This is not part of the message, but when Rich was reading that passage of scripture, I thought of verse six, the confidence with which John speaks when he says, we're of God. He that knoweth God, heareth us. He that's not of God, heareth not us. Hereby, we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. And I feel quite sure that John, when he wrote that, was thinking about what the Lord said. In John chapter eight, I think it's verse 47, he that's of God, heareth God's words. You therefore hear them not because you are not of God. If I'm of God, I will hear God's words. And if I'm not, I won't. Turn back to first Corinthians chapter 16. Verse 22, if any man, I don't care who he is, if any man, love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. Let him be cursed of God. Let him be damned eternally. Maranatha upon the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Question. Was Paul being harsh when he expressed that? I mean, it's pretty intense. Any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be damned upon the second coming of Christ. That is strong language. Was Paul being harsh? He expressed this same thing upon those who preached another gospel. Turn to Galatians one for a moment. He said in verse six, I'm marveled. I'm amazed. that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ and to another gospel, which is not another, but there'll be some that trouble you and would pervert, change the gospel of Christ, add something to it, take something away from it. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we preached unto you, Let him be, what? Accursed. Same word we read in our text. He said, in case you didn't hear me, as we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which you've received, let him be accursed. Now there's only one motive for preaching another gospel. No love to Jesus Christ. That's the only motive for preaching a false gospel that Paul wishes a curse upon them because there's no true love for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you loved him, you would not preach a false gospel. You would preach his work. I repeat, was Paul being harsh toward men? You know the doctrine of hell is, of all the doctrines of the scripture, the one that I, I don't wanna say I struggle with in the sense that I don't believe it, I do believe it, but to think of someone spending eternity suffering the wrath of God, and I mean eternity, there's an endless duration. It's never over, and who can grasp how horrible that might be, and when I think of that, It overwhelms me. I cannot stand a hellfire and brimstone preacher, kind of trying to scare people with hell and so on. I just hate that kind of preaching. But what an awesome thing to think of an eternal hell. I'm going to spend eternity in heaven or in hell. I repeat, what an awesome thing to think about. Was Paul being harsh? Well, listen to his words from Romans chapter nine. He said, I speak the truth from Christ, I lie not. My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh. For I could wish that I myself were cursed from Christ. if they would be saved. Now, does anybody know anything of that kind of love for people? If they would be saved, if it could happen, I would be willing to be damned. The Lord was damned that we might be saved. He bore the full equivalent of an eternal hell. But look at Paul's love to men that would cause him to say something like that. He said in Romans 10 verse one, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Oh, Paul loved the souls of men. He said, I'd be willing to be damned if they'd be saved. I've never loved anybody like that. And yet he says, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathematized upon the return, the second return of Christ. Now, question, what is the character of someone who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, he is someone who hates God manifest in the flesh. Somebody may be thinking, well, what about somebody who's never heard of him? Will he be damned? If he's never heard of him, he doesn't hate him if he's never heard of him. But here's the point about me and you. If he did hear of him, he would hate him. That's in the heart of every natural man. And really, you don't find out what people really think about God until they hear the gospel. It's when they hear the gospel that you see the enmity coming out against the God of the Bible. Now, every natural man, and this is so sad, every natural man is born hating God. The carnal mind, The fleshly mind, the mind you were born with, is enmity against God. This is stronger than it is at enmity. It is enmity itself against God. Before the flood, this was God's testimony of men, and God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, nonstop, perpetually. There was no break. He was always that way. Now, I have no doubt that some of those people that he saw before the flood had never heard of the living God. But that was still in their hearts. God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Now think of who he is, the son of God, the uncreated second person of the blessed Trinity who became a man. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. To not love Him? He came to save men. John 3.17, for God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved, and what He went through to save men. I think of Gethsemane's garden when he falls on his face, sweating drops of blood, knowing what was ahead of him to save men. He was going to bear sin. He was going to be made sin. And he's the only one who understood what that meant. You and I are so used to sin, but his holy, harmless soul was made to bear the sins of his people. And he sweat great drops of blood saying, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Now, He knew it wasn't possible, but in His humanity, He was overcome at the thought of being made sin. He's the Savior. To hate Him? It would take a monster to hate the Lord Jesus Christ. And every one of us were born into this world monsters. Monsters in iniquity. He's so beautiful, He's so glorious in His person, His character, holy, harmless, undefiled, the creator, the brightness of God's glory and the express image of His person. To not love Him, there is no greater crime. And you and I were born into this world with no love For the Lord Jesus Christ, haters of God, haters of the meek and lowly one, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the image of the invisible God. I think of what he said to Philip, he that has seen me, has seen the Father. And to hate him, to not love him, is to not love the Father. What you think of him is what you think of the Father. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. I'd like to read a passage from Philippians 2 that speaks of this glorious one. Philippians 2, verse 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery, to be equal with God. The only way you can be equal with God is if you are God. And he didn't think it a thing of robbery or a thing to be grasped to be equal with God. He was and he is and always will be equal with God. But he made himself of no reputation. People are so concerned about their reputation, how we're viewed by men. He made himself of no reputation. He took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, a real man, bone of our bones, flesh of our flesh, a human being, the man Christ Jesus, being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He said, the cup which my father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it? He had said previously, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. But now he says, I'm gonna drink it. Obedience to his father, this is the greatest act of obedience There he is. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, things in earth, things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In him dwelleth. all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. To not love him, and let me say this, to not love him is to hate him. To not love him is to hate him. And somebody says, I've never hated him. Well, yeah, you have. And if you haven't consciously, if you hear the gospel, you will. That means a response to the gospel. Fullness of deity, fullness of humanity, 100% God, just as if he were not man at all. 100% man. just as if you were not God at all. Two natures in this one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. You know when people talk about having a problem with believers having two natures, I can't understand why somebody would have a problem with it. But the Lord Jesus Christ had two natures. And it's blasphemy to think that he didn't have two natures. He had the divine nature and he had perfect human nature. What a glorious being the Lord Jesus Christ is. fullness of omnipotence, fullness of sovereignty, fullness of omniscience, fullness of omnipresence, fullness of immutability, fullness of independence with no needs, fullness of creative power. He brought the world to existence as an act of his will. All the expanse of the universe came from Him willing it. He created the minutia of an atom and all the complexities of it. What a glorious being the Lord Jesus Christ is. To not love Him? Monster. That's all you can call it. A monster in iniquity. You know, the word love here is the word Phileo. It's not the word agape, it's the word phileo, and it's the love of approval. To approve of, to be fond of. Three times the same word is translated kiss. To kiss the Lord Jesus Christ. Kiss the son lest he be angry. Psalm 2. To not love him is to not approve of him is to turn thumbs down on him. That's what it is. is to turn thumbs down on Him. Once again, what desperate, insane wickedness to love not Him who is altogether lovely. There's none like the Lord Jesus Christ. A real man in glory right now as we speak, seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for his people, ruling and reigning in absolute control of everything. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I fear that many would say they do love the Lord Jesus Christ, but it's the caricature of Christ that they have made up that they love, not the Christ of scripture. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ. Now it always bothers me when people use his name, Jesus, without using the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ. He said, you call me master. And Lord, he didn't say you call me Jesus. As a matter of fact, we don't have a record of any of the disciples coming up to the Lord Jesus Christ and saying Jesus. No, Lord and Master. The title of respect and reverence. You call me Master and Lord, and you say, well, for so I am. He is the Lord. I just read that passage of scripture from Philippians chapter two, every knee is gonna bow and every tongue is gonna confess that he is Lord. To the glory of God the Father. I don't think there's anything that thrills me much more moves me to think of that thief nailed to a cross. How does he recognize him? He's the Lord. Lord, remember me. when you come into your kingdom. And you think of what he saw, someone nailed to a cross, seemingly helpless, a crown of thorns on his head, beaten to a pulp. His visage was marred more than the sons of men. And he knew he was Lord of lords and king of kings. And he wasn't gonna stay on that cross. He was gonna come back as a mighty reigning king. No man can say Jesus is Lord But by the Holy Ghost, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Now his lordship encompasses three things, which covers everything. His lordship in creation, his lordship in providence, and his lordship in salvation. You've heard me say this, well, you're gonna get to hear me say it again. Jesus Christ is Lord. He's Lord of creation. He created the universe. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That was the Lord Jesus who did this. I love John 1. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him. All things. And without Him was not anything made that was made. He's the Lord of creation. He's before all things. Whatever it is, He's before it. Creation, He was before it. It happened because He willed it. All things were created by Him and for Him. and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Oh, I love him being the creator of the universe, and he created the heavens and the earth according to the Genesis 1 and 2 account. It was him doing it. He said, let us make man in our own image. He is the creator. The great creator became my savior. and all God's fullness dwelleth in him. He's the Lord of providence. He's the Lord of creation. And you know, something I was thinking of when I was thinking this, you know, everybody logically knows he's the creator. Everybody logically knows that God created the heavens and the earth. It's illogical to think anything else. Every effect must have a cause. The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Everybody to ever live for a time believed God created the universe. They may, through unbelief and sin, start to deny it. But everybody logically knows God created the universe, but the believer knows Him personally. I know personally the Creator of the universe. And what's more important, He knows me. He knows my name. He's Lord of creation. He's Lord of providence. Providence is everything that takes place in time. Time began at creation. There was no time before creation. As far as I can tell, time began the fourth day. I don't understand that, but that's when the sun and moon and the days and 24-hour periods and so on that he expressed. But he is the one who declares the end from the beginning. And from ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, I will do all my pleasure. Listen to this. Everything that happens in time, he's in control of. Everything. Bad stuff, what men think of as good stuff, doesn't matter what it is. He is in absolute sovereign control of it. He sovereignly reigns over the free actions of men and demons. You do what you want to do, he's completely sovereign over it. Demons do what they want to do. They're his demons doing his will for his glory. They don't know it, but he is in absolute control of everything that takes place in time. I've spoken it, I'll do it, I've purposed it, I will bring it to pass. And this is why Romans 8, 28 is true, all things. work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose, all things, because He's able to do that. That's because of who He is. The King's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water, He turneth it whithersoever He will. We love Jesus Christ, the Lord, the Lord of time. That's providence, everything that takes place in time. As a matter of fact, Psalm 31, 15, David said, my times are in thy hand. And when I was thinking about that before the service, I was thinking of Claire getting ready to go into surgery tomorrow and his time. His times are in the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a good place to be. And that's where every believer is. My times, everything that takes place are in His hands and He's working everything together for my good and His glory. And most especially, He's the Lord of salvation. Now, what is salvation? Well, thou shalt call his name Jesus, he shall save his people from their sin. Salvation is salvation from sin. That's what I need saved from. I can't save myself from my sins. He must do it. And here's the promise, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. That's the gospel promise. I've been saved from sin. I've been saved from the penalty of sin. There's no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. I've been saved from the power of sin. There was a time when I couldn't believe. I believe now. There was a time when I had no love for God. Now I love the living God. There was a time when I didn't even know what repentance means, and now I'm in a state of repentance before God. I've been delivered from the power of sin. Somebody says, I've got power over sin. It's got power over you if you think that. Someone that thinks, well, I can, you're under its dominion when you think that way. But the believer has been delivered from the power of sin. And one of these days, actually, I am already delivered from the presence of sin in Christ. As he's, is he delivered from the presence of sin? As he is, so are we in this world. That is the lot of every believer. But here's what I love to think about when I think about him being the Lord of salvation. I love to think of that leper. I look forward to meeting him. He's one of my heroes. He came into the Lord's presence and he hit the ground and he worshiped saying, Lord, if you will, You can make me clean. The only way I'll be made clean is if you make me clean. I can't make myself clean. I'm completely dependent upon you to make me clean. He understood that Jesus Christ was Lord of salvation. And anybody who has that understanding, they're gonna come the same way that leper did. The Lord Jesus. What a precious name. Savior. I've already quoted, thou shall call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. There is no name so sweet on earth, no name so dear in heaven. The name of Jesus. We love to sing of Christ our King and hail him, blessed Jesus. For there's no word here ever heard so dear, so sweet as Jesus. Don't you love his name? I love the way it sounds. My favorite name. I guess my second favorite word's grace. But I love his name. Oh, the fragrance of his name. The Lord Jesus Christ, the anointed Messiah, the Lord Christ, God's Christ, God's prophet. Aren't you glad he's God's prophet? He's the prophet Moses said, a prophet shall the Lord raise up like unto me, him you'll hear. Not only is he the prophet, he's the word spoken that the prophet brings. He is the word. He's the word of God. When God speaks, here's what comes out of His mouth. Jesus Christ the Lord. He's God's prophet. He's God's message. He's God's priest. What a priest He is. A priest after the order of Melchizedek. If He represents you before the Father, you must be saved. You can't be anything but saved. Oh, the power of His priesthood. What a King. King of Kings. Lord of lords. He doesn't have some paper title. He really is king. All the other kings are simply in his hands. And as the rivers of water, he turneth them whither so ever he will. Now this is the testimony of scripture. The Lord Jesus Christ. God's prophet. God's priest. after the order of Melchizedek. He said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. He's the one who brings us to the Father. God's King. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, in all of his offices, I need him to be Lord. I need him to be Jesus. I need him to be prophet. I need him to be priest. I need him to be my king. Do not love the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder that Paul said, if any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be damned upon the return of the Lord. What an enormous wickedness to not love him who is altogether lovely. There's a great multitude that love him. And all of those who love him know this, we love him because he first loved us. I don't have to convince any believer of that. There's one reason we love him, because he first loved us. But all who are not in this group or in the group Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 16, 22, if any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, what could be more intrinsically, desperately, diabolically evil than to not love him, to not love his lordship. Turn thumbs down on it. To not love his salvation. To not love his offices as prophet, priest, and king. To have no love for him. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha. This is the most unconscionable sin. They hated me, the Lord said. They hated me without a cause. That is the condition of all who hate Christ. Now, isn't it a horrible, humbling thing to think that you have been guilty of hating him who is altogether lovely? Oh, to grace, how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to say. You see, I love him now. I love everything about him. I love his attributes. I love his character. And if it were in my power to change him, I wouldn't change one thing about him. Why? Because He's altogether lovely. What is the evidence of loving Christ? Faith in Christ. Looking to Him only as everything in your salvation. If you look to Him only, if you trust Him only, you love Him. Now when we partake of the Lord's table now, We're going to think of his love to us, what he did in our behalf. Let's pray together. Lord, we are sorry of our sinful nature that we're born with that had no love for you. And Lord, how we thank you for the gift of your grace that you've given us. hearts that actually love your son and look to him as everything in salvation. Lord, he's altogether lovely, and we give thanks. And as we take this bread and wine, truly enable us to do this in remembrance of him who loved us, savingly. In his name we pray, amen.