Perfect Love Casts Our Fear

 

Connection/Tension/Context

Charlotte and I met a one of our neighbors shortly after we moved in last summer. She’s a sweet, elderly lady who has a really hard life. She’s often alone and without the help she needs. 

 

We’ve tried persistently at times to invite her into relationship with us, yet, she never seems interested, she always has a reason she can’t connect more. One time after inviting her over yet again, she explained that she didn’t have much interest. She explained that she used to have relationships with other neighbors, but they moved away. 

 

Relationship always entails risk. Someone else can reject us or do something that feels like rejection. So often, because of fear, we can avoid intimate and vulnerable relationship. This is totally the case for me where I often struggle to open up and share my true feelings and emotions and instead prefer to talk about ideas or something else that doesn’t feel risky. 

 

I think a lot of us have this experience, and of even more greatly, have a similar dynamic in our relationship with God. Fear is an enemy that can keep us from walking intimately with our God. What can be done about that? The Apostle John is going to give us some help in this passage:  

 

Context 

Pastor Sam preaches last week that God defined loved and demonstrated love through the death of Jesus. When we live out that live that Jesus defines and demonstrated, we make him visible to the world. 

 

Now this text, John is going to keep writing about God’s love and what effect that has on our fears, especially when it comes to our intimacy with God:

 

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

·        John wants us to know something… 5:16: I write these things…that you may know.

·        Abiding, frequent use. Ratchets up, “abiding in him and he in us” 3x in four verses.

·        Eternal life is quality (intimacy with God); not just quantity ) (length).

·        “Abiding” = living in deep and lasting relationship. Vine and branch. God in us and us in God.

·        Deepest intimacy possible. God wants to blow our minds with nearness (not just bigness).

·        Yet, difficult for us to sense(absence ruins). Yet, God wants us confident! So, “by this…”

·        …because… In letter, Spirit makes us lovers. As we change (beyond our ability), Spirit assures.

·        John wants to give us even deeper assurance in next verse:

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

·        John/fellow apostles are eyewitnesses. W/Jesus in life, death, and resurrection.

·        Therefore, those who confess Jesus abide in God. Maybe those who left claimed otherwise…

·        John’s saying, we were there. You can have confidence if confessing. If visiting, really this simple.

·        God gave reality outside and within to give confidence (Spirit and Son). God wants us assured.

·        John wants us to meditate/remind ourselves. This is where he goes next,

16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

·        Through Son/Spirit we know God’s love. Not inspecting feelings, or going into thoughts, not thoughts, asking “am I lovable?”

·        When we watch God in action, believe “God is love.” Then, resting in that love, abiding in God…

·        If we let feeling tell what’s true, wrong conclusion. Rehearse what God did to know who he is.

·        Doesn’t want us to be conflicted, but confident and assured. If conflicted, can’t confidently enjoy intimacy. Now, John wants to drive these ideas home further:

17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

·        “Perfected” means to “bring to completion.” Love perfected = intended effect/purpose.

·        “By this” = becoming confident of God’s love; purpose = confidence for day of judgement

·        We will see God face to face; will receive into kingdom or judge us.  Fearsome day.

·        All tend to live w/ instinctual fear. Not only of death but of what comes after. Meet creator.

·        Yet, God wants us to have “confidence!” Long for, wait, and anticipate that day.

·            How? “because as he is…” What? Jesus went confidently toward his death and resurrection and God means same for us! 

·            If we walk with him now, we won’t be afraid of meeting him later.

·            Confidence comes not from mustering it up, but abiding… ,

“abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” 

·            Oh that we would be w/ Father that the fear of death and judgement might leave us…

·            John wants to keep drilling ideas deeper in verse 18,

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

·        Fear and love are opposite waring realities.

·        Comes from mistrust of God.

·        Fear leads us dread meeting God when we die; rather than look forward to it. I struggle w/ fear.

·        What can rescue us from our fear? Thank be to the love of God that rescues us from fear.

·        God demonstrated his love through d/r of Jesus, not because I’m lovable, but because he is.

·        “Perfect love…” God’s intends to so deeply show us his love that we wouldn’t be afraid to meet him. But move boldly and cheerfully toward that day.[1]

·        PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE

·        To know Jesus is to be fully known/loved.[2] Accepted now as ever.

·        Those of us who think God is stern Father, may he show you his love and cast out your fear. Those of you who struggle with feelings of condemnation and abandonment, may he cast out…

·        May we all pursue God, even when we don’t feel loved, and trust he will work in us as…

 

·        What would effect be on us and our community if we believed this? John writes next:

 

19 We love because he first loved us.

·        We experience God’s love through Jesus. His great love has great result: “We love”

·        God’s bold love of us turns us into bold lovers of God.

·        Another effect: Have ever seen someone confident about what God’s done, who is, and who they are and don’t love other people? It’s the opposite, those who boldly love God love people.  

·        Fear of judgement for our sins is a prison that keeps us locked away from love of God/others. God’s fierce love in Jesus is the key the opens up the prison and sets the church loose.

·        Whenever you love it’s a courageous act b/c you have to make yourself vulnerable to love. When you love, always risk rejection.

·        Yet, when secure in God, become free of the fear of rejection. God won’t reject us, and when other’s do, we don’t ultimately need their love. (God is a bold lover who makes us…)

·        In next verses, John further connects the idea that to be free to love God results in loving people:

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

·        John provides a test: if you claim to love God, you will love those made in his image. Thing that’s easier to discern clarifies thing that can be harder.

·        Wondering, have I become a bold lover of God, ask: has God made me a bold lover of people? Has he made me a bold lover of this church family?

·        As we become more confident about God’s acceptance of us, our attention will tend to turn outward and be directed at others.

·        My friends, let us grow to be a fearlessly loving people towards God and people by remembering all God has done.

 

Pray

Reflection: Pray for those around you that God would drive away fear and replace with a deep assurance of his love.

Benediction

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

 

 

 

 

[1] John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries on Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 John, James, II Peter, Jude, trans. Henry Beveridge, vol. XXII (Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks, 2009), 245.

 

[2] I got this phrase from Tim Keller.