Hi, everybody. Would you turn to John chapter 15? I want to read the ninth verse. As the father hath loved me, So have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.

It's Thursday night. The Lord is going to be crucified the next day. And John 13 through 17 is his last discourse to his disciples. And during this time he makes this amazing statement, as the father has loved me. How did the father love the son? Well, we can't grasp it. It's above us. It's other, but we know it's altogether glorious.

as the father have loved me. I love to think of the father's love to the son. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Just as the father has loved me, that's the way I have loved you. I get a hold of that. You can't. I don't have any trouble thinking about the father's love to the son. But to think of the same love that the father has to the son, he says to his people, that's the way I love you.

I've entitled this message, So Have I. Now, when the Lord says this, as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. He's not speaking to every son of Adam. There is a place called hell. A horrible thing to think about. And it's God's justice. God's absolutely just. And if a man goes to hell, it's because God is just. And there will not be anybody in hell that God loves. You see, God does not love every son of Adam. And it's wrong to say he does when he himself said, Esau, have I hated. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

Now, if we talk about God's love as if he loves all men the same and he says this to every son of Adam, as the father loved me, so have I loved you. And if that person he loves winds up in hell, what good did his love do them? Absolutely nothing. That makes the love of God meaningless. He is speaking to his elect. He is speaking to his bride. He is speaking to his people. He is speaking to every believer. This is a message to his church, his people.

Now somebody's asking themselves, am I one of those people? I want to be. Am I one of those people? Would it be presumptuous for me to think that I'm one of those people? Question. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God? God the son, the creator of the universe, the brightness of God's glory and the express image of his person. Do you believe that? Are you relying on who he is and what he did as all you have, all you have to make you accepted before God. You do not have anything else. You look to him only. All your eggs are in this basket. It is Finished. Nothing for me to do. He did it all. I rest in him.

Now, if I believe him, I have every right to believe this is spoken to me personally. He says to me personally. He says to you personally, this isn't some generic statement. This is said to every individual believer. Yes, it said to the church collectively. It says it said to his bride, but it said to every individual believer, this is what he says. As the father had loved me. So have I loved you.

Now, this is what Paul was speaking of when he spoke of all the saints being able to comprehend the breadth, the length, the depth, and the height. You know, I preached on that passage of scripture several years ago, and Mark pointed out to me, that's four dimensions. I'd never really thought of that. But the breadth, the wideness, the length from eternity to eternity, the depth, how far he had to go, the height, how far he brings us up, to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge. If I could explain that, I would be disagreeing with Paul saying it passes knowledge. That's how glorious this is to every single individual believer. And I get ahold of this. Think about this. If you look to him only, and you know whether or not you do, is he all you got? If you have anything else, I can't make this promise to you, but if he's all you got, this is what he says to you. As the father had loved me, so have I loved you.

Now, I'd like to attempt for a few moments first to dwell on the father's love for his son. God is love. Don't you love that verse? Not here's love and God fits that description. No, God is love. Herein is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us. God is holy. He's other. There's nothing like him. God is light. In him is no darkness at all. God is spirit. He's unbound by space or time. We're stuck in space and time, not him. And God is love.

The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hand. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. It's there for good. What a sobering thought.

Now, how does the father love the son? Well, first of all, his love for his son is eternal. When did God begin to love his son? He didn't. His love is eternal. Now I realize our minds get crossed trying to think about eternity because we're creatures of time and it's hard for us to grasp this thing of eternity. But God never began to be, Christ never began to be, and God has always, and even that is not the right word because that enters into time. God's love for his son is There was no beginning point. As God is eternal, he has eternally loved his son.

Now, I love to think of the three persons of the Godhead before time began. Genesis 1.1, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Elohim, one God in the plural. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. In the beginning, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit created the earth. Before creation, before time, all there was was God. There was no matter. All there was was God.

Would you turn with me to Proverbs 8 for a moment? The Lord Jesus Christ is personified as wisdom in this chapter, does not wisdom cry, verse one. Now look in verse 22, these are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ speaking of his relationship with his father. And it's true with regard to God, the Holy spirit too. These three are one. These three are one. That's what first John five, seven says. Look in verse 22. This is the Lord speaking. He says the Lord. possess me in the beginning of his way. Before his works of old, I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world, When he prepared the heavens, I was there. When he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when he gave to the sea his decree that the water should not pass his commandment, when he appointed the foundations of the earth, then was I by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight. rejoicing always before him.

Oh, the love of the father to the son, he loves him eternally. It never began. The father's love to the son, secondly, is the love of union. Remember that scripture I've already quoted, these three are one. Remember when he said, I and my father are one. Now. Concerning the Lord Jesus Christ in the beginning was the word. And the word was with God as a distinct person and the word was God. The same was eternally was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made.

Now, he is so one with God that he made this statement in John chapter 14, verse nine, when Philip asked that dull question, show us the father and we'll be satisfied. And he said, Philip, Have I been so long time with you? And yet has thou not known me? He that hath seen me hath seen the father. He didn't say it's as if he had seen the father. He said, he that has seen me has seen the father.

Somebody says, explain that. Yeah, I can really explain something like that. It's just so we don't understand it, but we believe it. We believe it with all of our heart. This is who he is. And to us, a child is born unto us, a son is given. The son wasn't born, he was given. And the government should be upon his shoulders and his name should be called Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God. the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

All you and I will ever see of God is Jesus Christ. He that has seen me has seen the Father, and they are one. I and my Father are one. You know when he said that they picked up stones to stone him? He said, many good works have I done. For which of these do you stone me? And they said, for good work. Stone we not, but thou being a man, make us yourself equal with God. Yeah, he is. He's in union with his father. What the father says, he says. What the father does, he does. He's in complete union with his father.

Now, the father loves himself. And when he loves the son, he's loving himself because the son is one with the father. I mean, I love to think about the attributes of God. I love to think of his holiness, his otherness. There's no one like him. He's utterly unique. Somebody says he's like God. No, he's not. No, he's not. God is utterly alone, independent. There's no other independent creatures. All of me and you are so dependent, but he's utterly independent. He's sovereign. He's the first cause behind everything. His will is always done. He's immutable. He's holy. He's just go on with his attributes. He's all powerful. He's omnipotent. Everywhere, I mean, all powerful omniscient. He knows all things. He's never learned anything. He's omnipresent. He's everywhere at once. You can't go anywhere where he's not.

You talk about the attributes of God, and listen to this. Colossians chapter two, verse nine, in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. The father can't help but love himself, and that's why he can't help but love his son. He's perfect. He is the express image of his person. He's the brightness of his father's glory. The father loveth the son. It's the love of union. The son is the same substance, the same essence of the father. And I have no idea what his substance or essence is. But whatever it is, the father and the son and the spirit share the same essence. And the father loves the son because he's altogether lovely.

Thirdly, the father's love for the son is conditional. You hear that phrase, unconditional love. There's no such thing. I want somebody to love me unconditionally. Can't be done. The father doesn't love the son unconditionally. The father loves the son because he's altogether lovely. There's no conditions the son is having to meet. The father loves the son because he's altogether lovely. He loves him because he's worthy of his love. He loves him because the beauty of his character. This is the love of perfect satisfaction. The father looks at the son and says, there's nothing I'd change about you. He can't change, he's immutable, but he's altogether lovely. Oh, he's so pleased with the character and the beauty of his son.

There's no such thing as unconditional love. It's impossible for the father not to love the son. because of the worthiness and the beauty of his son. I love it when the father speaks from heaven and says, this is my beloved son. In whom, not with whom. With whom would be right, but in whom. I'm well pleased. You know what that means? He's well pleased with everybody in him.

The father, loves the son because of his perfect obedience. Turn back a few pages to John chapter 10, verse 14. I am, this is one of those I ams of the gospel of John. There's seven of them. I'm the door, I'm the way, I'm the truth, the life, I'm the resurrection, the life. I am, I'm the bread of life. Here he says, I'm the good shepherd. And he knew when he said this, he's talking about saying, I'm that one David spoke of when he said, the Lord is my shepherd. We just heard that in that song about the Lord is my shepherd. He's saying, I'm him. I am the good shepherd and know my sheep and have known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for who? The sheep, their sheep and their goats. He laid down his life for the sheep.

Look what he says in verse 24. Then came the Jews round about him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answers them, I told you. And you believe not. The works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me. I mean, he raised the dead. He created matter. He healed the sick as an act of his will. I mean, the works of the Lord Jesus Christ left no doubt who he was. He said, I told you plainly, and you didn't believe not. Look what he says next. Verse 26, but you believe not because you are not of my sheep. He doesn't say you're not my sheep because you don't believe. He says you believe not because you're not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me.

Back to Verse 15, as the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for these sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. Why? Because they're mine. I must bring them. And they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life. The father says to the son, allow yourself to be nailed to a cross. Yes. Father. He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, and the Lord, his father, God, his father, loves him for his perfect obedience. He said, I do always those things that please him.

The father cannot cease to love the son. Nothing shall separate him from the love of his father. The father loves him because he obeyed him perfectly. And the father loves him because he glorified him. God created the universe for his own glory. That's his purpose in all things. God made the world so the lamb slain from the foundation of the world could come into this world and be slain and glorify his father and make the way for God to be just and justify the ungodly. And you know what the son did? He glorified him. He said, father, the hour has come. John 17. The hour for which this universe was created. The hour has come that I'm to die. Glorify thy son, that thy son also might glorify thee. And then he said in verse four of that prayer, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work thou gavest me to do.

The father loves the son because the son glorifies the father. We really cannot scratch the surface of this. As the father has loved me. We can. Think about it. Rejoice in it. But do you think of the father's love for the son? There's no way it can be expressed as it should be.

Now, the Lord says, as the father had loved me, so have I loved you. This is speaking to the church. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church. This is spoken to the church, but it's spoken to every individual believer.

If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, do you believe that? Do you believe he's God's Christ? Whoso believeth That Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Do you believe that? Do you believe that he is God, the son, the uncreated second person of the blessed Trinity, the creator of the universe? Do you believe him? I say this quite often, but right now I'm not even asking you if you're saved. I'm asking you if you believe him. Do you believe he is who he says he is? Do you believe he's the Christ, the son of the living God?

Now, if you do, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, says this to you individually, as the father hath loved me, even so have I loved you. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1.12, I know whom I have believed. You see, what you believe will be determined by who you believe. He didn't say, I know what I believe. I hear people say, I know what I believe. Paul said, I know whom I have believed. And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed to him against that day. What'd you commit to him, Paul? The entire salvation of my soul. My hands are off. If he didn't do it all, I won't be saved. That's how strong that is. If he didn't do it all, I won't be saved.

Now, if you can say that with Paul, this is for you. Just as God the Father loved Jesus Christ eternally, Jesus Christ has loved you eternally. Jeremiah 31, 3, I've loved you with an everlasting love. He said, before I formed thee in the belly, before your conception, before you had personality or existence, I knew you and I loved you. Christ never began to love his people. His love to them is eternal.

Just as the father loves Christ because of his union with himself, Christ loves the believer because of his union with him. Listen to this scripture, Hebrews chapter two, verse 11. Both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one. Not close together, not touching each other. One. As the same stem flows through the vine, it also flows through the branches and there's no connecting point. Every believer is eternally united to the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. That's the union of the love of union, Christ.

Let's put it this way. In Ephesians chapter five, when Paul was talking about the relationship between Christ and the church being a marriage, And he tells us at the end of the chapter, I speak a great mystery. I'm speaking concerning Christ in the church. Yes, there's good stuff about marriage in this, but that's not the main subject. It's Christ in the church. And he said, now this is how close this union is. He said, he that loveth his wife, loveth himself.

Now, wait a minute. The wife isn't, Lynn's my wife, but she's not me. She'll never be me. Yes, we're very close. But we're not one. But when Christ loved his wife, he was loving himself, because this union is so real. When he loves me, he's loving himself, because I am one with him. And all God sees when he sees me is his son, Jesus Christ. And I don't want it to be any other way.

Jesus Christ loves me conditionally. Now, people talk about the unconditional love of God, the unconditional love of Christ. Turn with me to a passage I've already quoted, but turn with me to Ephesians chapter five. Verse 25, husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify, Ephesians 5, 26 now, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Now that's the description of every believer. That's not unconditional love. Now he met the conditions to make this so. And I'm not this in myself. I'm nothing but sin in myself. And you know that you're nothing but sin in yourself if you know yourself at all. But this is what Jesus Christ did for every one of his people. He made us without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, blameless, nothing to blame me for, holy in His sight. Now, that's not unconditional love. He loved me in Christ, and that's how I am.

I love the way He said in Solomon to his church, to every believer, behold, thou art all fair, my love, There is no spot in thee. When the Lord Jesus Christ looks at his bride, he looks at somebody who's altogether lovely, somebody without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, without blemish, perfect, holy, unblameable, unreprovable in his sight. Now, this is what the Lord accomplished on the cross for his people.

When the Lord said to that publican, Or he said it about this public, that public, God be merciful to me, the sinner. And what did Christ say about him? He said, I tell you, that man went down to his house justified. And that means he never sinned. He kept the law perfectly. He's always done that, which is pleasing to me. That's what justification means. It means I stand before God as one who has never sinned. One who has the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It's not unconditional love. He loves us because of what he's made us. All together lovely.

And Christ loves me as one who has obeyed him perfectly. You remember when he said to John the Baptist, thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. When he fulfilled all righteousness, I did too. And I have obeyed him perfectly. Somebody says, but I've sinned. I know I have. I know you have too. But that sin's been blotted out if you're one of his. It's no more. You have the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ as your righteousness before God. And you're someone who has obeyed him perfectly. And he loves me because I glorify him.

Now, what do you mean by that? Here's exactly what I mean. When I am brought into heaven, I'm going to be the biggest example of just how much salvation is by grace. Every believer feels that way. You'll think you'll be the biggest trophy of his grace there. You're an example of how he gets all the glory in your salvation. And you like it that way because he deserves it. And because if he doesn't get all the glory, that means there's something you need to do. And you're toast if that's the case. Oh, you want him to have all the glory in salvation.

I want to close by turning to 1 John chapter 4, if you'd turn with me there. I hope the Lord will enable us when we go to bed tonight and lay our heads on our pillow to think of this statement, Christ has loved me as the Father has loved him. Well, that's beyond comprehension, isn't it?

1 John 4, verse 16, and we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. Now, we have known and we believe what the Bible says about God's love, and we're relying on this. If what I'm saying is not so, if God's love's not like that, then I won't be saved. This is what I'm relying on. I'm relying. We've known from what God has made known in his word. The only way we know this is because the Bible says it. This isn't some man's interpretation or thought. This is what God says. We've known it and we've relied on this. If this is not the way it's so, I won't be saved. But thank God this is the way it's so. This is what the Bible teaches with regard to his saving love.

We have known and believe the love that God has to us. God is love. And he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him. Now herein is our love made perfect that we may have What are those next five words? Read them. Boldness in the day of judgment. Now, what would give someone boldness in the day of judgment? I mean, to stand before a thrice holy God and have boldness? To have confidence? What would give somebody boldness? Well, here it is. Because as he is, how is he? Altogether lovely to God. Perfect. Perfect. As he is, so are we in this world right now. However he is, so are we. in this world right now. Now that's what gives me boldness.

Do you have boldness because you've been such a faithful preacher? No. Do you have boldness because of fill in the blank, whatever you want to say about it? No, I don't have any boldness about that. Here's what gives me boldness as he is. Bold shall I stand in that great day, for who to my charge shall lay, fully absolved from these I am from sin's tremendous curse and shame. Boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There's no fear in love, but perfect love. His perfect love casteth out fear. Now, if He loves me as the Father loves Him, what do I got to be afraid of? That perfect, complete love? What would hinder me in assurance? Well, I don't feel saved. How come? Well, I'm not... Shut up. As He is, so are we in this world.

Now, this perfect love of His casts out fear. You see, fear hath torment, that slavish fear of not measuring up. I haven't done enough. I haven't been good enough. I haven't, all the way we look to ourself and we do it every single day, that's what causes fear. But his, because fear hath torment, he that feareth is not made perfect in love. Now we love him because, why? He first loved us. We know that. The reason we love him is because he first loved us. In the Lord's prayer in John chapter 17, he says, thou, speaking to his father, thou has loved them as thou has loved me. We wouldn't dare believe that had not the word of God said that, but that's what it says. Thou has loved them as thou has loved me. Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free, rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness, over me, underneath me, all around me is the current of his love, leading onward, leading homeward, to his glorious rest above. As thou hast loved me, so have I loved you.

Let's pray.