Perfect Love - 1 John 4:18
October 22, 2023
what are you afraid of (Meaghan Rice, PsyD, LPC / Cynthia Catchings LCSW-S)…
Social Phobia – fear of social interaction
Trypophobia – fear of circle clusters (honeycomb, spotted animals, open pomegranate)
Atychiphobia – fear of failure
Thanatophobia – fear of death
Nosophobia – fear of developing disease (spiders, driving, heights, flying made top 10)
Sex sells, but fear and anxiety sell more. News headlines frequently play on fear for personal, community and national safety. Fear controls, exploits, sways opinions. Scary headlines gets clicks, likes, and shares, but often don’t convey the total truth of the issue. —Anxiety.org
after all, fear is good for you, isn’t it… not what bible says (do not be - 286 NKJV)…
Gen 15:1… “do not be afraid… I am your shield and exceedingly great reward…”
Josh 1:7-9… “be of good courage… do not be afraid… the Lord is with you…”
2Chron 20:13-19… “do not be afraid… for the battle is not yours, but God’s…”
Psa 56:11… “in God I trust… I will not be afraid… what can man do to me…”
Prov 3:25… “do not be afraid of sudden terror… nor of trouble from the wicked…”
Isa 44:8… “do not be afraid… proclaimed my purpose long ago… there is no other Rock…”
Mark 5:36… “do not be afraid, only believe…”
aren’t we supposed to fear God (mostly OT)… fear never leads to love (abuse)…
Psa 34:11… “come and listen to me… I will teach you the fear of the Lord…”
Prov 1:7… “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”
Eccl 12:13… “conclusion of whole matter… fear God and keep His commands…”
yare’/yira… fear (of God); reverence, respect, piety…
John 14:27… “peace I leave with you… let not your heart be troubled or afraid…”
Rom 5:1-9… “justified by faith… have peace with God thru Jesus…”
Rom 15:13… “may God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe…”
eirene… security, safety, prosperity; assurance of salvation and so fear nothing from God…
Heb 11:7… “Noah, after he was warned… motivated by godly fear (reverence)…”
Heb 12:28-29… “let us be thankful… serve God with godly fear (reverence, awe)…”
eulabeomai… reverence, veneration; reverence toward God, piety…
52% of Americans live in fear every day… 75% between 25-34 (studyfinds.org)… is there anything that can offer hope… and what’s love got to do with it… pray…
2Tim 1:7… “God has not given us a spirit of fear… but power, love, sound mind…”
Heb 2:14-15… “Jesus… freed those held in slavery all their lives by fear of death…”
1John 4:7-21… “not that we love God, but that He loved us… come to know and believe the love God has for us… in this, love is made complete… there is no fear in love… perfect love drives out fear because fear involves punishment… one who fears is not complete in love…”
We accept the love we think we deserve. —Stephen Chbosky
The greatest unkindness you can do to the Father is to not believe He loves you. —Augustine
Life isn’t worth living without true love. True love is the greatest thing in the world… except for a nice MLT. Mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich when the mutton is nice and lean. —Miracle Max
how do you describe perfect love of God to imperfect, hurting humans… must turn to His perfect word… God doesn’t simply have love or is loving… He is love…
Psa 103… “filled with unfailing love… great is His love… love remains forever…”
Eph 3:14-21… “pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love… may be able to comprehend the length and width, height and depth of God’s love… know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge… so you may be filled with all the fullness of God… to do above all…”
1John 4… “God is love… God’s love was revealed in that He sent His Son into the world so we might live thru Him… God is love…”
Psa 103 shows us how God’s love touches every part of our lives (Chbosky quote)…
Spiritually – removes barrier of our sins as if they never existed…
v3, 12… “He forgives all my sins… removed our sins as far as the east from west…”
Emotionally – by removing sin and guilt… opens door to emotional healing…
v3… “He forgives all my sins (perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt, punishment)…”
Eternally – sin had us headed for death, destruction… love rescued, redeemed us…
v4… “He redeems me from death… crowns me with faithful love and compassion…”
Physically – sin destroys… leads to physical illness… God renews, brings health…
v5… “He fills my life with good things… youth renewed like the eagle…
Legally – can’t just ignore sin… has to be paid for… and it was by His love…
v6… “the Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly…”
nothing can stop God from loving you (not even you)… may not know why things happen or even understand them… but God never stopped loving you… if you don’t know and believe that love… you’ll never experience abundant life…
Gen 50:20… “you meant evil… but God meant it for good… to save many people…”
Hos 4:6… “my people are destroyed by lack of knowledge… rejected knowledge…”
John 10:10… “devil comes to steal, kill, destroy… Jesus has come to bring life…”
Rom 8:28… “all things work together for the good of those who love God…”
Eph 4:18… “excluded from life… because of ignorance and hard heart…”
separated from dad when I was little… took another man’s hand in crowd… tears, fear, confusion… nothing helped until my father came and held me (circumstances)…
Rom 8:31-39… “can anything ever separate us from the love of Christ… does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, are persecuted, hungry, destitute, in danger… no, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours thru Christ, who loved us… I am convinced nothing can ever separate us from God’s love… neither death nor life, angels nor demons, fears for today, worries about tomorrow… not even powers of hell can separate us… nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from love of God revealed in Jesus…”
how amazing is God’s love… knows me and still loves me… sick and He heals… sin and He forgives… ungrateful and He is kind… dead and He gives life…
Psa 107:20… “He sent His word and healed them…”
Psa 139… “You have searched me and known me… familiar with all my ways…”
Isa 55:7… “let wicked and sinful return to the Lord… for He will freely forgive…”
Jer 1:5… “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…”
Luke 6:35… “He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked…”
Eph 2:4-5… “but God… His great love, loved us… made us alive when dead in sin…”
if you really want to understand love… don’t look to books, movies, songs… look to the cross… only there will you find the true love you’re looking for… pray…
Isa 54:10… “mountains move, hills shake… steadfast love will not be removed…”
John 15:13… “no greater love than this… to lay down his life for his friends…”
Rom 5:8… “God proves His love in this… while sinners, Christ died for us…”
2Thess 3:5… “may the Lord direct your heart to God’s love…”