1. Grace Fellowship Church www.GraceDoctrine.org
Pastor/Teacher
Jim Rickard
Sunday,
November 16, 2008

2. 1 John Series 1 John 4:18-21 Perfected in Love

3. 1 John 4:18 “. because fear includes punishment
1 John 4:18 “..because fear includes punishment...” Disciplinary punishment Mat 25:46 Acts 4:21; 2 Peter 2:9

4. 1 John 4:18, is not speaking of eternal judgment but temporal judgement for the believer in two categories.

5. Dorothy Thompson stated, “Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”

6. Fear is the natural consequence of sin, Gen 3:10; 4:13-14; and it comes as a punishment Deut 28:25, 28.

7. The fear of man and of evils are dangers to be avoided, from which the fear (reverence and respect) of God delivers. Num 14:9; 21:34; Psa 23:4; 31:14

8. Prov 28:1, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

9. Two categories of punishment caused by fear
Two categories of punishment caused by fear. 1) Self-Induced punishment (misery), 2) Divine Discipline.

10. You can be punished three ways by fear: by yourself, by your peers, and by God.

11. A. Self Induced Misery: Mat 8:26; 10:26, 29-31

12. Mat 8:26, “He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.”

13. 1. Fear, like all mental attitude arrogance, is self-punishing and self-destructive.

14. a) Many wrong decisions result in mental illnesses, psychotic, neurotic, and sociopathic behavior on the part of believers.

15. We need to take responsibility for our well being by not giving over to fear.

16. Rosa Parks stated, “I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”

17. 2. Under the law of volitional responsibility, we cause our own misery and suffering.

18. 3. You should never blame others for your misery, your unhappiness, or your suffering.

19. 4. A short trip to unhappiness is to always blame others for your problems, not seeing them as a result of your bad decisions.

20. Gal 6:7, “Be not deceived; God cannot be mocked
Gal 6:7, “Be not deceived; God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

21. a) Self-Imposed Misery: Voluntarily assumed or endured
a) Self-Imposed Misery: Voluntarily assumed or endured. Results from negative or wrong thinking or motivation. Suffering caused by ignorance of Bible doctrine.

22. b) Self-Induced Misery: Willfully acquired or brought on, and results from deliberate wrong actions.

23. c) Self-Indulged Misery: Yielding to the desires and whims of oneself, especially to an excessive degree and results from impulsive wrong actions.

24. Hosea 8:7, “They who sow to the wind shall also reap the whirlwind.”

25. Col 3:25, “For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of that wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.”

26. Many times man manufactures his own problems and resultant suffering
Many times man manufactures his own problems and resultant suffering. On the other hand, God manufactures solutions and blessings in the midst of suffering. Luke 12:28-34

27. Offering

28. Grace Fellowship Church
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Tape # 08S-044
Fear and Self-Induced Misery
1 John Series
1 John 4:18; Mat 8:26; 10:26, 29-31; 25:46; Gal 6:7
James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2008