Fear The Lord / Part 2

Uplook – May 2016 — Grace & Truth Magazine

Fear The LORD
Part Two

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” —Proverbs 9:10 NKJV

Last month we saw that when we fear the Lord we will recognize Him as the Creator, Master and Father. It is the beginning of wisdom and it motivates us to holiness – impacting every area of our life.

Working It All Out
Philippians 2:12 exhorts us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” What does that mean? I believe it has the thought of reverence, having a deep concern for His holiness to be seen in my life. Its effect will be seen – displaying the glory of Christ – when worshiping with other believers, raising our children and sharing Christ in evangelism.

Sometimes we don’t hold the right view of the Lord Jesus Christ or God, being occupied with love and grace at the expense of holiness and righteousness. In Revelation 19:15 John described the Lord Jesus Christ when He will return at His second coming: “Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (NKJV). Notice four parts of this terrible picture of God’s judgment on those who do not repent:

• God is almighty, having all the power in the universe. Not a mere world ruler, He is the Almighty!
• The almighty God will pour out His wrath. He is not only a God of love, but of holiness, justice and wrath.
• His wrath is fierce, not quiet disapproval. It is furiously angry opposition.
• Perhaps most terrible, Jesus Himself is pictured as treading the winepress of His fury. This suggests that at His coming those who rebelled and did not repent will be like grapes under the feet of the fierceness of Christ, crushed until their blood runs like wine from the press.

Godly Trembling
Such a picture ought to produce a proper fear and trembling in the life of a Christian. Listen to several passages of Scripture that show this godly trembling:

• “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the God of Jacob” (Ps. 114:7).
• “My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments” (Ps. 119:120).
• “On this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isa. 66:2).
• “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).

If we know the Lord – really know Him for who He is in the greatness of His holiness, justice, wrath and grace – we will tremble in His presence. This is not something we will outgrow. In fact, we must grow into it.

The Two Meanings Of “Fear Not”
But doesn’t the Bible teach us not to fear? Aren’t there many commands like “Fear not, I am with you.” Let’s consider a few Scriptures.

First, read Matthew 10:28: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” In other words, “Don’t fear man, fear God.” Tremble at the prospect of distrusting God rather than displeasing man. Listen to Isaiah: “Do not ... be afraid ... nor be troubled. The LORD of hosts ... let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. He will become a sanctuary” (Isa. 8:12-14). By fearing God, you will have a sanctuary in Him from wrath (See Exodus 20:18-21).

Second, if you are His child fear God as One who was once your enemy and is still infinite in power and holiness. Consider Psalm 130:3-4: “If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O LORD, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” Once our iniquities laid before us like a terrible chasm. We cried, “Who can stand?” Then we were snatched by grace – sovereign grace alone – and now we are free. We are forgiven! We tremble, not because God is our enemy, but because He was our enemy. Oh, how terrible it would have been if He had not saved us.

In the forgiven, heaven-bound, eternally secure, Spirit-indwelt Christian life there is a proper fear and trembling that transforms everything!

Worshiping With Other Believers
Corporate worship is the experience of coming together with believers, consciously before the face of God. Here, if anywhere in the Christian life, there should be a proper fear and trembling. Consider how the Bible connects worship and the fear of the Lord:

• “Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth” (Ps. 96:9).
• “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water” (Rev. 14:7).
• “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested” (Rev. 15:4).

Here is a great fear-transforming reality, and it explains why Christians sing with joy in worship while others do not. Fear and trembling are because God saved us from His wrath through Christ. Now we stand viewing His holiness, justice, grace and wrath with unspeakable wonder, overcome with worship at the depth of His majesty.

Listen to what the Bible says:

• “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Ps. 2:11).
• “His delight is in the fear of the LORD” (Isa. 11:3).
• “O Lord ... let Your ear be attentive to the prayer ... of Your servants who desire to fear Your name” (Neh. 1:11).

This fear is what the saints fully delight to experience. Those who have seen and savored the greatness of God can never trivialize worship.

There should be a sense of His holy presence when we come together. Individually, Ananias and Sapphira lost the sense of His presence (Acts 5:1-11). As a gathering, the Corinthians also lost it and for that reason many had fallen asleep (1 Cor. 11:30). We need to cultivate the sense of His presence among us, fully realizing the truth that “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20). That sense needs to be a power that transforms us!

Raising Our Children
Knowing the Lord for who He really is will cause us to tremble in His presence even within our family. Being a father I should be the kind of parent who helps my children tremble with joy in the presence of God. As fathers, we need to take our place as the special representative of God in our family and display who God is, helping them to know Him. In this our children will delight to fear us.

If my children only fear me as their father, without any delight, it is wrong and useless. If they only delight and do not fear me, the relationship is badly flawed. In both cases I have made it very difficult for my children to embrace the true God – the God of love, mercy and wrath.

On the one hand we hear Proverbs 13:24: “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” Why? Because that is God’s way. “For whom the Lord loves He [disciplines], and scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). So when I discipline my child, I display God’s judgment and love.

On the other hand we hear this from Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and [instruction] of the Lord.” We are in the place of the Lord and are to be doing the discipline as from Him. Our children are to be learning from us what the Lord is like. And what is He like? “As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Ps. 103:13-14).

In Proverbs 14:26-27 Solomon says that when a man fears the Lord it blesses his children, even for their safety. Our children will then have a place of refuge under God’s love and care.

According to Psalm 128, the wife of a man who fears the Lord is seen as a fruitful vine in the very heart of his house. His children are like olive plants, full vigor and vitality and productive for the Lord.

Sharing Christ In Evangelism
How does fear and trembling transform the way we help others see and savor the glory of Christ? By showing them that they are under the wrath of God because of their sin. It is good to show people God’s love, but when doing so we often fail to help them realize that the love of God in Christ is a love that can rescue them from His wrath. Listen carefully to Romans 5:8-9: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

This means that when we share the gospel we do not simply present God as caring and loving. The message will not be the gospel against that backdrop. The good news only makes sense against the backdrop of truth. God is holy and glorious, but we have all sinned against Him and fallen short of His glory. Therefore, we are under His just wrath and without hope. But God so loved the world that He sent His only Son that whoever believes in Him might be saved – saved from wrath (Jn. 3:16,36). When Paul was a prisoner he had one chance to speak to Felix the governor. Luke tells us, “He reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come” (Acts 24:25). Like every man, woman and child, Felix needed to understand the wrath of God.

To His Glory
Evangelism, parenting, corporate worship – all of them and all of life – exist to magnify the glory of Jesus Christ. That glory was displayed in its deepest love and highest beauty when Jesus willingly went to the cross to bear the wrath of God against our sins. Our evangelism, parenting and corporate worship will never display the glory of Christ as they ought until God is known and feared.

Let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, “for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29).

By Timothy P. Hadley