May 4, 2015 - A. V. Rauf
Where is the Fear of the Lord? (Part 3)
Thousands press into the things of God when suffering lack. God blesses them and they come out of poverty. There is a test however after lack and that’s in how you handle what the LORD blesses you with. Scripture declares not to forget the Lord after he prospers you.
Deuteronomy 8:17-19—And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
It’s evident that others don’t reverence God after prospering because now they don’t need anything from Him. There are hundreds of examples that could be listed. The bottom line is we must cultivate a reverence for the things of God if we are ever going to experience the fullness of the Holy Ghost in our lives, families and churches.
The fear of the Lord can be fear, terror, dread, respect, worship, adoration, or reverence. Let’s take a look at the opposite of the fear of the Lord which is:
- Contempt
- Disdain
- Disrespect
- Scorn
- Rejection
- Offense
- Rudeness
Interesting list and much can be said about each of the above, but let’s examine how the fear of God pertains to other related topics of interest:
Fear And Sovereignty
In Scripture and experience, the fear of God is closely linked to the revelation of His sovereignty.
Job 23:13-16 (NIV) “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases. He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store. That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.”
Fear And Wisdom
Ps 111:10 (KJV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Proverbs 9:10 (KJV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Fear And Sin
John 15:2 (KJV) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
2 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV) Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Prov 8:13 (KJV) The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Fear And Repentance
Prov 16:6 (KJV)—By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
Job 28:28 (KJV) And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Fear And Blessings
Psalm 25:12-14 (KJV)—What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
Prov 14:26-27 (KJV) He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
Ps 34:9 (KJV) O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
Prov .19:23 (KJV) The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
Fear And Punishment
Rom 11:22 (Amplified) Then note and appreciate the gracious kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s gracious kindness to you—provided you continue in His grace and abide in His kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off (pruned away).
One of the ways we fear God is to fear punishment. This kind of godly fear will taper off as we are perfected in love. But for now, the fear of God will keep us from evil.
1 Jn 3:2 (NIV) Dear friends, now we are children of God…
Prov 22:15 (NIV) Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.
Prov 3:11-12 (Amplifie) —My son, do not despise or shrink from the chastening of the Lord [His correction by punishment or by subjection to suffering or trial]; neither be weary of or impatient about or loathe or abhor His reproof, For whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
Ps 23:4 (NIV) …your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Fear And Love
The fear of the Lord may be the beginning of wisdom, but the end is love. Love is our hope, our goal, our sure destiny as believers. If we are obedient, we will get close to it while still in this world. In the meantime, we fear now, because none of us is yet without sin or perfect in love.
1 John 4:17-18— 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. 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 Peter 1:17 (KJV)—And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
Ps 118:4 (NIV) Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.”
The Wrong Kind Of Fear: Shrinking Back
“Too good to be true,” we say. This saying illuminates a deep human wound, for we have been burned by every one of our false gods and false loves and false hopes, or soon will be. Since everything else but God really is a sham, our instincts have been trained into suspicion. We hold back, we hedge, we plot our retreat, we lower our expectations. So when we encounter God–who alone is worthy of our trust–we shrink back in the one moment, with the one person, in the one hope that we should abandon ourselves to. Indeed, our wound is serious. Who will heal us? This ought not be. Ive always said that whenever we miss it, we need to run to God as opposed to running away from God:
Hebrews 4:16—Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
The Terrifying Love Of God
Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV) …continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
We should not fear that God will let us down, or that He is not faithful, or just, or forgiving. In fact, His intense determination to make us holy (so that we can be with Him forever) is cause for the right kind of godly fear: that He will NOT quit sanctifying us when, in our opinion, we are good enough. God is the ultimate perfectionist, and He will get what He wants. And if that is us, it is fearful to realize just how far He will go. He is the potter, and He intends vessels of holiness.
So we need not fear that God will fail us or give up on us, but rather that He is indeed faithful to finish what He has started.
Heb 10:31 (KJV) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
To Encounter The Living God, Then And Now
Heb 12:18-24 (KJV)— For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Hebrews 12:25-29 (KJV)— See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.
Ps 19:9 (NIV) The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
A well known theologian said the following:
“I would like to suggest that the Church become a place of terror again; a place where God continually has to tell us, “Fear not”; a place where our relationship with God is not a simple belief or a doctrine or theology, it is God’s burning presence in our lives. I am suggesting that the tame God of relevance be replaced by the God whose very presence shatters our egos into dust, burns our sin into ashes, and strips us naked to reveal the real person within. The Church needs to become a gloriously dangerous place where nothing is safe in God’s presence except us. Nothing–including our plans, our agendas, our priorities, our politics, our money, our security, our comfort, our possessions, our needs.
I believet hat the following verses basically sum it all up:
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 (NLT)—Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. 10 The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.[a] The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd[b] drives the sheep. But, my child,[c] let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
May the true reverential fear of the Lord be in your life, mine and in our churches today.