The Fear Of The Lord, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ that I love what the psalmist uses. There is forgiveness with you that you may be joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Billyard Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana it's going pastor go get her now is once again he shows a God's word or oral fears make them illustrate for you ladies you've known ever since the day you married most wonderful son any woman could ever have at your mother-in-law's not care. Now you're having a dinner party and your inviting your father on your mother-in-law with the house now. Your mother-in-law has never missed an opportunity in the past to be critical of you when she said that you and so you have a fear you know you keep thinking all wider than normal for this at all. I don't want to do this at all.

So it could be a Friday night dinner party and starting on Monday you start worrying about it.

You have fear about anything and this is just awful. This is just terrible. So Friday morning it's the worst time of all you're going into Friday afternoon anything just so terrified of what this lady is going to do about an hour before they show up to get a phone call and it's from your doctor and he said this is Dr. so-and-so. I just want to let you know on the basis of your annual physical.

Just a couple days ago that most things looked okay but something look terribly wrong in my field right now is there's a malignancy and you need to come in for more testing now how frayed are your what your mother-in-law thinks of your dinner. You see Jimmy give it a thought, then no. Why big fears make little fears go away. You see, and that's the point we fear everything but God. But if we truly fear God willing fear anything else. You see, that's the apostle Paul.

What can man do to me.

They said no. We have the power over life and death because you have not been. I only fear God. You see, once you have a fear of the Lord you don't have all these other fears we been talking about big fears make little fears go away and the fear of God's order trumps everything. Everything Bobby Zacharia said it this way. The older you get, the more it takes to fill your heart with wonder and awe, and only God is big enough to really do that is right.

That's why the fear of God is so important. The description of that fear is awesome.

Dread and astonish devotion the reason for his big fears make little fears go away and therefore reasons we should fear God, currently first to Jeremiah chapter 10 Jeremiah chapter 10. These are very obvious by the way Jeremiah chapter 10 verse six. The first reason we should fear God is for who he is.

Jeremiah says it this way in verse six. There is none like you will Lord. He says you are great and great is your name, and might, who would not fear you, what a great question. Who would not fear you, he said, who would not fear you, O King of nations, indeed, it is your due for, among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms.

There is none like you see is for who God is, if you don't have a sense of on overwhelmed by God, then you have no sense of God. Just think of the macro creation of what God is done. Think of the universe and of the best minds in the world 100 years ago, had no idea the size of the universe. None. Now they keep saying they're going to the stage of billions of galaxies, each with billions of stars a minute just keeps growing and growing and growing and they keep trying to understand because they want to control it but they haven't. As a matter fact that I like to read stuff about astronomy and all that and I can remember for probably 10 year period. All they talked about was this unique part of the creation call black holes and black holes are places usually were superstars of really collapsed and allow himself the gravity is so dense that light can escape and are black holes all through the universe is really great stuff this week in USA Today read now the top-of-the-line science are saying there are no buckles. Why men struggling is too big.

You see there's too much there you not know how all this came in being he spoke. That's only did he just spoke with nothing to the micro think of that. Think of the whole way of you know the Don to the cell think of kind of the DNA. Think of all of the micro dynamics. This idea of dark energy now something something is between electrons and protons and neutrons or something else there called dark energy so like a black hole will probably find out there aren't any. Somewhere down future. But the point is, it really is what holds everything together were overwhelmed by that and that's what he is saying there was none like you will Lord you are great and great is your name, and might fears do you and you is that if her in God we fear people we fear people of feared kings, dictators, we fear people of authority. IRS you fear people were afraid of people and yet were not afraid of God.

We have no fear of God, no respect for God and added added blessing is simply this big fear does away with all those little fears so the first reason is because who is the second reason let's go to Psalm 33 Psalm 33 could have gone anywhere. We discussed in the Psalms for these big there so many throughout Scripture.

Psalm 33 the first five verses are all but singing praise the God and then picking it up in verse six the psalmist says by the word of the Lord the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together is a heap and he lays up the deep and storehouses let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand and off him, for he spoke and it was done and he commanded and it stood fast. It's not only for who he is, but for what he's done this look at it. I mean it's an astounding thing if you're fortunate enough to travel to and time and just look at this one little per only universe called Earth.

Just look at it. Just look at it see what it is that's on the physical plane. Now think about what he is done in the past on the spiritual plane with Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

Think of what he's done. He ceases all the earth fear him respect him have reverence for him. Look at what he is done. Paul Thigpen says a great Thigpen was able to go to Niagara Falls and maybe many of you been there to any he was fortunate enough to take the tour where you go down the steps and you get behind the falls underneath the falls and he said that's an experience I'll never ever forget. He said that he could not believe the colossal scale.

Once he was under the falls. He said it had so much unleased energy that it overwhelmed him. He said just the sound of the roar of the water was earsplitting and then he said something else interesting.

He said you know I knew I was safe. I knew I stood where thousands of not millions of other people. It stood and I knew there was a real lot.

There I knew I was safe and yet I was afraid because you said I was so overwhelmed by the power that nature. He then writes this, he said, how much more should our hearts pound with fear in God's presence were only grains of sand on the shore of his infinity were fleeting sounds in his eternity. He is utterly greater than all the greatness we've ever witnessed fantastically more powerful all the powers we've ever encountered inconceivably more intelligent that all the most brilliant minds we've ever known or known about safe but fear because of what he is done told me to Psalm 130. The first four versus the psalmist writes this out of the depths I have cried to you oh Lord, Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand, but there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared not only for what he's done, but for what he is doing. Notice what the psalmist said all Lord if you mark iniquities. Just think of God judged your sin every day.

Every time rather than once for on the cross of Calvary. Think of that who would stand for whatever stand against that scrutiny and I love what the psalmist says. He says there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared.

There should be without a doubt, the sense of not only awesome dread, but astonish devotion to you for what you're doing right now in our lives who he is, what is done what he is doing. And of course what me to go to passage what you will do if you want to know how awesome and terrifying.

God really is. Read the book of Revelation read what happens. Eventually I just summarize it every every tongue will confess every knee will bow Jesus Christ as Lord. That's who he is. You see, that's God. The fear of God is due him. That's what he is saying over and over again by the weather.

Some benefits and fearing God.

Maybe this will inspire some of us to think about little more. Go back to Psalm 34 Psalm 34 and I love the way verses eight and nine are put together because it shows a cease sides of the same coin and awesome and yet close and wonderful God look what he says in verse 8O taste and see the Lord is good. How blessed is the man and takes refuge in him and then he says this all fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him.

There is no want the young lions do lack and suffer hunger but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. One of the benefits of fearing God's provision. God says I'll be no good thing I withhold from you. While that means that's important to God. Obviously there's not only just that turn back to chapter 33 and look at verse 18 of the Psalms. He says behold the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, he's paying attention. The eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope he says for his lovingkindness. He says deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive and famine not only provision but protection God says yes my eyes on them when it comes this whole idea of your fear the Lord and his eyes on you. How comfortable are you with that where you stand. By the way, there are so many others. One that is kind of interesting, but it's an wisdom literature. Please understand that. Proverbs 1027 this miserly Solomon writes this, the fear of the Lord prolongs life, that we got all these things we talk about how to live longer the fear of the Lord prolongs life but by the way, that's not a promise. It's a principal okay it's Hebrew wisdom literature in Hebrew wisdom literature. Those are principles are not promises. I've heard so many people so that's a promise that means everyone if there's a Lord deliberately long Stephen did not live very long.

Jesus was gone in his 30s, please. It's not that it's a principal by the way, it's a print name asked the question, does God do that supernaturally. Maybe I don't know but think about it from a natural point of view. If you fear the Lord member I said big fear does away with what little figures so if you fear the Lord in the way that you should guess what you won't have fear and anxiety in your life you will you will be worried about everything.

Now if that's true, by the way, is that healthy to have enough medical signs that people who don't have a lot of stress do better than people with a lot of stress.

Yeah, if I give you live with a lot of stress. What I keep telling you now your short lifespan.

The other thing is if you fear the Lord, will you live differently you might you see if you fear the Lord, or places you may not go there activities that you may not participate in, and by the way, but if you don't fear the Lord, you go to those places in your practices activities. Guess what, you have a good chance of shortening your life. So by principal just makes sense. Those who fear the Lord as Solomon said, the Lord prolongs the life of their days.

He commands us to Deuteronomy 10 what does the Lord require of you but to fear the Lord your God.

Solomon Rome Ecclesiastes 12 verse 13 fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Question is, is that your experience when it comes to describing the fear of God in the Bible there is awesome dread and there's this astonished sense of devotion. It's so important for us to do it because big fears drive out little fears and the reasons that God is worthy of our fear is for who he is, what is done in the past what he's doing right now what to do in the future and the benefits are everywhere, provision, protection, longevity, whatever you want. There are a lot of benefits in the Scripture, so why would we fear God, maybe not thought about it that way. I couldn't close the series done on fear without once again quoting the Chronicles of Narnia. CS Lewis.

Now I know I've been on several occasions and up maybe just maybe it will actually motivate some of you to read it because it's a very good read, but in the Chronicles. This allegory of CS Lewis Susan and Lucy are getting ready to meet for the first time Azlan and Azlan is the lion he's the king. He is Jesus Christ.

He is an overwhelming figure, and so they come up to two of the animals who can talk Mr. Mrs. beaver they're going to talk to them about meeting Aslan and so their job is to prepare the children for the encounter.

Mrs. beaver speaks first. She said you understand that he's a lion, and Susan said all I thought he was a man she said no, no, she said he's a lion. Yes, he's a safe I'd be nervous trying to meet a lion. Mrs. beaver said that you will theory so Lucy decides achievement to get on the conversation and she says I don't know if he would be safe at all. Mr. beaver comes in at this time and says this. Make no mistake, if anyone can ever appear before Absalom without their knees knocking the reader braver than most of the just plain silly. Lucy said you mean he's not safe.

Mr. beaver safe. Didn't you hear when Mrs. beaver was telling you whoever said anything about safe. Of course he isn't safe but he is good. I can tell you that is Jesus Christ is God is not safe, but he is good he's really good receipt. He's due our fear. He's due are awesome astonished devotion to him. But please don't ever underestimate God's spirit father. I'm afraid I must confess that in the culture in which we live.

We have made you out to be something other than the holy God, you are for some. We have made you sort of a divine vending machine. We simply go up and pull the lever and then you give us what we want for others. Father, we have made. You are kindhearted but departed uncle. We have turned you often and almost a Santa Claus figure father. I confess that is sin. You are the king of kings and the Lord of lords holiness emanates from you. Every person in the word of God that is ever in your presence is overwhelmed by that father, I thank you that in spite of that holiness in in spite of the depth of our sin, you have made a way for us to come into your presence to come boldly into the holy of holies to be able to share your spiritual embrace. To be able to call you by her daddy.

Father, but at great cost. Your son, our Savior became one of us and lived a perfect life without sin. And then he became the Lamb of God, and he died on the cross of Calvary for us in our place in your holy judgment on him was something beyond our imagination, but we know he cried out my God my God why have you forsaken me, but through that act and the satisfaction that you holiness had with that act, which was proven by the resurrection from the dead on Easter morning, we could be reconciled to you. We can have forgiveness of sin. We can have an eternal relationship with the Almighty father, may we live three hours after broke apart on the radio ministry and fellowship. Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just able to smooth the method one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one. Please.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as Fellowship in the Word we are thinking for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. Yes, all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help with radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking you can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for.

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