The Fear of God

By Pastor Young Sook Park

March 22, 2009

Proverbs 8:13

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;

Pride and arrogance and theevil way, and the perverted mouth, I hate.

I. God is uniquely and awesomely

Holy

Leviticus 19:2

  Behold because I, the Lord of your God,

Isaiah 6:3

  Holy, Holy, Holy, isthe LORD of hosts…

Pure

Psalm 19:9

The fear of the LORD is pure (clean)….

II. The fear of the Lord is thebeginning of wisdom

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom

III. What does it mean to fearof God?

There are times in the Bible when we are told to fearand not to fear other times.

There is a fear that helps and another that hinders.

How do we know the difference?

1. Helps

1) The fear is that expresses itselfin reverence, veneration and awe.

Genesis 17:1

I am God Almighty.

A sense of the grandeur and majesty of God

O God,

How great Thou art

Great in Power

Great Majesty

Great Love

Great Mercy

Above all God is Great in faithfulness

2) The fear is that keeps safe

Proverbs 29:25

The fear of man brings asnare, but he who trusts in the LORD willbe exalted.

2. Hinders

1) A fear that hinders is describedfor us

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but ofpower and love and discipline.

Fearfulness, timidity, sorry, miserable

All of these are from within our own hearts.

Matthew 10:26, 28

²⁶ Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothingconcealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

²⁸ Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable tokill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body inhell.

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts outfear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfectedin love.

3. Do you fear something than youfear God?

Are you being ruled by the wrong kind of fear?

What did the Lord require of Israel?

Deuteronomy 10:12

Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in allHis ways and love Him, and to serve the LORDyour God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Joshua 24:14

Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away thegods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fearGod and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

IV Lesson

A. The cup

Luke 22:41-44

⁴¹ And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and beganto pray,

⁴² saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet notMy will, but Yours be done.”

⁴³ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.

⁴⁴ And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat becamelike drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

God’s answer was not to take away the cup, but tosupply the strength to turn that bitter cup into a cup of Salvation.

B. Israel people in thewilderness

Numbers 14:34-35

³⁴ ‘According to the number of days which you spied out the land, fortydays, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years,and you will know My opposition.

³⁵ ‘I, the LORD, havespoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gatheredtogether against Me. In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there theywill die.’ ”

Their fear will bear the consequences of their sins in40 years based on the number of the 40 days as a year for each day.

We are moving into the spiritual realm.

We are moving into His kingdom.

We are moving into His Promised Land.

Also God helps us that unhealthy fear not block theway.

Conclusion

Mark 14:62

And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son ofMan sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Rise up, O man of God!

It’s time to rise up from fear.

There is sense in which the King is reigning now.

We can say with the utmost certainty, “Our Godreigns.”

God wants to reign through us!

I urge you, with a fresh consecration of purpose, anddedicate yourself to letting Him reign through you

Let us submit our whole being to God today with thefear of god.

Live and reign in us.

In Jesus’ name. Amen

Prayer

O God, we bring to You all our unhealthy fears andlay them at Your Feet.

Help us to develop such a reverential fear for Youthat all other fears a quickly swallowed up.

In Jesus’ Name.

Amen