Would you turn back to Romans
chapter 8? The love of Christ. Paul says in verse 35, who shall
separate us from the love of Christ. Now it's important for
us to understand that the us is not a generic us. The us is
the us spoken of in verse 28, and we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose, the them of verse 28. They are
the ones in verse 29 described, for whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. The us are described
in verse 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. With the us of
verse 31, what should we say to these things? If God be for
us, who can be against us? Verse 32, he that spared not
his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? Now that's who the us is. God's
elect. Those the father gave Christ
before time began. Now understand, that if this
is not understood, this whole passage is meaningless. Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? This is no generic us. This is talking about those people
that Christ loves. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Now, when Paul speaks of the
love of Christ, he's speaking of his love to his people. And he is also speaking of the
love of his people to him. Both of those things are included
in this passage of scripture. Now, why do you mention our love
to him being included? Well, who shall separate us from
the love of Christ? So tribulation, trials, would
that cause Christ to stop loving you because you're in trial or
because you were persecuted for his sake or because you didn't
have enough? Actually, he's talking specifically about our love to
him. Yes, he's speaking of his love to us, but he's also speaking
of our love. to him. We love him, John said, because
he first loved us. If he loves you, you will love
him. His love never goes unrequited. Now, Something that can never cease
is the love of Christ to His people. He can't stop loving you. And
something that can never cease is our love to Him. If we ever
love Him, we'll never stop loving Him. You know, human love can
cease. How many times have people been
in love with each other and fall in love with each other, and
they fall out of love with each other, and even come to hate
one another. Human love can cease, but divine
love never ceases. Christ will never cease to love
his people, and his people will never cease to love him. Turn to John 15 for a moment.
I want to speak for a few moments about Christ's love to us from
John chapter 15. Verse 9. As the father hath loved me. Now you think of the father's
love to his son. As the father. hath loved me,
so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. Now I
love to think about the love of the father to the son. Isn't
that a pleasant thing to think about? To think about how the
father loves the son. The father loveth the son, and
hath given all things into his hands. Now this is a love that
had no beginning. There was never a time when he
began to love his son. This love is eternal. It never
has a beginning. It never has an ending. And the
father's love to his son is certainly not unconditional. He loves him
because he's altogether lovely. He looks at his son and he's
pleased with everything about him. He loves him. We ought to
strike from our vocabulary this thing of unconditional love.
There's no such thing. No such thing. God loves his
son because he's altogether lovely. Question. Can God love his son
any more than he does? You know the answer to that question? No. Can the father love the son
any less than he does? The answer to that question is
no. And what a giving love he has
toward his son. He says to his son, ask me what
you will, and I'll give you the heathen for your inheritance.
Now, the Lord Jesus says to us, as the father hath loved me,
So have I loved you. Christ's love to his people is
eternal. Behold, I've loved you with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. And Christ's love to his people
is not unconditional. I hear people talk about the
unconditional love of God. Now wait a minute, listen to
this scripture. Christ says in the song of Solomon to his spouse,
thou art all fair my love. There is no spot in me. You know
the reason why he loves his people? Because there's no spot in them.
They're all together lovely to him. He says, thou hast ravished
my heart, my sister, my spouse. Thou hast ravished my heart with
one of thine eyes. How fair is thy love. How much
better is thy love than wine. That's what the Lord says to
every one of his people. It's not an unconditional love.
He loves you because you're all together lovely to him. Christ
loved the church and gave himself for it that he might present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing. That's how all of God's people
are before Christ. That's what he accomplished on
the cross. Isn't that glorious? He made it to where I am, always
have been, and always will be lovely to God. Can Christ love
me any more than he does? No. Can Christ love me any less
than he does? Absolutely not. Now that is the
love of Christ to his people, the love that we cannot be separated
from. Nothing can separate us from
his love. John 13 one says, having loved
his own, he loved them. to the end. He can't love us more and he
can't love us less. Paul said in Galatians chapter
220, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that
I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God
who loved me and gave himself for me. Turn with me for a moment to
Ephesians chapter 3. Verse 17, Ephesians chapter 3 verse 17,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you, being
rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with
all saints what is the breadth and the length, and the depth,
and the height, and to know the love of Christ, which passes
knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness
of God, that you might know the breadth of His love. You see,
there's a wideness to His love in there. That you might know
the length of His love. infinite. It never had a beginning. It'll never end. And the depth
of His love. How far did He reach down to
save me or you? And the height. How high has He lifted us up
even to His very throne? Right now, while I'm speaking
to you, I'm seated in Christ in heavenly places right now. That's high, isn't it? Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? It cannot be done. And there's nothing that can
stop us from loving him. Now look what he says in our
text back in Romans chapter eight. Verse 35, who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, circumstantial
troubles, you have plenty of those, don't you? You have circumstances
that are troubling. Will that cause you to quit loving
Christ? It sure won't cause him to quit loving you, and it won't
cause you to quit loving him. What about distress, inward troubles,
inward sorrows that no man sees? the Jew. Will that cause you
to stop loving him? No. It hadn't yet, has it? And
it won't ever. What about persecution? Of course
Christ will not stop loving his people because they're persecuted
for his sake. This is more of a reference to our love to him.
You can't cause a believer to quit loving him by persecuting
him, torture him to death. They can't stop loving Christ. Nothing should separate us from
the love of Christ. What about famine, starvation,
not having enough to eat? Would that cause you to stop
loving Christ? No, you'd be glad to do it for his sake. What about
nakedness, lack of shelter or clothing? Will that stop you
from loving Christ if you don't have enough? No, it won't. You
see, this is a love that cannot be extinguished. It's the gift
of God. It's a product of the divine
nature. That's why it can never leave. What about nakedness,
lack of shelter, lack of clothing? Would that stop you from loving
Christ? No, it wouldn't. What about peril, sudden calamities?
What about the sword, violence? None of those things can make
a believer stop loving Christ. You see, this love to Christ
that a believer has is divine. It's not the product of human
nature. It's divine. It's placed there when he places
a new heart there, and it cannot be extinguished. No one, no thing,
can separate us from the love of Christ. Now we know, if you
have any love to Christ, you know where it came from. You
know it came from Him. And you know if you love Him,
it's because He caused you to do so. You say from the depth
of your heart we love Him because He first loved us. You trace
your love to His love, not to anything in you, but you know
because it's divine, it's the gift of His grace, you'll never
stop loving Him. You see, we see Him as altogether
glorious and altogether lovely. That's how we see Jesus Christ.
Oh, how we stand in awe at his being, his person. He's God. He's man. How mysterious. How glorious. He's the creator. He's the ancient
of days. He's the absolute sovereign of
the universe. He's in control of everything.
And he's a man. The man Christ Jesus. Oh, how we love his attributes.
We love his holiness. We love His sovereignty. We love the fact that He controls
everything and everybody. We love His power. Whatever He
wills, He has the power to accomplish. We love His wisdom, how He's
made a way to be just and justify the ungodly. We love His immutability,
how He never changes. Jesus Christ, the same. We love
His independence, how He's in need of nothing. We're completely
dependent on him who is independent. We love every attribute of the
Lord Jesus Christ that he's been pleased to reveal regarding himself
in his word. We love him, don't we? We love
him. He's altogether lovely. We love his heart. Don't you
love that Christ is meek? and lowly in heart, and that
he who is so high is lowly and the friend of publicans and sinners."
We love his gospel. It's the gospel of Christ. How
it glorifies God and gives Him all the glory and salvation.
And how safe and secure it is for us. It completely saves us. How we love the Gospel of Christ.
We love His offices. We love Him as God's prophet,
don't we? We love him as God's priest who can bring us into
God's presence. We love him as God's king and
we ask him to rule and reign over us and cause us to do his
will. We love his glory. We love the
glory he achieved in salvation. It all goes to him and we love
it that way. And we cannot abide anything
that gives man any glory at all because we love his glory. We
love the glory he achieved as the complete savior of sinners,
how he glorified his father and magnified every attribute of
God when he willingly went to the cross. How we love his presence. I love
that song, How Tedious. and tasteless the hours when
Jesus no longer I see. Sweet prospects, sweet birds,
and sweet flowers have all lost their sweetness to me. The midsummer
sun shines but dim. The fields strive in vain to
look gay, but when I am happy in him, December's as pleasant
as May. His name yields the richest perfume
and sweeter than honey his voice. His presence disperses my gloom
and makes all within me rejoice. I would, were he always thus
nigh, have nothing to wish or to fear. No mortal as happy as
I, my summers would last all the year, content with beholding
his face. My all to his pleasure resigned. No changes of season or place
could make any change in my mind. When blessed with a sense of
his love, a palace, a toy would appear, and prisons would palaces
prove if Jesus would dwell with me there. You see, his presence
is everything. Heaven is what? being in His
presence, beholding His face. We love His people. You know,
anybody that loves Jesus Christ, I love. They're the excellent
of the earth. Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians
5.14, the love of Christ constraineth us. His love to us and our love
to him constraineth us. And let me give you the other
words that are translated by this one word. It's also translated
holds. The love of Christ holds us,
won't let us go. It keeps us. It presses upon
us. The word's actually translated
sick. Lovesick. What a blessed sickness. Lovesick. It stops us. Oh, it stops us. What would we do if his love
didn't keep us? It puts us in a strait. Paul
said, I'm in a strait betwixt the two, for I desire to depart
and be with Christ, which is far better. It takes us and it throngs us. Those are the words that are
used to translate this one word. The love of Christ constrains
us. Now back to our text. It says
in verse 36, as it's written, for thy sake, we are killed all
the day long. We are counted as sheep for the
slaughter. Now, for thy sake, because of
your love to us that causes us to love you, we're killed all
the day long. Now, the world will never love
that one who loves Christ. You can just count on that. They'll
hate what he says about Christ, they'll hate what he says about
man, and they'll hate what he says about salvation, and they'll
kill him daily. They'll want to. They won't have
any love for what you say with regard to the Lord Jesus Christ
or how you feel toward Him. And if they could, they'd kill
you physically. We're killed for thy sake, we're killed all
the day long. If they don't kill your body,
they'll kill your character or some other form of persecution. Paul
put it this way in Galatians 6.14, God forbid that I should
glory, saving the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me. That's how I see the world in
light of the cross, and I unto the world. That's how the world
sees me. Now I believe the most beautiful
illustration of this is found in John chapter 21, if you'll
turn with me there. Verse 15, and this is after Peter
had said, I'm going fishing. So it's after the resurrection,
and I believe that what he meant by this is I'm going back to
my old way of life. I'm going back to be a fisherman. Somebody asked me the other day,
have you ever really seriously thought about quitting preaching?
Yeah. Yes, I have. By the grace of
God, I won't. But yes, I have. You get discouraged
with yourself. That's what Peter was feeling.
I'm going back to being a fisherman. He was so discouraged about himself,
the way he denied the Lord. You remember when the Lord, through
the angels, said to the women, you go tell my disciples and
Peter. I love the way he points out
Anne Peter. Peter would have thought, I'm not one of them.
And Peter was just in a dark time, even after the resurrection
of Christ, he was in a dark time. He said, I'm going back to being
a fisherman. And some of them said, we're going with you. And
that's when the Lord appeared to them on the shore and said,
children, have you any meat? No. Have you caught anything?
No. Well, cast over on the other
side. And they did and drew in that big bunch of fish and John
said, it's the Lord. And Peter jumped into water and
went toward the Lord. And then they had that meal that
the Lord had provided him. It's so beautiful. And then in
verse 15, so when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? And I really don't believe he's
saying, do you love me more than these other disciples? Probably
there's a time when people would have said, yep, I do, but not
now, not now. I think he's saying, do you love
me more than fish and making a living and all these things
that you were getting ready to go back to? Do you love me more
than these? He saith unto him, yea, Lord,
Thou knowest that I love thee. Imagine, I'm trying to think
about this. If the Lord Jesus said to me, Todd, do you love
me? Yea, Lord. Thou knowest that
I love thee. You know everything. You know
what a mess I've made of things. You know what a weak, inconsistent
man I am. I've already proved it. You know
everything. And you know, he appealed to
the very omniscience of Christ, you know that I love your person. Verse 16, he saith to him again,
the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith
unto him, yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love thee, he saith unto
him, feed my sheep. And he saith unto him the third
time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because
he said unto him the third time, lovest thou me? Some have suggested
the Lord use three times to, in correlation with the three
denials of Peter. I don't know whether that's the
case, but you know, the Lord didn't say, are you sorry? He
didn't say, Repented sufficiently? Have you proved yourself? No, he said, do you love me? Do you love my person? And then he said, feed my sheep.
Verse 18, he said, verily, verily. Well, Peter said, Lord, thou
knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus saith unto him, feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say
unto you, When you were young, you girded yourself and walked
where you wouldest. But when you're old, thou shalt
stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carry thee
whether thou wouldest not. This spake he signifying by what
death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken thus,
he said unto Peter, follow me. Now I want us to think just for
a few moments about that amazing concept. You're going to be According
to Foxe's Book of Martyrs, it's not spoken expressly in the text,
but according to Foxe's Book of Martyrs, Peter was crucified
just like the Lord was. And it says, you know, they're
going to gird you and carry you just like they did on a cross
to a place you would not. He was crucified. And according
to Foxe's Book of Martyrs, he was crucified upside down because
He begged them to do that because he says, I'm not worthy to be
crucified the way the Lord was. And upon his request, he was
crucified upside down. Now you think of this horrible,
gruesome death. And John gives us this comment
in verse 19, this spake he signifying by what death he should, what? Glorify God. How could something like that,
a man being nailed to a cross, crucified upside down, how could
that glorify God? I'll tell you how. That someone could see such altogether
gloriousness in Christ, that by His grace, they're willing
to die for His name. That glorifies God. And that shows how altogether
lovely Christ is. This isn't glorifying Peter.
This is glorifying Peter's Lord, that he is so altogether glorious. that a man would be willing to
die for his name. Now that is amazing love. Now it's for his sake we're killed
all the day long and all of his disciples by his grace are willing
to die for his great name. Let's go back to John chapter
8. As it's written, verse 36, for
thy sake, we're killed all the day long. We're accounted, and
this is accounted by the world, as sheep for the slaughter, nothing
more. Nay, in all these things, we
are more than conquerors through him that loved us. We're not conquerors because
of any service we were enabled by grace to render, even if we're
given grace to die as a martyr for his cause and for his truth.
That's not our victory. We're only more than conquerors
through him that loved us. Can you believe that? Our victory, our conquering,
is only through Him that loved us. He loved us all the way to
the cross, who loved us as He walked out of the tomb, who loved
us as He ascended to glory back to His Father, and who loves
us now and makes intercession for us. More than conquerors
through Him that loved us. This is literally hyper-conquerors,
hyper-conquerors, above conquering. Now, how is This is a description
of every single believer without description. More than conquerors. How is it that we are more than
conquerors? I wanted to look at a few scriptures.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 15. Verse 54. So when this corruptible, shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality. Then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is thy sting?
Oh, grave, where is thy victory? But the sting of death is sin. And the strength of sin is the
law, but thanks be to God, which, what's that next word? Giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's why a believer is
always a conqueror, because his victory is given. not something he achieved, something
that was given to him through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, turn
to 2 Corinthians 2, just a couple of pages over. We are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. 2 Corinthians 2, verse 14, now
thanks be unto God, which, what's that next word? always. What's the word after that? Causeth
us. What's the word after that? To
triumph. What's the word after that? In
Christ. Thanks be unto God, which always
causeth us to triumph in Christ. Now, you know how often I win? Always. There's never a time
when a believer is not more than conquered through him that loved
us. Now, it may not look like I'm always
winning. It doesn't look like you're always
winning. I know that. But that doesn't
take away from the truth at all things. work together. All things, all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose. There's no such thing as a defeated
Christian. That's just the saying of a religionist
who doesn't know anything about God or the gospel. We always
triumph in Christ. I turn to first John chapter
five. Verse four. For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world. Now the world, the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, who can overcome that? Whoever
is born of God. As many as received him, to them
gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them which
believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, not of the
will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God. You see there's an incorruptible,
unconquerable seed in every believer. That which is born of God. Who is it that overcomes the
world? Whatsoever is born of God overcometh
the world. And this is the victory that
overcometh the world. Even our faith. Do you believe the gospel? Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is all that is needed to make you perfect before God and you're
not looking anywhere else. Do you believe? That's the victory
that overcomes the world. Verse five, who is he that overcometh
the world? But he that believeth that Jesus
is the Son of God. Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is the uncreated, eternal Son of God, the only Savior of sinners,
the second person of the Blessed Trinity, the one because of who
He is, He must be successful in whatever He sets out to do?
You're like that thief. Remember me when you come as
a mighty reigning king. You're not going to stay on the
cross. You're not going to stay in the grave. You're going to
be raised from the dead and you're going to come back as a mighty
king. Remember me. That's my only plea
that you'd remember me in mercy. If God gives you the grace to
believe that, that's the victory that overcomes the world. Now who shall separate us from
the love of Christ? Is it tribulation or distress
or persecution or peril or nakedness or peril of the sort? Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? It can't be done. Christ
cannot stop loving his people. When David did those horrible
things, did Christ ever stop loving him? When Peter denied
the Lord, did Christ ever stop loving him? No. When David was doing those horrible
things, did he ever stop loving Christ? No. When Peter denied
the Lord three times, did he ever stop loving him? No. You remember when the Lord gave
him just that one look? The Lord looked upon Peter, and
oh, how it smote his heart. I wonder if there's anybody here
thinking, well, this is all fine and dandy
if you're Christian. This is all fine and dandy if
you're someone who's loved by Christ. And if you're somebody
who loves Christ, all this sounds really good. But what if you're
somebody like me? What if you're without strength? What if you're ungodly? What if you're a sinner? Beloved, if you believe that
about yourself, that is the best place you can be. Let me show
you why. Turn to Romans chapter 5, verse
6. For when we were yet without
strength. Not simply weak, but without
strength. In due time, Christ died for
the ungodly. What a horrible description of
somebody. Ungodly. Everything God is, you're
an unto. You're so unlike God. That is who he died for. Isn't that amazing? For scarcely, verse seven, for
a righteous man will one die. And you know what that is. The
righteous man is the man nobody likes. Goody two-shoes. Sits in judgment on everybody,
makes you feel uncomfortable being around them. They're so
righteous. Ain't nobody's gonna die for somebody like that. You
don't even like them. Yet perdventure for a good man, a merciful man,
a gracious man, some would even dare to die, but God commendeth
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners. Sinners. Christ died for us. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died. Now listen to me. If you are
without strength, if you are ungodly, and if you are a sinner,
Christ died for you. Jesus Christ loves you. You know what? You will love
him in return. and you will believe his gospel. He says by his spirit, believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Let's pray.