Loving a Fearsome God 

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1. Love {208} out of fear (Dt 6) or fear {314} out of love (1Jn 4)? Gen 0/13; Ex 20:6; Lev 2neighbor; Num 0 

1Jn 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

16 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 By this, has been perfected the/this love in the midst of us: that we may have fearless confidence 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/has as a consequence punishment. 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.

Comments from the Body

2. We are tempted not to love (be loyal/trust/obey) God
	when/because:
We don’t understand nor value the loyalty aspect of love.
	(I know I didn’t and had to train myself.)
Loyalty was a foreign concept to me practically speaking
	(always on to the “next thing.” 
	didn’t realize my loyalty shifted 
	to whatever was giving me what I wanted at the time…selfish!) 
We think it's not worth it (not getting needs/desires met); 
Doubt His goodness (satan's oldest lie); 
He's not doing what we want Him to do; 
We're not displaying hesed/covenantal loyalty, 
He's not fulfilling His part of the bargain, 
	eg, not helping so we don't have time (sacrifice).
Confused by God's actions (cx trust) 
Ultimately God has already done the clarifying (of confusion)
by revealing His character (through the Word and for Job some other way) 
it's just a matter of us seeking out & reminding ourselves of the answers. 
It may not be as detailed of an answer as we want, 
but enough for us to rest in Gods perfect plans (trials included).

2. We are tempted not to love (be loyal/trust/obey) God when/because: 

Where would we be without a rlshp with God? Eph 2 wrath, no future/hope, nor purpose/peace/fellowship...nor His presence

I. Knowing the Person/Character of God and His Past/Present/Future acts/promises leads us to fear, trust, and love Him

Dt 6:1 (4:9-10) Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the YHWH your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all which I command you...all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you 4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

5 You shall LOVE the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 

6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently 

12 then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

13 You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you

24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, 

that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.  25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.'

Comments from the Body

You have to place God as your object of loyalty 
	- cognitively, via the will -
	and don’t let go or shift or change 
	- Lordship decision really. 
I think we are loyal to all kinds of other things, like how we feel, our ideal job title, affirmation, comfort, you know - desires. 
We split our loyalty and try to make that work. But it doesn't over time. 
We are to be wholehearted to love, serve and follow God. 
Wholeheartedness links with loyalty and the object of what you choose to be loyal to = love/ serve.  And, loyal to ALL the commands, not just the ones you prefer. 

Ex 34:3...be ready in the morning 4 Moses rose early w/ two tablets of stone.  5 YHWH descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the Name 6 "YHWH, LORD God,  merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in HESED/COVENTANT-LOYALTY and FAITHFULNESS 7 keeping/guarding HESED for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, punishing...  

8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 

9 Then he said if I have found favor/grace in Your sight, O Lord, 

let my Lord, I pray, go among us, 

even though we are a stiff-necked people; 

and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance" 

Comments from the Body

3. We are tempted not to love (be loyal/trust/obey) God 
when/because: 
- Our expectation of what is good is not aligned with God’s (plan/provision)
	which manifests itself when things don’t turn out the way we envisioned 
		(which we thought would be good) and we’re disappointed or don’t feel good 

I. Knowing the Person/Character of God. and His Past/Present/Future acts/promises leads us to fear, trust, and love Him

Comments from the Body

When am I tempted to not obey? (Jn 14:15)
when I don't consider His perspective, 
when it seems like He's withholding, 
when He seems distant, 
when I think His standard is unattainable, 
when I don't want to do what He's asking 
	because I think it won't be worth it 
Looks like lies are source of the temptation to not love God via obedience.
When He does not meet my expectations 
= > I doubt His ability and goodness / Upset at Him 
When I am prideful and rebellious
 	I think I know better than Him
When He takes away things from me 
	(e.g. loss of anything that is important to me)
When I encounter lots of obstacles and sufferings
	and He seems to not to care and not do anything about it.
Fear enables us to fully accept His love for us 
	then causes us to do what is right 
(“as He is , so we are in the world”) and promotes confidence (trust) 
		in what consequence our actions will reap 
		(exceeding riches of His grace over/versus torment). 
Doing what is right in God’s sight is an act of trust, 
	just as following the guide's orders 
	(doing what is right in his sight) is an act of trust 
	that it will reap the best experience in the pyramid tour!
Do you think it's accurate to say “to know God is to fear Him, 
	and then trust Him, which is to love Him.” 
("If you love me obey my commands” - obedience being an act of trust?)

II. Since God is infinitely good & sovereign, all His dealings with us are for our good [cx satan's lie Gen 3]

Ps 11:4 The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. 5 The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

7 For the LORD is righteous,

He loves righteousness;

His countenance beholds the upright.

1Pt 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 

who has begotten us again to a living hope 

thru the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4     to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled 

and that does not fade away, 

reserved in heaven for you,

5  who are kept by the power of God 

thru faith 

for salvation ready to be revealed 

in the last time.

6 greatly rejoice, tho now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,7 that the refining of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, tho it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Tho now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith --- the salvation of your souls.

Heb 2:8...But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, 

for the suffering of death 

crowned with glory and honor, 

that He, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.

10 fitting...in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

13 “I will put My trust in Him." 16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

Heb 12:7 If you endure chastening, 

God deals with you as with sons. 

Shall we not much more readily be in subjection 

to the Father of spirits and live? 

10 For they for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, 

but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 

11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, 

afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  

12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; 

lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau.

Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. 

Therefore be zealous and repent. {complacency; lukewarm}

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, 

I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, 

as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. 

Rev 21:6 And He said to me, "It is done! 

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. 

I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

Questions from the Body
How do I know if I'm cutting myself too much slack or not enough in trying to change an area?
When does "anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first" 
	become complacency and self-deception in striving for the standard?
God relents when we repent. 
	How can know if I'm experiencing active discipline 
		or just the ongoing consequences of my sin?
4. We are tempted not to love 
(be loyal/trust/obey) God when/because: 
- God’s taking too long to answer our prayers
	and we are driven to just act 
		because we don’t like waiting/leaving things undecided 
	or we are facing outside pressure from people 
	whose voices seem louder and more immediate than God's (cf Saul)
- We haven’t taken the time or made the effort to constantly renew our minds
	about what God wants and how we should be relating to Him as His servants 
	and let ourselves be filled with worldly mental junk food, or what comes naturally 

III. How to love God   

Comments from the Body
[sing His praises; obey; offer sacrifices; 
hesed (be covenantally loyal/faithful); 
give first fruits; spend time listening and talking; serving]

1Jn 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.  

Mal 1:2 "I have loved you," says Yahweh. 'what way have You loved us?' 

Was not Esau Jacob's brother? "Yet Jacob I have loved” (cf Lord of the Leftovers)    

Rm 5:8 God demonstrates His love toward us...while still sinners Christ died for us

We doubt God's love because He doesn't give us what we want, unaware that we are not giving Him what He wants (thus being unblessable).

1Chron 28:9 Sol know the God of your father, 

and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; 

for the LORD searches all hearts 

and understands all the intent of the thoughts. 

If you seek Him, He will be found by you; 

but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

2Chro 25:2 Amaziah did what was right in the sight of the LORD, 

but not with a loyal heart. Cx 16:9 eyes of Lord (1 Kings 11:4 Solomon)

Comments from the Body
5. Make daily choices to take the path which would help me be loyal / guard my ways Pr 3:5-6
    Humble myself before His Word and be willing to serve others  Phil 2
Look to how what I do or say affects His reputation Mt 5:16; 1Cor 10:31

2. Obedience: we can't have a relationship with God apart from total obedience to His will, which leaves no room for indulging our desires

Dt 7:9 Therefore know that the YHWH your God, He is God, 

the faithful God who keeps covenant and hesed for a 1000 generations 

with those who love Him and keep His commandments; 

10  and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. 

He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face. 

10:12 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, 

but to fear the LORD your God, 

to walk in all His ways 

and to love Him, 

to serve the LORD your God 

with all your heart and with all your soul...? Ex 20:6

Jn 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, 

it is he who loves Me. 

And he who loves Me 

will be loved by My Father, 

and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.  

14:15; 15:14 23 If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and...

Comments from the Body

6. Show that I trust Him by paying attention to what His Word says
	and by diligently pursuing His will/desire & commands 

(Don't love God when) We let ourselves believe obedience is a checklist and don’t give of ourselves wholeheartedly

3. Volitional Valuing: we must choose (synthetic happiness) to value what God values as our highest good and action/attitude determiner

1Jn 5:3 is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. 

And His commandments are not burdensome. (see value; empowered by grace)

Jer 7:22 day that I brought them out  23 But this is what I commanded them: 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.' 24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels   Pr 1:31 and the imaginations Ps 81:12 of their evil hearts 25 sent to you all My servants the prophets  26 Yet they did not obey Me nor incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. 27 you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you.  28 "So you shall say to them, 'This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth. Dt 29:20 hear curses but bless self...every curse...blot out

Comments from the Body
7. How we can actually express our love to God: 
- Quality Time:
	Take an interest in His interests