Church Sermon - January 23, 2005

Rev. Mark F. Bartels

Epistle Lesson; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Gospel Lesson; Matthew 4:12-23
Sermon Text; Amos 3:1-8

What does it mean to fear God? In our society today, (which often sees Christianity as almost a casual sort of Christianity), we may have lost the idea of what it really means that we should fear God. So, what does it mean to fear God? Does it mean that we should be afraid of God, terrified of God? Usually, when we use the word "fear" that is what we mean. However, if we look at how the Bible uses the word "fear", the Bible uses the word "fear" in a much bigger context than you and I use it. I want to give you three examples from the Bible, where the Bible uses the word "fear". For example, the Bible says we should fear a lion, when it roars. To children, the Bible says you should fear your parents. To all of us, the Bible says that we should fear God. So, we should fear a lion, we should fear our parents, and we should fear God.

What does a lion have in common with our parents? And, what do a lion and parents have in common with God? Here is what they have in common. They all have power over us.

When the Bible uses the word fear, it is in this sense that we should understand and recognize that there are certain things out there that have power over us. They can either use that power to help and benefit us, or they can use that power to hurt, harm, or punish us. Depending upon how that power is used, it will affect our attitude. So, when I look at a roaring lion, I understand, "Boy! Does he have power over me! He is much stronger than I am. He is probably going to use that power to hurt or harm me." That causes my heart to be troubled, to be terrified. Fear.

On the other hand, when we look at our parents, who have power and authority over us, we can understand, "My parents intend to use that power and authority, not to hurt or harm me, but to benefit me and to bless me". There, we should also have a proper fear of our parents, a fear that says, "I understand that they want to use that power to my blessing. Therefore, my attitude is that I am going to respect and have reverence for my parents."

As we look at scripture, which of those two fears should we have of God? Should it be in terror, or should it be an awe, respect, and reverence for God? Let’s look at today’s scripture reading a little bit. One thing we need to understand about God, (and oftentimes I think we lose this understanding), is the absolute power that God has over you and me.

We could not change that in any way, if we wanted to.

And, we cannot change that, no matter how much we want.

God alone,

GOD ALONE,

has the power, and

power over us.

God alone is sovereign. God is sovereign. That means that God’s will, God’s will, cannot be changed. God will do what God wants to do. You and I cannot direct the will of God the way that we want it to go. God is sovereign.

As we see the Children of Israel, in today’s scripture reading, we see an awesome picture of God using His absolute power and His sovereign will for their great benefit. He gave them great privilege, more privilege than He had given to any other people, on the whole face of the earth. And, it was only by His sovereign choice. They didn’t choose it. He chose. It was only by His power, not theirs. They didn’t have the power, God did.

The Children of Israel did not choose to have God take them out of Egypt with a mighty hand. God chose. It was God’s sovereign will. And, God displayed His awesome power, sending the ten plagues to the people of Egypt, ultimately crushing their will, so they let the Children of Israel go. God’s sovereign will and His great power were displayed to the Children of Israel. The Children of Israel didn’t have the power to part the Red Sea, so they could go through. And yet, God in His awesome power parted the Red Sea. That was His sovereign will. He chose to do that, not them. He chose to have them pass through. And, when their enemies came, they didn’t choose to have God collapse the waters on their enemies. God, in His sovereign will, chose. God, in His power, destroyed those enemies. When the Children of Israel wandered for forty years in the desert, they didn’t choose to have God send them manna, day after day, feed them with quail, and turn the bitter water to sweet water. God chose. It was His sovereign will and God’s almighty power. The Children of Israel didn’t choose to have God drive out the people from the nation that they were to take. It was God’s choice. God chose to drive out the people before them, by His power, not by theirs.

They were a privileged people. They were a people, who by sheer grace, not by any merit or worthiness on their part, God chose. And God displayed His awesome power and grace among them. But, in today’s scripture reading, we find that something happened. If anybody should have had a true fear of God, (and by that I mean, they should have really had high reverence, respect, and awe that God did this for them, because He chose in His own free will to do this for them) it should have been the Children of Israel. But, the Children of Israel disrespected God, who had done that for them. The Children of Israel set up their own gods. They began to worship gods that could not even see, or hear, or help them in any way whatsoever. They disrespected the sovereign, all-powerful God who had so privileged them. They disrespected the sovereign, all-powerful, holy God who had told them how to live their lives. (That is His choice, not their choice.) They went and lived their lives the way they wanted to, and fell into many terrible sins. They disrespected the sovereign LORD.

And so, in today’s scripture reading, we hear the LORD speak to the Children of Israel. "Hear this word the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel - against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: ‘You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for your sins.’"

God presents Himself as a roaring lion. He says, "Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does he growl in his den when he has caught nothing?…The lion has roared - who will not fear?"

There, God was threatening to now use His power to punish the Children of Israel for their disrespect for all He had done for them. That should have caused the Children of Israel to tremble, to be troubled, and to have a horror over God’s wrath and God’s judgment.

You and I, like the Children of Israel, are a highly privileged people. We are a highly privileged people. The Bible tells us, "You are a chosen nation, a royal priesthood."

If there is anybody who should understand what it means to fear God, (that means, understand the awesome power He has in my life, and fall down on my knees in reverence, awe, and respect for what He does for me, every single moment, of every single day), it ought to be us. But, are we like the Children of Israel? Do we, in our lives, often show disrespect for God?

All of us here have to admit that in many ways, and many times we show disrespect. There is not that fear of God in our hearts as it should be. God says the same to us, as He says to the Children of Israel.

We all need to understand that, as Jesus said, "Don’t fear the one who can destroy your body. (Don’t fear him.) Fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell." There, Jesus gives a stern warning. God, in His almighty power, (who has absolute power over me), could use that power to destroy me, (body and soul), in hell. And, that is what I deserve.

All of us, as we look at our sin, ought to have a true horror over our sin. In our hearts, we ought to have terror over what God, in His justice, could do to us, and rightfully so. We ought to have a horror of God’s judgment, and of hell.

So, what do we do? What do we do, as we see that the wrath of God could be poured out on us? God speaks to us in that way, showing us our sin, in order for us to turn to Him, not run away from Him, but to turn to Him and say, "God, the only way I can be saved, is by your mercy. Please be merciful to me." He brings us to repent of our sin, to be sorry that we have disrespected Him in so many ways.

And then, what does God say to us? There is a very interesting section in Revelation, chapter 5. In Revelation, chapter 5, Jesus is described. I want to begin by reading to you:

"Then I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne, a scroll with writing on both sides sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a load voice, ‘Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’ But, no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See the lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’"

Do you hear what it calls Jesus there? Jesus is called the lion, "the lion of the tribe of Judah". He is referred to as a lion. He is referred to as the one who is the only one who has the power, the only one who has the authority, ultimate power, ultimate authority to open that scroll.

Now, Revelation goes on. If you had been there and had the vision that John had, and heard that the lion of Judah is the one who can open the scroll, wouldn’t you want to see what He looked like? Well, John had that opportunity. Here is the description of the lion of Judah.

"Then I looked and I saw a lamb."

A lamb! This is the lion of Judah!

"I looked and then I saw a lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne." The lion of the tribe of Judah, the one who has all authority and power in our lives, has become the Lamb who was slain.

Do you see how much God loves you? God, the almighty God of the universe, who has all majesty, and glory, and power, whose will is absolutely sovereign in your life, who knows that you have gone against His will, in His awesome love, has become a lamb, who was slain! He has taken your sin. He has appeared weak in your place. He has gone to the cross for you.

Now that lion roars. But, it is not a roar to frighten or trouble you. It is a roar of victory. It is a roar of victory over your sin. Your sins cannot be held against you, anymore. The mighty lion roars.

The mighty lion roars, because He has defeated death. Death cannot hurt or harm you, anymore. It is a roar of victory on your behalf. The mighty lion roars.

The mighty lion roars, because now hell is defeated. We don’t have to worry about hell anymore. The Lamb who was slain, the lion of the tribe of Judah, has opened Heaven to us. The lion roars. And, His victory roar is a victory for you and me! The mighty lion roars.

And so, John goes on and describes a real true fear, a reverence, awe, and a respect for what the lion of the tribe of Judah has done for us. He says, "And when He had taken the scroll the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals because you were slain. And with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priest to serve our God. And they will reign on the earth.’ And then I looked and heard the voice of many angels numbering thousands and upon thousands, and ten thousand time ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise’. And then I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them singing, ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be honor and praise and glory and power for ever and ever.’ And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen’. And the elders fell down and worshiped."

That is a true godly fear of God. It is understanding the awesome power that He has in our lives and how He has used His sovereign will and power in love, in absolute love, to obtain the full victory for us. By sheer grace. I don’t deserve that. I didn’t choose that. He chose that for me.

May you and I go forward in our lives with a true godly fear, a fear, a fear of God that says, "God, you have all power. You love me. You are the mighty lion that roars to defend me. With you at my side, I have nothing to fear, nothing to fear. You are almighty!"

Let’s show that proper reverence and respect of our LORD, when we come to worship and sing, as people who truly revere and fear the LORD in His glory, and what He has done for us. Let us live our lives as people who don’t want to offend the God who has done such great things for us. In love, let us serve Him, and be God-fearing people.

Amen.

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