PERFECT LOVE DRIVES OUT FEAR
1 John 4:17-18
Once upon a time, Jane was going to get married, and her friend Jemima decided to send them a text message wishing the happy couple well. She thought of the verse that we had in our first reading,
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear”, but, text messages being what they are, she decided just to send the reference: 1 John 4:18. Unfortunately, in her haste, she omitted the “1”, showing that it was John’s letter rather than John’s Gospel, and the verse Jane found when she looked it up in the Gospel read: “For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.”
Our text for today speaks directly to those common concerns with a fresh word: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (v. 18). Of course it is normal for any human being to fear. Such as the natural reactions to threat that serve to protect us.
Fear can be either helpful or harmful. When it is fear of what is truly destructive to one’s well-being, it is for his good. But when groundless fear produces needless worry an unrest, it is harmful.
On one side the Scriptures instructed us to fear: Prov 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Prov 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
On the other side it tells us to "fear not". It is also a constant command throughout the Scriptures. To "fear the Lord" is to reverence Him. "Fear not!" is a word of encouragement in the presence of threatening danger or alarm. Fear not for I am with you! (IS. 41:10)
After all, the only people who have absolutely no fear are in cemeteries. We who are alive possess some fear, and some fear is healthy.
What do you mean by “perfect love”?
The word behind the translation is a form of telios, which doesn’t mean “flawless,” but “fulfilling its purpose.” Eugene Peterson has it right when he translates, “well-formed love.” Its the same as Q.C. Passed for the product or ISO Certified for a company.
WHY DID JOHN SAY THAT A PERFECT LOVE CAN DRIVES OUT FEAR?
A. PERFECT LOVE IS SUPPLIED BY GOD (V.17)
Read also 4:7-9A - We can only get this love if God is with us, or if we are in God.
Psalm 34. It says, “I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” What a wonderful and amazing promise of God. “He delivered me from all my fears.” Could that be our true experience? Is that really part of what God offers to us in Christ Jesus?
But as the Psalm mentioned above points out, the condition of that gift is clear: “I sought the Lord.” In other words, the starting point for this is precisely when our lives are totally given to God’s direction and not our own.
John’s simple answer is, when you are filled with God’s perfect love, fear is driven out. It’s really not about forcing fear out of our lives through a positive, mental attitude. It’s about opening up to the free flow of God’s love that so defines us and shapes us that fear is driven out.
Matthew 8:26 But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"
The main reason why the disciples are afraid because of their “little faith” of “no faith”. Jesus was angry because he was there but they are still afraid.
If we are afraid of the future, eternity, or God’s judgment, we can remind ourselves of God’s love. We know that he loves us perfectly (Romans 8:38, 39). We can resolve our fears first by focusing on his immeasurable love for us, and then by allowing him to love others through us. His love will quiet your fears and give you confidence.
Why does the Lord caution us about fear? Most often repeated command in the Bible is "Fear not." The reason fear is dangerous is because fear brings upon itself what it fears.
A famous president once said, "You have nothing to fear but fear itself." It is true: fear is the thing we must avoid.
Fear is not just a distressing emotion; it is the spiritual force of Satan’s kingdom. Faith is the force of God’s kingdom. We are saved by faith, we are healed by faith, and we move mountains by faith. Faith attracts God’s blessings to you, yet fear attracts Satan’s curses to you. Fear is a force. Remember when Peter walked on the water. He did fine until he was afraid. His fear sank him. Fear is the opposite of faith. "And whatever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Fear is a sin.
According to the Revelation 21:8, the fearful will be cast into the lake of fire. Fear is that serious! We have to resist it like we would resist any other sin. Yet, many Christians do not even consider it a sin. Yet it is!
But the good news is, Perfect Love drives out fear. A parent will run into a burning building to save his child. Why? Because his love for that child is greater than his fears. If you afraid to share the goodnews with those around you, ask God to give you a greater love for them.
B. PERFECT LOVE IS EMPOWERED BY GOD (v. 18a)
Read also 4:12-13 - "He has given us His Spirit"
2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love…
The verse says God is giving us power and love. A double blessing: power & love or Power of Love”
Let us ask an important question: why do we fear? We are afraid because we feel powerless. We feel that we can’t change something. We fear because we feel helpless. As long as you have power to change some evil, then fear cannot take over.
The Bible says that we have power to resist the devil, and he will flee from us. We can heal the sick. We can call on our angels for protection. Listen, we do have power. We can overcome evil with good. When you recognize that you have power, then fear cannot stay. Fear cannot coexist with power.
So Paul confidently says: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah (Ps 46:1-3)
There are countless of promises in the Bible reminding us that He will give us power in times of need so we don’t need to fear. When we are tormented by fear, our focus is self-centered and not Christ-centered. We are looking at the forces that threaten us in light or our weaknesses and inadequacies, rather than looking at them in light of the supernatural power of God. When we focus on the fact that, as a Christian, Christ is our very life, we can say with Paul: I can do all things Phil. 4:13
Satan is a master at using our fears. He can keep us from being an effective Christian, or happy person by using our own fears: He uses the "spirit of fear" to:
1. Make our lives miserable. Worry and fear can make our life miserable!
Illustration: There was a lady who died in 1916 named Hetty Green. She was called America’s greatest miser. When she died in 1916, she left an estate valued at $100 million. But she was so miserly that she ate cold oatmeal in order to save the expense of heating the water. When her son had a severe leg injury, she took so long trying to find a free clinic to treat him that his leg had to be amputated because of advanced infection. She was worried about losing her wealth, so she didn’t even enjoy her life!
You see! Satan used the spirit of fear to make our lives miserable.
2. He also makes us ineffective
a. Many times we do not share our faith with someone because of fear. What will they think of me? What if I turn them off? What if I confused? They probably won’t listen to me anyway! These are the common fears satan uses to make us ineffective witnesses!
b. Sometimes we don’t get involved in service because of fear- I can’t teach a Sunday School class, I can’t sing, I can’t help in the church. I could never be a pastor, missionary, etc.
Fear can keep us from serving God. Satan is a master at using our fears to stop us, to bind us, and to rob us!
But God has not given us the "spirit of fear", So that He rebukes us for fearing
Matthew 8:26 But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"
The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. He does not grant us superhuman ability to accomplish anything we can imagine without regard to his interests. As we contend for the faith we will face troubles, pressures, and trials. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.
C. PERFECT LOVE IS ASSURED BY GOD (V.18B)
The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (I Jn 4:18) "but" perfect love drives out fear.
The conjnction "BUT" assured us of the truth that we can drives out fear.
The one area that fear will attack is the mind (2Tim. 1:7). This is why Paul said that we have a sound mind. God did not create your mind to handle fear. Your mind is not wired for fear anymore than you are wired for electricity. Stick a fork in an outlet, and you will discover your body is not wired for electricity. Neither is your mind wired for fear.
Illustration
I read the story about a high school student, who went through an initiation for his sorority. They blindfolded him and tied him to the railroad tracks. What he did not know was there was another set of tracks. All he heard was the train coming. As it approached closer and closer he screamed for help. The other men just laughed. Finally after the train passed by, the men went to untie the man, but they found him dead. He died of a heart attack.
Jesus said, "Men’s heart’s will fail them for fear." You may not die as quickly as this freshman did, but you will experience another kind of death. You will begin to lose courage. Without courage you will never be able to win over your battles. Isaiah prophesied what fear could do. "Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit" (Isa 24:18).
God told Gideon to send home all the men who feared. God knows that fear will bring failures. It’s time that you purpose to live fear-free. Whenever you notice fear in your life, then resist it by quoting the Word of God.
Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
As Jesus once said: “In the world there are tribulations, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.”
“Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.” That tag line from the 1994 film, The Shawshank Redemption, fairly sums up the New Testament view of fear. In that film, one of the characters, Brooks Hatlen, has spent most of his life wasting away in prison because of a reckless act of violence he committed as a teenager. At one point in the film, after some 40 years of incarceration, Brooks finally receives his release to enjoy the freedom for which he’s longed. There’s just one problem. He’s forgotten how to be free. He’s become institutionalized. His new life on the outside scares him to death every day. He’d grown accustomed to the structure behind bars, and now without it, he lives in fear. He thinks about ways to violate his parole so he can go back to the safety of prison. Eventually he takes his own life because he just can’t handle the uncertainty and vulnerability of life on the outside. In a letter back his former cellmates he says, “It is a terrible thing to live in fear.” It is indeed.
Fear is destructive. It can paralyze our minds & results in indecisiveness, focuses our attention on self and undermines our self-confidence.
CONCLUSION
The Bible say- There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (I Jn 4:18)
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Ang dapat nating katakutan ay ang “takot”. Pag ang takot ay palaging nananahan sa atin, hindi tayo magtatagumpay sa mundong ito. Our only solution is Christ. Psalmist say, “I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Illustration. An old woman in WWII (Is 41:10)
’...Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.’ Rom. 8:39
John 13:8-7 John is describing Perfect Love as:
"Love never fails...it bears all things, believes all things, endures all things."
V. 13 - Faith, hope & love shall remain, but the greatest of these is love.
Perfect love is supplied only by God....
Perfect love is empowerd by God....
Perfect love is assured by God...!
GOD BLESS!
