The Proof
(of the Fear of the Lord)
Sermon 3 in Fear of the Lord series
Eccl. 12:13
Dale Rooks, a school crossing guard in Florida, tried everything to get cars to slow down through the school zone. But nothing worked…until he took a blow dryer and wrapped it in electrical tape, making it look like a radar gun.
Dale just points the thing at cars, and it’s incredible how quickly they hit the brakes.
"It’s almost comical," Dale says. "It’s amazing how well it works."
Citation: The Connection newsletter, ChristianityToday.com (9-8-04)
REVIEW: The fear of the Lord is to have an appropriate awe and respect for God’s holiness and power, and to hate evil as God hates it.
But how do we know if we really are living in the fear of the Lord? If we OBEY Him.
(From -Obedience – the Proof of Your Fear of the Lord June 4/5, 2005 Don Jaques)
13 Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
We have examined the fear of the Lord the past few weeks. But it difficult to get a handle on it. How do I really know if I am living in the fear of the Lord or not. How can I tell how afraid of God I am? To what degree am I to fear him, and to what degree am I to love him. There is one air tight proof of the fear of the Lord being operational in your life. It will guarantee you will not be fooled thinking you fear him when you don’t. Strangely it is the same proof of Love for the Lord in your life. What is it? Obedience. In Eccl 12:13 the word of God declares... You can tell for sure if you fear him, if you do what he says. Let me use a story from the pages of sacred scripture to illustrate the truths we have been learning about the fear of the Lord. 1 Kings 12
I Jereboams Story 1 Kings 11-12
A. Prophet announces that he will be the next King 11:29-39
B. Flees for his life to Egypt 11:40
C. Becomes King of Israel
D. Fears he will lose the kingdom to Rehoboam 12:26–27
-he made up his future in fear
-but God gave him the kingdom
-When they go to worship they will return
E. Sins Horribly setting up idols because of fear of man
-his counselors advised
-he set up two golden calves (He forgot what happened the first time)
-Rationale -“It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem” (Covers his fear and makes it sound like he has their interests in mind”
“These are the gods who brought you out of Egypt” v28
II Jereboam’s Judgement
A. A Prophet sent to pronounce judgement 13:1
1. A Prophesy against the altar and pagan Priests v 2
-occurred 300 years later 2 kings 23:1-20
2. A Sign to prove the prophesy v3
-altar will split and ashes pour out
B. Jereboam tries to Stop the Prophet
1. Yells “seize him”
2. God paralyzes his arm
3. Altar cracked just like Prophet said
C. Jereboam fears God and cries for help v6
1. Prayer restores it
2. He offers meal at the Palace
-meal and gifts were often used in the treaty or covenant making process p370 Bible Background OT)
3. The man of God refused to make peace with Jereboam 8-10 (Obeys in Fear)
4. He feared God more than the disapproval of the king of Israel
There’s Always Obedience
Ron R. was discussing the fragility of many marriages with his girlfriend and posed the following question, “What if you wake up one morning and don’t love me anymore?”
She immediately responded, “There’s always obedience.”
Source unknown
III The Prophets Judgement 13:11-
A. A New Temptation (from inside the church-people of faith)
B. He refused again fearing God more than the disapproval of the Prophetv16
C. Temptation knocks again (Comes the third time in spiritual way) v18
-I’m a prophet .. An angel gave me this message from the Lord
John Bevere said he visited Jim Bakker in prison and Jim told him that his experience brought about a change of heart. He experienced Jesus as Master for the first time. He lost his family, ministry, everything he owned, and then found Jesus. He said, "John, this prison is not God’s judgement on my life but his mercy. I believe if I had continued on the path I was on, I would have ended up in hell!" He also said, “I always loved Jesus, yet he was not my Lord, and there are millions of Americans just like me”. Jim Bakker’s board encouraged him in greed and sin, and they were in the church. (page 82, The Fear of the Lord, John Bevere)
D. Prophet gives in v19
-lying prophet gets a real message - “Death for Disobedience”
In the well-known story of Jonah, he is given the instruction to head Northeast to Ninevah and preach repentance to them. Instead, he boards a ship heading southwest. While on board he has the audacity to say this in verse 1:9.
Jonah 1:9 (NASV) He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.”
Jonah says he fears the Lord, but his lack of fear of the Lord is shown through his disobedience. The consequences for him included endangering the entire crew of the ship, and eventually being swallowed by a great fish. When finally he comes to his senses, repents, and acts in accordance with his professed fear, God delivers him.
We don’t want to be like Jonah. God doesn’t want us to be like Jonah. He wants to
see us obey him when he gives us instructions, not because of what the instruction is, but because of WHO HE IS.
E. Prophet Dies on the way home 13:23-26
Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach who led the Dallas Cowboys to the World Championship in ‘71 admitted that his position as a quarterback who didn’t call his own signals was a source of trial for him. Coach Landry sent in every play. He told Roger when to pass, when to run and only in emergency situations could he change the play (and he had better be right!). Even though Roger considered coach Landry to have a “genius mind” when it came to football strategy, pride said that he should be able to run his own team.
Roger later said, “I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory.”
Conclusion: Many in the Church are Mislead
Jesus said many will think they are going to heaven, and on the day of judgement.
Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name? And done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare unto them I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness! Matt. 7:22-23
Therefore, by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heave. Matt. 7:20-21
p121 The Devils Door
RE READ ECCL. 12:13
13 Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. The Proof is Obedience.
It had been a good day in Mosul, Iraq. Five So. Baptist workers were making progress toward a water purification project. They had met with officials and laughed with new Iraqi friends. They were headed home for a night’s rest before starting again the next morning. But they never made it home. Karen Watson, 38, along with Larry and Jean Elliot died that evening as Iraqi extremists sprayed bullets in to their passing truck. Later, among her things, a letter was found written by Karen to be opened after her death. In it she said, among other things, “To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, .... His glory is my reward.”8 “To obey was my objective.” And that kind of radical obedience should be the objective of very Christian
Lately I have been listening to the words of some dead Christian heroes—not by way of a tape player or an iPod, but by reading their classic books. It has made me realize that the church today is dangerously close to forgetting the past.
Their names are probably familiar to you. Andrew Murray. Charles Spurgeon. Fanny Crosby. Watchman Nee. A.W. Tozer. William Seymour. Corrie ten Boom. Leonard Ravenhill.
These people knew a spiritual depth that is on the verge of extinction. They challenged the Christians of their generation to embrace repentance and humility. They understood a realm of spiritual maturity and godly character that few of us today even aspire to obtain. What was their secret?
They considered brokenness, selflessness and sacrifice the crowning virtues of the Christian journey. They called the church to die to selfishness, greed and ambition. They knew what it means to carry a "burden" for lost souls. They challenged God’s people to pursue obedience—even if obedience hurts.
Even their hymns reflected a level of consecration that is foreign in worship today. They sang often of the cross and its wonder. Their lyrics focused on the blood and its power. They sang words of heart-piercing conviction: "My richest gain I count but loss / And pour contempt on all my pride / Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast / Save in the death of Christ, My God."
In so many churches today the cross isn’t mentioned and the blood is avoided. Worship is a canned performance that involves rhythm and orchestration but offers no substance. We produce music that is trendy but lacks heart and cannot evoke tears. In the books Christians buy today you will find little mention of brokenness. That isn’t what sells. We are not interested in a life that might require suffering, patience, purging or the discipline of the Lord. We want our blessings and we want them now. So we look for the discounted brand of Christian self-help that is quick and painless. J. Lee Grady (Charisma Magazine Sept. 2006)
Title: Stand Up and Be Counted
Some years ago Premier Khrushchev was speaking before the Supreme Soviet and was severely critical of the late Premier Stalin. While he was speaking someone from the audience sent up a note: "What were you doing when Stalin committed all these atrocities?"
Khrushchev shouted, "Who sent up that note?" Not a person stirred.
"I’ll give him one minute to stand up!" The seconds ticked off. Still no one moved.
"All right, I’ll tell you what I was doing. I was doing exactly what the writer of this note was doing--exactly nothing! I was afraid to be counted!"
--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 128.
Afraid of the Right Things
One fear puts all others in proper perspective.
Ruth Graham
June 14, 2007
This article originally appeared as one of Ruth Graham’s By the Way columns in the March 4, 1983 issue of Christianity Today.
The shot through the rattlesnake’s head had all but demolished it. The rattler was still twisting on the driveway as the family gathered around to see the latest snake kill. One of the dogs eased forward to finish it off, and the snake struck again. The dog jumped back.
Then one of the grandchildren reached out to touch it. Bill grabbed him and held him back, explaining how deadly even a dead snake can be. The young grandson, totally without fear, was determined to grab its tail. Again the mangled head struck out. The boy jumped back, getting the message. Rattlesnakes and copperheads, the only two poisonous snakes in our region, are to be feared.
"Education," wrote Angelo Patri, "consists in being afraid of the right things."
We taught our children to be careful with matches and to be respectful of open fire; fear of house fires and forest fires prompts sensible precautions. We also taught the children never to run into the street without first carefully looking both ways; a proper fear of cars is also legitimate—as are accepting rides from strangers, using unprescribed drugs, not wearing helmets when riding motorcycles, breaking the law, and dishonoring one’s parents or one’s country.
There is one grand, noble fear we are taught from Genesis to Revelation. It is "the fear of the Lord." This is more than "being scared of" though there is a hit of that in it, too. It is "a reverential trust," not only a fear of offending, but a loving to the point one would not want to offend.
"In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge" (Prov. 14:26).
J. Lee Grady
Two profound characteristics marked the Welsh revival: First, invisible waves of conviction drew people to repentance. (Often sinners wandered into the meetings and immediately knelt at the altars.) Second, Christians felt an urgency to share Christ with everyone around them because of the reality of hell and God’s judgment. They seemed almost possessed by the love of God for the lost.
In his meetings Roberts often shared a four-point plan for living the Christian life: (1) confess all known sin; (2) deal with and get rid of anything “doubtful” in your life; (3) be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly; and (4) confess Christ publicly.
