Boasting God’s Love

Warm UP:

• Do you consider yourself as the most favored among your siblings? Why do you say so?
• How do you know when the love you have given is enough?
• From 1-10, 10 being the highest, how would you rate your love towards God?

WORD 17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of
judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He
that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19. We love him, because he first loved us. -
1 John 4:17-19

In the first book of John, we read how he defined God’s love, His love towards us, where His love
brought us and what His love made us. John knew how much the Lord Jesus Christ loves him (read John
20:2). The phrase— “the disciple, whom Jesus loved,” appears only in the book of John. John doesn’t
show any biases here as the author of the book of John, but he is simply practicing the sense of God’s
love and boasting of His love for him. Let’s us learn three things from John why we should be boasting of
God’s love instead of our love for him.

1. WHO HE IS, SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD

17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as
he is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17

Jesus Christ is God’s beloved Son given to us. God made it known to us in the time Jesus was
baptized. God gave up His Son for us so that the righteousness of His Son would become our
righteousness. He sees us righteous because He sees Jesus righteousness in us. Knowing this gives
us freedom to be who God made us to be in this world. As Jesus is healthy, so are we in this world.
As Jesus is rich, so are we in this world. Read Romans 3:23. Is there anything that God withholds
from us? How does this truth changes your perspective especially in your time of need?

2. GOD’S LOVE IS PERFECT, IT ERASES ALL FEARS

18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He
that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

During the Lord’s supper, Peter was boasting about how much he loves Jesus and how he was
willing to die for Him. But the moment Jesus was arrested, he bacame fearful and he ended up
denying Jesus three times. While John quietly leaned on Jesus’ bossom (John 13:23) he also
leaned on God’s love for him. As a result, he was able to stay with Jesus during his suffering until
His death on the cross.

We can’t boast about our love towards God because our love is imperfect. If we boast of God’s
love for us, God can work through us and use us mightily. When we boast about our love for God,
 we become distant to God in the end. But if we boast of God’s love for us, we feel closer to Him.
What drives you in doing the things you do for God? Is it because of your love for Him or because
of His love for you? We are God’s beloved and fear has no place in our hearts because God’s
perfect love casts out fear.

3. HE FIRST LOVED US

19. We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

It was God who first loved us. God gave more than enough trough His Son Jesus. He is an
overpayment for our sins. Though God’s love may not say enough in words, it absolutely
demonstrated more than what we think is enough. Like the story of the woman at the well,
she received streams of living water from Jesus. Moreover, Jesus is delighted when we draw from him
as the woman drew water from the well. The disciples told Jesus to eat for He had not yet eaten after
a long journey. But Jesus said “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”(John 4:32). And He
was referring to His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. It simply means the more we
take from God, the more it refreshes Him! His love knows no bound, and this is what draws us into
loving Him. Do you feel guilty every time you ask something from God? Why?

APPLICATION

• What daily routine can you add in your week that would display your dependence upon God’s love
rather than your love for Him?

• Is there someone you know who is driven to “do” ministry because of his love for God? What can
you do to refresh Jesus this week?

• Pray for a person you know who is has fears or has been experiencing anxiousness or worries. Share
about God’s perfect love how it drives away all fears.

PRAYER

• Thank God for His love and for Jesus Christ who freely gives us all things.

• Ask God to help you practice sensing His love for you and being aware of it daily.

• Pray that every believer would come into the habit of boasting about God’s love for them rather
than boasting of their love for God.

Notes

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