Well, this morning we looked
at none like Christ, and we'll continue that message tonight.
None like Christ, part two. None like Christ. Let's read
our text from this morning. Turn, if you would, to Song of
Solomon, chapter five. Song of Solomon, chapter five.
We'll read the context of the verse. We'll read verses eight
to 16. Our text, again, will be verse nine, but we'll be looking
at other points. in comparison that there's none
like Christ, none like him, none like him at all. Song of Solomon,
chapter 5, verses 8 to 16. I charge you, O daughters of
Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am sick
of love, sick of love. And remember, that's love sick.
What is my beloved more than another beloved? Oh, thou fairest
among women. And again, the only reason she's
the fairest among women It's because she's clothed in the
perfect spotless righteousness of Christ, beloved. Oh my, what
is thy beloved more than another, beloved, that thou dost so charge
us? My beloved is white, and here's
the response from the bride. My beloved is white and ruddy,
the cheapest among 10,000. Oh, he's distinguished from all
other, all other. He's the cheapest of 10,000.
His head is the most fine gold, and his locks are bushy, and
black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves
by the rivers of waters washed with milk and fitly set. His
cheeks are as a bed of spices as sweet flowers, his lips like
lilies dropping sweet-smelling myrrh. His hands are as gold
rings, set with beryl, and his belly is a bright ivory overlaid
with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble,
set upon sockets of fine gold. His countenance is as Lebanon,
excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet, yea,
he is altogether lovely." Oh, he's altogether lovely. And that's
how he is to his people, isn't he? He's altogether lovely. No one compares to him. No one
compares to him. This is my beloved. And every
believer can say that by the grace of God, can't we? This
is my beloved. And only by the grace of God.
This is my beloved. And this is my friend. Oh, daughters
of Jerusalem. And this morning we looked at
how nothing in this world compares to our great God. Nothing in
this world compares to Christ. Absolutely nothing. Nothing.
He's altogether lovely in the eyes of the believer as the bride
proclaims there in Song of Solomon chapter 5. He's altogether lovely. And the things that once enthralled
us of this world before, the things that enthralled us, they
excited us, well now they are dull. And they do not have the
appeal that they once had on us. And we look around at the beauty
of nature and we know that it's all being created by our great
God. It all comes from his hand. It's all his handiwork. Everything. Everything. From the flowers
we see and the trees changing to that little insect. I love
ants. That little ant walking down
there doing whatever he's going to. It's all ordained by God.
He's over them all. He even knows what that little
ant's doing. Oh my. It's wonderful. It's absolutely
why he's so in control, beloved. And we looked at this morning
how there's no glory like his glory. Natural man likes the
glory about the things that they've accomplished. And natural religious
man likes to do the same thing. But when we consider the things
which the Lord has accomplished for us, our salvation, our justification,
our redemption, our sanctification, everything else compared or pales
in comparison to him, pales in comparison to what he's done
for us. And he gets all the glory and all the honor and all the
praise for it. Everything else pales in comparison
when you when you think about what and think of this, what
the Lord has accomplished for us. He's accomplished redemption. He's he's he's obtained eternal
salvation. He's accomplished these things.
He's redeemed us. He accomplished that redemption.
It's finished. It's done. So again, we glory
in what He's done for us. Think of the finished atoning
work of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary's Cross. Men and women
cannot save anyone else. I can't save you. You can't save
me. Let alone ourselves. I can't
even save myself and you can't even save yourself. No matter
what we do, no matter what we do, not one of us can save ourselves. or anyone else. But Christ the
God-man, when he died upon Calvary's cross, he saved a number that
no man can number. No man can number that number.
Isn't that wonderful? And the believer says, I'm included
in that number. Glory be to God. Oh, what a great
God. I don't deserve it, neither does
anybody else in that number. But I'm one of them. Oh, what
a great God we have. What a great God we have. We
looked at how there's no other Savior. Now, a man or a woman
may save a person from a perilous situation. The word Savior in
the Greek means to save. A Savior, a deliverer, a preserver,
one who saves from danger or destruction and brings into a
state of happiness. Think of what the Lord Jesus
Christ has accomplished for us in light of that. Think of what
He delivered us from. What did He deliver us from?
Our sin. What else? The law of God. The justice of God. Both the
law and justice had a rightful claim on every one of us. He's
delivered us. And also, what else has he delivered
us from? The wrath of God. How did He deliver that? How
did He deliver you and I? This should leave us in awe. How did He deliver you and I,
we who are God's people? How did He deliver us from the
wrath of God? How did He do that? It fell upon
Him in our place. Oh my. He's the great substitute. So when we think of that, when
we think of what He's accomplished for us, There's no savior like
him. There's no redeemer like him. Oh, and think of this, too. When he was dying on the cross,
he wasn't just paying for my sins. And for your sins, if you're
a believer, but at that time when he was dying on the cross,
he was paying for the sins of the number no man can number.
Now he knows the number. because he's God. But at that
exact same time, he wasn't just redeeming you and me, if you're
a believer. He was redeeming Paul and Peter,
James and John, the different believers we read about in the
scriptures. At that same time, he was redeeming every one of
us. Isn't that amazing? That's absolutely amazing. Only
God can do that. Because again, the scripture
comes alive when it says, that which is impossible for man,
what's impossible for us? To save ourselves. It's possible
with God. And Jesus Christ, the God-man,
saves his people from their sins. And we preach and proclaim. We
don't know who that number is, and neither do you. So we preach
and proclaim right? Look unto the Lord Jesus Christ.
We repeat the Lord's words which say, come unto me all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. The Spirit
and the bride say what? Come. Come to Christ. Pleading. We know that if you do, you're
made willing, but we still, the cry goes out, doesn't it? It's
called the general call, it goes out. And you know who does the
saving? Preacher can't save no one. No, I'm a sinner just like everybody
else. The Holy Spirit regenerates. And lost sinners are drawn to
Christ. And then they find out that they
are included in the number that no man can number. Isn't that
amazing? It's absolutely amazing. And
we're all included in that number by God's choice and by God's
will and by God's decree. And then it becomes even more
spectacular to us, doesn't it? See, the believer isn't on a
high horse saying, well, look at me. We're down here going,
Lord, I can't, you saved a rebel like me. I'll never be able to fully understand
it or grasp it, but you did it. Glory to your
name. Glory to your name. So praise be to God that our
Lord Jesus Christ in the place of his people has satisfied the
law and justice of God in our place. Dying is the great substitute. bearing the wrath of God that
should have fell upon us. And you know what he did with
that wrath? He extinguished that wrath. There's nothing left for God's
people. That's why Paul wrote, there
is therefore now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Think
about, oh my goodness, think about the sins before we were
saved, think about the sins after we're saved. And we don't even
know what we're gonna commit while we're still in this life.
And God has forgiven all trespasses and sins. That's incredible. So there we can conclude again
that there is no savior like Christ. There's no rescuer like
Christ. There's no deliverer like Christ.
None. None at all. And to think that all our sins
are forgiven? We can't even forgive ourselves for some of our own
sins, can we? Isn't it amazing when the Holy
Spirit will bring something up from your past and you quickly
ask for forgiveness for it? You may have forgotten about
it for years. And it'll come back and you just say, Lord,
forgive me. I know my sins are washed clean, but forgive me
for that. Forgive me. My. And then we really do, like
Paul said, we really do see ourselves as the chief of sinners. We really
do. Because we know we're but saved
sinners. by the grace and mercy of God.
We know that the only one who's made us to differ is Christ,
and Christ alone. Let's consider tonight our first
point in light of a text in Solomon's chapter there, where we see the
bride, the Church of Christ, being asked, why her beloved,
which is the Lord Jesus Christ, is thy beloved? And as we looked at this morning,
that there's no beloved like him. No man like Christ. Let's read
our text again. And what is thy beloved? And
that being Christ more than another beloved. O thou fairest among
women. What is thy beloved more than
another beloved that thou doest so charge us? And again, the
spirit and the bride say come, don't we? Come, lead of Christ. Our first point tonight is that
there's no love like the love of Christ. there's no love like the love
Christ there's no love in this world like the love that Christ
has for his and so we can bring that home can we write down there's
no love like the love that Christ has for everyone she is no love
in this world that even here that even comes close Now, human love is strong. It's
very strong. The love that a mother or father
has for their children is very strong. The love that a husband
and wife have for each other is very strong. Very strong and deep. The love
that we have for our relatives is strong. The love that we have even for
friends can be very strong. But there's no love like the
love of Christ. There's no love like the love
of Christ that he has for his sheep, for his bride. And this
is why the bride says, there's no beloved like mine. Because
we've been taught that truth, haven't we? That there's no love
in this world like the love that Christ has for his people. This love that Christ has for
his bride, is a love which far excels any human love. Far excels any human love. Contrast among the different
relations of life, the nearest to the dearest. Choose from those
deepest relations that you have. The love that you have for that
person. The purest, truest love that
has ever warmed your heart. Think of that. And beloved, place
that side by side with the love that the Lord Jesus Christ has
for his people. And it doesn't even compare.
God's love is divine love. Christ's love is divine. He's
the God-man. Media. He's God incarnated in the flesh.
His love is divine love. Divine love. Think of this. Divine love ransomed you. It's the love that Christ had
for his people. That's the reason he went to Calvary. Divine love ransomed you. Divine
love called you with an effectual calling. Called you with an effectual
calling. Divine love soothes us, doesn't it? Through all the various things
that come up in our life, it's divine love that soothes us. And divine love never stops looking
upon you. The Lord doesn't slumber asleep
like you do. And now let this warm your heart.
We are the objects of his love. We're his bride. We're his bride. Have you ever noticed when you're
with your spouse And she's on the other side of
a room in a crowded room. Have you ever noticed that when
you look at her, it's like there's no one else in the room or when
you look at him, it's like there's no one else in the room. You've
experienced that. Oh, my. And yet that doesn't
even come close to how the Lord feels when he looks at his people. Divine love set upon his people.
It's absolutely wonderful. It's absolutely wonderful. And
this divine, eternal love stands out in the history of love. It's
the divinest, it's the holiest, it's the strongest of all love.
It's unequal. It's unequal, divine love. The love that Christ has for
his bride. It's unparalleled, it's unsurpassed.
And there's no love like Christ's love for his people. Let us consider
some points of this love. The love of Christ is revealing
love. Revealing love. It shows us that God's, it shows
us God's eternal love that has been set upon us from eternity. Because Christ's love is divine
love. He's the word of God, the second
person of the Trinity. And beloved, he's loved us from
eternity. He's loved us from eternity past, if you want to
say, and present and eternity future. He's loved, and never
will there be a time when His love is not set upon us. Isn't
that wonderful? That warms my heart. Oh, my. And we would have known nothing
of this love, this great love that Christ has for us, this
great love that the Father has for us. We would know nothing
of it. But unless the Savior had revealed it to us, we wouldn't
have never known Him. Never would have known Him. There's no love like the love
of Christ because there's none like Him. He's God incarnated in the flesh.
This love too is condescending love. Condescending love. Turn if you would to 1 Peter
chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1. No other love stooped like Christ's
love. You know that? No other love
stooped like Christ's love. None. Go to Bethlehem and behold its
lowliness. Christ the King, the God-man,
born. And as you return, pause a while
at Gethsemane and gaze upon our great Savior, as he sweats drops blood then
pursue your way to Calvary and see the love of God manifested
right before your eyes for his people as Christ dies upon Calvary's
cross save his people from sin he has redeemed he's redeemed
his bride Again, his love is manifested in the fact that he
redeemed his bride. He purchased her, how? With his
own precious blood. Purchased her with his own precious
blood. Look at this in 1 Peter 1, verses
18-21. For as much as ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold. We
weren't redeemed by, you can't be redeemed by money. No. God owns everything. He doesn't
need anything else, does he? So anything we could bring before
him, he didn't need it. Plus, that's not the way he accepts
sinners. No, not purchased with silver
or gold from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your
fathers. Oh, how are we redeemed? With the precious blood of Christ. as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot, perfect, spotless, sinless, who barely was foreordained,
when? Before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times. That's well, he was,
that's his incarnation. For who? We know for his bride, for you,
for the elect. Why? who by him do believe in
God that raised him up from the dead, that your faith and hope
might be in who? Not in ourselves, because there's
no hope in ourselves. Not in hope of another human,
because every son and daughter of Adam is born sinners. But
that our hope might be in God, Christ Jesus, the God-man mediator,
God incarnate in the flesh, the Word of God. came to save His
people from their sins. And praise be to God, He has
done it. Scripture says here, we are redeemed
with the precious blood of Christ Jesus. The Lamb without blemish
and without spot. The perfect, sinless man. Not a sin in thought, not a sin
in word, not a sin in deed. Perfect! Absolutely perfect. The total opposite of us. Everything
we do is tainted with sin. Oh, my. And there in the text
here, it says there in first Peter, chapter one, verse nine,
but what the precious blood of Christ is of lamb without blemish
and without spot. Oh, we're redeemed by the precious
blood of Christ. He gave his life for us. And
look at that. Look and take note of that last
part, though, in verse 21, that your hope, that your faith and
hope might be in God. Again, who's the object of our
hope, our faith, and who's our hope? The Lord Jesus Christ,
the God-man. That's what Peter's bringing
forth, is that our hope is not in a mere man. Because if it
was, they couldn't save us and we couldn't save them. Our hope
and our faith is in the God-man. Lord Jesus Christ and which brings
us to the next point that the love the love of Christ is self-sacrificing
love he gave his life willingly willingly he he was he came to
this earth knowing he must die on Calvary's cross my The scriptures declare Christ
also have loved us and have given himself for us. The sinless spotless
lamb of God have given himself for us. For us, for his people. Why?
As an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. Oh my. He offered himself up
to God, the one who we sinned against, as the great substitute
of his people. And He gave His life, shed His
blood to redeem us. To redeem us. And He lives His
life on this earth as our substitute. And He suffered as our substitute
before God for our sins. What an outpouring of love. I
ask you, is there any love like that in this world? None that
compares, is there? And He did it again for a number
that no man can number. A number that no man can number.
He perfectly obeyed the law in our place and redeemed us with his own
precious blood. He redeemed we who had broken
his law. You ever think of that? He's
satisfying his own law and his own justice. And we are the criminals. Us. And he saved his people from
their sins. And he did it. He did it. He
obtained eternal redemption for his people. Is there any love like this?
That's self-sacrificing love, isn't it? He gave himself for
us. For that number that no man can
number. And he paid everything that God
demanded for the redemption of the eternal souls of his people.
Fully satisfying the exacting justice of God. Remember, everything
that the law of God required, he paid. Everything that the justice of
God demanded, he satisfied. Not just for my soul, And not
just for your soul, if you're a believer, but for a number
that no man can number. And he did it once. Once. To never be repeated again. And what did he cry again? We all know these words and we
love them, don't we? It is finished. Praise be to God. Praise be to
God. But that love is self-sacrificing
love, beloved. Think upon this as well, that
the path from Bethlehem, his birth to Calvary, wound its lonesome
way through scenes of humiliation, insult, and yet he endured it
all as the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. He endured it all. Why? To redeem the objects of
his eternal love. to redeem the objects of His
eternal love, a people of His own choosing. My. So I ask you again, is there
a greater manifestation of love that has ever been seen on this
earth before than when Christ died on Calvary's cross for His
people? Nothing compares. Absolutely nothing compares.
There was never a greater manifestation of love before Christ's death
on the cross, and never after Has there been a great manifestation
of love since Christ died on the cross? Nothing's ever come
close. And nothing ever will. Nothing
ever will. So think of the matchless, marvelous
love of Christ. Oh, I love that song we sang
this morning. Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus. I love that song. Because it reminds me of what
Christ has done. And he did it because he loved
me. And every one of God's people can say that. He did it because
he loved me. Oh, my. This is matchless love, marvelous
love. And so is it any wonder than
the bride says there's none like Christ? There's none like Christ. And also this love, this love
is forgiving love. This love is forgiving love. Now, one who has an unbending,
unrelenting, unforgiving spirit does not show true love. Because
love forgives and forgets. And forgiveness is an essential
element of true affection. Selfishness, malice, revenge,
uncharitableness, evil speaking are passions of our fallen and
depraved nature. And sometimes we say we forgive,
but we do not forget. Well, that's not true forgiveness,
is it? It really isn't. If we're really honest with ourselves,
it's not true forgiveness. It really isn't. If we still
hold ill toward the one who's wronged us, then it's not true
forgiveness. And some folks, they just will
not let things go. They just will not let things
go. But the forgiveness of God, which the believer has through
the sacrifice of Christ, is presented to us in the Gospel, isn't it?
It's presented to us in the Gospel. You know, it's a far more lofty
forgiveness than anything, again, we could even come close to.
Even come close to. The love of God is so far above
our love. As those whom God has loved from
eternity, he pardons. And remember who we sinned against.
As I mentioned earlier, we sinned against him. He's the offended
one. We know that God is benevolent
to all mankind. We know that because benevolent,
his love is not set upon all mankind, but we know he's benevolent
to all of mankind because why? Well, because the scripture says
he makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, right? And sends rain on the just and
the unjust, but his love is set upon his people. Oh, it's set
upon us, his people. the elect of God, those whom
God's eternal love has been set upon. Our great God extends his
everlasting, his special, his redeeming love, and because his
love has been from eternity has been set upon us, we have received
the full eternal forgiveness of all our sins by the finished
work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary's grounds. So when
we contemplate that our great God first loved us, before we
ever loved him. And when we contemplate that
He has pardoned us of all our sins, that God has pardoned us of all
our sins by the sacrifice of His Son. And when we contemplate that
He preserves us to the end, and that one day He'll bring
us into His presence, The sinner says, oh, what a manifestation
of God's love. Greater love hath no man than
this, than the man laid down his life for his friend. There's no love like the love
of Christ. Human love may wane over time,
right? You hear people all the time
say, well, I don't love you anymore. and it may falter. It may dwell
upon the wrong inflicted, the injury done, the wound still
bleeding. And the human heart may find it difficult to forget
the wrong which an offender has done to it. But we see nothing like this
in the love of Christ for his people. It's not so for our Lord. And
here's where we see the clear difference between the love of
God and the love of man. Jesus, beloved, He has cancelled, obliterated,
erased every shadow of a shade of His people's sins. They're
gone. And they shall no more come into
condemnation and God will remember those sins. That's forgiving love. No more. So that Paul pens, then
who can who can lay anything to the charge of God's left?
It's God that justify. It's incredible. His love for us never changes.
Never. Never, ever. Turn if you would to Matthew
18. Look at the contrast here. Look at the contrast. I was looking
at this. And we're seeing the contrast, the love here of the
forgiven disciple. Oh my, what a difference here.
And then see the forgiveness of God in what Christ talks to
Peter about. I must admit, when I was looking
at this, I was like, oh my gosh, it's right there. It was another
one of those, well, I never saw that one. I've read this many
times, many times. But look at, first of all, look
at how much Peter says we are to forgive, and then look at
how much the Lord, oh my gosh. It shows you the difference between
man's forgiveness and God's forgiveness. Look at this. Matthew 18 verse
21 to 22. We've read these and heard these
verses many times, look at this. Then came Peter to him and said,
Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive
him? Until seven times. See, here's man's seven times,
eight times he's done. I'm not having nothing to do
with him anymore, right? Basically, Peter's saying seven
times, right? And look at the difference between
human forgiveness and divine forgiveness for love. And look
at this, this is just marvelous. Jesus saith, I say not unto thee
until seven times, but until 70 times seven. Oh my, in other
words, you keep forgiven. Isn't that wonderful? There's
a contrast between man's forgiveness and God's forgiveness right there.
Oh my. Oh my. So Micah writes this,
who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passes
by the transgression of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever,
because he delighteth in mercy. God delights in mercy. He delights
in showing mercy to sinners. Oh, it's wonderful. He will turn
again. He will have compassion upon us. He will subdue our iniquities,
and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
They're gone. What happens when you throw something
in the sea? Have fun trying to find it again. Right? It's gone. It's gone, beloved. Oh my. So all our sins are forgiven. God will remember them no more,
beloved. No more. There's no love so gentle and
so patient, so enduring as Christ's love for His bride. And again,
His love is unchanging love. Think upon this. His love for
you who are the elect of God has remained unchanged, unchanged
throughout all our doubts. This is comforting. His love
has remained unchanged for his people throughout all our doubts,
and we've had doubts. Even Peter said, Lord, help my
unbelief. Right? Throughout all our doubts, it's
been unchanged beneath our murmurings, when we murmur against the providence
of God, that love has been unchanging. Isn't that wonderful? It doesn't
change. It has comforted us through times
of infirmities, sickness. It's remained unchanged. It has
never declined with our fickleness, and we can be fickle. It's never
changed. It's never changed. It's never been frozen with our,
one commentator said, frozen with our coldness. When our heart
grows cold to the things of the Lord, His love is still burning
for us. Isn't that wonderful? Oh my,
because we go through seasons, don't we? We do. Let's be honest. We go through seasons. Oh my. Neither has it changed toward
us in all our wanderings and all the wanderings that we've
done before we were saved and all the wanderings we've done
after we were saved. Because we sheep, we like to
wander. And his love has remained unchanged
towards us. Unchanged. God's love for his people. It's
unchanging, it encircles us, beloved. It's divine love. It's all covering an invincible
shield. And it's unchanging. Unchanging. So we can say truly there's no
love like Christ. No love like Christ. Paul finishes
his second epistle to the Thessalonians. He writes this in chapter 3,
verse 5. It's not the last words, but
it's in the last chapter. And the Lord direct your hearts
unto the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ.
Patiently waiting for Christ in the love of God. And that
love is what shed abroad in our hearts, isn't it? By the Holy
Spirit of God. Salvation is of the Lord. It's
all of His doing. So the love of Christ is like
a divine ocean. It's like a divine ocean. It's
depthless. It's depthless. You can't measure
it. You can't measure it. It's unsearchable. It's unsearchable. It's divine love. Truly, there's
no love like Christ's love. The next point is there's no
teacher like him. No teacher like him. Man and
woman, When they want to learn a trade or a craft, they'll often
seek to learn something from someone who knows what they're
talking about, right? That's what we do. We don't go to someone
who doesn't know anything about what you want to learn. You seek
out someone who knows what they're, a craftsman, journeyman, maybe a master at it, you seek
them out. Beloved, there's no teacher like
the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no teacher like him.
None. He's the anointed of God. He's
the anointed, and he reveals the great things of the gospel
to us. Remember, we're studying Joseph and his brethren. We're
gonna see, what we saw this morning, his brethren don't have a clue
who he is. Later on, we're gonna see he reveals himself to them.
He knows who they are. Christ knows his people. He knows
his sheep, beloved. He guides and directs them to
the place where they can hear the gospel. And then he saves
them by his grace and his mercy. It's wonderful. It's absolutely
wonderful. And he teaches with authority.
Remember the Pharisees, they were astonished at his doctrine.
He teaches as one with authority because he's God incarnate in
the flesh. Oh, that we may know more of
our nothingness and our insufficiency, and more of Christ's fullness
and loveliness and love. That we might learn more of Christ,
that He would teach us more about Himself. And that the Holy Spirit
would illuminate the Scriptures for us as we search the Scriptures. That we might grow in the grace
and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The next point is, there's
no friend like Him. Now, if you have one true friend
in this world, you're blessed. You really are. But even friendships can fade
away as time goes by. Friendships can fade away as
time goes by. But let me tell you, there's no friend like Christ.
There's no friend like Christ. There's no friend at all like
Him. The Lord Jesus Christ is a friend that sticketh closer
than a brother, the scripture says. And this speaks of the union
that Christ has with his bride. He's a friend at all times. At
all times. His faithfulness to his people,
just as his love, is unchanging. Unchanging. It doesn't change,
it doesn't change, it's not determined by the circumstances that we
go through. Or the things we do. Or the things, or the choices
we make. His faithfulness and His love is unchanging towards
us. Unchanging. And this brings comfort again
to the believer in Christ. Brings us great comfort. Turn,
if you would, to James. James, chapter 2. And then put
your finger on John, chapter 15. James, chapter 2. And John,
chapter 15. Now, others may forsake us, right?
Family and friends, people we work with. But beloved, the Lord
Jesus Christ will never leave us nor forsake us. We know the
scripture says that. It says that. He's a friend,
again, that sticketh closer than a brother. James says this in
James chapter two, verse 23. And the scripture was fulfilled
with say that Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him
for righteousness. For he was called the friend
of God. Oh, there's no friend like Christ, beloved. Now turn,
if you would, to John chapter 15. John chapter 15. Look at this. The words of the
Master. John 15, verses 12 to 14. There's no friend like Christ.
None. I've had a lot of friends in
my life, and I still have some really good friends. But there's
no friends amongst my friends that's like Christ. None at all. None at all. Look at this in John 15 verses
12 to 14. This is my commandment that ye
love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man
than this. And a man lay down his life for
his friends. Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever
I command you. Who did Christ lay his life down
for? His bride. We can see here his
friends. He's our elder brother, beloved.
Look at that. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are
my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Oh my. There's not a friend on earth
who loves you as Christ loves his people. There's none like
him, and the believer finds no friend like Jesus. No friend
like Jesus. Again, the Lord is a friend who
sticks closer than a brother. Through adversity, let us hide
in Him. Let us by faith lay our head
upon His bosom, as John did, and rest. In our weakness, He's
our strength. In times of trials and trouble,
he's the refuge of our soul. And who is the refuge of our
soul? He who is the love of our souls. The Lord Jesus Christ. Does the
world challenge? What is your beloved more than
another beloved? Well, our answer is that easily
at hand, my beloved bore my sins. He washed me clean in his precious
blood so that I am whiter than snow and all my sins are forgiven
by his mighty work. My beloved sustains me. He counsels me in times of confusion. He heals my wounds. He dries
my tears. He supplies my needs. He bears
with my infirmities. He upholds my steps. and he cheers
my pathway as I pilgrimage through this world. And I know it's so
for you who believe too. My beloved will be with me in
the valley of the shadow of death, and in his presence I shall feel
no evil. My beloved has gone to prepare a place for me, and
he will come again. He will come again to receive
me to himself. so that where he is, I will be
also. Every believer can say that.
Every born-again, blood-washed believer can say that. This is
my beloved, and this is my friend. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's the only Savior of sinners. So beloved of God, cling and
adhere to Christ. Cling to him. In all things,
give him the preeminence. In all things, give him the glory.
May our prayer be, may the strength of God guide me, may the power
of God preserve me, may the wisdom of God instruct me, may the eye
of God view me, may the ear of God hear me, may the hand of
God protect me, may God direct my way, may the shield of God
defend me. Beloved, all this is true for
the believer in Christ. All those things are true for
the believer in Christ. He does all those things for
us. Every day, every second. Isn't it wonderful? There's not a friend like Him,
beloved. There's not a friend like Him. Salvation is of the
Lord. Salvation is in Christ alone,
and there's none like Christ. Christ far excels all other friends. You know what the comparison
is? How Christ far excels all other friends as heaven excels
the earth, exceeds the earth. Heaven's so far above us. That's
how far he excels our earthly friends. As eternity exceeds time, as the creator surpasses his
creatures, See all the fullness of the Godhead
dwelling in one, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the meek and mild
one. See that hand in which dwells
everlasting strength, swaying the scepter of universal empire
over all the creatures of all the world, of all the worlds. And do you know a friend possessed
of this type of power? Do you know any other friend
possessed with this type of power? This type of power to protect
you and to protect me? The Lord Jesus Christ possesses
all power. All power. In heaven and in earth. And he is able to save the vilest,
worst sinner. And every believer says, he saved
me, he can save anyone. If it be his will. That would be His will. And it
was His will to save we who believe. Isn't that wonderful? Absolutely
wonderful. Do you wish for a wise friend?
In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Do you wish for a tender, compassionate friend? Christ is tenderness
and compassion itself, beloved. Do you wish for a faithful, unchanging
friend? One who will never change? With
Christ, there is no verbeness, no shadow of turning. He's the
same yesterday, today, and forever. And his unchangeable love is
set upon his people. So we can leave here rejoicing. We can leave here rejoicing,
we who are the people of God, that his love, his love is unchangeable
towards us. And His infinite power will enable
Him to fulfill that which He has decreed. So His will will
be done. And He says, of all that the
Father gave me, there will not be one lost. Oh, that's wonderful. That warms our souls, doesn't
it? Because that means it's not dependent upon anything we do.
And it's Christ the God-man who said that. He said, I'll lose
nothing, none of them, absolutely none of them. And His infinite
power will enable Him to fulfill those words. So we can see then
in all respects that our beloved is not like any other. There's
no other like our beloved. None like Christ. None like Christ. Oh my, what a Savior.