The Rule and Motive of God's People

You turn in your Bibles, if you
will, to the Gospel of Saint John, chapter 13. I'd like to
read two verses here, and then we'll go back to Romans 12. Two
verses from John's Gospel, chapter 13, verse 34 and 35. Listen to these
two verses. A new commandment I give unto
you that you love one another, as I have loved you that you
also love one another. By this shall all men know that
you are my disciples, if you have love one to another." Now
if you turn back in your Bibles to the book of Romans, the 12th
chapter, I like to read verse 9 and verse 10. Verse 9 and verse
10 here, let love be without dissimulation, abhor that which
is evil, cleave to that which is good, be kindly affectionated
one to another with brotherly love in honor preferring one
another. Now, there's been a great deal
of talk and many things written about the believer's rule of
life, the believer's rule and motive for that which they do
in this life. And many feel that the believer's
rule of faith and rule of life is the law of God, the Ten Commandments,
the Decalogue. But I want this morning, if we
can, to study this subject and I hope that God will be pleased
to give us some help this morning in our hearts. Certainly God's
children in this world are a source of confusion and I think even
irritation to natural men, both those who are religious and profane. I think that it's very difficult
to understand what makes us tick. It's very difficult to understand
what our motive is, why we do the things that we do, why we
act and react as we do as the people of God. Now the world,
we're told in 1 John 3 and 1, the world knoweth us not because
it knew him not. The world can't understand us
any more than they could understand the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now unlike the whirling believers, we're not ruled and
motivated by selfish desires and interest as the people of
the world are. There's a difference in the people
of God. What they're ruled by is altogether
different than what men of this world are ruled by. Believers
follow the Lord Jesus Christ. We are followers of Christ. We've
heard His voice and we follow Him. Children of God are followers
of the Lord Jesus. Now they aim to walk in his steps
and they seek and are ruled and motivated by the same thing that
ruled and motivated him when he was here in this world in
his earthly ministry. Now the believer's attitude and
his conduct and his decisions are dictated by his love toward
God and his love toward the Lord's people. Now I believe that love and patience with men, it causes
him to obey, I believe, the commandments of the Word of God and to be
that toward others which the Bible tells him that he ought
to be. Now in all things, I think, the
believer seeks the glory of God and the good of his brethren.
Now, brethren, love is a debt. Love is a debt that we owe to
one another. Scripture says in Romans 13 that,
owe no man anything, but to love one another. So love is a debt
that we owe to one another and a debt which, if we are right,
we will enjoy paying. It's a debt that we'll enjoy
paying to each other. Now, love is not just a sentimental
notion or emotion or a passion. It's an affection. It's an affection
of the heart that is seen in all the actions of life. Paul
says here in verse 10, Be kindly affectionate one to another with
brotherly love in honor preferring one another. And he tells us
specifically what this business of being kindly affectionate
and toward one another with brotherly love, what it means. He says,
in honor preferring one another. Now love calls us men and women
to prefer one another. Love prefers the comfort It prefers
the well-being and pleasure of its object to its own comfort,
well-being, and pleasure. Love always defers to its object. Now listen, there are three things
that I want to mention here this morning and talk a little bit
about at this phase of our message, and I'd like for you to get these
things. Number one, love is the evidence of life and faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in order to be able to establish
the truth that I want to set forth here this morning, it's
necessary for us to take these steps. Number one, love is the
evidence of life and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I want
you to look back here into the Gospel of, or into the book of
1 John, if you please, the book of 1 John, and I want you to
notice in the fourth chapter, and notice in verse 8, and listen
to what this says, He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God
is love. Now this scripture plainly states
that if a man doesn't have love in his heart, both for God and
for his brethren, that he does not know God, that he knoweth
not God. He doesn't have the life of God
in him, he doesn't have the knowledge, he's not intimately acquainted
with Jesus Christ, with God the Father, through the Lord Jesus
Christ, that he knows not God. And then we read to you this
morning out of the Gospel of John chapter 13. And in verse
35 there, you remember that it said there, By this shall all
men know that you're my disciples, that you have love one to another. And then in 1 John 3 here, and
verse 14 it says, a very familiar verse, We know that we've passed
from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that
loveth not his brother abideth in death. He abideth in death. He abides in spiritual death.
He is dead. He is not alive in the Lord.
He's not a child of God if he does not love his brethren. Now
all who are born of God then love one another. All who have
faith in Christ They love Christ and His people. Now, if I do
not truly love my brethren, then I am not born of God. I'm not
a child of God. Therefore, I cannot act toward
my brethren as I ought to. But really and truthfully, I'm
still dead in sin. All of my motives are still selfish. All of my desires are still carnal. They're still after the flesh.
And therefore, I cannot possibly be to my brethren what I ought
to be. The first fruit of the Spirit The first and foremost
fruit of the Spirit, I believe, is love in the heart. Now, the
second thing I want to say is this, that love is what our Master,
the Lord Jesus Christ, has taught us by His own example. Now, if you were to turn back
to the same 13th chapter of the Gospel of John, I'd like to read
to you verses 12 through 15. I'm telling you that the Lord
Jesus Christ, by His example, has taught us an example. He has given us an example to
follow. And here in John 13, beginning
with verse 12, So after He had washed their feet, and had taken
His garments, and was set down again, He said to them, Know
ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord, and
ye say, Well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master,
have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example
that you should do as I have done to you." I've given you
an example that you should do as I've done to you. Not necessarily
that you should start another ordinance in the church, and
have the ordinance of foot washing after you have the communion
service, but he says here that we ought to follow his example
and serve the brethren. Now, I believe this, that love
serves. What does love do? Well, it serves.
How can love be defined? Well, it serves. Now, Jesus here
washed his disciples' feet because they needed washing. because
it was comforting and refreshing to them to have their feet washed. He served their needs and he
did it because he loved them. Now let me say love or the absence
of love is easily detected. It is very easily detected. Now
someone said love means live for. Live for. Well, I can think
of no better definition outside the inspired scriptures than
that of love, meaning to live for. It means to serve one another. Love always involves commitment. It involves sacrifice. It involves
self-denial. Now, if you and I will be honest
with ourselves, we'll know whether or not we love one another, and
by that, whether or not we love God or not, if we're really honest
in our hearts. Now, in 1 John 4 and verse 20,
here's a scripture that is tremendous, and I'd like to read that quickly
to you. 1 John 4 and verse 20. Listen to what it says here.
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? Now listen to me this morning,
if the example of the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us anything, I
believe it is this, that if I love you, I willingly serve you. I will willingly serve your needs,
using whatever I have at my disposal to minister to your needs, both
physical and spiritual. Now, in 1 John 3 and 17, here's
a scripture here that I think would be possible if we looked
at quickly here, 1 John 3 and verse 17, But whoso hath this
world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shut up his bowel
of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? And so
we can see how love means to live for. That if we have the
ability to minister to our poor brethren, if we have the ability
to minister to our brethren who are spiritually down, then we
ought to do so. And if we have these means and
will not minister, then how does the love of God dwell in us?
Certainly it does not dwell in us. because it is not active
and we are not serving, don't you see? And the very object,
I believe, of the example of the Lord Jesus Christ was to
show us that we ought to serve one another. Love will not allow
its object to suffer any need it has the ability to relieve. Love not only wishes well, it
does well. In James 2, verses 15 and 16,
we read these words. Listen to these words. If a brother
or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you
say unto them, Depart in peace, be you warmed and filled, notwithstanding
you give them not those things which are needful to the body,
then what doth it profit? And so the point I'm making is
here that love freely, that love freely gives and ministers and
it serves one another. Now this is important as we keep
building on this subject. I want to say that if I love
you also, in this business of serving one another, that if
I love you, I'll freely forgive your offenses done to me and
I do this for Christ's sake. I don't do it because it's easy,
and I don't do it because it's something that just makes for
a better relationship, although it does, but I do it for Christ's
sake. You'd be surprised at the number
of people that you meet in just little groups of people scattered
out here and there across the country who has a major battle
and problem with this business of forgiving one another, just
having the ability to forgive each other. Now, in Ephesians
4 and verse 32, it says, Be a kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath
forgiven you. Now, love, my friend, cannot
harbor malice, it cannot harbor ill feelings, and vengeance toward
its objects. It cannot. If I love you, I cover
your faults. I excuse your weaknesses. I hide
your sins and I promote your honorable qualities and characteristics. Now my brother, my sister, there
are many things that the Bible says that we need to listen to. I recognize and I'm not here
this morning preaching myself. That's one of the things that
I want to make crystal clear every time I stand before you
is that my object in preaching is not just simply to preach
to you wherein I have myself progressed and try to bring you
to that state, but my object in preaching the Word is that
you'll know what the Word of God says and that the although
I ought to be an example for you to follow in some areas I
might not have come as far as the standard but I want to set
the standard before you not just where I progress to and I'll
tell you this this morning this is a very difficult area of life
I know of cases after case where people have problems right here. They're just not able to deal
with this business of covering the faults of others. But listen
to me, in Proverbs 10 and 12 it said, Hatred stirreth up strifes,
but love covereth all sins. Love covereth all sins. Now love views its object in
the best, the most favorable light that is possible. I'm talking
about the rule, that which would motivate us in our life, in our
conduct and attitude and decisions toward one another. Now, if I
love you, I'm patient, I'm kind, I'm long-suffering with you.
Just listen to Ephesians chapter 5 and verses 1 here and 2. Ephesians 5 verses 1 and 2, just
as quick as I can turn to it here, I'll read it to you. This
scripture is one that has been a blessing to me, and I hope
I've marked it here, but I can find it if you just give me a
minute. Ephesians chapter 5, and I want to read verse 1 and
2. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children, and
walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself
for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling Savior. walk in love is what verse 2
says as Christ also hath loved us and so we're to be patient
kind and Long-suffering with one another now if I've loved
you if I love you, I pray for you I bear your burdens and I
share your joys and I attempt to encourage you now in first
Corinthians 12 and 26 it says and whether one member suffer
all the members suffer with it and or one member be honored,
all the members rejoice with it." And in Galatians 6 and 2
it says, "...bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law
of Christ." Now, the third thing I want to say is this. I've said
two things already, and this is the third. Love is the law
that governs the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Love is the law. Now,
somebody said, well, what do you mean by that? Well, you just
listen to what I'm saying here. Love is the law of the kingdom
of Christ. Our relationship to one another
in the body of Christ obliges us to love one another. We are
fellow citizens. We're members one of another. We're members of one family,
a brotherhood of believers. The Church of God is a fraternity
of love, if you please. I give you no law, I give you
no rule of life, I give you no commandment, but this, in 1 Peter
2 and 7, it says, love the brotherhood. Love the brotherhood. Now if
we love one another, we'll do right by one another. Is that
true or is it not? Love, Paul tells us, is the fulfilling
of the law. If we love God and love our neighbors
ourselves, if we love one another, then we'll do right by one another. Now God rules this world by law
because the world is full of rebels and rebels must have law. But God's rule in his house is
They rule of love. Now he makes no other requirements
of his children. This is our master's commandment.
May he give us grace to obey it. And that is love one another
as I have loved you. Love one another as I have loved
you now a new commandment. I've given to you that you love
one another So as I have loved you that you also love one another
that's john 13 and 34 now This is the commandment of god. This
is the new commandment He says that I give you that you love
one another and in first john 4 and 21 and this commandment
have we from him that he who loveth God love his brother also. Now this is the commandment that
we have of him that he that love God love his brother also. So my friend, I think we have
built and established here and shown that the very evidence
that we have spiritual life is the fact that we have love in
our hearts toward one another, and that the example that the
Lord Jesus Christ, that He has given unto us in His Word, that
this very example is one of love and service toward one another,
and that the rule of the kingdom of God is the rule of love. This is the law of His house,
love toward one another. Now then we come back to Romans
chapter 12 here, and there's some other things that we must
notice. And I want you to look here, if you will, in verse 14
in Romans chapter 12, where it says, Bless them which persecute
you, bless and curse not. And then we drop down to verse
17, where it says, Recompense to no man, evil for evil, provide
things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as
much as life in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved
avenge not yourself, but rather give place unto wrath, for it
is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore, if thine enemy hunger feed him, if he thirst, give
him drink. For in so doing, thou shalt heap
coals of fire on his head, be not overcome of evil, but overcome
evil with good. Now then, remembering those verses
and keeping your finger there, I want you to turn back to Matthew's
Gospel, chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5 and I want
us to begin with verse 43 in our reading here and read down
through verse 48 Listen to this You have heard that it hath been
said thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy But I say
unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to
them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you
and persecute you that ye may be the children of your Father
which is in heaven. For he maketh his Son to rise
on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just
and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love
you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the
same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?
Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even
as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. But now back up to
that 44th verse. But I say unto you, love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that despitefully
use you. Now these, my friend, are tall
orders indeed. In every way what we read here
in Romans chapter 12 that Paul told us and also what we read
in Matthew chapter 5 that the Lord Jesus Christ instructed
us to do, in every way these things are contrary to the pride
and to the wisdom of the flesh. Now, I want you to listen to
something. I'm talking about the rule of life, that which
motivates the believer in this world. Now, when it comes to
this aspect of our walk in this world, there are many, many people
that are confused, wondering what we ought to do and how we
should react. toward those that are our enemies
in this world and those that despitefully use us and persecute
us in this world. Now I've told you what you ought
to do toward each other as the people of God and we've established
that this morning and that has to do with our walk toward one
another and our love toward one another and our service Toward
one another but what about those who are those that are considered
to be our enemies now We cannot ignore what Paul said here and
what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 Those who are born
of God like Christ himself. I believe love their enemies
They love their enemies. Now, I said that this was a very
tall order and I said this was contrary to the pride and the
wisdom of the flesh. It really is. It's a very, very
difficult thing to do to love your enemies. Sometimes we have
difficulty loving those that are very near to us and those
right around us and just being able to look over, as it were,
their faults and their problems, but the scripture says we ought
to even love our enemies. Well, what does this mean? How
can a man love his enemy? Well, what I believe it means
is that we abhor no malice, and it certainly would not be the
thing that I ought to do as a child of God. I should not seek to
bring revenge upon those who are my enemies. Now then, I think
it also means this opportunity arises according to our abilities
that we should do whatever good we can for our enemies. Because
in verse 20 it says, Romans 12, Therefore thine enemy hunger
feed him, if he thirst give him drink, for in so doing thou shalt
heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil. When
are we overcome of evil? We're overcome of evil when we
say, that fellow did me a wrong and I'm going to revenge it,
I'm going to seek vengeance upon him, I'm going to get the best
of him. Well, now beloved, what has happened
here is that evil has overcome us. We say, well somebody done
this to us and we're going to go out and do the same against
them that we have been overcome of evil. And it says, be not
overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. And so a child
of God, the rule of the child of God is that you overcome evil
by doing good. That's the rule. Now, I do not
mean that we should simply ignore them and leave them alone. We
should seek opportunity to do good for them who desire nothing
but evil against us. We should attempt to do them
good. Is this not what Christ has done for us? Perhaps God
will use the good that we do towards them to overcome the
evil of their hearts. And the scripture says also in
verse 14, bless them which persecute you, bless and curse not. And I think also that we should
pray for our enemies, seeking God's mercy on their behalf.
Thank God Christ prayed for his enemies, else we all would have
perished. And I believe that we have not
begun to imitate the love of Christ until we love our enemies,
until we pray for them. and minister to them, and nothing
but divine grace can teach us to do so. Only the grace of God
can enable us to be that toward our enemies. Only the grace of
God can enable us to. But now, I want to look at another
aspect of this in our walk as the people of God. And we've
talked now about how we're to conduct ourselves toward one
another, and we've talked also about how we're to deal with
our enemies, but there's something else that we need to see. And
I want you to turn to Psalm 139, and I want you to look at verse
21 and 22. Verses 21 and 22. We are taught of God to love our
enemies, but now listen to these verses. Verse 21 and 22 of Psalm
139, Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee? And am not I
grieved with those that rise up against Thee? I hate them
with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies. Now this is the statement of
King David. I believe that we love our enemies
but love for Christ and the gospel of His grace, love for His people,
love for the glory of God necessitates a perfect hatred in us toward
Christ's enemies, toward the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this is very important that
we consider this because some people think that we're bigots
Some people think that you and I just feel like we're just a
little bit above everybody else, but the truth of the matter is
we love one another and we love our enemies, but those who are
enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ and enemies of the gospel, we
do have a hatred toward them Like David expressed, we have
no vindicative spirit or desire against our personal enemies
as we said because we do have a love for them. But now this
hatred of God's enemies has nothing to do with personal vengeance.
It has nothing to do with personal vengeance. It is a desire that
God's name be honored. It is a desire that His glory
be vindicated and truth established by the just and righteous retribution
of God upon those who oppose His Word and His Kingdom. It
is a perfect and righteous hatred of false religion and of all
promoters of false religion and of all false prophets. Now you
listen to me. Or you're not going to have,
you're not going to be able to reconcile some of the scriptures
that you read in this book. Now listen to me. Let me show
you that this spirit is perfectly consistent with the spirit of
the prophets and the apostles and glorified saints above. David said, Do not I hate them,
O Lord, that hate Thee, and not I grieve with those that rise
up against Thee? I hate them with a perfect hatred.
I count them mine enemies. Those are the verses I just read
to you. And then Paul said, if any man love not the Lord Jesus
Christ, let him be anathema maranatha. If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him go to hell. When Christ comes back in judgment,
let him go to hell. Let him suffer the judgment of
God for all eternity. Referring that's in 1st Corinthians
16 and 22. Now referring to all preachers of free will, works
religion, Paul wrote, if any man preach any other gospel unto
you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians
1 and 9. He said concerning those enemies
of the cross of Christ, the preachers of the law, he said, I would
that they were even cut off, which trouble you. That's in
Galatians 5 and verse 12. I would they were cut off. that
their life was suddenly, that their light was put out, that
they were suddenly cut off from among the living. And the saints
in heaven continually cry with a loud voice, Revelation 5 and
10, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not
judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Any man who preaches a false gospel But any man who denies
the redemptive glory of Christ, the factual atonement, opposing
the Spirit's efficacious grace, despising God's glorious sovereignty,
promoting Arminianism, freewillism, decisionism, and works salvation
is my enemy because he is God's enemy. He's an enemy of the God
of the Bible. He would, by his false gospel,
ruin the souls of men, disannul the covenant of grace, frustrate
the grace of God, and rob Jesus Christ of all the glory that
is due his name. Now, the preachers, I might say, of
legal works are the enemies, not the friends of the Lord Jesus
Christ. They're the enemies of Christ.
Philippians 3 and 18. Therefore I count them my enemies. I count them on it whose judgment
now of a long time lingereth not and their damnation slumbereth
not. 2 Peter 2 and verse 3. Now what I've said is this, that
my rule of conduct toward you is the love of God in my heart.
And that if I love God as I ought, that I will do you right, and
that I'll look out for you, and that I'll serve you, just like
the Lord Jesus loved us and showed His love. And we read right here
in the book of 1 John, and I wanted to read it to you. 1 John 3 and
16, it says, Hereby I perceive we the love of God, because He
laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren. And so in service toward one
another, we serve one another because we love one another as
brethren. And then I showed you this is
the rule of his house. This is the rule of Israel. I
don't want anything else you got except I want the love of
God that's in your soul toward me. That's what I want. I don't
want you to walk by any bylaws that we might be able to generate
around here and produce. I want you just to love God and
do what that love dictates that you ought to do toward me. and
toward each other. That's what I want you to do.
That's the law of God's house. That's the rule of God's house.
Love is the fulfilling of the law. And then you must love your
enemies. You must not go out and seek
vengeance and try to take vengeance on your enemies. You must bless
them that curse you and you must pray for them that despitefully
use you. And then I want you to have a
perfect hatred in your heart for the enemies of Jesus Christ.
For those who preach false doctrine, for those who deny the truth
of God, for those, like we said, that would disannul the covenant
of grace, that would frustrate God's grace, those that would
rob Jesus Christ of His glory, I want you to have a perfect
hatred against their doctrine and their word. Paul said, let
them be anathema. Paul said, let them be cut off.
I would they were. Paul had the right attitude.
Don't you believe he did? Don't you believe David had the
right attitude toward the enemies of the Lord? I believe he did.
I believe he did. And I believe those that are
in heaven, that they have the right attitude toward those that
took their lives while they were on earth. How long, O Lord, will
it be before you avenge the blood of those that took our lives
on earth? How long will it be? Well, I'll
tell you something this morning. I believe that if we can get
these things in our minds and hearts that we'll see how we're
to walk in this world. We'll see how we're to walk in
our travels here in this world as the people of God and what
our attitude ought to be toward each other, toward our enemies,
and toward the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our religion
is indeed a religion of love. It is indeed love for God, love
for his people, and love for all those who are our enemies. but it involves also a perfect
hatred toward those who are the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think often of how preachers
that I've heard of, that I know of, how they rob God of His glory
and how they frustrate God's grace and the message of grace
that's found in this book. And sometimes you wonder about
your feelings toward them, but my soul, it certainly is scriptural,
to feel ill toward those that are desecrating the truth of
God and those that slaughter men's souls by lying to them
and lying on God. And anytime a man gets up and
misrepresents God and lies on God, I think we have a right
to feel some true hatred, scriptural hatred in our hearts toward them
and toward their doctrine. And so if this church looks like
it's just a little group that's gathered together down here just
somehow or other to look like we're just a bunch of bigots
and that we just don't like anybody and that we can't agree with
anybody, well, I trust that you'll be able to see this morning exactly
why we walk as we do and why we keep separate as we do. It's
because of the teaching of the Word of God. But may God bind
our hearts so together that all men will know that we're his
disciples because of the love that we have toward one another
as his people. Being members one of another. Being members of the one family
of the living God. Being brothers and sisters in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, may God bless these things
to your heart. You pray for me. Pray for me.
Father, we give thanks this morning now that we've been enabled to
come and bring these thoughts and I pray that the word will
be blessed and that you'll use it, our Father, in our hearts.
Give us remembrance of it and give us strength, our Father,
to walk in the light of what you have taught us and what you've
shown us. We pray it for Jesus' sake, in
his name, amen.

The Rule and Motive of God's People

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The Rule and Motive of God's People

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