the book of Malachi. Malachi
chapter 1 and I'd like to read down again through verse 3 of
these first three verses of Malachi chapter 1 and the burden of the
word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you saith
the Lord yet ye say wherein hast thou loved us Was not Esau Jacob's
brother, saith the Lord, yet I love Jacob. And I hated Esau
and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons
of the wilderness. Esau was Jacob's twin brother. Esau was Jacob's older brother. They had the same parents and
they had the same grandparents. Turn with me back to the book
of Genesis, if you would, to Genesis chapter 25, as we read
one verse that is mentioned here as the Lord is speaking to the
mom. Genesis chapter 25. Genesis chapter 25 and verse
23 The word Lord here is the same
word for Lord that we found over in the book of Malachi and As
we've mentioned a number of times as those capital letters that
make up Lord is always Jehovah the Lord said unto her two nations
are in thy womb and and two manner of people shall be separated
from thy bowels, and the one people shall be stronger than
the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger." Before
they were born, and according to God's eternal purpose, God
rerouted the normal. It would have been normal, it
would have been tradition, it would have been practice for
Esau to inherit everything. Among these people at this time,
and it's been carried down in some countries, and it was here
in the United States for a long time, that the oldest son got
everything. God's eternal purpose rerouted
that though, and he chose the younger be served by the elder. God chose the younger. Now, going over to the Book of
Romans, we've read this as we've looked at this passage of Scripture,
and as you can't help but go to the Book of Romans when we're
talking about Jacob and Esau, but in the Book of Romans chapter
9, verses 10 through 14, this subject is brought up again as
the Apostle Paul, a secretary for God, brings up this subject
and he was led by the Holy Spirit so many times in all of the books
that he wrote to head off the questions. He just brings up
the answer before anybody has time to ask the questions, because
those questions will be asked, and they're still asked by people
that don't believe in grace. But here in the book of Romans
9, verse 10, and not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived
by one, even by our father Isaac. For the children, being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God, according to election, might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth. Now over the book of 1 Corinthians
chapter 1, next to the last verse I believe it is, it says that
no flesh should glory in his presence. That's one of the wonderful
ways that God said there must be election, that no flesh would
glory in his presence. When it's put in the hand of
God, then there is no flesh that can glory in his presence. When
he is the author and finisher of our faith, there is no flesh
that can glory in his presence. In fact, just the opposite, and
we are thankful that he would save sinners. Going on here in
the book of Romans chapter nine, it was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Now that's a question that people
that don't believe in grace are gonna bring up. They brought
up, but the apostle Paul was used by the Holy Spirit to head
that off right away. Whether they believe it or not,
here it is, God forbid. There is no unrighteousness with
God. There is sovereignty with God,
there's grace with God, there's purpose with God, but there is
no unrighteousness with God. Now, there's some words about
Jacob from the mouth of the Savior. In Matthew and Luke, and in Matthew
and Luke, there are two instances that the Lord brings up about
and mentions the name Jacob. And I'd like to read those. First
one I'd like to read is in Matthew chapter eight. Matthew chapter
eight. Matthew chapter eight, the Lord
brings up the subject, and Jacob is right in the middle of this,
and it tells us a lot about God's feelings towards Jacob. Matthew chapter eight, beginning
with verse 11. Matthew chapter eight, verse
11, it says, and I say unto you that many shall come from the
east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Now notice where they're sitting.
It's a wonderful statement that the Lord Jesus makes about Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, and every spiritual descendant of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. They shall sit down, as it says
there, they shall sit down in the kingdom of heaven. But he
goes on to say, but the children of the kingdom shall be cast
out into outer darkness, and there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. Those that thought they were shall be kicked out. These, Jacob, excuse me, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, and all their spiritual descendants will sit
down. Now what does that mean when
we start looking at the word sit down? They shall be at peace. They
shall be at rest. The work is over. They're no
longer involved in works. They've sat down. All right. Now, that's in the book of Luke
now. Book of Luke chapter 13. This
is brought up again. This incident is brought up again.
But there's a few words added here that are not in the book
of Matthew. Luke chapter 13 and verse 28. Luke chapter 13. And verse 28, there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the
prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. So there is such a line here.
There are the Jacob's and there are the Esau's. There are those
that God loved, as he said over there in the book of Malachi,
quoted by the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans. He says,
Jacob have I loved. We can go just a very short way
and find out that this love was not started when Jacob was born. This love is an eternal love
for every one of God's chosen people and he certainly chose
Jacob And he did not choose Isaac, excuse me, did not choose Esau.
So here it says in Luke chapter 13 verse 28, then verse 29, and
they shall come from the east and from the west and from the
north and from the south and shall sit down in the kingdom
of God. A wonderful blessing to sit down
in the kingdom of God. These are the chosen of God.
And it tells us there in verse 28, there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. You will be thrust out. There
will be, well, in other words, we read in the book of Matthew,
depart from me. The workers of iniquity, for
I never knew you. I never loved you. I never knew
you in this capacity. All right, go back to the book
of Matthew, if you would, to chapter 22. And we pick up another
incident where the Lord Jesus uses the name of Jacob. And again,
it is because of grace he uses this terminology. It's because
of his purpose that he uses this terminology about Jacob. Jacob
would be the first to admit, if he was sitting among us, I'm
a sinner, I'm a sinner, and I'm a sinner saved by grace. That's
all. I did nothing to warrant what
God did for me. Matthew chapter 22, and in verse
32 it says, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead,
but of the living. Now, a whole bunch of folks couldn't
understand the differentiation. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have
been dead for centuries, and yet the Lord Jesus is the God
of the living. He is telling us, he is telling
them, they are living because they are mine. I am the way,
the truth, and the life. They are living because of me.
Now, the same incident is mentioned over in the book of Luke chapter
20, and would you turn there with me? Luke 20, verse 37. Luke 20, verse 37. It says, Now that the dead are
raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the
name, calleth the Lord of the God of Abraham, and the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not a God of the dead,
but of the living, for all live unto him. So here we have that
differentiation again. God is the God of the living.
He's not the God of the dead. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. He's not the God of Esau and
all of his descendants. He's not the God of the goats.
He is the God of the sheep. So this differentiation is brought
out throughout the scriptures time and time again in certain
words. Now go with me to the book of
John. There's an interesting passage
here. I've read this, but I've never paid a lot of attention
as I should. And I've heard it preached on
and even brought messages from it. And this is the woman at
the well, John chapter four, John chapter four and verse six.
Just as we read over in the book of Genesis that God will provide
himself. We can look at that two different
ways. God will provide the sacrifice, God will provide himself the
sacrifice. Well, I read this and it says, now Jacob's well
was there, Jesus. Who was Jacob's well? Where did
he get his water? The Lord Jesus, Jacob's well
was there. Now there was a well, and it
was Jacob's well, and he had that well dug, but there is a
sense that the Lord Jesus is Jacob's well, well of water,
rising up to eternal life. Now Jacob's well was there, Jesus
therefore being weary of the journey, and we know the rest
of what happens here. This person became the woman
at the well's water too. This person. This person became
Jacob's water. He revealed himself as the water
of life to Jacob. Go with me back to the book of
Deuteronomy as we're going to talk a little bit about God's
love for Jacob. And in the book of Deuteronomy
chapter seven, these folks in Malachi are like
a whole lot of folks today. I was in that same boat in religion
and that is we just feel that we're doing such a good job that God is only right in loving
us. We're just doing such a good
job. We have our imperfections, we have our rough spots, but
we're doing, and those Jews felt because they were the physical
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they deserved the
love of God. And they bring this question
up, when did you love us? Now, over here in the book of
Deuteronomy, chapter seven, Deuteronomy chapter seven, and there's two
verses there, verse three, seven, eight, and nine. Chapter seven,
verse seven. The Lord did not set his love
upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than
any people, for you were the fewest of all people, but because
the Lord loved you and because he would keep the oath which
he swore unto your fathers." Now, where was that oath sworn
to begin with? Before the world began, the covenant
of grace, the agreement was sworn. They promised as God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to save a people. And
I was brought out, I swore unto your fathers, the only reason
he could share it with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the only reason
he could share it with Abel, or Noah, or Abraham, or David,
or anyone else is because he had it purposed before the foundation
of the world. God never does anything in time. He doesn't decide things in time.
It's all decided ahead of time. It was decided before the foundation
of the world. Every track he walked, every
place he was, every person he met was not happenstance. It was not because it was convenient
at that time, but there's a line drawn from the covenant of grace
before the foundation of the world to meet everybody he ever
met, and that's still going on today. everybody that is ever
touched by the grace of God is done on purpose, not by chance. So he hath sworn unto your fathers,
hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed
you out of the house of the bondman from the hand of Pharaoh, king
of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord
thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and
mercy with them, that love Him and keep His commandments to
a thousand generations. Now we're going to find out being
able to do what God wants us to do is a gift because of His
love. It is the results of His love. It's not something to procure
His love, but when we're able to do, we're able to pray, we're
able to have faith, it is a gift of His love. It is something
that God gives to us as a result of loving us. It is God doing
what He pleases to do. Now, how did Jehovah show his
love to Jacob and then to Israel? You know, I just thought, when
Adam sinned, there was already a lamb. When Adam completely,
wholeheartedly, without reservation, sinned against a sovereign God
and said, I'll not have Him rule over me. God had already had
a Lamb born out in that field that He was going to use as a
covering. What tremendous eternal love
to find out that there was already a substitute for God's people
before they ever sinned. So it is before they had done
any good or evil that election might stand. I've loved Jacob
and hated Esau. So here, out there, and God in
his greatness went out into that field, took that lamb or drew
that lamb to him, whatever, and slew that lamb and shed its blood
and covered those two naked folk. After the death of Abel, we'd
say, there's the line. He's the good one. He's the one
that has faith. Abel would never say he was a
good one. He just had been given faith to trust the Lord Jesus
Christ for all of his salvation. And as a result of doing that,
his brother rose up against him. But you know what? God's not
through yet. And he graciously gave Eve another
son. And we've traced that son right
down to Nazareth, where the Son of God was born. Turn with me
back to the book of Genesis. An interesting verse here about
the birth of Seth. As God demonstrates his great
love to Israel, his love to Jacob, his love to the saints, his love
to spiritual Israel, in Genesis chapter four and verse 25. Genesis
chapter four and verse 25, what an interesting verse this is.
After the death of Abel and It appears by the name that Adam
and Eve gave to Cain, they thought he was the one. Well, soon they
found out he's not the one. He's a scoundrel and a murderer
and he takes off. And here in Genesis chapter 4
and verse 25, and Adam knew his wife again. And she bore a son, and called
his name Seth. For God, said she, hath appointed
me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew." I find in that
a wonderful demonstration of God's eternal love that he would
continue the seed of the Messiah. She bore a son, another instead
of Abel. He's gone. But the line is not
over. God blessed and spared Noah. He spared your grandfather so
you could be here. He spared your 10 generations
back. until the seed was moving down
in this direction. God blessed and spared Noah,
and that was all because of grace. There was no good thing that
Noah performed on himself. He would say he's a nobody, but
God made him an heir. And we read over there in the
book of Hebrews chapter 11, by faith Noah built an ark to the
saving of his house. He heard God, God spoke to him.
He blessed in giving Isaac. When we consider that, a man
100 years old, his wife 90 years old, and God gave a son. I'd like to read that over in
the book of Hebrews chapter 11, as he demonstrates his eternal
love for all of his Jacobs. In the book of Hebrews chapter
11, As he says, Jacob have I loved. And this love is far greater
than anything we can do, because this is an eternal, unchangeable,
sovereign love. There's no flex in this. There's
no, well, today you did pretty good, I'll love you. Yesterday
wasn't so good. Well, in Hebrews chapter 11,
verse 11 and 12, Hebrews chapter 11, This wonderful chapter of the
reason folks did things is because of God's salvation. Hebrews chapter
11, by faith. Verse 11 it says, through faith
also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed and was delivered. Where did she get that strength
from? Where did she get that ability from? From Jehovah, from
the Lord. And she delivered was delivered
of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful
who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of
one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky
in multitude, and as the sand which the sea shore innumerable. Isaac was a nobody, and God made
him an heir. God blessed in giving Jacob.
Jacob was the second born, but God said, I'll reroute this.
I will change the direction here, and the elder shall serve the
younger, and I've chosen him, and I will always do the choosing. Folks won't. Therefore, these
folks in Malachi chapter one and verse two, they felt they
deserved God's love, and if he really loved them, how could
so much calamity come upon them? That's how they felt about it.
Well, God's people don't feel that about God's love. God's
love is eternal, not only of old or of a good while ago. These are the words of John Gill.
But this love is not of old or a good while ago, but from all
eternity and with a love that will always last. It's not just
kind of old. It's an eternal love, as we're
going to read here in the book of Jeremiah. This love is like
himself. His love is sovereign. His love
is unchangeable, and his love is everlasting. It is not moved. Once he set his affection on
an object, he shall not change his affection towards that. This
love does not begin in time with faith or repentance or obedience. These are the fruits of God's
love, the effects of God's love. So if God has ever shown his
love, the effects of it will be faith, repentance, obedience,
but not the other way around. We're not going to acquire God's
love by being faithful or repentful. Turn with me, if you would, to
the Psalm, Psalm 44, Psalm 44 and verse 3. Psalm 44, verse 3, for they got not the land in
possession by their own sword. They got not God by their own
will. Neither did their own arm save
them. But thy right hand, and thine
arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hast a favor unto
them, that's the only reason that national Israel was able
to go into Palestine is because of God's work with them. And
it's the only way we will ever sit in the kingdom of heaven
or ever in the kingdom of God, like is written about Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob getting to do. And the rest of them are thrust
out. The only way is right here. do it by my own hand and my arm
in the light of my countenance, because I had favor unto them. And this favor towards them was
not in time, but it has been eternal. In 1 Samuel chapter
12, 1 Samuel chapter 12, Again, the subject is brought up, and
it's just throughout the scriptures, there's no end to this subject
of God loving Jacob. So many illustrations found in
the scripture. First Samuel chapter 12, and
there in verse 22, for the Lord will not forsake his people for
his great namesake. That's why when God saves somebody,
they will sit in the kingdom of heaven. for his namesake. If he should lose one, his name,
his word means nothing. So for his namesake. Because it hath pleased the Lord
to make you his people. And when it pleases the Lord,
he loves it. He loves his people, it pleased
him, and this is for his namesake, will he do it? He uses a lot
of these words with regard to Israel, And if we look at this
only from a physical standpoint, Stephen brought up in the seventh
chapter of the book of Acts, he goes down through a long litany
of descendants in the Old Testament. He mentions Jacob's name four
times in that message. He preached to those guys that
are going to kill him. And he gets down towards the
end, and he said, they intended to build a house, but God does
not dwell in temples made with hands. What is he telling all
those folks? You better look at the Bible
from a spiritual standpoint, and we know that if you're not
given the Spirit of God to do that, you can't. They looked
at the Old Testament as only physical, and Stephen brings
up the fact it is spiritual. You've got to look at it spiritual.
Blinded they are, because they rose up and killed him. Well,
here, Jeremiah 31 and verse 3. Jeremiah, this wonderful passage
about God's eternal love. How long has he loved his folks?
Well, over here in the book of Jeremiah, I've loved you Jeremiah
chapter 31, in verse three, we read these wonderful words. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. It's not old love, it's not ancient
love, it's eternal love. And it's because of that love
People move towards God. He is the reason for it. As we
find out, it's the effects of God's love to believe on Him. It's the effects of God's love
to have faith in Him. It's the effects of God's love
to have repentance towards Him. It's His work in us. God's love
out of pure and sovereign grace and not of works or merit. The folks that brought this subject
up when God said, I have loved you, and they said, wherewith
have you loved us? Wherewith? Now, that's one side,
and we're going to find that that's the side that's going
to be thrust out. Now, every believer is going
to have similar words that Mephibosheth had over in the book of 2 Samuel
chapter 9. when he said, what is thy servant
that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? What is thy servant? I don't have the right to take
off your sandals. I can't even untie your sandals. As John mentioned, I am not in
a position to even look at your feet. I'm such a dead dog. How would you look at that? Those
folks over there, when did you do that? Well, God showed throughout
all the Old Testament scriptures, I demonstrated my love. Now,
there was a reason that God chose national Israel. He chose a people
from eternity to demonstrate all his goodness to, all of his
benefits to, from a physical standpoint, to demonstrate that
all he did and all he performed did not change one heart. It takes a spiritual birth to
do that. He did not give them a heart
to believe. Now there were people among them
that understood what it was to be loved with an eternal love.
There was a people among them, a few, that trusted the Lord
Jesus Christ for all their salvation, but there was the majority of
those folks did not have the gospel mixed with faith and they
died in unbelief. Just like we read over there
in Matthew and Luke that there will be those who will be thrust
out of the kingdom. They have the name, they went
down to the temple, they did all of their ablutions, but they
did not know Christ. Why? Because he didn't know them.
He had no eternal love for them, and that makes all the difference.
In 1 John 4, verse 19, after I've read, I've loved you, and
they say there, when did you do that? And he says, when I
chose Jacob, I showed my love to you. Over in the book of John
4, verse 19, it really makes sense. For us, when we read this
wonderful passage of scripture, it says, we love him. Oh, I don't
know why you don't stop there, though. I can just see that written
on a plate, and they don't even put the three dots after it.
They, oh, we love him. Well, we love him because, He first loved us. Now that love that he had for
us did not begin in time. It didn't begin three generations
back from us to assure that we were in the right place. It began
in eternity. He has an everlasting love, a
love that is not thwarted, a sovereign love, an eternal love, a purposeful
love, and a love that does not change in time. His love for
his people, I've said this a number of times and I've had a few people
probably send daggers at me, but what does God do when His
children sin? Nothing. He's already put that
on His Son. His love does not change, it
doesn't rise or fall. It is not up today and down tomorrow. We're not gonna face him with
a frown on his face. We're gonna hear him say, welcome
the good and faithful servant. I've saved you and kept you and
it was because of my eternal love and eternal purpose. We
love him because he first loved us and for no other reason in
this world. We can't generate that. Now,
going back to the book of Romans, in chapter five of the book of
Romans, I'd like to read the first five verses of Romans chapter
five as we think about God's love, God's love for his people. I have loved you. Wherewith did
you love us? I loved Jacob. I assured the line. I covered
Adam and Eve with a lamb already prepared, and I've covered all
my children with a lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
That's my love. Well, what about when everything's
gone awry? I sent an ark, and I saved eight
people. The world went to trash. But
I saved eight people and I saved Noah by grace and for no other
reason." Well, you showed your love how? I found that rascal
Abram down in Ur of the Chaldees. I sent him down there, his family
down there, when the dispersion of the nations took place after
the Tower of Babel, and I had a mark on him, and I went down
and called him, as Stephen said, the God of glory went down and
spoke to him and drew him out of Ur of the Chaldees. And for
no other reason except I loved him with an eternal love and
I was going to show my grace to him. He is a wicked guy worshiping
10,000 or so gods. And God showed him the unknown
God. And the unknown God became the
known God. Well, here in the book of Romans
chapter 5, and that story doesn't stop all through down through
time. That story doesn't stop. That purpose doesn't stop. God's
purpose to save his people does not stop. And when it looks,
we look in our own life, the things that God had to do to
get us, our family, us somewhere to hear the gospel. And if our children are ever
saved, for them to hear the gospel, and our grandchildren ever to
be saved, for them to hear the gospel, it goes on. Romans chapter
5, verse 1. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
By whom also we have access by faith into his grace, wherein
we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not
only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulations
work with patience, and patience experience, and experience hope,
and hope Maketh not ashamed. Now notice this last part. Because
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us. Now, we can look at that two
ways. His love is given unto us and
His Holy Spirit is given unto us. His love is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. So God
said, I've loved you. And Esau, or Jacob, could say,
oh, thank you. I was a ne'er-do-well worth nothing,
and you showed me your love. And Esau said, it wasn't worth
anything anyway. There was no value in it. The
world says today God loves everybody. The Bible says, no, no, no. God loved Jacob. and all the
Jacob's, and all the Jacob's from Abel to today, all the Jacob's. And he said, and I hated all
the Esau's from Cain to today, and you will sit down, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, you will sit down in the kingdom of heaven
in one passage, in another passage, the kingdom of God, and I will
thrust out everyone else.