Do I Love the Lord or No? Psalm 97:10

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

The Bible declares that God reigns over all, executing His will without exception, as seen in Psalm 97:1. The sovereignty of God is a foundational aspect of His nature as affirmed in scripture. Psalm 97:1 states, 'The Lord reigneth.' This declaration emphasizes that God is in complete control of all creation, executing His will according to His own pleasure. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God emphasizes His unique ability to declare the end from the beginning, assuring that His counsel will stand. This sovereignty assures believers that God is not only powerful but also intimately involved in every detail of their lives, ensuring that His purposes for their salvation are accomplished.

Q: How do we know that God is holy?

God's holiness is evident in His perfect nature, and is described as a consuming fire in scripture, notably in Hebrews 12:29. God's holiness is an essential characteristic that sets Him apart from all creation. In Psalm 97:2, the psalmist conveys that clouds and darkness surround Him, signifying the righteous judgment that emanates from His throne. This holy attribute means that God is devoid of any sin or moral imperfection, with His righteousness being essential to His nature. The implications of God’s holiness are serious; it reveals that no sinner can stand in His presence without being purified or atoned for, as indicated in Psalm 24:3-4. Therefore, understanding God's holiness drives believers to recognize their need for a Savior.

Q: Why is the concept of salvation important for Christians?

Salvation is crucial for Christians because it represents God's grace through Jesus Christ, which provides redemption and reconciliation with Him. The doctrine of salvation is central to the Christian faith as it encapsulates God’s purpose for humanity through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:4-5 illustrates that salvation is not merely an option but a sovereign act of love where God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. This act ensures that believers gain eternal life, not based on their deeds but solely on the perfect work of Christ. Understanding salvation allows Christians to embrace their identity as children of God, fostering a relationship characterized by love and reverence. Moreover, salvation inspires believers to live in light of this grace, promoting holiness and obedience to God’s will.

Q: How does God's sovereignty relate to His love for us?

God's sovereignty assures believers that His love is active and purposeful, guaranteeing their salvation and preservation. God’s sovereignty and His love are intricately connected within the framework of Reformed theology. The sovereignty of God signifies that He orchestrates all events for the ultimate good of His chosen people. Romans 8:28 reassures us that all things work together for good to those who love God, confirming that His sovereign plan includes His redemptive love. This means that it is not by human effort but by God’s divine will that believers are drawn to Him. The assurance of His preservation, expressed in passages like John 10:28-29, cements the believer’s confidence that nothing can separate them from the love of God. Thus, understanding God’s sovereignty deepens the believer's appreciation of His love.

Q: Why is loving God significant for a Christian?

Loving God is vital for Christians as it reflects their response to His love and leads to a transformed life. The act of loving God is fundamental for Christians as it is both a command and a natural response to experiencing His grace. 1 John 4:19 states, 'We love Him because He first loved us,' highlighting that the love of God initiates our love for Him. The significance of loving God is not merely emotional; it affects how Christians live, as love for God compels them to obey His commandments (John 14:15). This love also leads to a deeper desire for holiness, as believers grow in their understanding of God's nature and His will for their lives. Loving God becomes the driving force behind a life dedicated to service, worship, and fellowship with Him.

We'll begin the message, we'll go to God in prayer again. I do. Tia this morning texted and said she's not feeling well, and Joanne as well. Pray for them. God be gracious to them. And others who are not able to be here for whatever reason, I pray that God be gracious and bring them back to us. I'm so thankful that God brought Carla and Mitch back. Glad that y'all didn't decide to stay in Texas and live there. I know the temptation. So, very thankful the Lord brought y'all back. Good to see you.

I want to make an apology for Wednesday night to those people online. I didn't cut the sound on. There's a couple of sound boards back there. I didn't cut them on. I would just stand up here. If you could read lips, it was a great message. But those who can't read lips, it was nothing.

I did post the one that I preached in Crossville. So it's from the same text. I know it's not exactly going to be the same. I'm so thankful that the Lord blessed us. Thank the Lord blessed the message that night. I was really, really thankful. The Lord blessed my heart with it as I preached it, and it seemed like the people were blessed. But the other message is up. Like I said, it's from the same text. So I ask your prayers for me as I preach this message. When I read this text and I've messages don't come quickly, but this one did.

And I don't know if it worries me or I pray for it all the time. I asked the Lord for it. But when they come, I'm kind of scared. But I do pray the Lord will bless this. And as we pray and think about this, the title of the message is, Do I Love the Lord or No? And it's a personal thing. I do, not to look around and see who else, but the question should be very personal, do I love the Lord or no? And I do ask the Lord to be gracious, and you who do love him, I know this, when you see him in the text, You'll love it. You won't have to, when you see him, when the spirit of God reveals him to you, well, yes, yes, I know that one, I love him.

So pray the Lord bless the message this morning. Pray for those churches without pastors. Please continue to pray for them, they're just, I know they have great men filling in and I know that's not what they want. long for a man to be faithful to them, to preach the gospel to them. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Our gracious Heavenly Father, we bow ourselves before you seeking mercy, grace, peace, joy, Faith. Father, we recognize that only these gifts of grace come from you by the power of your Spirit, not by the will and determination of the flesh. We cannot generate these things in ourselves. We cannot stir them up as men seem to believe that we can just stir up joy in our hearts or stir up this and Father, it's all fleshly except you do it. Except your Spirit come this morning, we would not be able to enter into the things of Christ and we just beg you for it.

We plead that you would open the heart of this preacher and open the heart of every hearer to drink in this gospel stream that refreshes us, encourages us, Those we have mentioned who are sick, we lift them before you, we pray for them. We beg your grace and healing upon them. We especially beg for grace upon those who are outside of Christ this morning. We understand their condition because we by nature, we're the same. Except by the grace and power of thy spirit, we would have all been just like them, dead and without life. This morning, cause us to give thanks. Cause us to praise your name for your person, your work, your salvation. And we plead this morning, you forgive us our sins. We pray these things in Jesus' name, for his sake. Amen.

Alright, Psalm 97. Psalm 97. The text will begin in verse 10. I read this to you a minute ago. But it's verse 10 that struck my heart. Verse 10 says, You that love the Lord. that love the Lord. The title of the message is, Do I Love the Lord or No? You know that every believer struggles with this. The hymn writer, John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace, wrote a hymn during a low point in his life, and this was the title, "'Tis a Point I Long to Know."

Often it causes anxious thoughts. Do I love the Lord or no? Am I his or am I not? He said that when he looked within, all he saw was vain and wild, and he said, How could I deem myself a child? This is a common struggle with a believer in his own self because he knows his sin, he knows his lack of merit, of salvation before God, he knows that his love fades. It goes from high to low and stays low quite often. So much so that we question, do we love the Lord or no?

It's my intent this morning to show this. I want to show you who the Lord is. And as we see, we who believe in Christ, see who He is, we cannot help but love Him. But love Him. Now I suppose that if you were to go into religion, and any church, and you were to ask that question, Do you love the Lord? There would be an immediate resounding yes in every place. In every place.

Yet if we were to ask who is the Lord, there would be great differences as to who they love. Who is the object of your love? Testify of his character. Tell me who he is. And in each denomination you would see a different person. A different person. Why? Because their God that they love is different.

Now, the pagans, if we were to look back in the pagan history of the Greeks or the Romans or any other nationality, they loved their gods. There's no doubt about this. They built great monuments and temples to their gods. They carved their likeness out of wood or stone, marble, and then they overlaid them with gold and silver. They loved their gods so much that they carried them about in very expensive chariots. They were so large, their gods were so large that it'd take a several team of oxen to pull their god. And some of them would even offer their children as sacrifices.

Now let me ask you, did they not love their god? Was their devotion not evident? These men loved their gods and were very sincere. They were so sincere that that coppersmith did Paul so much damage. You remember, that was their livelihood. And when Paul came and preached the gospel, many believed on Christ and forsook those gods. And those people were so sincere that they were ready to kill the Apostle Paul. They were ready to kill the believers. Oh, they're sincere. I'm sure that that would be, you could not question their devotion. Yet, let me ask this. What good did all their sincerity and love do? You see, they're gods.

They had mouths, but they couldn't speak. They had hands, but they could not reach. They could not save. Their gods could not even save themselves. If they put a god in a temple and somebody came into that temple, the worshiper would have to protect the god. He had hands, he can't do anything. He had feet, he couldn't run. Why? Now why is this?

Simply because they were no gods at all. They were no gods of all. They were gods of men's imagination. Even so it is today. There are men who love and are extremely sincere in devotion to their God. They build great churches. They give great amounts of treasures to the church. They devote their lives to ceremonies and rituals and laws. There is no doubt they are sincere in their love to their God.

But the God of this generation is nothing different than the pagan God of old. Even though they call Him Jehovah, they call their God Jesus, but if you compare their God to the God of this Bible, He is in no way the same. The God of this generation may have the name Jesus, but he is more like the pagan gods than he is the God of this book. And so this morning, if you love a God that is not the God of this book, you do not love the Lord. You love another God. And just as those pagan gods, the love and sincerity of those pagan gods, what did it do for the pagans? It did nothing. What does the love of a false god do for this modern religious age? Nothing. Nothing.

The god of this age is given the characteristics of God. They say he's holy. They say he's faithful. They call him Jesus. That he came to die for the sins. of the world, yet they deny Him in one of His greatest attributes, and that is sovereignty. That is sovereignty. We're going to see this in just a minute in Isaiah chapter 46. The Lord is making a distinction between Himself and all false gods, and that distinction is sovereignty. He talks about Baal and Nebo. Baal and Nebo were gods built by the pagans, carried about with oxen. And God says, I'm not like that.

And this is the distinguishing factor, sovereignty. Sovereignty. Power. What Paul said, that they worship him, but they deny the power thereof. They confess to love God, but denying the power of salvation, they have made another God. Sovereignty. They deny His holiness and His right to rule over all things, especially in the salvation of sinners.

You see, their God, He loves everybody without exception. Now this is, I'm not, I'm not, setting up a straw man, I'm telling you exactly what they say about their God. That He loves all men without exception. They believe their Christ came to die for all men without exception.

They believe that their spirit is going about trying to convince men to accept Jesus as their Savior. that somehow their God is subject to their will. Friends, that is not God. That is another God. It is a God of men's imagination. That is not the God of this Bible. And if this is the God that you love, then your God is no God. Your God is no God.

No matter how sincerely you worship Him, and they do. They do. No matter how much they give and no matter how much they offer, no matter how much they do to please Him, they cannot because of this. He doesn't exist. He doesn't exist. He is in no way pictured in described in this book a God that wants to save but can't. That's not the God of this book. That's not the God of this book.

Matter of fact, you that love the Lord. Now, in this text, the psalmist is going to describe the God that we love. He's going to describe him, very detailed description. And I'm going to give you three things about this and from this text. First of all, the God we love is sovereign. Secondly, the God we love is holy. And third, the God we love is a successful Savior. A successful Savior. First of all, look at this. We love the God who is sovereign. Look at the first verse. He just blurts it out. He gives no introduction here. The Lord what? Reigneth. It's not a question, is it? The Lord reigneth? No, it's not a question. It's a direct fact. It is a statement of Holy Scripture. The Lord reigneth. What does this mean? It means this.

The only true and living God sits upon the throne of heaven and does exactly what he has determined to do from eternity. He is ruling and reigning over all things without exception. He is sovereignly moving all things after the counsel of His own will and He's not asking anybody for permission. He's doing everything according to His pleasure. Our God is in the heavens and hath done what? Whatsoever He hath pleased. So whatever happens, you mark it down, whether we like it or we don't, whatsoever happens is according to the pleasure of God. You see, God dwells alone from eternity with majesty and strength.

And I want you to see this. No man gave it to him. Go to Psalm 93. Look over just one page here. Psalm 93. Psalmist writes this same thing, same beginning here. Psalm 93, verse one, the Lord reigneth. Now notice this. He is clothed with majesty. The Lord is clothed with strength. Now where did he get this from? Where did he get this sovereign majesty and sovereign omnipotent strength? Look at this. Wherewith he hath girded himself. You and I, if we have any strength at all, where does it come from? It is directly as a result of the strength and power of God. But who gave him that strength?

Nobody. He girded himself with it. None of God's creation has given him the right. This is what free will religion says. You have to give God the right. What utter blasphemy. Free will religion is not a mistake. It's not an error in theology. It's blasphemy. God wants to save me but I have the deciding factor in this matter. No, you don't. You don't. Why?

The Lord reigneth. The Lord reigneth. None of his creatures gives him power. No man makes him God. He just is God. It is God who made us and not we ourselves. We are his creatures and you listen to this. Whatever God wants to do with you, he'll do. And there's nothing you can do about it. Ask Pharaoh. Ask Esau. These men were raised up by God so that he might cast them down to manifest his own glory.

Now, if God does that with us or God does that with our children, who are we? What can we say? The Lord reigneth. If we live or we die, the Lord reigneth. If we are healthy or we are sick, the Lord reigneth. If we are in poverty or we are in wealth, the Lord reigneth. If we eat sumptuously, or we starve to death, the Lord reigneth. All things, my friend, are moving exactly as God ordained from eternity. What's happening now was ordained from eternity. There's nothing you could have done to stop it, prevent it. Had you known it, you could not have done anything to stop it. Matter of fact, if you knew it, you would only be perpetuating it. Think about this. When when Jesus was crucified, was this accidental? Was I mean, they didn't want to crucify him on Passover, and God said, Yes, you will. I ordained it. And they did.

So it is with everything that will give you some scriptures to see this. Go to Isaiah chapter 46. I mentioned that a minute ago. But this is a very A wonderful chapter regarding the difference between false gods and the true God. In the first few verses here, the Lord talks about Baal and Nebo, which were gods, they said, somewhat 40 feet high.

It's just massive, huge. You matter how much time and money it takes to build these things? devotion, dedication to build these things. And they were so heavy that the oxen were bowed down trying to carry these gods. But that's the sign of any false God. If you have to carry your God, your God's not God. That's just simple, isn't it? If you have to help your God to save you, your God is not God. God says, you don't carry me, I carry you.

Look at verse 9. He said, remember, remember the former things of old. Go back as far in history as we are able to see. We can go all the way back to Genesis 1 and we can see the creation of the world. He said, go back there. Matter of fact, go back before there, the former things. Even before that. Remember the former things of old.

For I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there is none like me." Here's the distinction right here. Here it is, declaring the end when? When do you declare the end of all things? From the beginning. From ancient times, the things not yet done. I've already declared what has not yet been done, saying, My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure.

Is this the God you love? It's the God I love. It's the God I love. Look at this, the Lord reigneth. Let the earth what? Rejoice. See, to those who are saved by the grace of God, we know this, we love him. And we're going to see this in just a minute, why we love his sovereignty. We love his sovereignty because there would be no salvation without it. But this is the God we love.

I've told you this several times when 9-11 happened and everybody was jumping on this, all the news, where was God? That was one of the big articles, where was God? And they preachers, boy, they were just having a tough time answering that on television. And they just couldn't because they didn't know him. They didn't know God at all. And so they're just trying to give God excuses as to why this thing happened. It really wasn't God. It was Satan. You know, it was a devil. And, you know, God had nothing to do with this. I said, your God had nothing to do with this.

Milton Howard preached that message from Deuteronomy 32. Look at Deuteronomy 32, 39. Look at that. This is the text he preached. That very week, they had hymn hauled all week, and he came to Lincolnwood and preached this message. Deuteronomy 32, verse 39. Look at this. See now, see now that I, even I am he, and there is no God with me. See, there's only one, and here's the distinction, look at this.

I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal, neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Simple fact was what happened in 9-11, God ordained it. Who actually took the lives of those people, you listen to this, God said I did it. Men don't love men. That's offensive to men. You realize that's offensive to men. Yet here He is. God's not making apologies for what He does. Who is He going to answer to? You? Me? You don't have to answer to us. I'm God. There is no other God. I kill. And I'm thankful for this. I make a life. I wound and I heal. Listen, nobody can deliver it.

That's what that wicked king Nebuchadnezzar found out, right? God made that king the highest king that ever lived before him or after him. He was the greatest monarch that ever lived. God made him to eat grass like a cow for seven years. And after he received his mind again, he said, The inhabitants of the earth, there is nothing before him. He does whatsoever he pleases in the armies of heaven, among the inhabitants of the earth.

Listen to this, who can stay his hand or say to him, what doest thou? Now let me ask you, is this the Lord you love? Because listen, if you don't love this Lord, you don't love the Lord. You love a false God. Any God's not like this is a false God. Secondly, the God we love is holy. Look at verse two of your text. Go back to your text. I hope I got that across.

He's sovereign. He's sovereign. The Lord reigneth. Here it is. Also, he is holy. Look at these verses here. The clouds and darkness are round about him. Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about him. His lightnings enlighteth the world, the earth saw and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. confounded be all they that serve graven images and boast themselves of idols and worship him, all you gods.

Here the psalmist now directs our attention from the majesty and the sovereignty of God and moves us to Mount Sinai. He moves us to see the darkness that inhabits the Lord. Judgment and righteousness inhabit His throne. We see the dark picture of Sinai as God descended upon that mount and that mount was set on fire with God's vengeance, God's wrath, God's judgment as He pronounced His holy law.

Therefore, behold, the holiness of God is as a consuming fire. Now, all that profess to love God, do any think that God will somehow accept their works and obedience? Do you suppose that God will accept your best efforts at obeying his law? No. Our God is as a consuming fire. His holiness consumes his enemies.

Who shall stand in that holy hill? Psalm chapter 24, who shall stand in the presence of God? Listen to this, only this, he that hath clean hands and a pure heart. That's the only person. It's the only one, he that is holy and sinless. How holy is the God you love?

I've got several texts here, but I'm just gonna sum it up because Paul does, it's really good. You can write it down, Deuteronomy chapter 27, 26 and Jeremiah 11, 3. They say the exact same thing as what Paul says in Galatians chapter 3. So just go to Galatians chapter 3. I'll save us three texts because he's saying the same thing. Galatians chapter 3. Now, if you remember, the Church of Galatia, they believed that salvation was by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Yet they purposed to add one law. One. Circumcision. That's it. That's all they wanted to do. They said, look, we understand that Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the rest of that law, but this one thing we demand that you do. In order to be saved, you have to be circumcised.

But notice what Paul quotes, he quotes from Deuteronomy chapter 27 and Jeremiah chapter 11 when he says this, for as many, in verse 10, chapter 3 of Galatians, for as many as are of the law, works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, listen, here it is, cursed is everyone that continueth not in what? All things written in the book of the law to do them. You see, the law is not made up of 10 commandments. It's made up of 613 commandments.

And the law states, cursed is everyone. Now, if you want circumcision, you have to take the rest. If you want the 10 commandments, you have to take the rest. These are not suggestions. They're commandments, and if you desire to live by these laws, then you must live by all of them. And cursed is everyone. This is how holy God is. Cursed is everyone who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to what?

Do them. Oh, you can't just say you love them. You can't just tip your hat to them and acknowledge them. You need a high priest. You need a temple. You need offerings twice a day, every day, and on the feast days, and on the Sabbath. You have to take the whole thing, not just to acknowledge them, but to do them. Now, does anybody want to be on the law? No, because we all have failed. We all have sinned. You must do these things continually.

We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. None of Adam's race could withstand the holiness of God. We could not ever merit the righteousness of God. When God reveals Himself to a sinner, this is the first thing they see, is holiness. All that righteousness that they built up melts like wax in the presence of God's holiness. All of their free will, all their baptisms, all their Lord's Suppers, all their Sabbath worship become nothing in the presence of a holy God. So Paul writes in Romans 3, therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in your sight. Why? For by the law is the knowledge of sin.

That's all it can do. The law can only expose me. It can only expose me. It can't help me. It cannot make me righteous. It is my heart's desire that every sinner be brought to see this. Why? Because only When a sinner is brought here, can he begin to love God? Can he begin to understand his need?

Third point. Our God is not only sovereign, he is not only holy, but you listen to this, this is the best one. He is a successful Savior. He's a successful Savior. Read this with me in our text, look at this. After all that, boy, that's dark. That's heavy. But now look at this. Zion heard and was what? Glad. Wait a second. How can they be glad? Look at this.

And the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of the judgments. Because of thy judgments, O Lord. How is Zion able to be glad at the holiness of God? How can the Isles rejoice and be glad at the Lord over His sovereignty? And seeing that we are sinners, how can they find any joy at all? Well, Zion finds joy because of this. First of all, Zion is God's chosen people. Zion may rejoice at the holiness and sovereignty of God because of this.

They're chosen. Now the nation of Israel was a chosen people. They were given many benefits over every other nation. But we know this. When God decreed, He said that all Israel should be saved. Yet we know this, that not all the nation of Israel was saved. Wait a second, God is sovereign? God is holy? He promised to save Israel and yet Israel is not saved? Did he fail? No. Simply because the nation of Israel, like every other part of the law, was a type. It was a picture of spiritual Israel.

Paul reveals this very plainly in Romans 9, let's see that. Romans 9. He says in verse 6, Not as though the word of God had taken effect. For they are not all Israel which are of Israel, neither because of the seed of Abraham are they children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be called. What he's saying is this, There is an Israel that is not national. There is an Israel that is spiritual.

And this is the Israel, God swears, that He will save. And they are His chosen people. Behold the glory of God's grace. That God, before the foundation of the world, had chosen a people, and this was His promise to them. that he would make them holy. God had chosen a people, and in love for that people, purposed that they should be his sons, and not just any sons, his sons to be holy and without blame before him. We read that in, you can read that in Ephesians 1. According as God had chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy.

Man, isn't that what we need? When God exposes His holiness, isn't that the first thing we need? We need holiness. Well, who's going to get holy? Who's going to be holy seeing we've all sinned? Only Zion. Only those chosen of God did God in sovereignty purpose to be holy. Now, how would He do that? Well, God didn't leave that up to our imagination. He said in that same verse in Ephesians 1, by Jesus Christ. That's how they were going to be made holy. From eternity, that was the purpose. That was the plan. That they should be holy. By Jesus Christ.

Therefore, God gave all His elect into the care of His Son to be the Savior of His people. How can man who is born in sin, who cannot do anything to be accepted with God, be made holy? Listen, only by a substitute. This was the sovereign decree of God who rules all things after the counsel of his own will.

That he would save his people by a representative, that Jesus would be their representative. You see, this is why he had to come in the flesh. When the Lord Jesus Christ came in the flesh, he had to come in the flesh so that he might represent all of his people as a man. And behold, the glory is this, that Jesus Christ, according to the will of God, merited our righteousness.

All of it. You begin to see why Zion's glad? Because the holiness the Holy God demanded is the holiness the Holy God provided. What I needed, He provided. And I didn't contribute anything to it. It completely was done outside of me. This thought of it being done outside of me is wonderful. It didn't have anything to do with me. I wasn't even here when it was taking place.

When he obeyed the law, he was making my righteousness. And when God saw it, he said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. The holy sovereign God looked upon the sinner's substitute and said, I'm well pleased. I'm well pleased for his righteousness. We love God. We love him. We rejoice in his judgments because Jesus has obtained the righteousness I needed to stand. I can rejoice in God's judgment. Why? Because I'm made righteous. I'm made righteous. Wait a second.

What about all your sins? Yeah, he took care of that, too. He not only made me righteous, he also he also suffered God made Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we, we who knew no righteousness might be made the righteousness of God in Him. You see, our Lord Jesus Christ, as he suffered, as he entered into the presence of God, bearing our sins and iniquities, God laid on him the iniquity of us all. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree.

And when God saw his death, you listen to what God said. God said, I'm satisfied. You see how Zion could be happy? You see how Zion could rejoice? Because not only is he all my righteousness, listen, he's also paid all my sin. All of it. Isaiah chapter 53 said, he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. He paid in full for our sins. Therefore, when Zion hears the message, when the sinner hears the message of Christ, he is what? He's glad.

You know why I'm glad about the judgment and justice of God and the holiness of God? Because if God is holy, he cannot demand twice payment for sin. Isn't that a glorious feature of holiness? God who exacted just payment at the hand of Christ for my sins. Listen, He will not and He cannot ever come back and demand it of me. Why?

He's holy. Therefore, I'm glad for the holy and the judgments of God. I love Him for His holiness. I love Him for His sovereignty. Had He not chosen me, I never would have chosen Him. Had He not come and died for me, I never could have satisfied the justice of God, but He did. He did, and the evidence of that is what? That the Holy Spirit came to us and gave us life and faith. You that believe, listen, you that believe, do you not love Him? Do you not love Him? When our Lord Jesus Christ died and He was risen from the dead, look back at your text real fast. Verse 9, this is what happened to him.

He said, For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth. Thou art exalted above all the gods. Our Lord Jesus Christ is seated on the throne of God right now. And what is he doing? He's doing what he's done from eternity. He's doing his will. And that is this, to save his people. Everything that takes place has one objective, one end, and that is to save His people. You know, we can't see how that's working out, the things over there in other countries, the things happening here, even the things happening with us. We can't see how all this is working together. But that's the wisdom of God. He's working it all together to save His people. You know how many He's going to lose? How many will the Lord our God lose? None. Jesus said that, didn't he?

Of all that the Father giveth me, I should lose nothing. Why? Because he's the sovereign God. He's a holy God. He is a successful, saving God. Therefore, what? You that love the Lord. Do you love him? As I stated in the beginning, often we question that. Because we still have this old man of sin. Our love is not what we want it to be. When a believer looks at his love, we look in shame. I think of Peter.

After he had sinned, the Lord came to him and said, lovest thou me more than these? Immediately, yes. Well, yes, Lord, you know I love you. Second time he asked again, lovest thou me more than these? And he said, well, yes. Yes, Lord, I love you. And he asked him the third time the scripture said Peter was greedy. The Lord asked you, do you love me? I'm green. I say with Peter, Lord, you know all things.

You know I love you. But here's the joy, is that my love for him My perseverance, my salvation in no way is dependent upon my love for Him. But rather this, His love for me. His love. We love Him, why? Because He first loved us. That's the only reason you love Him at all. And notice this, you that love Him, Here's His promise to you. Look at verse 10. You that love the Lord, I know this, you hate evil. You hate your love. You hate your sin. You hate the sin of this world. You long to put it off. You long to put on the new man.

And we know this. We can't do that but by the power of His Spirit. How many times are you determined to put off the flesh and just can't? He's showing you this. You have no power to put off your own flesh. But we who love Him desire to put it off. But it's not our putting it off, not our hating evil. Look at this. He preserves the souls of His saints. You that love Him, here's His promise to you. He preserves you.

You desire to persevere. What believer does not desire to persevere? When those men left and the Lord asked the disciples, will you go away also? Man, I know this. If you don't keep me, I will. But this is his promise to you. He preserveth his saints. You're kept. Kept by who? By the sovereign God. See how sovereignty is beautiful now? He who chose you, He who saved you is sovereign. And listen, the sovereign God says this, I'll keep you. Now, who will stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Who shall pluck you out of the hand of Christ? You that love the Lord. No one.

He preserves. He delivers out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown to the righteous, the gospel, gladness to the upright in heart. He has shined in our hearts to give us a light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Light is shown to us. The sovereignty of God is shown to us. The holiness of God, the salvation of God is sown to us.

And what's the result? Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous. You that have been made righteous. What? Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. You that have been made righteous. Give thanks. At what? The remembrance of His holiness. I remember that God is holy, therefore, I know this, He'll never cast me out. Because I'm in Christ, He'll never cast me out.

And so to you who question your love for God, there was a man who wrote an answer to Newton's question. He said, what is this point you long to know, methinks I hear you say? Tis this, I want to know if I'm born of God and heir to everlasting bliss. Is this the point you long to know?

The point is settled in my view. For if you want to love your God, it proves he first loved you. Is this the point you long to know, the dead can never feel or see. It is a slave that's bound in chains that knows the worth of liberty. So where is want like this is found? I think it may be bold to say that God is fixed within thine heart. What hell can never take away? However small thy grace appears, there's plenty in thy living head. These wants you feel, my Christian friend, are never found among the dead. Do you want to love Him? You that love Him, do you not want to love Him? You that believe in Him, do you not want to believe in Him? You that know Him, do you not want to know Him? These are things that God sows in the heart of those that love Him.

And listen, if your God is not sovereign, your God's not holy, and your God's not successful, your God's not God, no matter how much you love Him. But I'm so thankful God has revealed Himself to us. I am thankful God is sovereign. I'm thankful He's holy. And I'm thankful that He has saved His people from their sins, and we who believe shall never perish.

May God give us more love for Him. Let's stand and we'll be dismissed in prayer. Gracious Father, if you would be gracious to dismiss us with your own blessings and mercies and kindness. I beg you, Father, forgive the sins of the preacher and overlook the sins of the hearer. By the power and grace of the Spirit, apply the love of Christ to our hearts, shed it abroad in our hearts. Keep us, sustain us, deliver us. Forgive us our sins and our lack of love. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. She gave me 10 minutes again.

Do I Love the Lord or No? Psalm 97:10

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know that God is holy?

Why is the concept of salvation important for Christians?

How does God's sovereignty relate to His love for us?

Why is loving God significant for a Christian?

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Do I Love the Lord or No? Psalm 97:10

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know that God is holy?

Why is the concept of salvation important for Christians?

How does God's sovereignty relate to His love for us?

Why is loving God significant for a Christian?

Sermon Transcript

About Fred Evans

Comments

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