Peter Brandon preaches on 'The Love of God', emphasizing that God's love is perfect and unconditional, even towards those who are ungodly, sinful, and enemies of Him. He explains that while humans struggle to love the unlovable, God knows our weaknesses and still chooses to love us, demonstrated through Christ's sacrifice. The sermon outlines the three aspects of God's love: the men whom God loves, the manner of God's love, and the miracle of God's love, culminating in the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Brandon encourages the congregation to accept this love and the salvation it offers, highlighting the importance of being cleansed from sin to receive God's love fully.

The subject under discussion tonight will be the love of God and we shall expound this from the scripture from Romans 5. So shall we turn to Romans 5 and commence reading at verse 1. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so but we glory in tribulations also knowing that 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. For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him. 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 not only so but we also join God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement or the reconciliation. Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. For unto the law sin was in the world but sin is not imputed where there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression who is the figure of him that was to come. Now God will bless to us the reading of his word. In John's epistle we read this remarkable statement. There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out all fear. And my subject tonight is perfect, perfect love. We live in an imperfect world. Each one of us has an imperfect body. The hall in which we now sit is imperfect. The speech of the preacher and his communication very imperfect. Your reception of my speech totally imperfect. And isn't it amazing that in an imperfect world we can speak of perfect, perfect love. Therefore you can see immediately the vastness of the subject and the beauty of the subject. Now we're going to deal with this subject under three headings and all we're going to do as we shall do every night is to preach the gospel from the scriptures and night by night I shall just expound the word of God. Now first of all we're going to look at this narrative that we have read together and we're going to see the men whom God loves meaning mankind. Secondly we're going to look at the manner of God's love and see the realistic way in which God has loved us. And then we're going to finish on a high note the miracle of God's love and we're going to see the greatest miracle that God has ever performed. Now that's the subject and those are the headings. First of all the men whom God loves. Human beings have the capacity to love. When two people are married it should be a love match and that match should go on forever. Nothing, nothing parting it but the love growing and increasing. But we only love people that are lovable to us and therefore human beings haven't the capacity to love the unlovable. They can like them but not love them. But in the heart of God and I want to say this as clearly as I can, he's able to love people who are diametrically opposed to him in every detail. Therefore when God loves his love is knowledgeable. I say this with a tinge of humour but it's true. A philosopher has said marriage is blind or love is blind but marriage is an eye opener. Now in one sense that is true. You never know a person until you fully marry them and you live intimately. But I want to say this as clearly as I can that God's love is not blind. When he loves us he knows the very worst about us. Therefore when the love of God is expanded in the fifth chapter of the Romans and this is the first reference to love he shows us three things about the human race. First of all he tells us that we're ungodly. Then he tells us that we're sinners. Then he tells us that we're enemies but that needs an explanation. The word ungodly means someone that is totally unlike God, in fact opposed to God. But here in the narrative the word means someone that's without strength. How can I explain this? A young man who was an was swimming the channel and he was breaking all records that little bit of water between the British and the French coast from Dover to Calais. And he was about three and a half miles from the French coast and the distance is roughly 22 miles and he turned to the man that was in the cutter and he said pull me in. The man couldn't believe it. And when he pulled this lad in who was only 14 years of age but a brilliant swimmer he collapsed at the end of the boat and this is what he said. Can't make it, finished, beaten and then collapsed. Now if you can see that physically then I believe I can explain the point spiritually. There has never lived a human being that's obeyed all the dictates of his conscience. Not one. There has never lived a human being that's ever kept the Ten Commandments. The greatest moralist that ever lived as far as we know was Saul of Tarsus. The only man in history that could say touching the law blameless. But when he became a Christian he saw the finer points of the law. In fact he saw it through the eyes of the Sermon on the Mount and this is what he wrote. The good that I would I do not. The evil that I hate that I do. I find in a law that when I would do good evil is present with me. I delight in the law of God after the inward men. But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Oh wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me? An ungodly man. A weak man. Now would you mind if I prove this point. I think most of us who have even a spark of morality when New Year's Day comes we turn over a new leaf and quietly to ourselves we make a New Year's resolution. Are we able to keep the new leaf clean and plain? Are we able to keep our resolutions? You know I was only reading the other day in the Daily Mail the confessions of 40 British Prime Ministers and every single one with the exception of one died a defeated person because they could not keep the promises that they had made. You see sin has basically made us weak and I believe already you are beginning to feel yes there is moral weakness in me. I haven't got these moral muscles. Physical but not moral or spiritual. Why? Because you are ungodly. But this is the miracle. God knows all about our weaknesses. He knows that we are defeated people but he still loves us. Isn't that amazing? The next word that he uses here is much stronger. That God commends his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. The word ungodly here is associated with weakness and the word sinner would you believe it is related to strength. It's the idea of a rebel. Someone that wants his or her own way. In London I saw a beautiful little girl. I wish I had time to describe her. One mass of golden curl dressed immaculately and her mother called her and said Jeannie come here and then suddenly something happened. She straightened her anatomy stared like fire and then blurted out I shan't come. What strength? What was it? It was rebellion. Now my dear friends we must ask a question. Where did that darling little girl get her rebellion from? Well the scripture makes it quite clear. Paul says where for us by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death is passed upon all men for that all have sinned. Now here is a fact. There has never lived a human mother who had the discipline and the training and the education to stop her child from sinning. Not one. Now why? Because right in our genes right in the seed that brings birth there is the transportation of sin and therefore man is born by nature as a sinner and he's got rebellion in his nature. Furthermore I believe that I could give practical demonstrations of the power of sin. Have you ever seen a person in a feverish temper? The wife suggests something. He gets angry. She goes on in this same strain of irritation and then all of a sudden watch. He reddens. He shouts. He roars. He throws something. The damage is done. Why did he do it? Because there was a power in him that he couldn't control. Here are two young people together and the physical desire is strong. It overcomes willpower. They fall into the vortex of lust and the deed is done. Why did they do it? Because of the ugly power of sin. You see man is a rebel but this is the miracle. God knows all about our weaknesses that we can't make it. He knows all about our rebellion and our sin but he still loves us. Isn't that marvelous? Still loves us. Now the next word is rather rugged for when we were enemies. Now what does this mean? Now this needs a careful explanation. There isn't a tinge of bitterness in the heart of God. There is no such thing in the nature of God as a boiling over wrath. In the nature of God there are two seeming opposites. God is light, truth. God is love. Truth is not an attribute of God. God is truth and love isn't an attribute. All the attributes and the characteristics of God are marked by lust and therefore as human beings we can put a hole on this fact that God is love. What does the word enemy mean? Well the word simply means that man is the enemy. You say I can hardly believe that. Let me use an illustration that proves the point. Now quite frankly man will never be able to make real manhood. Never. I know the man of sin will come into the world and I know they're going to make a kind of image and he will live but it will not be full humanity. But supposing we could. And we brought this being that was constructed by man into our home and we heaped upon him every blessing that we had given to our family. And after about three or four months we discovered that he was vandalising our garden, hurting our children. We could see that he was damaging our property. And after now about nine months we realised that he was becoming dangerous. A child had to go to hospital because of the vandalism. And then perhaps after another period of months we came home and found the wife seriously hurt by this creature. Now I know you wouldn't like to answer this question but let me put it to you in another way. When we have a dog that bites and bites seriously what do we do with it? We put it down. And that's what we would do with that creature. But note this. God has been putting up with the misbehaviour of mankind for six thousand years. So much so now that he is beginning to pollute the very creation that he has made. Furthermore all his laws have been obliterated as far as man is concerned and vandalised. So the corruption is filling our earth. But this is the miracle. God knows all about our antagonism. But he still loves us. Now don't misunderstand me. He doesn't love our ungodliness. He doesn't love our rebellion. He doesn't love the vindictiveness that's in man and the violence. But he loves us. This moves me when I say this. I saw a mother holding a dying child with cancer. And I saw a paradox. She positively loved the child that was dying. But she hated the disease that was killing it. Listen to this dear friends. God loves you. But hates the disease of sin. And therefore I want to say clearly he knows the very worst about us. But still has the capacity to love. Now let's go a little deeper. The manner of God's love. Notice two words that show to us the intervention of God's love. But God. But God. A man said to me the other day. How do we know that Jesus Christ came into this world? He said there's no real reliable authority outside the bible that tells us anything about Jesus Christ. How do we know? Well I told him as clearly as I could that his date system was not based on Alexander the Great or the Caesars. But it was based on Jesus Christ. A.D. simply means after Christ. Now why did Christ come? Friends. He didn't come to show to us the wrath of God. He didn't come to us even to show to us the holiness of God. He came into this world to show to us the love of God. Did he ever reveal wrath? Yes. Did he show holiness? Yes by the life that he lived. But Jesus Christ came into this world and he intervened in order to show to us that God knew the worst about us. But still and now I'm going to use a word that's only affiliated with God. But you wanted to reveal that he infinitely loved us. And my dear friends when I read those two words that God commended his love towards us. I see the intervention of God's love. But then he gives us a most dramatic illustration of God's love. Unfortunately because of our background we do not understand the importance of verse 7. Let me read it to you in English and then let me explain the Roman background. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commended his love towards us. Now that's an illustration. In a Roman court there could be a vicarious sentence. We haven't got it in English justice and I don't think you've got it in Australia. But in some states of America there is such a thing as a vicarious sentence. Now what does that mean? In the time of the apostle if a man was condemned to die and he was a good man and he was falsely condemned. Someone else could step forward and say to the judge I'm willing to take that man's sentence. Therefore if you can have that in mind then you will understand the drama of this illustration. In the time of the apostle there were judges that were totally and absolutely unfair. So that on some occasions a man that was righteous and even a man that was good was condemned. And therefore he brings into the law court a man that's righteous. The deed that he's been accused of he hasn't done. Everyone knows it. And this evil judge he condemns him. No says Paul. Who will die for him? He says just the very few. Then he brings into the courtroom someone that was good. A benefactor. When we see him we would say a thorough gentleman. Everybody loves him. And we know that he's not only not guilty he is a benefactor. The man's a gentleman. He's good. And this judge condemns him. No says Paul. Who will die for him? He said just a few. Then there's silence. And into the courtroom there comes a rascal. The moment we see him we can see there's murder in his eyes. Death in his expression. We can see that the man is weak to do anything that's good. We can see this fellow is strong to do evil. We can see this fellow is an enemy to society. Dangerous. He's guilty. He's going to be executed. And the judge says with a kind of chuckle who would die for him? And there's a voice from heaven. A voice from heaven. And the Lord Jesus says I will die for him. Can you see the point? He did not die for righteous people. He did not die for good people. He died for sinners like us. Then he goes a little further and he gives us now the manifestation of God's love. Now this is beautiful. He just says Christ died for us but that needs a real explanation. Now why? I remember during my experience in London during the war when we were on bomb damage. A rocket had fallen and a whole street of 49 houses had been completely demolished. Another bomb had fallen and quite frankly it was an unexploded bomb. And we were actually digging to get to this bomb and we came across a woman just outside an indoor air raid shelter. It was like an iron table and as we lifted that body it just crumpled in our hands. Under that body there were two children. Unconscious but alive. The mother smothered her children but they were her friends. They were her own children. It's love but this is deeper. When Jesus Christ was on the cross at Calvary we must remember this. That the world together joined together in saying we will not have this man to reign over. I find it hard to say this to you even though I've preached this over and over again. They spat upon him. They used his face as a human punch bag until it was beyond recognition. His back was like a ploughed field that had been scourged by the whips of hatred. His hands of healing were pierced. His feet nailed to a cross. And the world made him the object of their sport and fun but he still loved them. Listen to what he said. Father forgive them they know not what they do. Is that the love of God? Yes but a thousand times greater. Can I put it to you like this? If you could take one sin out of your life like I'm going to take it out of this water. Shall we say the smallest sin you can think of? A little white lie. And you saw that white lie as God sees that white lie. You would say something like this in the drama. Oh no! One sin to God is far worse than all the sins of the world to us. Furthermore if you could see God's judgement on that one sin you would never endeavour to sin again. If you could see God's judgement in hell for that sin you would never sin again. If you could help it. Now note this. When the Lord Jesus was on the cross and you must remember he was absolutely spotless and perfect. Totally without the stain of Adam's sin. God brought together the sin of the world. Measure it's judgement. And because he loved us so much Jesus Christ bore that judgement for you. And when you see him bearing your sins in his own body on the tree then you understand that verse. Can I quote it? God commends his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. And therefore when sin and it's judgement was borne by him he cried the language of a man separated from God. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me? And then immediately following finished done and love victory was seen. So I can say this is the measure of God's love for you. And would you allow me to point. I know it's rather rude but I want this to get her. God's love for you is so much that he died for your sin. He was wounded for your transgression. He was bruised for your iniquity. He bore your sin in his own body on the tree. That's the manifestation of God's love. But I'm not finished. He uses now an expression that perhaps we don't understand. But God commends according to Mr Newbury now and this is according to the Greek text. God commends his own love. He doesn't commend anyone else's love. In other words dear friends if I may take the liberty of a paraphrase this is what God is saying. Look I've demonstrated the sincerity of perfect love. I've exhausted myself in the love of Christ. I've loved you until I can love you no more. Now I'm going to commend that love to you. And that's the job of the preacher. To stand between you and a holy God and just commend God's love to you. And that's what I'm going to do tonight. But the words deeper than that. It's not only the idea of commendation. It's the idea of communication. It's God's love expressed at Calvary. Shown at Calvary in all it's utter reality. But coming down to the 20th century. How can I explain this? Last year in South Africa they took me to see the greatest reservoir in the world. Up there in the Great Table Mountain. And when I saw this mighty expanse of water my mind just boggled. I just couldn't believe it. It was like a human sea. And in Cape Town they can have 3 years of drought and still irrigate all their land. And then I saw 6 great pumping stations. And there they were communicating all this water. Then I saw something that touched my sentimental heart. I looked down and saw a native's hut. And I saw this African lady coming out of the hut going to a little tap. And she put a kettle under me. What was happening? Some of the glory of that mighty reservoir was being communicated through the power stations, through various pipes, right to her little mud hut. And she was receiving it. That's what's happening tonight. Through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, working in a very simple pressure, God's love is coming to you. It's being communicated. And just as you sit there you can receive that love or reject it. Then having made that statement and with this I close. He shows us the miracle of God's love. It's leaning verse 5. Hope makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost. Someone said to me in London not long ago, well Mr. Brandon that's all very nice. You've told us about love that's 2000 years old. But what about us living in our bodies in the 20th century? What about us living in smoke? That's what they call London. Now I could not really translate his cockney to you because it was rather crude. But what he was saying was simply this. I've got a body. I'm paying a heavy mortgage. I have to face all the difficulties of life. What is God going to do now for me? Well thank God he wants to do something right now. Forgive my excitement. You know when preaching your heart gets moved. I tell you what God wants to do. He wants to take the seed form of Calvary's love and he wants to sow it right in your heart. So that the love of God is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost. The word shed abroad is the word effusion. And it's the idea of torrents upon torrent. Not just a tap but a waterfall. If you have been at the Niagara and you've seen that great waterfall then you know what I'm talking about. When that river is in spate it's absolutely awe inspiring to see volumes of water going over. And when I saw it I got the spray unknowingly and got soaking wet. But there were others that had more money than what I had and they had protecting clothing and they went on a boat and they got very very near but all they got was the spray. And such is commercialism. There were others that had more money and they went underneath the waterfall with protecting clothing but they only got the spray. You couldn't take the full force. If you were under the Niagara, my, it would kill you. But hallelujah, the Lord doesn't give you a spray of his love. He takes the mighty love of God in the person of the Holy Spirit who is divine as the Lord Jesus. And he comes right into your heart and he brings in the love of God. And God's power is not frightening. God's power is love. And when he comes into your life you are completely changed. It's just like a transplant. You see man can transplant a heart. He can transplant a kidney. He can transplant veins. He can transplant a heart. But he can't transplant a new life. Dear friends, would you mind if I did this as a demonstration? Supposing that's your body. Right? And supposing there's dirt in that glass like there's sin in our body. How unwise I would be to pour in water. So what do I do? I get a cloth, some boiling water and I clean it. And when it's spotlessly clean in goes the water. And before the Holy Spirit can come into your life you've got to be cleansed from all sin. And that's why he died. And the blood of Christ can cleanse you from all sin. And when you have been clean in comes the water. When you have been cleansed from sin in comes the Holy Spirit. And he brings into your heart the love of God. And that love and that person that brings in the love will revolutionize your life if you would let it. And in this building tonight and I want to say this with reverence with my eyes closed I think now this is sacred. There is the Holy Spirit. He's here tonight. He's in this building right now. And he wants to bring the love of God in your heart. But there's only two things stopping him. One is your sin. That can be cleansed and removed through the cross. And the other is that faculty called will. There's the water. It's been provided for me. But my thirst that's great at this moment will never be quenched until I take it. And that won't help me. I've seen Christ as near as that to people. Until I take it and drink it. And when you receive Christ as your Saviour and Lord the love of God is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost. You know five or six years ago round about this time and I can hardly believe it I was dying. I shall never forget it. Sitting in a chair and just collapsing. And all I knew was this. That there were doctors all around and machines. And I hardly knew where I was. And all I said was yes. And all I knew was this. Something was put in my arms and they put four pints of blood in me. And that saved my life. And through the grace of God I'm here now. I went out and on the same bed upon which I slept another man came in. And the same problem took place with him. He desperately needed blood. But he refused it because of religious conviction. And the surgeon who operated on me came by his bed and in his semi-conscious state he pleaded with him Take the blood. There was a man on this bed just as religious as you. He took it. No. No. Then he got down by that bed and with tears he pleaded with him to take it. No. No. And that man died with the blood beside him. Would you mind if I did that? I want to plead with you tonight to receive Christ as your Saviour. The Holy Spirit's here. The Lord Jesus has shed His blood and He longs to come into your life. Don't go out and reject or neglect Him. It can mean your eternal damnation.