Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Walking With God

I Will Love the Lord

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2007-12-23

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Psalm 18:1, emphasizing that David's declaration 'I will love thee, O Lord' is a determined act of the will by a regenerated believer. He explains that biblical love involves three irreducible elements: attitude, affection, and action. Love is not mere sentiment but obedience to God's commandments, demonstrated by a life conformed to His Word. The sermon underscores that we love God only because He first loved us, and true love for God is proven by keeping His commandments.

[John Weaver] As we look at Psalm 18, we're only going to read the first three verses. And let me say that the message that I start today. Hopefully, I will finish it next Lord's Day. In fact, I may stay in Psalm 18 for some time and I may not, but this is a tremendous psalm and I just want to encourage you to listen very closely today, because The message is not only simple, but it's absolutely fundamental, and I hope it'll be self-explanatory as well. The title of the message is actually found in verse one.

[John Weaver] I will love the Lord. So Psalm 18, note if you would, verse one, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength and whom I will trust. my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies."

[John Weaver] Now, Psalm 18 is also recorded in 2 Samuel, chapter 22. There are few variations between Psalm 18 and 2 Samuel 22, but certainly nothing that affects the principles or the interpretation of the psalm. I want you to note the heading, if you would please, that is given in your Bibles to Psalm 18. Look at what he says. to the chief musician, Osama David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said, and then you have verse one, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. Now, most scholars agree that this psalm was written by David in his old age, when he reflected upon how many times God delivered him from his great enemies, and especially from King Saul, who was one of his greatest enemies.

[John Weaver] Let me give you a quote from John Gill. John Gill, commenting on verse 1, says this, Not that this psalm was composed and sung the selfsame day that David was delivered from Saul and set upon the throne, for it seems to have been written in his old age at the close of his days, for immediately after it, in the second book of Samuel, it follows, Now, these be the last words of David in 2 Samuel 23, verse 1, but the sense is that whereas David had many enemies, and particularly Saul, who was his greatest enemy, the Lord delivered him from them all, and especially from him, that is from Saul, from him first, and

[John Weaver] then from all the rest. which, when he reflected upon in his last days, he sat down and wrote this psalm and then sung it in public, having delivered it in the hands of the chief musicians for that purpose." So actually, Psalm 18 then is a celebration by David of praise and worship to God for having been delivered all of his life from all of his enemies.

[John Weaver] Now, there are a multitude of many and varied truths found in this psalm. But I do not suppose that any of these truths are any greater than the very first one revealed in verse 1. And David reveals to us a very wonderful and yet at the same time a very practical truth that we need to hear, we need to understand, and we need to apply. David says in verse 1, I will love thee, O Lord.

[John Weaver] The question must be asked, and listen to this question, don't answer it out loud. Do you love the Lord? If your answer is yes. Then other questions must also be asked, for instance. How do you know that you love the Lord? Is there any real way of knowing as to whether or not your love is genuine and sincere, or is merely a figment of your imagination. You could also ask, what is it to love the Lord? Let me answer some of these questions for you from the Word of God.

[John Weaver] I've entitled my first point, or I've given you my first point, it's just simply David's determination. There may be others, but David's determination. I want to cover this one point. In fact, just one sub point under it. David said, I will love the Lord. David is expressing a truth that needs to be applied in each of our lives. And that is his determination of the Lord. He said, I will love thee, O Lord. I want you to know what David does not say. He does not say in verse 1, I want to love the Lord. Nor did he say, I hope to love the Lord. David said very emphatically, I will love thee, O Lord. He is expressing a dedicated determination.

[John Weaver] Now, underline this in your minds. David is here writing and speaking already as a regenerated, converted believer. Why? Because no man can love God first. No man can first love God. The Bible tells us that man by nature is at enmity with God. Let me just quote a few verses. There's a lot I want you to look at just a little bit later. But do you remember the passage in Romans 8, verses 7 and 8? The Bible says, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, so then, they that are the flesh cannot please God. Now notice what he said, because the carnal mind is enmity against God.

[John Weaver] Now, the Greek word for enmity is the word ektra, and it speaks not only of enmity, but hatred, yea, strong hatred. So literally what he says, the carnal mind strongly hates God. It's not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And the Bible teaches us that fallen man by nature is alienated from God. In fact, the Bible says in Ephesians 4 verse 18, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from God through the ignorance that is in them, man by nature not only hates God, he's alienated from God, he's ignorant of God. And Colossians 121 confirms this truth when the Bible says, and you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now be reconciled. So the Bible says before we were converted, before we were saved, we were verily the enemies of God. So it is absolutely impossible for anyone to love God first. Do you realize, if it was possible for anyone to love God first, that would mean then that we could bring God into obligation to us.

[John Weaver] In other words, if we could first do something for God, then God would be obliged to do something for us. Now, let me just ask you to hold Psalm 18, but look in your Bibles to Romans 11 and verse 35. I know you know this passage, but look at it. Romans 11, verse 35. Look at what the Scripture says. Romans 11, verse 35. Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? Who hath first given to God? Now, if you can give something to God first, then you can bring him into obligation to you. And God said, if you can give to me first, I will recompense you again. It is impossible to do anything first for God. Do you realize if God had not given us our being, If God had not given us life and health and strength, we would not even be here. How can you do anything for God first? Because had God not given you life, you would not even exist. And the scriptures teaching it is utterly impossible to bring God into obligation to ourselves.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible says in 1 John 4 and verse 10, listen carefully. Here it is love. Not that we love God. But that he loved us. And sent his son to be a propitiation for our sins. Here in his love, not that we love God. No, we didn't love him first, but he loved us. And sent his son to be a propitiation for our sins. And when you get to 1 John 4 and verse 19, Scripture is extremely specific. The Bible says, for we love him Because He first loved us. We love Him. Why? Because He first loved us. Now, let me show you how absolutely impossible it is to love God first.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah 31, and then in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 1. So we're going to Jeremiah 31 first. And then we're going to 2 Timothy. So turn to Jeremiah 31 and then find 2 Timothy 1. Let me just show you how utterly impossible it is to love God first. Here we go. Jeremiah 31, notice if you would please, verse 3. Jeremiah 31, verse 3. The Bible says, The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Now, what kind of love does God have? An everlasting love. God is an eternal being. God said, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. That means God's love has no beginning. Also means, thankfully, it has no end.

[John Weaver] There's a little cup that it goes like this. God loved me. In eternity past. God will love me in eternity future. How long will this continue forever? Praise his holy name. In the Bible says he loved us with an everlasting love.

[John Weaver] Now look in 2nd Timothy chapter one. Just demonstrate this. And look at verses 8 and 9. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, beginning there, verse 8, he writes him and says this, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor be as prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.

[John Weaver] Now look what God has done, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, But according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, what's that next phrase? Before the world began. So when did God love us first? Before the world began. When did He give us grace first? Before the world began. And in other words, it is a simple, undeniable, Undebatable, unarguable truth that God loved us first. Now listen to me. The only reason we love God is because He first loved us. And the only reason we have any love and affection for Him now is because of what He does in our hearts. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] Look back in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5 and verse 5. Romans 5, verse 5. Then I want to ask you some questions. Look at it. Romans 5 and verse 5. The Bible says, And hope make it not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given unto us. Note, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given unto us.

[John Weaver] Who was it that first loved us? The answer is God the Father. Who is it that first gave himself for us in eternity past as a mediator and as a sacrifice? Remember, the scripture says he was a lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The answer is God the Son. Who is it, therefore, that now sheds the love of God abroad in our heart? The answer is God the Holy Spirit. So it is God who loved us first and last and all in the middle. And therefore, everything that we have of love is of God. Our love, listen carefully, our love to God can only be a response to His love. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, So our love to God only reflects His love to us. Now, as we look at Psalm 18, I want you to keep this truth firmly in your mind that God loved us first. And when David says, I will love thee, O Lord, he is speaking as a regenerated and converted individual. Now, as we talk about love, We have to remember, first and foremost, that love is an act of the will.

[John Weaver] David said, I will love thee, O Lord. Now let me ask you, and I know you know the answer. Does God command husbands to love their wives? Yes. Ephesians 5 verse 25. Does God command us to love our neighbors as ourselves? Yes. Leviticus 19, 18, James 2, 8. Does God command us to love him? Yes. Deuteronomy 6, 5, Deuteronomy 11, 1 and a host of other passages.

[John Weaver] Now, the reason I'm telling you this is very simple. Feelings. Sentiments, abstract concepts and ethereal desires. cannot be commanded. Only an act of a will can be commanded. Are you listening? I love my wife because I choose to love my wife. I love my neighbor because I choose to love my neighbor. And I love my God because I choose to love Him because He has worked in my heart by His grace. So mark this down. Love is an act of a will. It is a choice. It is a determination. David said, I will love Thee, O Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you today what I'm going to call an irreducible minimum as far as the elements of biblical love is concerned. And I'm going to demonstrate these biblical elements under David's response, or his response. Because he begins with this determination, I will love thee, O Lord. And what David is doing is he is responding to the love of God. David is expressing now, not only a determination, but a choice.

[John Weaver] An act of his renewed and regenerated will. Now, let me tell you that biblical love involves a minimum of three things. Attitude. affection, and action. Now, there may be other elements in biblical love, but these three are the irreducible minimum. You cannot have biblical love without attitude, affection, and action. And I'm going to take these one at a time. And the very first one is attitude. Now, why do I list attitude first? The answer is very simple. Because everything that we are and everything that we do is determined by our attitude.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look in your concordance and try to find attitude, the word attitude in the Bible, you will not find it. The word attitude does not appear in the Bible. But the concept and the principle of attitude is throughout the Bible. For instance, the Bible in Proverbs 4 verse 23 says, keep your heart with all diligence. The Bible in Philippians 2 verse 5 says this, let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus. How about 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5 when the Bible says, casting down imaginations and every high thing or every high thought that exalted itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, when you begin to talk about how you think, you're talking about attitude. And if I were to give you today All of the verses in the Bible that talk about the mind, I could literally be here all day. So you've got to ask yourself this question. Why are there so many verses in the Bible concerning the mind? Why is the mind so important? And the answer is very simple. Whoever controls the mind controls the body. Whatever controls the mind controls the body.

[John Weaver] Do you know why our enemies always wish to brainwash us? So they can control us. You know why there's so much subliminal advertising? So you can be controlled. Once you're brainwashed, that means you can be controlled. Why should we have a biblical attitude? Why should we have biblical mindsets? And the answer is because we can be controlled by God, by the principles of His Word. Are you listening to me? Everybody is brainwashed.

[John Weaver] It just depends on who does the brainwashing. And if you learn to think biblically, if you have a biblical attitude, you will not be controlled by the world, the flesh and the devil, or the media, which really could be under the devil, I guess, or the humanist, which could really be under the devil, too. You see what I'm saying? Attitude is first and foremost. David said, I will love thee, O Lord. Now, what is he saying? He's saying, Lord, I'm going to keep my attitude right toward thee. Now. If we're to love God. We must, first of all, have a right attitude toward his person.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain something to you. When I say we must have a right attitude toward his person. That simply means this, we must know him. We must know him. Do you realize it is impossible to love someone that you do not know? I could sit here and describe to you a dear friend of mine or a relative. I can tell you all of his good points, all the qualities, all of his characteristics. After I got through describing my friend or my relative, I could look at you and say, now I command you to love him. How can you love him? You don't know him.

[John Weaver] It doesn't matter that I just told you. In my words, I don't have the power to reveal him unto you. So the point I'm trying to make is this. If you are to love God, you must know Him. I want you to look in your Bibles, whole Psalm 18, but look in your Bibles to 1 John 5 and verse 20. 1 John 5 and verse 20. Look at what the Bible says, 1 John 5 and verse 20. I will give you some other verses, but look at this one. 1 John 5, verse 20, And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God in eternal life. What is the true God in eternal life? It's to know God. through His Son Jesus Christ. He said, and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him.

[John Weaver] By the way, Look back in your Bibles to John 17 and verse 3, the Gospel of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and look at what our Lord says in his high priestly prayer. He tells us exactly what eternal life is. By the way, I hope you understand that I've preached on this in time past. Eternal life is not just simply living forever. It's not. I mean, if you define eternal life as living forever, If you believe in a real, literal hell, then the unsaved have eternal life because they're going to live forever in punishment. So eternal life is not just living forever. Look at it, John 17, verse 3. Our Lord tells you what eternal life is. In fact, let's read verse 2. Our Lord is praying. He said, as thou hast given him, Christ, power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Now look as he defines it. And this is life eternal, that they may know thee. The only true God in Jesus Christ who now is sent.

[John Weaver] What is eternal life? It's knowing God. It's knowing God through Jesus Christ. Eternal life is a knowledge and you don't get eternal life when you die. You have eternal life now. If you have Christ, if you know God. What in the world will eternity be? But forever learning about the great and glorious God who saved us and redeemed us. Now, the Bible says eternal life is to know God. Are you listening now? It does no good just simply to profess to know God or no good simply to profess to love God. Why?

[John Weaver] I'm going to demonstrate it to you from Scripture a little bit, but here's the answer. Because our conduct, our actions will betray us if all we do is profess that we know him and profess that we love him. Let me just give you a verse. I will quote this verse later. Listen to Titus 1 in verse 16. Are you listening? They profess that they know God. But in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient unto every good work reprobate.

[John Weaver] Now did you hear what he said? They profess that they know him. Oh yes, they can talk a good talk. But in works they deny him. So if you're going to know God, you must know God. You must know His attributes. His attributes are just simply manifestations of His person.

[John Weaver] Now let me tell you something. If you are a real child of God, if you love God, you may not be able to stand and hold a theological debate about the incommunicable and the communicable attributes with some theologian. You may not be able to do that, but I'm going to tell you something. If you know God, you're going to know that He is the only omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, immutable, infinite, and only wise God. You're going to know that He is the Sovereign, Supreme, and the only Potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and God of Gods. You're going to know that He is holy, and just, and right, and merciful, and you're going to know that everything that God does is right. For God is God. You may not be able to have a debate, but you're going to know that God is God. You're going to know that He is the Creator, the Savior, the Redeemer, and that no one can approach Him except through Jesus Christ. You'll know God in that sense.

[John Weaver] Now, if we're going to love Him, we must know His person. Secondly, I'm going to point this out, we must know His providence. We must only have a right attitude toward this person. We must have a right attitude toward his providence. I'll explain this in a little bit, but you've got to understand once again that God's person is manifested in his providence. You know, there are many times that you and I rejoice in God's providence. I really and truly want to rejoice every day. I'm like the old man when someone asked him if he was having a good day. He said, anytime I wake up and read the obituaries and not discover my name, I'm having a good day.

[John Weaver] Well, we need to be thankful for that. There are many times that we can thank God. For instance, in John 3 and verse 17, the Bible says, For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but the world through him might be saved. We can rejoice in that. How about Galatians 4 verses 4 and 5? The Bible said, But in the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem those that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Well, it is one thing to rejoice when God blesses us, protects us, provides for us, and heals us.

[John Weaver] But here is the question. Can we still rejoice in His person and in His providence when He chooses to take our loved one from us, or when He afflicts us with sickness or financial loss? It's one thing to say, Romans 8, 28, when God has blessed us and said, For all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. It's one thing to say that when God blesses you, But when you lose your wife, or your husband, or your child, or your job, or your finances, is God still God? Does God still love you? Yes. Do you remember? None of us have ever gone through what old Job went through.

[John Weaver] He not only lost everything he had, he not only was afflicted, He lost ten children in one day. And you know what he said? Job 1 verse 21, naked came out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. You don't know about loving God's person and his providence. He was still willing to bless God and to praise God even though he had lost everything. When we know God, when we know His providence, we know that God is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. The question you have to ask yourself is, Have we ever comprehended the reality that everything that God does for us, He does for our good and for His glory?

[John Weaver] Can we honestly say, listen carefully, that we love Him for who He is? His gifts are wonderful. His blessing His providential care is unsurpassed. Yet we should learn to love him for who he is and not simply for his blessings and his gifts. We need to learn to love the giver and not the gifts. Our attitude should be one of absolute love and admiration and affection for our Lord's person and his providence.

[John Weaver] Now, what am I trying to tell you? I'm going to tell you that the first element in biblical love is your attitude. Your attitude has to be biblical. If I'm to love my wife the way God commands me, I'm to have a biblical attitude. If I'm to love my children, I'm to have a biblical attitude. If you ladies are to love your husbands the way God commands you, you'll have a biblical attitude. Your thoughts must conform to the Word of God. If we're going to love God the way we should, our thoughts must conform to the Word of God. So the first element is attitude. The second element is affection. Now, listen to me. You cannot have the right attitude without having affection. Attitude and affection goes together. If I have the right attitude toward my wife. Does it not automatically follow that I have affection for my wife? Well, of course. If parents have the right attitude toward their children, The biblical attitude does it not necessarily follow that they also have affection for their children?

[John Weaver] Yes. If I have a biblical attitude toward God, does it not also follow that I have an affection toward him and his word? The answer is yes.

[John Weaver] Now, I can quote this, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter three. Colossians chapter three. And look, if you would, at what the Bible says, Colossians three, and let's begin reading there with verse one. Colossians three, verse one. Verse two is the verse I really want, but let's begin with verse one, Colossians three, verse one, if you then be risen with Christ. Seek those things which are above where Christ said it on the right hand of God, set your affection on things above. Not on things on the earth. Wow. Now, wait a minute. If you then be risen with Christ, that is, if you're regenerated, converted, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above. So if you've got a biblical attitude, you are going to have biblical affection. Now the word affection in Colossians 3 and verse 2 is the Greek word phoneo, which means literally to direct one's mind toward a thing, to seek after, to strive for, to savor, and to be wise.

[John Weaver] So actually he's saying you savor those things which are above. You savor where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. You have an affection for those. Here's what John Hill said concerning the word from our affection. He said this. The word for now signifies to mind them and to think upon them, to favor them and approve them, to be affectionately desirous of them and concerned for them.

[John Weaver] For where the treasure is, the heart should be. And as the Saints best things are above their minds and affection should be there likewise. Their contemplation should be on those things, and their conversation should be in heaven. Nor should they regard anything but what is there, or come from this, for they belong not to this world, but to another and better country. Their citizenship is in heaven, and there in a short time they must have their everlasting residence, and therefore should seek after and highly prize and value heavenly things, and set their affections upon them." I hope you see that attitude and affections are closely connected. Unless our attitude is right, we will never have affection. But when our attitude and affections are right, our affections will be set upon God.

[John Weaver] And we will love him as we should. If we do not have a right attitude, we will not have the right affections, and therefore we will not love him as we should. You know what David said in Psalm 73 and verse 25? Listen to this. Listen to this. David said, whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth I desire besides thee. Wow. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And Lord, you're all I want in heaven. And whom have I desire upon earth besides thee? Lord, you're all I want down here. Do you remember what David said in Psalm 42?

[John Weaver] We sing about this regularly. David said, as the heart passes after the water brooks, so pass my soul after the old God. What does he say? He's manifesting an affection for God and for the things of God. Now. The question has to be asked. Is there any way that you and I can know and determine whether or not we have a biblical attitude and a biblical affection.

[John Weaver] And the answer is yes. You don't have to guess. You don't have to speculate as to whether or not you really love the Lord. You do not have to guess or speculate whether you have a biblical attitude or a biblical affection. There's a way that we can know for certain. What is it? The third point, our actions. Do you realize? One does not need a college degree to figure this out. It's very simple.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3. And look, if you would please, at verse 16 and let me prove one simple point. Here it is. One simple point. Love is always demonstrable. Love is always demonstrable. I could say that another way. I could say that love is always manifested. Look at the Bible in 1 John 3 and verse 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God. Now, remember the word perceive means to comprehend, to lay hold on, to understand, So he says, hereby comprehend we, perceive we, hereby understand we the love of God. How do we understand the love of God?

[John Weaver] Because He laid down His life for us. Consequently, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. How do we conceive? How do we understand? How do we perceive? How do we comprehend the love of God? Because God actually did something. His action was commensurate with His affection and with His attitude. Your actions always demonstrate whether or not you really, genuinely love.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just show you. This is so true. We know this. Suppose I repeatedly tell Alice, I love you. I love you. I love you. You're the love of my life. You're all that I desire. You're all that I ever want. I tell her that repeatedly. And yet, I'm constantly running around with other women. Now, my question is, should she believe that I really love her?

[John Weaver] The answer is, of course not. Because my actions demonstrate that I do not have a biblical attitude or biblical affection for her. My actions are demonstrating my lack of love for her. The same is true in reference to the Lord. Our actions demonstrate whether or not we love Him.

[John Weaver] Now let me show you this principle is so important and yet so simple. Look in your Bibles to Romans 13 and verse 10. It's a very simple verse, a very simple truth. Look at Romans 13 and verse 10. Romans 13, verse 10. Are you looking there? Romans 13, verse 10. After I show you this principle, I want to take you through the word of God. And demonstrate it. Romans 13, verse 10.

[John Weaver] Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

[John Weaver] Now, may I remind you of something? Love is not feeling. Love is not sentimentality. Love is not some abstract concept floating around somewhere in the universe. Love is obedience. Love is the fulfilling of the law. How do I know that I love God? How do I know that I have a biblical attitude and biblical affection? The answer is there will be biblical actions. Turn in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 20.

[John Weaver] I want to show you this first in the Old Testament and then secondly in the New Testament. So look at Exodus chapter 20 beginning there with verse 6. Exodus 20 verse 6. Look what God says. Exodus 20 verse 6. God says and showing mercy of the thousands of them. That love me. And keep my commandments.

[John Weaver] Now, whoa, wait a minute. Do you see this connection showing mercy onto thousands of them that do what they love me? How does he know? Who loves Him? Because they keep His commandments. Look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers. Chapter 15. Numbers 15. And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 37. Numbers 15. Verse 37. Look what the Bible says. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue. Isn't that interesting? Why? And it shall be unto you for a fringe that you may look upon it, now watch, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them and that you seek not after your own heart and your own eyes after which you used to go a-whoring, that you may remember and do all my commandments and be holy unto your God. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God.

[John Weaver] I am the Lord your God." Now, God says, you put this fringe on your garments, you put a ribbon of blue. Why? I want you to remember all my commandments. to do them.

[John Weaver] Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 11. I could just, I suppose, stay in the book of Deuteronomy, but I want you to see how many times God tells you this same truth. Look at Deuteronomy 11 verse 1. Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments always. What? Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God. What is the evidence? By keeping his charge, his statutes, his judgments, and his commandments always. Look in Deuteronomy 11 verse 13. And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto my commandments, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. What? Listening to my commandments, obeying them is equated now with loving the Lord your God? Yes, it is. Look in verse 22 of Deuteronomy 11. For if you shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and cleave unto Him, what is loving the Lord?

[John Weaver] It's obeying Him. Walking in his ways, keeping his commandments. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 30 and verse 16. Deuteronomy 30 and verse 16. Notice what he says. Deuteronomy 30 verse 16. In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God. He's commanding us now to love him. to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land for that thou goest to possess it."

[John Weaver] Now, I don't see how you could read any passage in the Old Testament without understanding this principle. Look in verse 20 of Deuteronomy 30. that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him, for he is thy life, and the length of thy days, that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob to give them."

[John Weaver] Now notice what he says. If you love me, you're going to cleave to me. You're going to obey me. Our actions demonstrate whether or not we love the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, I could multiply these passages in the Old Testament. Well, let me show you the same exact principle is true in the New Testament. So turn, please. To the book of John, chapter 14, John 14, and let's begin reading there with verse 15. We have the same God who does not change. His word does not change. John 14, notice verse 15, John 14, verse 15. Our Lord says, If you love me, say so. Is that what that verse says? What's it say? If you love me, keep my commandments. Wow. Well, look at John 14 in verse 21. Our Lord says it like this. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my father. And I will love him and will manifest myself to him. Now, what did he say? He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. Why? Because love is the fulfilling of the law. Love is always demonstrable. Love is always manifested.

[John Weaver] Look in verse 24. John 14, verse 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. In other words, he that does not love me, does not obey me, does not keep my commandments. That's something. Now I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. I told you the principle is really simple. It is so fundamental, and yet so many people overlook this simple truth. 1 John 5.

[John Weaver] Notice verses 2 and 3. 1 John 5 verse 2. By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments.

[John Weaver] Now, let me stop there. How do I know that I love the children of God? When I love God and keep his commandments. How do I know I love Dr. Bristey or how do I know I love? Dr. Holmes or Dr. Hobie or whoever. How do I know that? Is it because I go up to each one of them and cry on their shoulders and tell them how much I love them? No. Love is not feelings. Love is not sentimentality. I know I love him when I fulfill God's law toward him. I respect his wife. I respect his children.

[John Weaver] I don't steal from him. I don't hate him. I do everything I can to help him and bless him. That's love. That's what he said. Look at it. By this we know that we love the children of God. We love God and keep His commandments. Now watch. Now here is the definition of love again. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous. What is the love of God? Obeying Him. Keeping His commandments. How do I know whether or not I have a biblical attitude and biblical affection? Do I obey God, or do I disobey God? Look in your Bibles to 1 John 2. Help me out now, but don't let me misquote this passage. 1 John 2, beginning there, verse 3. You remember I told you earlier that we had to know God. 1 John 2, verse 3, and hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. How do I know that I really, genuinely, savingly know God?

[John Weaver] Because he's enabling me to bring my life into conformity to his word. Man can't do that by himself. It takes the grace and the power of God. OK, so verse two, he said, verse three says, and hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. Now watch verse four. He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. Wow. So here's a man says, oh, I'm a Christian. And yet he's an adulterer, he's a fornicator, he's a thief. What's God say? He's a liar. He doesn't love me, he doesn't know me. Because if he knew me, if he loved me, he would keep my commandments. Wow. Look in 1 John 3 and verse 22. 1 John 3 verse 22.

[John Weaver] And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him. Why? Because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing in His sight. What is pleasing to God? Obedience. Look in your Bibles to 2 John and verse 6. You want to see it again? Here it is. 2 John 6. And this is love. What is love? That we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment that you have heard from the beginning that you should walk in it. From the beginning, love has always been obedience to God. If you love me, keep my commandments. Can there be any doubt to the reality and the truthfulness that love is actually demonstrated by obeying the word of the Lord? Let me just tell you in plain, simple language, love is obedience.

[John Weaver] You will never have biblical actions toward your husband or toward your wife or toward your children. Until you have a biblical affection and you will never have a biblical affection until you have a biblical attitude. It's attitude, affection and actions. David said in Psalm 18 verse one, I will love thee, O Lord. What was he saying? Lord, I've determined. I will keep my attitude. my affections and my actions biblical and scriptural. I will obey thee. And that, my friend, is biblical love.

[John Weaver] Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. Do you love the Lord? Have you determined in your heart To love the Lord. If you answer yes, my next question is, have you and are you continuing to bring your life into conformity to his word? Someone's going to say, but Brother Weaver, I'm not perfect. No one is perfect. But here's the test. When we see and understand the truth of God, Are we continually becoming obedient to that truth that we see and we understand? Love is obedience.

[John Weaver] And you've got to remember this. It's the sovereign God of heaven and earth who defines what love is. It is not in the power or the prerogative of man to redefine love. Love is what God says it is, not what man tries to determine. God is spoken and we must bow to him. So if I'm going to sit here and say I love the Lord. What's that mean? It means I've got a biblical attitude. I have biblical affection and I'm constantly continually endeavoring by his grace and by his power to bring my life into obedience to his word.

[John Weaver] As he shows me his truth. Don't forget. There are different stages in the Christian life. There are babes. There's young men and there's fathers, but I don't care which stage you're in in your Christian life. Obedience is the key. And you must bring your life in conformity to that truth that God shows you.

[John Weaver] Now, here's my second application. It goes right along with everything I've taught. It is useless and worthless to declare your love for God or Christ and then turn around and live as you think you can and live as you please. Well, I love Christ, but I'm pleased to commit adultery. No. Well, I love Christ, but I'm pleased to lie and steal and cheat and get no. What did our Lord say in Luke six and verse 46, listen carefully, he said, and why call you me, Lord, Lord, and do not those things which I say. If you're going to call me Lord, if you're going to call me sovereign boss, owner and master, then you obey me. Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not those things which I say? In other words, if you are saved by my grace, I am your Lord. I'm your boss. I'm your master. You obey me. You've got to remember Titus 1 in verse 16. I quoted earlier.

[John Weaver] They profess that they know him. But in works, they deny him being abominable and disobedient under every good work reprobate. Let me just tell you, folks, Love is always demonstrable. I don't care if it's between a husband and wife. I don't care if it's between a parent and child. I don't care if it's between a Christian and the Lord Jesus Christ. Love is always demonstrable. It always manifests itself in its attitude and its affections and the actions demonstrate whether or not that attitude and those affections are right. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Rebellion to God's law as a demonstration of not loving God. As our Lord said, if you love me, keep my commandments. And David said, I will love thee, O Lord. I will have the right attitude and the right affections and the right actions towards you.

[John Weaver] I will Bring my life in conformity to your Word. Let's pray. Father, we just ask today in the name of Jesus Christ that you would help us, teach us, and build us up in the most holy faith. Give us grace, Lord, that we may bring our lives in conformity to your Word and understand that real, genuine love involves attitude, affection, and action, both on the physical level and on the spiritual level. Help us, Lord, to honor Thee and to love Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

I Will Love the Lord

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	11808133562
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Walking With God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-12-23
Dictation Name
Book	Book 134: Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification - Volume 1 — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	74

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to Psalm 18

Weaver introduces Psalm 18, noting it is also recorded in 2 Samuel 22 and was written by David in old age, reflecting on God's deliverance from all enemies, especially Saul.

As we look at Psalm 18, we're only going to read the first three verses. And let me say that the message that I start today, hopefully, I will finish it next Lord's Day. In fact, I may stay in Psalm 18 for some time and I may not, but this is a tremendous psalm and I just want to encourage you to listen very closely today, because the message is not only simple, but it's absolutely fundamental, and I hope it'll be self-explanatory as well. The title of the message is actually found in verse one. "I will love the Lord." So Psalm 18, note if you would, verse one:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 18:1-3

"I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies."

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 22

Now, Psalm 18 is also recorded in 2 Samuel, chapter 22. There are few variations between Psalm 18 and 2 Samuel 22, but certainly nothing that affects the principles or the interpretation of the psalm. I want you to note the heading, if you would please, that is given in your Bibles to Psalm 18. Look at what he says: "To the chief musician, a psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said," and then you have verse one, "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength." Now, most scholars agree that this psalm was written by David in his old age, when he reflected upon how many times God delivered him from his great enemies, and especially from King Saul, who was one of his greatest enemies.

Let me give you a quote from John Gill. John Gill, commenting on verse 1, says this: "Not that this psalm was composed and sung the selfsame day that David was delivered from Saul and set upon the throne, for it seems to have been written in his old age at the close of his days, for immediately after it, in the second book of Samuel, it follows, 'Now these be the last words of David' in 2 Samuel 23, verse 1, but the sense is that whereas David had many enemies, and particularly Saul, who was his greatest enemy, the Lord delivered him from them all, and especially from him, that is from Saul, from him first, and then from all the rest, which, when he reflected upon in his last days, he sat down and wrote this psalm and then sung it in public, having delivered it in the hands of the chief musicians for that purpose." So actually, Psalm 18 then is a celebration by David of praise and worship to God for having been delivered all of his life from all of his enemies.

Now, there are a multitude of many and varied truths found in this psalm. But I do not suppose that any of these truths are any greater than the very first one revealed in verse 1. And David reveals to us a very wonderful and yet at the same time a very practical truth that we need to hear, we need to understand, and we need to apply. David says in verse 1, "I will love thee, O Lord."

David's Determination: 'I Will Love the Lord'

David's statement is a determined choice, not a mere wish. As a regenerated believer, he expresses a dedicated will to love God, which is only possible because God first loved him.

I've entitled my first point, or I've given you my first point, it's just simply David's determination. There may be others, but David's determination. I want to cover this one point. In fact, just one sub-point under it. David said, "I will love the Lord." David is expressing a truth that needs to be applied in each of our lives. And that is his determination of the Lord. He said, "I will love thee, O Lord." I want you to know what David does not say. He does not say in verse 1, "I want to love the Lord." Nor did he say, "I hope to love the Lord." David said very emphatically, "I will love thee, O Lord." He is expressing a dedicated determination.

Now, underline this in your minds. David is here writing and speaking already as a regenerated, converted believer. Why? Because no man can love God first. No man can first love God. The Bible tells us that man by nature is at enmity with God. Let me just quote a few verses. There's a lot I want you to look at just a little bit later. But do you remember the passage in Romans 8, verses 7 and 8? The Bible says, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Now notice what he said, "because the carnal mind is enmity against God."

God's Prior Love as the Foundation

Weaver explains that no one can love God first; Scripture teaches that God loved us with an everlasting love before the world began, and our love is only a response to His love.

Now, the Greek word for enmity is the word echthra, and it speaks not only of enmity, but hatred, yea, strong hatred. So literally what he says, the carnal mind strongly hates God. It's not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And the Bible teaches us that fallen man by nature is alienated from God. In fact, the Bible says in Ephesians 4, verse 18, "having the understanding darkened, being alienated from God through the ignorance that is in them." Man by nature not only hates God, he's alienated from God, he's ignorant of God. And Colossians 1:21 confirms this truth when the Bible says, "And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now be reconciled." So the Bible says before we were converted, before we were saved, we were verily the enemies of God. So it is absolutely impossible for anyone to love God first. Do you realize, if it was possible for anyone to love God first, that would mean then that we could bring God into obligation to us.

In other words, if we could first do something for God, then God would be obliged to do something for us. Now, let me just ask you to hold Psalm 18, but look in your Bibles to Romans 11 and verse 35. I know you know this passage, but look at it. Romans 11, verse 35. Look at what the Scripture says. Romans 11, verse 35:

Scripture Reading — Romans 11:35

"Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?"

Who hath first given to God? Now, if you can give something to God first, then you can bring him into obligation to you. And God said, if you can give to me first, I will recompense you again. It is impossible to do anything first for God. Do you realize if God had not given us our being, if God had not given us life and health and strength, we would not even be here? How can you do anything for God first? Because had God not given you life, you would not even exist. And the Scripture's teaching is it is utterly impossible to bring God into obligation to ourselves.

Now, the Bible says in 1 John 4 and verse 10, listen carefully:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 4:10

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins."

Herein is love, not that we loved God. No, we didn't love him first, but he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins. And when you get to 1 John 4 and verse 19, Scripture is extremely specific. The Bible says, "For we love him, because he first loved us." We love him. Why? Because he first loved us. Now, let me show you how absolutely impossible it is to love God first.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah 31, and then in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 1. So we're going to Jeremiah 31 first, and then we're going to 2 Timothy. So turn to Jeremiah 31 and then find 2 Timothy 1. Let me just show you how utterly impossible it is to love God first. Here we go. Jeremiah 31, notice if you would please, verse 3. Jeremiah 31, verse 3. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:3

"The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

Now, what kind of love does God have? An everlasting love. God is an eternal being. God said,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:3

"I have loved thee with an everlasting love."

That means God's love has no beginning. Also means, thankfully, it has no end.

There's a little couplet that goes like this: God loved me in eternity past. God will love me in eternity future. How long will this continue? Forever. Praise his holy name. And the Bible says he loved us with an everlasting love.

Now look in 2 Timothy chapter one. Just demonstrate this. And look at verses 8 and 9. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, beginning there, verse 8, he writes him and says this: "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God."

Now look what God has done, "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus," what's that next phrase? "before the world began." So when did God love us first? Before the world began. When did he give us grace first? Before the world began. And in other words, it is a simple, undeniable, undebatable, unarguable truth that God loved us first. Now listen to me. The only reason we love God is because he first loved us. And the only reason we have any love and affection for him now is because of what he does in our hearts. Let me show you.

Look back in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5 and verse 5. Romans 5, verse 5. Then I want to ask you some questions. Look at it. Romans 5 and verse 5. The Bible says, "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." Note, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given unto us. Who was it that first loved us? The answer is God the Father. Who is it that first gave himself for us in eternity past as a mediator and as a sacrifice? Remember, the Scripture says he was a Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The answer is God the Son. Who is it, therefore, that now sheds the love of God abroad in our heart? The answer is God the Holy Spirit. So it is God who loved us first and last and all in the middle. And therefore, everything that we have of love is of God. Our love, listen carefully, our love to God can only be a response to his love. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, so our love to God only reflects his love to us. Now, as we look at Psalm 18, I want you to keep this truth firmly in your mind that God loved us first. And when David says, "I will love thee, O Lord," he is speaking as a regenerated and converted individual. Now, as we talk about love, we have to remember, first and foremost, that love is an act of the will.

Love as an Act of the Will

Love is a choice and determination, not a feeling. God commands love because it is an act of the will, as seen in commands to love spouses, neighbors, and God.

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:25

David said, "I will love thee, O Lord." Now let me ask you, and I know you know the answer. Does God command husbands to love their wives? Yes. Ephesians 5, verse 25. Does God command us to love our neighbors as ourselves? Yes. Leviticus 19:18, James 2:8. Does God command us to love him? Yes. Deuteronomy 6:5, Deuteronomy 11:1, and a host of other passages.

Now, the reason I'm telling you this is very simple. Feelings, sentiments, abstract concepts, and ethereal desires cannot be commanded. Only an act of a will can be commanded. Are you listening? I love my wife because I choose to love my wife. I love my neighbor because I choose to love my neighbor. And I love my God because I choose to love him because he has worked in my heart by his grace. So mark this down. Love is an act of a will. It is a choice. It is a determination. David said, "I will love thee, O Lord."

Now, I want to give you today what I'm going to call an irreducible minimum as far as the elements of biblical love is concerned. And I'm going to demonstrate these biblical elements under David's response, or his response. Because he begins with this determination, "I will love thee, O Lord." And what David is doing is he is responding to the love of God. David is expressing now, not only a determination, but a choice.

The Three Elements of Biblical Love: Attitude, Affection, Action

Weaver introduces the irreducible minimum of biblical love: attitude (right thinking), affection (right desires), and action (obedience). These are interconnected and essential.

An act of his renewed and regenerated will. Now, let me tell you that biblical love involves a minimum of three things: attitude, affection, and action. Now, there may be other elements in biblical love, but these three are the irreducible minimum. You cannot have biblical love without attitude, affection, and action. And I'm going to take these one at a time. And the very first one is attitude. Now, why do I list attitude first? The answer is very simple. Because everything that we are and everything that we do is determined by our attitude.

Attitude: Knowing God's Person and Providence

A right attitude involves knowing God personally and trusting His providence, even in suffering. We must love the Giver more than His gifts.

Now, if you look in your concordance and try to find attitude, the word attitude in the Bible, you will not find it. The word attitude does not appear in the Bible. But the concept and the principle of attitude is throughout the Bible. For instance, the Bible in Proverbs 4, verse 23 says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 4:23

"Keep thy heart with all diligence."

The Bible in Philippians 2, verse 5 says this, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." How about 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5 when the Bible says, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Now, when you begin to talk about how you think, you're talking about attitude. And if I were to give you today all of the verses in the Bible that talk about the mind, I could literally be here all day. So you've got to ask yourself this question. Why are there so many verses in the Bible concerning the mind? Why is the mind so important? And the answer is very simple. Whoever controls the mind controls the body. Whatever controls the mind controls the body.

Do you know why our enemies always wish to brainwash us? So they can control us. You know why there's so much subliminal advertising? So you can be controlled. Once you're brainwashed, that means you can be controlled. Why should we have a biblical attitude? Why should we have biblical mindsets? And the answer is because we can be controlled by God, by the principles of his Word. Are you listening to me? Everybody is brainwashed.

It just depends on who does the brainwashing. And if you learn to think biblically, if you have a biblical attitude, you will not be controlled by the world, the flesh and the devil, or the media, which really could be under the devil, I guess, or the humanist, which could really be under the devil, too. You see what I'm saying? Attitude is first and foremost. David said, "I will love thee, O Lord." Now, what is he saying? He's saying, "Lord, I'm going to keep my attitude right toward thee." Now, if we're to love God, we must, first of all, have a right attitude toward his person.

Now, let me explain something to you. When I say we must have a right attitude toward his person, that simply means this: we must know him. We must know him. Do you realize it is impossible to love someone that you do not know? I could sit here and describe to you a dear friend of mine or a relative. I can tell you all of his good points, all the qualities, all of his characteristics. After I got through describing my friend or my relative, I could look at you and say, "Now I command you to love him." How can you love him? You don't know him.

It doesn't matter that I just told you. In my words, I don't have the power to reveal him unto you. So the point I'm trying to make is this: if you are to love God, you must know him. I want you to look in your Bibles, hold Psalm 18, but look in your Bibles to 1 John 5 and verse 20. 1 John 5 and verse 20. Look at what the Bible says, 1 John 5 and verse 20:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:20

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

What is the true God and eternal life? It's to know God through his Son Jesus Christ. He said,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:20

"and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him."

By the way, look back in your Bibles to John 17 and verse 3, the Gospel of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and look at what our Lord says in his high priestly prayer. He tells us exactly what eternal life is. By the way, I hope you understand that I've preached on this in time past. Eternal life is not just simply living forever. It's not. I mean, if you define eternal life as living forever, if you believe in a real, literal hell, then the unsaved have eternal life because they're going to live forever in punishment. So eternal life is not just living forever. Look at it, John 17, verse 3. Our Lord tells you what eternal life is. In fact, let's read verse 2. Our Lord is praying. He said, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Now look as he defines it:

Scripture Reading — John 17:3

"And this is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

What is eternal life? It's knowing God. It's knowing God through Jesus Christ. Eternal life is a knowledge and you don't get eternal life when you die. You have eternal life now, if you have Christ, if you know God. What in the world will eternity be? But forever learning about the great and glorious God who saved us and redeemed us. Now, the Bible says eternal life is to know God. Are you listening now? It does no good just simply to profess to know God or no good simply to profess to love God. Why?

I'm going to demonstrate it to you from Scripture a little bit, but here's the answer. Because our conduct, our actions will betray us if all we do is profess that we know him and profess that we love him. Let me just give you a verse. I will quote this verse later. Listen to Titus 1 and verse 16. Are you listening?

Scripture Reading — Titus 1:16

"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."

Now did you hear what he said? They profess that they know him. Oh yes, they can talk a good talk. But in works they deny him. So if you're going to know God, you must know God. You must know his attributes. His attributes are just simply manifestations of his person.

Now let me tell you something. If you are a real child of God, if you love God, you may not be able to stand and hold a theological debate about the incommunicable and the communicable attributes with some theologian. You may not be able to do that, but I'm going to tell you something. If you know God, you're going to know that he is the only omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, immutable, infinite, and only wise God. You're going to know that he is the Sovereign, Supreme, and the only Potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and God of Gods. You're going to know that he is holy, and just, and right, and merciful, and you're going to know that everything that God does is right. For God is God. You may not be able to have a debate, but you're going to know that God is God. You're going to know that he is the Creator, the Savior, the Redeemer, and that no one can approach him except through Jesus Christ. You'll know God in that sense.

Now, if we're going to love him, we must know his person. Secondly, I'm going to point this out, we must know his providence. We must not only have a right attitude toward his person, we must have a right attitude toward his providence. I'll explain this in a little bit, but you've got to understand once again that God's person is manifested in his providence. You know, there are many times that you and I rejoice in God's providence. I really and truly want to rejoice every day. I'm like the old man when someone asked him if he was having a good day. He said, "Anytime I wake up and read the obituaries and not discover my name, I'm having a good day."

Well, we need to be thankful for that. There are many times that we can thank God. For instance, in John 3 and verse 17, the Bible says, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." We can rejoice in that. How about Galatians 4, verses 4 and 5? The Bible said, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Well, it is one thing to rejoice when God blesses us, protects us, provides for us, and heals us.

But here is the question. Can we still rejoice in his person and in his providence when he chooses to take our loved one from us, or when he afflicts us with sickness or financial loss? It's one thing to say Romans 8:28 when God has blessed us and said, "For all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." It's one thing to say that when God blesses you, but when you lose your wife, or your husband, or your child, or your job, or your finances, is God still God? Does God still love you? Yes. Do you remember? None of us have ever gone through what old Job went through.

He not only lost everything he had, he not only was afflicted, he lost ten children in one day. And you know what he said? Job 1, verse 21, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." You don't know about loving God's person and his providence. He was still willing to bless God and to praise God even though he had lost everything. When we know God, when we know his providence, we know that God is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. The question you have to ask yourself is, have we ever comprehended the reality that everything that God does for us, he does for our good and for his glory?

Can we honestly say, listen carefully, that we love him for who he is? His gifts are wonderful. His blessing, his providential care is unsurpassed. Yet we should learn to love him for who he is and not simply for his blessings and his gifts. We need to learn to love the giver and not the gifts. Our attitude should be one of absolute love and admiration and affection for our Lord's person and his providence.

Affection: Setting Our Hearts on Things Above

Affection flows from a right attitude. Colossians 3:2 commands setting affection on things above, savoring heavenly things and desiring God above all.

Now, what am I trying to tell you? I'm going to tell you that the first element in biblical love is your attitude. Your attitude has to be biblical. If I'm to love my wife the way God commands me, I'm to have a biblical attitude. If I'm to love my children, I'm to have a biblical attitude. If you ladies are to love your husbands the way God commands you, you'll have a biblical attitude. Your thoughts must conform to the Word of God. If we're going to love God the way we should, our thoughts must conform to the Word of God. So the first element is attitude. The second element is affection. Now, listen to me. You cannot have the right attitude without having affection. Attitude and affection go together. If I have the right attitude toward my wife, does it not automatically follow that I have affection for my wife? Well, of course. If parents have the right attitude toward their children, the biblical attitude, does it not necessarily follow that they also have affection for their children?

Yes. If I have a biblical attitude toward God, does it not also follow that I have an affection toward him and his word? The answer is yes. Now, I can quote this, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter three. Colossians chapter three. And look, if you would, at what the Bible says, Colossians three, and let's begin reading there with verse one. Colossians three, verse one. Verse two is the verse I really want, but let's begin with verse one, Colossians three, verse one:

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:1-2

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

Wow. Now, wait a minute. If ye then be risen with Christ, that is, if you're regenerated, converted, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above. So if you've got a biblical attitude, you are going to have biblical affection. Now the word affection in Colossians 3 and verse 2 is the Greek word phroneo, which means literally to direct one's mind toward a thing, to seek after, to strive for, to savor, and to be wise.

So actually he's saying you savor those things which are above. You savor where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. You have an affection for those. Here's what John Gill said concerning the word "affection." He said this: "The word phroneo signifies to mind them and to think upon them, to favor them and approve them, to be affectionately desirous of them and concerned for them." "For where the treasure is, the heart should be. And as the saints' best things are above, their minds and affection should be there likewise. Their contemplation should be on those things, and their conversation should be in heaven. Nor should they regard anything but what is there, or come from this, for they belong not to this world, but to another and better country. Their citizenship is in heaven, and there in a short time they must have their everlasting residence, and therefore should seek after and highly prize and value heavenly things, and set their affections upon them." I hope you see that attitude and affections are closely connected. Unless our attitude is right, we will never have affection. But when our attitude and affections are right, our affections will be set upon God.

And we will love him as we should. If we do not have a right attitude, we will not have the right affections, and therefore we will not love him as we should. You know what David said in Psalm 73 and verse 25? Listen to this. Listen to this. David said, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth I desire besides thee." Wow. "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" And Lord, you're all I want in heaven. "And there is none upon earth I desire besides thee." Lord, you're all I want down here. Do you remember what David said in Psalm 42?

We sing about this regularly. David said, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." What does he say? He's manifesting an affection for God and for the things of God. Now, the question has to be asked. Is there any way that you and I can know and determine whether or not we have a biblical attitude and a biblical affection?

Action: Love Demonstrated by Obedience

Love is always demonstrable. True love for God is proven by keeping His commandments, as seen in both Old and New Testament passages.

And the answer is yes. You don't have to guess. You don't have to speculate as to whether or not you really love the Lord. You do not have to guess or speculate whether you have a biblical attitude or a biblical affection. There's a way that we can know for certain. What is it? The third point, our actions. Do you realize? One does not need a college degree to figure this out. It's very simple.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3. And look, if you would please, at verse 16 and let me prove one simple point. Here it is. One simple point. Love is always demonstrable. Love is always demonstrable. I could say that another way. I could say that love is always manifested. Look at the Bible in 1 John 3 and verse 16: "Hereby perceive we the love of God." Now, remember the word perceive means to comprehend, to lay hold on, to understand. So he says, "Hereby comprehend we, perceive we, hereby understand we the love of God." How do we understand the love of God?

Because he laid down his life for us. Consequently, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. How do we conceive? How do we understand? How do we perceive? How do we comprehend the love of God? Because God actually did something. His action was commensurate with his affection and with his attitude. Your actions always demonstrate whether or not you really, genuinely love.

Now, let me just show you. This is so true. We know this. Suppose I repeatedly tell Alice, "I love you. I love you. I love you. You're the love of my life. You're all that I desire. You're all that I ever want." I tell her that repeatedly. And yet, I'm constantly running around with other women. Now, my question is, should she believe that I really love her?

The answer is, of course not. Because my actions demonstrate that I do not have a biblical attitude or biblical affection for her. My actions are demonstrating my lack of love for her. The same is true in reference to the Lord. Our actions demonstrate whether or not we love him.

Now let me show you this principle is so important and yet so simple. Look in your Bibles to Romans 13 and verse 10. It's a very simple verse, a very simple truth. Look at Romans 13 and verse 10. Romans 13, verse 10. Are you looking there? Romans 13, verse 10. After I show you this principle, I want to take you through the word of God and demonstrate it. Romans 13, verse 10.

"Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Now, may I remind you of something? Love is not feeling. Love is not sentimentality. Love is not some abstract concept floating around somewhere in the universe. Love is obedience. Love is the fulfilling of the law. How do I know that I love God? How do I know that I have a biblical attitude and biblical affection? The answer is there will be biblical actions. Turn in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 20.

I want to show you this first in the Old Testament and then secondly in the New Testament. So look at Exodus chapter 20 beginning there with verse 6. Exodus 20, verse 6. Look what God says. Exodus 20, verse 6. God says, "And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."

Now, whoa, wait a minute. Do you see this connection? "Shewing mercy unto thousands of them that" do what? "That love me." How does he know who loves him? Because they keep his commandments. Look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers, chapter 15. Numbers 15. And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 37. Numbers 15, verse 37. Look what the Bible says: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue." Isn't that interesting? Why? "And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: that ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God.

I am the Lord your God." Now, God says, you put this fringe on your garments, you put a ribbon of blue. Why? I want you to remember all my commandments, to do them. Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 11. I could just, I suppose, stay in the book of Deuteronomy, but I want you to see how many times God tells you this same truth. Look at Deuteronomy 11, verse 1: "Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway." What? "Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God." What is the evidence? By keeping his charge, his statutes, his judgments, and his commandments always. Look in Deuteronomy 11, verse 13: "And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." What? Listening to my commandments, obeying them is equated now with loving the Lord your God? Yes, it is. Look in verse 22 of Deuteronomy 11: "For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him." What is loving the Lord?

It's obeying him. Walking in his ways, keeping his commandments. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 30 and verse 16. Deuteronomy 30 and verse 16. Notice what he says. Deuteronomy 30, verse 16: "In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God." He's commanding us now to love him. "To love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it."

Now, I don't see how you could read any passage in the Old Testament without understanding this principle. Look in verse 20 of Deuteronomy 30: "That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." Now notice what he says. If you love me, you're going to cleave to me. You're going to obey me. Our actions demonstrate whether or not we love the Lord.

Now, I could multiply these passages in the Old Testament. Well, let me show you the same exact principle is true in the New Testament. So turn, please, to the book of John, chapter 14. John 14, and let's begin reading there with verse 15. We have the same God who does not change. His word does not change. John 14, notice verse 15. John 14, verse 15. Our Lord says, "If ye love me, say so." Is that what that verse says? What's it say? "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Wow. Well, look at John 14 in verse 21. Our Lord says it like this: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Now, what did he say? "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." Why? Because love is the fulfilling of the law. Love is always demonstrable. Love is always manifested.

Look in verse 24. John 14, verse 24: "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." In other words, he that does not love me, does not obey me, does not keep my commandments. That's something. Now I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. I told you the principle is really simple. It is so fundamental, and yet so many people overlook this simple truth. 1 John 5.

Notice verses 2 and 3. 1 John 5, verse 2: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments." Now, let me stop there. How do I know that I love the children of God? When I love God and keep his commandments. How do I know I love Dr. Bristow or how do I know I love Dr. Holmes or Dr. Hobby or whoever? How do I know that? Is it because I go up to each one of them and cry on their shoulders and tell them how much I love them? No. Love is not feelings. Love is not sentimentality. I know I love him when I fulfill God's law toward him. I respect his wife. I respect his children.

I don't steal from him. I don't hate him. I do everything I can to help him and bless him. That's love. That's what he said. Look at it: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments." Now watch. Now here is the definition of love again: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." What is the love of God? Obeying him. Keeping his commandments. How do I know whether or not I have a biblical attitude and biblical affection? Do I obey God, or do I disobey God? Look in your Bibles to 1 John 2. Help me out now, but don't let me misquote this passage. 1 John 2, beginning there, verse 3. You remember I told you earlier that we had to know God. 1 John 2, verse 3: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." How do I know that I really, genuinely, savingly know God?

Because he's enabling me to bring my life into conformity to his word. Man can't do that by himself. It takes the grace and the power of God. OK, so verse 3 says, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." Now watch verse 4: "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Wow. So here's a man says, "Oh, I'm a Christian." And yet he's an adulterer, he's a fornicator, he's a thief. What's God say? He's a liar. He doesn't love me, he doesn't know me. Because if he knew me, if he loved me, he would keep my commandments. Wow. Look in 1 John 3 and verse 22. 1 John 3, verse 22.

"And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." What is pleasing to God? Obedience. Look in your Bibles to 2 John and verse 6. You want to see it again? Here it is. 2 John 6: "And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." From the beginning, love has always been obedience to God. If you love me, keep my commandments. Can there be any doubt to the reality and the truthfulness that love is actually demonstrated by obeying the word of the Lord? Let me just tell you in plain, simple language, love is obedience.

Applications: Examining Our Love and Obedience

Weaver challenges listeners to examine whether their lives conform to God's Word. Love is obedience; professing love without obedience is worthless.

Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. Do you love the Lord? Have you determined in your heart to love the Lord? If you answer yes, my next question is, have you and are you continuing to bring your life into conformity to his word? Someone's going to say, "But Brother Weaver, I'm not perfect." No one is perfect. But here's the test. When we see and understand the truth of God, are we continually becoming obedient to that truth that we see and we understand? Love is obedience.

And you've got to remember this. It's the sovereign God of heaven and earth who defines what love is. It is not in the power or the prerogative of man to redefine love. Love is what God says it is, not what man tries to determine. God has spoken and we must bow to him. So if I'm going to sit here and say I love the Lord, what's that mean? It means I've got a biblical attitude. I have biblical affection and I'm constantly, continually endeavoring by his grace and by his power to bring my life into obedience to his word.

As he shows me his truth. Don't forget. There are different stages in the Christian life. There are babes, there's young men, and there's fathers, but I don't care which stage you're in in your Christian life. Obedience is the key. And you must bring your life in conformity to that truth that God shows you.

Now, here's my second application. It goes right along with everything I've taught. It is useless and worthless to declare your love for God or Christ and then turn around and live as you think you can and live as you please. "Well, I love Christ, but I'm pleased to commit adultery." No. "Well, I love Christ, but I'm pleased to lie and steal and cheat." No. What did our Lord say in Luke 6 and verse 46? Listen carefully, he said, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" If you're going to call me Lord, if you're going to call me sovereign boss, owner and master, then you obey me. "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" In other words, if you are saved by my grace, I am your Lord. I'm your boss. I'm your master. You obey me. You've got to remember Titus 1 in verse 16. I quoted earlier.

"They profess that they know him; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Let me just tell you, folks, love is always demonstrable. I don't care if it's between a husband and wife. I don't care if it's between a parent and child. I don't care if it's between a Christian and the Lord Jesus Christ. Love is always demonstrable. It always manifests itself in its attitude and its affections, and the actions demonstrate whether or not that attitude and those affections are right. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Rebellion to God's law is a demonstration of not loving God. As our Lord said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." And David said, "I will love thee, O Lord." I will have the right attitude and the right affections and the right actions towards you.

Study Guide

Major Themes

God's Prior Love

Summary: We cannot love God first; He loved us from eternity past, and our love is only a response to His initiating love.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 John 4:10, 19; Jeremiah 31:3; 2 Timothy 1:8-9 to show God's love precedes and enables ours.

Love as an Act of the Will

Summary: Biblical love is a determined choice, not a feeling. God commands love because it involves the will.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Love is an act of a will. It is a choice. It is a determination.' He references commands to love in Ephesians 5:25, Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:5.

The Three Elements of Love: Attitude, Affection, Action

Summary: True love involves a right attitude (mindset), affection (desires), and action (obedience). These are inseparable.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'biblical love involves a minimum of three things: attitude, affection, and action.' He develops each from Scripture.

Knowing God

Summary: To love God, we must know Him personally through Jesus Christ. Eternal life is knowing God.

Evidence: Weaver cites John 17:3 and 1 John 5:20, stating, 'Eternal life is a knowledge... to know God through his Son Jesus Christ.'

Love Demonstrated by Obedience

Summary: Love for God is proven by keeping His commandments. Obedience is the evidence of genuine love.

Evidence: Weaver quotes John 14:15, 21; 1 John 5:2-3; and multiple Old Testament passages linking love and commandment-keeping.

The Danger of Empty Profession

Summary: Professing to know or love God while living in disobedience makes one a liar, according to Scripture.

Evidence: Weaver cites Titus 1:16 and 1 John 2:3-4, warning that actions betray false professions.

Key Arguments

Only Regenerated Believers Can Love God

Summary: David's 'I will love the Lord' is spoken as a converted man, because the natural mind is at enmity with God and cannot love Him.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'David is here writing and speaking already as a regenerated, converted believer. Why? Because no man can love God first.' He cites Romans 8:7-8.

Love Is Commanded, Therefore It Is a Choice

Summary: Since God commands love, it must be an act of the will, not a mere emotion or sentiment.

Evidence: Weaver argues, 'Feelings, sentiments, abstract concepts, and ethereal desires cannot be commanded. Only an act of a will can be commanded.'

Attitude Precedes Affection and Action

Summary: A biblical attitude (right thinking) is foundational; without it, there can be no biblical affection or obedient action.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'everything that we are and everything that we do is determined by our attitude.' He cites Proverbs 4:23 and Philippians 2:5.

Love Must Be Demonstrated by Works

Summary: True love is always manifested in actions; obedience to God's commandments is the proof of love.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Love is always demonstrable... Our actions always demonstrate whether or not you really, genuinely love.' He uses 1 John 3:16 and Romans 13:10.

Obedience Is the Definition of Love for God

Summary: Scripture equates loving God with keeping His commandments; this is the consistent biblical definition.

Evidence: Weaver cites John 14:15, 1 John 5:3, and Deuteronomy 11:1, concluding, 'love is obedience.'

Scripture References

Psalm 18:1-3

Context: The sermon text; David's declaration of love and trust in the Lord as his strength and deliverer.

2 Samuel 22

Context: Parallel passage to Psalm 18, with minor variations, confirming the psalm's context of deliverance.

Romans 8:7-8

Context: The carnal mind is enmity against God, proving that unregenerate man cannot love God.

Ephesians 4:18

Context: Man by nature is alienated from God through ignorance.

Colossians 1:21

Context: Before conversion, we were enemies of God in our minds.

Romans 11:35

Context: No one can give to God first and obligate Him; God's grace is prior.

1 John 4:10

Context: Love is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son.

1 John 4:19

Context: We love Him because He first loved us.

Jeremiah 31:3

Context: God loves with an everlasting love, demonstrating His prior and eternal love.

2 Timothy 1:8-9

Context: God saved us and gave us grace in Christ before the world began.

Romans 5:5

Context: The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:25

Context: Husbands are commanded to love their wives, showing love is a command.

Leviticus 19:18

Context: Command to love your neighbor as yourself.

Deuteronomy 6:5

Context: Command to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and might.

Proverbs 4:23

Context: Keep your heart with all diligence, relating to attitude.

Philippians 2:5

Context: Let this mind be in you which was in Christ, relating to attitude.

1 John 5:20

Context: We know the Son of God has come and given us understanding to know Him.

John 17:3

Context: Eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ.

Titus 1:16

Context: They profess to know God but in works deny Him, being disobedient.

Colossians 3:1-2

Context: Set your affection on things above, not on earthly things.

Historical References

John Gill

Context: Weaver quotes Gill's commentary on Psalm 18:1, explaining that the psalm was written in David's old age reflecting on deliverance from Saul and all enemies.

David's deliverance from Saul

Context: The historical context of Psalm 18: David wrote it in old age, celebrating God's deliverance from Saul and all his enemies.

Important Quotes

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

Significance: The central verse of the sermon, expressing David's determined love for God.

David said very emphatically, 'I will love thee, O Lord.' He is expressing a dedicated determination.

Significance: Highlights that love is a willful choice, not a passive feeling.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

Significance: Quoting 1 John 4:10 to emphasize God's initiating love.

We love him, because he first loved us.

Significance: Quoting 1 John 4:19, foundational to the sermon's argument.

Love is an act of a will. It is a choice. It is a determination.

Significance: Weaver's clear definition of love as a volitional act.

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Significance: Quoting John 14:15, the key proof text that love equals obedience.

Love is always demonstrable.

Significance: A repeated principle that true love is shown by actions.

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

Significance: Quoting Titus 1:16 to warn against empty profession.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding that God loved us first change the way we think about our love for Him?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that our love is only a response to God's prior love, based on 1 John 4:19.

In what practical ways can we cultivate a biblical attitude toward God's person and providence, especially during trials?

Context: Weaver discusses the need to love God for who He is, not just for His gifts, and to trust His providence even in loss.

Why is it impossible to separate attitude, affection, and action in genuine love?

Context: Weaver argues these three elements are the irreducible minimum of biblical love and are interconnected.

How does the command to love God as an act of the will challenge common cultural views of love as primarily a feeling?

Context: Weaver states that feelings cannot be commanded, but love as a choice can be, referencing commands to love.

What does it mean that 'love is the fulfilling of the law' (Romans 13:10), and how should that shape our daily obedience?

Context: Weaver uses this verse to show that love is demonstrated by keeping God's commandments.

How can we examine our lives to see if our actions confirm or deny our profession of love for God?

Context: Weaver cites 1 John 2:3-4 and Titus 1:16 to show that obedience is the test of genuine knowledge and love.

Why is it useless to call Jesus 'Lord' while not doing what He says (Luke 6:46)?

Context: Weaver applies this verse to warn against a profession of faith without corresponding obedience.

Applications

Examine Your Love by Your Obedience

Summary: Weaver challenges listeners to test their love for God by whether they are bringing their lives into conformity to His Word.

Evidence: He asks, 'Do you love the Lord? ... have you and are you continuing to bring your life into conformity to his word?'

Reject Empty Profession

Summary: It is worthless to declare love for Christ while living in disobedience; true love is proven by actions.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It is useless and worthless to declare your love for God or Christ and then turn around and live as you think you can.'

Love the Giver, Not Just the Gifts

Summary: We should learn to love God for who He is, not merely for His blessings and providential care.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We need to learn to love the giver and not the gifts.'

Cultivate a Biblical Attitude

Summary: Since attitude determines everything, believers must align their thinking with Scripture to love God rightly.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'If we're to love God, we must, first of all, have a right attitude toward his person.'

Set Affections on Things Above

Summary: Believers are to direct their minds and desires toward heavenly things, savoring Christ above all.

Evidence: Weaver cites Colossians 3:2 and explains the Greek word phroneo means to savor and seek after heavenly things.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T17:54:45Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T09:39:23Z

Clean Transcript

I Will Love the Lord

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

As we look at Psalm 18, we're only going to read the first three verses. And let me say that the message that I start today, hopefully, I will finish it next Lord's Day. In fact, I may stay in Psalm 18 for some time and I may not, but this is a tremendous psalm and I just want to encourage you to listen very closely today, because the message is not only simple, but it's absolutely fundamental, and I hope it'll be self-explanatory as well. The title of the message is actually found in verse one.
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"I will love the Lord." So Psalm 18, note if you would, verse one: "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies."
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Now, Psalm 18 is also recorded in 2 Samuel, chapter 22. There are few variations between Psalm 18 and 2 Samuel 22, but certainly nothing that affects the principles or the interpretation of the psalm. I want you to note the heading, if you would please, that is given in your Bibles to Psalm 18. Look at what he says: "To the chief musician, a psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said," and then you have verse one, "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength." Now, most scholars agree that this psalm was written by David in his old age, when he reflected upon how many times God delivered him from his great enemies, and especially from King Saul, who was one of his greatest enemies.
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Let me give you a quote from John Gill. John Gill, commenting on verse 1, says this: "Not that this psalm was composed and sung the selfsame day that David was delivered from Saul and set upon the throne, for it seems to have been written in his old age at the close of his days, for immediately after it, in the second book of Samuel, it follows, 'Now these be the last words of David' in 2 Samuel 23, verse 1, but the sense is that whereas David had many enemies, and particularly Saul, who was his greatest enemy, the Lord delivered him from them all, and especially from him, that is from Saul, from him first, and
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then from all the rest, which, when he reflected upon in his last days, he sat down and wrote this psalm and then sung it in public, having delivered it in the hands of the chief musicians for that purpose." So actually, Psalm 18 then is a celebration by David of praise and worship to God for having been delivered all of his life from all of his enemies.
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Now, there are a multitude of many and varied truths found in this psalm. But I do not suppose that any of these truths are any greater than the very first one revealed in verse 1. And David reveals to us a very wonderful and yet at the same time a very practical truth that we need to hear, we need to understand, and we need to apply. David says in verse 1, "I will love thee, O Lord."
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The question must be asked, and listen to this question, don't answer it out loud. Do you love the Lord? If your answer is yes, then other questions must also be asked, for instance: How do you know that you love the Lord? Is there any real way of knowing as to whether or not your love is genuine and sincere, or is merely a figment of your imagination? You could also ask, what is it to love the Lord? Let me answer some of these questions for you from the Word of God.
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I've entitled my first point, or I've given you my first point, it's just simply David's determination. There may be others, but David's determination. I want to cover this one point. In fact, just one sub-point under it. David said, "I will love the Lord." David is expressing a truth that needs to be applied in each of our lives. And that is his determination of the Lord. He said, "I will love thee, O Lord." I want you to know what David does not say. He does not say in verse 1, "I want to love the Lord." Nor did he say, "I hope to love the Lord." David said very emphatically, "I will love thee, O Lord." He is expressing a dedicated determination.
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Now, underline this in your minds. David is here writing and speaking already as a regenerated, converted believer. Why? Because no man can love God first. No man can first love God. The Bible tells us that man by nature is at enmity with God. Let me just quote a few verses. There's a lot I want you to look at just a little bit later. But do you remember the passage in Romans 8, verses 7 and 8? The Bible says, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Now notice what he said, "because the carnal mind is enmity against God."
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Now, the Greek word for enmity is the word echthra, and it speaks not only of enmity, but hatred, yea, strong hatred. So literally what he says, the carnal mind strongly hates God. It's not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And the Bible teaches us that fallen man by nature is alienated from God. In fact, the Bible says in Ephesians 4, verse 18, "having the understanding darkened, being alienated from God through the ignorance that is in them." Man by nature not only hates God, he's alienated from God, he's ignorant of God. And Colossians 1:21 confirms this truth when the Bible says, "And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now be reconciled." So the Bible says before we were converted, before we were saved, we were verily the enemies of God. So it is absolutely impossible for anyone to love God first. Do you realize, if it was possible for anyone to love God first, that would mean then that we could bring God into obligation to us.
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In other words, if we could first do something for God, then God would be obliged to do something for us. Now, let me just ask you to hold Psalm 18, but look in your Bibles to Romans 11 and verse 35. I know you know this passage, but look at it. Romans 11, verse 35. Look at what the Scripture says. Romans 11, verse 35: "Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?" Who hath first given to God? Now, if you can give something to God first, then you can bring him into obligation to you. And God said, if you can give to me first, I will recompense you again. It is impossible to do anything first for God. Do you realize if God had not given us our being, if God had not given us life and health and strength, we would not even be here? How can you do anything for God first? Because had God not given you life, you would not even exist. And the Scripture's teaching is it is utterly impossible to bring God into obligation to ourselves.
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Now, the Bible says in 1 John 4 and verse 10, listen carefully: "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins." Herein is love, not that we loved God. No, we didn't love him first, but he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins. And when you get to 1 John 4 and verse 19, Scripture is extremely specific. The Bible says, "For we love him, because he first loved us." We love him. Why? Because he first loved us. Now, let me show you how absolutely impossible it is to love God first.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah 31, and then in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 1. So we're going to Jeremiah 31 first, and then we're going to 2 Timothy. So turn to Jeremiah 31 and then find 2 Timothy 1. Let me just show you how utterly impossible it is to love God first. Here we go. Jeremiah 31, notice if you would please, verse 3. Jeremiah 31, verse 3. The Bible says, "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Now, what kind of love does God have? An everlasting love. God is an eternal being. God said, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love." That means God's love has no beginning. Also means, thankfully, it has no end.
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There's a little couplet that goes like this: God loved me in eternity past. God will love me in eternity future. How long will this continue? Forever. Praise his holy name. And the Bible says he loved us with an everlasting love.
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Now look in 2 Timothy chapter one. Just demonstrate this. And look at verses 8 and 9. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, beginning there, verse 8, he writes him and says this: "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God."
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Now look what God has done, "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus," what's that next phrase? "before the world began." So when did God love us first? Before the world began. When did he give us grace first? Before the world began. And in other words, it is a simple, undeniable, undebatable, unarguable truth that God loved us first. Now listen to me. The only reason we love God is because he first loved us. And the only reason we have any love and affection for him now is because of what he does in our hearts. Let me show you.
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Look back in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5 and verse 5. Romans 5, verse 5. Then I want to ask you some questions. Look at it. Romans 5 and verse 5. The Bible says, "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." Note, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given unto us.
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Who was it that first loved us? The answer is God the Father. Who is it that first gave himself for us in eternity past as a mediator and as a sacrifice? Remember, the Scripture says he was a Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The answer is God the Son. Who is it, therefore, that now sheds the love of God abroad in our heart? The answer is God the Holy Spirit. So it is God who loved us first and last and all in the middle. And therefore, everything that we have of love is of God. Our love, listen carefully, our love to God can only be a response to his love. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, so our love to God only reflects his love to us. Now, as we look at Psalm 18, I want you to keep this truth firmly in your mind that God loved us first. And when David says, "I will love thee, O Lord," he is speaking as a regenerated and converted individual. Now, as we talk about love, we have to remember, first and foremost, that love is an act of the will.
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David said, "I will love thee, O Lord." Now let me ask you, and I know you know the answer. Does God command husbands to love their wives? Yes. Ephesians 5, verse 25. Does God command us to love our neighbors as ourselves? Yes. Leviticus 19:18, James 2:8. Does God command us to love him? Yes. Deuteronomy 6:5, Deuteronomy 11:1, and a host of other passages.
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Now, the reason I'm telling you this is very simple. Feelings, sentiments, abstract concepts, and ethereal desires cannot be commanded. Only an act of a will can be commanded. Are you listening? I love my wife because I choose to love my wife. I love my neighbor because I choose to love my neighbor. And I love my God because I choose to love him because he has worked in my heart by his grace. So mark this down. Love is an act of a will. It is a choice. It is a determination. David said, "I will love thee, O Lord."
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Now, I want to give you today what I'm going to call an irreducible minimum as far as the elements of biblical love is concerned. And I'm going to demonstrate these biblical elements under David's response, or his response. Because he begins with this determination, "I will love thee, O Lord." And what David is doing is he is responding to the love of God. David is expressing now, not only a determination, but a choice.
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An act of his renewed and regenerated will. Now, let me tell you that biblical love involves a minimum of three things: attitude, affection, and action. Now, there may be other elements in biblical love, but these three are the irreducible minimum. You cannot have biblical love without attitude, affection, and action. And I'm going to take these one at a time. And the very first one is attitude. Now, why do I list attitude first? The answer is very simple. Because everything that we are and everything that we do is determined by our attitude.
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Now, if you look in your concordance and try to find attitude, the word attitude in the Bible, you will not find it. The word attitude does not appear in the Bible. But the concept and the principle of attitude is throughout the Bible. For instance, the Bible in Proverbs 4, verse 23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence." The Bible in Philippians 2, verse 5 says this, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." How about 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5 when the Bible says, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
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Now, when you begin to talk about how you think, you're talking about attitude. And if I were to give you today all of the verses in the Bible that talk about the mind, I could literally be here all day. So you've got to ask yourself this question. Why are there so many verses in the Bible concerning the mind? Why is the mind so important? And the answer is very simple. Whoever controls the mind controls the body. Whatever controls the mind controls the body.
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Do you know why our enemies always wish to brainwash us? So they can control us. You know why there's so much subliminal advertising? So you can be controlled. Once you're brainwashed, that means you can be controlled. Why should we have a biblical attitude? Why should we have biblical mindsets? And the answer is because we can be controlled by God, by the principles of his Word. Are you listening to me? Everybody is brainwashed.
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It just depends on who does the brainwashing. And if you learn to think biblically, if you have a biblical attitude, you will not be controlled by the world, the flesh and the devil, or the media, which really could be under the devil, I guess, or the humanist, which could really be under the devil, too. You see what I'm saying? Attitude is first and foremost. David said, "I will love thee, O Lord." Now, what is he saying? He's saying, "Lord, I'm going to keep my attitude right toward thee." Now, if we're to love God, we must, first of all, have a right attitude toward his person.
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Now, let me explain something to you. When I say we must have a right attitude toward his person, that simply means this: we must know him. We must know him. Do you realize it is impossible to love someone that you do not know? I could sit here and describe to you a dear friend of mine or a relative. I can tell you all of his good points, all the qualities, all of his characteristics. After I got through describing my friend or my relative, I could look at you and say, "Now I command you to love him." How can you love him? You don't know him.
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It doesn't matter that I just told you. In my words, I don't have the power to reveal him unto you. So the point I'm trying to make is this: if you are to love God, you must know him. I want you to look in your Bibles, hold Psalm 18, but look in your Bibles to 1 John 5 and verse 20. 1 John 5 and verse 20. Look at what the Bible says, 1 John 5 and verse 20: "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." What is the true God and eternal life? It's to know God through his Son Jesus Christ. He said, "and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him."
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By the way, look back in your Bibles to John 17 and verse 3, the Gospel of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and look at what our Lord says in his high priestly prayer. He tells us exactly what eternal life is. By the way, I hope you understand that I've preached on this in time past. Eternal life is not just simply living forever. It's not. I mean, if you define eternal life as living forever, if you believe in a real, literal hell, then the unsaved have eternal life because they're going to live forever in punishment. So eternal life is not just living forever. Look at it, John 17, verse 3. Our Lord tells you what eternal life is. In fact, let's read verse 2. Our Lord is praying. He said, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Now look as he defines it: "And this is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
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What is eternal life? It's knowing God. It's knowing God through Jesus Christ. Eternal life is a knowledge and you don't get eternal life when you die. You have eternal life now, if you have Christ, if you know God. What in the world will eternity be? But forever learning about the great and glorious God who saved us and redeemed us. Now, the Bible says eternal life is to know God. Are you listening now? It does no good just simply to profess to know God or no good simply to profess to love God. Why?
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I'm going to demonstrate it to you from Scripture a little bit, but here's the answer. Because our conduct, our actions will betray us if all we do is profess that we know him and profess that we love him. Let me just give you a verse. I will quote this verse later. Listen to Titus 1 and verse 16. Are you listening? "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."
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Now did you hear what he said? They profess that they know him. Oh yes, they can talk a good talk. But in works they deny him. So if you're going to know God, you must know God. You must know his attributes. His attributes are just simply manifestations of his person.
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Now let me tell you something. If you are a real child of God, if you love God, you may not be able to stand and hold a theological debate about the incommunicable and the communicable attributes with some theologian. You may not be able to do that, but I'm going to tell you something. If you know God, you're going to know that he is the only omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, immutable, infinite, and only wise God. You're going to know that he is the Sovereign, Supreme, and the only Potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and God of Gods. You're going to know that he is holy, and just, and right, and merciful, and you're going to know that everything that God does is right. For God is God. You may not be able to have a debate, but you're going to know that God is God. You're going to know that he is the Creator, the Savior, the Redeemer, and that no one can approach him except through Jesus Christ. You'll know God in that sense.
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Now, if we're going to love him, we must know his person. Secondly, I'm going to point this out, we must know his providence. We must not only have a right attitude toward his person, we must have a right attitude toward his providence. I'll explain this in a little bit, but you've got to understand once again that God's person is manifested in his providence. You know, there are many times that you and I rejoice in God's providence. I really and truly want to rejoice every day. I'm like the old man when someone asked him if he was having a good day. He said, "Anytime I wake up and read the obituaries and not discover my name, I'm having a good day."
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Well, we need to be thankful for that. There are many times that we can thank God. For instance, in John 3 and verse 17, the Bible says, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." We can rejoice in that. How about Galatians 4, verses 4 and 5? The Bible said, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Well, it is one thing to rejoice when God blesses us, protects us, provides for us, and heals us.
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But here is the question. Can we still rejoice in his person and in his providence when he chooses to take our loved one from us, or when he afflicts us with sickness or financial loss? It's one thing to say Romans 8:28 when God has blessed us and said, "For all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." It's one thing to say that when God blesses you, but when you lose your wife, or your husband, or your child, or your job, or your finances, is God still God? Does God still love you? Yes. Do you remember? None of us have ever gone through what old Job went through.
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He not only lost everything he had, he not only was afflicted, he lost ten children in one day. And you know what he said? Job 1, verse 21, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." You don't know about loving God's person and his providence. He was still willing to bless God and to praise God even though he had lost everything. When we know God, when we know his providence, we know that God is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. The question you have to ask yourself is, have we ever comprehended the reality that everything that God does for us, he does for our good and for his glory?
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Can we honestly say, listen carefully, that we love him for who he is? His gifts are wonderful. His blessing, his providential care is unsurpassed. Yet we should learn to love him for who he is and not simply for his blessings and his gifts. We need to learn to love the giver and not the gifts. Our attitude should be one of absolute love and admiration and affection for our Lord's person and his providence.
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Now, what am I trying to tell you? I'm going to tell you that the first element in biblical love is your attitude. Your attitude has to be biblical. If I'm to love my wife the way God commands me, I'm to have a biblical attitude. If I'm to love my children, I'm to have a biblical attitude. If you ladies are to love your husbands the way God commands you, you'll have a biblical attitude. Your thoughts must conform to the Word of God. If we're going to love God the way we should, our thoughts must conform to the Word of God. So the first element is attitude. The second element is affection. Now, listen to me. You cannot have the right attitude without having affection. Attitude and affection go together. If I have the right attitude toward my wife, does it not automatically follow that I have affection for my wife? Well, of course. If parents have the right attitude toward their children, the biblical attitude, does it not necessarily follow that they also have affection for their children?
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Yes. If I have a biblical attitude toward God, does it not also follow that I have an affection toward him and his word? The answer is yes.
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Now, I can quote this, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter three. Colossians chapter three. And look, if you would, at what the Bible says, Colossians three, and let's begin reading there with verse one. Colossians three, verse one. Verse two is the verse I really want, but let's begin with verse one, Colossians three, verse one: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Wow. Now, wait a minute. If ye then be risen with Christ, that is, if you're regenerated, converted, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above. So if you've got a biblical attitude, you are going to have biblical affection. Now the word affection in Colossians 3 and verse 2 is the Greek word phroneo, which means literally to direct one's mind toward a thing, to seek after, to strive for, to savor, and to be wise.
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So actually he's saying you savor those things which are above. You savor where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. You have an affection for those. Here's what John Gill said concerning the word "affection." He said this: "The word phroneo signifies to mind them and to think upon them, to favor them and approve them, to be affectionately desirous of them and concerned for them."
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"For where the treasure is, the heart should be. And as the saints' best things are above, their minds and affection should be there likewise. Their contemplation should be on those things, and their conversation should be in heaven. Nor should they regard anything but what is there, or come from this, for they belong not to this world, but to another and better country. Their citizenship is in heaven, and there in a short time they must have their everlasting residence, and therefore should seek after and highly prize and value heavenly things, and set their affections upon them." I hope you see that attitude and affections are closely connected. Unless our attitude is right, we will never have affection. But when our attitude and affections are right, our affections will be set upon God.
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And we will love him as we should. If we do not have a right attitude, we will not have the right affections, and therefore we will not love him as we should. You know what David said in Psalm 73 and verse 25? Listen to this. Listen to this. David said, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth I desire besides thee." Wow. "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" And Lord, you're all I want in heaven. "And there is none upon earth I desire besides thee." Lord, you're all I want down here. Do you remember what David said in Psalm 42?
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We sing about this regularly. David said, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." What does he say? He's manifesting an affection for God and for the things of God. Now, the question has to be asked. Is there any way that you and I can know and determine whether or not we have a biblical attitude and a biblical affection?
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And the answer is yes. You don't have to guess. You don't have to speculate as to whether or not you really love the Lord. You do not have to guess or speculate whether you have a biblical attitude or a biblical affection. There's a way that we can know for certain. What is it? The third point, our actions. Do you realize? One does not need a college degree to figure this out. It's very simple.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3. And look, if you would please, at verse 16 and let me prove one simple point. Here it is. One simple point. Love is always demonstrable. Love is always demonstrable. I could say that another way. I could say that love is always manifested. Look at the Bible in 1 John 3 and verse 16: "Hereby perceive we the love of God." Now, remember the word perceive means to comprehend, to lay hold on, to understand. So he says, "Hereby comprehend we, perceive we, hereby understand we the love of God." How do we understand the love of God?
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Because he laid down his life for us. Consequently, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. How do we conceive? How do we understand? How do we perceive? How do we comprehend the love of God? Because God actually did something. His action was commensurate with his affection and with his attitude. Your actions always demonstrate whether or not you really, genuinely love.
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Now, let me just show you. This is so true. We know this. Suppose I repeatedly tell Alice, "I love you. I love you. I love you. You're the love of my life. You're all that I desire. You're all that I ever want." I tell her that repeatedly. And yet, I'm constantly running around with other women. Now, my question is, should she believe that I really love her?
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The answer is, of course not. Because my actions demonstrate that I do not have a biblical attitude or biblical affection for her. My actions are demonstrating my lack of love for her. The same is true in reference to the Lord. Our actions demonstrate whether or not we love him.
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Now let me show you this principle is so important and yet so simple. Look in your Bibles to Romans 13 and verse 10. It's a very simple verse, a very simple truth. Look at Romans 13 and verse 10. Romans 13, verse 10. Are you looking there? Romans 13, verse 10. After I show you this principle, I want to take you through the word of God and demonstrate it. Romans 13, verse 10.
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"Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
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Now, may I remind you of something? Love is not feeling. Love is not sentimentality. Love is not some abstract concept floating around somewhere in the universe. Love is obedience. Love is the fulfilling of the law. How do I know that I love God? How do I know that I have a biblical attitude and biblical affection? The answer is there will be biblical actions. Turn in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 20.
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I want to show you this first in the Old Testament and then secondly in the New Testament. So look at Exodus chapter 20 beginning there with verse 6. Exodus 20, verse 6. Look what God says. Exodus 20, verse 6. God says, "And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."
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Now, whoa, wait a minute. Do you see this connection? "Shewing mercy unto thousands of them that" do what? "That love me." How does he know who loves him? Because they keep his commandments. Look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers, chapter 15. Numbers 15. And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 37. Numbers 15, verse 37. Look what the Bible says: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue." Isn't that interesting? Why? "And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: that ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God.
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I am the Lord your God." Now, God says, you put this fringe on your garments, you put a ribbon of blue. Why? I want you to remember all my commandments, to do them.
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Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 11. I could just, I suppose, stay in the book of Deuteronomy, but I want you to see how many times God tells you this same truth. Look at Deuteronomy 11, verse 1: "Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway." What? "Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God." What is the evidence? By keeping his charge, his statutes, his judgments, and his commandments always. Look in Deuteronomy 11, verse 13: "And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." What? Listening to my commandments, obeying them is equated now with loving the Lord your God? Yes, it is. Look in verse 22 of Deuteronomy 11: "For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him." What is loving the Lord?
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It's obeying him. Walking in his ways, keeping his commandments. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 30 and verse 16. Deuteronomy 30 and verse 16. Notice what he says. Deuteronomy 30, verse 16: "In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God." He's commanding us now to love him. "To love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it."
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Now, I don't see how you could read any passage in the Old Testament without understanding this principle. Look in verse 20 of Deuteronomy 30: "That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."
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Now notice what he says. If you love me, you're going to cleave to me. You're going to obey me. Our actions demonstrate whether or not we love the Lord.
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Now, I could multiply these passages in the Old Testament. Well, let me show you the same exact principle is true in the New Testament. So turn, please, to the book of John, chapter 14. John 14, and let's begin reading there with verse 15. We have the same God who does not change. His word does not change. John 14, notice verse 15. John 14, verse 15. Our Lord says, "If ye love me, say so." Is that what that verse says? What's it say? "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Wow. Well, look at John 14 in verse 21. Our Lord says it like this: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Now, what did he say? "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." Why? Because love is the fulfilling of the law. Love is always demonstrable. Love is always manifested.
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Look in verse 24. John 14, verse 24: "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." In other words, he that does not love me, does not obey me, does not keep my commandments. That's something. Now I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. I told you the principle is really simple. It is so fundamental, and yet so many people overlook this simple truth. 1 John 5.
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Notice verses 2 and 3. 1 John 5, verse 2: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments."
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Now, let me stop there. How do I know that I love the children of God? When I love God and keep his commandments. How do I know I love Dr. Bristow or how do I know I love Dr. Holmes or Dr. Hobby or whoever? How do I know that? Is it because I go up to each one of them and cry on their shoulders and tell them how much I love them? No. Love is not feelings. Love is not sentimentality. I know I love him when I fulfill God's law toward him. I respect his wife. I respect his children.
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I don't steal from him. I don't hate him. I do everything I can to help him and bless him. That's love. That's what he said. Look at it: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments." Now watch. Now here is the definition of love again: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." What is the love of God? Obeying him. Keeping his commandments. How do I know whether or not I have a biblical attitude and biblical affection? Do I obey God, or do I disobey God? Look in your Bibles to 1 John 2. Help me out now, but don't let me misquote this passage. 1 John 2, beginning there, verse 3. You remember I told you earlier that we had to know God. 1 John 2, verse 3: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." How do I know that I really, genuinely, savingly know God?
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Because he's enabling me to bring my life into conformity to his word. Man can't do that by himself. It takes the grace and the power of God. OK, so verse 3 says, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." Now watch verse 4: "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Wow. So here's a man says, "Oh, I'm a Christian." And yet he's an adulterer, he's a fornicator, he's a thief. What's God say? He's a liar. He doesn't love me, he doesn't know me. Because if he knew me, if he loved me, he would keep my commandments. Wow. Look in 1 John 3 and verse 22. 1 John 3, verse 22.
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"And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." What is pleasing to God? Obedience. Look in your Bibles to 2 John and verse 6. You want to see it again? Here it is. 2 John 6: "And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." From the beginning, love has always been obedience to God. If you love me, keep my commandments. Can there be any doubt to the reality and the truthfulness that love is actually demonstrated by obeying the word of the Lord? Let me just tell you in plain, simple language, love is obedience.
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You will never have biblical actions toward your husband or toward your wife or toward your children until you have a biblical affection, and you will never have a biblical affection until you have a biblical attitude. It's attitude, affection, and actions. David said in Psalm 18, verse one, "I will love thee, O Lord." What was he saying? Lord, I've determined. I will keep my attitude, my affections, and my actions biblical and scriptural. I will obey thee. And that, my friend, is biblical love.
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Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. Do you love the Lord? Have you determined in your heart to love the Lord? If you answer yes, my next question is, have you and are you continuing to bring your life into conformity to his word? Someone's going to say, "But Brother Weaver, I'm not perfect." No one is perfect. But here's the test. When we see and understand the truth of God, are we continually becoming obedient to that truth that we see and we understand? Love is obedience.
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And you've got to remember this. It's the sovereign God of heaven and earth who defines what love is. It is not in the power or the prerogative of man to redefine love. Love is what God says it is, not what man tries to determine. God has spoken and we must bow to him. So if I'm going to sit here and say I love the Lord, what's that mean? It means I've got a biblical attitude. I have biblical affection and I'm constantly, continually endeavoring by his grace and by his power to bring my life into obedience to his word.
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As he shows me his truth. Don't forget. There are different stages in the Christian life. There are babes, there's young men, and there's fathers, but I don't care which stage you're in in your Christian life. Obedience is the key. And you must bring your life in conformity to that truth that God shows you.
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Now, here's my second application. It goes right along with everything I've taught. It is useless and worthless to declare your love for God or Christ and then turn around and live as you think you can and live as you please. "Well, I love Christ, but I'm pleased to commit adultery." No. "Well, I love Christ, but I'm pleased to lie and steal and cheat." No. What did our Lord say in Luke 6 and verse 46? Listen carefully, he said, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" If you're going to call me Lord, if you're going to call me sovereign boss, owner and master, then you obey me. "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" In other words, if you are saved by my grace, I am your Lord. I'm your boss. I'm your master. You obey me. You've got to remember Titus 1 in verse 16. I quoted earlier.
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"They profess that they know him; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Let me just tell you, folks, love is always demonstrable. I don't care if it's between a husband and wife. I don't care if it's between a parent and child. I don't care if it's between a Christian and the Lord Jesus Christ. Love is always demonstrable. It always manifests itself in its attitude and its affections, and the actions demonstrate whether or not that attitude and those affections are right. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Rebellion to God's law is a demonstration of not loving God. As our Lord said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." And David said, "I will love thee, O Lord." I will have the right attitude and the right affections and the right actions towards you.
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I will bring my life in conformity to your Word. Let's pray. Father, we just ask today in the name of Jesus Christ that you would help us, teach us, and build us up in the most holy faith. Give us grace, Lord, that we may bring our lives in conformity to your Word and understand that real, genuine love involves attitude, affection, and action, both on the physical level and on the spiritual level. Help us, Lord, to honor Thee and to love Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T17:54:45Z

I Will Love the Lord

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Psalm 18:1, emphasizing that David's declaration 'I will love thee, O Lord' is a determined act of the will by a regenerated believer. He explains that biblical love involves three irreducible elements: attitude, affection, and action. Love is not mere sentiment but obedience to God's commandments, demonstrated by a life conformed to His Word. The sermon underscores that we love God only because He first loved us, and true love for God is proven by keeping His commandments.

Introduction to Psalm 18

Weaver introduces Psalm 18, noting it is also recorded in 2 Samuel 22 and was written by David in old age, reflecting on God's deliverance from all enemies, especially Saul.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 18:1-3

"I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies."

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 22

Now, Psalm 18 is also recorded in 2 Samuel, chapter 22. There are few variations between Psalm 18 and 2 Samuel 22, but certainly nothing that affects the principles or the interpretation of the psalm. I want you to note the heading, if you would please, that is given in your Bibles to Psalm 18. Look at what he says: "To the chief musician, a psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said," and then you have verse one, "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength." Now, most scholars agree that this psalm was written by David in his old age, when he reflected upon how many times God delivered him from his great enemies, and especially from King Saul, who was one of his greatest enemies.

David's Determination: 'I Will Love the Lord'

David's statement is a determined choice, not a mere wish. As a regenerated believer, he expresses a dedicated will to love God, which is only possible because God first loved him.

God's Prior Love as the Foundation

Weaver explains that no one can love God first; Scripture teaches that God loved us with an everlasting love before the world began, and our love is only a response to His love.

Scripture Reading — Romans 11:35

"Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?"

Now, the Bible says in 1 John 4 and verse 10, listen carefully:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 4:10

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins."

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:3

"The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

Now, what kind of love does God have? An everlasting love. God is an eternal being. God said,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 31:3

"I have loved thee with an everlasting love."

That means God's love has no beginning. Also means, thankfully, it has no end.

Love as an Act of the Will

Love is a choice and determination, not a feeling. God commands love because it is an act of the will, as seen in commands to love spouses, neighbors, and God.

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:25

David said, "I will love thee, O Lord." Now let me ask you, and I know you know the answer. Does God command husbands to love their wives? Yes. Ephesians 5, verse 25. Does God command us to love our neighbors as ourselves? Yes. Leviticus 19:18, James 2:8. Does God command us to love him? Yes. Deuteronomy 6:5, Deuteronomy 11:1, and a host of other passages.

The Three Elements of Biblical Love: Attitude, Affection, Action

Weaver introduces the irreducible minimum of biblical love: attitude (right thinking), affection (right desires), and action (obedience). These are interconnected and essential.

Attitude: Knowing God's Person and Providence

A right attitude involves knowing God personally and trusting His providence, even in suffering. We must love the Giver more than His gifts.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 4:23

"Keep thy heart with all diligence."

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:20

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

What is the true God and eternal life? It's to know God through his Son Jesus Christ. He said,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:20

"and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him."

Scripture Reading — John 17:3

"And this is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

Scripture Reading — Titus 1:16

"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."

Affection: Setting Our Hearts on Things Above

Affection flows from a right attitude. Colossians 3:2 commands setting affection on things above, savoring heavenly things and desiring God above all.

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:1-2

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

Action: Love Demonstrated by Obedience

Love is always demonstrable. True love for God is proven by keeping His commandments, as seen in both Old and New Testament passages.

Applications: Examining Our Love and Obedience

Weaver challenges listeners to examine whether their lives conform to God's Word. Love is obedience; professing love without obedience is worthless.

I Will Love the Lord

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	11808133562
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Walking With God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-12-23
Dictation Name
Book	Book 134: Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification - Volume 1 — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	74

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to Psalm 18: Weaver introduces Psalm 18, noting it is also recorded in 2 Samuel 22 and was written by David in old age, reflecting on God's deliverance from all enemies, especially Saul.
David's Determination: 'I Will Love the Lord': David's statement is a determined choice, not a mere wish. As a regenerated believer, he expresses a dedicated will to love God, which is only possible because God first loved him.
God's Prior Love as the Foundation: Weaver explains that no one can love God first; Scripture teaches that God loved us with an everlasting love before the world began, and our love is only a response to His love.
Love as an Act of the Will: Love is a choice and determination, not a feeling. God commands love because it is an act of the will, as seen in commands to love spouses, neighbors, and God.
The Three Elements of Biblical Love: Attitude, Affection, Action: Weaver introduces the irreducible minimum of biblical love: attitude (right thinking), affection (right desires), and action (obedience). These are interconnected and essential.
Attitude: Knowing God's Person and Providence: A right attitude involves knowing God personally and trusting His providence, even in suffering. We must love the Giver more than His gifts.
Affection: Setting Our Hearts on Things Above: Affection flows from a right attitude. Colossians 3:2 commands setting affection on things above, savoring heavenly things and desiring God above all.
Action: Love Demonstrated by Obedience: Love is always demonstrable. True love for God is proven by keeping His commandments, as seen in both Old and New Testament passages.
Applications: Examining Our Love and Obedience: Weaver challenges listeners to examine whether their lives conform to God's Word. Love is obedience; professing love without obedience is worthless.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Only Regenerated Believers Can Love God

David's 'I will love the Lord' is spoken as a converted man, because the natural mind is at enmity with God and cannot love Him.

Weaver says, 'David is here writing and speaking already as a regenerated, converted believer. Why? Because no man can love God first.' He cites Romans 8:7-8.

Love Is Commanded, Therefore It Is a Choice

Since God commands love, it must be an act of the will, not a mere emotion or sentiment.

Weaver argues, 'Feelings, sentiments, abstract concepts, and ethereal desires cannot be commanded. Only an act of a will can be commanded.'

Attitude Precedes Affection and Action

A biblical attitude (right thinking) is foundational; without it, there can be no biblical affection or obedient action.

Weaver states, 'everything that we are and everything that we do is determined by our attitude.' He cites Proverbs 4:23 and Philippians 2:5.

Love Must Be Demonstrated by Works

True love is always manifested in actions; obedience to God's commandments is the proof of love.

Weaver says, 'Love is always demonstrable... Our actions always demonstrate whether or not you really, genuinely love.' He uses 1 John 3:16 and Romans 13:10.

Obedience Is the Definition of Love for God

Scripture equates loving God with keeping His commandments; this is the consistent biblical definition.

Weaver cites John 14:15, 1 John 5:3, and Deuteronomy 11:1, concluding, 'love is obedience.'

Scripture References

Psalm 18:1-3: The sermon text; David's declaration of love and trust in the Lord as his strength and deliverer.
2 Samuel 22: Parallel passage to Psalm 18, with minor variations, confirming the psalm's context of deliverance.
Romans 8:7-8: The carnal mind is enmity against God, proving that unregenerate man cannot love God.
Ephesians 4:18: Man by nature is alienated from God through ignorance.
Colossians 1:21: Before conversion, we were enemies of God in our minds.
Romans 11:35: No one can give to God first and obligate Him; God's grace is prior.
1 John 4:10: Love is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son.
1 John 4:19: We love Him because He first loved us.
Jeremiah 31:3: God loves with an everlasting love, demonstrating His prior and eternal love.
2 Timothy 1:8-9: God saved us and gave us grace in Christ before the world began.
Romans 5:5: The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:25: Husbands are commanded to love their wives, showing love is a command.
Leviticus 19:18: Command to love your neighbor as yourself.
Deuteronomy 6:5: Command to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and might.
Proverbs 4:23: Keep your heart with all diligence, relating to attitude.
Philippians 2:5: Let this mind be in you which was in Christ, relating to attitude.
1 John 5:20: We know the Son of God has come and given us understanding to know Him.
John 17:3: Eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ.
Titus 1:16: They profess to know God but in works deny Him, being disobedient.
Colossians 3:1-2: Set your affection on things above, not on earthly things.

Historical References

John Gill: Weaver quotes Gill's commentary on Psalm 18:1, explaining that the psalm was written in David's old age reflecting on deliverance from Saul and all enemies.
David's deliverance from Saul: The historical context of Psalm 18: David wrote it in old age, celebrating God's deliverance from Saul and all his enemies.

Important Quotes

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

The central verse of the sermon, expressing David's determined love for God.

David said very emphatically, 'I will love thee, O Lord.' He is expressing a dedicated determination.

Highlights that love is a willful choice, not a passive feeling.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

Quoting 1 John 4:10 to emphasize God's initiating love.

We love him, because he first loved us.

Quoting 1 John 4:19, foundational to the sermon's argument.

Love is an act of a will. It is a choice. It is a determination.

Weaver's clear definition of love as a volitional act.

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Quoting John 14:15, the key proof text that love equals obedience.

Love is always demonstrable.

A repeated principle that true love is shown by actions.

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

Quoting Titus 1:16 to warn against empty profession.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding that God loved us first change the way we think about our love for Him?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that our love is only a response to God's prior love, based on 1 John 4:19.

[Question]

In what practical ways can we cultivate a biblical attitude toward God's person and providence, especially during trials?

[Context]

Weaver discusses the need to love God for who He is, not just for His gifts, and to trust His providence even in loss.

[Question]

Why is it impossible to separate attitude, affection, and action in genuine love?

[Context]

Weaver argues these three elements are the irreducible minimum of biblical love and are interconnected.

[Question]

How does the command to love God as an act of the will challenge common cultural views of love as primarily a feeling?

[Context]

Weaver states that feelings cannot be commanded, but love as a choice can be, referencing commands to love.

[Question]

What does it mean that 'love is the fulfilling of the law' (Romans 13:10), and how should that shape our daily obedience?

[Context]

Weaver uses this verse to show that love is demonstrated by keeping God's commandments.

[Question]

How can we examine our lives to see if our actions confirm or deny our profession of love for God?

[Context]

Weaver cites 1 John 2:3-4 and Titus 1:16 to show that obedience is the test of genuine knowledge and love.

[Question]

Why is it useless to call Jesus 'Lord' while not doing what He says (Luke 6:46)?

[Context]

Weaver applies this verse to warn against a profession of faith without corresponding obedience.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T09:39:23Z