"The Love of God" Part 2 | Pastor Carl Henry

[SPEAKER_00]: First John chapter four love all there's a lot of people that love to talk about love It's a great easy subject one would think to talk about We had a chance last week to try to share with you a little bit about what first John four is about in regards to God's love

[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's pretty simple when you think of it, looking at this text that all of is generated by our God because He has loved Himself.

[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't contain love, He is love, and He loved that would come then to this earth is based on the very character of who God is.

[SPEAKER_00]: And because of that coming to this earth through the Word of God, we understand it, because of that love that God had for us that is this unconditional agape love, it's demonstrated through Jesus Christ who is the perpetuation, the atonement, that's what the thought is at one with God because he is the one.

[SPEAKER_00]: who was created a unity between ourselves and Himself through the blood of Jesus Christ.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's the demonstration of love and because we see that kind of love, we're actually able to put up with each other.

[SPEAKER_00]: We actually love each other.

[SPEAKER_00]: Don't wait.

[SPEAKER_00]: I can just cage this field of love.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's just all over the place and that's, you know, we can love that which seemingly in the world's sight is unlovedly.

[SPEAKER_00]: we can put people together that are absolute opposites and they can actually love each other and it's really a neat thing to witness and as I observe and I watch you and to see who's going to Perkins or who's going to crack a barrel or wherever together, you know, and you're actually mingling and talking and it's really neat to see that.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that love is demonstrated because he tells us in his text, listen, if we can't love man, Christian, the brotherhood, who we can see, how in the world could we ever say that we love God, who we have not yet physically seen.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so this love demonstrates this love, those who are listening to it on CD that made no sense.

[SPEAKER_00]: Our love for each other, man to man, is showing that we have a true love for God.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's how we show and prove our love for God is by loving one another.

[SPEAKER_00]: If man says our love God, it'll, and then he hates his brother, he's deceiving himself.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's really a liar, a matter of fact, and in chapter 3 he talks about how cane killed his brother as an example of what hatred can do.

[SPEAKER_00]: It can actually murder in God's sight.

[SPEAKER_00]: If we hate a brother, we're actually a murderer in our heart.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so how can man say, I love the God?

[SPEAKER_00]: If I hate my brother, just doesn't go hand in hand.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so this is the love that we talked about, the demonstration of God's love, and how it's generated, improves itself, and this is a maturing love.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's a love that's on purpose.

[SPEAKER_00]: We choose the love.

[SPEAKER_00]: We don't love because you did something for me.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I love you because you did something for me.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is that kind of love that we have for each other, that God had for us.

[SPEAKER_00]: He loved us unconditionally.

[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't because we were beautiful.

[SPEAKER_00]: Could do something for him.

[SPEAKER_00]: He'll chose to love us.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that love is of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it's a beautiful thing.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now I took the whole week last week to talk about it because

[SPEAKER_00]: Today's a message I wanted to preach, basically, but I couldn't preach this one without showing improving you within the text what these two verses mean and they are verses 17 and 18.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'd like to read them again with you so that you can wrap your brain about what we're going to talk about today.

[SPEAKER_00]: Here in this hour-love made perfect brought to a full maturity that we may have boldness

[SPEAKER_00]: in the day of judgment.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to talk about that in a moment.

[SPEAKER_00]: Second point, understand this thing about the love of God because as he is and that he is talking about Christ is, so are we, thought is this present tense?

[SPEAKER_00]: We are already like Christ, where at while we're here in this world.

[SPEAKER_00]: So he's not talking about when we get to heaven, we're finally like him.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're actually like him right now, and we'll explain that.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then the third point is that there is no fear in love, because this kind of love that we're talking about, and I'll show you that in a moment.

[SPEAKER_00]: And for say, there's no fear in love, but perfect, or that kind of matured love, casts out fear, why, because fear has torment.

[SPEAKER_00]: He that feareth,

[SPEAKER_00]: isn't made perfect in this kind of love.

[SPEAKER_00]: So what kind of love is this?

[SPEAKER_00]: What love?

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, we talked about it last week.

[SPEAKER_00]: Would you agree with this statement that God dealt more in this whole text about God's love for man, the man's love for God?

[SPEAKER_00]: And I think about it, a lot more talking about God's love for man.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, we do love him because he, God, first love does.

[SPEAKER_00]: So once we understand what God has done for us in his love through the grace, the mercy,

[SPEAKER_00]: all these things that are augmented into what God has done to plan out the whole salvation thing for you and I.

[SPEAKER_00]: So what we understand is, wow, I can't believe that this God did this for me, the demonstration of His love, and now that lover is separated back to Him because of His first loving you and I.

[SPEAKER_00]: Because bottom line is we just can't get over it.

[SPEAKER_00]: I can't get over why God would love me.

[SPEAKER_00]: I am not

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm a sinner and you know we we talk about talking about that last week is like how can God love sinners and I'm talking about it Listen we Sin do outward wrong things because we have a nature a sinful nature inside of us

[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, God died for those outward sins, but He primarily died for the condition that we are in, the sinful nature that we have.

[SPEAKER_00]: So whether you robbed or you never robbed, whether you've done this sin or that sin, or whether you have or not, doesn't matter.

[SPEAKER_00]: We are all sinners by nature,

[SPEAKER_00]: That's why we do wrong things.

[SPEAKER_00]: Christ died for all in all.

[SPEAKER_00]: Everything is taken care of through the blood of Jesus Christ, on the cross-alcalvary, through the powerful resurrection, the plan of salvation is there, and that's God's demonstration, proof to you and I, that He loves you and I, and He wants you.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you're not in a family yet, get in a family.

[SPEAKER_00]: Why are you waiting?

[SPEAKER_00]: So that's his love.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, verse 17, here in is our love made perfect brought to that maturity.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, even though he deals with, this is the hour love, I think you can see that it is the understanding in this whole thing of God's love for me, my love for God, more about God's love for me, is finally brought to maturity.

[SPEAKER_00]: And in other words, as you're looking at this text, please have in your mind not you demonstrating your love for God, but understanding you love God because he first loved you, he started the whole thing.

[SPEAKER_00]: So it is our love, but it's ultimately about his love in first John chapter four.

[SPEAKER_00]: So this whole maturity of my love for God because of his powerful love for me is finally brought to a maturity.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now that maturity doesn't happen overnight, now I'm gonna pick on you just a little bit.

[SPEAKER_00]: But I got saved once in a while we get into Sunday morning service, you know, once in a while special things we go in an evening service or whatever.

[SPEAKER_00]: But through the process of time, you know, you know when I really started to grow in my faith and my love for God and understanding who God was and the Word of God, I didn't get it on Sunday morning.

[SPEAKER_00]: We got into Sunday school, we got into Sunday night, we got into Wednesday night, we started having friends in, we started asking questions, and we started to grow.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you're here just starting out with this whole thing of Christianity, maybe even in the last year or so you have been saved, it's time for you to say it's time for me to understand more about this the love of God, so that I can mature in it and grow in it.

[SPEAKER_00]: because we need it.

[SPEAKER_00]: You say, why do we need it?

[SPEAKER_00]: Following.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you do not understand the love that God has for you in its fullest, you will have fears, you will not have boldness.

[SPEAKER_00]: There will be confusion in your life.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you are trying to make God fit into your little square and he doesn't fit in.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be confusing for you.

[SPEAKER_00]: We must accept and understand even submit ourselves to what God says of Himself for us, not what we've always been told.

[SPEAKER_00]: I have one lady said, I never believe that because my mama told me different.

[SPEAKER_00]: Okay?

[SPEAKER_00]: I love your mama, but if your mama told you something that doesn't line up with the word, mama's wrong.

[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't matter.

[SPEAKER_00]: because God's right, man isn't, okay, gotta keep moving.

[SPEAKER_00]: So verse 17, in this whole thing, the level of God is made perfected or perfect.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now notice this that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.

[SPEAKER_00]: In the text, I think you would agree that God's talking to his kids.

[SPEAKER_00]: trying to help them to realize what's going on in their relationship with God.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is not the judgment that Revelation 21 talks about when it, and when it, excuse me, after 20 deals with, when it deals with what is called the Great White Throne Judgment.

[SPEAKER_00]: That Great White Throne Judgment is the judgment for lost people.

[SPEAKER_00]: All from day one,

[SPEAKER_00]: Through to that time period, which would be also part of the tribulation, it will be part of the millennial reign, all of those things are finally completed, and then comes that judgment of all the lost.

[SPEAKER_00]: We'll be resurrected, brought out of hell, brought out of where ever they are at, if they just died, whatever the case is, all lost will be standing before him, and they're going to be judged out of the books.

[SPEAKER_00]: they are going to be seen if they are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, they're not there.

[SPEAKER_00]: They're not going to have them.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's the judgment where the lake of fire comes in.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's a sad judgment.

[SPEAKER_00]: We don't like to talk about it, it's a scary thing to think of friends, relatives, whatever that will be standing at that particular judgment, and there's no escape.

[SPEAKER_00]: priests, religious lost, it doesn't matter what the case.

[SPEAKER_00]: If they do not have the righteousness of Christ on their life, if they are not, their names are not written in the Land's Book of Life, they will be at that judgment, and there is no escape.

[SPEAKER_00]: You say, I've got a lot of money, you can't pay God off.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing you can do to get out of it.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so that's a judgment that is in the future.

[SPEAKER_00]: This particular judgment is what we call the judgment seat of Christ.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is not for the loss.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is for, if you will, the church age.

[SPEAKER_00]: Some of said first John isn't for this day in age.

[SPEAKER_00]: I totally disagree with that or else he could not have talked about The rapture as he does in this text He couldn't talk about so many things that are there.

[SPEAKER_00]: They believe that only the Pauline epistles are for this day in age I totally disagree because of what we're learning even this day that there is a judgment seat

[SPEAKER_00]: For you and I, the believer, you say, when does it come right after the snatching away of his bride right after what we call rapture or the resurrection of the church that then it cries, rising first, we will share a line of remain carved together in a cloud, we'll be forever with the Lord, then comes the judgment.

[SPEAKER_00]: Look, look with me briefly, the first Corinthians chapter number three.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to see this.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you say, I've never heard about these things before.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, now you get to, because I was excited when I learned about these things, we is the church, but also individually have the awesome responsibility to give an account for our lives to Jesus Christ.

[SPEAKER_00]: And as you're going to see in this text, when we stand before Christ in 1st Corinthians 3, when we stand before Christ, we're going to be standing before Him as believers to be judged for our works.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's the key.

[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, let's start big and then just a little bit.

[SPEAKER_00]: Um, boy, there's so many good places, but verse 11 will pick up other foundation.

[SPEAKER_00]: Can no man lay with that, which is lay, which is Jesus Christ.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones would haste stubble.

[SPEAKER_00]: Every man's, now notice this work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's the work, because it shall be revealed by fire.

[SPEAKER_00]: and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort or what tight kind it was, referring back to the gold silver pressure stone.

[SPEAKER_00]: You put the fire to the gold, the silver, purifies it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Many of you know that wonderful illustration.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I believe that's absolutely true.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you put fire to wood, hay, and stubble, that's the stuff you start to fire with.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to burn right up.

[SPEAKER_00]: And God's saying is, if what you did on this earth for him, you did it for you, you're your reward already.

[SPEAKER_00]: But if what you have done was for Christ, and that is the precious stone, the beautiful gold, et cetera, God says you will then be rewarded for the work that you have done here on this earth.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that work is based on what God has equipped or gifted you to do as a Christian while you're here.

[SPEAKER_00]: Remember, we don't get to choose what gift we have been given.

[SPEAKER_00]: Ours is to work it out to do that gift.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's why I need to pass her because I believe that's what God has asked me to do.

[SPEAKER_00]: And as you, whether you teach music, whatever, do it to the very honor and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 14, if a man's work abide what he had built in there upon, he shall receive a reward.

[SPEAKER_00]: If a man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.

[SPEAKER_00]: Why do you say, why do we know that?

[SPEAKER_00]: Because if our works are not what saves us, faith saves.

[SPEAKER_00]: The works follow the salvation.

[SPEAKER_00]: But if a man decides not to serve, not to work, generate, for God, he then will suffer.

[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of people say, well, I can handle that.

[SPEAKER_00]: you know, I just won't get anything in heaven.

[SPEAKER_00]: I have to do whatever I want to do miserable life.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I go there.

[SPEAKER_00]: That is no fun at all.

[SPEAKER_00]: Not here or there.

[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, so, trust me, God's gonna get glory out of your life.

[SPEAKER_00]: So we might as well just go ahead and heal to him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, Lord, whatever you want me to do.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's the easiest way, isn't it?

[SPEAKER_00]: Those who are saying something like back to me right there, you've been there because many of us have played the, you know, the Jonah, you go the other way, you try to do it your own way and such and God finds you because you can't hide from them and you'll find you wherever you're sleeping, wherever you're living and I'll say, get back to where you're supposed to be and then you're happy and it just likes good.

[SPEAKER_00]: So let's serve him, huh?

[SPEAKER_00]: for evoking one another to love and good works.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we're doing here this morning.

[SPEAKER_00]: Urging you to do something for God, you know what?

[SPEAKER_00]: Because we have to stand before him some day for it.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you say, I will be scared to death to stand before Jesus Christ.

[SPEAKER_00]: Why?

[SPEAKER_00]: I want to ask that question again.

[SPEAKER_00]: You might be thinking, I am afraid of standing before Jesus Christ to give an account for my life here on this earth.

[SPEAKER_00]: Why?

[SPEAKER_00]: Why would you be afraid?

[SPEAKER_00]: Are we supposed to be afraid?

[SPEAKER_00]: Herein is the love of God, perfected.

[SPEAKER_00]: Because, guess what, we're going to stand before him some day.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, go back to first Sean, we're showing you the point.

[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 17, here's Love God made, perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment in that need.

[SPEAKER_00]: So God saying to you and I as Christians, we're actually to be there, not in self-confidence,

[SPEAKER_00]: but a boldness because I understand already the love of God and what His judgment is for me.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing unturned.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing that is not revealed.

[SPEAKER_00]: All has been disclosed.

[SPEAKER_00]: So when we stand before the Lord, we, as Christians, you may be learning it today, you're going to stand for Him for what you've done.

[SPEAKER_00]: Doesn't that give you a boldness?

[SPEAKER_00]: We stand before Him because of the perpetuation for our sin.

[SPEAKER_00]: As Christians, the love of God is manifest.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I know, as I stand before God, I can stand with confidence, not because of me, but because of Him, and what He has done for me.

[SPEAKER_00]: And if we're afraid, it's because we don't understand the love of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: We understand the level of God, we can come with boldness, even to the very, maybe the scariest time of our eyes, one would think, is standing before Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: And God says, I don't want you afraid.

[SPEAKER_00]: Come.

[SPEAKER_00]: He already knows you.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing hidden from him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Is there going to be something that, you know, oh, I didn't know you did that, Carl.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's not going to happen, it's all there and open.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so we've come before our God, knowing even what we are going to be judged for, is not the sin has been taken care of the cross at the cross.

[SPEAKER_00]: Praise the Lord for that.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, you say, well, what happens if a Christian sins?

[SPEAKER_00]: Is he going to get away with it, folks?

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe we get walked down here on his earth.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's why the sin, now it could be that our works worked, we're proud and things like that, it was simple, we're going to suffer for that.

[SPEAKER_00]: But we're saying before him, for hopefully what God is looking for is something that he can actually reward you for.

[SPEAKER_00]: There.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so we can actually come before him and the very present.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now look back with me to one chapter back though.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sorry, two chapters back chapter number two.

[SPEAKER_00]: You mind digging in the word today.

[SPEAKER_00]: We got lots of verses.

[SPEAKER_00]: We want to show you the concepts, okay?

[SPEAKER_00]: So first John chapter two.

[SPEAKER_00]: And let's look at verse number 28.

[SPEAKER_00]: And now little children abide in Him, and I thought it was walk with Him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Don't get ahead of Him, don't get behind Him, walk right with God, walk in the Spirit.

[SPEAKER_00]: That when He shall appear, we may have confidence,

[SPEAKER_00]: and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

[SPEAKER_00]: So now the thought is, while we're here, we can actually have a confidence not worrying about if the Lord were to come right now.

[SPEAKER_00]: This very moment, and there is nothing you can change.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's no one you can talk to and say, I'm so sorry, before we get snatched away, or there's nothing you can go and change at home, nothing you can change at work, you're taking the way you are right now, you realize you can have an absolute confidence and not be ashamed at his coming.

[SPEAKER_00]: Confidence, this book is about assurances if we're abiding with him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, if we're in a bunch of garbage, and not live for Lord, is it possible at his coming that we realize we're going to ashamed, and we know we're going to suffer loss before him at the judgment of the seed of Christ, is that possible?

[SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.

[SPEAKER_00]: So let's not do that.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's a life really easy.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is really not that hard.

[SPEAKER_00]: Does anybody here not know what we're supposed to be as Christians?

[SPEAKER_00]: Now think about this.

[SPEAKER_00]: Some of you have been saved longer than I've been alive.

[SPEAKER_00]: Seriously, and it's not brand new, we understand what does it mean on to the Lord in our lives and to serve Him, how we're to interact with each other, we're not to be selfish driven by pride, we're supposed to be good witnesses, fulfilling the great commission, you know, go through the Ephesians 4 and have that unity of the faith and all of those wonderful things that we've tried on here.

[SPEAKER_00]: If we do it, we can say, even so Lord Jesus come right now,

[SPEAKER_00]: Shouldn't we be looking forward to that day?

[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.

[SPEAKER_00]: And something like, man, I'm going home and I'm clean in house.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to get things ready because he could come today.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're absolutely right.

[SPEAKER_00]: And when he comes, we will stand before him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.

[SPEAKER_00]: Let's back to chapter 4.

[SPEAKER_00]: The latter part of verse 17 is really neat.

[SPEAKER_00]: It says, have the boldness, boldness in a day of judgment, and that's because as he is, notice the tense of that.

[SPEAKER_00]: So are we in this world, now the latter part in this world, here we are.

[SPEAKER_00]: were in this world.

[SPEAKER_00]: First John talks about it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Many men love the world, the love the father is not in him.

[SPEAKER_00]: So we're realizing we're here in this world, but we're not out of the world.

[SPEAKER_00]: We don't have the philosophy of the world.

[SPEAKER_00]: We have the philosophy of the word of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: We have it as our guide for us.

[SPEAKER_00]: And sadly, in many churches this day and age, that's going out the window.

[SPEAKER_00]: and you pray that your preacher stay true to the word and believe what it says.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so right now, as we are in this world though, as believers, we are the exact same as he is right now in heaven.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you say this is really confusing.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't understand this.

[SPEAKER_00]: Let me explain it.

[SPEAKER_00]: When you trust Jesus Christ is your personal Savior something miraculously happened to you and you didn't even know what was happening to you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Because when I say I didn't know the Bible, I knew very, very little about Christianity period.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're anything I knew?

[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus died for my sin.

[SPEAKER_00]: He rose again.

[SPEAKER_00]: I believed it to save me.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's, I couldn't do it myself.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so he's, he's wanted me to save me.

[SPEAKER_00]: But that very moment on a porch swing at, at that time, my future mother-in-law's house things happen to me that I didn't even know nor did I understand.

[SPEAKER_00]: At that moment, when I said, Jesus commended my heart.

[SPEAKER_00]: God, at that very moment made me a son of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: didn't even know the term, didn't even understand the term, but literally, I was born again, a spiritual birth took place at that moment on that porch wing.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was justified in God's sight, I didn't even understand the word.

[SPEAKER_00]: and yet I learn now in the scriptures that he had made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I am declared righteous in God's sight that moment.

[SPEAKER_00]: Look with me to Ephesians chapter 2, keep your toe there.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

[SPEAKER_00]: Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

[SPEAKER_00]: Look at verse six.

[SPEAKER_00]: All we could develop the whole text we don't have time.

[SPEAKER_00]: In Christ, he's talking about the grace of Christ.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is that that text for my grace or you say through faith and such and verse eight and nine.

[SPEAKER_00]: But look at verse six.

[SPEAKER_00]: What he has done for us and has raised us up together and made us sit together and heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: You say I'm not there yet, that's the point.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not in heaven yet.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not there with him.

[SPEAKER_00]: And yet, positionally, God has declared and made you an eye to sit together in heavenly places.

[SPEAKER_00]: You say, well, that's where there's no sin.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's perfect, and that's where God lives in such.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's the point.

[SPEAKER_00]: already that has been done for you and I positionally the last couple of words in Christ Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: That is my righteousness.

[SPEAKER_00]: So as he is in heaven,

[SPEAKER_00]: The Holy One, the righteous one, the pure one, even you and I here on this earth in the sight of God are the same as Jesus, so we can look at each other and say, we're little Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's only with God.

[SPEAKER_00]: As He is, Jesus Christ, and we look at His perfection, we are it, so you can look at each other, you're perfect.

[SPEAKER_00]: You are absolutely perfect.

[SPEAKER_00]: You are so pure and so righteous, and you're thinking, though I'm not.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're not talking about your actions, your state.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're talking about your stand and Christ, positionally.

[SPEAKER_00]: You say that doesn't seem fair.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now you're getting the love of God now.

[SPEAKER_00]: This isn't based on who you think you are or what you think you have done for God.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is based on what God has done for you in His demonstration to you through His love that generated grace.

[SPEAKER_00]: Mercy, forgiveness, justification, righteousness, name it.

[SPEAKER_00]: We could go on and on.

[SPEAKER_00]: Look back with me now, first John four.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now we got that verse done.

[SPEAKER_00]: Look at this one.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now he says, based on all of this, I can stand boldly at the throne of grace.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know, the judgment seat of Christ, excuse me, and I know my position in Jesus Christ, I am as Christ is in God's sight, the blood of Jesus Christ has made me clean.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so now I can say, there is no fear in love.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, what love is that?

[SPEAKER_00]: My love?

[SPEAKER_00]: When you understand the love of God,

[SPEAKER_00]: It takes away the phobias and the fears that could be inside of your heart.

[SPEAKER_00]: But if your understanding of the love of God is based on your conditions, you will not know.

[SPEAKER_00]: You will go through life in fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was told by multiple people that go to multiple different churches, many denominations, ask them this question.

[SPEAKER_00]: I have done this over and over again.

[SPEAKER_00]: Do you know if you were to die today, if you were to go to heaven or not?

[SPEAKER_00]: The answer was, no, I can't know until I die.

[SPEAKER_00]: So what they're telling me is they go to church, they sing the hymns, they read their Bible, and they're praying, and they're scared to death, whether they're going to be good enough to make an inner nod.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's called fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: I will be scared to death.

[SPEAKER_00]: If I'm thinking of my mind, I can have our heart attack today, and I don't know if I'm going to get it or not.

[SPEAKER_00]: Oh no, that's fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: But when we understand the love of God and what He has done for us, I am not afraid of dying and going to hell.

[SPEAKER_00]: I won't smell it.

[SPEAKER_00]: I won't see it.

[SPEAKER_00]: I won't hear it because that's not what God has given me now.

[SPEAKER_00]: Since I've trusted Christ this Savior,

[SPEAKER_00]: Fears are an amazing thing, aren't they?

[SPEAKER_00]: I got on this website about fears, all the phobias.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's by the way, the Greek word therefore, fear is where we get our word phobias.

[SPEAKER_00]: So you realize there are phobias of the color purple.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you say, I can't even pronounce these words.

[SPEAKER_00]: Porphyrophobia is a fear of the color purple.

[SPEAKER_00]: And if I say it improperly, I apologize because I have the fear of saying words wrong.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's probably a Greek word for that, too.

[SPEAKER_00]: Caterphobia is the fear of hairy people.

[SPEAKER_00]: Dexter phobia is fears of objects on the right side of the body.

[SPEAKER_00]: Figure that one out before you leave.

[SPEAKER_00]: Aurora phobia is the fear of the Northern Lights.

[SPEAKER_00]: Bimphobia is one of my wife's.

[SPEAKER_00]: She's scared to death of blimps.

[SPEAKER_00]: She really is.

[SPEAKER_00]: She sees those.

[SPEAKER_00]: She goes, don't look at them.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's not in here.

[SPEAKER_00]: The here's the one I like.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're ready for this one, it's the fear of boldness and bold people.

[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have that one.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're here.

[SPEAKER_00]: Then there's the phobophobia which is just afraid of being afraid.

[SPEAKER_00]: It is hilarious.

[SPEAKER_00]: Hmm, I like the couple there's more if you want this let me know you can it's it's it's hilarious, but we we've see people the go-through life full of fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: I have one Christian guy He spent thousands and thousands of dollars that he really didn't have on going to shrinks to try to get over this fear of death

[SPEAKER_00]: Actually, I'm sorry, I had two of them.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was at my first church, two of them.

[SPEAKER_00]: Scared to death.

[SPEAKER_00]: One had a brother die, prematurely, so he was thinking in his life, I'm afraid to die prematurely.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know how I'm gonna die.

[SPEAKER_00]: And another one, incredible hunter.

[SPEAKER_00]: Went with him several times and you know, he's one of those guys who just could hunt everything and The one day he came in he's he was one.

[SPEAKER_00]: He says I have spent thousands of dollars He goes I am now paralyzed in life.

[SPEAKER_00]: He goes I'm afraid if I go up into tree stand I'm gonna fall and die break my neck He goes literally I went from being totally active and by the way this guy was probably late 20s

[SPEAKER_00]: And scared to death of everything.

[SPEAKER_00]: He'd get in the car, he was afraid to get an erect.

[SPEAKER_00]: This kids were in there.

[SPEAKER_00]: Just the list goes on.

[SPEAKER_00]: And he says, I am paralyzed and they can't get me through this fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I said, well, let's look at the Bible for a little while.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what we did.

[SPEAKER_00]: We read verses for about a half hour.

[SPEAKER_00]: And we made explanation.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it was not about how to get over fears.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was finding out how to know God.

[SPEAKER_00]: And once he had a grasp on who God is and the character of God and the things that he was fearing, the God was going to take care of them in a half an hour.

[SPEAKER_00]: He said, boy, no, wish I would have come here first.

[SPEAKER_00]: It would have saved me thousands of dollars and a half hour just reading the word and getting an understanding of who God is takes away fears.

[SPEAKER_00]: Let me explain this a little deeper.

[SPEAKER_00]: There is no fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: God doesn't just throw words in there to fill the page.

[SPEAKER_00]: This means that we as Christians should have absolutely zero fears in our lives.

[SPEAKER_00]: Why?

[SPEAKER_00]: Because if I understand the love of God, I know God is on my side.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it should eliminate of what I am fearing.

[SPEAKER_00]: We'll talk more about that in a moment.

[SPEAKER_00]: But perfect or that love that is matured casts out fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not saying that we cannot have fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: We most certainly can.

[SPEAKER_00]: But when I come to maturity of understanding the level of God, it literally casts or throws out those phobias that I have in my life because the level of God, as he says,

[SPEAKER_00]: is in me.

[SPEAKER_00]: It is shed abroad in my hearts and so many of the verses and concepts I could give you because fear, he says, haph torment.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is critical because I will guarantee you many in this room are tormented over fears that you have in your life.

[SPEAKER_00]: it could be the fear of death, it could be many other things.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'll talk about that in a moment.

[SPEAKER_00]: And as you're going through those type of fears, it becomes a torment to you and just like that young man that I counseled, you begin to freeze.

[SPEAKER_00]: in your life, you are not mobile, you're not doing, you're not serving, instead you are going backwards because of these fears and you are tormented through the night, through the day, because of what you are going through in your mind, but if we have an understanding of the level God, that is cast out and you are now freed instead of being tormented.

[SPEAKER_00]: The last part of verse 18,

[SPEAKER_00]: is not made perfect in love.

[SPEAKER_00]: In other words, you have not come to the place of understanding to a fullest the love of God that he has for you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, there are things that I have counseled and talked to many people about when it comes to fears.

[SPEAKER_00]: And we're not talking folks here in this text of what we talked about several months ago and that was a subject of worry.

[SPEAKER_00]: To me, I can distinguish what I worry about versus why I am afraid.

[SPEAKER_00]: Fear has a torment inside of the mind that takes over and locks us down and we can't even function properly because we're afraid.

[SPEAKER_00]: I remember a...

[SPEAKER_00]: Steve when he was a little guy, we were up at camp of the woods first time and he was just a little guy He's probably maybe 11 years old 12.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't even know and some of you were there.

[SPEAKER_00]: They had that big big Things that the kids could jump off of into the lake and man It's like, well Steve, that's gonna do this.

[SPEAKER_00]: He goes, mm-hmm I'm not doing that.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's a come on Be a man, you know get up there.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's up there.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was 20 minutes

[SPEAKER_00]: until I really think I made him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Jump, I was such a meanie.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was so mean to do to him.

[SPEAKER_00]: He never did forgive me about that when he could bring it up, you know?

[SPEAKER_00]: And the kid was afraid.

[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't know what was gonna happen.

[SPEAKER_00]: How deep the water was.

[SPEAKER_00]: Is it gonna hurt when I hit that water?

[SPEAKER_00]: All these fears, all he does it now for, you know, no problem, but at that time, it was walking him.

[SPEAKER_00]: He just couldn't take that plunge if you will.

[SPEAKER_00]: We've all been there, my fear was a little kid.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was afraid of a dog.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was the baby, so the baby had to go to bed first, okay?

[SPEAKER_00]: Which is like, six-thirty.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, can you hear it?

[SPEAKER_00]: And my brother, big brother, he got to stay up till seven.

[SPEAKER_00]: That half hour of going up those steps, which I still remember well, and it was all old hardwood floors.

[SPEAKER_00]: You can hear everything and we're in an old farmhouse, no insulation, and no heat upstairs, and it was cold, and you're going up, and you're looking, you can't even turn the light on in the bedroom.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're afraid that the booker man is going to come out and get you.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I would literally be up there walking back and forth because I was afraid to turn the light on and to jump into bed.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I was scared to the point of tears as a little kid.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know your preacher was such a scissor, did ya?

[SPEAKER_00]: There was this one little boy, he's mama's coming in to talk to him.

[SPEAKER_00]: And he says, mama's scared.

[SPEAKER_00]: Can't you stay in here with me?

[SPEAKER_00]: She goes, no honey, I need to go into the bedroom with daddy, I need to be there.

[SPEAKER_00]: And the boy said he's a big scissor too, isn't he?

[SPEAKER_00]: We got fears, and boy, they're real.

[SPEAKER_00]: But if my dad would have walked up those steps with me, and would have been there turning that light on, and taking me in, and saying everything is okay, and talking me in, I would have had no fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: The presence of the Father is with us.

[SPEAKER_00]: You are not on your own.

[SPEAKER_00]: He loves you.

[SPEAKER_00]: He will never leave you.

[SPEAKER_00]: He will not forsake you, allow those fears to go because of his presence, because of his love.

[SPEAKER_00]: We fear for our children, don't we?

[SPEAKER_00]: We always fear that something could happen to them.

[SPEAKER_00]: Do you realize how much Jesus loves them?

[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think our God would allow something that is not in His divine plan?

[SPEAKER_00]: And we're going to talk about that a little bit next week.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's in control, their his first before their years fears.

[SPEAKER_00]: We fear the future while you look, okay, do you have a couple of minutes yet?

[SPEAKER_00]: I need this, maybe it's just for me, look at Matthew 6 with me, I'll turn there, people I hear a lot and I do this on purpose, I watch like, uh, uh,

[SPEAKER_00]: The Bloomberg stations, you know, when I sit and listen to the people doing the Wall Street and trying to protect the future and basically they say, we have no idea what's going to happen in the next week.

[SPEAKER_00]: That alone tomorrow.

[SPEAKER_00]: We don't know what the future is.

[SPEAKER_00]: Gold is going this way and you know, the euros this way and you know, you look at all these, the currencies and what's up and what's down and everybody's afraid of what my future 401k is going to be and we're all worried about things and Jesus knew that.

[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, he knew that.

[SPEAKER_00]: So here's what he told you and I, in Matthew chapter six, verse 31, you can read the whole chapter.

[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, take note thought saying, what shall we eat?

[SPEAKER_00]: We're always worried about that.

[SPEAKER_00]: What shall we drink?

[SPEAKER_00]: Oh no, where will all shall we be close?

[SPEAKER_00]: How am I going to keep warm after all these things?

[SPEAKER_00]: Guess who seeks after them?

[SPEAKER_00]: You and I, the Gentiles.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's good.

[SPEAKER_00]: I will always worry about things.

[SPEAKER_00]: So for your Heavenly Father, knoweth that you have need of all these things.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're not catching him by surprise.

[SPEAKER_00]: Here's what God says, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and these things or and all these things shall be added unto you the latter part of verse 33, verse 34, another key, take no thought for when, tomorrow.

[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so we're here today and we're afraid of what's going to happen tomorrow and we haven't even got through today yet.

[SPEAKER_00]: So we're all afraid of the future.

[SPEAKER_00]: He says, listen, tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself sufficient or isn't it enough under the day is the eagles there up.

[SPEAKER_00]: I got enough going on today to worry about it.

[SPEAKER_00]: to get through.

[SPEAKER_00]: Why should I be locking myself down scared death about the future?

[SPEAKER_00]: Can't God take care of that?

[SPEAKER_00]: Are you worrying about retirement?

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't plan on it.

[SPEAKER_00]: I just want to work.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to retire.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, some day day money, I was talking to the college career class.

[SPEAKER_00]: I said, you know, it would probably be a day when Nathan or somebody's going to walk up and say, you know, listen, Carl, we need to take the keys from you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.

[SPEAKER_00]: No more drive a man, here you kill somebody, you're going to kill yourself, it might be me.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm taking the keys from you because you can't drive anymore.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know, when we don't look forward to that day, some of you have had to go through that.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's no fun.

[SPEAKER_00]: They know it, and there may be a day that the deacon's come up and say, Carl, you're not doing it too well anymore, brother.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're not handling the word very long, well, and so it's time maybe we pass it on to somebody else.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that day will come, and I know that.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you say, what are you going to do then?

[SPEAKER_00]: Serve Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: may not have a nice house, might be living along with somebody else in another house, but won't God take care of those needs?

[SPEAKER_00]: Do we have?

[SPEAKER_00]: Why are we worried?

[SPEAKER_00]: And why are we locked into fearing all of these things?

[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus loves me.

[SPEAKER_00]: This I know for the Bible tells me so.

[SPEAKER_00]: We have those little kids sing that and it's a you better believe it.

[SPEAKER_00]: It isn't it not for us.

[SPEAKER_00]: The last thought, in first on four, you know these verses, first on four, first four, if you don't know it's theirs, powerful verse, and just talked about the false teachers.

[SPEAKER_00]: And how to be aware of them.

[SPEAKER_00]: But then he looks at us and says this, listen, greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the world.

[SPEAKER_00]: So if I realize that my God is greater than any of the problems that I have, the maturity in the love of God is there, and it casts out the fears that could be there, those fears that we don't know what's going to happen.

[SPEAKER_00]: We don't understand the future.

[SPEAKER_00]: We don't understand the day.

[SPEAKER_00]: God can take away those fears because He is greater than those problems that we have.

[SPEAKER_00]: What's your problem?

[SPEAKER_00]: is God greater than that.

[SPEAKER_00]: Is there anything too hard for our God?

[SPEAKER_00]: The answer is no.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now that's week we're going to get into that thought.

[SPEAKER_00]: But we do have problems here.

[SPEAKER_00]: We do have trials.

[SPEAKER_00]: We have these tribulations.

[SPEAKER_00]: We have these weird things that happen.

[SPEAKER_00]: So as Romans tells us, don't forget that all things work together.

[SPEAKER_00]: and understand this whole blend.

[SPEAKER_00]: The folks, God doesn't want you to lock it up here and walking through life and fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: Understand his love for you.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then that casts out the fear.

[SPEAKER_00]: Follow me.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're walking around in these phobias.

[SPEAKER_00]: You've not come to the place of maturity and the love of God yet.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just helping you.

[SPEAKER_00]: So now it's time for you to get back into knowing God more.

[SPEAKER_00]: understanding his love for you, and then that casts away the fear, okay?

[SPEAKER_00]: Father, bless your word.

[SPEAKER_00]: We looked at quite a few