REVELATION

. Part 4 in the Series entitled “Three”

02/20/11

“Unto Him that Loved Us…” – Part 2

Would you please stand with me for the reading of God’s sacred Word? Revelation 1:1-8…
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things
which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that
he saw.
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things
which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which
is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the
prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him:
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty.”

After seeing the three-fold revelation of who Jesus Christ is, we began this morning to explore
the three-fold nature of what He has done, and we saw in verse 5, that He has Loved us.

Now, there is a depth of truth that those two words only begin to convey, and I wanted to
explore what His love really means, so we started today by looking at 5 characteristics of His
love, and we learned that Christ’s love for us is:
BINDING
Romans 8:35, says, “Who shall separate us from the love of God?” Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
Paul answers with a list of things that cannot ever break the bonds of Christ’s love, and he
concludes in verses 38-39 by saying, For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul was, in a sense, echoing the words of Christ in John 10:27-29, where he said, “My sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave
them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.”
It is so good to know that no matter what happens, His love. His love is binding. Furthermore,
his love is also:

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SHELTERING
Jesus, in John 10, painted the picture of this sheltering love by describing our relationship to him
with the analogy of sheep to their shepherd. And while I won’t take time to read it tonight, we
see in that chapter that Jesus paints Himself as the “Good Shepherd” who feeds, nurtures,
prepares, and protects His sheep – even at risk of His own life. And he does this because His
love is sheltering.
We then learned that His great love is, in truth:
IMMEASURABLE
When Paul wrote his letter to the church at Ephesus, he told them that he was praying for them,
“That he (Christ) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with
might by his Spirit in the inner man; 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, and
length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye
might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Paul wanted them to in some small way, I suppose, get a grip on the immeasurable love of
Christ, because that grip would strengthen their hearts and fill them with the fullness of God.
You know, I believe that’s true for us today as well – that if we would spend just a small amount
of time each meditating on the Scriptures that extol the love of Christ and thinking and praying
about His great love for us, we could face each day with renewed strength and determination to
live a life that is pleasing to God.
God’s love is big enough to do that! It is beyond human understanding, and it is powerful –
because it is immeasurable.
What’s more, His love is…
COMMITTED
The dark hour of his life and ministry was the test, wasn’t it? It was that hour that proved
whether Jesus was truly committed in His love for His Father and His love for His followers.
And in that hour, with full knowledge of the pain and suffering He was about to endure, He
looked to His Father and said, “Not my will, but thine be done.” And in that hour, will full
knowledge of how truly alone He would be, as all others forsook Him, He still bowed his knees
as a servant and in love, washed His disciples’ feet. John 13:1 says, “Now before the feast of
the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world
unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
Jesus knew that in a matter of hours these men would abandon Him, and still, He loved them.
“He loved them unto the end.” Jesus knew that in a few hours, His own Father would turn His
face away and the skies would be blackened by clouds, yet He pursued His will in love.
Jesus is a committed lover. He is faithful. He will never violate the covenant of His love. And it
was that love that took Him all the way to the cross, the agony, and the tomb.
And, friend, if you die lost tonight and end up in hell, it is because you did all you could to climb
around, over, or under that amazing love. His is a committed love.
Finally, we learned that His love is…

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COMPELLING
The Apostle Paul, former Christian-killer turned preacher, wrote in 2Corinthians 5:14, “For the
love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto
him which died for them, and rose again.”

Paul was saying that the magnificent love of Christ compelled Him to preach the Gospel. He
saw the world around Him as dead and He knew that Jesus Christ was the only One who could
bring them knew life, and He knew that he was indebted to share that love.
And so are we. The Apostle John tells us this in 1John 4:11 where he says, “Beloved, if God so
loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
Listen, if you have truly experienced Christ’s love, you must also be moved to love others. You
must feel compelled to give them the same gift that you’ve been given! If you feel no desire in
your heart, no compassion, no compulsion to share the Gospel, there is something wrong with
your heart, because Christ’s love is a compelling love!
Well, learning these things about Christ’s love does something to us. It changes the way we
think. But more important that this is experiencing His love first-hand, and when that happens,
His love goes beyond just changing what we think, to changing how we live.
And that brings us to the rest of the message tonight, in which I want to share with you what
Christ’s love does to us and in us. In other words, to answer the question, “What are the
consequences, or results of His love?”
And there are four I will share with you tonight. First, If you have truly experienced His love, you
have been…
ENLIVENED
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1-7… “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses
and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised
us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to
come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus.
You know, if you want to get a point across, you repeat yourself, right? That’s what Paul did.
Twice he says that in Christ we’ve been “quickened”. Now, that doesn’t mean that the love of
Christ somehow makes you faster, so don’t think that you’re going to go out there and win any
footraces because you received His love and were saved.
The word, “quickened”, or “quickened together” as it appears in verse 5, is the Greek word
suzoopoieo, (sood-zo-op-oy-eh'-o) which means, “to reanimate conjointly with” . Another way of
saying it is would be “made alive with”.

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Paul is saying that when we were dead in sin, God, through Christ’s sacrifice, has “made us
alive” with Jesus Christ. So get this picture… Jesus dies. Jesus is buried. Jesus raises from the
dead.
And now you, who were dead in your sins; you who were a putrid mess of spiritual corruption,
have been raised from the dead and made alive by your union of faith to the One who loved you
and gave Himself for you!
Man, if that doesn’t light your fire, I don’t know what will!
You were dead, but now you’re live! You were headed for hell in absolute hopelessness and
loneliness, and now you’re alive, beloved by your Creator, and redeemed by your Savior!
And I don’t care how bad your life may seem, if you are there with Jesus, there’s no better place
to be because you’ve been made alive in Christ! And it’s all because of His love!
Furthermore, because of His love, you’ve been…
ENCOURAGED
In 2Thessalonians 2:13-15, Paul writes… “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for
you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by
our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by
word, or our epistle.
Once again, Paul is praying for a church, and this time it’s the Thessalonian congregation. And
he tells them that he’s always praying and giving thanks to God for them, because God had
done such a great work in their lives and they were a source of joy to Paul, who worked so hard
to see fruit among them.
And then, after encouraging them to hold fast to the truths they had been taught, he pronounces
a benediction upon them – and that’s what we read in verses 16-17… “Now our Lord Jesus
Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting
consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every
good word and work.”
In his closing words, Paul appeals to the love of God as the source and the fountain of His
everlasting consolation and good hope. He says that Christ himself and God, even our Father,
Hath loved us.
And His love is the foundation for our comfort and hope. His love is what encourages us when
all hope and comfort seem lost:
When we lose our jobs
When we lose our health
When we lose a son or daughter
When our spouse is diagnosed with terminal cancer
When the darkness of depression covers our hearts like a cloud…
In these times we cling to the anchor of His everlasting consolation and good hope. We hold fast
to that great love in those dark hours when we are all alone in our suffering, and we do it by
remembering what He has already done for us.
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And listen, even if Satan blinds you to all the blessings God has given you throughout your life
and tries to make you think that God doesn’t love you, He can never steal the truth of 1John
4:9, which says, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”
And friends, that’s an encouraging love. Well, you’ve been ENLIVENED and ENCOURAGED,
but there’s more. Because of His love, you’ve also been:

EXCUSED
When I was a kid, there were about four years of my life in which Iived with a step-family. Now, I
really don’t have many good memories of those years. There were things that happened that I
don’t even like to think about, let alone talk about. And the truth is, I’ve forgotten much of it.
But there are a couple of occasions in those years that stand out very clearly in my mind. One
such occasion was what I’ll call the “towel day”. I don’t remember exactly how it started, but I do
remember that after my dad left for work early that morning, my stepmother called me and my
two brothers downstairs and accused us of tearing one of her bath towels.

Well, I didn’t do it, and both of my brothers denied it too, so, Connie sent us to our room to “think
it over” until one of us admitted it. And for good measure, we were sent there with no breakfast,
and we weren’t getting out until we confessed.
So, we went to our rooms and we stayed in there for hours and hours. We didn’t get breakfast,
and we didn’t’ get lunch, and it was getting close to dinner and we were three very hungry boys.
So what did we do? We cajoled and convinced our youngest brother, Shawn, to confess to the
crime so we could get out and eat.
So he did. He went downstairs and confessed and took a beating. And he did it for us. And the
thing is, he wasn’t even guilty. None of us were.

In fact, it wasn’t the very next day that the truth came out – it was one of our stepsisters who
had torn the towel. But, it was too late, Shawn had already suffered for us so we could be
excused.
Brothers and sisters, do you realize that this is exactly what Jesus did for us? Jesus took the
punishment for us, the innocent for the guilty. He stood in the place of condemnation so that we
could be excused and go free. He traded His life for ours.
1John 4:10 says, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son
to be the propitiation for our sins.”
The word, “propitiation” carries the idea of expiation. Now, that may not mean much to you, and
it wouldn’t mean much to me either, except I found out that that really means, “to make
amends”. Now, that’s a language I understand.
I was alienated from God by my sins and I deserved to suffer His wrath, I deserved to go to hell.
I know that. But Jesus Christ, in His great love, stepped in for me, stopped the trial, and took my
place in front of the Judge, where He willingly took the blame and the punishment for me. He
expiated my sin.
He paid the price that I was supposed to pay, and because he died in my place, I was excused
and God set me free! Whooo!!!

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Oh, aren’t you glad that you’ve been excused? But even as you rejoice, just remember the
price that was paid.
Even now, 30 years after that “towel” incident, I can still hear my brother crying as he took the
beating for us so we could be free.
I don’t ever want to forget the pain my Savior suffered so I could be excused – and neither
should you. It was my sins and your sins that nailed Him to the cross! And we’ve been excused.

Well, there is one more thing I want to leave you with tonight. Because He has loved us, we’ve
been…

ELEVATED
In the end, we come full circle, right back to where we started in Romans chapter 8, and there
we read these words… (verses 29-37)
“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.
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.
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 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 any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day
long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

There are six things Paul mentions here that show just how God has elevated our position from
sinner and enemy to child and heir of God.

First, Paul says that God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. Do you
realize the privilege of this position? How awesome is this, that God is allowing us, and even
working in us to make us like His Son.
No grander human being has ever lived than Jesus Christ. No more moral person. No more
loving person. No more pure and wonderful person. And you and I get to be like Him! That is
awesome!
And here’s something else… Paul also says in verse 30, that in Christ, we’re “glorified”. Notice
that Paul speaks in the past tense. Not “we will be glorified” but we have already been
“glorified”. That word literally means that we’ve been “esteemed glorious and full of honor”.

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Sometimes we think in a “now” and “then” mindset. It’s as if we’re just lowly peons trudging
through this world, hoping, just hoping that someday we’ll actually make to heaven where,
maybe, just maybe we’ll get a shack or be a doorkeeper.
But this is not how God sees us. If you are in Christ, God sees you as exalted!
Look back at verse 14… “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Now, look at verse 17-18… “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall
be revealed in us.”
Paul says we are “joint-heirs” with Christ and that we will be glorified together someday with a
glory that far surpasses the strength of any of our present distresses.
Moreover, he writes in Ephesians 2:4-7, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches
of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
Listen, in God’s view, you are ALREADY exalted – seated in heavenly places, where in the
“ages to come” you will experience the riches of His grace and kindness!

CONCLUSION
Two of Satan’s greatest weapons against us are doubt and discouragement. He wants us to
focus on the “here and now” where things are broken and where life is hard. But God tells us to
lift our eyes and see that there is a glorious future that we are already a part of – we just can’t
see it with these eyes.

So we have to use the eyes of faith. We have to trust the One who loved us enough to die in our
place so we could be…

ENLIVENED
ENCOURAGED
EXCUSED
ELEVATED

Trust in God. Don’t get hung up on your problems or the turmoil in this broken world.

Listen to the words of the Lord to His disciples, as He spoke of the coming trouble in the world,
and he said in Luke 21:28… “…when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift
up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.