If you'd like to follow along
I'm gonna start out in Jeremiah chapter 31 Jeremiah chapter 31 I'm gonna read the first three verses At the same time saith the Lord
will I be the God of all the families of Israel and and they
shall be my people. Thus saith the Lord, the people
which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness,
even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. Here it is, verse
three. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. With loving kindness have I drawn
thee. I remember a few decades ago,
Earl Cochran read that verse out loud and preached on it.
And man, that verse just got a hold of me. And you know what? It hasn't
let go yet. And that's a good thing. But before I get started, I'm
gonna ask you a question. How does the preaching of the
gospel affect you? Because here's the thing. The
preaching of the gospel will have an effect. And it will affect
you. Trying to say the difference
between effect and effect. Anyhow, but here's the thing. Some, by the preaching of the
gospel, are brought to the light, or being brought to the light.
Some may receive it with gladness and joy in their heart. But unfortunately,
I said some, I wrote down some, but I think it's actually most
are being hardened by the preaching of the gospel. They may be hardened by boredom,
they may not care. They may be hardened by anger
because they hate the truth. Either way, it doesn't matter.
The gospel and those who preach the gospel are the saver of life
unto life to some and the saver of death unto death for others. Now the question is, how does
the gospel, the preaching of the gospel affect you? I hope
it affects you well. Anyhow, that's just something.
My title today, Paul is Loved with an Everlasting Love. Jeremiah 31 verse three. The
Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, these are the words
of the Lord. They're not the words of Jeremiah,
although he may have spoke them and he wrote them down. The Lord told Jeremiah this. And we try to be very clear here,
what we wanna preach is thus saith the Lord. And this is what
thus saith the Lord. Pay attention, because the Lord
told Jeremiah and Jeremiah has told us what the Lord said. You understand? There are people
who think we're just making up stuff when we come up here. That's
the way they look at their church. And to be honest, in a lot of
other places, I'm sure that's exactly what's happening. Somebody's
up there making up stuff. But our message, we try to be
clear. We wanna preach his word from
his word. And these are the words of the
Lord. Pay attention. Behold, pay attention. Jeremiah wrote, the Lord has
appeared of old unto me. And I got to thinking about that.
Why in the world? Because he just said, at the same time saith
the Lord, I'll be the God of all the families of Israel, verse
one. Thus saith the Lord, verse two. Then he says, the Lord hath
appeared of old unto me saying. You understand what that means?
What Jeremiah's getting ready to tell us that the Lord said
is nothing new. It's nothing new. You understand,
people have this crazy idea that the Lord changes. The Lord doesn't
change, we change. And sometimes we really, really,
really need to change. But this is nothing new. And
here it is, what the Lord said. Yea, I have loved thee. Yea. I got to thinking about
this. Yea is a good word. Yea is a
good word. It's a very positive word. I
like that. It's old English. You see it
in old movies. Yea, verily. Yes, truly. Yea, certainly. As a matter of fact, the word
yea is also a promise word. Here's the thing. For all the
promises of God in him are yea and amen. Why? Unto the glory of God by us. Here's a promise fulfilled. Yea,
I have loved thee. Yea, I have loved thee. And you
know what? He still does. He still does. God has loved his people. God cares for his chosen people. Yea. I like that, I do. Yea. Because I understand this
This is a true love. This is a perfect love. God is love. And God's love is truly perfect. This is a love, and very clearly,
it's not based upon your works. It's not based upon your work.
It's based upon God. God himself, the Lord. This is
a true love because the Lord loves with a real love. And what did John write about
it? Perfect love casts out fear. There's no fear in love. There's
fear in us, but there's no fear in the love of God. I like that. Yea, I have loved thee. But here
it is, with an everlasting love. Not just now, not just in the
past, an everlasting love. Oh, and here it is, a love from
the beginning. What do you mean by the beginning?
I mean by the beginning. When you look at the beginning,
when it says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the
earth, you know what? God loved. God loved his people
then. Understand, it's hard for us
to comprehend, it's hard for us to lay hold of. Matter of
fact, I tell you the honest truth, I'm gonna make an admission here.
Now I'm not confessing, I'm making an admission. Now this is different. I feel inadequate, personally,
sometimes speaking about the love of God. I mean, how am I,
an ungodly sinner, still ungodly, still a sinner, supposed to relate
to you the love of God in Jesus Christ, and the love that God
has for his people, the love that Christ has for his body.
Luckily, no, not luckily, thankfully, I don't have to use my words,
I can use his. And he says, yea, I have loved
thee. And saying God makes it personal. I have loved thee. with an everlasting love. Oh,
I like that. His love never changes. Because
I am the Lord. I change not. And you understand,
he even goes further than that. He says, therefore, you sons
of Jacob are not consumed. Because you understand, if God
loves you, the only change has got to be for the worse. but
I'm the Lord, I change not. My love is just like I am. It's everlasting, it's everlasting. God's love is eternal, everlasting,
and the word I like best, I remember when you said this, Walter, perpetual. You understand? It has no beginning,
it never stops, and it has no end. It's in the past as we see
it, it's in the present as we see it, and it's in the future.
God's love is eternal. And I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Oh, I like that. This is a promise
of old. This is nothing new. God always has loved his people. Even before they ever were born.
God loved his people. My love is everlasting. And I've already stated it. Don't
forget, God's love is particular. I have loved thee. That's the
other part of it. It's particular. I've loved thee
with an everlasting love. Stop and think about it. You
understand? The Lord didn't appear to everyone. He appeared to Jeremiah. and
said, I love thee with an everlasting love. Why is that? Because I hate to be the one
to bring it to you. If you don't know, God does not
love everyone. I'm sorry. I'm not sorry, but
it's the truth. That might be one of the things
why somebody hears the gospel, people get mad. God does not
love everyone. He has had a particular people
ever since the beginning of the world. Before the foundations
of the world. Chosen in his son, in Christ
Jesus, before the world began. And he loved them. And he loves
them now. And he does not love everyone.
And this also is nothing new, even if you've never heard it
before. That's the truth of it. This is not new. The Lord hath
appeared unto me of old saying. Oh, and he told us of his everlasting
love. But here's the thing. Most people
talk about the love of God like it's useless. But it's not so. Understand, here's the thing.
In this verse right here, you'll find it. There is always, always,
always a positive result of the love of the Lord. What'd he say? Therefore, what? Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love, therefore, with loving kindness, Have I
drawn thee? Oh my. Now is that everybody
he loves? Yes it is. Yes it is. Understand, if God loves you,
he's going to draw you with loving kindness. The love of the Lord
always has this positive result. He draws those that he loves. Understand, Jesus Christ told
us to pray our Father. I'm gonna tell you something,
the Father desires his family to be near him, amen. The Father
desires the family of God to call upon him. The Lord draws to himself those
that he has loved from everlasting. And notice the two time frames.
The love is from everlasting, but the drawing is in time. I have loved thee, therefore,
what? With loving kindness, I have
drawn, who? Thee. Whom he loves, he draws. And that drawing is in time.
And you may not know what's going on with it at first, I can guarantee
you that. But he will make himself known
to you. I guarantee that also, he's promised. Now, God's drawing
is with loving kindness. But I want you to know something. Don't confuse loving kindness
with being always pleasant. You understand, I'm gonna tell
you something. Sometimes being drawn with loving
kindness can make you feel miserable. And it's supposed to. It is supposed
to. It's supposed to. Understand,
I'll give you another example here. God chastens every son
that he has with loving kindness. That's an act of loving kindness.
Now, whom the Lord loveth, he chastens. He chastens. But here's
the thing, no chastening at the present time seem to be joyous,
but greedous. And you know why? Because it
is. It's called chastening for a
reason. To chasten someone is to punish
someone to yield a positive result, a matter of correction, is what's
implied in that word. But it says, oh, afterwards,
chastening yields, what? The peaceable fruit of righteousness. God chastens in loving kindness.
So what I'm saying is this, the drawing of God is made in loving
kindness. but parts of it are not pleasant.
Because you understand, the spirit of bondage to fear comes before
the spirit of adoption. And the spirit of bondage to
fear, fear is not pleasant, but it's necessary. What's the beginning
of wisdom? What's the beginning of knowledge?
The fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord. And the
spirit of bondage to fear is not pleasant. But it is loving kindness. Finding out that you personally
are a sinner. And by that I mean you know you
are a person who sins. You have in you sin and it comes
out on you when you don't want it to. Finding that out is not
pleasant. It's a truth, it's a reality,
but it's not pleasant. But it is part of the drawing.
It is part of the drawing. It is loving kindness. Because here's the thing, Jesus
Christ came to save sinners. He said, I come not to call the
righteous, but sinners. To repentance? How you gonna
repent to something you don't know? How you gonna repent of
being a sinner if you don't know you're a sinner? Not gonna happen. He didn't call the righteous,
he didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And the Lord draws them. with
loving kindness, with loving kindness. Oh yeah, and here's
the thing. I can tell you this. When Yahweh
Elohim draws you, you'll come. You will come. You will come. You'll come to Him. And I tell
you this, you'll keep coming. You'll keep coming. Now that's
the Old Testament. Right? The weird thing is, and I do understand it because
of what is around us and what passes for Sunday schools and
all this and churches and all around us, and on TV and on the
radio, we're inundated with it if you turn your television on,
which I don't recommend you do. Some people think it's okay for
God to be God in the Old Testament. Have you ever pondered that?
It's okay, you know, God could drag people into the wilderness.
For years, God could kill, strike people graveyard dead in the
Old Testament and nobody said a word. And they don't say a
word about it now in most churches. You understand, the Lord could
send Israel to invade other countries and make war upon them. But the
New Testament's different, isn't it? Well, not in God's sovereignty,
it's not. And here's the thing, not in
God's salvation either. Let's go to Ephesians chapter
two. Ephesians chapter two. Verse one, and you hath he quickened
who were dead in trespasses and in sins where in time past you
walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature
the children of wrath even as others. But God, oh, that's a
good word there. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love, wherewith, what? He loved us. Even when
we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace
ye are saved. And hath raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. that
in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. And I'm gonna stop right there. God is rich in mercy. What? For his great love wherewith
he has loved us. And here's the thing. God has
all the mercy. You understand? Now, Walter has
been clear, and I love the way he's pointed this out, you understand?
The offended party is the one that grants the mercy. You understand? We've offended God. We need mercy
from God. You understand? I can offer you,
and maybe even sincerely mean it, my mercy. But I'm gonna tell
you something, that won't do you any good. I mean, I may actually offer it
to you and may actually mean it, but it's not gonna do you
any good. Do you wanna know why? I don't
have any power. You could offer me your mercy,
but it wouldn't do me any good because you got no power. God
has all the power. Therefore, God has also mercy. And he is rich in mercy. Oh,
I like that. He's rich in mercy. And that's the good news. God is rich in mercy. God is
rich in mercy. For his great love wherewith
he loved us. This great love is one of my
favorite words is used in it. Plenteous. Because you know,
in plenteous love, he has given us plenteous redemption. I like
that. I do, I do. His great love, abundant
love, what's it say? Even when we were dead in sins
has quickened us together with Christ. By grace, you are saved. Oh, I like that. that in the
ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace
in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Understand, God's
love toward you is in his son. Is in Jesus Christ. God's mercy
toward you is in his son, Jesus Christ. You understand, Ephesians
two is chock full of God's abundant mercy and plenteous love and
what merciful, gracious works. And they're all the work of God. Now, in verses three and four,
or excuse me, two and three, are our works. They're not good. They're not good, folks. Wherein
in times past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the children of disobedience. That's what
we were. Yet, he loved us with an everlasting
love in Christ Jesus. What's the next verse? Among
whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lust of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.
We were totally and completely selfish. We did what we wanted
to do. Well, put it this way. We did
what we thought we could get away with. You understand? And, God loved us with an everlasting
love. And were by nature, our very
natures were just the same, the children of wrath, even as others. Then he says, but God. God, but
God. You understand, our works are
there, they're just not good. His works are there, and his
works are all good. Oh, I like that. He quickened
his great love wherewith he loved us, even when dead in trespasses
and in sins. Oh. Another thing, he has quickened
us together with Christ, with Christ, with the Son, his well-beloved. He associates us with his well-beloved
Son. That's grace. That's great, that's
good news. That's mercy, oh. He quickened,
he loved, he raised up, and he seated together with Christ. Why? What's it say? For the great
love wherewith he loved us. Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness,
have I drawn thee. But here it is, in the Old Testament
and the New Testament alike, his words are plain. God loves
his people. God always has loved his people.
God will always love his people. And God draws his people to himself. In his son, And we, those who believe, have
been quickened together with Christ Jesus now in time. We know. No, there's no question
God is always first in salvation and everything else. Jesus Christ
has the preeminence. You don't give him the preeminence. He has the preeminence. Salvation is from the Lord. I know the quotation, salvation
is of the Lord, but that's what it means. Salvation is from the
Lord. Understand, you read in the Psalms
over and over again, Lord, give to me thy salvation. Or I want
the Lord's salvation, his salvation. Ah, it's only your salvation
if he gives it to you. but it's his salvation to give.
I like that, I like that. One more thing here. This is back Jeremiah 29. This is what he said before he
said the Lord hath appeared to me of old in 31. Chapter 31 and
verse 29 and verse 11. For I know the thoughts. This
is the Lord speaking. I know the thoughts that I think. What? Toward you. Sayeth the Lord. Thoughts of
peace and what? Thoughts of peace and not of
evil. to give you an expected end. Oh, I like that. You understand? I have loved thee with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness I have drawn thee. I know what
thoughts I think towards you. Oh, thoughts of peace and not
evil. To give you an expected end.
And what's the expected end? Look at the next verses. Then
shall ye call upon me. and ye shall go and pray unto
me. And here's the amazing thing, and I will hearken unto you.
And understand, this does have a direct reference to the captivity.
And understand this, I believe they've been calling upon him
and praying to him for almost 70 years or whatever it was.
But they didn't get out. Not until he says, I have thought,
what? I know the thoughts I think toward
you, thoughts of peace. Then you're gonna pray. Then
I'm gonna hear. Oh, I like that. What does it
say? And I will hearken unto you and ye shall seek me and
find me. You shall seek and find. Oh,
in verse 14, here's a glorious statement. Here's good news.
And I will be found of you. but you're not gonna look for
him until he thinks good thoughts of peace unto you. Why? Because he's got to draw
you. I've loved thee with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Oh, I like
that, I do. Their freedom from captivity
was due completely to the thoughts and the actions of the Lord.
And your salvation is completely and totally due to the thoughts
and the actions of the Lord. And the work of his son, our
Lord Jesus Christ. By grace, you are saved. By grace,
you are saved. And I'm gonna put just one little
word in there, just to make it very clear. What? By God's grace, you are saved. He's the only one with grace.
He's the only one with grace. He's the only one with mercy.
He's the only one with the power to give you both. By grace, ye
are saved. Oh my, by God's grace, he hath
quickened us together with Christ Jesus. By God's grace, he has
raised us up together. It means to sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus. How is that possible right now
when you're here? Well, Christ is there. He's seated at the
right hand of the Father. And guess what? You're in him.
If God loves you, you're in him. Oh yeah. And if he hasn't drawn
you yet, he will. And you'll come. And you know
what? You will continue to come. Oh, for his great love wherewith
he loved us. Oh, I like that. What's it say after that? With
loving kindness have I drawn thee? Just look at the beginning
of verse four. Again, I will build thee. And, this is the glorious part,
here it is. Again, I will build thee and
thou shalt be built. Isn't that something? If God
makes a house, it ain't gonna fall down. If God gives his son
a church, it's not gonna fail. Oh, I like that, I do. I will
build thee and thou shalt be built. You know what you're gonna
be built on? Everlasting love. With an everlasting
love. Our Heavenly Father, we are thankful
again for this time and this place. We hope, Lord, Lord, that we would get grasped,
just a small touch of the love you have for us in your Son,
and the love your Son has for us. Help us, Lord, to believe
you and receive this truth. Be with Paul and Walter as they
come to preach your word and help us to receive the gospel
message of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In his name we
pray, amen.