The Measure Of Our Fear Of God Series

THE MEASURE OF OUR FEAR OF GOD

This morning, we continue our sermon series with today’s message, ‘Measuring Our Fear of God.’ In this series, we have seen that in measuring our lives for eternity, God will measure things like our obedience, and love for Him. But one of the most pivotal points of how God will measure our greatness for eternity is the depth of our love to fear God.

The fear of God is one of the great truths in God’s word and yet, sadly, in our generation the fear of God has become a lost concept.

The lawlessness and evil we see exploding in our society can be directly traced to our rejection of God and our lack of fear for God. Bible prophecy reveals it is this rejection of God’s truth and our lack of fear for God that will ultimately bring terrible judgment and usher in the reign of the antichrist. That’s exactly what is happening in the world today.

To fear God is so important that Jesus said…

Matthew 10:28 do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him (God) who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. NKJV

God’s word commands us to fear Him. It is not an option. This powerful truth should cause us to pause and examine ourselves to see if we truly fear God. If you desire to live a godly life, and fulfill your God given purpose, then you must have a heart that fears God.

Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. NKJV

Psalm 128:1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. NKJV

FEAR THE LORD

The Biblical truth to fear God is one of the most important truths in God’s word, and is the single most important ingredient missing in the church. When God measures your life, He will measure to see if you feared Him more than you fear men. He will measure to see if you feared Him enough to obey Him and live for Him in a society that hates God and loves evil.

The fear of God can be divided many ways, but there are two powerful concepts that stand out.

First, the fear of God is to recognize that God is the All-knowing, Almighty, All-powerful God of heaven and earth, and that He has the absolute power to do exactly as He says He will do. There are many who do not believe that God has that kind of power. The attitude in our society is that they can live any way they want because God cannot and will not hold them accountable for their sinful living. In other words, they have absolutely no fear of God.

Bible prophecy says that in the last days many will fall away from the truth, and have no fear of God. In these last days there are two types of churches. There is the true body of Christ, that loves God and fears God, and there is also a false church that rejects God and does not fear God, and that type of church is growing in America. (Video Clip)

Because the fear of God is missing in the church, and is most certainly missing in our society, it is no wonder that lawlessness abounds…

Picture in the theater of your mind, the children of Israel on the slopes of Mount Sinai. The summit of the mountain is glowing with a fiery red glow by the awesome presence of God’s glory. Dark clouds with flashes of lightning pierce the sky. The sound of heavenly trumpets are so loud the entire mountain shakes like an earthquake in the presence of God’s majesty and power. The people of Israel trembled

in great terror and fear, because they knew they were in the presence of a mighty God. (Exodus 19)

That’s what the church has forgotten… That’s what the church needs to get back too…

THOSE WHO FEARED GOD…

Consider that when an Old Testament or New Testament Saint encountered the living God, they were truly filled with a holy terror. For example…

Moses was so terrified at the burning bush that he hid his face. Exodus 3:6

Ezekiel saw an appearance of the glorified Lord and fell on his face in great terror. (Ezekiel 1:28)

Daniel also saw an appearance of the glorified Lord and fell on his face in terror. (Daniel 8:17)

Isaiah saw the Lord and was terrified because he looked upon a Holy God. (Isaiah 6)

John the Beloved was one of Jesus’ closest friends. He walked with the Lord and spent years of faithful service to Christ. Yet when he encountered the resurrected, Lord of glory on the island of Patmos, John was so terrified he fell to the ground like a dead man. (Revelation 1)