the American Council of Christian Churches. What is that? Let me just give a very, very brief historical overview. Back in the 1850s, theological liberalism, as we've come to call it, was incubating in the seminaries of Germany. That was in the same time period that a number of changes were taking place in a number of venues. It was at the same time that Charles Darwin was writing his infamous and influential book, Origin of Species, which set forth his theories of evolution that have clouded the thinking of men ever since. It was a period of departure from orthodoxy of departure from a historical understanding that our forefathers had had concerning many, many items. And so the seminary professors who were great religionists, but I fear unconverted men, and there are many of those, were hatching out their own schemes to try to reconcile theology with falsely called science, and to bring them together and retain their own intellectual reputations and prestige in a world that was increasingly looking to science as the end-all and cure-all of all things. And so you had seminary professors who apparently were not regenerated by the Spirit of God, buying into the ideas of evolution, and beginning to apply the concepts of evolutionary development as an explanation for how the Bible came to be. The Old Testament scriptures, primitive religion represented there, they talk about sacrifice, and you have the law and its demands. But then time went on and a man named Jesus Christ came and he introduced love. And so the theological liberals' thinking went in that realm. But at the bottom of it, at the end of the day, it was an out-and-out denial of the reliability of Scripture, a denial of the supernatural, Creation didn't get created. It evolved by naturalistic means. And miracles didn't really happen. They were just inventions of overly energetic religionists to try to make their religion look better than others and superb. And so the denial of Scripture continued. And at the turn of the century, young men were studying in the seminaries that had embraced the unbelief and infidelity of these professors whose theories had been hatched in the middle of the 1800s. And young men from all over the world studying in German seminaries were bringing back with them the theories taught by their professors And these young men became professors in the seminaries on our continent and around the world and were training a generation of ministers to be deniers of scripture. So that in the early 1900s, you began to have outrageous statements made concerning the Bible. As one of them said, Jesus surely was not born of a virgin. He was probably the illegitimate son of a blond German mercenary soldier stationed in the area of Jerusalem employed by the Roman Empire. And that kind of blasphemy began to be heard from clergymen in the mainline denominations of this continent. Ministers teaching theologically liberal positions were discerned to be in error by true believers in their pews. And there began to be a movement in the 1920s, 1930s of believing people leaving their churches, churches they had built with their own hands and their own contributions, separating in obedience to Scripture which says, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. In obedience to the Scripture that teaches, come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord. They came out and established Bible-believing churches, Bible-believing denominations of churches. I pastor an evangelical Methodist church. The evangelical Methodist denomination was established in 1946 by people who were Methodists, but saw that the Methodist church had been overtaken by unbelief, denial of Scripture, And so they formed small Bible-believing denominations. They were called fundamentalists. They were going back to the fundamentals of the Word of God. The news media, of course, gave all of its attention to Roman Catholicism and liberal Protestantism. And if they wanted a commentary by a Protestant, it was to an unbelieving clergyman they would go to get the news. And so during the 1930s, early 1940s, Bible-believing men of various denominations convened together to establish a multi-denominational council that would stand as a testimony to the reliability of Scripture, the inerrancy and fallibility of the Word of God. Sixty-seven years ago, the American Council of Christian Churches was established, and has been meeting each year in its annual convention since then, and has endeavored to raise a voice for the total reliability of Scripture, a voice exposing the more recent departures in the ecumenical movement in the evangelical movement of men such as Evangelist Billy Graham and all of the evangelical community that looked to him with admiration and esteem, endeavoring to point out that these things are contrary to the Word of God. And as the charismatic movement arose, the American Council was there to speak to that issue. We are made up of seven different denominations or church ministerial councils. The Free Presbyterian Church, of course, is one of the constituent denominations that is a member of the American Council of Christian Churches. Dr. Frank McClellan serves on the Executive Committee of the American Council. Reverend David Mook from the Phoenix Congregation is well on the Executive Committee, and David McClellan is a part of the Executive Committee as well. Likewise, Dave Dicanio, who has produced the DVD that Pastor Sterritt mentioned this evening, one which I highly recommend and encourage you to have. He has been very involved with the American Council as well. But when you are here in this part of the country, far removed from much of the organization of the lower 48 states, Sometimes you might feel a little remote and removed, but I want you to know that I praise God constantly for the Free Presbyterian Church and its membership in the American Council of Christian Churches. And you, meeting here each Lord's Day, each week to worship, are part of this congregation and part of the worldwide Free Presbyterian congregation but also you are part of a body of believers, hundreds of churches across America, which are standing for the Word of God. Oh, there are certainly denominational, interpretational differences. There are the fundamental Baptists who are a part of the American Council of Christian Churches. The Fundamental Methodists, which is a denomination in the middle of my country, near the state of Missouri, in that area. The Evangelical Methodists, of which I am a part. The Bible Presbyterians. There is the Fellowship of Independent Bible Churches, which is a non-denominational, although basically Baptistic group. They are a part. There is the Association of Ministers of the Reformed Faith. which I am a member of, which is also a part of the American Council of Christian Churches. And you are one of many who are standing in a separatist posture for the defense of scripture and the exposure of error across the country. And what an encouragement it is to me personally to know that you are here week after week taking a stand and holding a testimony along with the rest of us who in many parts of this continent are endeavoring to be true to the word. So I'm so glad I could be here tonight and thank you on behalf of the entire American Council and commend you for your prayers for us and encourage you to keep on in the good fight of faith. It is a worthy and a necessary cause. and eternally will prove to be a triumphant cause, though we'd be a tiny minority among men now. On the literature table, I have a few items there that I will leave, and you can take as many as you wish, make use of them. You'll find this format, different colors, different articles on some of them, but this is a major report. And behind this is the Executive Secretary of the Council, Dr. Ralph Kolos. who also appears in the DVD that Pastor De Canio has prepared. Dr. Collis, with official press credentials, visits and attends various conferences across the country and around the world, and reports on what is happening at those conferences from a Bible believer's perspective. This is a meeting he attended called the Signs and Wonders meeting, which was held in, I think it was in Missouri, and I'll tell you why I say I think it was in a few minutes, but in Missouri of the U.S., a meeting advocating the miracles, the signs, the faith healing of the day, What all goes on in those things? What kind of unbelief is seen there? Well, here's a report from a Bible believer as to what that is. You won't find this anyplace else except as the American Council is producing it. And on the table in the literature, in the foyer, there are reports concerning meetings of the World Council of Churches, a meeting that Robert Shuler in the Crystal Cathedral, you know about him up here, I'm sure that he held, and you will learn things that they are doing and saying which are never publicized in the bigger media, but things we need to know about to be informed concerning the nature of these disobedient wolves in sheep's clothing. Also, one other item you will find on the table is a copy of the program for this fall's 67th annual convention of the American Council of Christian Churches. You will see some of the multi-denominational flavor of it in the various speakers who are speaking. Reverend David Mook will be one of the main speakers at the meeting this year. And if there's any way you can be there, you're certainly welcome to come. This has information concerning accommodations and location. I know it's a long ways away. My own congregation will be hosting the meeting this year, and that's about 40 miles north of Baltimore, 80 miles north of Washington, D.C. Don't know if you want to get that close to Washington or not, but in the event that you're willing to, come and see us. You would, sir, be welcome at the meeting, and we look forward to a good time of fellowship and refreshment of soul there. Now let's turn in the scripture to 1st John chapter 3 and I'll tell you what I told you a few minutes ago I would be saying. This has been a day of compounded, what shall I call it, forgetfulness on my part. This morning I got off of the plane in Vancouver to change planes to get my connection here, and evidently left my glasses on seat 7B, which was the empty seat beside me. And when I realized it and went back looking for them, the plane was gone, and so were the glasses. Thankfully, they were Dollar General store variety. That's about all I can afford, and so that's what I wear when I am wearing them. And it's gotten to the place that I have to have glasses to read. So I bought another pair there in the airport. They were more than dollar general store cost, but I got a pair and they are at the pastor's home right now. I promise you they are there. And consequently, I do not have my glasses this evening. And I recall hearing one well-known preacher, if I mentioned his name, you would know who he is, who said that when he preaches, he likes to have a full head and an empty bladder. Well, full head and full heart is what I hope to have when I preach. I don't like being tied to notes, and tonight I can't be tied to notes because I can just barely hardly see what's in front of me there on the pulpit. But we'll make our best effort in looking to the Word of God this evening in 1 John chapter 3. Just the first three verses we read there, this is the Word of God. what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, For we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." Shall we look to the Lord once again and ask His help? Most holy God and gracious Father in Heaven, we come to Thee tonight pleading the precious blood and perfect righteousness of Thy glorious Son, our ever-living Mediator and Advocate with the Father. And we praise Thee that though we are sinners undone and rebels by nature, yet we are accepted in Your beloved Son. And not only are we accepted, but we learn from Your Word that we are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. And we thank Thee that He brings us unto Thee, complete and entire, wanting nothing. We come asking, O God, that You would give us tender hearts. For we are so prone to hardness. Give us hearts that are open, pliable, eager to receive the Word of God. Grant that Thy Spirit meet with us in an evident manifestation of His presence, applying Thy precious Word to our hearts, changing us by our view of Christ this evening. May we look unto Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith. And looking unto him may we be changed into the same image from glory unto glory. And may our hearts be warmed as we contemplate what rich love has been bestowed upon us, unworthy wretches that we are. Help in the preaching of the word that utterance may be given And may the Word of God have free course and be borne by the Holy Spirit of God into each of our hearts. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. The word behold is one you probably don't use a great deal in your everyday conversation. I can't remember the last time I used it. It's not a usual part of my vocabulary, but because of its exceptional usage. It has that emphasis of being reserved for only special things. Behold that. And here the Scripture tells us, behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. And that's what I want us to do this evening. As the Spirit of God in this passage has described for us something of what the love of God is for His people. John, in writing, would have his reader behold this love, for it is something to behold, something to be seen, something to be observed with utmost attentiveness, with undivided interest. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God." That's what I want us to do this evening. Now it says, behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed, which would imply to us immediately that in God there are loves of various sorts. And the manner of love that He has bestowed upon us is of a different sort than a mere general universal love blanketing the earth. And it merits our pausing to contemplate that very point. That the manner of love God has bestowed upon His people is something quite different from the goodness He has shown in general to all of mankind. The Lord is good. Every person on earth living at this moment lives because God has given them breath today. God has given to their physiological makeup whatever it is that I don't understand and can't try to explain, but that creates that electrical impulse that gives the heart another thump. And it keeps beating, and the blood keeps coursing through the body, carrying the oxygen and the nutrients from all that they've taken in to keep the cells alive. God does it for all. God is good to all. There's not a sparrow that falls, but what he sees it fall. He's good. He clothes the grass of the field. so that Solomon in all of his royal regalia was not arrayed as gloriously as the lily of the grass. He takes care of the wild animals. He takes care of us. He is good. But over and above and reaching far beyond that goodness, there is the love of God that is spoken of here that we are to behold. a love which I fear is frequently misrepresented and falsely portrayed in much yes of evangelicalism today. Generally, when you hear a message on the love of God, it describes God's love as if it is a blanket thrown over the whole world, equally and universally the same, everyone being the recipient of it, like everyone else. And I find it interesting that I have never heard a message preached on that text from the 5th Psalm, which is repeated again in the 11th Psalm, which is suggested again in the book of Proverbs, where the psalmist, under divine inspiration, inerrantly writes, thou hatest all workers of iniquity. That is a sobering text, totally ignored. And many of the love preachers today want to say, well, it doesn't mean he hates the sinner, it means he hates his deeds. Deeds which he indeed does hate. But I am not at liberty to go to the inerrant Word of God when it says, Thou hatest all workers of iniquity, and modify it to match my own prejudice. And when the Scripture speaks of God hating all workers of iniquity, it should be a rousing wake-up call to every human being There is in God a thing that the biblical writers refer to as hatred applied towards human beings identified as the workers of iniquity. And while it is not my purpose to preach on that text this evening, yet I think we should recognize that while we always view hatred as wrong, It is because hatred, as we know it as human beings, is always simply an expression of our own sinfulness. Humans hate because they are jealous, and jealousy breeds hatred. Humans hate because they have been offended and are unforgiving. Humans hate because someone else appears to have it better and easier than them. And greed fuels hatred. Hatred among men is simply a manifestation of some other sin in their own heart directed angrily against a sinner. But in God, hatred is absolutely pure and sinless. It is perfect and it is right. And it describes that holy constitution of God as it is set against the unholy constitution of sinners. And we really cannot contemplate the love of God. if we do not have the balance on the other end of the hatred that the psalmist speaks of. For you see, both the terms hate and love are, to an extent, relative terms, relational terms. And if a being loves everybody equally and the same. It may well be concluded that he loves no one. For love is love only by virtue of its contrast with hatred. And where there is no negative, neither can there be its opposite positive. And so the notion that God loves everyone equally and the same is not a biblical notion and is misdirected from what the Bible teaches. And all of that, I say, is implied when John tells us, behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon you. It is a different kind of love. than the universal goodness God has shown. And it is that distinctiveness of this love that we are told to behold, which is described in these three verses. Behold this love, this love that the Father hath bestowed upon you. Behold what manner of love it is. And that's what I want us to do this evening. And so let us notice first As we behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that it is first an effectual love." Notice what it says. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. And then verse number two says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God? In other words, this is a love which achieves its objective. It is a love which is an effectual love. You have no doubt all been aware of a time when a young man is suddenly drawn to a young lady. And it's obvious that he's after her. But he never succeeds at winning her. And though he has the strongest of feelings that he would call love for her, that love is never requited. And eventually it has to wane and he has to look elsewhere. That's the nature of human love. It is a mere emotional attachment which is out of the strength of humanity, but The love of God is inseparable from His omnipotence. He is not only love, He is also all-powerful. And His love cannot be isolated from His power. So that the love of God will never fail like the love of a boy for a girl may fail to win her favor. It will always be effectual, which is what he's saying. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, which has had the effect of making us sons. Now are we the sons of God. God's love always achieves its objective. It is a conquering love which is able to subdue the heart of the fiercest rebel against God. And thus we see Saul the persecutor writhing in the sand of the Damascus road as he has been confronted by Christ Himself who loves him and will bring him against Paul's natural inclination unto being a son of God. And Paul would write to the Romans and say, God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And he goes on to say, for if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And he makes that point that we are enemies of God, and yet, though enemies of God, God's love to us transforms us. changes us, makes us sons of God. Now, he says, are we the sons of God? This is the love unlike any other. It is an effectual love. It accomplishes its objective. This, therefore, is a love to behold. Behold what manner of love The Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. But in addition to being effectual, let us observe also that this love is infectious. It is an infectious love. And you notice again, he says, behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. And I am told that the Greek term here translated, bestowed, means literally, infused into us. And when Paul wrote again to the Romans in chapter 5, he said, tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Peter wrote to the scattered saints concerning the exceeding great and precious promises that God has given us and said, by these we are made partakers of the divine nature. Yes, enemies of God, rebels and sinners, by the love of God, conquered and made partakers of the divine nature as the Holy Spirit moves within, shedding the love of God abroad in our heart, infusing it into us. Behold what manner of love the Father hath infused into us that we should be called the sons of God." The people of God are made to become vessels within which resides the very love of God Himself. And what is the fruit of the Spirit but love and eight other accumulating qualities. And so, this love with which we are saved is not only effectual in actually accomplishing its purpose, but its purpose is actually accomplished by means of that love being infused into us by the entrance of the Spirit of God who produces His fruit, so that it is the love of God which radiates forth from the true believer's life. And John, in this epistle from which we read, makes the point of saying, by this men shall know that you are my disciples. That you have the very love of God within. It is an infectious love. Consider, third, as we behold this love, that it is a mystifying and isolating love. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God, therefore the world knoweth us not. They don't understand it. It mystifies them that a sinner, one of them, can suddenly be changed into a worshipping believer through whom the very likeness of Christ begins to shine forth as the love of God goes forth. The world doesn't know us. And we read, continuing in the second verse, the same manner, that the world sees us apart from them. We are isolated from the world and they observe with confused mystification. I was talking to one of the young men in my congregation who is in a secular university in Pennsylvania and through the summer he was working on a special engineering project. His major is electrical engineering and in this summer study research program there were people from all over the world Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and out-and-out unbelievers who believe nothing. And he had the opportunity to learn more about the nature of their various streams of unbelief. And he learned how much they do not understand what Christianity or Christians are, and how they think of Christians as People that are just trying to be good. And churches as places that try to make people be good. They don't understand that true Christians are people in whom the love of God has been regeneratingly planted by the Spirit of God. So that they are new creations Old things passed away. All things become new. And so the Apostle Paul wrote, after all of his suffering, of persecution, the hardships he endured for the sake of the Gospel, he wrote, the love of Christ constraineth us. It is beholding this love of God infused into my very being which compels me and keeps me going. Beatings, rods, stoning, shipwreck. mockery, imprisonment, trials, persecution. The love of Christ constraineth me. This is what keeps me going. Not fear of judgment, but joy in the one who loves me so, whose love is implanted in my own heart. This is my motivation. The world doesn't understand it. But it separates us from the world. And thus, this love is an isolating, and mystifying love. It is also a glorifying love. Beloved, now are we the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Behold this love. which has the effect, ultimately, of the glorification of sinners. I recall some years ago, when an aging young man in our congregation, who had never really learned to comb his hair, or to wear the right color socks, or to present himself accepted presentably, yet found a young lady who knew some of those things and for some reason was swept off of her feet by him. And they married. And he began coming to church with his hair neatly combed. Maybe she was doing it, I don't know. With the right color socks on. And he had become something of a different creature because of the application of her love to him. Now, that perhaps crudely illustrates the far more glorious and unillustratable, if I can make a word up, truth that God's people, loved with that effectual love, will be glorified. It does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him. And so Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said, husbands, love your wives. Even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it unto Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. This love of God shown in Christ at Calvary for the church will have the effect of making the church a glorious church. We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. This is a glorifying love. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. It is also a purifying love. Whosoever hath this hope in Him purifieth himself." When one has received such love, the more he perceives this love, the more he wants to abandon what is in the world. Chapter 2, verse 15, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. Because those who love the world The love of the Father is not in them. But those who know the love of the Father infused into them don't love the world. And they want to put off the world. They do not want to be spotted by the world. They don't want its fingerprints upon them. They hate the garments that are spotted by the flesh. They want to be pure. Whosoever hath this hope. The hope of glorification wrought by the love of God purifies himself. The love of God as popularly misrepresented in modern-day evangelism, and you recognize, I'm sure, that what I'm preaching is very different from popular modern evangelism, The love of God of today's modern evangelism, a love that is just a blanket of emotion thrown all over the earth, is an inducement to sinfulness. It says to the sinner, God loves you as you are. And almost, almost tells the sinner, come on now, make God happy. Respond to this love. But no matter what you do, God loves you. And thereby, sinners continue presuming upon a God based upon an erroneous understanding of His love. I have had people dispute what I'm preaching to you this evening and ask the question, how then can you tell a sinner that God loves them? There is a very biblical answer to that. Number one, I don't find in Scripture that we are told to tell sinners God loves them. We are to tell sinners rather, repent and believe the Gospel. Accept ye repent, ye'll perish. Repent and believe the Gospel. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. But the fact is that the love of God for sinners, as I understand it from Scripture, is holy embodied in the person of Jesus Christ. And when you begin examining through the New Testament the references to God's love, you will find over and over and over again that the love of God is always tied to the person of Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. and that it is not simply tied to the person of Christ, but it is tied to Christ crucified. God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And I believe it was Martin Luther who very appropriately said, if you want to see the love of God, look to the wounds of Christ. For it is in the crucified Savior and there alone that the love of God will be found. And rather than telling sinners, God loves you and if you will just cooperate, He'll do you good, we must tell sinners, come to Christ or you will never know the love of God. For those who have not come in faith to Christ, the Scripture describes as being condemned already. And the psalmist warns, thou hatest all workers of iniquity. And outside of the person of Christ, sinners have absolutely no hope at all. And what they need to hear is what we sang this evening. Love divine. All loves excelling. Joy of heaven to earth come down. Christ is the love of God. eternally embodied. He is the joy of heaven to earth come down. He is love divine. All loves excelling. And this is the love that John would have us behold. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. It is a purifying love. It is a self-sacrificing love. Christ gave Himself for sinners. He laid down His life, a ransom for many. Here in His love, John writes, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son. There you have it again. to be the propitiation for our sins. This love of God is the love that gives expecting nothing in return. For what can we return to him but broken, defiled vessels, which he alone must cleanse. And so as we behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed, we behold an effectual love, an infectious love An isolating and mystifying love. A glorifying love. A purifying love. A self-denying love. And finally, we observe an originating love. God is love. This the Apostle speaks to very clearly. And he says, we love him. because He first loved us. And as the moon merely reflects the light of the sun, so we reflect back to God the very love which He has bestowed upon us. And we love Him only because He first loved us just as the moon shines, only because the sun first shone upon it. And the love that God's people know for their Savior is a love that is there because He first loved them. This is an originating love. And as we consider what the Spirit of God has set for us in these texts, I have the sense that we have only begun to scratch the scratch of the surface of the love of God, which is no doubt why the Apostle Paul prayed for the believers that you might know the love of Christ that passive knowledge. that you might be filled with all the fullness of God, that you might know what is the length and breadth and depth and height in knowing the love of God. Beloved, let us behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons Shall we bow together as we pray? Our God and our Father in heaven, we recall your words to Jeremiah the prophet, I have loved thee with an everlasting love and therefore with loving kindness drawn thee. And we can say with the psalmist, blessed is the man whom Thou choosest and causest to approach unto Thee. And with the Apostle John, we must say we love You because You first loved us. And as we have endeavored this evening to behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, we pray that Thou wouldst remove the scales from our eyes and the hardness from our heart, that we might with ever renewed mind and spirit. Know what is the length and breadth and depth of height and height and know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge. Teach us of our great and glorious Savior, the eternal embodiment of your love, that we might adore Him and adoring Him might bring others unto Him where they too might enter this love. We pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.