Good morning everyone. You'll be in 1 John chapter 4,
as Tom read to us. This book is much about love. 33 times the word love is used
in this book, which is far more than any other book. of the Brethren towards one another.
And I'm mindful of Angus overseas at the moment, enjoying his company
with Greg and Trish and Daisy. And he is, and she is also enjoying
the company of Brethren, the brothers and sisters. And that's
a wondrous thought to me. She has Brethren, they both have
Brethren here. But it is a wondrous thought
to think that we have hundreds, if not thousands, of brothers
and sisters overseas. Do we love one another perfectly?
No. Do we love one another really?
The Scripture says we do. The Scripture says we do. The
believers love one another is a true statement of Scripture. Every time I look at this verse,
in one job we'll be looking at verse 17. Every time I look at it, I marvel
at it. And I have no hope of really
fully expressing the meaning of it here. But I will give you
what the Lord's given me. This verse speaks about love
made perfect. Love made perfect. It speaks
of boldness in the day of judgment. And it speaks of the union, we
just sang about union, between Christ and the church. It speaks
of a union that exists between Christ and the church. But there is a higher love. There
is a higher love in these pages. It is God's love Our love for one another is the
result of God's love for us. Our love for one another is the
fruit of God's love for us. The love of God was necessarily
first. It's the primary love, isn't
it? We love him because he first loved us. That is a wonderful
and beautiful statement of the Lord. We love one another because
he first loved us. He loves us by his grace and
we love him because he first loved us. We receive salvation by faith. Faith is the key. Faith is the
key. If you are here without faith
in Christ, the word of God never gives you any reason to believe
that God loves you. That is a sobering fact. It is
a fact and a truth that we all must recognize. John 3.36 says,
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not cede life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. That is a sobering truth that
we all should consider. only revealed in the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God is only known
in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look with me at verse
9 of our chapter as we make our way to our verse. John has just
declared that God is love. How is that love revealed to
us? Verse nine, in this was manifested the love of God toward us because
that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might
live through him. He loved his people with an everlasting
love. He loved his people with an everlasting
love. He chose them in the covenant
of grace before the world began and he placed them in the person
of his son long before we were born, before the world began. What does this mean? What are
the implications of this truth? It means that God's people have
never been viewed outside of Christ. God's people have never
been viewed outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. They have never
been viewed as other than how he views his own beloved son. Do we believe that? Do we understand
that to be true? Even before we were given faith
to believe, before we had knowledge of God, towards us is constant and unchanging. He doesn't love us one day and
not love us the next when we do something bad. The love of
God never changes. He never changes. The love of
God doesn't suddenly change when you come to faith. It doesn't
suddenly increase. His love towards us is constant,
whether we've discovered it or not. It's always been there. While we were yet sinners, while
we were still shaking our fist in His face, Christ died for
the ungodly. That's what the scripture says.
Christ died for the ungodly. God has always loved His people
in Christ, and God will always love His people in Christ. Why? Because He loves them with an That love cannot change. It's
never changed. It's always been the same. In Christ. We must be found in
Christ. Look with me at verse 10 of our
chapter. Herein is love. Not that we love
God. Not that we love God. I've heard
people say that they've always loved God. Truth is, we were
born into this world spiritually dead, weren't we? Spiritually
dead, spiritually dead toward God. We could not love God. We would not love God. Willful
unbelief is all we knew. It's all we knew. And until God changes your will,
until he makes us willing, then that thing, that would never
change. We would just stay the same. Not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. That is the justice satisfying
sacrifice for our sins. Here's the demonstration of God's
love for us. He sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. the propitiation, the one and
only propitiation. There is only one propitiation. There is only one offering to
God that God accepts. All the righteous anger of God
against our sins, against us, has been drained away. And the
Lord Jesus Christ satisfied the holy justice of God once for
all. That's the propitiation. Here's the propitiation. Have
you ever wondered why God can't just forgive us? Why can't he
just forgive us? Why can't he just sweep our sins
under the carpet? Why can't he just pretend that
they're not there? Well, just turn with me for a
moment to Proverbs 17. Proverbs 17, you'll know this
verse if I'm going to. Proverbs 17, verse 15. He that justifieth the wicked
and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination
to the Lord. Even both they are abomination
to the Lord. To justify the wicked is abomination
to the Lord. If God were to simply ignore
our sins, that would be to justify the wicked, to count the wicked as just,
to count the wicked as righteous. To do so is an abomination to
the Lord. We know this to be so, don't
we? Even our earthly judges, if they
were to acquit a man guilty and count him as just, count
him as innocent, then there would be an uproar, wouldn't there?
And so, too, there would be an outrage in the community if that
same judge condemned an innocent man. They are both an abomination
to the Lord. But God is just. He is just,
perfectly just, and because of that fact, perfectly holy, perfectly
just, justice must be served, sins must be punished, the soul
that sinneth must die. Everyone born of Adam has this
terrible problem. It's inescapable. Except the Lord. Give us a way
of escape. The scripture says, all have
sinned. All have sinned. We've worked
hard at it. The scripture says the wages
of sin is death. We've worked hard. We've earned
those wages. But brethren, there is great,
great hope, isn't there? There's great hope. That verse
goes on to say, for the wages of sinners' death, but the gift
of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. The children of God were by nature
no different than anybody else. That's what Ephesians says. We were fulfilling the desires
of our own flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children
of wrath. even as others. So don't think
for a moment that God chose you because of something good in
you. Ephesians goes on to say, But
God, who is rich in mercy, bore his great love wherewith he had
loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
with Christ. By grace ye are saved. That's our theme, isn't it? Saved
by grace. Saved by grace. We are a grace
church. We are a grace church. Many others
will claim that title as well. But the grace we preach is free
grace. It's actually free sovereign
grace. For grace to be grace, it must
be free. It cannot be earned. Not of works.
It must be free. It can't be earned by something
you do. It can't be earned by something
you say. It can't be earned by something
good you perceive you think. and for grace to be grace, it
must be sovereign. It must be sovereign grace. Our
God is sovereign in all things, and salvation is no exception. Many people will balk at that.
God's sovereign in all things, but He's not sovereign in salvation.
You have a will. No, no. He is sovereign in Dead in sin, spiritually dead.
We had no life. We had no motivation to reach
out to God. He had to pick us up. He had
to quicken us. That's what the scripture says.
Quicken us, make us alive. God is sovereign in salvation.
He chooses whom he will. And he ensures that those whom
he has chosen and he has set his love upon will not perish. comes to chosen sinners and at
the time of his love God intervenes and he stops us in our tracks
and he quickens us with Christ and he makes us alive in him.
I am so thankful for free sovereign grace. Back to our chapter. Verse 11
Beloved if God so loved us How did God love us? Well, we just
read it in those previous verses. Herein is love. In this is manifested
the love of God that he sent his son for us. That's the work
of redemption that the father gave the son to do. Verse 11,
beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. The manifestation of the love
of God in us. is our love for one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth
in us, and his Son is perfected in us. His love is accomplished in us. His love is completed in us. Anytime you see that term of
perfection associated with God's people, it's a derived perfection,
isn't it? It's derived from Him. It's derived
from Him. He must give it. Anytime you
see righteousness or holiness ascribed to God's people or sinlessness,
it's always derived from Him. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth
in us and his love is perfected in us. Colossians says, and ye are complete
in him. Verse 13, hereby know we that
we dwell in him and he in us. There's that union of Christ theme that is for us. Because he hath given us of his
spirit. Now John is referring to something
that God does for every single believing sinner. He must give
his spirit, his spirit. This is what separates believers
and unbelievers. Believing God is a spiritual
work. It is a spiritual work. The spirit
must work. The Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus
in John 3, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God. It's impossible without the spirit,
without that regeneration. The Lord spoke to that woman
at the well, didn't he? God is spirit, and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. God has given us of his spirit. Verse 14 we see, and we have
seen. And you testify that the Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that
Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him and he in us. Whosoever shall confess that
Jesus is the Son of God. Not just saying empty words and
empty rhetoric, It's just not mouthing the words like some
religious people would do out of a prayer book. This is a confession
of the truth of Christ. The confession of the truth that
He is the Christ, that He is the Anointed One, that He is
the Messiah who came for the purpose of saving all His people. And did He do that? He did indeed,
didn't He? You know the answer. Jesus Christ accomplished all
that He came to do, that He shall save His people from their sins.
He is the successful, sovereign Saviour of all the Church of
God. He is our confession. If you want a confession, that's
our confession. We confess Him and all is done
and all is accomplished. And we have known, verse 16,
we have known and believed the love that God hath to us, knowing
and believing. Knowledge is no good on its own,
is it? There must be a believing. Plenty
of people have knowledge. You can go and you can read the
scriptures and have all the knowledge in the world, but without that
spirit, without that believing, it must be accompanied by faith.
That's the key, isn't it? Faith is the key. God is love,
and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. And here is our verse, verse
17. Herein is our love made perfect,
that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, Because
as he is, so are we in this world. As I said before, when you see
perfection, herein is our love made perfect. That's a derived
perfection. And the question is, what is
the believer's standing before God? How is it that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment? Boldness, not arrogance, as if
God owes us something. God cannot be made a debtor to
anything you do. We're talking about confidence,
confidence before Him. There is a day appointed when
God shall judge the world in righteousness and strict justice. In that day the wicked and the
unbelieving will tremble in fear, but the saints of God will have
confidence in a day of judgment. And the sad thing is that this
Judgment Day is held out to believers in many places as something to
be terrorized by, a terrorizing threat. For years I was taught
that salvation by faith is one thing, but we still had to give
an account of all the other things we've done. you know, whether
we love others as we should and whether we've tithed and whether
we've done this and that. And all our failings would be
shown up on a big TV screen, gigantic TV screen for all the
world to see. We still had to answer for all
those, how we treated others and how we used our time and
money. The fact is Christ answered for me. Christ answered for me. He answered for his people. He
loved me and gave himself for me. Believers don't fear that
day. They have nothing to fear. Fear
is based on judgment, isn't it? It's based on judgment. You make
people fear the day of judgment, It is a mercy of God, though,
when he causes us to see how we've broken every single law
of God. It's a mercy. We know that we
are so, so, we've missed the mark, grossly missed the mark. The law of God only serves to
condemn us, but then the light of the gospel comes, doesn't
it? The light of the Gospel comes and we learn that Christ suffered
the curse of the law for us. We learn that the law has nothing
more to say to God's people. There is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8. There is no fear. There is no need to fear for
your trust in Christ, for all your righteousness. If you're
looking to your own righteousness, you have cause to fear. Look at verse 18, there is no
fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear. The scriptures
clearly say that we do love him. We really do. We love him because
he first loved us. But if I'm looking at my own
life, For him, as a measure of my acceptance or my confidence
before God, that can only make me fearful. If he loves me perfectly, and
he does, then everything he does is perfect. If he loves me perfectly,
then why do I need fear? All fear is cast out. Herein,
verse 17, is our love made perfect, that's made complete, I love
looking at His perfect love. I love looking to His perfect
love. And that's our message over and
over again, isn't it? Look away from your own flawed
performance and look to His perfection as the only plea you have before
God. that we may have boldness in
the day of judgment, confidence in the day of judgment. Truth
is, judgment took place for us, for believers, 2,000 years ago.
Judgment is past for me. It's past. And here is the reason for our
confidence in the Day of Judgment. Here is the cause. Because as
He is, so are we in this world. How good do you have to be to
get to heaven? You have to be as good as God,
don't you? How perfect do I have to be to
get to heaven? I have to be as perfect as he.
How holy do you have to be? Well, you know the answer, don't
you? How can someone like me have confidence in the day of
judgment? The scripture says, as he is,
so are we in this world. Has God given you faith to believe
on his son? Are you born of God? Are you
redeemed by his blood? Are you robed in his righteousness?
This is God's word to you. As he is, so are we in this world. It doesn't say as he is, so we
shall be. As he is, right now. This is our state before him,
this very moment. Brethren, scripture declares
us sons of a living God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
begotten son of God by nature. And too, we are the begotten
sons of him by grace, begotten by spirit. begotten by adoption. He chose us before the world
began to be sons. Look just over the page at 1
John 3, verse 1, which says, Behold what manner of love the
Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons
of God. Behold what manner of love. What
an honor. What an honor beyond our comprehension.
That's a higher honor to be a son of God than it is to be an angel.
The angels never knew redemption. They never knew the wonders of
grace, and they never can. They're sons, sons and daughters. Let me, in closing, make just
a few statements. A few statements. The Lord Jesus Christ, that one
who is seated in glory right now is God's son. So are we in this world. Sons, sons and daughters. As Christ is loved of God with
an everlasting love, so are we in this world. Did Christ love
God with all his heart and soul and mind and strength? We did
too. Did he honour God's law at every
point? Did he obey God's will at every point? We did too. We did too. So are we in this
world. Did he die under the wrath of
God and satisfy the justice of God? We did too. We did too. As he is, so are
we in this world. Was he raised by his father and
is now seated in heaven? as He is, so are we in this world. We are raised and seated with
Him in glory. Ephesians 2 says, He hath raised
us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus. Is God well pleased with His
Son? So too He is well pleased with
those found in His Son. And just finally, let me just
read a few verses from John chapter seven and I'll close. John chapter seven. Verse 22, if you'd like to read
along. And the glory which thou gavest
me I have given them. This is the union of Christ and
the church. This high priestly prayer that
the Lord Jesus prays. And the glory which thou gavest
me I have given them. I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that
thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. So are we in this world as he
is.