Psalms number 6, beginning at
verse 1, we read, O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither
chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for
I am weak. O Lord, heal me, for my bones
are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed. But thou, O Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, deliver my soul.
O save me for thy mercy's sake. For in death there is no remembrance
of thee. In the grave, who shall give
thee thanks? I am weary with my groaning.
All the night make I my bed to swim. I water my couch with my
tear. Mine eye is consumed because
of grief. It waxeth old because of all
mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers
of iniquity. For the Lord hath heard the voice
of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication. The Lord will receive my prayer. Let all mine enemies be ashamed
and sore wrecked. Let them return and be ashamed
suddenly. I'll bet I'm not the only one
who feels pretty weak in this flesh many, many, many a time. It's interesting, we just sang
in this song. First off, let me read the writer
of the song, the hymn book here, those who put it together. They
put this verse in front of the song. It said, lead me to the
rock that is higher than I. That's Psalm 61, verse 2. In the calm of the noontide,
in sorrows blown out, in times when temptations cast over me
its power. Do you ever have times like that?
Lord, lead me. Lord, lead us to our rock, the
Lord Jesus. How often we've been out in this
world going about our ways. We've seen the bumper stickers,
haven't we? Jesus loves you. I remember the first time Bill
and I were in Sturgis. We were walking along and Sturgis,
South Dakota, when the bikers ganged up, I can only express
it this way without being rude and vulgar. It's of the world. I think you understand what I
mean by that. And it's out in plain sight for everybody to
see, walking down the street. And as we were walking through
the street, observing and admiring the motorcycles, believe it or
not, it's true. I mean it. There's also a variety
of motorcycles that people do custom things to. And it was
quite interesting in there, too. We come to a corner, and here
on the corner is, I don't know who they were, but you've seen
it. You've seen it. Jesus loves you.
Jesus loves you. If you'll just let him into your
heart. And I so badly, I just, I was new, I was new to the Lord. I was a babe in Christ, very
much a babe. It was the first summer that the Lord had called
me out of darkness. So I didn't have enough, I mean
I would today, I mean I think I would today. I'd have enough
gumption to go up to him and say, how do you know? What makes
you think you know that God loves me? You know? How can you tell? How do you know that God loves
me? I mean, I know He loves somebody. He says so in His Scriptures.
He says, For God so loved the world. This is the famous verse
that they all want to jump to because they want to use that
word, For God so loved the world. And they'll take that the world
and decipher it as meaning everything that's created. And completely
ignore where the Lord says in Malachi chapter 1, Jacob have
I hated, Esau have I loved. They just want to completely
ignore that. But do we not also ask ourselves that question at
times? Do we not struggle with the weakness
of the flesh and wonder to ourselves, how can God love me? How could
God love me? The very one who had a thought
go through my mind a moment ago that dethroned Him, that took
Him off of His throne, that rebelled against the sovereign mighty
God who is. Could God really love a person
like me? His Word says so. There's one sin, one sin that
is unforgivable mentioned in scriptures. The unforgivable
sin. It's to not believe God. To go through that door marked
death and unbelief. It's to call the Holy Spirit
a liar the day you go through that door marked death. You go
through that door marked death. And you don't believe God according
to his word, you cannot be forgiven. Everything else falls under the
forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Can God love me? I want to answer
this question this morning through scripture. And if the Lord is
pleased, I pray that He will answer it for you as well when
you turn to the 45th chapter of Isaiah. Isaiah 45. In Luke chapter 10, we read these
words. Now remember, the question is,
does God love me? Can I know that God loves me? All things are delivered to me,
saith the Lord, in Luke chapter 10, verse 22, of my Father. And no man knoweth who the Son
is. No man knoweth who the Son is
but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and He to whom
the Son will reveal Him." That's pretty simple, isn't it? You
can study God's Word all you want. There are men who know
this Bible, and I've said this before, it bears repeating, there
are men who know this Bible so much more than I, that they probably
can remember almost every word of the whole thing. And yet they
do not know God. We see in this very word that
I just read to you from Luke, that the true Son of the Living
God must be revealed. Natural man cannot perceive the
true Christ. Our Lord walked this earth in
broad daylight, claiming Himself to be one with the Father, and
He proved it over and over and over again by all the wondrous
works that He did, yet most turned to Him and said, How long will
you make us to doubt? And He said back to them, You
believe not, because you are not My sheep. Does God love me? Does God love me? Is it not true
that the scriptures tell us in Matthew chapter 16, 17, that
Jesus answered and said, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, when
the Lord had asked his disciples, Who do you say that I am? Peter
said, Why, thou is the Son of the living God. And he said,
Blessed are thou, blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh
and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven. Even Christ himself, who was
standing right there speaking to Peter, declared that for him
to know who that was standing before him, God had to reveal
it to him. Scriptures also tell us over
in Romans 8 verse 7, because the carnal mind is empty against
God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it
be. So we see that this dead and trespassers in sin, the statement
is that is in our natural state for one to know the true and
living God, we must first be given life. Life to know. Life must be given to that individual. Does God love those whom will
die in their sins and go into eternal damnation? The world
would like you to think they do. That's the bumper sticker
on the back, God loves you. That's those who stood on the
corner there at the biker show, God loves you. Does God love
those who will die in their sins and go to eternal damnation?
Not the true and living God. Not the God of this book. Not
the God of all power in heaven and earth. If you had all power
in heaven and earth, would anything come to harm your loved ones? Think about that. How many of
us have little ones? Don Fortner once shared with
us about his granddaughter. No, I think it was his daughter.
Faith, that's his daughter, isn't it? Yeah, when she was little.
and how she would run down the driveway, and, whoa, hey, hold
up, don't go out there, that's dangerous, there's cars out there,
you can get run over. Remember when your little ones
were little? Would you do anything for them? What do you think makes
God any different than that? Here's the difference, He does
have all power. And because He has all power,
if He loves you, you're not going into damnation. You're not going
to go and receive what you deserve. You're not going to hell. If
He loves you, you're going to be with Him in eternity. Why?
Because His Son has gone into damnation. His Son has gone to
hell. His Son has paid the price that
you deserve. I never get tired of hearing
that. I hope you don't either. Does God love you? Oh, I'll tell
you what. The revelation of who Jesus Christ
is a pretty good mark of God loving us because He doesn't
reveal who He is to those He doesn't love. We read these verses
in Friday night study. The Lord of hosts has sworn,
saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass, and
as I have purposed, so shall it stand. That's Isaiah 14.24.
In verse 27 it also says, For the Lord of hosts hath purpose,
and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out,
and who shall turn it back? Consider these words with me,
if you would, in Isaiah chapter 45. Look at verse 5. I am the
Lord. There is none else. Folks, that's
the description of God from the beginning of the Bible all the
way through to the end. I am the Lord, and there is none
else. In the beginning, God created. There is no God besides me. I
girded thee. I clothed thee, though thou hast
not known me. That they may know from the rising
of the sun and from the west that there is none besides me.
I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light and create
darkness. I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all these things. Do you need any help understanding
what God just told you in His Word? Is there something about
this that we just read that you can't understand? I don't think
so. I think that's about as plain
as it can be, isn't it? Do you mean God creates darkness? That's what it says. Do you mean
God creates evil? That's what it says. He says,
I am the Lord, and there is none else. Now I want to consider
three points, and we won't be long with these. Three points
that can only be revealed to the heart by God. And He only
reveals these truths to those whom He loves. The life He lived. Point number one. The life He
gave. Point number two. And the life
He gives. Point number three. Our first
point here is plainly put in the book of Acts. Turn over to
Acts chapter 10, if you would please. Acts chapter 10. The life He lived. In Acts chapter
10, we begin reading at verse 36, the word which God sent unto
the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, that means
preaching peace through Him, through Christ, He is the Lord
of all, as it says in parenthesis next, verse 37, that word, that
word that we preached, that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and your
peace is through Him, I say ye know which was published throughout
all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism was John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with
power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed
of the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of
all things which he doth in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem,
whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him, this very one, that all
of those that he went through in doing those wonderful things,
all power went about healing. Healing those who were oppressed
with devils. They hung him on a tree. Him,
God raised up the third day and showed him openly. Not to all
the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us
who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
So he did not reveal himself to everybody. Why? Because God doesn't love everybody. I mean, I just want to go out
on my own limb here for just a minute. We're all about preaching
God's sovereignty and who He is gracious to. Isn't that what
the Scriptures is all about? Those that God is gracious to?
We are saved by grace. Isn't that what the Scripture
tells us? We're saved by grace through belief, through believing
in who He is. To say, and we looked a little
bit at this in the Bible study, to say that God died for everybody
and then some are going to go to hell because they wouldn't
let him love them is to say God's grace is inefficient, isn't it?
Isn't that, am I wrong in that? Isn't that what it said? Isn't
that what that means? It means that his grace doesn't
mean anything. But to say that God revealed himself to some
is to portray grace. Is that not correct? We've all
sinned and come short of the glory of God. We all deserve
the wrath of God. Is that not true? So for God
to reveal himself to who he is, the question we're asking ourselves
is, does God love me? He's revealed himself to me in
his word. Has he revealed himself to you? We've got very few people here
this morning. We have very few people here every Sunday morning.
There's people who are flocking to churches all over the place
to hear the bands, to see the smoke going across, thinking,
ooh, look at that, and the music. To hear about what you can do
to save yourself from yourself. If you'll just make a decision
and let God love you, if you'll just make Him the Lord of your
heart, I'm going to tell you something, we just read here
a moment ago, God's the Lord of everything. Including evil,
including your wickedness, He's still the Lord over you. And
it's by His grace that He chooses any of us. You just can't get
any more plain than that. We're saved by grace. By His
grace. Not to all the people, but unto
witnesses chosen before of God. The life of God in the flesh
was not what natural man would think. In fact, it was just the
opposite. God in the flesh, the God-man,
came as a servant, didn't he? And now when we read over Philippians
2, verse 6, let me read it for you. who being in the form of
God, speaking of Christ Jesus the Lord, thought it not robbery
to be equal with God. Why did he think it was not robbery
to be equal with God? Because He's God in the flesh.
This is the God we serve of Scripture, the very One who we read about
a moment ago who creates good and creates evil. The very One
who creates darkness and light. But He made of Himself of no
reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant When you
think of a majestic God, one who created everything, who just
thought, who purposed it and it was there. You would think
he would come in white robes. He will someday, but he didn't
the first time. Why? Because he had to come as
a man, as a servant. A servant to God the Father.
He came in the body that was prepared for him and laying down His life for
His people. He was made in the likeness of
men and being found in the fashion as a man, He humbled Himself
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Our Lord tells us plainly that He came to do the Father's will,
and that will, that purpose, that desire was to save His people. All of them. Not some. Not part. But all. Does God love me? Is Christ opening
up your eyes to who He is this moment? Well, John, I've known
who Christ is for a long time. Why do I need to have my eyes
opened again right now? Because, folks, if God has opened
Himself to you, you see what you are this very moment. You
see what this flesh is, it stands before God unworthy as a worm. We see ourselves crying in the
side of it, against the wall, Lord have mercy on me again. Lord have mercy on me again. Lord have mercy on me again. You see, folks, this is the Father's
will which has sent me, saith the Lord in John 6.39, that of
all which He had given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise
it again at the last day. We're talking about our Holy
Creator. We're talking about Him as He
walks this earth, walking in perfection, in the perfection
that He is, holy, righteous, fulfilling every aspect, every
jot of the Holy Law perfectly. And this He did for those for
whom He loves. Christ came to save sinners.
I'm a sinner, yes, but I'm His sinner. I'm saved by Him. If there's any salvation for
me, it's a salvation that He performed, and He performed alone. He's not waiting for me to make
a decision because I would make the wrong decision. And I know
I would. I belong to him. His chosen people
always have been his. We just didn't know it until
he reveals himself to us. He has a people that are spread
throughout all the time, throughout all the world, and God the Spirit
is going about calling them unto Himself. Through what? Through
the preaching of the Word. My theology is boring to the
world. That's why this church is not
filled. The truth of God's Word is boring. It's the same old
story. The same story that's been told
since the day Adam fell. That we need a Savior to wash
us in His blood, in His righteousness, because we have no righteousness
of our own. And that's the revealing of Christ
to those that He loves. Does God love me? I'm thinking
so. I'm thinking so. I know something
now I didn't know before. What is that, John? I know that
all things Do you know? Do you know that all things are
for your good? We're about to celebrate the
killing of thousands tomorrow. Not celebrate, that's not the
right word. To remember. We're going to remember thousands
of people were killed as some fools flew planes into a building
and killed all these innocents. Was that for the good of God's
people? Yes. How? Because I know God's word tells
me that's how. Folks, I don't understand a lot
of stuff. I don't understand. I'm not a
theologian. I've never read through the Bible from cover to cover.
It's been pointed out to me that how can I preach because I've
never read the whole Bible. It was pointed out to me by somebody
who's read through it five times and still doesn't believe some
of the things of the Bible. I don't know much of anything.
But I know this, this book, this book speaks of God. It speaks
of the One who rules everything. And if He rules everything, and
He loves a people, then everything is for our good. I know that
because of Him. Because of His revelation. Does
God love me? I'm thinking so. Does He love
you? Are you thinking so? Isn't that wonderful? Because
He doesn't have to. He didn't reveal it to all those
poor folks that that walked the earth at that time, only to a
few! Only to a few! I'm talking about the Holy Creator
walking this earth, walking in perfection and His holy righteousness.
I belong to Him. Now I want to consider next the
life that He gave. Turn over to 1 Peter. 1 Peter
chapter 1. The life He gave. And while you're
turning to 1 Peter chapter 1, let me read these words. And
he began to teach them, speaking of the words of Mark chapter
8 verse 31. And he began to teach them, the
Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders. Does God love me? Has he revealed
to me why he must? He must suffer many things and
be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests and scribes
and be killed after three days rising again. The death and resurrection of
our great God was a necessary thing. God cannot look upon sin. If it were not for the death
and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, God could not look
upon you and I. We have sin from the top of our
head filled to the bottom of our feet right now. We battled
the sinfulness of the flesh, but our spirit knows that we're
washed and cleaned in Him. There are those who want to preach
that Jesus Christ loves everybody, and then they'll preach this
also along with that. They'll say, you're a better
person now. Now that you've accepted Christ and you've allowed Him
to come into your heart, you're a better person now. Oh, by the
way, you've got to prove that. What? You still smoke? You still
drink? What? Did I just hear a cuss
word come out of your mouth? You hate your neighbor? Because
their dog poops on your yard? What? What? No, no. You can't
do any of that anymore. No, no, no. That means you're
not saved. You gotta go get re-saved again. In our natural minds, folks,
we belittle God down to be like us. We think of God to be like
us. We think what we think is wrong
should be wrong in God's eyes, too. I said this on Friday night
too, and I'm going to say it again for those of you who couldn't
be here. God does not do what's right. What did I just say? God does not do what's right. What God does is right. Quit judging Him on what you
think is right, because what you think is right is always
wrong. And we didn't know any of that
until God showed us through the preaching of His Word just how
right He is. The death and resurrection of
our great God was necessary because He cannot look upon sin. Holiness
and sin, grace and works, the Bible is clear that these things
cannot mix. Darkness cannot mix with light. Where one is, the other cannot
be. The sheep of God have all gone astray in our own way and
followed the same path to destruction as all mankind have. Yet God
was manifest in the flesh to save His sheep. As He accomplished
this salvation by the shedding of His own blood in their stead,
He set Himself to be our spotless sacrifice, the spotless Lamb
of God, our scapegoat, our redeemer, And when He went to that cross
and died, all of His elect died in Him. How do I know that? Because His Word says so. The
perfect, holy, righteous blood of Christ cleanseth His people
from all sin. Look with me if you would. Verses
18 of 1 Peter chapter 1. For as much as ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things, now, you know what that
means? That means you weren't redeemed by your free will. That
means that you weren't redeemed by the decision you made to come
forward and pray a certain prayer. You were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received
from by decretions of your fathers. But with the precious blood of
Christ. Is the blood of Christ precious
to you? Does God love me? Well, I can tell you this. If
His blood is not for me, then I'm going to hell. But if it
is for me, I'm saved from what I deserve. Does God love me if
His precious blood is for me? Absolutely! He loves me. Precious blood of Christ is the
Lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world, who was manifest in these
last times for you. Who by Him do believe in God
that raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, that your
faith and your hope might be of God, might be in God. The life He gave was to die in
our stead, to receive our damnation, to redeem us unto the Father,
and His perfect sacrifice, accomplishing that very thing. Now turn, if
you will, to the 10th chapter of John, and let's consider my
last point, the life that He gave. John chapter 10. Allow
me once again to read a few verses while you're turning there. Colossians
1, verses 12-14, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made
us meet, fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in life, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and
hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have
redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.
Folks, we are the children of light. The love of God dwells
in our hearts. Ephesians 5 verse 8 says, For
ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the world. Walk as children of light. 1
John 4 and 9, And this was manifest in the love of God towards us,
because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through Him. Does God love you? as he manifest
himself to your heart, as he revealed the truth of his word
to your spirit. Listen to these words. John 3
verse 16-21, 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. For God sent not His Son into
the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not
condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already. Folks, this is talking about
those who believe the word of truth. To believe is the work
of God. It's not to believe what man
thinks. But to believe what God says. The Word of God says in
Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9, For by grace are ye saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God. Not of words. This man should boast. Are you
with me in John chapter 10? Look at verse 15. As the Father
knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life
for the sheep. Our question to ourselves this
morning is, does God love me? Is God revealing who His Son
is, what His Son has done, and where He is right this moment
to you? As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father,
and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have
which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice,
and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth
my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take
it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. Verse 19. There was a division,
therefore, again among the Jews, for these saints. And many of
them said, He hath a devil, and he is mad. Why hear ye him? Others
said, there are not the words of him that hath the devil. Can
a devil open the eyes of the blind? And it was at Jerusalem,
the feast of the dedication, and it was winter, and Jesus
walked in the temple of Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews around
about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to
doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Now listen to the Lord's answer.
He answered them in verse 25, I told you, and ye believed not. The works that I do in My Father's
name, they bear witness of Me. Now folks, I'm not telling you
that believing the Lord Jesus is what saved you. It's believing
what He did that saves you. He's the One who has saved us.
His work on that cross saved all of His people, but we must
believe. He says, I have told you ye believe
not, the works that I do in my Father's name they bear witness
of me, verse 26, but ye believe not because ye are not of my
sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep
hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. Does God
love me? If He loves me, I'll continue
to follow Him. How many have we seen come to
this little body here in the woods and leave and never go
to another church since? My sheep hear My voice, and I
know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them from My
Father's hand. I and My Father are one. Does
God love you? If God has given you the gift
of faith, The gift to believe, the revelation of who Jesus Christ
is. Has He given you the revelation
that God Almighty manifested Himself in the flesh? Has He
given you the revelation that what Jesus Christ did on the
cross that day over 2,000 years ago is all that is needed? When
He said it is finished, is it finished for you? Has He given
you the revelation where our Lord is right this moment? Folks,
He's God. Death couldn't hold Him. He rose
again on the third day exactly according to the purpose of God
the Father. And every child that belongs
to the Father has been saved through His Son, the Lord Jesus.
No ifs, no ands. Our Lord reveals His truths to
those whom He loves. Listen to these words of truth
in Luke 9, 45. But they understood not the saying,
because it was hid from them that perceived it not. Who hid
it? Who make us to differ? God Almighty. Luke 18, verse 34. And they understood
none of these things, and the saying was hid from them, neither
knew they the things which were spoken. Colossians 1 26, even
the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations,
but now is being manifest to his saints. To what? To his saints. This is all the grace of God,
folks. Does God love you? Well, if you
understand that you belong in that crowd, or not belong, I'm
sorry, but that you have done the same things that that crowd
who's going to go through that doormark death into damnation,
If you understand that, it's because God has shown you and
revealed in your heart what you are. He's revealed to you that
the only way out of it is through His Son, the Lord Jesus. What
He has done on the cross. Grace. Luke 10.21, in that hour,
Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit, and He said these very words,
I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou
hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed. He didn't just hide them, He
revealed them. In His grace, He revealed who
He is, what He's done, and where He is right now. Let me ask you
this quick question. Does the Word of Truth offend
you? It offends the world. I can tell you right now, to
say that God loved Jacob and hated Esau, the world hates with
a passion. The religious world hates it
with a passion. Our Lord tells us about the depravity
of man in Ephesians 2 verses 1-3 and I'll leave that for you
to read of your own time. He tells us in Romans 9-11 of
our unconditional election. He tells us of how His atonement
is for a people, His irresistible grace, Offends the natural man
as we read in Galatians chapter 1 verse 15. And the perseverance
of the saints offends natural man as we read in 1 Peter 1 verse
5. We are kept by the power of God.
No! You have to change. You have
to be a different person now. I guarantee you, if God moves
into your heart, you will be a different person. You'll sing
the new song that we talked about in Bible study, huh? The song
of He is God. And there is none other but God. Amen. The Word of Truth, folks,
does this. It magnifies God's grace to you
and I. That's why grace is so precious
to you and to us. We know that if God was not gracious
to a people, we'd receive our just reward, don't we? The word
of truth magnifies God's grace in saving a people unto himself.
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it is a gift of God, not of works. Thus men should boast. Grace,
grace, grace. God's grace. It's not just able. It will. It will wash his children
white as snow.