If you'll turn with me this morning to John 13, a verse here that I would read, we'd deal with, and then we'll go to another in John, 1st John, and back to Romans. John 13. In a few minutes, I want us to look at the effects. That's why I'm bringing in only one verse here and others. The effects of the love of Christ. Of course that needs to be expanded somewhat, the effects of the love of Christ on his people. But before we read the verse here and others, would you bow with me as we seek his dear face. Our Father, we are so, so thankful that we can enter into that room where the throne of grace is. But we cannot enter based upon self. Our works only in and through the Son of God can we enter there. And we come together this day to consider him again afresh and anew, asking Father if it is pleasing that you would fix our hearts and our minds so as we might be capable of receiving things from above. We just think because we read or because we pray that we understand and that we spoke with Thee. It's not always true, Father. It never is true apart from Thy work by Thy Spirit in our hearts. And to that end, would you work in each heart Would you set Christ before them, giving them a single eye? Doing away with all mental distractions. Maybe they came in with, maybe they know what they're facing next week. Lord it takes such a good and great work of thee to fix our hearts to receive and then if you do that give us ears to hear and we shall be a most blessed people today not because these heard me but because in my speaking they heard thee. Be not silent unto us, O God, lest we be like those that go down to the grave. Awaken, enliven, and do a great work within us, in each heart, We pray in Christ's name, amen. John 13, here the disciples are at the last supper with the Lord Jesus. In verse number 23, now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom, on his chest, on his heart, one of his disciples. Would it not be something if one time speaking with God, you felt like that was your position? leaning on Jesus' bosom. One of his disciples was there, whom Jesus loved. You will find that in three other places, I think, possibly four, maybe just only three more, as John the writer, under inspiration of the Spirit of God, talks about that disciple Jesus loved. Never one time did he call his own name. So I want you to think about the effects of the love of Christ. Has the love of Christ affected you? People today, we're living in, it's not as religious as it was 30 years ago, but people today, quote, accept Jesus and are saved, unquote. And that crowd will go out and live a life where never there is any manifestation of the effects of the love of Christ on them. Never. Sure in their mind they will say they got saved, but a thousand things occupy them. From Monday, may be hard to let some of them go even on Sunday. So many things occupy them. Might be family, might be children, might be other relatives. It might be things that your heart's set on. and never do you reflect or is there any effect of the love of Christ on you? From the verse here you will always find them as near Jesus as is possible. Leaning on Jesus' breast. Now note the place of the table here, and it's hidden in the text. Our Lord is not at the head. You say, well it might be a round table. Okay? But had it been a rectangular one, the Lord would have been in the very middle of the disciples. He would have been close enough that a disciple could lay his head on Jesus' bosom. In Deuteronomy 18, Moses said, the Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet. From the midst of thee, of thy brethren, lie unto me. Him shall ye hearken unto. Well, that's the prophet. sitting at the table with his followers around. And one that Jesus loved is close. So Philip finds Nathanael and says to him, we have found him of whom Moses in the law and in the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. We found him. Our Lord said to his disciples and to you, his children, whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and give his life a ransom for many. He came to minister. He came to serve. That's the one Moses spoke about. That's the one that the Spirit of God revealed to him and to the prophets. this Jesus of Nazareth. And at the last supper, this prophet, the one that came not to be ministered unto, he's not at the head of the table, but he is a brother like unto them sitting in the very midst. One that is loved, And one that loves because when somebody finds out that they are loved by the Lord of Glory, love will be in their hearts. It's just an automatic, it's given. When one finds out that they are loved, They'll always mark the place where he sits. You say, well, that can't be today. Yes, it can. Oh, not at some table, not at some house. Well, it might be the church house. You mark your place where he is here. You do all that you can. to prepare physically because He who came to minister unto us is in the church building. You gather and you mark the place where He is. You're kind of like Naomi telling Ruth, or I'm like her, telling you, wash yourself, anoint yourself, put proper raiment upon thee, and when he lies down, you mark the place where he shall lie. And then when asleep, you gently walk in and you uncover his feet and you lie down. at his feet. John 12, if any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am there shall also my servant be. Are you here this morning? Well, I can see in body Are you here in mind? And are you here in heart? And was there, as you walked in, something of a longing that you might see, and that you might hear, and that Christ be so manifest to you that your heart could not be still within, but you had to get to Him? And you sit down beside him, and you lean your head on his breast. Oh, I'm not worthy to do that. I know that. None of us are. But you do harm to the great God. to the work of the Lord Jesus by standing afar off saying I'm not worthy to get nigh him. You do yourself a sad, sad service. If a Christian God made you worthy, and if Christ is there, you can lay your head on his bosom. Is it not a sad commentary of Christianity today? The steeple houses in most places can be full, all kind of entertainment to excite, and yet no one asks or even considers the fact that Christ is not in the midst. Even the children of God have settled down to a ritual. And he is the least needed being in his own world. Another fact to consider, there is also sitting close, I think, as close as John was, on the other side of the Lord Jesus. An apostate, a disciple that has followed him for a little over three years. And he sat down that night, probably as close to Jesus as was John. for verse 26 here in our chapter. They were willing to know, and all of them knew, there's one man we can ask in here. He has the heart of Christ, and he can gain from him a knowledge of who will betray him. And Jesus answered when John said to him, Lord, who is it? Verse 26, Jesus answered, he it is to whom I shall give a stop when I have dipped it. And when he dipped the stop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now he didn't reach around somebody. So possibly Judas was as close to Jesus in body as was the beloved disciple. But Judas sat as close as he could get, for the hypocrite in him had to prove to himself and to everyone else. Look where I sat. John sat there not out of fear of what somebody might think or say or not out of fear that he might miss something that the Lord would say and he would be condemned. There is no fear in love. Perfect love casteth out fear. Perfect. When it's complete, when it's finished, when it's full grown, it casts out fear because fear has torment. 1 John 4, 18. There ain't no fear of God today. Just honest children, there's no fear of God in your heart, is it? But John didn't sit there afraid that he might miss something, afraid as a Christian that he had to hear And if he didn't hear, he'd walk out condemned. No, that's fear, that's torment, that's torture. And the love of Christ does not work like that in your hearts. Gentle, kind, read 1 Corinthians 13 when you get home. You'll see that the love of Christ casteth out fear in his children's hearts. Please don't take that because you don't fear as well Jesus cast it out. I'm talking only to you who are in pursuit of the Lord Jesus. I'm talking to you who are here out of love You want to hear from one you love and you didn't come because you were afraid if I miss God I'll break my leg. No. But there was a need within for you to get here. Again, not out of fear, but so desiring that the Son of God might have a word for you. You look forward and you long to the time when you can see it and hear. And in that verse, or in that sentence, in those verses, God Almighty through His Son, who is the incarnate Word, had a voice in that, and that voice reached in your heart. Love in one's heart will so work that they'll always be laboring to get as close to Jesus as they can. Now turn with me to John 21 John chapter 21 and verse number 7. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter it is the Lord. That's enough for me to make my point here that I hope you'll grasp. the love of Christ. Another effect of the love of Christ within your heart produces great discernment. They had fished all night, caught nothing, and John the experienced fisherman knew when Jesus told him where to cast the net, that's not an ordinary man. We've had our nets around the ship here, all around it. Don't know how many times we've cast out and we've caught nothing. John knew that man can be trusted. And he knew that there was not but one man that could know that, could know where the fish were and where they were to catch their nets. So love for, or love within, creates a desire to be with the one you love. And the more you are with that person, the more you learn about them and know them. The more you walk with the Lord Jesus, the more you know him. The more you live with him, throughout the week, the more you know him. I, John 10, 14, am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and they, or I am known. They know I am known of my... If anybody is a sheep, then that person knows the shepherd. The more you live with him, the more you discern. And you miss so much in life, not being able to discern. Why'd that happen? Why was I late? Hindered by that which I'm never hindered in getting to work. Things that you may never know. That the Good Shepherd was just taking care of you. watching over you. So the more you live with Him, the more you know of Him. And the love of Christ is so very personal. It's not that Christ loves His church. He does. Or that Christ loves the other disciples. He does. But I must get to a place that lies above all people and I cannot include myself in the group called his church. I can't do it. Sure, he loves his church. There are no sheep out there that he loves. But that doesn't do anything for me until I, in his church, know personally Jesus Christ, the head of the church, the one that gave himself for a people, included me when he died. A notion that since Christ loves his church or his bride means me is of no benefit to me. I gotta know that I'm included in the church, that I'm included in the bride. And just settle down to this, well, Jesus loves, therefore that means me. Book, you may miss heaven until you find out deep within your soul, Jesus, the great shepherd, loves me. then that person walking and learning that individual begins to know more and more of his love as time passes and his life or her life evidence is the Lord loves him or her and so Lazarus evidenced the love of Christ for him. Listen to his sisters sending word to him, Lord behold he, not that our brother love you, He whom thou lovest is sick. And the scripture plainly said Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So Lazarus was walking so with the Lord God that his sisters knew. When you love, Lord, it's sick. I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. That's Paul walking with Christ. The more the love of Christ is evidence to an individual. I mentioned twice in the verse writing under inspiration, and I expect even this was hard for John. Because the more you walk with the Lord of glory, the greater humility is produced within. And John, he just couldn't say, Jesus loved me. He loves me. He was such a humble. Now in his early years, he was overzealous. Lord, you want us to call down fire and destroy all those that wouldn't receive you? Jesus said, no, you don't know what spirit you're of. But the old age apostle, Even in three years walking with him is such a humble, humble man. All children know who he is and know where he was when he met the Lord. I'm not talking about salvation. A definite place and a definite time. But I'm talking about when the Lord did deal with your heart. You knew. You knew you were a sinner. No one had to convince you. You knew where you were. You were on that broad path if you were in religion. to eternal destruction. That man found out this walking with Christ never could say anything other than the disciple whom Jesus loved. I've heard religious folk boast all my lifetime on Jesus loves me. And I see their life and I know their words can't be believed because their actions say differently. I don't know if you will throw this off as me getting too personal and into your life. And you may just have a bad day some Sundays. But some, your face says you'd rather be somewhere else. You who publicly declared, Jesus loves me. And yet your face is not lightened with the glow from your heart. which evidences the love of Christ. Now it had to be a certainty. Jesus loved all the disciples with the exception of Judas Iscariot. But John, leaning his head on his bosom, It was like that in 1 Corinthians 13. Charity boneth not itself. It does not boast of oneself. It does not put me on the pedestal. Love is not puffed up. The Pharisees in Christ, they loved the uppermost rooms at the feast. Want everybody to know, I got the chief seat. I sit in the synagogue designated to mark me as a very special person. The disciple Jesus loved wouldn't say that. You reckon that the other disciples saw so much of the love of Jesus Christ to John that they purposely saved him if he was not the first there at the table. They purposely saved that seat for him. For he to them was like the sisters of Lazarus, Lord, he whom thou lovest. We fixed a place at the table for him. The man Moses was a very meek man above all men on the face of the earth. And the Lord spoke face to face with Moses. But when Moses came down off that mount, he was unaware that his face shined so that they couldn't bear looking at him. And he had to put a veil over his face to communicate to them what God had said. So those that are marked with the love of Christ, having met God and the son of his bosom. Their life is a walk of humility, a walk of discernment. John said here in chapter 21, that's the Lord over there. Ordinary man couldn't tell us that. First John 5. First John 5, 2. By this we know that we love the children of God. When we love God, and keep his commandments for this is the love of God you say he loves you this is the love of God that you keep his commandments and this is the love of God in you keeping his commandments you don't find a one of them grievous it's your delight It is the utmost place and priority in your heart to keep the very commands of the Lord. Children of all the epistles that were written, this one is far above anything Paul ever wrote. Oh, he at times would get to that high place, but he never was able to do more than a verse or two or a few. This from beginning to end, this little epistle speaks more of the love of God and the reaction of the children to their God and to one another manifesting Christ loves me. Now the song of Solomon is filled with the love between the bridegroom and the bride. But right here, as the bride comes to know something of the vastness of his heart, John says she'll walk cautiously. She'll be careful. She'll walk. not in a rigid, strict conformity, afraid that she'll make a mistake, a misstep. She'll walk cautiously, not as the Pharisees that only did so in keeping the law of God to build up their pride. They were above all people. God, I thank Thee that I'm not like that publican who's standing way over there. To one having met the Lord in grace and mercy and having found forgiveness, that brings about a careful, cautious walk. And the one thing you fear is not to offend the Spirit of God. Have you ever do that when you sit down here? The one being and the only being that can communicate the love of Christ to a heart is the Spirit of God. And if I want to know about my Savior, I've got to have the Spirit of God guide me. I mentioned to you sometime, maybe more than once, of the writer of the last entry saying that Christianity is nothing more than a journey into the very heart of God. And today we're looking at the heart of our Savior. And Christianity is a loving relationship, a loving walk. and into the very heart of the Lord Jesus. It's like that river in Ezekiel 47. It measured a thousand cubits. We walked down in it and it was up to my ankles. It measured another thousand and it was up to my knees. Another thousand and it was up to my loins. It measured another and it was a river that I could not pass over. For the waters were risen to such a depth and height that the children of God would get lost in that river flowing from the heart of the Savior. What's the one object, and even the little ones here can answer this, in our solar system that Psalm 19, as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, in Malachi 4, as that, and I'll just use the word object, that's not in Malachi 4, that of righteousness arises with healings in his wing. What am I talking, no, what's the scripture talking about that comes up every morning? Have you ever seen our bridegroom journeying out of his chamber? Comes up with healing in his wing, as in Malachi, for the capital S-U-N. And how powerful is that glowing ball of fire? Holds all the planets, furnishes light and heat, so you can grow your crops. draws everything here to it. All the moisture that is around it draws it back up and bundles it together. So in a cloud that God can disperse over one city and there have it pour out. The sun had a work in that. So the heart of Christ, being so great, maintains all circumstances in your life. If you are a Christian, He guards, He protects, He provides, and the heart of Christ beams those rays of love into the hearts of all His children. You get that? The heart of Christ beams His love into every heart of every child so that they can one day come to honestly say, He loves me and I love Him. He's the chiefest of ten thousands. Is it possible for one that loved a people to give his life a ransom for many? Is it possible to keep that love bound up in a heart? Impossible. A cloud gets so much weight in it by what the sun, moisture the sun drew up. It has to empty itself from time to time. And so the heart of Christ, oh my dear souls, you had to answer that. Jesus dying for his church has no personal relevance or significance to an individual unless that is made known. Well, you sitting there knowing your Bible, you say, well, it's made known when the Bible says, for God so loved. Might not be to you. You can't grab that verse and run with it and say it's mine. Unless the Spirit of God Works that in your heart. God had to open hearts. God had to give eyes to see and ears to hear before one individual could ever say, that verse is for me. I'll close quickly Romans 5, pretty quick. Romans 5, 5. And hope, make it not a shame, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. I go back to the word shed. Pour out Spilled, gushed out. The heart of Christ gushed out, shed abroad, poured out by the Holy Ghost. You know what happened to Judas Iscariot? He purchased a field. And falling down headlong when he hung himself, I don't know how that could be, but it happened because God said it did. Falling down headlong, he burst asunder and his bowels gushed out. Same word as shed abroad. That pool, that pool of water, that has no incoming and no outgoing supply stagnates. And sometimes the love of Christ might seem to lie dormant to you, but that can no more be than you can keep the sun from shining. You just don't have it manifest to you that day like unto other days. As the Son draws all things to it, so the love of Christ, shed aboard, keeps and binds his children's hearts. The love of Christ constrains us, Paul said. He asked the question, what shall separate us from the love of Christ? What? Untold numbers claim Jesus loves them, but that love has absolutely no effect on them. Now does a young convert know the fullness of the love of Christ? Absolutely not. It seems that way in modern evangelism, for today all they're told is that which is necessary is just an introduction to Him. If that's all you had, And it supposedly happened 10, 15, 20 years ago and nothing's happened since. You didn't meet Christ back then. You can't call yourself a Christian. Evangelism for today is only an introduction to Him being sufficient for life. The way the work of Christ in salvation and his love is declared today is as if in one encounter the individual comes to a full knowledge of the love of Christ. So you would think by Paul's meeting Jesus in that standard, today's standard Or even the one time that Paul was caught up to the third heaven. If you think that's all he ever needed or desired, you're sadly mistaken. That I may know him. And Paul meeting, it was just an introduction. It must be that the more one knows of the love of Christ, the larger his or her heart expands, and the greater it longs and seeks after Jesus. I said one, but I'll keep my word. I won't ask you to turn, but I would like to read. Ephesians 3.17, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, the length, the depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. How all of a sudden does it become different in the spiritual realm than the physical? You meet one, you are introduced to one, over time you fall in love with one, And eventually there is a desire in your heart to spend the rest of your life with Him. How is it different in the spiritual realm? You say you met Christ. You were introduced to Him. You supposedly have been going out on those occasions where He invited you to be with Him. You've been learning Him. But all of a sudden you have sufficient knowledge. Is salvation nothing less or more than knowing the only true God? Well, in one sense, yes. But that introduction only burns within my soul a longing heart after the Redeemer. The father is very jealous, children, of his son, of his honor and his glory that he's got wrapped up in that son. And the love of God to a people, or the love of the son to a people, is so guarded by Jealous Father that he does it the same way that he protected the tree of life. Put cherubims there with a flaming sword in their hand to keep the way of life. Nobody could get back to it. And God guards the cross that flaming sword and nobody can get to it except by express command. Come ye unto the Lord Jesus and he that cometh I will in no wise cast out. Again, getting a little personal with you, but is it a needful thing for some of you to come afresh and anew to the Lord Jesus? Is it? He's been quiet and absent so long. You miss that daily walk and communion. You miss that daily hunger of getting in the scripture. But is the heart so crowded out that you don't miss it? You need to walk out of here having come afresh and anew to the Lamb of God. I hope you take it to heart.