Messages on God
Fear God
by Pastor John Khng
Scripture Reading – Eccl. 12:13-14; 2 Tim. 1:6-9
Psalms 89:6-8; Heb. 12:28- 29, Duet 6:2, 24; Eccl. 12:13-14
Introduction: What is the meaning of fear? It means to be afraid but Bible tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear - 2Ti 1:7 - “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” So does it mean that we are not to be afraid of God? No, we are not to be afraid in service but we are to be afraid of God. We need to read the verse in its context – See 2 Tim. 1:6-9
I. To Fear God is to be Afraid of God – Psalms 89:6-8
Psa 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
Why is it that we must be afraid of God? The reason is clearly given in Ps. 89:6 and 8 – No one in heaven can be compared to God. No one among men can be likened to God. No one in this Universe can be stronger than God and no one can be greater than God in faithfulness (faithfulness means stability - doing what He says He will do).
Some people think of God as a small god so they have no fear of God. We call this having a low view of God. There is a lack of fear of God today as we see people sin without restraint. Satan has managed to deceive people that they should not be afraid of God.
“The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.” – Ps. 36:1
Compare to Adam when he sinned: “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” – Gen. 3:10
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Rom 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
Rom 3:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Rom 3:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
Rom 3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
Rom 3:17 And the way of peace have they not known:
Rom 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
When you are about to sin and do things that are questionable, do you ever stop and consider – God is watching me; I must not do this and sin against God; I am answerable to God one day so I better not do this.
Our verses in Ps. 89:6-8 say that our God is a big God in fact the biggest God – no one can be compared to the God whom we worship so we are to greatly be afraid of our God. Our God is Awesome (I would use awesome only for God.)
Word Origin and History – dictionary.com
awesome
c.1600, "profoundly reverential," from awe + -some. Meaning "inspiring awe" is from 1670s; weakened colloquial sense of "impressive, very good" is recorded by 1961 and was in vogue from after c.1980.
This is what we call having a high view of God.
Some people paint God as an indulging Father who will give you everything that you want so you need not to be afraid of Him. They exhort you to just come to God and make your demands. God is obligated to give you everything that you are asking since He did not withhold even His Son from you. This is a half-truth and half-truths are the most dangerous. God is our Heavenly Father. This is true but God is also the Almighty God who is to be revered and to be greatly feared.
II. To Fear God is to Reverence God – Psalms 89:6-8; Heb. 12:28-29
Psalm 89:7 says that we are to hold God in reverence and some people may say that this is the Old Testament God. We have a New Testament God who is a God of Love and not a God of Judgment so today we can do away with holding God in reverence. Is this true? No, the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament is the same God. We are to reverence God today in the same way we reverenced God in the past.
Some people picture God as a God of Love who will not punish you when you sinned against Him. The kind of love that is being promoted is sentimental love whereas God’s love is divine love (Read my message on Agape Love). If we preach only that God is Love, we are giving an incomplete view of God. The Bible says that God is Love in 1 John 4:8, 16. The Bible also says that God is Light in 1 John 1:5. Furthermore, the Bible says that God is a Consuming Fire in Hebrew s 12:29.
God is Love – He desires our fellowship. He reaches out to us. He makes it possible for us to come to Him through sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins.
God is Light – If we would like to have fellowship with God, we must come in God’s term not in our own term. God is Light so those who want to fellowship with Him must also walk in the Light as He is in the Light.
God is a Consuming Fire – He is a God of Judgment. Therefore we are to “serve God acceptably and with reverence and godly fear.” - Heb. 12:28
Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence (humility) and godly fear (caution):
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
What is meaning of to reverence God?
Reverence has the idea of downcast eyes – looking down
Illustration – subjects look down and only look up when the king / emperor asked them to do so – 抬起頭來! tai chi toll lai
1. a feeling or attitude of profound respect, usually reserved for the sacred or divine; devoted veneration
2. an outward manifestation of this feeling, esp a bow or act of obeisance
III. To Fear God is to Obey God – Duet 6:2, 24; 8:6; 10:12-13; Eccl. 12:13-14; 2 Cor. 6:14 - 7:1
See also Duet. 10:20; 17:19; 28:67; 31:12, 13; - so many verses on fearing God means obedience to His commandments and His Word.
I hear some protests – we want to obey out of love and not out of fear.
It is true that we should obey out of love – Duet 30:20; John 14:15, 21, 23, 24
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The best way, and the highest motivation is that you obey out of love.
If you cannot obey out of love for God, it is better that you obey out of fear for God.
The important thing is that you obey for your own good, to keep you away from sins and troubles.
Carrot or Stick, Love or Fear – which will you choose to make you obey God - the choice is yours to make and no one is forcing you to obey God – if you choose not to obey, you will reap the consequences of your own sins and be punished by the law, by your superiors, or by God one day.
I am saying that if you have the fear of God, you will obey God and I need not tell you to obey God, you will naturally obey God – our prayer for our country, our government and our children for this 46th Singapore National Day on August 9, should be that they will have a fear of God.
Obedience is your proof that you fear God.
Eg of Noah’s obedience – had faith and was moved with fear
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Conclusion: We have formulated a Definition of what is the meaning of fearing God or to have the fear of God – To fear God is to be afraid, to reverence and to obey God.
General Definition - The fear of the Lord is to respect and have reverence for God.
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. See also Lk 12:4-5 God has power to cast both body and soul to hell – Fear God
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Seven Blessings when we Fear God:
1) We will have the Beginning of Knowledge - Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” - Proverbs 1:7
2) We will have the Beginning of Wisdom - Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” - Proverbs 9:10
3) We will have Long Life - Proverbs 10:27
“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.” - Proverbs 10:27
4) We will have Strong Confidence - Proverbs 14:26
“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” - Proverbs 14:26 The fear of God drives out all other fears.
5) We will have Good Health - Proverbs 14:27
“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” - Proverbs 14:27
6) We will have Blessings and Satisfaction - Proverbs 15:16; 19:23
“Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.” – Proverbs 15:16
“The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.” - Proverbs 19:23
7) We will have True Riches, Honour and Life - Proverbs 22:4
“By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.” - Proverbs 22:4
Finally - “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” - Deu 5:29
Scripture Reading – Eccl. 12:13-14; 2 Tim. 1:6-9
Psalms 89:6-8; Heb. 12:28- 29, Duet 6:2, 24; Eccl. 12:13-14
Introduction: What is the meaning of fear? It means to be afraid but Bible tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear - 2Ti 1:7 - “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” So does it mean that we are not to be afraid of God? No, we are not to be afraid in service but we are to be afraid of God. We need to read the verse in its context – See 2 Tim. 1:6-9
I. To Fear God is to be Afraid of God – Psalms 89:6-8
Psa 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
Why is it that we must be afraid of God? The reason is clearly given in Ps. 89:6 and 8 – No one in heaven can be compared to God. No one among men can be likened to God. No one in this Universe can be stronger than God and no one can be greater than God in faithfulness (faithfulness means stability - doing what He says He will do).
Some people think of God as a small god so they have no fear of God. We call this having a low view of God. There is a lack of fear of God today as we see people sin without restraint. Satan has managed to deceive people that they should not be afraid of God.
“The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.” – Ps. 36:1
Compare to Adam when he sinned: “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” – Gen. 3:10
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Rom 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
Rom 3:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Rom 3:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
Rom 3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
Rom 3:17 And the way of peace have they not known:
Rom 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
When you are about to sin and do things that are questionable, do you ever stop and consider – God is watching me; I must not do this and sin against God; I am answerable to God one day so I better not do this.
Our verses in Ps. 89:6-8 say that our God is a big God in fact the biggest God – no one can be compared to the God whom we worship so we are to greatly be afraid of our God. Our God is Awesome (I would use awesome only for God.)
Word Origin and History – dictionary.com
awesome
c.1600, "profoundly reverential," from awe + -some. Meaning "inspiring awe" is from 1670s; weakened colloquial sense of "impressive, very good" is recorded by 1961 and was in vogue from after c.1980.
This is what we call having a high view of God.
Some people paint God as an indulging Father who will give you everything that you want so you need not to be afraid of Him. They exhort you to just come to God and make your demands. God is obligated to give you everything that you are asking since He did not withhold even His Son from you. This is a half-truth and half-truths are the most dangerous. God is our Heavenly Father. This is true but God is also the Almighty God who is to be revered and to be greatly feared.
II. To Fear God is to Reverence God – Psalms 89:6-8; Heb. 12:28-29
Psalm 89:7 says that we are to hold God in reverence and some people may say that this is the Old Testament God. We have a New Testament God who is a God of Love and not a God of Judgment so today we can do away with holding God in reverence. Is this true? No, the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament is the same God. We are to reverence God today in the same way we reverenced God in the past.
Some people picture God as a God of Love who will not punish you when you sinned against Him. The kind of love that is being promoted is sentimental love whereas God’s love is divine love (Read my message on Agape Love). If we preach only that God is Love, we are giving an incomplete view of God. The Bible says that God is Love in 1 John 4:8, 16. The Bible also says that God is Light in 1 John 1:5. Furthermore, the Bible says that God is a Consuming Fire in Hebrew s 12:29.
God is Love – He desires our fellowship. He reaches out to us. He makes it possible for us to come to Him through sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins.
God is Light – If we would like to have fellowship with God, we must come in God’s term not in our own term. God is Light so those who want to fellowship with Him must also walk in the Light as He is in the Light.
God is a Consuming Fire – He is a God of Judgment. Therefore we are to “serve God acceptably and with reverence and godly fear.” - Heb. 12:28
Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence (humility) and godly fear (caution):
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
What is meaning of to reverence God?
Reverence has the idea of downcast eyes – looking down
Illustration – subjects look down and only look up when the king / emperor asked them to do so – 抬起頭來! tai chi toll lai
1. a feeling or attitude of profound respect, usually reserved for the sacred or divine; devoted veneration
2. an outward manifestation of this feeling, esp a bow or act of obeisance
III. To Fear God is to Obey God – Duet 6:2, 24; 8:6; 10:12-13; Eccl. 12:13-14; 2 Cor. 6:14 - 7:1
See also Duet. 10:20; 17:19; 28:67; 31:12, 13; - so many verses on fearing God means obedience to His commandments and His Word.
I hear some protests – we want to obey out of love and not out of fear.
It is true that we should obey out of love – Duet 30:20; John 14:15, 21, 23, 24
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The best way, and the highest motivation is that you obey out of love.
If you cannot obey out of love for God, it is better that you obey out of fear for God.
The important thing is that you obey for your own good, to keep you away from sins and troubles.
Carrot or Stick, Love or Fear – which will you choose to make you obey God - the choice is yours to make and no one is forcing you to obey God – if you choose not to obey, you will reap the consequences of your own sins and be punished by the law, by your superiors, or by God one day.
I am saying that if you have the fear of God, you will obey God and I need not tell you to obey God, you will naturally obey God – our prayer for our country, our government and our children for this 46th Singapore National Day on August 9, should be that they will have a fear of God.
Obedience is your proof that you fear God.
Eg of Noah’s obedience – had faith and was moved with fear
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Conclusion: We have formulated a Definition of what is the meaning of fearing God or to have the fear of God – To fear God is to be afraid, to reverence and to obey God.
General Definition - The fear of the Lord is to respect and have reverence for God.
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. See also Lk 12:4-5 God has power to cast both body and soul to hell – Fear God
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Seven Blessings when we Fear God:
1) We will have the Beginning of Knowledge - Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” - Proverbs 1:7
2) We will have the Beginning of Wisdom - Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” - Proverbs 9:10
3) We will have Long Life - Proverbs 10:27
“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.” - Proverbs 10:27
4) We will have Strong Confidence - Proverbs 14:26
“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” - Proverbs 14:26 The fear of God drives out all other fears.
5) We will have Good Health - Proverbs 14:27
“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” - Proverbs 14:27
6) We will have Blessings and Satisfaction - Proverbs 15:16; 19:23
“Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.” – Proverbs 15:16
“The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.” - Proverbs 19:23
7) We will have True Riches, Honour and Life - Proverbs 22:4
“By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.” - Proverbs 22:4
Finally - “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” - Deu 5:29
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