One of my favorite songs and praise the Lord for it. I noticed the kids run to get out of here before I preach. I could take that personally, I think. But hopefully they're just excited about their class and looking forward. I am glad we have teachers trained that teach our young people during this hour and gives the parents a little bit of ability to focus if that's their desire. I did think of a way to end your senior activity a little early or make sure it ends in time. Have a pickleball tournament right toward the end. Hi, if you did not know the news, we have had two of our seniors this week playing pickleball. One fell and broke her hip, the other fell and broke her wrist. Totally separate days, totally separate activities. And right now, Sister Linda, who is our pianist, broke her wrist. And right now she's in the midst of traveling 12 hours back from South Carolina with her hand up. So I'm going to say I see that hand and I'm going to recognize that she has a spiritual need. So anyway, we are praying for Linda and Donnie as they travel back today. If you would, pray for Linda and her broken wrist, and Pat and her broken hip, and pray that they would have the wisdom not to play again. But anyway, turn with me in your Bible, if you would, to 1 John. 1 John chapter 5, if you would. It's getting right to the end of your Bible, and if you have difficulty finding it, just begin at Revelation, turn back a few pages, and you will get to 1 John chapter 5. I've been preaching in a series and having a genuine relationship with God, and one of the things that hinders our relationship with God is having a doubt of whether or not we are saved. I think very often in Christianity, sometimes we struggle with the fact of whether or not we are born again. whether or not we're truly a Christian. Is it true that we've lost our salvation? Something we might hear from someone else. And so I think it's really important for us in this series on having a genuine relationship with God to be assured of our salvation and our eternal relationship with Him. 1 John chapter 5 and verse number 13 is often given toward the end of witnessing to someone maybe you go door-to-door, maybe you have the opportunity to teach a class, or you're having the opportunity to lead someone to Christ, maybe a neighbor or friend, and you get toward the end and you talk about, these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that you have eternal life. And you'll talk to somebody and say, do you know that you can know for sure that you have eternal life? And we use this very often with someone who's unsaved or someone who's just coming into the faith. But the reality of it is, when you look at who it's written to, these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. So it's written to Christians. because it's Christians who struggle with the assurance of their salvation. And it's really almost helpful to know that God has a verse here specifically addressing that. If you're a Christian and sometimes doubting your salvation, you're doubting your relationship with God, God knows that's gonna happen to you as a Christian and God has planted this verse here and other verses around it to help you. Now, I do believe personally that there are two things that really cause us to begin to doubt our salvation. I mentioned this briefly in Sunday school. I'll bring it back up in this service as well. This is not something that I can take you to a verse in scripture and say, because of these two verses, I believe these are the two things. But I think throughout ministry and my time in dealing with people over the last 30 years, and just in going through the scriptures, I find that there are two things that people don't grasp. They question, they aren't assured of that themselves. And number one, it's the love of God and how great it is. And number two, it's the forgiveness of God and how awesome it is. And so today I want to talk to you about the love of God for us. And I think if we can become fully convinced of how much He loves us, It'll give us a greater assurance of our salvation and the lives in which we live. So today, I want to talk to you about being secured by God's love. Let's begin with a word of prayer. Dear Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, but realizing he's maybe not everyone in this room's Lord and Savior. And so I pray that you would work in each individual heart. There's no way for me, Lord, to know who needs to be saved. And so Father, would you work in their lives, use the Holy Spirit to draw them to yourself, even as I preach this morning. Father, you know this message is directed toward Christians. but also you know how to take a message directed toward Christians and impact an unsaved person's heart. And so I pray that even today, their hearts will be drawn to you if they do not know Christ as Lord and Savior. And I pray for Christians, especially those who at periods of time in their lives begin to doubt, question their salvation. They begin to look at their life and begin to critique what they're doing and how they're feeling. And Father, sadly, it's so often based upon our feelings that we begin to doubt. And I just pray this message will be helpful. May your word be helpful for them. And may I give a good explanation to what your word is saying. Guide us in the time that we have together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Number one thing I'd really like to get us across this morning then is this idea. I think sometimes the reason we doubt our salvation is we doubt God's love. And when you're not sure whether or not He loves you, maybe because of what you're doing, maybe because of the way, how you're living, maybe because of a decision that you've made, whatever it may be, because you begin to question, does He still love me even after I've done that? Does He still love me even after I said that? Does He still love me even after I acted that way? Does he still love me even though I acted like I was ashamed? You remember when Peter denied the Lord three times and how then he went out and wept bitterly? He was ashamed by how he acted. But isn't the great thing that God came to him afterward and said, and this is a question he has, lovest thou me more than these? Again, what was God getting back to? It was the love factor. Now, it isn't based on our love for him, whether or not we're secured. Aren't you glad it's not based on that? Because sometimes I fall way too short on loving the Lord as I ought to. But it's his love for us. And I want us to understand this, his love, and when we talk about God's love, we are not talking about an emotional love. You say, well, why is that important? Well, sometimes when our emotions get caught up, we change our mind about things. If we really get engaged in our emotions, our mind changes. So you might be thinking, if God's love for me is merely a feeling, and God feels like, you know, I have an affection for you, well, that feeling might change if I'm not doing the right thing, not living the right way. But I want us to understand that God's love for us is not an emotional love. It's a character love. It's because of who He is. God is what? God is God's love. And that's the essence of who God is. That's the essence of His being. I could mention characters throughout life that you would know. I mean, we're talking about genuine people that have lived and they've become notorious. Let me use that word. And I don't want to use any by name, because do you realize this? That God has loved every one of them. No matter what they've done in this world, even if they've never come to Christ, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That wasn't just the world that He saved, that was the entire world. And God so loves the world that He gave His only begotten Son. And so sometimes we get caught up in our emotions and we say, well, if you ever do that again, I'll never, and you make these threats and you try to manipulate people with that. I want you to know that God's love is not a turn off, turn on, depending on what you're doing or what you're saying. In fact, the Bible says it this way in Jeremiah 31, three, that he loves you with an everlasting love. Stop and think about that. But God commendeth his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You see, when God sent his son to die on the cross for your sins, and for mine, but when God sent his son to die on the cross for your sins, he knew you were a sinner. In fact, when God saved your wretched soul, and I say it that way just because that's the way preachers say it, but when God saved your soul that was turned aside, that was turned out of the way, all we like sheep have gone astray, and when you trusted in Jesus Christ, you realized you were a sinner, You turned from that unbelief to that belief. You realized you were a sinner in need of a Savior. You trusted what Jesus Christ did for you on the cross of Calvary. God knew you were a sinner before you turned. God knew once you turned and trusted in Jesus Christ, got saved, that you would continue to sin. It's not like, oh, I didn't know he was going to do that. Oh, I didn't know she was going to act that way. I don't love them anymore. No, I want you to understand that God's love is not conditioned upon what you say and how you act, but God loves you with an unconditional love. And he knew you were a sinner before when he sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins. He knew you would continue to be a sinner once he saved you. And I love it. I love Jeremiah, Jeremiah 31, three. Let me let me look at it here quickly when it says this, the Lord of the period of old unto me saying, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, have I drawn thee. Have you ever thought about the end of the verse? He knew that, and going into this relationship that we now have with him, he said, I knew that when I was drawing you, when I was trying to bring you into my family. I love you with an unconditional, everlasting love. So what an assurance that gives us, that now we're one of his children. And there's nothing that we could say or do that would cause God to say, I don't want you anymore. Now, this becomes difficult, and I don't wanna make this service overly emotional. I don't wanna do that at all. I don't wanna work on our, I don't think it's wise to work on emotions to try to bring about decisions. But I know some of you grew up in homes where fathers were abusive or mistreating you. or threatening you or calling you names. And the temptation is to feel this way. Well, God must be just like he's just a heavenly father. He's just an extension of what my earthly father was like. And I want you to know, dear friend. And our father in heaven is nothing like that. And you need to get to know that true father. Because sometimes some of the hardest people to bring to Christ are people that grew up in homes like that. because they just assume that the heavenly father is just a reminder of what their earthly father was like, or their earthly parent, maybe a mother. And they reject Christ because of their parents. Dear friend, I want you to know that God is unique, and because of his very character, his love, he loves you with an unconditional, everlasting love. Let's turn to chapter three, 1 John chapter three. I make this statement, I have it on your study sheet, that God has never looked for perfection. He's looked for faith. He's not looking to those who become perfect and saying, I want them to be part of my family. He's looking for those that will bow the knee in faith. God's never been looking for your perfection. He's simply been looking for childlike faith. So as I was praying over what passage, and I don't do a lot of this, I try not to preach a lot of messages where I have a thought and then I'm trying to attach a passage to it. But I was thoroughly convinced that I wanted to preach on the love of Christ. And initially I thoroughly thought I would turn to 1 John 3 because it really just brings this out. But there are many passages of scripture we could actually talk about this morning, speak from this morning, use to enforce what I'm talking about. But I think this passage is just incredible. In fact, look at the opening words of what it says. Behold, what manner of love. So there's something unique There's something different about God's love than all the other love we're used to receiving. And I think this is true even in the most intimate, most close and personal relationships. Somewhat it's based upon the love relationship. It has a lot of feelings mixed in. It also has a lot of conditions mixed in. Well, as long as you do this for me, I'll continue to love you. And as long as this happens, I'll love you even more. But God's love is so unique. It transcends all of that. It goes above and beyond all that. God never looks at us and says, well, as long as you keep your end of the deal, as long as you never do that again, I'll continue to love you. So in 1 John chapter 3, Let's just begin to walk through it a little bit. In fact, that's why you're here, right? Hopefully if you've come here, you want to hear God's word. It needs to be what is prevalent. You want to know what does God say, what has God said, and then what can I say maybe to give meaning or understanding to it, what other passages maybe reflect the truth found here. So let's go back to verse number one. And we're going to read the first two thirds of it. Basically, behold, what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us. That we should be called the sons of God. Do you realize? When you've been adopted, according to Galatians, when you've been adopted into the family of God. He now references you and throughout scriptures you are now known as being one of his children. And God is, I'll say it this way, proud of the fact that you are one of His family. He says, what kind of love allows sinners just to enter right into God's family? What kind of love allows us, no matter what we've done, even when we've been the enemies of God? Very fascinating passage in Romans chapter five, when it talks about us in different references. One of the verses talked about those that are stained with sin. Another one of the words talking about those who are dying from sin and unable to reject it. You know, you maybe know somebody dying of emphysema and they're still smoking their cigarettes. And hopefully I'm not talking about anyone in here. I don't know anybody in here like that. Not trying to use you as an illustration, but we've been there. Years ago, they used to walk in. I don't know if you remember this. I'm getting old, I guess, when I say, I don't know if you remember this. They used to be able to smoke in your hospital rooms, or they'd even have those little smoking porches that you could go out on. And I remember I couldn't find somebody either dying from lung cancer. I didn't know where they were and found out they were out and smoking on the smoking porch. dying from it, yet unable to resist. And so God talks about that. Then He goes, when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, much more being the enemies of God, rejecting Him, rejecting His plan, rejecting who He is, rejecting His Son. And so in that passage in Romans chapter five, all the marks of this world against us, what manner of love is it that it would take someone who's stained with sin, who's got a record for their sin, who can't stop sinning, who's spoken against God, and he welcomes them right into his family. This is a unique love. It's something we're not used to. And because we're not used to it, I think sometimes we question if God's going to continue to love us even after we do certain things, even after we say certain things. Is my salvation really that secure? Or is God, because of an emotional twitch, going to change his mind about having me as part of his family? And I want you to know that because God's love is based upon who he is, based upon his character, There is nothing Romans 8 that can separate us from his love. Can you tell just by verse references how many different passages I could go to and preach a message on the security of God's love? Some of you grew up in the generation. Now I'm talking about people older than me, okay? Some of you grew up in the generation that didn't much speak of love, correct? Some of you, you've been there. Some of you, maybe it's still a little bit of you. You have trouble saying I love you to somebody. Typically, somebody will say, send me a text. Now, by the way, this isn't very many people. Love you, I will always text back, I love you. I always put the I on there. because I think we just kind of mellow it out. Love you, you know? And I always put the I on there because I think of what God, God speaks directly to me, God speaks directly to you, and you know what he says? I love you. He didn't just say, hey, love ya. Now, I'm not being overly critical. If you text me, love you, I'll text back, I love you. Don't worry about it, it goes, it works. I know what you mean. But I just think that how personal it is. That God loves us and specifically loves you and specifically loves me. And do you realize this? Here's a moment for you. Do you realize God doesn't love me any more than he loves you? Maybe I better flip it around the other way. Do you realize God doesn't love you more than he loves me? Maybe you can gather that better. Do you realize that God loves all of us equally? Why is that? Because we're not saved by works. If we were saved by works and what we do for him, it would elevate one above the other. But the reality of it, he's saving all of us by faith. For by grace, or you say through faith, that not of yourself. So God didn't allow me into this relationship because of all that I have to give him and all that I have to do for him. God loves me because of all he has to do for me. And so when you enter into this relationship, it is so unique. Because it's based upon the character of God. What manner of love is this? That God would take me as a sinner and allow me to enter into this relationship and He'll allow me to say, I'm a child of God. I'm in the family of God. The creator of this universe, the sustainer of this universe, the God of all creation has allowed me to become one of His children. What manner of love is this? Let me reference two verses out of 2 Corinthians 6, which say this, ye are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people. It's kind of generic, but isn't it clear? They're my temple, I'm going to dwell in them. But he goes on two verses later in verse number 18, I will be a father unto you. And ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord. The Lord Almighty said this. Now you're one of my children. So when you get saved. When you put your trust in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. He brings you into the his family and says, you're now one of my children. And I love you all the same. And it's not based upon an emotion that God had at that time. Oh, I feel sorry for them, I'll let them in. And then a week later, man, why did I ever let them in? That love for you is eternal. I remember a preacher saying about 35, 40 years ago, there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more. And guess what? There's nothing you can do that'll make God love you any less. He has a perfect love. And if you don't think that's important, you've never been in a great love relationship. Because anybody who's been in a great love relationship knows the importance of being loved just the way you are. So it goes on, verse two. We gotta get to verse two, correct? Behold now, look at this. Behold now are we the sons of God, Look, look, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. She says, you know what? You're already a child of God, even though you aren't perfect. You are already, so see, you have this teaching out there that's false, that if you don't continue to maintain the right amount of work, you ultimately lose your salvation. And God said, wait a second, when I saved you and brought you into the family, I already knew you weren't what you ought to be. You see, it's not based upon what I can continue to do to keep that relationship and to earn that family position. No, God loves you. He says, you are already, you're now the children of God, even though it doth not yet appear what you shall be. I know you're not where you ought to be yet. But I love you and you're part of my family just the way you are. So God's love for me is based on his perfection and not my perfection. Let's have a wedding. Remember the vows, repeat after me. So let's start the first phrase. God's love for me, can you repeat that? Is based upon his perfection, not my perfection. Let's say it together. God's love for me is based upon his perfection and not my perfection. Isn't that a marvelous truth? Guess what? I came up with that all by myself this week. But you know, when you stop and think about it, it can bring such peace to your heart. It's not that I've got to keep maintaining and working and developing and doing all these things, and as long as I'm doing something, God will love me. I'm tired of getting caught up in that kind of world. I'm tired of that type of Christianity. You got to do this and that and this and that and do it this time and that time. And if you do it all right, God will keep loving you. The reality of it is God's love for me is not based upon my perfection, but his. And because he's always perfect, he'll always love me. And so even though I'm not yet what I shall be, I'm already his child. So verse number two, beloved, now are we the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that this is something you may or may not know. This is something we ought to know. But he says, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. So there is coming that day, I will be perfect. But the reality of it is God already loves me even though I'm not. Because his love is based on his perfection, not mine. So the truth is, when I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone to save my soul, God immediately adopted me into his family with an everlasting, unconditional love that's based upon who he is and not based upon who I am. That's why the scripture says I'm kept by the power of God. I'm not kept by my works, I'm not kept by my standard of living, I'm not kept by the way I do things, I'm kept by who he is. And I'm secure by the power of God. Verse number three. And every man that hath, whoa, wait a second. there's gonna be yet, though, some responsibility. Because take it, we're human. Yeah, you're bright, Pastor. All right, but because we're human, we often, okay, well, if I'm already in, I'm already secure, then why do anything? And Paul really addresses that 2 Corinthians 5, especially down to verse number nine. Why do we keep doing this? All that confidence we have in the early eight verses of 2 Corinthians 5, because I want to present myself before him in a way that is pleasing to him. So you might say, oh, I'm safe, and I'm safe because of his character, not mine, so let me go and do whatever I want. Well, the answer to that is God forbid that you think that. And he says this in verse number three, every man that hath this hope, the hope that the confidence, and that's a confident expectation that one day I'll be just like him when I see him as he is, in him purifieth himself even. So I'm already now going to, ought to be working at purifying myself. This comes through prayer, this comes through the study of the word, this comes through confession, this comes through the idea of what am I battling with in my life, and how do I try to put that off, and you know what, we're gonna recognize, I can't put it off, I keep trying, I keep failing. And that is why we turn to the Lord and say, Lord, I've tried to clean up my life, it doesn't work, will you clean up my life for me? Will you help me to clean up my life? And we begin to ask the Lord because what God doesn't want us to do is say, okay, I'm secure. I'm on my way to heaven. Now do whatever I want until I get there. And God says, no, anybody that has this kind of hope doesn't live the way they want to live, but they live for the Lord's honor and glory. Because that's the ultimate calling. The ultimate calling is not just to get me into heaven. The ultimate calling is that my life will glorify God. So as a Christian, I recognize a key part of my security is understanding how much he loves me. And recognizing he knew before I got saved, and even before he started drawing me to salvation, he knew that I was a sinner. Once he saved me, he knew I would continue to sin. But he already says, but I love you. You're part of my family. And because that love is not emotional, but it's based upon who he is, because God is love. That makes my salvation as eternal as his love is. You see, since his love's eternal, then my salvation's eternal. Because his love for me will never change. and His love is based upon His perfection, not mine. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. No doubt someone seated in front of me or listening online has at times struggled with the assurance of their salvation because they've struggled, they've doubted, they've questioned your love for them. Maybe not because there's anything you've done that make them cause, they just have never met that kind of love. What manner of love this is. And so Father, I just pray that every one of us through the work of the Holy Spirit will be able to grasp the incredible love that you have for us. Oh Father, may you help assure someone's heart this morning by just taking them down into the depth of your love. With heads bowed and eyes closed, no one looking around, he would say, Keith, as I've lived this life, one of the things that I've struggled with is assurance, and one of the things that I've questioned is God's love for me. Would you pray for me as I begin to apply these truths to my life to assure me to have a genuine relationship with God, I need to really be assured of his love. Would you pray for me with just an upraised hand? God bless you. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. I mean, there are all kind of age groups or men or ladies, and you may put those hands down. Who would say, Keith, as you preach, I've never entered into this relationship. I'm not, I don't know that I'm a Christian. There's never been a time when I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Would you pray for me? Please don't mention me. Please don't, don't point me out. But would you please pray for me? I'm not sure I'm saved with an upraised hand, anyone at all. God bless you, thank you, anyone else? Dear Father, you've seen this hand that was raised, you saw other hands that were raised, and Father, I want you to continue to work on the heart of these individuals so that they would know the extremeness of your love. It's overwhelming what manner of love this is. And may we grow forward from here, in Jesus' name we pray.