Paul in his epistle to the Romans
speaks of the love of God in this way, but God commended his
love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. God commended his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
In Ephesians in chapter two, He expresses this in this manner.
But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, have quickened
us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved. But God,
who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved
us, even when we were dead in sins, have quickened us together
with Christ. He not only speaks of God's love,
but he describes it as a great love, a love without measure,
a great love that sent Christ to the cross to lay down his
life for His people, even when they were dead in sins, even
when they were rebels, even when they shook their fists in hatred
against God and denied Him and were at enmity with Him, even
as they in their hearts cried out, crucify Him, crucify Him,
God looked upon them with great love. and laid their sin, their unbelief,
their hatred upon his own son, and judged him in their place,
that they, though foolish, though rebels, though dead, though blind,
should be washed should be cleansed, should be renewed, should be
quickened unto life in Christ. What love is this that God gave
his son for those that hated him? Paul writes in Ephesians
2 from verse 1, and you have he quickened who were dead in
trespasses and sins. You were dead in trespasses and
sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in
the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind and were by nature the children of wrath even as
others but God but God who is rich in mercy for his great love
wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins, have quickened
us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved, and have
raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through
faith, And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, have quickened us together with Christ. How
were we dead in sins? We were dead. in trespasses and
sins. In the times past we walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children
of disobedience. We were just like everyone. among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of
our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind
and were by nature the children of wrath even as others. These
are those children of wrath, children of disobedience lusting
after their flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind these are those wicked dead sinners upon whom God has
set his grace his mercy his great love his great love but God commend
if his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ
died for us. Has he commended his love unto
you? Has he shown you his great love? As we've seen before, there is
the sense in which God, in offering up Christ, his son, displayed
his love before the whole world. God showed to the entire world
His love, His character in offering His Son as a sacrifice for sinners. He sent His Son into the darkness
of this world and this world rejected Him. The light shone
in the darkness And the people loved darkness more than the
light. They recoiled from it. They turned
from him. They said, away with this man.
We will not have him to reign over us. They would not receive
him. They despised him. They rejected
him, though they could find no fault in him. The perfection
of God, the light of God, shone in the midst of the darkness
and we all turned our faces from him. God displayed His love before
the whole world, but it was a world which didn't want to know. A
world which cried out of Christ, crucify Him, crucify Him. And today in the Gospel, wherever
the name of Christ is proclaimed, wherever the message of His salvation
is made known, Whenever the world is reminded of the coming of
Christ and the crucifixion of Christ, there is that set before
everyone. That God is a God of love, who
gave his Son that sinners should live. And yet everyone's reaction
by nature, you and I included, is to turn our backs upon him,
is to reject. In the providence of God, in
the Western world, every year there are dates in the calendar
which even this secular world, this godless world around us
is forced to reject. acknowledge every year there
is that reminder on the 25th of December of the birth of Jesus
Christ and though the world indulges in its feasting and its gift-giving
and tries not to think of Christ there is his name presented before
them there is the fact that he came into this world the light
in the midst of the darkness a light in the midst of their
winter darkness the light of God came and men shut their eyes and then every springtime at
Easter the world is reminded of the death and the resurrection
of Jesus Christ though they care not for him they know and they turn their hearts away. John writes of this lifting up
of Jesus Christ. John 3, As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted
up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have eternal life. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not
condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already. because they have not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation
that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone that
doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds might be made manifest, that
they are wrought in God. You see the light, Christ, came
into this world. And the world knows that the
Son of God was lifted up. It knows that He was lifted up
upon the cross. It knows that He was given as
a sacrifice for sin. It knows that God in love gave
His Son for sinners. And the world turns. Because it's condemned already.
Because it's already in the darkness. And it loves the darkness. and
it won't come to the light. This is the condemnation that
light is coming to the world and men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. Have you seen the light in the
gospel? Have you heard of the coming
of Christ? Have you heard of his death?
and his resurrection and do you turn back to the darkness
because you love the darkness because in the darkness your
deeds are hidden whereas in the light they're made known that's
where we are by nature by nature none of us care for Christ none
of us care for the light None of us care for the love of God,
which is made known in Christ, his gospel, his death, and his
resurrection. We hate him by nature. We hate
the light by nature, for it exposes us. We have no time. And in our hearts, each and every
one of us have said away, with this man, crucify him. Yes, in this sense, the love
of God is made known throughout all the world. Yet we have no
desire for it. But there is that sense in which
God makes known his love and to those for whom Christ died
in a particular manner. When Paul writes, but God commended
his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us, he's speaking to those who believe. Those for whom Christ
died those who come to know his love for them in particular. Though they, like everyone else,
were in the darkness, Though they, like everyone else, joined
in the call, crucify Him, crucify Him. Though they, like all others,
had no time for this Saviour, no time for God, no time for
His righteousness, no time for His Gospel. Though they were
children of disobedience, like all others, children of wrath. Though they were the same as
anyone else. God in mercy. loved them from
before the beginning of the world. He loved them before ever they
were born. He loved them when they were
born and went astray from the womb speaking lies. He loved
them when they were conceived in iniquity. He loved them when
they were born. He loved them as they grew, though
sinners, though dead in trespasses and sins. He loved them. throughout their day, until that
day when in the gospel they were brought to see in a way they
had never seen. Perhaps they had heard of Christ
many a time. Perhaps they had heard the Gospel
many a time and still their hearts had said, away with this man.
But there came a day and there comes a day when God by His Spirit
brings them to that point where their defences are broken, where
their heart is broken, where the hard heart is broken in two. and the light begins to shine
into the darkness of their heart and they begin to see He who
they rejected and they begin to see what they are by nature
before our Holy God once they rejected the idea that they were
sinners once they might have said well yes I know I'm a sinner
like any others I know I'm not perfect but they never accepted
that they were sin itself, that they were sinful through and
through, that they were the sinner, utterly guilty of condemning
God, utterly guilty of condemning His Son, rejecting His Son, utterly
guilty of all God's condemnation in the law. They've broken every
law, they've broken every command, they've rejected God utterly.
Once they rejected the very idea, they said, I'm not so bad. But
now the gospel begins to show them what they are. Now the light
shines into the darkness of their heart. And they say, Lord, I'm
a sinner. Have mercy upon me. the sinner. Now this love comes unto them
in particular. Now they see Christ not only
crucified, not only crucified for sinners, but now they come
to see him crucified for them. Now they see that they are the
reason he was slain. They look upon him as innocent,
as righteous, and they see that there was no cause for him to
die in himself. But they, as a Barabbas, released
in his place, and he condemned in their place, they see themselves
as that Barabbas. They see their sins laid upon
their Savior. They see Him made sin in their
place. And they see God's condemnation
poured out upon Him because of what they are and what they did. And they see His love, His great
love for them. They see His mercy. But God,
who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved
us, even when we were dead in sins, even when we were dead
in sins, have quickened us together with Christ. By grace, we are
saved. Oh, this is an entirely different
knowledge of God's love. Particular, personal, toward
us. But God commended His love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. As He made His love known unto
you, in this way, a personal way. As he said unto you, as
he called you by name, like he called Saul, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me? Like he spake unto Peter, Peter,
Mary, David. Has he come unto you and made
his love for you known? God commendeth his love toward
us. God who is rich in mercy for
his great love wherewith he loved us. A people just like any other,
dead in sins, dead in trespasses and sins, wretched, wayward,
rebellious, children of disobedience, children of wrath, yet loved,
loved with a great love, shown mercy, shown grace, while they
were yet sinners. While we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us. He loved us even when we were
dead in sins. What a love this is, that while
we hated him, He gave himself for us. God in Christ, God himself
laid down his life. He gave himself for his people,
for the church, for those he loved. This love, this personal
love, this particular love, it's not some general thing. It's
not some general love as though God loves all the world and all
mankind. And there it is, He just loves
everyone freely, if we just will come unto Him and receive Him.
There's no love that's a love that's universal. If God loves
somebody that hates him and goes to their grave hating him and
is plunged into hell in condemnation as much as he loves those whom
he saves, what kind of love is that? There's nothing in it.
The difference is in us. The difference is in whether
we believe or not. That's no love. But this love
is a love set upon a people whom he knows. A love in particular. A love which delivers them from
their condemnation. A love which delivers them from
the darkness. A love which delivers them from
their blindness. A love which delivers them from
their rebellion. Left to myself I'm a lost sinner. Left to myself I deserve God's
wrath. left to myself I am rightly judged
for my own guilt and for my own iniquity if God left me to myself
he would be just and perfect and righteous in condemning me
for eternity in leaving me in the darkness but because he has
set his love upon me because he set his love upon his own They are delivered. They are
washed in the blood of the Lamb. They are saved with an eternal
salvation. They are made to be the righteousness
of God. Because of His love, He shows
them mercy. In spite of all that they are,
even though they were dead in their sins, even though they
were yet sinners, even though they were breathing out threatenings
against Him, He came unto them and set his love upon them and
freely forgave them. Saul was journeying to Damascus,
breathing out threatenings against the people of God, full of hatred
for God's Son, full of hatred for Jesus Christ of Nazareth
and any that followed him. And God met him in the way. Christ himself met him in the
way as he was pouring out his hatred upon him. And Christ himself
said unto Saul, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Christ knew him. He knew him
from the day he was born. He knew him from before he was
born. He knew his every step. He knew his every thought. He
knew his every judgment. He knew his every motive. He
knew where he was heading. He knew what he was doing. And
he met him and said, why persecutest thou me? And he showed him mercy
and set his love upon him and Paul's life from that day on
was forever changed. Oh the mercy that Paul experienced. You imagine being Paul on that
day. Perhaps you too will feel the
same way. Perhaps you too, believer, felt
like you were going to Damascus to persecute the church. Perhaps
you too know exactly what Paul felt. When Christ came and met
you, you were set against Him. And His response to you was not
a response of judgment, was not a response of wrath, though you
deserved it. Though you'd wronged Him, He
didn't come unto you in the law and condemn you. He came unto
you in love, in grace, in mercy, and freely forgave you. He melted
Paul's heart because of his great love, wherewith he loved them. Now this is a people whom God
knows, a people whom he has chosen. to show mercy unto, a people
whom he has chosen to set his grace upon, a people whom he
has chosen to love everlastingly. He knows them. He's known them
from before ever they were born. He's known them every day of
their lives. He knows them inside out. Does
he know you? Wherever you are, whatever you
are doing, does God know you? When Adam
and Eve were in the garden and disobeyed the command of God,
and their eyes were opened to know what they had done, to know
the catastrophic manner in which they had fallen, in which their
communion with God had been shattered, when they knew that they had
gone against Him, rebelled against Him, when the guilt flooded into
their hearts and they knew that they were sinners, in need of
righteousness, in need of forgiveness, when they knew that they were
guilty and were ashamed and wanted to cover their shame, They hid
in the garden, and they tried to cover themselves. And God
came in the midst of the garden and called out, where art thou? Where are you? We cannot hide
from this God, though we may try. We may run off into the
darkness. We may run off afar off from
the gospel. We may do what we can not to
hear. Many will run from the gospel,
never put foot inside a church, never enter a meeting, never
listen. They will do everything they
can to indulge their thoughts and their time with that which
is in the world, anything but a knowledge of God. And yet if
God should come looking for them, There's nowhere they can go. We can be in the midst of the
darkness. If God shines the light of the gospel, we cannot hide
from it. But God knew Saul and set his
love and mercy upon him. God knew David. God chose David
before ever David was born. He chose him, that young shepherd
boy. He chose him to be set as king
of Israel, but he chose him more than that which he knew in this
world. He chose him unto salvation. David's life Though he knew the
truth, though he knew God, though he heard the gospel, though he
knew the gospel, David's life was full of rebellion, full of
foolishness, full of sin. He fell so many times and yet
God loved him. David writes in Psalm 139 that
we read earlier, O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. Thou hast searched me and known
me. Thou knowest my down-sitting
and mine up-rising. Thou understandest my thought
afar off. Thou compassest my path and my
lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is
not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and
before and laid Thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto
it. The Lord knows me. He knows me
inside out. He knows where I go. He knows
where I've come from. He knows my every thought, my
every imagination, my every utterance. He knows my motives. He knows
my heart. And if we're His, He watches
over us in all things. He protects us. He guides us. He leads us. O Lord, thou hast
searched me and known me. Whither shall I go from thy spirit,
or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up
into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall
I hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say,
surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light
about me. Yea, the darkness hide if not
from thee, but the night shine if has the day. The darkness
and the light are both alike to thee, for thou has possessed
my reins. Thou has covered me in my mother's
womb. I will praise thee for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. marvellous are thy works and
that my soul knoweth right well my substance was not hid from
thee when i was made in secret and curiously wrought in lowest
parts of the earth thine eyes did see my substance yet being
unperfect and in thy book all my members were written which
in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of
them how precious also are thy thoughts unto me oh god how great
is the sum of them If I should count them, they are more in
number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with
thee. Before he was born, when he was
in his mother's womb, when his substance wasn't even formed,
when God's eyes did see his substance yet being imperfect, when he
was but a cell in his mother's womb, Before ever he was formed,
before ever he grew, before ever he was born, before ever he grew
as a man, God knew him. And God's force was set upon
him. God loved him. Before ever he
was, he knew him. Obviously this psalm, as with
all the psalms, points us unto Christ. In whom his people are. God's
love, His affection is set upon His Son. He watched over His
Son every day of His life. He walked with Him, He knew Him,
they were one. But David in Christ, loved of
God, knew this. He knew what it was to be in
Christ. He knew what it was to be loved
of God, chosen of God. He knew God's presence. And God knew him, O Lord, thou
hast searched me and known me. How precious are thy thoughts
unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with
thee. God thinks on his people. Continually, how many are his
thoughts? He creates the world, he brings
all things to pass throughout all history, perfectly, so that
each and every one of his people, upon whom he has set his great
love, should be brought to know him, should be brought to live
in Christ. should be brought perfectly under
salvation. All history works together for
the good of everyone whom God loves. This is a people whom
God knows. He's thinking about every one
of them. in so many ways every day. Every minutia of their lives
are known under Him. Every trial they pass through
are known under Him. Every casting down of their hearts,
everything that troubles them, everything that comes in their
way, He knows. And by grace and in mercy, He
sends these things for their good and He brings them through
them. He leads them forth by the right
way. He set his great love upon them. O Lord, thou hast searched me
and known me. Does he know you? Does he know
you? And do you know him? There's
no way you can go to escape the gaze of this God, there's nowhere
we can go to hide from him. And do we know him? His love,
his grace, his mercy. Jeremiah knew. Jeremiah knew
the love of God, that passive knowledge. He wrote, the Lord
have appeared of old unto me. saying yea I have loved thee
with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindness have I drawn
thee I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with
loving kindness have I drawn thee this is the love that David
knew though in his sin though guilty of so much God loved him
everlastingly and drew him with loving kindness. Though Peter
denied Christ thrice, with cursing and bitterness, Christ looked
upon him in love, with an everlasting love, and with loving kindness
he drew him. Though Mary Magdalene was a sinner,
a great sinner, exposed before all. She knew the love and the
mercy of a God who loved her with an everlasting love. This love is from everlasting.
to everlasting. As the psalmist writes in Psalm
103, but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
upon them that fear him. It has no beginning and no end. God has always loved his own,
he always purposed to deliver them from themselves, from their
sin, from their iniquity. He gave his son, he gave himself
for them. He washed them in his blood.
He loved them. He loves them. He will love them. The mercy of the Lord is from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him. God commendeth
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died
for us. But God who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were
dead in sins, Christ hath quickened us together with him. He loves
his own and he shows mercy. everlasting mercy unto sinners
that deserve it not. Oh, how we need this mercy. How we need it. How you need
it. How I need it. Each and every
day. Do you need this mercy? Do you
know you need this mercy? Do you know you need? This love. Every day. The forgiveness of
God for your sins. The washing away of your iniquity
in the blood of Christ. How wonderful to know this mercy. How wonderful to know the grace
of God. How wonderful to know that it
is from everlasting to everlasting. It cannot be exhausted. It can
never be exhausted. It can never be escaped. The
child of God can never escape from it. It's always there. No
matter how much we may fall, no matter how cold we may grow
in our own hearts, no matter how much we may fail our Lord,
no matter how guilty we may be, No matter how much we may doubt
or fall or stumble, God's love is always there. There's nowhere
that we can go in this world to escape it. There's nothing
we can do to put ourselves outside of its reach. We can plunge ourselves
into the darkness of night and our sin, but when we wake, The
Lord is still with us. When I awake I am still with
thee. His love is there. The blood
of Christ cleanseth from every sin. He has loved his people
with an everlasting love. Endlessly. He loves them to the
end. He loves them beyond the end.
He loves them into eternity. He loves them endlessly. As we
read in John now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus
knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of
this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the
world, he loved them unto the end. They never escaped his love. But that love went beyond the
end. It took them into eternity. It's beyond all. It's from everlasting
to everlasting. I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. An everlasting love. A love which
is free. A love which comes through the
mercy of God. A love which is by grace. By grace. But God commended His
love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. While we were yet sinners. God
who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved
us, even when we were dead in sins, have quickened us together
with Christ. By grace ye are saved. and have raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that
in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For
by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. This love, His love, His great
love, brought Him to save His people
by grace. Not because of their works. Not
because of their decision. Though they never worked. Though
they were in sin. Though their righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. Though they made the wrong decision.
Though they put Christ to death in their hearts. He gave them
faith to believe. He comes in his gospel and he
opens the eyes and causes the blind to see. He touches the
deaf ears and causes the deaf to hear. He gives those in darkness
faith to see the light. Because he gave his son in their
place. as an offering for them. While
they were yet in their sins, while we believer were dead in
sins, Christ died for us. He died for us. He quickens us. He gives us life. He raises us
up. He causes us to sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He justified us. He made us righteous in Him. The law can find no fault in
us because we're in Him. He is our righteousness. He is
our life. He is our sanctification. He
set us apart in Him. He sanctified us in Him. He set
us apart as holy and perfect and righteous in Him. He saved
us with an everlasting salvation. And He did so freely, by grace,
because of His great mercy and His great love. that in the ages
to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. Oh has God commended his love
to you? In that while you were yet a
sinner Christ died for you. Has he commended his love unto
you? Has God, who is rich in mercy,
made known His great love to you? Or do you sit in the darkness
and turn aside? O that He should come unto us
in the Gospel in particular, and call us by our name. And though we hated, and though
we sinned, Oh that he should make known this love, his great
love, his great love. John writes in Revelation to
the churches in Asia and says unto them, oh that we might know
something of this. John to the seven churches which
are in Asia, grace be unto you and peace from him which is,
and which was, and which is to come, and from the seven spirits
which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is
the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and
the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us,
and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and have made
us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory
and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Can you pray that of a God that
loved you? Can you sing praise? unto him
that loved me and washed me from my sins in his own blood. Oh what great love God has for
his people. Amen.