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.
When someone is burdened by a challenging life event, simply telling them not to worry or feel anxious can sometimes sound unreasonable and harsh. Therefore, it is more of a loving reminder than a command. While peace belongs to believers, the devil also tries to steal it from us through the sifting process (Luke 31:22) or by sending tribulations our way to steal the Word from our hearts (Matthew 13:21). What hinders us from experiencing that peace is anxiety.
When we face challenges, questions arise, such as “What have I done to bring about this problem?” Sometimes, we are reaping what we have sown in the flesh, in which case repentance is necessary. However, another common question is, “Is God punishing me for something I have done?”. What they are essentially asking is, “Is this how God perceives me?” or “Is God angry with me?” It is tormenting when we are unsure of God’s love. Therefore, as believers, we must settle the truth about how God perceives us so we can be certain that God is not against us because it is God’s desire for us to experience perfect love and perfect peace.
The fear of death is possibly the greatest anxiety in life, especially when someone doesn’t know how they can face a holy, righteous, and just God. We need to remember that God first loved us; His perfect love for us is unconditional; He loved us while we were sinners, imperfect and worthless.
The opening Scripture states, “as He is, so are we in this world”. The “He” refers to Jesus during His time on earth. Jesus is righteous and holy; He is the Son of God. For believers, the benefit of “as He is” is received through all the spiritual blessings in Christ because they have caused us to be accepted by God (Ephesians 1:3-6). We are redeemed, and our sins have been forgiven because of the blood of Jesus. We have the right to be His children (John 1:12) and are seen as righteous and holy because God the Father sees us in Christ. The blood of Jesus that was shed for us gave us the right standing with God. Therefore, as Jesus is, so are we in this world. This is the love of God and what Jesus has achieved for us. It is an unchanging positional truth.
God’s perfect love has cast out the fear of death—death has lost its sting. If God accepts us, we are not fearful of death or of meeting God. The absence of fear is peace. God’s perfect love towards us gives us perfect peace and absolute security in His love.
Sermon Series: Relaxed and Composed
在祂的爱中得以安稳
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。
当一个人因生活中的艰难重担而感到压抑时，若只是告诉他不要忧虑或焦虑，有时听起来会显得不近人情或缺乏体谅。因此，这更像是一种充满爱的提醒，而不是命令。平安原本属于信徒，但魔鬼常试图在“筛”我们的过程中（路加福音22:31）或透过患难来偷走我们心中的道（马太福音13:21），以此夺走我们的平安。而使我们无法经历平安的，正是忧虑。
当我们面临挑战时，心中常会浮现一些疑问，比如：“是不是我做错了什么，才会发生这样的事？”有时，我们的确是在收自己肉体所种下的果子，这时候就需要悔改。但另一个常见的问题是：“神是不是在惩罚我？”这其实是在问：“神是怎么看我的？”或“神是不是在生我的气？”当我们对神的爱存有疑虑时，内心就会被折磨。因此，作为信徒，我们必须定意明白神如何看待我们，好让我们确信神不是我们的敌人。神的心意是要我们经历那完全的爱与完全的平安。
人一生中最大的恐惧，或许莫过于死亡的惧怕，尤其是当一个人不知道自己该如何面对那位圣洁、公义又公正的神时。然而，我们要记得，神先爱了我们；祂完全的爱是无条件的。祂在我们还作罪人的时候就爱了我们——当我们软弱、不完美、甚至一无是处时，祂仍然爱我们。
开篇的经文说：“因为祂如何，我们在这世上也如何。”这里的“祂”指的是耶稣在世上的时候。耶稣是公义、圣洁的，是神的儿子。对于信徒而言，“祂如何，我们也如何”的益处，来自我们在基督里的各样属灵福分，因为这些福分使我们蒙神悦纳（以弗所书1:3–6）。我们已经因耶稣的宝血得蒙救赎，罪得赦免。我们有权成为神的儿女（约翰福音1:12），在神眼中被看为公义、圣洁，因为父神是看我们在基督里。耶稣为我们流出的宝血，使我们在神面前拥有正确的地位。因此，正如耶稣如何，我们在这世上也如何。这就是神的爱，也是耶稣为我们成就的一切——一个永不改变的地位真理。
神完全的爱已经除去对死亡的惧怕——死亡的毒钩已被挪去。若神已接纳我们，我们就不再惧怕死亡，也不再惧怕面对神。没有惧怕的地方，就是平安。神那完全的爱，使我们得着完全的平安，并在祂的爱中拥有绝对的安全感。
讲道系列：从容的心，坚定的信