We're gonna stay right there
in 1 John chapter four, where Brother Randy just read. And
I'm gonna focus this morning on three verses, beginning at
verse 16, where it says, and we have known and believed the
love that God hath to us. Now that's an amazing thing,
because When I was growing up in what I see now as false Christianity,
the love of God, as it was preached then, was sort of an empty thing. Because it was preached to me
that, well, God loves everybody, but you may go to hell anyway
because you don't do your part or make your decision. And I
hope and pray that as Brother Randy read through this chapter
four, you could see the fallacy of that. That is false, false
doctrine. And I know people don't want
to hear that God does not love everybody, even though the scripture
tells us that. For example, just look across
the page there in 1 John 5, in verse 19. He says, and we know
that we are of God, And the whole world does what? Lieth in wickedness. Now, he mentioned the world here
in chapter four. He says in verse four, you are
of God, little children, you've overcome them because greater
is he that is in you, that he that is in the world. The reason
we've overcome the world is not because of anything us, it's
because greater is he that is in us. That's God's work. And
he says they are of the world, therefore they speak of the world
and the world heareth them. That's the unbelieving world.
Those who go through this life in unbelief and die in their
sins. Somebody told me one time on that first John 5, 19 passage,
well, the whole world there is not talking about people. It's
talking about the earth. No, it's not. He's not saying
that the mountains and the hills and the pastures and the rivers
lie in wickedness. He's talking about people. But here's the point, go back
to our text now, 1 John 4, 16. We've known and believed the
love of God, the love that God hath to us. How do we know that? How can I know that God loves
me? And he says, God is love. And he that dwelleth in love,
dwelleth in God and God in him. Now that's how we know. He that
dwelleth in love, in that love of God for us, for his people. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth
in God. We dwell in God and God dwells
in us. Now, how do we know that? You
see, I mean, it's not by feeling, you know, somebody says, well,
I just feel religious today. You know, well, that's not going
to do you any good. Well, who was it? I can't remember
who wrote the poem. Feelings come, feelings go, feelings
are deceiving. All I know is the word of God.
That's the only thing worth believing. I probably messed up the poem
there, but that's the idea. Well, here's what he says. Now
look at verse 17. For herein is our love made perfect. Now, you might have in your concordance
a little different wording there. Herein is God's love with us
made perfect. Now, technically speaking, this
is not speaking of our love to God, which every believer has
love to God. The Holy Spirit sheds abroad
within our hearts the love of God for us in Christ, and he
draws out our love to him. But he says, herein is love with
us. God's love with us made perfect
that we may have, now listen to this, boldness in the day
of judgment. Boldness in the day of judgment.
Because, now how can we have boldness in the day of judgment?
Because as He is, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, As Christ
is, so are we in this world. Now, think about that. That's an amazing statement. Think about it. Now, I don't
know about you, but when I was coming up again in false Christianity,
whenever I heard any message pertaining to judgment, it did
not make me bold or give me any confidence. It made me afraid,
legally afraid. I know in the little church I
grew up in, they used to say it this way, they'd bring in
an evangelist two times a year, spring and fall. They'd have
a revival. And the evangelist was brought
in to put the fear of God in us, and the pastor could pick
up there and give us some comfort if we wanted it. And that's kind
of how it worked. But going to judgment, to me,
was a fearful thing. Even at that time, I thought
as, quote, I accepted Jesus into my heart, as they would say,
which is not biblical. But still, when I heard messages
on judgment, there was no boldness or confidence or peace there.
It was always fearing. Put the fear of God in you, you
say. Hellfire and brimstone, that kind of thing. But here
he's speaking of people who can have boldness, confidence, peace
in the day of judgment. Now think about that. That's an amazing thing. How
can I have that kind of peace and confidence and boldness and
not be self-righteous? Is it because I've done enough?
Is it because I'm trying to do enough? Somebody says, well,
I know I'm a sinner, but I'm trying not to be. Well, you should
try not to be. Is that what gives me boldness
at judgment? Am I sincere in my efforts to
be good, to be righteous? I hope I am sincere, but is that
enough to give me boldness at judgment? And you know, whenever
I think of the judgment, I think about Matthew chapter seven.
You remember there in verse 21 when he said, not everyone who
calleth me Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven. He says, many
will come to me and they'll say, Lord, haven't we preached in
your name? What am I doing right now? If I'm preaching according
to this word, I'm preaching in his name. They said, haven't
we cast out demons? Well, I don't know that I've
ever cast out a demon, but if I did, I guess I could add that
to my resume. Lord, haven't we done many wonderful
works? And he told these guys, he said,
depart from me you that work iniquity. Now he called all their
works iniquity. Now you know what iniquity means.
It's the word for sin that means it doesn't meet the standard. It falls short. It's like the
word inequity. It doesn't equal what God requires. You that work iniquity, I never
knew you. And that new there is that intimate
love that God has for his elect. And I know preachers will say
things like this. Well, those guys, they weren't sincere. How
do you know that? What gives you the right to fill
in that big blank? And here's the point. Okay, if
that were the truth, then I know this. I've got to be sincere
in doing this. But here's my problem. How sincere
do I have to be? What's the measure of sincerity
that I have to have? Because if I even think that
I fall short at any point, I'm not gonna have boldness at the
judgment. And then what does God require in order to say, well done, thou
good and faithful servant? What does he require? to pronounce
a sinner like me righteous, I'll tell you exactly what he requires.
If you read the Bible, he requires perfection. So whatever sincerity
I have, it's got to equal perfection. And I can't say that now. I can't
be bold in that way. I hope I am sincere. I'm trying
to be sincere. But my sincerity does not equal
the perfection of righteousness that God requires. So how in
this world am I gonna have boldness at the judgment? Well, he tells
us right here. Verse 17, because as he is. Who's the he there? That's Christ. As Christ is, so are we. Who's the we there? Sinners saved
by grace. Imperfect men and women. But
we are in this world. Now I know that there's going
to come a time that I can actually say that I will be perfect in
Christ. But I want to tell you something.
It won't be while I'm standing behind this pulpit. It'll be
when this old body you're looking at now is laying in the coffin. And I've gone to be with the
Lord in spirit. I'll be able to say then that I'm sinlessly
perfect in myself. Well somebody asked me, he said,
well now doesn't the Bible say that we're to strive to be conformed
to the image of Christ? Yes it does, and I ought to be
trying my best to be like Christ in every way. In my morality,
my life, my forgiveness, my love towards other people, I should
strive to be like Christ, but here's the problem. I'm still
plagued by the presence and the contamination of this sinful
flesh. And you know what I am? I thought
about this, you know, I don't know where we're going to be
buried. I don't know if I can have a tombstone or not, but
I thought about this. I said, here's what I kind of
want to put on it. Here lies the old wretched man. Romans 7. whose hope only was
in Christ. That's what I am, I'm the old
wretched man. If you're a sinner saved by grace, that's what you
are right now. And yet, he says here, because as he is, as Christ
is, so are we, not in glory, which we will be, but right now
in this world. Now you figure that. Well, don't
figure it, just read God's word, because figuring gets us in trouble. Here's comfort. First of all,
where is the love of God found? Now, like I said, I know people
don't like to hear this, but the Bible teaches us. The Bible
says God hates the workers of iniquity. Now, who are the workers
of iniquity? Well, he's talking about those
who go through this life trying to make themselves right with
God, but die in their sins. But here he talks about love.
Where is God's love found? Look back at verse nine of 1
John 4. Here it is. In this was manifested
the love of God toward us. That's his people. because that
he sent his only begotten son into the world that we might
live through him. Herein is love. Now here it is.
It's not smile, God loves you. It's not God loves everybody,
now the rest is up to you. Or Christ died for everybody,
now the rest is up to you. Herein is love, not that we love God.
In other words, whatever this love is, it has nothing to do,
it has nothing to do with any basis or cause of our loving
Him, because by nature we don't love Him. It's not conditioned
on us. I think I've got a, I think it's
in next week's bulletin, but I was listening to a young man,
I don't know where I put my bulletin, here it is. Yeah, it's in next week's. But
anyway, I was listening to a young man talking to a group of young
people, and he was talking about how, he said, Jesus is right
now seeking sinners, seeking sinners who know their sinfulness
and want to be saved, and he said only the humble can apply.
Now let me tell you something, if that's true, which it's not,
we're all doomed. Because no sinner by nature is
humble. Now we can be proud before God
and appear humble to men. But any sinner who does not know
Christ and rest in his blood and righteousness for salvation
is a proud, self-righteous sinner before God. Christ isn't seeking
humble sinners, he's seeking his sheep and he makes us humble.
That's what the Bible teaches. But herein is love. Not that
we love God. God's love to us is not a response
of what we think or do or measure Him. He says, and sent His Son
to be the propitiation for our sins. That word, propitiation,
is so important. Look over at 1 John 2 and verse
1. It's so important. Many of the Greek scholars say
that it's equivalent to the Old Testament word, mercy seat. Remember the mercy seat in the
Ark of the Covenant, the lid made of acacia wood and covered
with gold. 1 John 2 verse one, my little children,
these things write I unto you that you sin not. I'm trying
to encourage all of us not to sin, to fight sin. to be the best we can be, to
seek to be conformed to Christ. And if any man sin, now that
if there, it really should be translated sins or when. But if you sin, well, we're gonna
sin. We have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for
our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world. The whole world there doesn't
mean everybody without exception. The world, as used in the Bible,
never means everybody without exception, or everyone without
exception. Context. But whoever it's talking
about in the world here, he's the propitiation for them, and
Randy defined it right. It is a sin-bearing sacrifice
that satisfies God completely. That's what a propitiation is.
And if God is satisfied with you completely, you cannot die
in your sins. It's impossible. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justify. Who can
condemn us? It's Christ that died. If Christ
died for my sins, he's my propitiation. He died, was buried, he arose
again the third day. I cannot die in my sins if that's
the case. So go back to our text now. Here's
a love that gives confidence, boldness at the judgment. Look
at it, herein is our love made perfect. Now that word perfect
is not sinless perfection within ourselves. The idea here is to
be made perfect is its fullness, its maturity, its completion,
reaching its goal. And here's what he's saying.
He's saying that herein is God's love with us, reaching its goal
within us. being perfected in us. When? When does it reach its goal?
When God's, the manifestation, think about by the Holy Spirit
under the preaching of the gospel of God's grace and salvation
through the Lord Jesus Christ and based on his righteousness
alone. When does it reach its goal? The intended goal that
God intended it for within each individual person. that we may
have boldness in the day of judgment. When we can see confidence and
peace standing before God at his judgment. How's that possible? Here's the
way, because as Christ is, so are we in this world. What does
that mean? I'm not, listen, I can say that
I love God and I love my brethren, but not perfectly. If that's
what he's talking about, love hadn't reached its goal, because
its goal is perfection. I can say that I'm trying to
be a good person, and I should be, but I fail miserably if you
measure that by the perfection of righteousness that God requires. I still fall short. I'm a sinner
saved by grace. This is my story, to God be the
glory. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. The Bible's renderings of the
biographies of certain individuals is not a list of perfect men
and women in themselves. We mess up all the time. And here's what he's saying.
I can have boldness at the judgment, because the love of God in Christ
has reached its goal, reached its completion in pointing me
squarely and solely upon the glorious person and finished
work of Christ as my hope. My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame. What are those sweetest frames?
Lord, haven't we preached in your name? Lord, haven't we cast
out demons? Lord, haven't we done many wonderful
works? Lord, didn't I join the church?
Lord, didn't I make a decision for Jesus? Lord, haven't I been
baptized? Lord, am I not trying to be a
good person? Lord, have I not tithed and given
my money, not missed? Those are the sweet frames that
we don't trust. It's not wrong to do some of
those things. Believers are commanded to unite
with a body of believers if they have one in their community.
Believers are commanded to confess Christ and believers baptism.
It's not wrong to do those things, but that doesn't give me boldness
at the judgment. The only thing that gives me
boldness at the judgment is I stand before God washed in the blood
of Christ. and clothed in his righteousness
imputed to me. There's, as he is, how can I
say that I'm just like Christ? Only as I stand before God legally
in the righteousness of his son. That's it. Because as he is,
so are we in this world. You see, this speaks of our union
with Christ. When he died, I died. How can you say that, preacher?
Were you there personally? No, I was there in the person
of Christ. My surety, my sins, which had
not even yet been committed, had already been imputed, accounted
to Him. That's what a surety is. I've
been talking to some people on the internet about this. Christ
was made my surety before this world ever began. Did you know
that? How do you know that? He's the surety of the covenant.
Which covenant? The covenant of grace. The father chose him, ordained
him, and he willingly accepted that position. I know I'm speaking
in human terms here, but you know why? Because I've got no
choice. This is the only way we can understand
it somewhat. God chose him, ordained him.
He willingly took it upon himself to be my surety. My name was
written in the Lamb's Book of Life. If you're one of God's
children, your name was written there too. Couldn't be erased
out. I know people go to that revelation pad, blotted out.
That's not talking about that. There's no name that's put in
the Lamb's Book of Life that is blotted out. It'll be there
forever. And it's the Lamb's book of life,
the Lamb that was slain. So as my surety, what did he
do? He came in time, united himself with sinless human nature, created
for him in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit. He walked
this earth completely obedient to the law, never sinned, never
had a thought of sin, a desire or goal or motive of sin. And
he went to the cross bearing my sins. And he put them away. And like I preached last week,
I stand before God, giving an account. And what does the account
say? Well, it says, Lord, haven't
we preached in your name? No. It says paid in full. Jesus paid it all. All to him
I owe, all the debt I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain,
but he washed it white as snow. For by one offering he hath,"
what? Perfected forever them that are
sanctified. Look over at Hebrews chapter
10. That's what he's talking about here. When we experience
the love of God in Christ by the power of the Spirit within
our hearts, That love reaches its perfection,
its goal, when we see that we stand before God, not in righteousness
of our own, but in the righteousness of His Son, freely imputed to
us, and which we have received by God-given faith. Look at Hebrews chapter 10. He's talking
about the death of Christ here for the sins of his people, and
it says in verse 17, their sins and iniquities will I remember
no more. Now, that doesn't mean God forgets anything. He doesn't. God doesn't change. But it means
he will not bring them up on record again. They've been washed
clean. That record of our sins cannot
be held against us. Why? Look at verse 18. Now where remission of these
is, there's no more offering for sin. What is remission? That
means pardon and forgiveness. And where did that come from?
From Christ. He died for my sins. He brought
pardon. He brought forgiveness. Forgiveness
of sin is by the blood of Christ. Verse 19. Having therefore, brethren,
boldness, liberty, confidence to enter the holiest, The most
holy place, the presence of God, on what basis? By the blood of
Jesus, say. By a new and living way which
he hath consecrated. This is a work that he did for
us as our surety and substitute through the veil, that is to
say his flesh, in his human body he put himself up before the
Father. died on that cross, and having
a high priest over the house of God, verse 22, let us draw
near with a true heart, a sincere heart, an honest heart, in full
assurance of faith. Now, what is the full assurance
of faith? That doesn't mean do I have enough faith. Enough faith
for what? The full assurance of faith is
that faith which causes you to look to Christ and rest in Him
as the author and finisher of your faith. Lord willing, I'm
gonna preach on that next week. Having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience, a guilty conscience, a legal conscience. Sprinkled by what? The blood
of Christ. And our bodies washed with pure
water. What is that pure? That's the blood of Christ. Confidence. That's that boldness. Now look
back at our text and I'll close with this. This love cast out
fear. Look at verse 18. There's no
fear in love. That is, there's no legal fear.
That's what he's talking about. You know, the Bible says that
one of the problems of the natural man, unregenerate people, is
they have no fear of God before their eyes. And that means they
have no regard, no respect for the honor of God's glory. But
there is legal fear. You know, all false religion
is the result of legal fear that stirs up people trying to establish
a righteousness of their own in some way, shape, form, or
fashion. That fear's cast out. I can work till I'm blue in the
face and I cannot make myself righteous. There's no fear in
love, but perfect love. God's love for us casteth out
fear. We learn to fear God with reverence
and respect, faith in him. But that legal fear, now we still
retain some of that in our flesh and we have to fight it, but
it says it cast it out as far as standing before judgment because
fear hath torment. And you know what that torment
is? It's not just hell. It's the torment of having to
try to establish a righteousness of our own. Think about it. And he says here, he says, he
that feareth is not made perfect in love. If that's the kind of
fear that you're engaged in, that kind of fear that drives
you to stir up, to establish your own righteousness, to establish
upon the ground of your works a right standing with God, Oh,
what torment that is. But think about it. We can have
boldness in the day of judgment because as Christ is, so are
we in this world. All right, may the Lord bless
you.