This could be the toughest message
I ever preached in my life. I want to speak for just a moment concerning the Lord that God's
people loves. 1 John 4 Verse 19 says this,
we love Him because He first loved us. And that is the confession of
every believer. I want to tell you what God has
to say. concerning the one that his people
love. I want you to hold your place,
mark your place in 1 John. Turn to the book of Psalms, chapter
one, verse one and two. This is the one that God's people
love. The Lord asked Peter, John 21,
he said, Peter, lovest thou me more than these? And Peter said,
and this is the confession of every one of God's people, Lord,
you know all things. I know I don't manifest it as
I ought to. I don't manifest it as I should. But Lord, You know all things
and You know I love You. Isn't that right? Isn't that so with a believer?
Now let me tell you about Him. No, let me tell you what God
says about Him. Psalm 1, 1 and 2. Blessed, happy. Happy is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is
in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day
and night. Now, here's what the scriptures
set forth concerning the one that we love. Because he first
loved us, he's happy. That's what blessed means. Blessed. He is happy. Happy is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. The man, the
God-man. I love this truth that has been
set forth. I've heard different ones. There
is a man in glory. The man, the God-man. God-man mediator. And this man,
this glorious man is happy. that he has never, past, present,
or future, never conducted himself in a manner whereby in word or thought or
deed did he ever succumb according to the plan or the advice or
the suggestion of the principles of the wicked. I do only those things that please
Him. This man never stood in the way
of sinners. What does that mean? He never
tarried. He never hesitated. He never
considered, contemplated to dwell in a course or a manner of life
of the guilty or the unclean. Never in that way that seemeth
right unto a man, a natural man, the end thereof that is the ways
of death. This man is happy. He's happy
in that he has never sat in the seat of the scornful. Never occupied
a place with those that mocked God. Mocked God with their sins. Never sat in the place of those
that mock God's revelation of man's depravity. never sat with
those that mocked God and declared that in themselves they had made
peace with God and have an eternal right to rest with and in the
Lord of Glory because of their self-righteous works. And do
you know why He's happy? Because He came into this world
as the representative, the federal head, of His people. The scripture
declares, herein is His happiness. 1 John 4, 17, Herein is our love
made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment,
because listen, herein is His happiness. Here's His happiness,
and here's the happiness of His people. Here's His happiness. Because as He is, so are we in
this world. I cannot enter in to the depth
of the wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ would come into this world
made of a woman, made under the law, and live before the law
of Almighty God in an absolute perfection, holiness, obedience. Establish righteousness for His
people. Beholding His people, the scripture
says concerning Him who is happy. I think about the truth of His
happiness. In Isaiah 53, here's what the
scripture says concerning Him who is happy, happy. Isaiah 53, 3, He is despised
and rejected of men, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief,
and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him, He was despised, and
we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs,
carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted, wounded for our transgressions, bruised
for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him, and with His stripes we're healed, and He's happy. Happy. The scripture declares
that for the joy the joy he endured the cross the joy of our redemption
happy is the man because he has done it for us back in psalm
chapter 1 verse 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord And in his law doth he meditate
day and night. Happy is the man that has done
this on behalf of his people and would charge us, robe us
in that righteousness, his pleasure and desire to do only the will,
the purpose, the precepts, the statutes, and the instructions
of Jehovah. I delight to do Thy will, because
all that He has done is ours in Him. All that flows forth from God,
that alone He ponders. And you know what makes God's
people happy in Him? As He is, so are we in this world. Oh, the holiness and the perfection
of the man that is happy, that has pleased God in his own merit,
and all those found in Him in electing redeeming, regenerating,
and preserving grace, so are they. I will be the first to admit,
I don't know the depth of our happiness, but I can tell you
this, as he is happy, and as he is, so are we in this world,
God's people are happy, and one day, we're gonna realize it.
We're gonna say as the Queen of Sheba told Solomon, the half
was never told, I never. 1 John 4, verse 18, there's no fear in
love. But perfect fear casteth out, perfect love, I'm sorry,
casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth
is not made perfect in love. There's no fear in love. Perfect love, his love toward
us, roving us in himself. There is no dread of judgment. There's no dread of judgment
where God's love has been revealed because fear hath torment. Fear is cast out because the
thought of punishment before God is torment to the believer,
to the human being. Let me say it like that. The
thought of punishment is fear, but there's no fear in love.
He that feareth is not made perfect in love. He that fears condemnation
of the law and dreads God's wrath is one who does not trust or
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We truly love Him because He first loved us. Lord, Thank you. Thank you that's happy. Thank you that came into this
world. That bore our guilt. Put away our shame. Enrolled
us in your perfect righteousness. In him. We're happy. May the
Lord bless this word, our hearts for Christ's sake. Amen.