1 John 4:17-19 (NKJV) Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
Fear is real, and all of us can be subject to it but we need not be tormented by it. Instead, we need to learn to laugh while looking at fear in the eye with the help of God, because as children of God, we are no longer slaves to fear. If we are truly convinced of the perfect love of God, that He is for us and with us in every situation of our lives, there is nothing to fear. This is especially true since we have peace with God as Jesus has dealt with the sin issue that separated us from Him.
Most of us like to think that we can control our lives, but COVID-19 has made us realise that we can’t. Thus, living on earth means we must deal the fear of the unknown. Other fears in life include not performing up to the expectations of others such as our parents, and the fear of losing out. Fear of not being able to transition into the corporate world after graduating has also driven individuals into escapism by pursuing endless academic studies. For some, it might be the fear of losing the love of their spouse as they age which makes them insecure and suspicious. For others, it might be the fear of abandonment by their adult children, which makes them jealous of their children-in-law and affects their relationships with them. Then there is the fear of not having enough money for retirement, and the fear of sickness.
Ultimately, the greatest fear that everyone must face is when we meet God face to face on the day of judgement, especially for those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour because anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire. For all of us, therefore, the single most important question is how we face death with boldness.
God says that we can be bold in the presence of God on the day of judgement because we know that He is holy, righteous, and just. For non-believers, there is neither boldness nor confidence to stand before God but only reverential fear and trembling because His holiness will make all of us aware of how sinful and imperfect we are without Christ in our lives. However, for believers, if we truly fully grasp the perfect love of God, we will understand how we can have boldness in His presence and be fearless.
Sermon Series: Fearless
于祂的同在中坦然无惧
约翰一书 4:17-19这样爱在我们里面得以完全，我们就可以在审判的日子，坦然无惧。因为他如何，我们在这世上也如何。爱里没有惧怕。爱既完全，就把惧怕除去。因为惧怕里含着刑罚。惧怕的人在爱里未得完全。我们爱，因为神先爱我们
恐惧是真实存在的，我们每个人都可能受到它的影响，但我们不需要被它折磨。相反，我们需要学习在神的帮助下笑着直面恐惧，因为作为神的孩子，我们不再是恐惧的奴隶。如果我们真的相信神的爱是完全的，相信神在我们生活的任何情况下都向着我们并且与我们同在，那么就没有什么可害怕的了。因着耶稣已经解决了那致使我们与神隔绝的罪的问题，我们已经与神和好，那我们还怕什么呀！
我们大多数人都认为我们能够控制自己的生活，但COVID-19让我们意识到我们不能。因此，生活在地球上意味着我们必须应对未知的恐惧。生活中的其他恐惧包括自己的表现达不到别人—比如父母–的期望，以及害怕失败。对毕业后无法进入职场的恐惧，也促使一些人通过无休止的学术研究来逃避现实。对一些人来说，可能是害怕随着年龄的增长失去配偶的爱，这使他们缺乏安全感和多疑。对另一些人来说，可能是害怕被成年子女抛弃，这让他们嫉妒自己的儿媳或女婿，影响了他们与儿媳或女婿的关系。还有就是担心退休后没有足够的钱，担心生病。
最后，每个人都必须面对的最大恐惧是当我们在审判日与上帝面对面的时候，特别是那些还没有接受耶稣基督作为他们的主和救主的人，因为任何没有在生命册上找到自己名字的人都将被扔进火湖里。因此，对我们所有人来说，最重要的问题就是如何勇敢地面对死亡。
神说在审判的日子，我们在神面前可以勇敢，因为我们知道祂是圣洁、公义、公正的。对于不信的人来说，站在神面前既没有胆量也没有信心，只有敬畏和战兢，因为祂的圣洁会让我们所有人意识到，如果没有基督在我们的生命中，我们是多么有罪和不完美。然而，对于信徒来说，如果我们真正抓住了神完美的爱，我们就会理解我们何以在祂面前坦然无惧。
讲章系列：坦然无惧