Bible Study - Fear (3) - Love in Place of Fear - 1 John 3:13-18; 4:14-18 - December 18, 2022

 

Bible Study – Fear (3) – Love in Place of Fear – December 18, 2022

This is lesson three (3) in our series of study entitled, “Putting Fear in Its Place.”

Our focus scripture is 1 John 3:13-18; 4:14-18.

There is no room for fear when GOD’S love is in us.

GOD allows us to experience various issues in our lives to build our faith, trust and confidence in HIS ability to care for us. Nothing comes our way in life that GOD does not know about or either allow or block.

So, what are we to do when we find ourselves in the midst of issues or situations? We go to GOD, in prayer, and ask HIM what HE desires for us to learn from the issue or situation we are facing. Satan cannot hit us with a zinger unless GOD approves. Why would HE approve? It is to make us stronger, as we serve HIM here upon earth. Earth is GOD’S vineyard and we, who know the truth through faith in JESUS and as led by the Holy Spirit, are to care for and to work in GOD’S vineyard.

As we build our relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS, we build faith to obediently serve. Faith dispels fear.

GOD in HIS wisdom chooses those who have been Spiritually born into HIS Family to be HIS arms, feet, hands, comforter and to speak words of wisdom and salvation to others, as led by the Holy Spirit.

So, when we obediently serve GOD what can we, who are Spirit-born expect?

Let’s read our focus scripture:

Let’s read 1 John 3:13-18:

¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. ¹⁶ This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer^[i] in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.

When “the people of the world” hate us, as Spirit-born people, we know we are headed in the right direction. There is an old saying that goes something like this, “If you don’t meet the devil as you start the day, you are headed in the wrong direction.” The world is led by Satan and the world hates us but HE, WHO is in us, JESUS, is greater than Satan/devil who is in the world.

How does a Spirit-born person know that he or she has passed from death to life? The measure is our love for fellow Spirit-born, brothers and sisters. Love is our stamp of approval and confirmation that we are walking with JESUS.

What does this mean? It means:

¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. ¹⁶ This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer^[i] in need but withholds compassion from him (or her)—how does God’s love reside in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.

I believe as we get closer to the end of time, those of us who know the truth through faith in JESUS, will be led to action and not just to talk a good game. We must actually participate in the game of life as GOD’S Children, as led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives those who are led by the Spirit balance.

Let’s read 1 John 4:14-16:

¹⁴ And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.  GOD is agape love, which is self-giving love. John captures this in John 3: ¹⁶ For God loved the world in this way:^[e] He gave^[f] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 

Truly, GOD is love. He created earth to be the incubator for humans to be born and to reproduce and develop in GOD’S image. GOD chose for humans not to be born as fully Spiritual people but HE made us with the capacity to choose to be HIS Son or Daughter through faith in JESUS. Thus “born-again” as JESUS told Nicodemus in John 3:

Some may ask, “What about those who grew up under the law, before JESUS came to earth?” The law was a placeholder until JESUS, The Only Messiah the world will ever have, came to earth. How about the pagans who never heard of the law? GOD speaks through HIS handiwork, especially nature as we read in Romans 8:19-

We read in Romans 8:19- (Amplified version)

¹⁹ For [even the whole] creation [all nature] waits eagerly for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration and futility, not willingly [because of some intentional fault on its part], but by the will of Him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will also be freed from its bondage to decay [and gain entrance] into the glorious freedom of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together as in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only this, but we too, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [a joyful indication of the blessings to come], even we groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for [the sign of] our adoption as sons—the redemption and transformation of our body [at the resurrection]. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved [by faith]. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he already sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience and composure.

Our Victory in Christ

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of ^[c]God’s people in accordance with God’s will.

The Holy Spirit appeals to all people with their need of salvation through faith in JESUS. Even nature waits for its redemption.

JESUS tells us in Luke 19:37-40:

³⁷ Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, ³⁸ saying:

“‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁹ And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

⁴⁰ But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Even nature knows who created it.

I love nature and sometimes when I am alone, I talk to nature and tell it that the time for the return of JESUS is ever closer.

Let’s read 1 John 4:17-18:

¹⁷ In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment.^[e] So the one who fears is not complete in love. 

GOD’S love is made complete in every person who places their hope and faith in JESUS. Love for GOD is confirmed by the Holy Spirit when a person asks JESUS to come into his or her life. That person’s body is cleansed by the shed blood of JESUS and that person’s body becomes the temple where the Holy Spirit resides, until that person dies physically. How do we know this?

We read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:

16. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20. For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

What was the price GOD had to pay for our redemption from eternal death? It cost HIM HIS only SON, JESUS. JESUS had to be willing to come to earth and live 100% human, subject to physical death, loaded down with the total sins of the world and have complete confidence in GOD, HIS FATHER, to resurrect HIM from the physically dead to live eternally back in HIS place in Heaven. JESUS trusted GOD, HIS FATHER and the FATHER of all who have or will place their faith in JESUS.

What did JESUS have to say about this? Did JESUS know where HE came from?

We read in John 17:1-5: (JESUS was praying for Himself)

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ² as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He ^[a]should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ⁴ I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵ And now, O Father, glorify Me together ^[b]with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

While JESUS was upon earth, HE knew where HE came from and HE knew HE had the power to summon legions of angels, at any second, to come to HIS aid but HE didn’t. HE was on mission and if HE had cut it short, there was no other redemptive plan in GOD’S arsenal to redeem humans. JESUS CHRIST said it best Himself in John 14:6:

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Why did JESUS willingly come to earth?

We read in John 15:12-16:

¹² “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master^[b] is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

JESUS chooses all people to come to HIM and receive eternal life through the miracle of Spiritual birth but HE never violates a person’s right to choose. Choose carefully my friends because your choice is eternal – Heaven or Hell. Heaven is the better choice. Hell was made for the devil and his angels.

Though a person’s sin be like scarlet, the shed blood of JESUS makes him or her whiter than snow.

Have you asked JESUS to forgive you for your sins and for JESUS to come into your heart? If not, now is the best time. Why? Eternity is just one heartbeat away.

Blessings!!!