The Presence of a Loving God!
God loves His people with a first love, free love, everlasting love, unchangeable love, and a special, peculiar, and distinguishing love.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the profound nature of God's love for His people, describing it as a first, free, everlasting, and unchangeable love. He highlights that without God's initial love, humanity would be lost, and despite our flaws and backslidings, God offers healing and acceptance through His sovereign grace. Brooks reassures believers that God's love is eternal and immutable, providing comfort in times of trouble. The sermon culminates in the recognition that the presence of a loving God is an unparalleled source of solace and strength in our lives.
Text
"Since you were precious in My sight, and
I have loved you." Isaiah 43:4
God loves His people with a first love! 1 John 4:19
"We love Him because He first loved us." By nature
we were without God, and afar off from God; we were
strangers to God, and enemies to God, yes, haters
of God! Therefore if God had not loved us first--
we would have been everlastingly undone!
God loves His people with a free love! Hosea 14:4,
"I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely."
I know they are backslidden--but I will heal their
backslidings. I know there is nothing at all in them,
which is excellent or eminent, which is honorable or
acceptable, which is laudable or lovely--yet "I will
love them freely"--of My own, free, rich, absolute,
and sovereign grace!
God loves His people with an everlasting love!
Jer. 31:3, "I have loved you with an everlasting
love; therefore, with loving-kindness have I drawn
you." That is, "I love you with the love of perpetuity,
or with the love of eternity. My love and My affections
to you shall continue forever!"
God loves His people with an unchangeable love!
Mal. 3:6, "I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore
you sons of Jacob are not consumed." Men change,
and counsels change, and occurrences change, and
friends change, and relations change, and kingdoms
change; but God never changes! "He who is the Glory
of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not
a man, that He should change His mind," 1 Sam. 15:29.
God is immutable in His nature, in His essence, in His
counsels, in His attributes, in His decrees, in His
promises, etc. He is Omnina immutabilis, "Altogether
immutable!"
God loves His people . . .
with a special love,
with a peculiar love,
with a distinguishing love,
with a superlative love!
God loves His people with the greatest love, with
a matchless love! John 3:16, "God so loved," etc.
This signifies . . .
the greatness of God's love,
the vehemency of His love, and
the admirableness of His love
What an unspeakable comfort must this be to God's
people--to have the presence of a loving God, to have
the presence of such a loving God with them in all their
troubles and deep distresses! If the presence of a loving
friend, a loving relation in our troubles and distresses, is
such a mercy--oh, what then is the presence of a
loving God!
Sermon Outline
- I. God Loves His People with a First Love
- A. By nature we were without God, and afar off from God
- B. We were strangers to God, and enemies to God, yes, haters of God
- C. Therefore if God had not loved us first, we would have been everlastingly undone
- II. God Loves His People with a Free Love
- A. He heals their backslidings and loves them freely
- B. This love is of His own, free, rich, absolute, and sovereign grace
- III. God Loves His People with an Everlasting Love
- A. This love continues forever, with loving-kindness
- B. It is the love of perpetuity, or with the love of eternity
- IV. God Loves His People with an Unchangeable Love
- A. He does not change, and His love remains constant
- B. God is immutable in His nature, essence, and decrees
- V. God Loves His People with a Special, Peculiar, and Distinguishing Love
- A. This love is superlative, and sets Him apart from all other loves
- B. It is the greatest love, with a matchless love
Key Quotes
“We love Him because He first loved us.” — Thomas Brooks
“I will love them freely--of My own, free, rich, absolute, and sovereign grace!” — Thomas Brooks
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, with loving-kindness have I drawn you.” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- Recognize that God's love for us is the initial and primary reason for our salvation.
- Understand that God's love for us is free and unconditional, and it is a demonstration of His rich and sovereign grace.
- Trust in God's everlasting love, which continues forever, with loving-kindness, and is the love of perpetuity or with the love of eternity.