PERFECT LOVES CASTS OUT FEAR

PERFECT LOVES CASTS OUT FEAR
1 John 4:13-18

I. Relationship between Love and Fear
a. Deuteronomy 10- 12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
b. Acts 5:1-11- Ananias and Sapphira
i. This couple did not have the reverential fear that kept them in check with their love for God
ii. The lack of reverence for a relationship makes it so that you are always making withdrawals from others without making deposits!
c. The fear that the Lord is commanding is not to be afraid but to be reverential when it comes to loving Him
i. 1 John 4- But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
ii. To reverentially love God it means that we have a respect for Him and awe for His love that He has shown to us- it keeps the love from being too familiar.
iii. It means that we do what He says- Proverbs 16- Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
d. Our love for God and love for others requires reverence.
i. 1 Corinthians 13- 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.
ii. How we love others reflects how we love God
1. 1 John 4- 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.
2. Matthew 25:40- 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
3. James 3- 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
II. Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
a. Fear of Condemnation
i. John 3:17- 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
ii. Romans 8:1- 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
1. How does this apply to us?
a. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
b. Ephesians 4- 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
b. Fear of Tyranny/Oppression
i. John 8- 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
ii. Galatians 5- 1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
1. 13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[b] 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
2. Ephesians 5:21-33- Submission and Love- It is for freedom that Christ has sets us free
a. Reverence for God and love for one another is what is required to keep submission from becoming tyrannical
III. Free to Rejoice
a. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
i. We rejoice in the Love of the Lord, which allows us to enjoy one another
1. Psalm 13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.