Delighting In the Fear of God
(Isaiah 11:1–5) "1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a
branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear
of the LORD. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek
of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his
waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
Different generations and locations emphasize different aspects of God’s
character. They neglect other aspects.
 18th Century England Justice
 21st Century America Love
Anecdote: Why do you think you are going to go to Heaven? Answer: God
loves me.
Bates: Many Christians will “hear of nothing but the riches of grace, [they] cheat
themselves; they flatter themselves into hell with vain hopes of heaven. As I must
rejoice in God for his goodness, so I must fear him for his justice; therefore this is
clear, the threatening of God must work upon believers.” 1
Today’s passage is about a subject that 21st Century Christians tend to
avoid—the fear of God!
Isaiah 11:1-5 is a messianic passage. It is a prophecy about the coming
Messiah.
1
Dr. William Bates, The Complete Works of William Bates, Vol. III, (Harrisonburg: Sprinkle, 1990), Pg. 190
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As we all know, Jesus was both God and Man. He had two natures, human
and divine, yet he was one person. This passage describes the HS resting
upon Jesus’ human nature. The fear of God is a necessary virtue.
Therefore, as the perfect man, the Second Adam, the Holy Spirt taught
Jesus to fear God. In fact, the Holy Spirit taught Jesus to delight in the fear
of God.
This fear began when the Holy Spirit descended upon him at his baptism.
The Father blessed him with these words, “This is my Beloved Son in who I
am well pleased.” The Holy Spirit then propelled Jesus outward in mission.
Isaiah 11:2 predicts the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence. In
verse 2, Isaiah lists six virtues. They are all drawn from the Wisdom
Literature—wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the
fear of God. Then Isaiah concludes with a seventh.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
Our main point this morning is simple. Jesus delighted in the Fear of God.
Brothers and Sisters, if Jesus who was perfect, delighted in the fear of God
how much more you and I?
We are going to answer two Questions, handle some objections, then pivot
to application.
A. WHY DID JESUS FEAR GOD?
The Bible gives us many reasons to fear God. I want to list six. There are
more.
1st Jesus feared God because God is infinitely great. Ps. 145 reads, “His
greatness is unsearchable.”
2nd Jesus feared God because he is holy. The angels in Isaiah’s inaugural
vision continually cry! “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Isa. 6).
The “splendor of his holiness” (Ps 29:1).
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3rd Jesus feared God because works matter. The fear of God believes that
God saves us because of our faith alone. But it the fear of God is also a
deep and fervent conviction that faith without works is dead. A faith
without works does not save. Therefore, the fear of God never presumes
upon God’s grace.
4th Jesus feared God because God is infinitely loving. God the Father
disciplines the children he loves.
“Do not despise the Lord’s discipline…For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as
a Father the Son in whom he delights” (Pr. 3:11-12).
5th Jesus also feared God because he was convinced that God the Father
will someday reward or punish us according to our deeds.
 “We will account for every idle word we have spoken” (Matt 12:36).
 “God will render to each person according to his works” (Rom. 2:6).
 “Each person will receive what is due for what he has done in his
body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor. 10:10).
 God will “judge each person impartially according to his deeds” (1
Pet. 1:17)
 On the day of Final Judgment we are told that “the dead [will be
judged] by what was written in the books, according to what they
had done” (Rev 20:12).
6th Jesus feared God because he threatens to punish the evil deeds that we
do in this life.
What are some of the threats with which God threatens Believers? There
are seven in Hebrews alone. There are many in Paul also. Here is a sample
from Hebrews.
(Heb. 12:28-29) “Let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe,
for our God is a consuming fire.”
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(Hebrews 10:26–27) "26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the
knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful
expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries."
(Hebrews 12:14) "14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without
which no one will see the Lord."
Because Jesus was sinless his humanity possessed this fear, and it perfected
him in holiness. How do we know that?
(Hebrews 5:7–8) "7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and
supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from
death, and he was heard because of his reverence (NKJV “godly fear).
In summary, the fear of God is a rich and deep expression of faith that takes
God’s Word soberly and seriously. It believes the Bible’s promises and the
Bible’s threats. It trembles at God’s word. It never presumes upon the grace
of God. (i.e. I can watch this movie that I know God doesn’t want me to
watch. He will forgive me tomorrow). All the great men of God have this
fear.
G. O Forde: “Luther knew there was no way to limit, circumscribe, adequately
describe, or even prescribe this fear. Perhaps it is safest just to say that [the fear of
God] is the overwhelming sense of awe and, yes, no doubt even terror upon falling
into the hands of the living God.”2
This is the fear that the HS communicated to Jesus. However, for Jesus this
fear was a magnificent positive. He delighted in the Fear of God. If Jesus
delighted in the fear of God how much more should we?
B. WHY DID JESUS DELIGHT IN THE FEAR OF GOD?
Seven reasons that the fear of God was a constant delight to Jesus.
1. Jesus delighted in the fear of God because it opened the
2
On Being A Theologian of The Cross, Gerhardt O. Ford, pg 40,41, (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1997)
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knowledge of God to him.
Pr. 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
The fear of God precedes the knowledge of God. If you are not growing in
the fear of God the question is do you really know God the Father? He is in
the words of Ps. 89 “A God greatly to be feared in the counsel of the holy
ones.” The “holy ones” are the angels that surround God’s throne.
They fear God because the fear of God is perfected in heaven. If you don’t
fear God you won’t like heaven. It is a place of holy fear, a place where
everyone delights in the fear of God.
Jesus knew God. Therefore, he feared him. Jesus delighted in heaven.
Therefore, he delighted in the fear of God.
2. Jesus delighted in the fear of God because it perfects
holiness.
(2 Cor. 7:1) "Bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God."
Pr. 16:6 “By the fear of the Lord one turns from evil.”
Bates: “Fear the Lord because it is the best preservative against sin; the love of
God is that which constrains us to service, [but] the fear of God is that which checks
and restrains us from disobedience.” 3
Anecdote: Businessman under temptation.
Right after Paul confessed that every knee will bow and every tongue
confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord,” he wrote—
(Philippians 2:12) "12 Therefore, my beloved…work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling,"
As the perfect God/man Jesus worked out his salvation with fear and
trembling. God perfected his holiness in the fear of God.
3. Jesus delighted in the fear of God because it precedes the
3
Dr. William Bates, The Complete Works of William Bates, Vol. III, (Harrisonburg: Sprinkle, 1990), Pg. 193
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wisdom virtues.
(Proverbs 1:7) "7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise
wisdom and instruction."
(Proverbs 9:10) "10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the
knowledge of the Holy One is insight."
(Proverbs 3:7) "7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from
evil."
In today’s passage Isaiah described the effect of the HS on Jesus in terms of
wisdom virtues—wisdom, understanding, counsel, etc. all crowned by
delighting in the fear of God.
4. Jesus delighted in the fear of the Lord because it motivates
Joy
(Proverbs 14:27) "27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life that one may turn
away from the snares of death."
Ps. 2 “Rejoice with trembling”
No one knew the Joy of the Lord like Jesus because no one has ever feared
God like Jesus.
5. Jesus delighted in the Fear of God because it is at the heart
of saving faith
(Hebrews 11:7) "7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet
unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this
he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by
faith."
This text is in the famous “faith” chapter. It describes Noah’s faith as godly
fear.
6. Jesus delighted in the Fear of God because it conquers the
fear of man.
(Matthew 10:28) "28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
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In 1555, under the reign of Bloody Mary, Bishop John Hooper (b. 1495) was
burnt at the stake for his Protestant faith. Death by burning was very
painful. Sometimes it took 45 minutes. Hooper feared being burnt at the
stake, but even more he feared the flames of Hell and the wrath of God.
This fear empowered him to obey God? He feared the disapproval of God
more than he feared the flames and the disapproval and mocking of the
10,000 Englishmen gathered in the streets of Oxford to witness his burning.
In the same way, Jesus went to the cross alone because he feared God
more than he feared the mocking and derision of the Roman Government
and the Jewish people. He feared his Father’s judgments more than he
feared the pain and torture of the cross.
7. Jesus delighted in the fear of God because it is the key to
intimacy with God.
(Psalm 145:19) "19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their
cry and saves them."
(Isaiah 66:2) "2 But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and
contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."
Because no one ever feared God like Jesus no one was ever intimate with
God the Father like Jesus.
In summary, those led by the Spirit possess many spiritual fruits, but a
prominent one is a growing fear of God. Because Jesus was filled with the
Holy Spirit he grew in his capacity to fear God, and he experienced that fear
as joy and delight.
C. THREE OBJECTIONS
1. What about “Perfect love casts out fear?”
(1 John 4:16–18) "16 God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and
God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have
confidence for the Day of Judgment,…18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love
casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been
perfected in love."
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The context of “perfect love casts our fear” is verse 17 the “By this is love
perfected in us, so that we may have confidence on the Day of Judgment.”
Anyone with confidence in the love of God, the love revealed to us through
the gospel, and who rests all their hope on that gospel, and who repents of
all known sin, and perseveres in that repentance and faith until the end,
has nothing to fear on the Day of Judgment.
The wider biblical context convinces us that the gospel casts out the fear of
everything but the fear of God. Instead, of casting it out the fear of God,
the gospel intensifies the fear of God.
The gospel transforms this virute. Before conversion it repelled us. Now it
irresistibly attracts us to God.
Welch: “When the fear of the Lord matures in you, Christ becomes irresistible.”4
2. What about Eternal Security?
If I am born again I can’t lose it. Right? In that case God has taken the wrath
that I deserve. Right? Therefore, what do I have to fear?
Answer: Those really born again will remain born again. They cannot lose it.
They will be justified on the Day of Judgment. However, we do not
subscribe to simplistic, superficial views of New Birth. The truth about New
Birth is somewhat unnerving. New Birth is something God does to us. It is
not something we do to ourselves, and it is always fruitful. Millions that
think they are born again are not. It has always been that way, and it is still
that way today.
(Parable of the Sower, etc.).
That is why Paul told the church at Corinth in 2 Cor 13:5 to “examine
yourself to see if you are in the faith.” He knew that only those who
persevere to the end are saved. He knew he was weak and frail. He knew
4
Edward T. Welch, When People are Big and God is Small, (Phillipsburg: P&R, 1997) pg 123
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he was prone to sin. Therefore, he never presumed upon his salvation. His
words to the church at Philippi reflect this reality.
(Philippians 33:13–15) "13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it
[resurrection] my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining
forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal [resurrection] for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think
this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you."
What was Paul testing himself for? What should I be testing myself for?
What should I be looking for? What confirms the existence of New Birth?
Answer: Obedience. A growing love of truth and a desire to turn from all
evil evidences New Birth. A willingness to sacrificially love wives evidences
New Birth. A willingness to submit to husbands evidences new birth.
Discipline and love for children evidences new birth. Willing submission to
employers evidences New Birth. A willingness to serve roommates
evidences New Birth. A servant’s heart evidences New Birth. Growing love
for God’s word evidences New Birth. Time spent in prayer, etc. This is why
Paul told us to—
Phil 2:12 “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling”’
3. How can I fear and love God at the same time?
That question shows a shallow understanding of the Bible. Why? The Bible
never separates the fear of God from the love of God. They always go
together. You can’t really love God until you fear him. And you can’t really
fear God without feeling his love for you.
The fear of God and the love of God are like Siamese twins. They share one
heart. They are one organism with two different faces.
Mack: “The point is: You are not worshiping the true God if you are worshiping a
God you don’t fear”5
5
Mack, Wayne and Joshua, the Fear Factor, pg 146 (Tulsa, OK, Hensley, 2002)
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D. APPLICATION: PURSUE THE FEAR OF GOD
It is positive sin to lack the fear of God, to not pursue it. That is why Paul
ends his devastating catalogue of sin in Romans 3 with verse 18 “There is no
fear of God before their eyes.” Many of us have never even thought about
the fear of God let alone pursued it. To not pursue it is sin.
Others have reasoned, “The fear of God is for the OT. I live in the
enlightened age of the NT.” But this thinking shows a profound
misunderstanding of the Bible. The Bible is one book describing one
unchanging God. The NT doesn’t do away with the fear of God. It actually
amplifies, heightens, and accelerates the fear of God.
Again, the fear of God is a fruit of living in the HS (Isaiah 11:2) “And the
Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of…the fear of the Lord.” It is
an oxymoron to claim to be indwelt by the HS and not be growing in the
fear of God. In fact, the HS promises that the New Testament will teach us
the fear of God.
(Jeremiah 32:39) "39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me
forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them."
So, what Can I do to grow in the fear of God?
1. Ask For it
Therefore, the first thing I can do to get the fear of God is ask for it. Have
you ever asked God to teach you to fear him? How about your children? Do
they fear God? Are you teaching them to fear God?
We should pray for revival. Real revival always amplifies the fear of God. In
the words of Ps. 2, revival causes the church to “rejoice with trembling.”
2. Read the Bible
The second thing I can do to get the fear of God is read my Bible.
John Bunyan: “Now, (the Bible), as I said is called the fear of the Lord, because it is
the rule and directory of our fear. For we know not how to fear the Lord in a saving
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way without its guidance and direction...It is given to us and left among us, that we
may read therein all the days of our life, and learn to fear the Lord.” 6
3. Meditate on the Cross
The cross reveals the awesome holiness of God. It shows us God’s hatred of
sin.
The cross shows me the terrible wrath of God.
Bates: “Because we have narrow thoughts of God’s holiness, therefore we fear him
so little.”7
The cross shows me the inexhaustible love of God. It is because of the cross
that we can say that the fear of God and the love of God always go hand in
hand.
Welch: “Both justice and love are expressions of God’s holiness, and we must know
both to learn the fear of the Lord.”8
4. Teach your Children to Fear God
You can tell how much a parent fears God by what they expect from their
children and how they discipline and encourage their children to walk out
those expectations.
(Proverbs 14:26) "26 In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his
children will have a refuge."
6The
Fear of God, John Bunyan, pg 18, G.A.M. Publications
7
Dr. William Bates, The Complete Works of William Bates, Vol 3, (Harrisonburg: Sprinkle, 1990) pg. 170
8 8 Edward T. Welch, When People are Big and God is Small, (Phillipsburg: P&R, 1997) pg 103
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