The Fear of the Lord

I'm going to interrupt our series on John's Gospel once again. It seemed that the Spirit was guiding me to preach on something different. So, today, we are once again taking a look at the Bible's teaching on the fear of the Lord. Some of you may remember that I preached on this once before. I looked it up. It was about three and a half years ago. That I am returning to this topic is simply the acknowledgement that I have learned some more since that time. And I have no doubt that I'll learn still some more about this in the years to come. And when I do I'm sure that the Spirit will once again let me know that it's time to preach on it again.

I'll be pointing to several texts, but here's one that captures the big point. Listen to Isaiah 66.

Thus says Yahweh: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? ​All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares Yahweh. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."

Note the dynamics of what God says. He describes Himself as the great and transcendent God who does not need anyone or any thing. And yet, He does have regard for one type of person: 'he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word'. This person knows that, in comparison to his Creator, he is small and insignificant, so he is humble. This person also knows that he is a sinner who has rebelled against this transcendent God, so he is contrite in spirit. But then, there is that third quality. This person understands something of the nature of reality, and so he trembles at what God says. This is the fear of the Lord. The great and transcendent God, the Creator who needs no one and nothing, has regard for the one who fears Him. And that's why I think that it is to your advantage to understand what this fear is all about, to understand it and to embrace it.

So, let's start with this. Words can be slippery. There is what they actually mean, and then there is how we hear them. So, the word 'fear' has a certain something about it. When we hear the word 'fear' we can easily include a sense of panic. So, something terrible has happened or is about to happen. And life is out of control because of that. The only sane response, we tell ourselves, is to run from the source of the fear or to try to hide from it. That running and hiding can be physical, but most of the time it is an emotional response. But hearing the word 'fear' in this way is why most folk don't understand this phrase, 'the fear of the Lord'. 'God wants us to run and hide from Him?' And that just doesn't make any sense.

So, let's change the words. Instead of talking about fear, let's talk about danger. There isn't the same baggage associated with that word. That's why it will work well here. At its heart, the fear of the Lord is an awareness of danger. And when someone understands what that danger is he can respond to it wisely. So, you and your family are enjoying a campfire in your backyard. It's time for the kids to roast some marshmallows for the s'mores. But there is the possibility of danger there. You don't panic, but you have certain rules to guide the kids when their marshmallows start to flame, and the youngest ones get special attention. You see danger, the possibility that something bad could happen. So, you respond to it wisely and, as a result, you and yours are kept safe while having some fun.

So, let's not talk about fear. Let's talk about being aware of danger so that you might respond wisely to it. There is the possibility of danger for anyone in relationship to God - and everyone is in some sort of relationship with their Creator. Those who understand this will respond wisely to that danger so that they can enjoy that relationship with God.

And that's what's going on when the Scriptures call us to fear our God.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

Those are from the OT. And here are some from the NT.

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

         

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile …

We are called to fear. That is, we are called to be aware of the danger, the possibility that something bad might happen, and to respond to that wisely. Failure to do that will lead to dire consequences.

And now a question. Danger of what? You know all about the danger of a campfire. But what is the danger when it comes to your God? Listen to Paul.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

The day will come when your life will be evaluated, and it will be evaluated by Jesus Himself. And based on how well you have followed Jesus, you will be rewarded or suffer loss. There is danger here. Be aware and respond wisely.

Some will think to themselves, 'Well, at least I'll still make it to heaven and avoid hell.' But as I've told you before, that's not necessarily true. So, there's this from the author of Hebrews as he addresses 'brothers', that is, fellow Christians.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

There is danger here. Be aware and respond wisely. This is not a call to panic. That will do no good. It is a call to stop and think. It is a call to understand reality and to proceed wisely.

Some may think it unwise for me to speak like this. After all I may upset some and cause others to doubt their faith. But, to be honest, those are some things that I want to do. One of the great evils in American Christianity these days is presumption. So many are confident that they are on their way to heaven. But they are confident without good reason. So, those who just assume their souls are safe need to be shaken up. They need to be awakened to the danger so that they might see reality clearly and respond wisely. There are, of course, those who do believe but without much assurance. So, speaking about the danger may cause them to doubt and that might lead to greater problems. But allowing this sort of thing - Christians without much assurance - to continue will not advance Jesus' cause. Remember, the goal is not to get a bunch of people into heaven. The goal is to change the world by the Gospel. So, it's good to call people to re-consider the quality of their faith - or the lack of true faith. The danger, after all, is real. And those with a faith solidly built on the Gospel will be encouraged by this because they will see once again that working to understand reality and then responding wisely is worth it.

The danger, however, is not only in the future, when your lives will be evaluated. It also affects you now. And this is where I get into what is, for me, relatively new territory. It has to do with God's favor. I mentioned this in a recent adult Sunday School class. First, a couple of verses. This is from Luke.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

Then there is this is from Peter.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Three things increased as Jesus grew up: wisdom, stature and favor. Peter commands the saints to grow in one of those three, though the translation hides which. The word translated 'favor' in Luke is translated 'grace' in Peter's letter. So, Peter calls you to grow in favor with God just as Jesus did. Now, what does that mean? Think OT. Do you remember those times when the text uses the language of 'favor'?

So the Yahweh said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.

And then, there is also this.

Moses said to Yahweh, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.”

Somehow Noah and Moses have distinguished themselves. They have found favor in God's eyes. And, as a result, God acts. He does something to them. To use church words, He blesses them. Noah is blessed in that he is kept safe from the coming flood. And Moses is blessed in that he gets to see something of God's glory. Finding favor in God's eyes leads to blessing. God does good to such people.

But the reverse is also true. Failing to find favor in God's eyes also has results. At the very least, it will mean failing to be blessed by God. God will not do you good. And it just might mean being cursed by Him. God just might do you evil. If you doubt me, you should read Deuteronomy 28 and put it together with some of those NT passages that I quoted earlier. Blessing and cursing - both are possible for you.

Have you ever wondered why some Christians seem to be thriving? They have a quiet confidence in their God even in the midst of great trouble. Their prayer life is real. They really do love. In so many ways they know their God and are enjoying Him. They are thriving as people. But then, there are some other Christians you've met. These are anything but thriving. Their lives are filled with chaos instead of peace. They complain about how hard life is. Prayer is a perpetual - and fruitless - struggle for them. And God doesn't seem quite real in their lives. They just aren't doing at all well.

So, why the difference? Here's one possible answer: some Christians understand the danger and respond to it wisely. As a result, they find favor in God's eyes. They are blessed. God sees how they are living and He acts. He does them good. Other Christians do not fear the Lord. They do not understand that there is danger so that they might respond wisely. As a result, they do not find favor in His eyes. And, at the very least, they miss out on God's blessings. In fact, they just might miss out on heaven.

There is danger - real danger - for this life as well as for the next. And that is because the Father responds to your choices. Those who understand this, who understand that there is danger and what that involves, choose more wisely. They fear the Lord, and it shows.

Let me slip something in at this point. There are some who hear all of this and become confused. 'Wait a minute! I hear what you're saying about danger and fear and all that. But doesn't the Bible teach that God loves His children. Something is wrong here. All this talk about fear can't be right.' This raises the right question. How can the Father's love and this fear of the Lord both be true? There is an assumption being made here: love and fear can't go together. Is that true? It can't be. Both love and fear are taught in the Scriptures. So, somehow, they can go together. And they do. I love my kids. I have always had a deep affection for each one, something that has only increased over the years. They knew this when they were growing up. And yet, back in the day when they were young, if I were to take one of them aside and tell him or her in no uncertain terms, 'Now, this is what I want you to do. Do you understand?', they knew enough to be aware of danger. Failure to obey me just might result in a spanking with that back scratcher that I kept handy upstairs. And most of the time, being aware of the danger, they responded wisely. They did what I told them. Did that contradict my affection for them? Did it diminish their certainty of that affection? Absolutely not! Your heavenly Father is a much better father to His children than I was to mine. His love for you is a perfect love with incredibly deep affection. But does that remove the need to be aware of the danger when He says to you, 'Now, this is what I want you to do. Do you understand?' The fear of the Lord is in no way an obstacle to enjoying His love. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Those who fear Him wisely get to enjoy His love the most.

Because He loves you the Father wants to see you thrive. He wants you to enjoy real life. He wants you to gain His favor and thus be blessed. But gaining that favor is not automatic. You must choose wisely. Your choices do not earn His favor. They simply show whether you really want it. You have choices to make. And the reality of the danger affects those choices.

So, consider this: Matthew records Jesus sending out the twelve to preach and heal and cast out demons. He tells them that it will be hard. There will be resistance and persecution to the point of arrest, painful torture and even death. He then warns them,

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Understand what is going on here. The question is not whether you will fear. Everybody is motivated by what they fear. The question is whom or what will you fear. The twelve had a choice when confronted by their persecutors. They could fear 'those who kill the body' or they could fear 'him who can destroy both soul and body in hell'. Everyone knows that there is danger. Not fearing is not an option. The question is what someone will choose to fear.

Let's update that scenario. The same principles apply, but the details are different. Here is some Christian. He has been told that it's a good idea to have a buffer for bad times. Part of that buffer is so many months worth of salary in the bank. It's a response to the possibility of danger. One day the Spirit speaks to our friend. He tells him to do something that will require him to have significantly less than the optimum amount of money in the bank. That's not because having savings is wrong. It's just that the Spirit has something special that He wants our friend to do. It's just like Jesus having something special for the twelve to do. So, just like the twelve, our Christian friend has a choice. And the choice is not whether he should be aware of danger. It's not about deciding to fear or not. The question is about what or whom to fear. Our friend needs to ask himself, 'Which danger is greater - taking what looks like a financial risk or refusing to obey the Spirit?' Being in that situation will reveal the heart of our Christian friend. Responding wisely will mean that our friend will choose to fear God and do what the Spirit has called him to do. And as he does that he will grow in favor with God. And that always leads to blessing. But failure to choose wisely will have its own kind of results.

So, let’s step back and look at what we’ve got. Consider a worst case scenario. There’s this Christian whose life is a wreck. Chaos everywhere. Lots of bad habits. Lots of bad choices. What a mess! But one day he gets it. He understands where the real danger is. He understands the fear of the Lord in a way that he hadn't before. So, what does he do? He sees the danger but has no wisdom. He has no idea of how to get out of the mess that he is in. So, what does he do? He prays, 'Father, I've messed things up. I've made lots of really bad choices. But now, I can see that. I can see the danger. Thank You for showing me. But I have no idea what to do. How do I get out of this mess? Father, help me.' Now, what's this prayer? How shall we label it? It's the beginning of wisdom. The goal isn't to get it right all the time. You won't. The goal is to want to get it right. And that desire will show in your prayers. Cry out for grace. That is what Jesus' coming is all about. Cry out for grace. Responding wisely is impossible without it.

The sermon’s over. Now, the ball's in your court. You're going to need to do some work. You're going to need to think about the things that I've just told you. You're going to need to think about danger and favor and choices. You're going to need to think about what they look like in the particulars of your life. If you do not do that then a question should be asked. Has listening to a sermon become for you an empty religious ritual? There is danger in allowing that to happen. So, be aware of the danger. Respond wisely. And I cannot help but think that at the heart of that response is prayer for grace.