THE FEAR IS GONE

Psalm 33:8- Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.



If there is one verse that you don't hear quoted much in the average American pulpit, that one is it. These days our main job is to make people feel good about themselves and be as comfortable as possible at church. And we are seeing the results of it. I challenge you to take a look at most people in your lives that call themselves Christians. Next, take a look at the ones who say they are not Christians. Do you see much of a difference? Well, besides the Christian t-shirt or bumper sticker that the professing Christian is sure to have. The sad reality is this: Our watered-down preaching and teaching is producing nothing but shallow spiritual counterfeits.

God wants you to be happy, healthy, and wealthy. Sin is no big deal. Hey, nobody is perfect, right? I've repeated a prayer. I've asked Jesus to come into my heart. Sure, I don't hunger for God's word. I don't long to cry out to God in prayer. I don't have a burning desire to share the Gospel with the lost. I listen to music that mocks God. I watch tv and movies that God hates. I use filthy language from time to time. Sure, I dishonor God by lusting and having premarital sex (or by watching porn or cheating on my spouse). I constantly gossip and talk badly about people. Lying and cheating aren't really that big of a deal to me. I know I do all of those things, but I still love Jesus. I asked Him to come into my heart. Don't you remember?

Sadly, that is the typical testimony of most church-goers these days. If you were to ask them if they feared God, they would enthusiastically say that they surely do. Let's hold their profession of faith up to Scripture, though. Proverbs 8:13 says, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate." What does it mean to fear the Lord? It means to hate evil. That doesn't sound much like the typical testimony above, does it?

Why should we hate evil? What does that have to do with fearing the Lord? Let me allow Isaiah to answer that question for you. Isaiah 8:13 says, "It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread." The reason is this: God is holy. God is holy and you are not. When you come face to face with the fact the you have offended a holy God with your sin, it should cause you to fear Him and dread Him, just like Isaiah said. Most people don't fear the Lord, though. Christians have t-shirts that proclaim "Jesus is my homeboy". There is no reverence for the King of Kings. There is no standing in awe of His holiness. There is just a quick yawn and glance at the clock to see if the sermon is almost over.

Scripture teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge and wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." Did you see that? It is only when we have a proper fear of God that we can begin to understand who He is. And what is this Holy God like? Habakkuk 1:13a says, "Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and you can not look on wickedness with favor." We think of sin as "no big deal". Unfortunately, it is a very big deal to our holy God. Psalm 7:11 tells us, "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day." This awesome God is angry. He is angry with sinful humanity. Isaiah 13:9 says, "Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it." That doesn't sound like your typical Sunday morning sermon, does it? 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 says, "Dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." What is awaiting sinful humanity when they face a holy God? Eternal punishment. Eternal torment in an awful place called hell. Revelation 20:15 says, "And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

But wait a minute. Isn't that just for the "bad" people. I mean, come on, aren't most of us good people? Let's let Scripture answer this one. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That's not all. Romans 3:10 says, "As it is written, there is none righteous, not even one." How about one more? Isaiah 64:6a says, "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment." Wow, maybe we are not as good as we thought. Psalm 5:4-6 says, "For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity."

If somebody truly believes the verses I just shared, I can guarantee they will fear the Lord. I promise that they will stand in awe of the Holy One. Most don't truly believe that, though. But, wait just a minute. Don't you just have to believe in Jesus? Or ask Him to come into your heart? Please read this warning from Scripture. James 2:19 says, "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." There is more to true faith than believing that Jesus is real, or even that He died on a cross for sins.

We must have REPENTANT faith. Mark 1:15 says, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; REPENT and BELIEVE in the gospel." We must repent AND believe in Christ as our only hope of salvation. Can I tell you something? Everybody and their brother in America believe in Jesus. The problem is, very few have repented. Luke 13:3 says, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." It sounds like repentance is a vital part of the Gospel, doesn't it?

But what does all of this have to do with the fear of the Lord? Like the earlier verses told us, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is what produces true repentance. It is foundational to true salvation. The fear of the Lord comes when you realize that you are sinful and you will stand before a holy God who hates sin. You realize that you have absolutely nothing to offer in atonement for your sins. You realize that because God is holy and just, He must punish you with eternal torment in a place called hell. That is where true repentance comes in. It produces a hatred and disgust of your sin. That is why Proverbs 8:13 told us that the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Most people don't hate their sin. They love it. They have never repented. They just repeated a prayer for a little insurance that they will get to go to heaven. They want to keep doing the same sinful things, they just don't want to get punished for it. Let's look at what true repentance does, though. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." Did you see that? True godly repentance leads to salvation. The sorrow of the world (which is sorry about getting caught, not about the actual sin) produces death.

What about faith? What about believing in Jesus? Repentance strips you of your love of sin. It makes you loathe your sinful condition. It makes you realize that you have absolutely nothing to offer for your salvation. Then it causes you to hunger for righteousness. It makes you crave forgiveness. Then you realize that, "He (God the Father) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21) " 1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit." That is the only news that can calm a soul that has just begun to know what it means to fear the Lord. Christ died for the sins of His people. He paid for their sins. He took the punishment for their sins and now He offers them His righteousness by faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Repentance makes us loathe our sins and give up all hope of being able to save ourselves. Faith trusts in Christ as their only hope of salvation. Faith believes that Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to pay for a lifetime of sin and is confident that Christ will fulfill His promise to "save to the uttermost" (Hebrews 7:25), those who place their faith in Him.

So, what about you? Do you truly fear the Lord? If so, let me tell you what God declares to you. Psalm 33:18 says, "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindess." Proverbs 14:27 says, "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death." If you are a true child of God, then those words should be a balm to your soul.

Now to the ones who have no fear of God. Let me tell you what God declares to you. Proverbs 3:7 says, "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil." Job 28:28 says, "And to man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." It is my prayer that you learn what it means to fear the Lord before you stand before Him in judgment. I pray that God will grant you repentance and faith so that you will trust in Christ as your only hope of salvation so you may escape from the wrath to come.

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to think that fear isn't such a bad thing. Until next time, blessings to you...