May God be pleased to bless us
together this evening as we meditate in his word. Let us turn to the
first epistle of John, chapter four, and we'll read verse 16. The first epistle of John, chapter
four, 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 should be very thankful that
we have the word of God to read and to encourage us and to instruct
us and especially to direct us to that very important consideration
which we have before us tonight the love of God I suppose one
of those things which is not spoken about as much as it should
be because if we think about it carefully it was not for God's
love we would not be here tonight If it was not for God's love,
we would not have the Bible to read. If it were not for God's
love, we would never have thought upon the great truths of God. And so, how wonderful it is to
realise that we have a God who does love. And this chapter speaks
so very fully about the love of God. And as we come down to
verse 7, we read, Beloved, let us love one another for love
is of God. And everyone that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God. So we can understand, therefore,
that the opposite is true that all those who are born of God
do love God because it is God's love toward us which brings us
to that condition where we have the evidence that we are born
again of the Spirit of God and that we are loved of God and
he that loveth not God He that loveth not knoweth not God, for
God is love. So it's very clear that love
is such an essential element in the true Christian's life.
Because without it we are destitute of the evidence of the life of
God in our souls. And you see this love indeed
is manifested. as we read in this was manifested
that means shown 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 it's really a confirmation of
that familiar text in the third chapter of John verse 16 for
God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son into
the world, that whoso believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. The love of God to His people,
to the Church of God, is wonderful and it is manifested, in this
was manifested, the love of God toward us. Well, tonight What
a blessing it is if you and I can look into our hearts and observe
that yes, the blessed God has manifested His love toward me. And it is the evidence that I
am born again of the Spirit of God. I do possess that new nature. I do possess that nature that
loves God. Not that we love God, but that
He loved us how very humbling it must be to think of that but
God shall look down from heaven to love us and not only that
right back in eternity he loved us what a wonderful truth it
is to know that we have such an almighty God an almighty God
an all-powerful God a God who created all things, a God who
rules and reigns, always has done, always will. A God utterly
beyond our natural comprehension to be able to assess in greatness.
And yet that great, great and glorious God has loved us. What a mercy to know that. What
a blessing it is to know it. John says and we have known and
believed the love that God hath to us see it's not something
which is abstract it's not something which is beyond our knowledge
it's that which God grants to us and bestows upon us and humbles
us to come to that position so that we're able to say, and we
have known and believed the love that God has toward us. Let's
go back in our lives. Let's trace out God's leadings
toward us, God's mercy toward us, God's favor towards us, God's
blessing that has given us faith to believe. It is because of
the love of God. and so tonight can we come in
with these words and say yes by God's grace I have known and
believed the love that God hath to us now the effect will be
to humble us to think that this great God has loved us so unworthy
we look at ourselves and we consider ourselves we think of our life
and we can't cause it doesn't cause us to have much happiness
in the things that we've done perhaps in our life and the many
evil things that we've thought perhaps the words that we've
said many things perhaps fill us with sorrow and grief and
are a burden to us and they are that which God reveals to us
to demonstrate how far short we've come, how far we've fallen,
how often we've ignored God, how often we turn our back upon
God, how we haven't followed Him, how we haven't honoured
Him, and yet to think that this Word is true, God is love. And to think also that because
that is true, God has loved us with everlasting love see that
is again a truth which is just beyond our natural ability to
think we can only think in measure of time we cannot think in the
measure of everlasting what a blessing is when God gives us faith to
believe that it was from everlasting and it will be to everlasting
that God has loved us. If there's no love, there can
be no communion. There can be no union. We should remain estranged from
God. We should remain hard-hearted.
We should remain rebellious. What a mercy if the Lord has
come and looked upon us and shown to us this great and glorious
truth that God is love and that because of that he has given
us that grace to believe the love that God hath to us you see if God has loved us then our eternal state is secure because God will not love us
and then thrust us away but because it's an everlasting love and
as Jeremiah goes on to say with loving kindness has drawn us
drawn us to him that's an amazing truth by nature we're drawn to
the things of time we're drawn to the things of the world we're
drawn to the things of the flesh but blessed be God if his love
has drawn us to himself so that we've seen something attractive
and something real and something precious and something really
outside of time the love of God the love of God to sinners. The hymn writer says, and sinners
can say, and none but they, how precious is the Savior. And I believe this, as the Holy
Spirit comes and reveals the love of God to us, we shall know
something of the love of God the Father. something of the
love of God, the Son, and something of God, the love of God, the
Holy Spirit. My friends, it is a mystery,
again, too great for our little minds to be able to properly
comprehend. But bless God, if we have received
God-given faith to believe in such a wonderful truth because
then we shall understand what the Apostle says when he says,
and we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.
The true blessings of God are to be known. My friends, you and I should
strive after that personal knowledge that God might make it over to
us because it is a very precious and a very blessed experience
and evidence of the life of God in our souls indeed to know the
love of Christ which passes knowledge it's not of this world the love
of God is not of this world the world does not want to know the
love of God they want the world they want their fill of the world
and they have no concern about the love of God they have no
concern about the eternal destiny of their soul they want to live
life this little, little life to the full with all its vanity
and vexation of spirit no interest in that which is to come that
which the Word of God speaks to us about so plainly about
the inheritance which is incorruptible and which is undefiled and which
is reserved in heaven for us who are kept by the power of
God through faith under salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time where the saints of God look forward to that time when
they shall be able to truly love God and enjoy God's love without
any sin without any evil without any temptation of the evil one
yes we shall be free we shall be set free and we shall be in
that eternal place in glory where there is no sin nothing to distract us nothing
to turn us away nothing to worry us no but eternal happiness and
joy and you see we shall be able to bathe eternally in the love
of God and so it is a wonderful and a most blessed prospect to
the true Church of God and really it tests the reality of the religion
of a true Christian as to where they are looking forward to that
time when they shall be able to love God without any hindrance
and that time when they shall then enjoy the love of God without
any hindrance you see there are so many things aren't there in
our life today and the devil endeavours to separate us from
the love of God that's his great aim that's his great desire And
it's possible to turn us away from God. But you see the great
glory of the word of God is, He will never succeed. Because
whom He loves, He loves unto the end. God is faithful. You and I may fail often. My
friends, God never fails. in his faithfulness and in his
mercy and in his grace toward his church. And so we can be
thankful that we have a truth contained here and we have known,
so the truth of God is to be known. My friends, if we don't
understand, we don't know, then may we pray earnestly and Often
the Lord of God will reveal these great truths to our soul so that
we may rejoice in it, in what God has said, in what God has
done, in what God is doing, in what God will do. God has a perfect
plan. God knows the end from the beginning.
You and I only know today. You and I only know what's past.
we don't know the future God knows the end from the beginning
what a blessing therefore if we can as it were put our hand
in God's hand and leave Him to lead us you know it's like a
little child isn't it and we read in this in this chapter
year of God little children it's good to become a little child
and we know as we see little children they're led by their
parents aren't they their father's hand he leads them it leads the
one safely they're there relying upon him to guide them and to
take care of them it's the same really in a much more blessed
way his children or as little children to put our hand to our
God and He would take us and lead us. You see when our hand
is in God's hand we're safe. God won't lead us astray. God
won't lead us into danger. God would deliver us. He knows
the way. He knows the right way. if you'll
lead us in it by our hand and bring us indeed safely through
our little life on this earth to our eternal home doesn't mean
to say there won't be some difficulties doesn't mean to say there won't
be some trials there are aren't there in warfare there always
are difficulties there always are trials but to the Christian
The victory is assured. And the victory is assured because
God has conquered. God has conquered sin, death,
hell, and the grave. And as you know that glorious
word, and we are more than conquerors through him. and that is because of his love
God is love we would not be more than conquerors without that
love what a blessing it is that God bestows upon us his love
and therefore he says and we have known and believed now as
you and I travel on through life one of the battles that we have
to contend with is this the evil heart of unbelief you see the
devil always wants you and me to doubt the Word of God that's
how he overcame Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden he caused
Eve to doubt what God had said the devil doesn't change he tries
to cause us to doubt the word of God well my friends then I've
realised that the victory has been won the devil's lost the
battle he doesn't like to give up he tries to press on but in
reality he's a vanquished foe he will never gain the victory
because Jesus died for our sins yea rather is risen again and
is now seated in glory on the right hand of the Father for
there our Saviour is today to intercede for us to his Father
that God of love so may we be thankful if we have been given
faith to believe and not to be left to that temptation Satan's
very active believe you me he's very active and he won't give
up this side of the grave don't expect an easy journey don't
expect an easy life the Lord Jesus said didn't he? when he
was in that upper room speaking to his disciples it's recorded
in the 16th of John it is through much tribulation you and I shall
inherit the kingdom it says but be a good good chair I have overcome
the world therefore don't be surprised or rather let us expect
there will be tribulation opposition naturally perhaps spiritually
as you and I journey opposition but bless God that Christ has
died and overcome Christ has risen from the dead you see death
could not hold him he lived that perfect sin atoning life to atone
for all of our sins the devil may say well of course you've
sinned against light and knowledge there's no hope for you tell
him Christ has died, he rather is risen again. There is no sin
that Christ cannot and does not forgive. The word of God is so
encouraging. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful, he is faithful and just, just to his word, to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and
of course that cleansing is procured has been procured through his
sin atoning death through that precious blood that was shed
upon that cross at Calvary you see if we are of those who have
believed the love that God hath to us then we will view by faith
the suffering Saviour, dying for us, in our place, bearing
the punishment due for us. My friends, how willing was Jesus
to die that we, fellow sinners, might live the life they could
not take away. How willing was Jesus to give. does not bring us so clearly
to see God is love. To think of anyone else going
to such extreme extents to redeem a people. The blessed Saviour,
He did it all. He did it all. He redeemed His
church, every member of that church. and what a blessing tonight to
have that faith to believe that it was done for you and me and
we can then look forward with blessing and gracious anticipation to that time we shall see him
as he is and then you see we shall be able to thank him we
shall be able to praise him as we should you see today we're
in a body of sin and death and you see our best endeavours our
best praises are marred with sin but in glory there's no sin
and we shall then be able to praise him as we ought well think
on these things they are worth thinking about and you see when
you and I are caught up to think about these spiritual blessings
then our souls will be spiritually fed and what we'll be doing we'll
be feeding upon Christ as the Lord Jesus Christ said in that
sixth chapter of John except you eat the flesh and drink the
blood of the Son of Man there is no life in you that course
is not physically but that is spiritually that is to feed upon
Christ upon what he's done and to drink of that water of life
that woman of Samaria how she was amazed at what the Lord told
her amazed at so many things but how she in the end desired
to receive that water of life well may you and I truly desire
to receive this water of life and may we indeed tonight in
some measure enter in to this great truth God is love And he
that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. What is that? Unity, isn't it? Unity. Once in him, in him forever. He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth
in God. God in him. What a statement
that is, isn't it? True it is. perhaps too great
for us to really understand but our mercy is if God gives us
faith to believe it that if we dwell in love love to God God's
love to us and it is important it's not something which is irrelevant
it's most necessary we know this blessed union with Christ his
love to us and our love to him so that'll make us very small
that won't make us critical of other people oh no we'll be looking
to see Christ in them we'll be looking to see that which is
of the Holy Spirit we're looking to be able to speak of the things
of God and his love and all other unimportant issues will leave
behind well as the Apostle goes on in this lovely chapter it's
not a long chapter is it? he tells us herein is our love
made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment
perhaps we tremble sometimes at the day of judgment you see
if God's loved us and if we've loved God we can be bold by his
grace because it's well with our soul boldness we may have boldness
perhaps you think however can I have boldness God gives us
that boldness because of his love in the Day of Judgment,
because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear
in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear hath torment.
He that feareth is not made perfect in love. And again, we love Him
because He first loved us. If a man say, I love God and
hate His brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen, How can he love God whom he hath not seen?
In this commandment have we from him that he that loveth God love
his brother also. And when do we do that? We do
that when we see Christ in each other. Oh yes, that draws us. And then we love God because
God has loved us and we love one another Because we see Christ
in one another. Oh, what a mercy then to walk
together in love. And this evening, may we meditate
upon this great love of God. God, the love of God. God is love from beginning to
end. From the beginning of Genesis
to the end of Revelation, my friends, God is love. Do you
know, if you and I are blessed with that love of God, I'll tell
you what it does. It brings peace to our soul. Peace to our soul. We might go
further and say, peace by His cross, as Jesus made. Peace indeed. Oh then, look to
the cross. What do we see there? The love
of God the Father, the love of God the Son, and the love of
God the Holy Spirit. To Him, to the Trinity, be honor
and glory forever and ever. Amen.