things were not enough because of the blindness of our
hearts. because of our willful blindness. We, like all other
men, heard about the Savior's love. We, like all other men
hearing the gospel preach, heard the wonders of redeeming love.
We heard about electing love, but we walked on the Son of God
and His love and trampled it under our feet and would not
hear. We despised it until He revealed
His love in us. Look at Romans chapter 5. Romans
chapter 5. The love of God is known. The love of God is known only
by the experience of grace. The love of God is known only
by the experience of grace. It cannot be known otherwise.
You can talk about love, you can read about love, you can
read books about love, you can even write about love and never
know it until you experience it, to experience it. I never
dreamed, I never dreamed it was possible for a man to love a
woman like I've grown to love this lady sitting over here.
Not even 10 years ago. and we'll soon be married 44. And I certainly never dreamed
it was possible for a man to be loved by a woman as I'm loved
by her. Well, how do you know that? Well,
she tells me. No, that wouldn't do it. That wouldn't do it. How
do you know that? Well, she's stayed with you all
these years. That would almost do it. That wouldn't do it. How do you know that? She constantly
manifests that love to me. Now, here's something better.
I know this love more surely than I know that love. I know this love more surely
than I know that love. Because his love has been shed
abroad my heart by his spirit giving me life and faith in Jesus
Christ the Lord look at it Romans chapter 5 Therefore being justified
by faith. We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access by faith
into this grace and By Christ, we have access by faith into
this grace wherein we stand, where we are permanently fixed
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Now that's some statement. Paul says we've been justified
and now by faith in Christ we have peace with God and by faith
in Christ we have access to this grace wherein we are permanently
fixed and rejoice in hope of everlasting glory. We rejoice
in this hope standing right here. Read on now. And not only so,
but we glory in tribulations also. Knowing that tribulation
work of patience and patience experience and experience hope
and hope maketh not a shame Because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us This knowledge
of God's love in us Has a very practical very practical outcome
here's the result of God's love being revealed in us. We believe it. We rely on it. We rest our souls
on it. We rest our lives on it. We rest
everything on it. We have known and relied upon
the love that God hath to us. But I think John's meaning goes
further. He's speaking about this thing
of the experience of God's love. You see, there are times when
we know God's love to us. We know God loves us because
we can see it. We see his love and his providence.
We see his love and his sacrifice. We see his love when we have
come through some great affliction, some trial, some heartache, and
he sustains us. We see the love of God after
we escape the trial. In the midst of great trials,
We may not be able to see it clearly, but when the trial's
over, we look back and now we see the love of God. Here's what John's talking about,
Lindsay. When you can't see it, you still rely on it. When you can't see the Father's
love, When the Lord hides His face from you in the midst of
dark trouble and heavy trial, and you can't see, and you can't
feel, and your heart's empty, and your soul feels dead, and
you're cold as ice, and there's no life in your members, you
still rely on His love for you. We have known, we have known,
we have known, and we have relied on this, the Father's love toward
us, the Son's love toward us, the Spirit's love toward us. Seeing with Mary the love of
God, we sat down at the Savior's feet and feel His love. Leaning
with John on the Savior's breast, we feel his love. Walking with
Christ like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we feel his
love. But then at times, we're made
to know the love by infallible testimony of his spirit. Turn
to Romans chapter 8 for a second. Romans 8, verse 14. As many as are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear. You've not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear. Religion, all religion, all human
religion, all Babylonian religion, all free will works religion,
doesn't matter whether you call it Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism,
or Baptist, it doesn't matter. All human religion operates on
fear. Operates on fear and tries to
keep you in fear. Scared to death of God. Scared
God's gonna get you. You who are born of God have
not received again the spirit of bondage unto fear. Oh no. But we've received the spirit
of adoption. Whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God. We don't pay any attention to
this Pentecostal nonsense of visions and dreams and all that
stuff. Doesn't matter what dreams we
have, we don't base anything on that. We don't pretend to
have great spiritual experiences when we have some kind of vision
of that kind. No, but there are times when
God, the Holy Spirit, bears witness with our spirit that we are the
sons of God and this is what he does. as he causes us to believe
on the Son of God. To believe on the Son of God. Believing Jesus Christ, I know
my Father's love. Believing Jesus Christ, I know
my Savior's love. Believing Jesus Christ, I know
the Spirit's love. We've been born of God because
of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by his spirit. What is this? We have believed
and known, or known and believed the love that God hath toward
us. Turn over to Lamentations, yeah, Lamentations chapter three
for just a minute. Lamentations chapter three. This is what Jeremiah's
talking about here. You go back and read this prophet's
experience as he describes it here. His utter desolation. He was in darkness. His soul
was overwhelmed. Now watch what it says in verse
18. I said my strength and my hope
is perished from the Lord. Remembering my affliction and
my misery, the wormwood and the gall. Verse 20. My soul hath
them still in remembrance. and is humbled in me. My soul
remembers the affliction, the misery, the wormwood, the gall,
the gravel stones, the darkness. I'm bowed down before God. This I recall in my mind. Therefore
have I hope. I have all these painful bitter,
dark, heavy experiences. And in the midst of these painful,
bitter, dark, heavy experiences that would make me say, my hope
is punished from God. This I recall to my mind, therefore
have I hoped. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed. because his compassions fail
not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The
Lord is my portion, saith my soul. Therefore will I hope in
him. The Lord is good to them that
wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that
a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the
Lord. This is the essence of all the
past we have known and believed, relied upon, the love that God
had for us. Second, this is the grateful
summary of our testimony. Every believer ought to testify
with heart and with lip of God's goodness to a world of perishing,
despairing sinners, we have known and believed the love that God
hath to us. You see, it is love altogether
undeserved, but not a reason under God's sun why he should
love you. There's not a reason under God's
Son why he should love me, except this. He said, Jacob have I loved. Why me? Because he would. Why
you? Because he would. People don't understand that. Yes, they do. Yes, they do. Everybody understands that. That's
the reason folks get enraged when you tell it. You see, you
have no claim on God's love. You have no right to God's love. You have no merit of God's love. There's nothing of worth in you
before God. God's love is altogether undeserved. Why was I made to hear thy voice
and enter while there's room? when thousands make a wretched
choice and rather starve than come? T'was the same love that
spread the feast that sweetly forced me in, else I had refused
to taste and perish in my sin. Therefore, we know Whatever the
love of God has for us springs entirely from his own good pleasure. He loves us simply because he
will. I'll pick up on this more, if
the Lord willing, in a couple of weeks when I preach to you
on Tuesday night, maybe even Sunday, I haven't decided yet. But God's
love is free, sovereign, eternal, unalterable, immutable, unvarying
love. God's love is altogether determined
by himself, altogether in himself, arising in himself. And we can
testify to this as well. His love is unconquerable. I don't know how to tell this,
Tom. But you can't resist God's love. I can tell it to you because
you've tried. I can tell it to you who know it
because you've tried hard. But you can't resist God's love.
His love cannot be conquered. It cannot be defeated. The love of God in Christ is
almighty. persevering, relentless, all-prevailing
love. Goodness and mercy pursued me
all the days of my life. And then goodness and mercy overcame
me. And goodness and mercy shall
pursue me all the days of my life yet to come. And I shall
dwell in the house of the Lord forever because His love is not
conquerable. It is absolutely irresistible. His love broke my will, opened my eyes,
and conquered my heart. John Newton put it this way,
Lord, thou hast won. At last, I yield. My heart, by
sovereign grace compelled, surrenders all to thee. Against thy terrors
long I strove, but who can stand against thy love? Love conquers
even me. If thou hast bid thy thunders
roll and lightnings flash to dash my soul, still I had stubborn
bid. But mercy has my heart subdued,
a bleeding Savior I have viewed, and now I hate my sin. Now, Lord, I would be thine alone. Come take possession of thine
own, for thou hast set me free. Released from Satan's hard command,
see all my members waiting stand to be employed by thee. And God's
love is immutable. What does that mean? That means
that you can't do anything to diminish it. You can't do anything to quench
it. You can't do anything to stop
it. I said, Brother Don, I don't
want to. If I thought you wanted to, I
wouldn't say that to you. Oh, no, I don't want to. But I'm
here to tell you, you can't. I am the Lord, he said. I change
not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. Now listen to me. I have never found an end to
his all-sufficiency, a limit to his omnipotence, or a change
in his love. His love is not diminished by
all our sins. It is not changed by our changing
affections. It is not broken by our broken
vows. We know the love that God has
for us has been our unfailing support in all our trials, in
all our sorrows, in all our difficulties, in all our doubts, in all our
fears. His love sustains us. Has it
not been so? With every trial, he makes a
way of escape. With every sorrow, he gives comfort. When doubts
and fears assail, he gives assurance and peace. We have known and
relied upon the love that God has for us. Number three, this
is the foundation of all hope regarding the future. I don't know what will take place
tomorrow. I don't know what God intends
to do in my life or yours. I don't know what God's purpose
is for my grandchildren or your children or your grandchildren.
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what
God's purpose is for this nation. I don't know. I don't know. But
I'm content to know and rely upon this. I know that Jesus
loves me and that's enough for me. That's enough. That's enough.
He will do well. He always has. Whatever comes to pass, It comes
from Him who loved us and gave Himself for us, from Him who
spared not His Son but delivered Him up for us all. And while
we live in this world, may God the Holy Spirit give us grace
ever to live by the constraint of His love. be motivated by his love, to
seek, to imitate his love, walking with one another in sweet fellowship,
in the blessed fellowship of the gospel, forgiving one another,
even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us, being forbearing
and long-suffering with one another. And God give us grace, when the time comes to leave
here, to rely on the love of God to us. We have known and believed the
love that God hath to us. Now, turn to Ephesians chapter
3. I'll wrap this up. Ephesians
3. Here's my desire for you. My brothers, my sisters, my family,
my friends. Roger, this is what I want for
you. This is what I want for you. Bob, this is what I want
for you. I want you to know and be filled with and rely upon
the love that God has to us. Ephesians chapter 3, verse 14. For this cause, I bow my knees
unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches
of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the
inner man. What is that? To be strengthened
with might by his Spirit in the inner man. what will cause Larry
Brown and Don Fortner to be strong. To be strong inside. Strong. No matter what you have
to face. No matter who you have to face.
Strong inside. This will do it. That Christ
may dwell in your hearts by faith. That you being rooted and grounded
in love. may be able to comprehend with
all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height
and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. To know the love of Christ which
passeth knowledge. And when you do, When God fills you with the length
and breadth and depth and height of the love of Christ, causes
you to know the love of Christ that nobody can explain, the
love of Christ to which nothing can be compared, the love of
Christ that passes knowledge, then, then you'll be filled with
all the fullness of God. Imagine that. Imagine that. No wonder Paul said this is according
to the riches of His glory. Oh, we have known and relied
upon the love that God hath to us. Amen.