Fear of God
May 27, 2014
Agenda
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Spring 2014 Review
Definition
Actions of God Fearing People
Contrasts of Terror and Reverence
Biblical Examples of God Fearing People
Old Testament Only?
Consequences of Not Fearing God
Benefits of Fearing God
Ways to Learn the Fear of God
Ways for Kids to Depend on God
Spring 2014 Review
• Ron Serabia (Intro)
• Eric Stein (Performance
Fathering)
• Kyle Lanz (Shepherding Your
Child)
• Ron Hughes (Godly Discipline)
• Steve Phipps (Loving Your Wife)
• Joel Kaufman (Developing Godly
Character)
• Ron Serabia (Life-Giving Coach)
• Eric Stein (Personality Traits)
• Kyle Lanz (Unified Parenting)
• Ron Hughes (Holy Spirit – Part 1)
• Steve Phipps (Holy Spirit – Part
2)
• Joel Kaufman (Fear of God)
Definition
• Two Distinct Definitions of Fear:
• Terrified (filled with terror, trembling)
• Awe-filled (reverential awe)
• Fear of God can then be:
• terrified of divine judgment for one’s personal offenses against a holy God OR
• Filled with a reverence for God who is sovereign and a savior.
Actions of God Fearing People
• Actions or attitudes of those who fear God consist of:
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serving God (Deut 6:13; 10:20; 1 Sam 12:24).
obeying His commandments (Deut 31:13; 1 Sam 12:14).
exhibiting wisdom (Ps 111:10; Prov 9:10; 15:33).
living in a special, covenant relationship with God (Ps 25:14; 103:17–18).
being in awe and reverence of Him (Ps 33:8; Mal 2:5 RSV).
trusting Him (Ps 40:3; 115:11).
hating and avoiding evil (Prov 8:13; 16:6).
worshiping Him (Rev 14:7).
• Deuteronomy 10:12-13: And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God
ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love
him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees” (NIV)
Terror vs. Reverence
• The fear of God is a fundamental quality for those who have an
experiential or personal knowledge of who He is.
• A personal knowledge of God makes the difference between terror
and awe.
• Example: Sailors from the book of Jonah. Terrified vs. reverent
Jonah 1:3-16
• 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to
Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went
aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
• 4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that
the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out
to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
• But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep
sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on
your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
• 7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is
responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they
asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What
kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From
what people are you?”
Jonah 1:3-16
• 9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made
the sea and the dry land.”
• 10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was
running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
• 11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to
you to make the sea calm down for us?”
• 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know
that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
• 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea
grew even wilder than before.14 Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let
us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent
man, for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him
overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and
they offered a sacrifice to theLORD and made vows to him.
Terror vs. Reverence
• Sailors know a little about the Lord after this event (which seems to
be more than they knew before).
• Fear of God produces tangible results as can seen by sailors
• When the Law was given to Israel through Moses, the command to
fear the Lord also was coupled with it
• When the Law was given to Israel, many times it was:
• Don’t do [enter sin here]; but fear the Lord
Biblical Examples of God Fearing People
• After Abraham has obeyed God’s command by showing his
willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac, an angel of the Lord declares to
him, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld
from me your son” (Gen 22:12 NIV).
• Joseph, a man of integrity, attempts to allay his brothers’ fears with
the comment, “I fear God” (Gen 42:18).
• God twice describes Job as “blameless and upright, a man who fears
God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8; 2:3 NIV).
• Paul makes the statement that “we know what it is to fear the Lord”
(2 Cor 5:11 NIV)
Old Testament Only?
• In the NT the fear of God is a significant part of the gospel. In the face of threats that His followers
face in this world, Jesus instructed his disciples to fear God (Lk 12:5), again in the context of
judgment.
• Luke 12:5 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power
to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. NIV
• The fear of God marks the beginning of the way to salvation through Christ, as we see when Peter
visits Cornelius’ house and declares that God “accepts men from every nation who fear him and
do what is right” (Acts 10:35 NIV).
• About the early church we read, “Encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the
fear of the Lord” (Acts 9:31 NIV).
• Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king (1
Peter 2:17)
• Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything
that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Cor 7:1)
• Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so
worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, (Heb. 12:28, 29)
Consequences of Not Fearing God
• Pharaoh and the plagues
• Exodus 9:30
• Pharaoh and Exodus
• After releasing Israel, Pharaoh pursues them – even after all the plagues
• Army is destroyed as a result
• Malachi 3:5 – God promises to bring judgment on those who don’t fear
• Compare to Malachi 3:16-17 God promises to preserve those who do fear
• Romans 3 – State of sinful humanity
Consequences of Fearing God
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God will bring blessing upon them (Ps 115:13) (Favor)
He will confide in them (Ps 25:14). (Knowledge and guidance)
They will avoid evil (Prov 16:6), (Consequences of living in a sin-filled world)
God will have mercy upon them (Lk 1:50). (Compassion)
Those who fear God will gain…
• life (Prov 19:23),
• knowledge (Prov 1:7)
• wisdom (Prov 9:10).
• The wisdom that begins with the fear of God is closely related to knowledge and
obedience (Ps 111:10). The fear of God is a fundamental quality of people who know and
obey God.
• The wisest man (Solomon) had this to say about Fearing God
• Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his
commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Ways to Learn the Fear of God
• Prayer—Jeremiah 32:38-41; Psalm 86:11
• Exposure to the Word of God—Deuteronomy 4:10; Proverbs 2:1-10
• A correct and balanced view of God
• Respect for authority—John 5:19, 14:31, 12:49-50
• Realization of their sinful, needy condition—Proverbs 3:7
• Recognition of the presence of God
• Understanding their need for God—Acts 17:24-25
Ways for Kids to Depend on God
• Every morning, tell God they need Him today. Thank Him for His blessings.
• Think about their day and ask God to help them in every part of their day.
• Ask Him to help them with the parts of their day they don’t know about
yet.
• Pray all day long telling God they need Him and asking for His help.
• Every night tell God to help them to understand that they need Him.
• Instill in them a hatred of evil
• Charles Spurgeon: “If we do not respect or revere God, one day, we will be
terrified of Him”