Faith over Fear

Introduction

Turn with me in your Bibles to I John 4

Personal Introduction

Scripture Introduction:

Today is Reformation Sunday, and I can think of no better illustration of the truths in this passage than the testimony of Martin Luther himself.

Martin Luther was almost 22 years old when he joined a strict Augustinian monastery in Germany. He had been studying law at the direction of his father, but one day, while returning to law school after a trip to visit his parents, he was caught in a bad thunderstorm. A bolt of lightning knocked him to the ground, and in a flash he saw a vision of God’s displeasure and demons leaping at him to drag him off to Hell. In that moment of terror, believing as many in his day did that becoming a monk was the surest path to salvation, he cried out “St. Anne help me! I will become a monk!”

So, Luther joined a very strict sect of Augustinian monks and began training to become a monk. But despite all his best efforts to be a good monk, he couldn’t shake the fear and dread of judgment. When he led his first mass, he was terrified as he realized that he was holding and offering the very body and blood of Christ. He felt unworthy, that he wasn’t doing enough to be saved.

So, he tried harder. He made use of every available means of grace that the Church had to offer. He took and administered the sacraments. He kept his vows to the letter. He punished his body as the other monks recommended. He was constantly attending confession.

But it wasn’t enough. There was always the horrifying possibility that he might forget to confess some sin and thereby lose the reward he’d been striving so hard for. He spent hours listing his thoughts and actions, examining his motives, studying them, confessing them, but the more he confessed the more other unconfessed sins came to mind. There were times that, as he was leaving the confessional, he suddenly became aware of a sin he had forgotten to confess and would have to go back in.

The harder he strove, the greater the fear grew in him. And eventually, that fear gave way to another strong emotion—hatred. Luther says,

Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings 45. Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther’s Latin Writings (Wittenberg, 1545)

Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God, and said, “As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are crushed by every kind of calamity by the law of the Decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the gospel and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteousness and wrath!”

In the passage that we’re going to look at today, John tells us that “God is love.” But there’s a lot of misunderstanding around what exactly that means. Many of us acknowledge that God is love, but either our understanding of God or our understanding of love is flawed in a way that produces a skewed image of what God is really like.

But, when we understand what God is really like and we come to know him and embrace God’s love, it transforms our lives. It eliminates fear, and it makes serving God a joy and privilege instead of a crushing burden.

Prayer for Illumination

1 John 4:16 ESV

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.

Transition: “God is love.” So it says. But what does that really mean?

God defines what love is (v. 16b)

God does not conform to the world’s definition of love, rather our definition of love must find its source in God.

When most people say, “God is love,” what they mean is “Well, I know what love is, so that must be what God is like.” But that’s not really what John is saying here.

Understanding the culture’s definition of love will not help you understand God better; in fact, it might lead you astray.

As Bro. Matt pointed out last week, the love of the world is a “tit-for-tat” kind of love, a kind of conditional reciprocity. But that is not the kind of love to which God calls us, and it’s not the kind of love that John is describing here.

When you google “love,” you get all kinds of ideas.

Marriage.com says, “...love can be summarized as an intense feeling of euphoria and deep affection for someone or something. This love definition or love meaning might not encompass all the emotions that comprise how it feels when you are in love. Is love an emotion? Yes. Can abstract emotions such as love be defined in specific terms? Maybe not.”

Dictionary.com defines love variously as:

1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

3. sexual passion or desire.

So, if we take our pre-determined definition of love and then apply it to God and say “God is this kind of love,” we’ll end up with some very wrong, unhelpful, and unbiblical conclusions.

When John says “God is love,” he does not mean that “God conforms to your culture’s definition of love”

John is saying that if you don’t know God, then you don’t really know what love is.

“God is love” does not mean merely that “God is loving,” but that he is the source and the ultimate example of love.

Love flows out from the character of God. God himself is the source of love.

Were it not for God initiating love, we would be incapable of loving him.

He initiated love, and we merely respond to his love.

1 John 4:10 (ESV)

10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Romans 5:7–8 ESV

7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Each of these verses about God’s love make reference to sin or the judgment for sin.

Some people think that “love is blind,” and just turns a blind eye to any flaws in the one you love. But God does not turn a blind eye to our sin. He calls it out at such and demands it be made right.

Others think of love as a 50/50 mutual affection, conditional upon the other person’s actions. But God’s love was not conditioned upon our response—he was the initiator.

While the world thinks of true love as being devoid of judgment or recognition of wrongdoing, God’s love presupposes a righteous standard and judgment for sins. Both the judgment and the loving mercy originate in the same person—God the Father.

The world says, “If God is love, then how could he send people to hell?” But that’s based upon a faulty understanding of what love is. Love and mercy are not the absence of judgment, but are best expressed when judgment has already been rendered. The fact is that you and I are guilty. It would not be loving to pretend otherwise!

Ephesians 2:1–9 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

While the world says “true love doesn’t judge” the Bible says “you were dead in your trespasses and sins”

While the world says “love is an emotion you feel” the Bible says “you were children of wrath, enemies of God, but he died for you anyways.”

While the world says “everyone defines love differently” the Bible says “If you want to know what true love is, look to God!”

This is what love is: God sees us for what we really are, and he gave himself up to save us anyways! THAT is love.

God’s love casts out fear. (4:17-4:19)

1 John 4:17–19 ESV

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. 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. 19 We love because he first loved us.

If we have experienced God’s love in our hearts, we need not fear judgment. (vv. 17-18)

John isn’t talking about generic anxiety here, he’s talking about fear of eternal judgment.

There are two types of fear—godly fear and godless fear.

Godly fear, often referred to as reverence or respect, is what is described in Proverbs 1:7

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Godless fear is what is being described here in I John 4:18. This is the dread you feel when you know judgment is coming.

Genesis 3:10 ESV

10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Story of the time I punched a hole in the wall. As soon as I did, I was overcome with the fear of my dad and the trouble that I would be in when I got home. If I’d had godly fear (respect) for my dad, I would not have punched a hole in the wall and I would never have had to experience the godless fear of punishment.

1 John 4:18 ESV

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.

When we are filled with the love of God (both the love God has for us and the love we have for God), we know that our sins have already been paid for on the cross. We don’t need to be afraid of punishment because the punishment for our sins has already been poured out on Christ. That’s what the propitiation in verse 10 was all about.

The corollary to this truth is that fear of judgment is evidence that we have not been born of God.

Think about what will happen to you after you die. Does it make you afraid? Would you be ready to face God? If that terrifies you, then you don’t know the Lord.

This was Martin Luther’s problem. And it is no wonder that he felt this way! As Scripture says,

Romans 3:20 ESV

20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

If the thought of God’s judgment strikes terror in your heart, you need to think long and hard about whether or not you’ve truly been saved.

I dare to say that there’s probably not a person in this room that has lived as moral and righteously as Martin Luther did as a monk!

So, if the pious monk Martin Luther was not able to assuage his guilty conscience before a holy God, what makes you think you can merit God’s favor?

But, there’s good news, because the passage doesn’t stop there!

The love of God enables us to obey God (4:19-5:5)

1 John 4:19–5:1 ESV

19 We love because he first loved us. 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. 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

God’s love for us transforms our hearts so that we love others like we should. (4:19-5:1)

God is the well—the source of the water. We are merely waterhoses—channels of God’s love. If we are connected to the source, pouring love into others is no problem. But if we’re disconnected from the source, no amount of hard work can conjure up true love in our lives. A waterhose can’t make water, it only carries it from another source. Our love for others is an extension of God’s love for us, which we are perfected in as we grow in our love for God.

As we grow in our love for God—or, ‘abide in Christ,’—God fills us with his love and enables us to love others. That’s why Jesus put the order of the greatest commandments as he did:

Matthew 22:37–40 ESV

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

God’s love for us and our love for God transforms our hearts so that we desire to obey God (v. 5:2-3)

1 John 5:2–3 ESV

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

I have to wonder whether Martin Luther the monk ever read verse 3! I can only imagine his reaction:

“Not burdensome?” What do you mean, “not burdensome?!?!” Following God’s laws are the heaviest burden I have ever borne!

Chances are good that some of you here today feel the same way.

“How can you say that following God is not a burden? Look at what I’ve had to sacrifice!”

I’ve had to leave my home country, culture, language, family, friends, luxuries

I struggle daily to avoid sin and to live by the highest moral standard the world has ever seen!

“I don’t smoke, I don’t chew, and I don’t date girls who do!”

Do you find obeying God burdensome? The word in Greek literally means, “heavy,” and this is one instance where Tok Pisin shines:

1 John 5:3 (Buk Baibel)

3 Sapos yumi laikim tru God, orait yumi save bihainim ol lo bilong en. Na ol lo bilong en i no givim hevi long yumi.

There’s another group of people in the New Testament who made following God into a burden—the Pharisees. This is what Jesus said about them:

Matthew 23:4 (ESV)

4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

But that’s not what the Christian life is supposed to be like. Put another way, If following God seems a burden to you, then you’re doing it wrong! In contrast to the Pharisees, Jesus said:

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Following God shouldn’t be a burden because whatever burdens we have we’re supposed to give to Jesus! As Dane Ortlund says in his book,

Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers Chapter 1: His Very Heart

You don’t need to unburden or collect yourself and then come to Jesus. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come. No payment is required; he says, “I will give you rest.” His rest is gift, not transaction. Whether you are actively working hard to crowbar your life into smoothness (“labor”) or passively finding yourself weighed down by something outside your control (“heavy laden”), Jesus Christ’s desire that you find rest, that you come in out of the storm, outstrips even your own.

Martin Luther eventually figured out this truth, by the grace of God, while he was meditating on Romans.

Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings 45. Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther’s Latin Writings (Wittenberg, 1545)

At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’ ” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.

Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings 45. Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther’s Latin Writings (Wittenberg, 1545)

And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word “righteousness of God.”

What transformed Martin Luther from a man filled with fear and hatred towards God into the man who loved and glorified in God? He embraced the love of God revealed in the gospel and accepted it by faith.

If you’re living in fear, seeing God as a harsh, demanding judge just waiting to strike you for disobedience, then you’re not living in faith and love, but under the law and by works.

But when our hearts have been captured by God’s love, it changes our “want-to.” It makes it such that we no longer desire to do those things. We no longer desire temporal things like we used to.

Is $2,000 a lot to spend for a gift? Absolutely! But what if it’s an engagement ring for the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with? When you’re in love with someone, buying that ring isn’t a burden, but a privilege.

Is leaving your family, friends, home, culture, and all that’s familiar to you in order to move to a third world country hard? Yes. But I think back to when God called us to come to PNG and I can remember how God filled us with a passion and love that made it not only something we were able to do, but something we wanted to do.

Is staying pure and living a godly life in the midst of a perverse and sinful world difficult? Yes. But if our hearts are enraptured by God’s love then we won’t want those things because nothing satisfies our desires like God does!

If you think of the Christian life as a burden, then the solution is not to “try harder,” but to meditate on the love of God.

If you’re struggling to be generous, the solution is not to beat yourself up or “try harder”—that will just make you a begrudging giver. The solution is to think of God’s lavish grace that he’s bestowed upon you, an undeserving sinner. And as you’re filled with gratitude, you’ll want to extend that generosity to others.

If you’re struggling with purity, or anxiety, or parenting, or whatever sin—the solution is not to “try harder,” read more books, or conjure up more willpower; the solution is to fall in love with God again and be filled with his love and love for things that he loves. And when you connect to the source of true love, it will flow through you into the lives of others and make you want the things that God wants.

If you’re struggling with burnout, feeling burdened by all that you’ve had to give up. The solution isn’t to self-medicate with creature comforts or spend more time out of the country (not that those things are evil in and of themselves, but they won’t fix the problem alone). The solution is to fall in love with Jesus again and let him rekindle your passion for his glory and your love for others. Take your burdens to him and let him carry the load as he’s promised to do.

Think of all he has done for you.

Think of what he has promised you.

Think of the reward Christ has in store for you.

Conclusion

In the last two verses in this passage, John says:

1 John 5:4–5 ESV

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

When we place our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, as it says in 4:16, “we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.” Our faith in God’s love is what overcomes our fear, transforms our hearts, and enables us to fulfill the will of God and live a godly life.

Communion

Close sermon in Prayer.

Hymn (People come get bread and wine)

Prayer of confession and repentance

Read Lk. 22:14-19

Luke 22:14–19 ESV

14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Eat Bread

Pass out wine/juice

Prayer of thanksgiving

Read Lk. 22:20

Luke 22:20 ESV

20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Drink wine/juice

Benediction

Romans 8:31–39 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.