October 29th, 2024
One of my favorite scriptures in the word of God is found in 1 John 4:18. It says,
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.”
Another one of my favorite verses is 2 Timothy 1:7 which says,
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
However, this week, my heart has been dwelling on the many scriptures that talk about the importance of fearing the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Now, we know that God does not change His mind and there is no shadow of change in Him (James 1:7), so He cannot mean we should fear Him with the same fear that His love drives out.
The love of God drives out all fear, but encountering His holiness creates Godly reverence and awe that we must have in our lives. When the Bible speaks about fearing God, it is talking about respect that can only be birthed in encounter. We must understand that God is both the righteous King and our loving Father. Just as we don’t just know one side of a close friend, we cannot know God only in part. He is the best Father, and it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32), but we must understand that there will be judgement on the earth. We must understand that His righteousness requires holiness. His holiness does not take away from His mercy. His righteousness does not nullify His goodness. He is holy, pure, righteous, loving, merciful, and completely just. There will be judgement for all who have not been washed in the blood of Jesus. If we minimize the weight of sin, we minimize the power of what Jesus did for us on the cross. If we minimize the reality of coming judgement, we risk the souls of the lost.
Romans 2:4 says, “it is the kindness of God that draws men to repentance,” and that is true, however such a verse cannot be taken out of context. Paul wrote this as a rebuke for those who were showing contempt for God’s kindness by continuing to sin. The blood of Jesus draws us to repentance and destroys the power of sin in our lives. We must live in reverence for His holiness! To sin after professing to receive what Jesus accomplished on the cross is to show contempt for His precious blood and the mercy our righteous God. The very next verse in Romans 2 elaborates on this saying,
“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” (Romans 2:5)
Especially in a nation and culture that does not reverence God or value holiness, we as the church must stand for the truth of the Word of God. Souls depend on it!
We can draw near to God, in all His glory, in all His holiness, only by the blood of Jesus. It is undeserved access and grace, but when we truly encounter Him, reverence, awe, and fear of the Lord are the natural response. When the people of Israel saw the glory of Jehovah on Mount Sinai, they were too afraid to draw near. They sent Moses to speak to God on their behalf. Exodus 20:21 says,
“The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.” In that thick darkness – the storm, the thunder and lightning, the flames of glory – God spoke to Moses as a friend speaks to a friend. In His holiness is intimacy. Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to “come boldly to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
We can come to God’s throne because Jesus paid the highest price. He is love and He is holy. He is merciful and He is just. He is kind and He is righteous. He is our Father and He is King and Judge of all the earth. Let us long for experiences with God that fill us with wonder and awe!
Deuteronomy 10:12 says,
“Now Israel, what does the Lord your God require 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.”
Psalm 25:14 says,
“The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”
Psalm 33:8 says,
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!’
Proverbs 9:10 says,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
Luke 1:50 says,
“His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”
There are countless more verses I could share about the power of fearing God. It is the reverence and awe that will mark our lives for Him. True reverence comes only from encounter, and I believe in this hour, the church is going to encounter the holiness of God in a new way. His power, His purity, and His righteousness will flow in His church and with reverence we will carry His love to a world desperate for it. We cannot love without truth!
The song proclaimed before the throne of God is “holy, holy, holy.” When Isaiah saw Him, he cried,
"'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5)
We need an encounter with the holiness of God to run in the power of the gospel!
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.”
Another one of my favorite verses is 2 Timothy 1:7 which says,
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
However, this week, my heart has been dwelling on the many scriptures that talk about the importance of fearing the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Now, we know that God does not change His mind and there is no shadow of change in Him (James 1:7), so He cannot mean we should fear Him with the same fear that His love drives out.
The love of God drives out all fear, but encountering His holiness creates Godly reverence and awe that we must have in our lives. When the Bible speaks about fearing God, it is talking about respect that can only be birthed in encounter. We must understand that God is both the righteous King and our loving Father. Just as we don’t just know one side of a close friend, we cannot know God only in part. He is the best Father, and it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32), but we must understand that there will be judgement on the earth. We must understand that His righteousness requires holiness. His holiness does not take away from His mercy. His righteousness does not nullify His goodness. He is holy, pure, righteous, loving, merciful, and completely just. There will be judgement for all who have not been washed in the blood of Jesus. If we minimize the weight of sin, we minimize the power of what Jesus did for us on the cross. If we minimize the reality of coming judgement, we risk the souls of the lost.
Romans 2:4 says, “it is the kindness of God that draws men to repentance,” and that is true, however such a verse cannot be taken out of context. Paul wrote this as a rebuke for those who were showing contempt for God’s kindness by continuing to sin. The blood of Jesus draws us to repentance and destroys the power of sin in our lives. We must live in reverence for His holiness! To sin after professing to receive what Jesus accomplished on the cross is to show contempt for His precious blood and the mercy our righteous God. The very next verse in Romans 2 elaborates on this saying,
“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” (Romans 2:5)
Especially in a nation and culture that does not reverence God or value holiness, we as the church must stand for the truth of the Word of God. Souls depend on it!
We can draw near to God, in all His glory, in all His holiness, only by the blood of Jesus. It is undeserved access and grace, but when we truly encounter Him, reverence, awe, and fear of the Lord are the natural response. When the people of Israel saw the glory of Jehovah on Mount Sinai, they were too afraid to draw near. They sent Moses to speak to God on their behalf. Exodus 20:21 says,
“The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.” In that thick darkness – the storm, the thunder and lightning, the flames of glory – God spoke to Moses as a friend speaks to a friend. In His holiness is intimacy. Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to “come boldly to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
We can come to God’s throne because Jesus paid the highest price. He is love and He is holy. He is merciful and He is just. He is kind and He is righteous. He is our Father and He is King and Judge of all the earth. Let us long for experiences with God that fill us with wonder and awe!
Deuteronomy 10:12 says,
“Now Israel, what does the Lord your God require 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.”
Psalm 25:14 says,
“The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”
Psalm 33:8 says,
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!’
Proverbs 9:10 says,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
Luke 1:50 says,
“His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”
There are countless more verses I could share about the power of fearing God. It is the reverence and awe that will mark our lives for Him. True reverence comes only from encounter, and I believe in this hour, the church is going to encounter the holiness of God in a new way. His power, His purity, and His righteousness will flow in His church and with reverence we will carry His love to a world desperate for it. We cannot love without truth!
The song proclaimed before the throne of God is “holy, holy, holy.” When Isaiah saw Him, he cried,
"'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5)
We need an encounter with the holiness of God to run in the power of the gospel!
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