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)
If these godly men, who knew God, walked with God, and lived a godly life, were so filled with godly fear that it terrified them to the core of their soul, what will become of those who do not fear God and suddenly find themselves face to face with a holy and righteous God of might and majesty. That’s why this truth is so vitally important.
So first, the fear of God is to know that God, is a God of majesty and glory and power and that He has the full power and authority to judge us. This is what must never forget…
SECOND, THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS TO HATE SIN AND EVIL
Second, the fear of God is to see sin and evil the same way God sees them.
Proverbs 8 gives us a picture of what this looks like.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; NKJV …to hate evil…
Not hate your neighbor, or your taxes, or your boss, but to hate evil… Compare that with…
Proverbs 3:7 …Fear the LORD and depart from evil. NKJV
The best definition for the fear of God; is, to love what God loves, and to hate what God hates. For example… God loves… righteousness. He loves truth. He loves faithfulness. He loves obedience. And most importantly, He loves you and He loves those who fear Him and honor Him with godly living. These are the things God loves.
But what does God hate? The Bible very clearly tells us that God hates sin and evil, which means we are to hate evil just as God does. For example, Romans 1, and 2 Timothy 3 describe the kind of sin and evil that God hates. Proverbs 6 also defines what God hates.
Proverbs 6:16 These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud
look, A lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. NKJV
There is no ignoring that each one of these factors are happening in our society and across the world on a massive scale so big, that it is shocking to me that God has not yet brought His terrifying judgment upon America and the world. Why? Because He is giving us one last chance to repent. But that time is running out and judgment is coming for those who do not fear God.
The sad truth is that the average American does not fear God, at all. And that is a real scary thought. The Bible says when a nation rejects God’s righteous truths, and does not fear God, that nation will not only decline, but will be overrun with wickedness and evil. And that is exactly what is happening, not only in America, but all over the world.
Isaiah 5:20 describes the conditions of a society that fails to fear God and rejects His truths.
Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; (That’s a people who do not fear God) Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight! NKJV
These words perfectly describe the spiritual condition of our society. The whole world has turned so far away from God, that we now call what God says is evil, as good, and what God says is good, as evil. And that… is why evil and lawlessness is growing.
Another scary point is that when a society does not fear God, nothing is sacred. Nothing… A society that does not fear God, will not fear to commit evil, and lawlessness and violence.
For example; If abortionist truly knew that on the other side of eternity, they would meet God face to face and answer for their mass murder of children, they would never do what they do. But they continue in their evil because they have no fear of God…
If Hamas and those who hold to the false tenants of Islam knew the great terror of one day standing before a Jewish Carpenter, and answering to Him for how they treated His chosen people, Israel, they would not dare touch a hair on the head of the Jewish people.
If people knew the terrifying price of persecuting and killing Christians because they love Jesus Christ, such as the killing of 8,000 Christians in Nigeria, they would not dare harm a believer. But they continue their evil because have no fear of God…
If Christians knew the severity of how they would be held accountable for how they treated God’s people, Israel, and for how they treated His holy word, they would not dare do the things they do. But they do it because… they have no fear of God…
All the evil and lawlessness you see in the world today is because the world does not fear God, and does not believe God will hold them accountable. Consider this…
It is the fear of God that keeps a nation from sinking into a moral sewer of immorality.
It is the fear of God that holds back the hand of God’s judgment.
When I see the immorality of our nation; and when I see Christians living like the world, with no fear of God; and when I see the apathic attitude of the body of Christ with no hunger for God, I tremble in godly fear because I know from God’s word that when a people no longer fear God, judgment will come. I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s the truth that we can not overlook.
This is why the church must lead the way to repentance and the fear of God.
THE LORD REMEMBERS THOSE WHO FEAR HIM…
Some may ask, what good is it to fear God? The most obvious reason is because God commands us to fear Him with respect and love and devotion. But there are also other reasons. For example… God promises to remember those who fear Him with special rewards.
Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; (God hears those who fear Him.) So, a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. 17 "They shall be Mine," says the Lord of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewel…NKJV
God loves those who fear Him and He says a special book of remembrance will be written about
those who fear Him. When God measures your life and sees that you feared Him more than the world, He promises on that day, He will reward you with great rewards and make you His special possession and says… "On the day that I make them My jewel.”
In God’s eyes, those who fear Him are more precious than the world’s most beautiful jewel.
This is just one of the many great rewards God has reserved for those who fear Him.
Another great reason why you should fear God is that it has the ability to spare your life.
Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death. NKJV (There is both a spiritual and physical application here.)
How can the fear of God turn you away from the snares of death and preserve your life?
The answer is, when you truly fear God, you will choose to obey God, and your obedience to God has the ability to spare your life from sin and destruction. For example…
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. NKJV
It is interesting that Jesus said… as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the end of the age. We are literally seeing that prophecy happen in our lifetime. In the days of Noah there was no fear of God, and we all know how that worked out.
God commanded Noah to build an ark on dry land because God said He was going to destroy the world with a flood. Noah feared God, and because he knew God meant what He said, Noah immediately began building an ark.
For 120 years while building the ark, Noah preached to the masses and got no results. No one believed him. They did not fear God and they did not believe that God had the power to judge them and hold them accountable. That same attitude is rampant in our society.
But that did not stop Noah from fearing God and obeying Him. Noah feared God more than he feared people’s opinions. And because Noah feared God, and obeyed Him, Noah and his family was spared from the judgment of God. Again, your fear of God can spare your life.
IN CLOSING…
In closing, how do we live a godly life that fears the Lord?
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy
One is understanding. NKJV
Look at the word beginning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning, the starting point, for godly wisdom and godly knowledge. To live a godly life in an ungodly world, we must have godly wisdom and godly knowledge, but... you cannot attain godly wisdom and knowledge without the fear of God. But how do we do that?
First, you must choose to fear God.
Proverbs 1:28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD… NKJV
God will not force you to follow Him, or to fear Him. You must choose to walk in the fear of God. God will only reveal Himself to those who fear Him and obey Him. If you desire this, then ask God to give you His heavenly wisdom of how to live a godly life that fears Him.
Second, study scriptures that teach you how to fear God. And then, day by day, begin living out those
commands and promises in your daily life. Show God you are serious about obeying His commands
to live a godly life that fears Him.
Third, examine your heart, and if you have not lived in a way that fears God, then today, at this moment, you need to repent, and begin today to live in the wisdom of fearing God…
