Holy Fear

You write your view address as father of the one who partially judges according to each one's work, conduct your selves in fear during the time of your exile during your brief stay on your cell in fear 1 Author Paraphrasing Well Create Way of life are by reference for God is really another way of saying as children of your heavenly father. The Bible speaks of a time when God will judge the heart and actions of every person, since that's true it's important that we understand what God's judgment is like for example what criteria God uses when he makes his judgment, but it's also really important that we know how to live in light of that judgment today on wisdom for the heart.

Stephen Davies suggests that we are to live in a state of holy fear. What is that mean how do we love God and also fear God. Don't those two things contradict each other. This is wisdom for the heart. And I invite you to stay tuned to find out. We have begun a series of studies that I've entitled in pursuit of holiness in our last study we defined holiness. According to the meaning of the original work hi Diaz, which we get our holy one author put it well when he wrote holiness is everyday living. Holiness is the regular business of every Christian holiness evidences itself in the decisions we make and things we do our by our day by day to reveal the long to God and that definition, by the way fits perfectly with Peter's first perspective as he writes to these scattered believers in his first letter. So if you're not there already. Let's go back to first Peter chapter 1 verse 16. Remember, he repeats that command from the Old Testament to be holy isn't commanding the Christian to start some pilgrimage toward perfection isn't calling believers to leave their world but literally to gauge their world by demonstrating they belong to God.

Now the next verse, Peter corrects not only the idea of true holiness. But he had another thought that sort of conjures up misconceptions as well cleared up something that will simply call for our study today.

Holy, holy fear, holy see verse 17. If you address as father, the one who partially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear. During the time of your stay on that for a favorite verse to memorize and I never seen that on a coffee conduct yourselves in fear :-( is a good motto type you evidently thought so what do you mean does the believer have reason to fear and why. While I break this verse down into several defining qualities that will simply call qualities of holy fear and in the process where you cover other material working together visit to the judgments event, to give you this morning listening to take notes three outlines K3 outlines and the first one is this the first finding quality that would be one set fighting qualities of holy.

I'll try to keep you updated as we move along the first defining quality of holy fear is remembering your incredible privilege notice. Again, the opening words, if you address as father, the one who partially judges so right off the bat.

Keep in mind that Peter is not writing this concept of fear to unbelievers who had many reasons to fear God, he's writing to Kristin to those who call God father those who really are related to him as father child event here in the text, Peter moves forward, the word father to emphasize it in the original languages even translated this way is as father you are addressing fact, the word is is an assumed condition you could understand it to mean if and since you do as father address it. This is the believers no way around it. Clearly Peter is highlighting the intimate family relationship that you, the believer have with God the father because you come to believe in God the son can call them father and listen Jesus as your Savior, but were supposed to fear God the father will think of it this way you're driving on I 40 heading to the airport.

Your lady got a catchup line 65 miles an hour long. That's right and everybody is just poking along the 65 here weaving in and out of your try to get to that blockade is a what is wrong with these speaking from experience, I've seen you drive gauges so the record straight. Anything you spot just ahead in the right lane gone far enough in your weaving you finally spotted a highway patrol car in the right lane and everyone dutifully conspicuously driving behind you due to fear don't you fear the driving fear you to that is not what Peter has in mind. Fearing God in the biblical context. If I can use the same driving analogy is more like you getting your drivers license and having your first solo drive home and your father is driving behind. He's not driving behind you and you're afraid it is your catch you doing something wrong. Fear that you want him to see you do it you want him to be proud of you want him to say hey you did a great job driving a demonstration of all you've learned.

That's the idea here when Peter mentions judgments or theories emphasizing the judge you fear just so happens to be your father and that changes everything. Supply number one is holy fear begins with remembering your incredible privilege.

Secondly, holy fear is accepting personal accountability. Notice you are addressing. Since you are addressing. As father, the one who partially judges according to each one's work stuff there. Peter describes this moment were God is judging. I could make a point that it's in the present tense and in literally. He does daily hold us accountable really focus on what comes to mind that ultimately the culmination of judgment which is what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in segmenting chapter 5 are several reasons for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. What is that place the judgment seat with the original work transmitted judgment as being a toss we call it bimah. It referred literally originally to a step.

The steps on your front porch you took steps up to five later on the work you simply came to refer to the platform that you access by steps when Peter was alive and writing. There would be Moses in the open.

They were in political palaces are or areas of pilot sat on it.

Bimah judged Jesus so you say after after ask yourself what's happening here were going to stand before we got to step up to a platform as it before our triune God who happens to be both father and Redeemer. Once gonna happen to me that will begin by telling you what's not and this is the second outline to pull over and here's the first point bimah is not a place where your eternal destiny is decided finally, the Bible makes it very clear that every single human being will one day stand before God for those who don't belong to Christ.

That appointment is called in Scripture, the great white throne.

Specifically, John the apostle was given a vision that finally terrifying judgment in Revelation chapter 20 is an awful event where every unbeliever of all of human will be shown their jokes as the books are open. Paul says to his his letter, aroma that every mouth will be stop. That is, nobody will have any argument God's their suppression of the truths of a creator God. Romans one says is enough to condemn them their defiance of resistance to their conscience and the law got written on their hearts is enough to get in Romans chapter 2 for many of them their denial and rejection of the gospel of Christ is presented to them by another believer or a track, they may picked up or maybe it's a Bible in a hotel room and he opened it up in the back stays in unbelief, God will be the judge and the book of Revelation informs us that all he stands there before the great white throne will be given a guilty verdict. That's why they're there for.

Simply there for God to deliver justification of the verdict. John writes then and where they are thrown their smoke smoke of their torment will rise for ever and forever. Revelation 14 verse 11 chapter 19 verse three.

So the great white throne is for unbelievers only have another judgment call as we were talking about here, the judgment seat of Christ, and that one is for believers only affect if you're standing there one day it will be defining proof that you are eternally safe. The only people standing at the bimah they might toss our believers.

So you need to be missing is not intersex orgasm inside okay go sailing goes to heaven.

It isn't an intersection. Destiny is already settled. In fact, if we understand the doctrine of the atonement and the cross work of Christ we can we can gain a better perspective than what I have heard of the past preached what I've heard, seen, written in books. This future judge. The Bible tells us that sin here soon all of it, past, present and future was judged in Christ on the cross and because you stand by faith in Christ, Elizabeth Johnson already you will not be judged for sale.

In fact, the Bible tells us that your sin was placed on Christ and he boarded in his body on the tree. Peter will write in first Peter chapter 2 verse 24 Isaiah the prophet said that the coming Messiah has borne the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53 verse that's why Paul can write that that wonderful, rather staggering phrase to the believer. Therefore, Romans 81.

There is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ all the people who are in no wonder they got kicked out of the family because of sinning and John tells us in chapter 1 that if you say you don't sin your deceiving yourselves. So make sure you confess often not for the sake of censorship, but fellowship God will hear his call writing.

There is therefore now no condemnation is really star status.

All of our sin has been taken care of were freed after people just circle that TextEdit word that says now there is therefore now no condemnation greater word that a great text.

There is now no condemnation. Paul did write Budweiser all one day I condemn.

I sure hope that one day all experience the fact that I'm not under condemnation and I'm just biding my thing is going at that point. What I I am standing for now.

He writes now no condemnation your eternal destiny has been determined, and even at this very moment.

You are already freed from condemnation is are in Christ to the bimah is not a place where eternal destiny is decided finally. Secondly, in the second outline is not a place where your earthly sins are displayed and forgiven for a lot of other nonsense related to this which defies and alternately denies the doctrine of atonement.

You are standing at the bimah seat not to be forgiven, but because you are and have been forgiven. There is no DVD you know when I was growing up there was a real the real big round thing with take. There's no there's no video of your record of sin to God. You put on the big screen and everybody in the church is why when you're deep trouble. Now know the writer of Hebrews wrote with Tom as God chooses to remember our sins no more. No way could God forget anything.

No, he can't forget is the glory that statement. God is evidently choosing not to hold to our account anymore what is already been paid for in Christ, his son not read to his memory so to speak his work. He's chosen to effectively erase from the record books. The record of your sin, which is why you confess your sin as a believer but so that he'll accept you, but because he has and you want to please him like that young man driving home from the DMV with his license for the first time he chooses to forget he chooses to recall and on like a private set of guides you will cast her sins into the depths of see record of your sin then has been very, as it were, the deep blue sea and God is promising never read that see claimant bringers.

He has acid washed your record, not so that people can find, but because he has forgiven us in the got listen to what God says that your security was forgiveness and how to be any clear rights of the Colossians Paul does when you were dead in your transgressions that is prior to your conversion. You were made alive together with him tighter conversion, having forgiven us all our transgressions, all by the way, not just up to that point. But all past president having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees that is your record which was against us, and which was hostile to us and he has taken that record out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. So this is why we need to correctly rethink the bimah effect.

This is why the apostle Paul can write to the believers living in cars about this judgment and he can end this discussion in chapter 4 verse five by saying it now and then when it's overwrought praising God. We can end up praising God.

I never thought about the bimah being a place from and to praise God because we have looked at it on biblically. We will be praising God bimah why because the bimah is not a place where our future is decided or forgiveness is determined because the bimah is a place where our future has already been decided in our sins are forgiven and we can see it so much better than God when they will evaluate her service and were going to be in that evaluation ever so thrilled with his grace and his forgiveness you're there 11 at the bimah because you're his bride. So what kind of writer are you you're there because he's your father. So what kind of child are we to holy fear means accepting accountability for behaving as his child living as a bride-to-be in light of our bridegroom's imminent appearing.

Paul encourages his readers by telling them that when he judges the giver 17 is evaluation will be impartial nice not saying that because he's one of the properties believers with all boy he gonna miss anything. Now is making this point because of the judicial system I in his they was plagued with bribes. Judges were known to be partial judges were often parcel those who pay them.

If I do go around the world as we talk about taking these trips, and he talked of those were serving globally and discover that a big part of the problem is they can't get their stuff off the dock unless they pay a bribe chosen not be held for days, weeks, months first century, the courts favored the rich favored well-connected the more status a person having the community more likely the verdict would go in their faith or aren't you glad that only happened in the first century, even in this country know what happens in every century and everything there is perhaps no greater tragedy than injustice sitting on a bench or corruption in court dollars. So Peter is saying this to reassure the believers were being mistreated in the courtrooms in the culture of their day.

He knows there ever so slowly being pushed to the margins of their culture there losing their rights to own land to own a house to have a job to worship their Lord and Savior Christianity is in the process of becoming illegal in the Roman Empire and so he says I know when your father looks at your service. He's impartial effect. The work of Peter uses for impartial, literally means who does not receive face like that does not receive face based on appearances and I isn't going to get into the celebrity status of the church and all those famous people, those best-selling people. Those people in the body that allowed a statement of the biggest smile. Everything looks great. Now he's able to see the play favorites. He doesn't care about status is court room is holiness and righteousness. Paul writes to Timothy in first Timothy 115 Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I and she the biggest sinner on the planet. Sounds like Paul's heading in the wrong direction is actually gaining ground is becoming more aware of the sinfulness and more aware of God's grace. Do you think he's ready and willing and anxious to stand at the bimah because he's arrived, he can't wait because you have the proper picture. He'd seen Neolithic winners. Maybe you have two as athletes as they stand infecting before then, as they all margin with an opening ceremony. Every one of them thrilled to represent their country and you seen those athletes step up on the bimah and that practice is still carried to this day that little platform. Tears filled her eyes. Their national anthem is played for the gold medalist in he's filled with honorable patriotic pride. Paul seen all of this lease that I can't wait to see my heavenly country represented in those things I did for his glory. I'm going to be there one day. That gives your life a sense of alternate gives a sense of gravitas, gravity to your life holy fear begins with remembering your incredible privilege judges your father you want a product.

Secondly, holy fear is accepting personal accountability. Thirdly, holy fear is refusing to act like spoiled children, refusing to act like schoolchildren notice.

Peter writes here. View address as father of the one who partially judges according to each one's work, conduct your selves in fear during the time of your exile. It is during your brief stay on earth can direct you ourselves in fear one author paraphrase that well creating a way of life marked by reference for God with everything in mind that we talked about this is really another way of saying as children of your heavenly father gave you will stand before him and we all will wish there were more.

That was in deed words rewarded that Solomon would put it this way then Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord. Proverbs chapter 20 verse 14. The writer of Hebrews said that in the holy fear no built in our Hebrews chapter 12 verse 21 tells us that the sight of God was just all that behind her parts as it were of the glory of God was so awesome that Moses was filled with fear when the church was birthed in acts chapter 2 and the spirit of God was doing amazing things through signs and wonders were told and priests all was in fear translated my text in all of God's saving verb one Puritan author wrote the one who lives with a sense of holy fear lives with a sense of God's presence. Holy fear of offending God, born out of love. Born out of joy disgraces grow together. Fear, love, joy, all respect you have them all of the grow together as a believer. Thanks for listing today Stephen Davies message is called holy fear and it comes from his series in pursuit of holiness.

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If you'd like to contact us our email address is info@wisdomonline.org in addition to being our daily Bible teacher. Stephen is the president of shepherd's theological seminary. How would your life be impacted if you set aside one year to study God's word take a trip to Israel and earn your Masters degree in theological studies. Will Stephen invite you to consider the shepherd's Institute. This unique one year program offers a life changing opportunity to all believers no matter your vocation invest one year of your life to equip you for the rest of your life. Learn more at shepherd's.you were at a time for today but will be back with another message from God's word. Next time here on wisdom