Have Faith in The Love of God.

SCRIPTURE READING:

1 John 4:15-21 NKJV
(15) Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (16) And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love,
and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
(17) Love has been perfected among us in this: 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 casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
(19)  We love Him because He first loved us.
(20) If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
(21) And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

TEXT:

1 John 4:16 AB
And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation
and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

1 Johannes 4:16 ANV
En ons ken die liefde wat God vir ons het, en ons glo daarin.
God is liefde; wie in die liefde bly, bly in God en God bly in hom.

INTRODUCTION:

In his book ‘Written in Blood’, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. She had a rare blood type which she shared with her little brother. The fact that he had recovered from the same disease two years earlier made the chances of success even greater. The doctor carefully explained all this to the little boy, pointing out that without the transfusion his sister would die. “Would you be brave and give your blood to your sister?” the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip began to tremble. Then he smiled and said, “Sure, for my sister.” The two children were wheeled into the hospital room – Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy.
He smiled at his sister, then watched as the blood travelled out of his body, down the

And now you may ask but what about humility and humbleness?
Be careful of religious or false humility: “God I know I am not good enough! I know I deserve to be punished!” Real humility comes out of a true and living relationship with God and says about you what the Word of God says about you!

An effective prayer includes boldness! Where does boldness come from?

Ephesians 3:11-12 NLT
(11) This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
(12) Because of Christ and our faith in him,
we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

Our boldness is in Christ through faith! This is how we enter into Gods presence!
Jesus is the Word of God manifested and Jesus is the love of God manifested!
My confidence is in Him and His complete work on the cross.

1 John 4:15-16 MSG
(15) Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son
participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God.
(16) We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul,
this love that comes from God. God is love. When we take up permanent residence
in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us.

REAL WORD BASED FAITH:

Do you believe that God loves you?
What is real Word based faith?
Real Word based faith is faith in the love of God!
We take a promise of God, a scripture and we have faith in that scripture.
e.g.: ‘By His stripes I am healed!’ (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
Until you believe that God loves you, you will never have the faith that God heals you.
Until you believe God loves you, you will not have the faith for healing!
You must know that God is the healer and that the healer loves you!
Until you believe that God loves you, you will never have the faith that God provides for you. Until you believe God loves you, you will not have the faith for provision!
When you believe that God loves you, you will believe what He says!
So if you really want to see powerful results when you pray you must:
Enter into God’s presence with boldness (fearless confidence)
Have faith in the love of God – I believe that God loves me!
Have faith in the Word of God: “By His stripes I am healed!”

DEVELOP YOUR FAITH:

If you really and truly want to develop your faith, you must know and develop your faith that God loves you. “God loves me! I know and believe it.”

1 John 4:18 NIV
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear
has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Don’t stand in fear; don’t rebel against God and His plan for your life!
What cause doubt and fear? What cause us to rebel against God?

Deuteronomy 1:26-27 MSG
(26) But then you weren’t willing to go up.
You rebelled against GOD, your God’s plain word.
(27) You complained in your tents: “GOD hates us. He hauled us out of Egypt in order
to dump us among the Amorites–a death sentence for sure!

When you think and believe the lie of the devil that God holds something against you
and that He hates you! Then you will:
Complaint and murmur to do the things of God
Rebel against the things God wants you to do.

Why? Because you don’t have faith in the love of God!
Because you think God does not love you!
You won’t spend time in His presence if you think He doesn’t love you.
You won’t come to church or to the cell group if you think He doesn’t love you.
You won’t pray and if you do, you won’t think that He will answer your prayer if you think
He doesn’t love you. Whatever you do, God still loves you! The love of God cannot change.

FAITH IN THE LOVE OF GOD

I believe God loves me! I have faith in the love of God!
Why does God heal me? Because He loves me!
Why does God bless me? Because He loves me!
God cannot lie – His Word is the truth! And God cannot hate!
Our text verse, 1 John 4:16 says: ‘God is love!’
What does love do? Love loves. Love cannot hate! God is love, people have love!
You cannot compare God to people or understand the love of God with your human mind. Ask God to give you a revelation of His love for you!
So many believers come to the throne of God with condemnation, guilt and fear with no confidence and no freedom because of something they did or didn’t do!
Have faith in the love of God! Have faith that God love you!
Believe in the love of God! Believe that God loves you!

Galatians 5:6 MSG
For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.

We are the family of LOVE and FAITH!