Welcome you to the service this
morning. We invite you to turn to hymn number 52, Crown Him
Many Crowns. Let's stand as we sing. The Lamb upon His throne. Hark how the heavenly anthem
drowns All music for this song. Awake, my soul, and sing Of Him
who died for thee. And hail Him as Thy matchless
King through all infinity. Crown Him the Son of God before
the world's beginning, And ye who tread where He hath trod,
Crown Him the Son of God To every grief hath known that wrings
the human breast, And takes and bears him to his own, that all
in him may rest. of love. Behold his hand-cleansed
side, rich wounds yet visible above, in beauty glorified. No angel in the sky can fully
bear that sight, The downward bends his wandering
eye, that mystery so bright. Him the Lord of life, Who triumphed
o'er the grave, And rose victorious in the strife, For those He came
to save. His glories now we sing Of light
and rose on high. Eternal life to break, and lives
that death may not. Round him, O Lord, of years. The potentate of time, Creator
of the rolling spheres, Inevitably sublime. All hail, Redeemer,
hail, For Thou hast died for me. Thy praise shall never, never
fail throughout eternity. Thank you. May we sing it. We
take our bullets with Him. Christ of all ages is sung to
the tune of the church's one foundation. Oh who purged our sins from death
and hell now risen. His kingdom never ends. The Christ of all the ages, both
God and Mary's son, The everlasting Father, He reigns the Mighty
One, To give both grace and glory to those for whom He died, The
blood God gives, He purchased by His own hand applied. The Christ of all the ages, our
ever-living Christ, Who maketh intercession to give us daily
peace, And in His throne of glory we find The Throne of Grace,
He calls us to come boldly into the Holy Place. The Christ of all the ages, through
sorrows and through pain, My hope, my joy, my comfort, at
all times He remains. One who never changes, as the
one who came. Welcome all of you this morning
and we're gracious to the Lord for His mercy. Brings us back,
restores us, gives us more grace. We want to be sure in this morning
and pray for those that are sick. Not only pray for those that
are sick, but thank the Lord for those that He has been pleased
to Heal, raise up to strength out of sickness. We pray for
Billy Parker this morning. And we ask prayer for Ree and
for her sister. And we're thankful that Billy's
able to be here. And we pray for her granddaughter,
Christian, who's undergoing cancer treatments. I thank the Lord
for Catherine's being able to be back with us this morning.
I pray for her and for Steph. I continue to pray for her and Chelsea. I pray for her that
the Lord would be merciful to her. Many of you know Pastor
Marvin Stoniker. I understand that he had a stroke,
so we want to remember him this morning and ask the Lord's blessings
upon him. Turn over this morning for our
reading to the book of Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter
2. You know, that which man adds, can, must, and always is wrong. The heading in the King James
is, The Revelation of Saint John the Divine. But the beginning
verse tells us, It's the revelation of Jesus Christ. That's what
this book is about. The revelation, the revealing
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation chapter 2, beginning at verse 1. Unto the angel of the church
of Ephesus right. These things saith he that holdeth
the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst
of the seven golden candlesticks." And by those words he associates
and attaches these words and the one who spoke them to the
Messiah of the Old Testament. They are the same, the Lord Jesus
Christ. I know thy works, and thy labor,
and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are
evil. And thou hast tried them which
say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars. and has borne, and has patience,
and for my name's sake has laboured, and has not fainted. Nevertheless,
I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first
love. Remember therefore from whence
thou art calling, and repent, and do the first works, or else
I will come unto thee quickly, and remove thy candlestick out
of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou
hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate, he that hath
an ear, Let him hear what the Spirit said unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the
paradise of God. May we pray. Father, we come in this day in great weakness, great sinfulness,
great ingratitude, a sinner in the very greatest
of ways, full of unbelief, and most of all, lacking that
love of which our text speaks of. We pray that you would help us,
that you would be merciful to us, that you would bring us again
to repentance, that you would create in us that
love of which the Lord speaks. We pray that we might know Him
who is love. And we ask that you would be
in our midst to bless us. Grant your spirit to cause us
by quickening us and giving us faith to rejoice afresh and anew. in the Lord Jesus Christ. We bring these that we have mentioned
and so many more and ask your blessings. Ask your will to be
done in their lives. That you would do all things
necessary to glorify yourself by them and in them. And we ask that it might be in
mercy for their spiritual and eternal good. Lord, we thank you that you are
able in every way to do far above that which we are able to think
or ask. That your grace and your mercy
is so bountiful We pray that we might, in a small way, glimpse
the greatness of our God. May we be humbled in thy sight,
and humbled by the sight of you, and confess ourselves for what
we are in ourselves, as Isaiah, saying, woe is me. Lord, we know that your people
on this earth possess the same weakness and frailty, endure
the same difficulties and trials and troubles and persecution
for the Lord Christ's sake. We pray for every one of them,
every blood-bought sinner, every redeemed one, and we ask that
you would Be with them and help them. And in all things may we
exalt you. May the words and the songs and
everything that is said and done in this place exalt you alone
as our God and our Savior. We pray for strength this morning. We pray and beg for your spirit. to enable us to speak according
to Your Word, to say right things about the Lord Jesus Christ,
to know something of which we're speaking. And may you be pleased
to cause this Word to go into the hearts of your people, wherever
they be, wherever they might hear it, and get all the glory
and honor unto thyself, and for thy great name's sake. For we
pray in the one in whom you set all preeminence, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen. Listen again in our hymnal, 362. The Rock of Ages cleft for me,
and brought the tempter away on the coming day. The Rock of Ages led me, led
me high myself in thee. Let the water and the blood from
the river sideways flow. You've seen the double cure. All the Savior died tonight,
Thou wilt save and Thou wilt rule. I am brother and I am King,
Simply to the cross I cling. They can come to Thee for dress,
Help me strong to give the praise. ? Wash me straight from the wrong
I've done ? ? While I'm on this fleeting breath ? ? When my lover
is close at hand ? ? When I soar towards the gloom ? ? See me
on my judgment throne ? ? On the ranges where I roam ? I shall see Thee face to face,
Sing a song which, saved by grace, Of good angels meant for Thee,
And we hum our hymn to Thee. Oh. you Where is he? O, keep the Father's love for
us O, vast beyond all measure That He should give His only
Son To make a wretch His treasure O, break the pain of searing
loss The Father turned His face away As would which for the Chosen
One, they managed unto glory. Behold the man upon a cross,
my sin upon his shoulder, Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call
out among the stalkers. It was my sin that held him there
until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought
me life. I know that it is sinners I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection Why should I gape on His reward? I cannot give an answer, but
this I know with all my heart. This one words have paid my ransom. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. I'm going to begin reading that
verse 11 Knowing therefore the terror
of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto
God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves
again to you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that
you may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance
and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves,
it is of God. or whether we be sober, it is
for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth
us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then all
are dead. And that he died for all, that
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto
him which died for them and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we
no man after the flesh, yea, though we have known Christ after
the flesh, yet now henceforth we know him no more. Paul writing these words to the
Corinthians says that we persuade men. That is, he convinced by a biblical argument using all the scriptures and knowing only the Holy Spirit
could really convince, he persuaded in the fear of the
Lord, knowing that one day all his hearers would stand before
the Lord. He preached in that knowledge.
He preached the truth. He was uncompromising in his
declaring of the truth that is in Christ Jesus. And then he tells us that he
was not commending himself, So the people could brag on him
and glory in outward appearance as so many wanted, but rather the heart. And then in verse 13 it says
that no matter how he appeared outwardly, whether we seem beside ourselves or whether we're sober, quiet. He says no matter what he appeared
outwardly, whether emotional or somber in his preaching, it
was for his hearers. It was for their spiritual and
their eternal good. And in doing so, he was compelled. He was moved. He was, as the word means, compressed,
or he was under pressure Constrained by the love of Christ. Verse 14. For the love of Christ
constrains us. Is constraining us. Guiding us and pressuring us. It was not peer pressure. It was not because any man had
compelled him or called him to do so. It was not for reward, either
an earthly reward or a heavenly reward. It was not for the praise of
me. It was not because that it was
his office or his occupation, but it was because he had to. He was constrained by knowledge
that he now had, the truth. He was compelled by this that
he knew by the Spirit of God to be true. He was compelled
by this pressure within. He was compelled by the Spirit
of God that dwelt in him. And I want us to see this morning
that this is the principle. This is the one principle by
which all true obedience to God, all good works, and all gospel
preaching is done. This is it. The constraining power of the
love of God. Not fear of punishment. Not because of a promise of reward. Not by a sense of duty. Not because He needed to follow
the rules and not because he was moved by law. He says in chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians,
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of. for necessity. Necessity is laid upon me, yea,
woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel." He didn't decide to go into the
ministry. He didn't decide to start preaching. His mama didn't call him, or
his daddy didn't call him, or the church called him. He said necessity was laid
upon me. By whom? By God Himself. God constrained him And he had
necessity laid upon him. And so he writes in Ephesians
4 verse 15, but speaking the truth in love. He had to speak the truth. Some interpret that wrong. They say if you don't say it
in love, or if you say it in love, you can say about anything.
No, he said speaking the truth in love. And those who are unregenerated,
they know nothing about this of which I'm speaking this morning. And this is why they always have
to have an outward motivation, an outward rule. This is why
they're always seeking the preaching of the do's and the don'ts and
the law, all these claiming it for a believer's so-called rule
of life. But I'm here to tell you that
the love of God rules in every way in His kingdom. It's not because of all of these
outward things that a man preaches the gospel. Or it's not because
of them that these who believe the gospel move and love and
obey Him. But it is because the love of
Christ constrains us. And Paul knew that all the redeemed,
all the people of God, were bought with a price. And therefore we are not our
own. They are not their own. And the
price at which they are bought, redeemed, is nothing less than
the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The precious dying of the Son
of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to him in verse 15. He said, or 14th, for the love
of Christ constrains us because we thus judge that if one died
for all, then we're all dead. And that he died for all, that
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto
him which died for them and rose again. that they should live. They're
not their own, but they should live under Him who redeemed them. And when he speaks of this love
here in this text and many times throughout the New Testament,
he knew that this love was not a natural affection. He knew it was not simply a feeling
or an emotion. No, it was the love of Christ. He did what he did. He rendered
the obedience that he rendered. He preached the gospel that he
preached, constrained by the love of Christ. It was born out of a revelation
to him in the gospel of Christ. It was a revelation that God's
love was to him and to all of God's elect. And it was so as he told the
Ephesians. And to know the love of Christ
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fullness of God." The love of God. The everlasting love of
God. And Jeremiah recorded these words,
which are for all of God's people. He said, The LORD hath appeared
of old unto me, saying, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. In other words, where the love
of God is, there will be a consequence. There will be something that
follows. I've loved you with an everlasting
love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn you or brought you. And Paul knew that it was by
this preaching and by the Spirit of God that they would be drawn
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over to Ephesians chapter
1. Look at what it says in Ephesians
chapter 1. Verse 3 says, Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him. in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the
praise of the glory of his grace, where he hath made us accepted
in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, wherein
He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having
made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His
good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself. In other words, the Apostle tells
us that everything that God does toward His people, He does in
love. In love, He chose. In love, He
predestinated. In love, He accepted. In love,
He redeemed. In love, He forgave. In love
He adopted. As a matter of fact, His will
toward His people is simply love. He loves. He loves. That's what we find all through
the Scripture. Not this silly as we hear in
there that smile because God loves you. The love of God must
be traced back to eternity before all things as the fountainhead
from which every blessing flows. He loved us. He loved us. He always loved us with this
everlasting love. And it's love, matchless love
in action. And this love in particular. because it's love toward His
own. In John 13 it says, Now before
the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was
come, that He should depart out of this world, having loved His
own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. Who did he love? He loved his
own. He loved his own people. He loved
his own sheep. He loved this own nation that
we read about. And we see in all these things
that we are moved and motivated when we know something about
the true love of God, and the bounty of it, and the richness
of it, and the eternality of it, and also when we see who
He loved. He loved such as ourselves. You see, when he says again and
again that he loved us, the only way we can really rejoice
in that, the only way it can be a motivating principle is
if we remember who us are. You see, did we possess the character
of God, just that holy character of God as He does, we would not
even want to be seen with us or identify with us in any way. He loved the ungodly. He loved
wretched sinners like we are. He loves such unlovable ones
as we are. Such loveless ones as we are. Such as who, as in that text
we read in Revelation 2, must be reminded, must be brought
back to our first love, if we be loved at all. He loved us. He died for us. He has an unchanging love for
us no matter what. And we start teaching our kids
in the very days of their youth just the opposite. We say things like this. If you
do that, God won't love you. Let me tell you something. If
God has ever loved you, He loves you right now. Because what you do in no way
affects whether or not God loves you. He is immutable and unchangeable
in all his attributes, especially his love. He's no fickle-hearted
being. And that's always the motivation. You say, well, I didn't pray
like I ought to. Well, you ought to pray. But
that does not affect the love of God. And the fact that that
does not affect the love of God, that He loves us in the Lord
Jesus Christ, that He loves us with this everlasting and unchangeable
and unalterable love, that is what will truly motivate us into
doing that which is good and right and obeying His Word in
all things. Save us from all this mercenary
preaching and stuff. Paul says to the Ephesians, and
walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for
us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. Why should you walk in love?
Because God will punish you if you don't. Because God won't
bless you if you don't? Because He'll do this or that
or take from you or bless you less? No. Walk in love as Christ also has
loved us and given Himself as an offering and a sacrifice. He didn't give three dollars.
He didn't give a million dollars. He didn't give all the kingdoms
of this world. He gave Himself who is God in
the flesh. He gave Himself His sinless perfect
body. He gave Himself in everything
for us in the place of us. Have no man than this that he
lay down his life for his friend. Then he tells us this in Ephesians
chapter 5. Husbands, love your wives all
you ought to. The scriptures command you to. You're committed to that love?
But no, he says this. He says, husbands, love your
wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for
it. Boy, she didn't fix my breakfast
this morning. No, but Christ gave himself for
you. You look a little bit crabby
this morning. Does that change the fact that
you've been loved in Christ? He's not as affectionate as you. Do any of these things change
the fact upon which we are to love one another? It is the love
of Christ. The love of Christ constrains
it. This particular special love
that I don't think is magnified any higher than this when God
says it's a sovereign love wherein I love Jacob but I hate Esau. God does not find a reason in
us as being lovable. We'll never in our life on this
earth ever stand before God in ourselves or anything we do as
lovable. The only way He can love us is
to love us in Christ. to love us as Christ. It's divine love. It's that love
which is and always has been in Christ. It's that love that
is written in blood, sealed by the doing and dying of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Turn over to 1 John just a minute. 1 John. And look down at verse 9. 1 John chapter 4, verse 9. In this was manifested the love
of God. This has got something to do
with the love of God. This has got something to do
with how God loves. The manifested love of God. You know a lot of men and women,
they say they love, but you'd never know it by their manifestations
to each other. But in this was manifested the
love of God toward us. John writing to these that are
called the little children of God. He said because that God
sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live
through Him. Herein is love, not that we love
God. You'll have a pitiful hope. You'll have a pitiful confidence
if you rest in your hope in any way in how much you love God. You know the Bible says, if any
man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha. Let him be accursed. Jesus is coming. What if he do not this and that? If he love not the Lord Jesus
Christ, let him be accursed. at the coming of the Lord. Herein
is love, but it's not ever based on that. Not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins. to turn away the wrath of God
in the matter of our sins. That's what the love of God's
about. It's in Christ Jesus, as Paul
writes in Romans 8, but it's in Christ Jesus and it's manifested
by God giving His Son for His sheep and His people and in that,
in that sacrifice, of propitiation, where there's
a turning away of the wrath of God and a storing of favor to
everyone he dies for. That's the love of God. I remember many years ago, and
it's probably since then been preached a thousand times, but
I remember Brother Henry Mahan in a message, so clearly pointing out the significance
of the love of God. And he said this, he said, if
God loves every person without exception, then what has the
love of God got to do with salvation? Nothing. It's just a benevolent favor. But no, the Bible says the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Not only is it nowhere else,
but it's only in Christ Jesus. And in this, the love of God
was manifested that he sent his only begotten Son to be the propitiation
for our sin. Herein is love. And some who talk the most about
love want to talk the least about
the efficacy of His death. In this was manifested the love
of God toward us because that God sent His only begotten Son
into the world that we might live through Him. Not for any other reason. Just
like He said to Israel through Moses, 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. Why does God love His people?
Because He would. Because He could. Because He did. Because the Lord loved you. And because He would keep the
oath which He has sworn unto your fathers. hath the Lord brought
you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house
of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, because
the Lord loved you. He did all these things. It wasn't to get you to love
Him. It was because He loved you. And there never has been a time
from old, to this very day that the eye of love and the favor
of God has not rested unchangeably upon every one of those He loves. The Spirit of God reveals the
love of God in Christ Jesus. And it is gospel love. It is
real love. It is no divorce love. It's gracious
love. It's the love of Christ. And you can render any kind and
every kind of obedience of every rule. Do every good deed live
morally upright and everything else. And it means nothing. Oh, it does to society. Might
keep you out of jail. But it's nothing before God. And all your being Sometimes we get the idea that we feel the love of God. Well, you can feel hungry, you
can feel lonely, you can feel this way and that way. As one
writer said, feelings come and feelings go, but they're not
worth believing. It's the Word of God alone. All else is not worth visiting. But you know, this is how it
is. Through the revelation of God's
love for us, when the Spirit of God comes, and shed the love
of God abroad in our heart, which is to reveal to us His love for
us, His death for us, His sacrifice for us, how He loved us eternally
and loved us in Christ and blessed us with everything. When the
Spirit of God makes this real in our heart, causes us to know
this and love this, He begets a love for Christ. When we find the love of God
in Christ, find out about it. Know it. Experience it. Or enable to believe it. See
it by faith. When we see how He loved us,
then the Spirit of God begets love in us for Christ. 1 John 4 again. Hereby know we that we dwell
in Him and He in us, because He hath given us His Spirit. This is how we know we dwell
in God and that He dwells in us, if He's given us His Spirit. Well, what does the Spirit of
God do? takes the things of Christ and shows them to us. That's
what Christ said. Shows them unto us. Gives us eyes to see them and
brings this knowledge to bear in our hearts. Makes us to know
the truth, to love the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, to
see all that He's done, reveals unto us by His Spirit. And we
have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be
the Savior of the world. And whosoever shall confess that
Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed
the love of God The love that God hath to us. You see, it's not a feeling.
It's what we believe. Some say we just don't feel so
loved. But we have to believe this one.
How do I know that God loves me? Because He said so. That
never changes. He said so. And he that dwelleth
in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love
made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment,
because as He is, so are we in this little world. How is He? He's loved by the Father. Does the Father love Christ?
You say, don't be stupid. Well, sure he does. Well, as
he is, so are we in this world. Loved in Christ and loved as
Christ in Christ. There is no fear in love, but
perfect love casts out fear, because fear hath torment he
that is He that feareth is not made perfect
in love, we love him. That's what it says. We love
him. Well, we don't love him unless
we love him as he is. We love him. because He first
loved us. That's such an important
verse. We love Him because He first
loved us. Then something else happens. If we love Christ, we love him
because he first loved us. But then he brings us to love
him. And if we love him, truly love him, we love the brethren. We love the bread. Look at verse 11 of 1 John 4. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another. And if we love the brethren, we love to obey God concerning
them. If we love God, love the Lord
Jesus Christ, then that begets a love in us
for our family, We have the same Father. And we're all the same
by nature. And we're all the same by grace. And if we love them, we want
to see them. That's why he says, forget not
the assembling of yourselves together. If I love somebody, I want to
see them. I want to be with them. We have so much in common. You
say what? I'm from the north, or I'm from
the west, or I'm from this, you're a dumb southerner. That's all
right. We have so much in common. The chief being Christ. If we
have fellowship with him, We have fellowship with those like
us who are in Him. And if we love them, we want
not only to see them and be with them, we'll forgive them. And
we'll seek to help them. Not because the preacher stands
up and reads the Ten Commandments every day to make sure that we
do, or like one guy has them in his front yard, My wife doesn't give me a list
of things to do every morning. She'd like to, but I'm sure she
would. My children have never given
me a list of things that I had to do in order to prove my love. I can't do enough. Because I love them. Nobody's ever had to write
down a rule book. I don't have to go read some
dumb book some woman wrote or some man wrote about how to love
your wife. That's stupid. We love them for Christ's sake. We love them because he said
to. Not because they're always lovable, but mainly because we are so
loved. Seems like almost every day I
think about somebody I'm having to deal with or giving me a problem
or something. And the Lord just seems to remind
me, what about you? What about you? How have you
treated me? How have you withheld from me?
How have you been unfaithful to me? How have you lied to me? I'll tell you what the scripture says. We know that we have passed from
death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother
divideth in death. Same book, New Testament. Paul writes to the Corinthians
in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, and he says this, Verse 11, now listen to this. But now I have written unto you
not to keep company. If any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator, guilty of continued sexual immorality? He said don't keep company with
him. Or covetous? He's always trying
to get and get from you and everything. Don't keep company with him.
An idolater? You know what that is. A raider. What's a raider? He's a person that has abusive
language toward other people. That's always belittling them,
accusing them, always speaking down to them. Loudness, a railer,
don't keep company with him. a drunkard, an extortion. With such an one,
no not to eat. Don't have fellowship with. If they're called a brother,
you do the eat. You love them as brothers. but they may not be. He says
don't keep company with it. But love, everything that's done, the love of Christ constrains over that old saying, love's
got a hold of me. Boy, that's the way it is. The love of Christ constrains All of God's true people, all those born of His Spirit,
they know something about the true love of God. And that knowledge, that revelation
of the Spirit in them, of God's love and death and sacrifice
and gifts to thee, that knowledge, moves their heart to Christ.
They love Christ. We love Him because He first
loved us. And that love begets this love of the brethren. Father, we pray this morning
that in some way You'd use this your words to the benefit and comfort and
guidance of your people. For we pray in Christ's name,
Amen.