Video Transition: Love Anthem - Skit Guys
Series: Love Well in 2022
Love Well - 2022 series
Thesis: To be able to love well means I have to embrace the 4 letter word, “Love” in its original definition and its created application – Because that word “Love” has been twisted and distorted by this world – But the true meaning of love goes back to God’s meaning of love!
Scripture Text:
John 13:34-35: Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
1 John 4:7-10: 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Introduction:
LOVE’s original definition is spelled out in Scripture - “God is love” says 1 John 4:8 or to reverse this thought “Love is God” God created and defined what Love is and what it should look like and act like. John 1:1 tells us Jesus and God are one which implies that Jesus is God’s love manifested in the flesh – in other words a recognizable expression of love in the flesh that all can see, touch and model (See 1 John 1:1-4).
As we explore the definition of “Real Love” so we can “Love Well.” We discover the word love being used in all kinds of contexts and an in connection with all kinds of things or objects:
For example:
• I say, “I love Dunkin Donuts Coffee” which I do! Some may disagree and say, “I love Starbucks Coffee!” I am not a big fan (Sorry).
• I say, “I love Giordano’s Pizza” another person would say, “I love Luminate’s Pizza.”
• I say, “I love donuts” another would say like Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Never eat a donut – they are bad for you!”
• I say, “I love White Castle cheeseburgers!” my wife says, “I hate White Castle cheeseburgers!”
• I say, “I love oatmeal!” my wife says, “Gag!”
• I say, “I love wilderness survival shows” my wife says “Why?”
• In a given day we may say, “Love you” to our kids, spouses or even a friend! We may even tell our pets “I love you!” We may or may not get a response from them though.
• I say, “I love going out to eat alone” my wife says “No way I will never go out to place to eat alone!”
WHAT'S Real love got to do WITH using the word love in these many different contexts or applications?
• If you “Google” the word love, and you have to be very careful doing this, you will find all sorts of websites focused on love: I discovered 11,150,000,000.
o Here are some examples that you will find:
? I love Dogs.com
? I love Cats.com (Although this one is a plea to spay or neuter them – I ask the question do you really love them if you do this too them?)
? I love Cheese.com
? I love Lucy.com
? Betterlove.com
? True Romance Dating Service.com
? Love Test.com
? Matchmaker.com
? The Love Calculator.com
• On this site you type in your name and your mates name and it gives you the odds of your relationship lasting. John Harvey the person I pulled this statistic from said “Alana and I got 41%.” I was scared to do with Kathy and my name!
o The interesting observation from all these sites is love is seen as almost an entirely human endeavor – it’s really portrayed as an emotion.
? Contributed to sermoncentral.com by: John Harvey edited by Michael McCartney for this message.
The truth is you cannot love White Castle Cheeseburgers like you do your kids or even your spouse – well at least this not a good idea right? I suppose you could, but I don’t think that would go over well with your spouse or your kids! They are two different views or objects of love.
If you look up the word love on dictionary.com this is what it says:
o a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
o a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
o sexual passion or desire.
If you keep searching the word love you will discover around 28 different definitions of this word love.
As you read the three definitions listed in dicitionary.com most people would agree with them and not think twice about it. But it portrays love as an emotion.
But these definitions of love don’t align with the real biblical meaning of love spoken about by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 and by the Apostle John in I John or the Gospel of John. So, let’s explore 1 John today to get a true understanding of real love.
Sermon 3: Love Well - 1 John – Know Love, Love Others and Fear Not!
Thesis: John gives us three actions that are to be apart of the children of God’s daily lives – these 3 actions tell us love is not an emotion, but actually a verb. He says, we are to “Know Love, Love Others, and Fear Not.”
If you read 1 John and I encourage you to do that this week you will discover this progression of thought from John
Scripture Texts:
1 John 1:1-4: Summary of these verses: John wrote this letter in light of meeting, living, spending time with Jesus who he saw, he touched, he heard and who loved him. He is called “The One Jesus Loved” John 11:3-5. So John pens this letter to reveal the Real meaning of love – the Jesus kind of love we as Christians should be giving to others. Note he says, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard (touched), so that you also may have fellowship with us.”
I John 2:15-17: Summary of these verses: Those who have experienced God’s love – love Him not the world! If you love the world then you do not love the Father, because God represents everything that is in opposition to the world’s way of thinking and acting. The acts of the world are associated with hate, selfishness, pride, feeding the cravings and lust of the sinful nature, and disobeying the commands of God.
I John 3:1: Summary of this verse: God’s love is so great that we are called the Children of God (How amazing is that reality!) If we have experienced God’s love and forgiveness, then we are called Children of God – in other words we are no longer associated with the world’s population but with Heaven’s population. The Bible tells us our names are written in the “The whose who of History – called The Lamb’s Book of Life.”
I John 3:11-24: Summary of these verses: Since we have experienced God’s amazing love “We should love one another” – To love God’s way is revealed in Jesus sacrifice on the cross – His giving His life for our sins so we could be set free and given entrance to Heaven – Heaven is a place designed and created by Love, it is also Governed or run by love, It is also filled with people who know the power of love and live by love.
Main Text for today’s message:
1 John 4:7-21: Love can only come to us in connection with God thru Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There 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. 19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother (sister).
John in this chapter lays out the main character trait of a Christian (a child of God) – A believer should have this character trait (love) and it will be revealed through their actions toward others and toward God. It can also be connected to why a person goes to church, serves God or does not go to church even as a professing Christian:
Introduction:
In Montgomery’s book, “Damned through the Church” he has an article out of the 1937 Saturday Evening Post called “I go to Church” by Stanley High. In this article Stanley tell us why he goes to church.
1. He likes the preacher!
2. He finds it convenient!
3. Habit compels him to go!
4. He gets something out of going!
5. He gets along better as a result of going!
In this article by Stanley, we see that he goes to church really for self-edification, to feel good, to feel good about himself, and it helps him get along better with others. All good things by the way.
But, in the article there is no mention of going to church because: He loves Jesus, God the Father and or the Holy Spirit. He never even mentions God as a reason why he goes to church. It does not even mention God’s love as a reason to go to church.
Here is the problem of going to church for these reasons: If we have truly experienced the love of God – like John and Paul talk about in Scripture – we should actually want to go to Church so as to worship the Lord, to listen to His Word of life, to grow spiritually and to fulfill one of the Big Ten’s: “You shall keep the Sabbath Day Holy” If we truly love God we will seek to follow His commands laid out in Scripture we are told by Scripture.
A thought about loving Sunday (The Sabbath):
The following from https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/10-commandments/sabbath/how-to-keep-the-sabbath/:
“The seventh day was blessed and sanctified by God according to the Pentateuch. That means that God set it apart from the other six days of the week for a special purpose. Because of this unique blessing and sanctification, the seventh day of the week is very special to God. But He didn’t just rest and bless it for His own use. He did this as an example and a gift for (HIS) people. When God gave the 10 Commandments to Moses, He included the seventh-day Sabbath as the Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11). God did not create the Sabbath to be a temporary or burdensome law. Jesus said the Sabbath was “made for man/woman” (Mark 2:27). It was a gift God made for us (So we all could rest from our labor’s and it was to be used to honor God). That’s why Jesus, the apostles and the New Testament Church continued observing the Sabbath.”
Love for God should be the reason we come to church on Sunday (Remember love is an action not an emotion) – Love on the inside of us should compel us to want to worship God, to want to hear from His Word, to grow spiritually and help our family grow spiritually – we should want to take the time to honor and thank Him for His love and provision each week on the Sabbath. Also, we should come to church so we can love on others and support others with our gifts and talents.
The Bible tells us God is all knowing – Is this not an intimidating thought to ponder? The truth is He knows everything about me – everything! He knows why I come to church or do not come to church! He really knows if we really love Him or not!
Church attendance, being part of a Body of Christ really goes back to what Jesus said, “Love God and Love others!”
I. We are to love others because we know God’s love (4:7-16).
a. God’s kind of love is sacrificial (v7-13) 2. God’s kind of love is saving (v14-15)
i. Charles Salmon notes this about our chapter: Love is a very popular idea in today’s world. We distort and misinterpret it, but it is on everyone’s lips. Many of our most popular songs, books, and movies are about love. There are enough to fill a library. We often forget love is a truly Christian idea. It is seen in its fullness only in Christ. Love originated in the mind of God, of whom it is written, "God is love." But, often what the world calls love is vastly different from what God in Christ revealed love to be.
1. The world describes love as a feeling, an overwhelming passion. God says it is a guiding principle of moral life. Love is the light by which the Christian makes the moral decisions of His life. (I add it’s an action).
ii. Illustration: After a Forest Fire in Yellowstone National Park, ...Contributed by James Botts. Scripture connections: Psalms 17:8, Isaiah 53:1, Psalms 91:4
1. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Startled by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings. She could have flown to safety but refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. She had been willing to die so that those under the cover of her wings would live...
a. By the way this is the real meaning of the word Love from the Bible.
b. Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life says, “Life is all about love!” “Because God is love, the most important lesson he wants you to learn on earth is how to love. It is in loving that we are most like him, so love is the foundation of every command he has given us; ‘the whole Law can be summed up in this one command; ‘Love others as you love yourself” (123).
i. John in our letter makes it clear that love is attained by us as we encounter and get to know God - personally.
1. Knowing God personally is what enables us to love others and it also empowers us to not love the world.
2. A person who claims to have known and experienced Jesus will also know how to love others.
c. Knowing God gives us the ability to love – To love we must have love living and dwelling is us.
i. Without experiencing God’s love in our lives - we do not know how to really love.
1. God is love and it becomes obvious that without God you cannot show and model love because He is the one who defines and is love. He enables us to love!
a. There is no love outside of a connection to God!
i. If you Know God - you Know Love
ii. If there is NO Love - then NO God
b. We within our society have redefined the word love to mean a human emotion, but the truth is love is defined as God – God is love – God’s character and nature is love and he expresses that through action – For example: Sending Jesus to die for our sins and to redeem our relationship back to God the Father is an action of love
i. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
ii. This means when we carry out an act of love it demonstrates the qualities and attributes of God – who lives in us as a Christian.
1. These acts of love catch people’s attention!
iii. This means that the love portrayed today is a counterfeit to the true meaning of love.
1. Love is not some emotion or like – it is sacrificial in nature.
iv. One of the important values or actions people need is the ability to define and recognize love in its purest form and that is expressed by God.
1. Remember we have to test the spirits according to the beginning of this chapter in 1 John - this means test the love spirits too.
a. You will know a genuine Christian by their love!
2. Just because someone says, “I Love You!” does not mean they do if they do not have the actions of love backing up their words.
ii. 1 Corinthians 13 not only tells us how to love it tells us how God loves us. Because God shows us love this way - we in turn are to do the same to others. This is the reciprocal law of God and love.
1. God says, “I love you and He reveals His love to us and then says, “Go do this love to someone else!
a. It’s the pass it on concept of the Word of God.
iii. 1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1. God is patient with us and his patience with us should make us patient with others.
a. How patient is He? Well think of this there is still an evil world in which we live in.
b. Truth is if you or I would be in control of this world it would have been eliminated years ago by us.
2. God is kind. Kindness means being considerate of others and God is considerate toward us like we should toward others.
a. He does not kick us when we are down instead he helps us up and brushes us off.
3. God is not easily provoked and this means that God does not easily get angry with us.
a. He will get angry, but he is not one who flies off the handle with others over minor issues or even major issues. So therefore, we need to not be easily provoked ourselves with others because of the grace God has shown us.
i. Too many today get angry and sin over minor issues that should be forgiven and for gotten!
4. God does not take into account or keep a list of all of our wrongs. Especially when we repent, then we get a clean slate and He wipes our records clean. We ourselves need to do the same with others.
a. I am always amazed when people come into my office with a typed list of wrongs they against others in the church.
i. It tells me that they are not following the commands of Scripture to keep no record of wrongs.
1. Instead they are sitting down and going over them to prove their point that they have been offended.
ii. When people do this their heart is in the wrong place and love is not dwelling there.
1. Why? Love keeps no record of wrongs!
b. Love – God does not delight in evil but instead believes in the power of the Truth.
i. He has nothing to do with evil and He sees no pleasure in it.
1. Why do so many see pleasure in sin and evil?
a. Because love is not in their hearts!
ii. He gets excited about the truth not about evil.
1. Do you get excited about the Truth?
5. Love –God always protects and even trusts others and He has Hope in all of us to make the right choices in this life as He guides us.
i. He desires to protect people from evil and He desires us to do the same to others.
b. I believe God is an eternal optimist and desires the best for us.
i. We should desire the best also for others.
c. He will trust us to do important jobs for him and He desires us to trust others too.
d. He has a hope for us and we have Him as our hope.
i. We should communicate this hope to others so that they can find hope also.
6. God who is love will never fail. It’s a impossibility!
a. This thought here should compel us that we will not fail if we keep love at the center of our life.
iv. Illustration: Love from a Kid’s Point of View, Citation: "What Is Love—From a Kid’s Point of View," Light Singer Question: What is love, from a kid’s point of view?:
1. "When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love."
2. "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."
3. "Love is when someone hurts you, and you get so mad, but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings."
4. "Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is okay."
5. "Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
6. "Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
7. "Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
8. "Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
9. "You really shouldn’t say ’I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
a. Contributed to sermoncentral.com by: A. Todd Coget
d. Love is birthed in a relationship with God and it is a requirement from Scripture on how a Christian should act and live.
i. Love is the attribute which comes from God living in us. This of course is what makes us a Christian and because the great person of Love is in us therefore it will produce the fruit of love.
ii. If we cannot love other’s then God does not dwell or live in us.
iii. Love is the essential ingredient that we need to live a life of purpose and eternal meaning.
iv. Really what John is saying to us is, knowing love causes us to do and show love toward others.
1. We do this even when people do not deserve it too!
v. The truth is God’s love should come before everything else in our life.
1. Love will always tell us to not be offended.
2. Love will always tell us to forgive and forget.
3. Love will always tell us to let it go.
4. Love will tell us to act like Jesus not like Satan.
5. Love will tells us to die to self and serve others in love.
6. Love will tell us not to get angry.
7. Love will tells us to trust the lord and not circumstances.
8. Love will tell us not to sin.
9. Love will tell us to serve the Lord with all our might.
10. Love will always point us toward the Lord Jesus and His great action of love.
vi. Love is to be our supreme way of dealing with others and with this world.
1. When we initiate love most of the time the response back to us will be one of love.
a. Peter Gillquist states, “Psychologists tell us that man has two basic needs: to love and be loved. They’re right, but their order should be reversed. According to the patterns of Scripture, we first must be loved; then we are capable of loving” (Love Now, page 75).
2. Love is a present tense action – THE LOVE YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED from God is to be passed on TO OTHERS!
a. This is the way of God’s love all other ways are frauds of true love.
3. Story: Ravi Zacharias Tells The Amazing Story Of A ... PRO. Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 2, 2003 (message contributor):
a. Ravi Zacharias tells the amazing story of a young Christian in Vietnam. He writes, “I was ministering in Vietnam in 1971, and one of my interpreters was Hien Pham, an energetic young Christian. He had worked as a translator with the American forces, and was of immense help both to them and to missionaries such as myself. Hien and I traveled the length of the country and became very close friends before I returned home. We did not know if our paths would ever cross again. Seventeen years later, I received a telephone call. ‘Brother Ravi?’ the man asked. Immediately I recognized Hien’s voice, and he soon told me his story. Shortly after Vietnam fell, Hien was imprisoned on accusations of helping the Americans. His jailers tried to indoctrinate him against democratic ideals and the Christian faith. He was restricted to communist propaganda in French or Vietnamese, and the daily deluge of Marx and Engels began to take its toll. ‘Maybe,’ he thought, ‘I have been lied to. Maybe God does not exist. Maybe the West has deceived me.’ So Hien determined that when he awakened the next day, he would not pray anymore or think of his faith. The next morning, he was assigned the dreaded chore of cleaning the prison latrines. As he cleaned out a tin can overflowing with toilet paper, his eye caught what seemed to be English printed on one piece of paper. He hurriedly grabbed it, washed it, and after his roommates had retired that night, he retrieved the paper and read the words, ‘Romans, Chapter 8.’ Trembling, he began to read, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. . . for I am convinced that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Hien wept. He knew His Bible, and knew that there was not a more relevant passage for one on the verge of surrender. He cried out to God, asking forgiveness, for this was to have been the first day that he would not pray. . . . After finding the Scripture, Hien asked the commander if he could clean the latrines regularly, because he discovered that some official was using a Bible as toilet paper. Each day Hien picked up a portion of Scripture, cleaned it off, and added it to his collection of nightly reading. . . What his tormentors were using for refuse — the Scriptures — could not be more treasured to Hien.” Eventually he was released from prison and fled to Thailand. Today he is a businessman in the United States, a radiant Christian and a living testimony to the power of God’s Word and its transforming power.
vii. If we don’t ever choose the action of love - we don’t know God.
1. This is a hard saying but it is Scriptural!
2. Since God is love we must take on His very nature and love like He does.
T.S. – We have to experience love (God’s presence) and then choose to master the action of love because that is the nature of God who lives in us. Then when love is being practiced daily it has the power to cast out fear.
II. We are to understand that real love casts out all fear and we are to fear not because love lets us know it’s all going to be okay (4:17-21)
a. 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)
i. God’s kind of love is secure (v16-18)
ii. God’s kind of love is sanctifying (v19-21)
b. When a person experiences God’s perfect love then we come to understand that we need not be afraid.
i. Why? Because greater is He that lives in us then he that lives in the world.
ii. Why? Because we know that God loves us and he will take care of us.
iii. Why? Because we now are sons and daughters of Almighty God.
iv. Why? Because the Day of Judgment will pass us by.
v. Why? Because through Christ we now have eternal life forever.
vi. Why? Fear cannot reside where love is supreme.
1. Fear has to do with torment and insecurity of the future.
2. Definition of fear: Zimmerman 2001
a. 1. A painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger; apprehension; anxiety; solicitude; alarm; dread.
^ The degrees of this passion, beginning with the most moderate, may be thus expressed, -- apprehension, fear, dread, fright, terror. "Fear is an uneasiness of the mind, upon the thought of future danger likely to befall us." Locke. "Where no hope is left, is left no fear." Milton.
2. (Script.) (a) Apprehension of incurring, or solicitude to avoid, God's wrath; the trembling and awful reverence felt toward the Supreme Being. (b) Respectful reverence for men of authority or worth. "I will put my fear in their hearts." Jer. xxxii. 40. "I will teach you the fear of the Lord." Ps. xxxiv. 11. "render therefore to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due . . . fear to whom fear." Rom. xiii. 7.
3. That which causes, or which is the object of, apprehension or alarm; source or occasion of terror; danger; dreadfulness. "There were they in great fear, where no fear was." Ps. liii. 5. "The fear of your adventure would counsel you to a more equal enterprise." Shak.
b. Fear (Fear), v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Feared (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fearing.]
[OE. feren, faeren, to frighten, to be afraid, AS. f¿ran to terrify. See Fear, n.]
1. To feel a painful apprehension of; to be afraid of; to consider or expect with emotion of alarm or solicitude. "I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." Ps. xxiii. 4.
2. To have a reverential awe of; to solicitous to avoid the displeasure of. "Leave them to God above; him serve and fear." Milton.
3. To suspect; to doubt. [Obs.] "Ay what else, fear you not her courage?" Shak.
Synonyms -- To apprehend; dread; reverence; venerate.
c. Holman: Freedom from fear -- Freedom from fear comes as individuals trust in the God who protects (Ps. 23:4) and helps them (Isa. 54:14). The New Testament teaches that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Christians are no longer slaves of fear, for Christ has given them not a spirit of timidity or cowardice, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-control (2 Tim. 1:7).
i. Fear is not an attribute that God wants us dwelling on. When you learn to test the spirit’s and love like God then fear will actually be driven out of your life.
1. Not falling into fear comes from having a personal loving relationship with the Lord.
2. It comes by testing the spirits and understanding the attributes of God.
3. It also comes from love living in our hearts and minds. Were love dwells fear cannot exist! They are incompatible.
d. Stories for Preachers and Teachers: Two things are said to be unknown to Thomas A. Edison, the great inventor--discouragement and worry (and fear). His associates have claimed that his freedom from these afflictions came from the fact that he possessed absolutely no nerves. One day, one of his associates had to report to him the failure, in immediate succession, of three experiments involving enormous expenditure of money and labor. But the inventor simply smiled at the recital. The associate, worn out with the nervous strain of his long workday, and disheartened by his disappointment, said impatiently: "Why don't you worry a little about it, Mr. Edison?" "Why should I?" was the inventor's reply. "You're worrying enough for two." The victory which overcomes the world is our faith; if we rely upon God and trust him unwaveringly, it will give us a self-composure and a peace that shall be free from worry (and fear).
e. The following thoughts are adapted and edited from https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/perfect-love-drives-out-fear-joel-santos-sermon-on-love-for-god-10276:
i. Joel states: “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.”
ii. 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 is because of their “lack of faith.” Remember Jesus was angry because he is with them, been teaching them and they are still afraid.
1. Joel notes, “If we are afraid of the future, a pandemic, money, loss of job, death, 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.”
a. 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.
b. A famous president once said, "You have nothing to fear but fear itself." It is true: fear is the thing we must avoid.
2. Joel states, “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.”
a. 2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love…
3. Joel adds, “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.”
a. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13
4. Joel notes: 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:
a. Make our lives miserable. Worry and fear can make our life miserable!
i. 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!
1. You see! Satan used the spirit of fear to make her life miserable.
ii. He also makes us ineffective:
1. 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!
2. 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.
a. Message from Joel Santos sermoncentral.com
Conclusion:
1 John 4 promotes to us that we must DO three things to follow the path of the Lord and stay rooted in Him!
1. Know love- Because God is love! Love is the key to living successfully in this life with it you succeed in life without it you fail at life. But to receive this love you have connect with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
2. Love others (Do love)- Love which we have experienced from God in a relationship with him should empower us to love others – it will reveal to us to not love the things of the world – but this amazing powerful love is inside of us as Children of God. Because the Holy Spirit dwells in us!
a. The Holy Spirit with compel us to love others.
b. The Holy Spirit will enable us to love others
c. The Holy Spirit will help us love others.
3. Fear not because love does have the power to cast out fear – Love and fear cannot dwell in the same house – they are incompatible - Because perfect love connected with God will cast away fear!
