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Fear is one
of the most common motivators known to man.
Fear is the principal enforcer behind the law. As the scripture says, a governing official
represents “no terror for those who do
right, but for those who do wrong . . . but if you do wrong, be afraid, for he
does not bear the sword for nothing.”
We learn
fear as children, not wanting to get punished by our parents or by our
teachers. As adults we fear those red and
blue lights in the rear view mirror, not wanting to get caught and punished for
traffic violations. We fear
misrepresenting our income at tax time, lest we get audited and punished for
tax evasion. Out of fear we hire
attorneys to help us avoid punishment if we get caught breaking the law.
Our fears
of punishment in our natural relationships inevitably project onto our
spiritual lives as well. We live with
the constant fear that God might catch us thinking the wrong things, saying the
wrong things, doing the wrong things or just plain being wrong! And who is there to help us if God catches us
doing something wrong? The fear of
punishment from God becomes an ever-present anxiety that paralyzes our faith.
Yes, fear
is one of the most common motivators known to man - but it is not the most
powerful. There is a force greater than
fear, more persuasive than panic and more dominant than dread. There is a mighty, powerful influence that
literally overwhelms all fear of punishment and penalty, reprisal and revenge,
condemnation and judgment. In fact, this
force is actually said to “drive out
fear.”
The thing
that is greater than fear is Perfect Love. “Perfect
love drives out fear.” And God is
the source of this perfect love, because “God
(Himself) is love.” There is no
greater love than the love with which “God
so loved the world.” There is no
greater love than the love Jesus exhibited when He “laid down his life for his friends.” There is no greater love than the love God
demonstrated for us in this: “While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
There is no greater love; “not
that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning
sacrifice for our sins.”
Perfect
Love is God “reconciling the world to
Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.” Perfect Love is Jesus Christ, the Righteous
One, advocating for us as “one who speaks
to the Father in our defense.”
Perfect Love is God removing our transgressions from us “as far as the east is from the west.” Perfect Love is God declaring "I will forgive their iniquity, and
their sin I will remember no more."
Perfect
Love sent an angel to the town of Nazareth,
to a man named Joseph saying “Do not be
afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from
the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to
a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people
from their sins." 2000 years
ago, at the focal point of all history, God removed the legal grounds for all
our fears.
Perfect
Love sent His Son, Jesus, to take upon Himself the punishment for all our
sins. And when the punishment for sins
was dealt with once and for all, the foundation for fear was forever removed! “But he
was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are
healed.” No more punishment, no more
fear! “Perfect love drives out fear.”
Pastor Scott
"The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit, be with you all."
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