Today we continue our series entitled, “God Loves You”, under the overall theme for the year of, “Supernatural Manifestation.” We have been looking at the following passage for a few days. Let’s get back to it this morning. Grandpa John, when he was over 90 years old, said the following:
“So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love, lives in God, and God lives in them. If God’s love is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be without fear, because in this world we are like Jesus.” (1 John 4:16, 17 ERV)
The King James Version of verse 17 says that when the love of God is made perfect in us, when we can have boldness on the Day of Judgment, “Because as he is, so are we in this world.” The “he” is referring to is Jesus. In today’s message I will focus on how trusting in God’s love enables us to live like Jesus in this world.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Embracing God’s love is the key to living without fear.
a) We have been looking at 1 John 4:16 and 17 for days. The very next verse says, “Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear” (v.18).
b) When God’s love is perfected in your heart — meaning that you fully embrace it and allow it to mature in you — you live without fear.
c) If you know God loves you and you know His love for you is unconditional, what do you have to be afraid of?
d) If you are convinced that God loves you, that He is committed to you, and that He will finish what He started in your life, you are able to live a fear-free life. Said another way, if you are convinced that God is ON you, IN you, WITH you and FOR you, you have no need to fear.
e) The love of God empowers you to live a life where fear has no power over you. This is required in order to live like Jesus in this world.
2. Embracing God’s love is the key to seeing yourself like Jesus and attempting to living like Him in this world.
a) God loves you unconditionally. He sent His Son to die in your place. He sent his Spirit to live inside of you. He did all these things because He wants you to live LIKE HIM in this world.
b) The Bible teaches us to put on the mind of Christ. The Father Himself teaches us to live in this world with the same mindset Jesus lived with. Well, what was Jesus’ mindset? Jesus saw Himself like God in the earth. If we are ever going to live like Jesus, we must develop the same mindset. But we will never get to this point (mentally, psychologically or spiritually), if we are not convinced that God loves us unconditionally.
c) When you wake up every morning knowing that God loves you with a relentless, unconditional and unending love, you are able to open your heart and mind to the possibly of you actually living like Him in this world. Not because you qualify to do so, because you clearly don’t, but because He amazingly qualified for you!
I will stop here for today and discuss this further next week.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. I say this without reservation, because I know You love me. Your unconditional love for me has changed my perspective of you, and almost more importantly, it has changed my perspective of me. I now see myself just like Jesus in this world. I can boldly declare, As Jesus Is, So am I, in this World! I don’t say this because I qualify. I don’t say this because I deserve it. I simply say this because I am convinced that You want me to. I say this because You love me. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
