The Fear of God and Man's True Need (Fear of Man 3)

The fear of the Lord is just the proper reaction of sinners to God’s infinite holiness, or of creatures to God’s infinite majesty. As we grow in the knowledge of God, we will learn truly to tremble before His great glory and burning purity, and see this as indeed the beginning of wisdom. Feed My Sheep, ed. Don Kistler, Soli Deo Gloria Ministries, 2002, p. 232. Eric Alexander

In our pursuit for freedom from the fear of man and in our pursuit of the fear of the Lord, we need wisdom.

Where do we find wisdom?

It is freely given to us from God.

James 1:5.

James 1:5 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Wisdom is a gift from God. One he freely gives to us when we ask.

In our war against the fear of man in us, we need to claim this wisdom.

The greatest piece of wisdom we can claim in our war against the fear of man is fear God more.

We considered Jeremiah 17:5-8 last time. It remind us that we need to FEAR God more than man.

Jeremiah 17:5-8.

In our war against the fear of man, we must learn to fear God MORE.

Proverbs is also a great place to learn wisdom.

Book

Know and Fear God

Who wrote the book of Proverbs?

Solomon.

The wisest man alive.

In the opening verses of Proverbs, we are told what the purpose of proverbs is.

Proverbs 1:1-6.

Proverbs 1:1–6 ESV

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.

Proverbs exist to give knowledge and wisdom. (From the wisest man to ever live).

The first and foremost piece of wisdom (which repeats the truth found in Jeremiah 17:5-8, we need is found in verse 7.

Proverbs 1:7.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10 and Proverbs 15:33 repeat this mantra. We will also see it in Job 28:28.

What is the beginning of wisdom? What is the beginning of knowledge?

The fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord IS the response needed for the fear of man.

But what exactly does it mean to fear the Lord?

What is the fear of the Lord?

What does it mean to “Fear the Lord”?

The word we translate fear is the same one we translate awe/worship. The truth is, there is BOTH realities of terror/fear and awe/worship involved in our understanding of this word.

The fear of the Lord, like the fear of people, includes a spectrum of attitudes. On one side, the fear of the Lord does indeed mean a terror of God (threat-fear). We are unclean people, and we appear before the almighty God who is morally pure. We are rightly ashamed before him, and punishment would be completely just. Terror is our natural and appropriate response. Such fear shrinks back from God. It wants to avoid him as much as possible.

But this is only one end of the fear of the Lord. At the other end of the spectrum is a fear reserved exclusively for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. This fear of the Lord means reverent submission that leads to obedience, and it is interchangeable with “worship,” “rely on,” “trust,” and “hope in.” Like terror, it includes a knowledge of our sinfulness and God’s moral purity, and it includes a clear-eyed knowledge of God’s justice and his anger against sin. But this worship-fear also knows God’s great forgiveness, mercy, and love.

This kind of robust fear is the pinnacle of our response to God.

Ed Welch

Knowing the difference between the two types of fear help us better understand passages like 1 Peter 2:17 and 1 John 4:18.

1 Peter 2:17 ESV

17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

1 John 4:18 ESV

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.

1 Peter 2:17 tells us to fear God.

1 John 4:18 says that there is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear.

Which is it?

BOTH.

For us believers, we do not need to fear God’s judgement and wrath. That has been satisfied in Christ. This is what he means by perfect love casts out fear. We no longer have to fear it.

However, we ought to have a reverence, respect, and yes even a terror before a holy God. We ought to fear his discipline and rebuke if we sin. There should be a sense of fear in ever purposefully and willfully rejecting God’s authority and will in our lives.

Hebrews 10:31 says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

See Also 2 Corinthians 7:1 and 2 Timothy 1:7.

There is a tension we walk here. We are NOT to be driven by a terror-fear that has to do with punishment but rather a worship-fear, a reverential fear that leads to joyful and willing submission to God. And yet, there is a sense that the terror fear ought to remain to a degree as a hedge to protect us from rejecting God and returning to the vomit of our sin.

So, if we want to overcome the fear of man, we must learn to fear God above all. One who fears God above all will not be subject to the fear of man. But we must understand what it means to fear God.

In our pursuit of learning to fear God, we will face opposition.

Opposition to the fear of the Lord

What opposition will we face in our pursuit of learning to fear God?

Our own sinful flesh and desires

The world and it’s influences

The devil, our adversary, and his minions.

OUR OWN FLESH AND DESIRES IS THE TRUE SOURCE. The world simply influences and plays off what is already there.

Let me illustrate this.

Have volunteer come and hold the glass of the water while someone else reads James 4:1-3.

James 4:1-3.

James 4:1–3 ESV

1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

What causes quarrels and fights?

NOT others. Victimization and blame shifting will not help you here.

YES, we are sometimes victims, enduring hurts at the hands of others…but that suffering NEVER demands we respond sinful or MAKES us respond sinfully. We always have a that choice.

When we sin, it always driven by what is in our heart.

The suffering is just the occasion, the circumstance that brings it to light.

Refer back to person holding the water.

Bump them hard enough to spill the water.

Why did water spill out of the glass?

Because water was in the glass

The bumping was just the occasion to expose what was in the glass.

Point is, sin comes from the heart. Always. No one can make us sin. Our circumstances just bring out what is already in us.

As we come to fear the Lord more, as we grow in grace and truth, the Spirit will work and righteousness will flow out because of his transforming work of grace in us.

With such adversaries, growing in the fear of the Lord will not be a smooth process. Instead, it will be the path of warfare. We must hate the evil and ungodly assumptions of the world, we must hate our own sinful nature, and we must hate Satan. To accomplish these tasks demands the most powerful resources we have: the Word, the Spirit, and the body of Christ. Ed Welch

Learning the Fear of the Lord

So, how do we learn to fear the Lord?

By reading and meditating on the Word, and by praying that our God would teach us.

If we are to learn the fear of the Lord, we will need increase our view of God. He must become bigger. We MUST learn to see Him AS HE IS.

This requires we spend time in his word, carefully reading, studying, and MEDITATING on the truths we see there.

Example: How strong of a relationship can you build off 15 minutes a day?

There are many angles that this can be done. Time does not permit us to explore them all in full but I have included several ways in your notes that I want to encourage you to explore and dig into in your own time. But I want to focus on two particular examples of how we can increase our fear of God by looking at and meditating on scripture.

Creator

Have volunteers look up and ready the following passages.

Psalm 33:8-9.

Psalm 33:8–9 ESV

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

Ps 93:3-4.

Ps 8:3-4.

Two responses to truths like these....Amazement and humility.

Look around and notice God’s glory reflected in creation. The blue of the sky reflects his royal garment. The clouds are reminders of his presence (Ex. 19:9), they are his chariot as he oversees his creation (Ps. 104:3). The winds are his messengers (Ps. 104:4). They come from the storehouses of God (Ps. 135:7). The sun comes forth like a bridegroom, reminding me that Jesus is returning for his church (Ps. 19:5). The heavens truly praise his wonders (Ps. 89:5), they declare his glory (Ps. 19:1). Ed Welch

Every animal you see drinking or feeding on the grass is being sustained by the Most High God (Ps. 104). The farmer did not cause the crops to grow. The crops come from the ground as a gift from God. Rain is an expression of his care, lightning of his power. Furthermore, God owns creation. “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him” (Ps. 95:4). We are walking on privately owned land. Ed Welch

As you meditate on scripture and creation, go out INTO creation and take time to stand in awe of it. Put away your smart phones. Stow your headphones. Sit in the stillness of creation and take it all in.

As you sit in the stillness of creation, read a few Psalms like these…slowly. Sit in wonder of a God who made it all with nothing but a word.

Do this often and permit the wonder of it to increase your love for and devotion to a God with such power.

Personal Example - Wilderness trip - Solo Day and the river otter.

Take time to REALLY notice the wonders of creation and mediate on what that reveals about God.

God’s Questions

Job is a beautiful biblical example of fear of the Lord.

What do you remember about the life of Job?

Most poignantly seen in his response when he loses everything. (Job 1:21, 2:10, 28:28.)

You want to know what is in your heart; whether you fear God or not? Note how you respond when you lose something important to you.

Apart from God giving the law, God’s longest recorded words are the last four chapters of Job.

Job 38-41.

Job 38:1–18 ESV

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? 12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, 13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? 14 It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment. 15 From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken. 16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.

The pace of God’s questions is relentless. They leave you speechless. But they are graciously delivered to a righteous man who prizes the fear of the Lord above all else. The effect of God’s words was exactly what was intended: Job’s response demonstrated that he understood that God was holy — God was above him. God’s knowledge was “too wonderful for me to know.” God was different than Job. He was not like a man who could be summoned. As further evidence of Job’s growth in the fear of the Lord, he humbled himself before the Almighty. “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42: 6). Such humility and repentance are a sure sign that we are learning the fear of the Lord. Ed Welch

Assignment: Read these everyday for a month. There is nothing they do not treat.

Do you fear people?

Are you suffering?

Are you depressed?

Are you anxious and worrying?

Is anger an issue for you?

Are you cold, hard hearted, and closed off?

When we surrender to God and accept that God is God and we are not; when we humbly submit to his will, people those their power to manipulate, pressure or control us.

Wrath of God

Why would the wrath of God teach us to fear him more? Isn’t the wrath of God a bad thing?

Jesus, the servant of whom Isaiah spoke, was crushed for us; therefore, if we believe and turn from our sins, we are not crushed. We have been rescued from deadly peril and endless pain. But as we get farther from the day we were rescued, do we remember what we were saved from? Do we remember that we should have been crushed by God’s wrath? Do we realize that, from our perspective, the cross is the greatest injustice that there will ever be? The Perfect One crushed in place of sinners? And do we remember that there will be a divine judgment when God’s wrath will be revealed (Rom. 2:5)? Hell teaches us about the fear of the Lord. Ed Welch

The wrath of God flows from his holiness and justice. It flows from his love and mercy.

An unjust God who ignores sin would not be a good God and not one worthy of worship.

Thus, a God who experiences HOLY and JUST wrath against sin is a Good and Awe inspiring God.

Matthew 5:22; 7:19; Mark 9:43-44; John 3:18; Matthew 25:41.

We ought to stand in awe of, worship of, and in thanksgiving for the wrath of God because of what it denotes about his holiness and justice.

Matthew 10:28

Sinners in the Hands of Angry God (Jonathan Edwards) was used by God to invoke the fear of God into people and spark a spiritual awakening.

There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God... The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or loathsome insect, over the flame... His wrath towards you burns like fire... he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in His sight... You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince... O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: It is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit... You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it. Jonathan Edwards

The reality of Hell, as the ultimate display of God’s wrath ought to remind us of and increase our view of God in his holiness and goodness.

Here is the truth about hell. When a person dies apart from faith in Jesus, there is no possible deliverance from eternal hell (Matt. 25:46). There is no relief from torment (Rom. 2:4), and, worst of all, it is the holy wrath of God that is poured out (John 3:36). Such knowledge led the apostle Paul to say, “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11). Ed Welch

John Piper, in his book, 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, notes...

If God were not just, there would be no demand for his Son to suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving. Therefore his love is willing to meet the demands of his justice.

God’s law demanded, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). But we have all loved other things more. This is what sin is—dishonoring God by preferring other things over him, and acting on those preferences. Therefore, the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We glorify what we enjoy most. And it isn’t God.

Therefore sin is not small, because it is not against a small Sovereign. The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. The Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of respect and admiration and loyalty. Therefore, failure to love him is not trivial—it is treason. It defames God and destroys human happiness.

Since God is just, he does not sweep these crimes under the rug of the universe. He feels a holy wrath against them. They deserve to be punished, and he has made this clear: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).

There is a holy curse hanging over all sin. Not to punish would be unjust. The demeaning of God would be endorsed. A lie would reign at the core of reality. Therefore, God says, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them” (Galatians 3:10; Deuteronomy 27:26).

But the love of God does not rest with the curse that hangs over all sinful humanity. He is not content to show wrath, no matter how holy it is. Therefore God sends his own Son to absorb his wrath and bear the curse for all who trust him. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).

This is the meaning of the word “propitiation” in the text quoted above (Romans 3:25). It refers to the removal of God’s wrath by providing a substitute. The substitute is provided by God himself. The substitute, Jesus Christ, does not just cancel the wrath; he absorbs it and diverts it from us to himself. God’s wrath is just, and it was spent, not withdrawn.

Let us not trifle with God or trivialize his love. We will never stand in awe of being loved by God until we reckon with the seriousness of our sin and the justice of his wrath against us. But when, by grace, we waken to our unworthiness, then we may look at the suffering and death of Christ and say, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the [wrath-absorbing] propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). John Piper

Taking time to meditate on the wrath of God will strengthen your fear of God.

Gospel

We should all be living in light of the gospel. EVERYDAY should reflect our understanding of, our hope in, and reality of the gospel.

Have someone explain the gospel in their own words.

The gospel is not just for unbelievers. It is for us, for every day.

Ponder and mediate often, how does the gospel affect my hobbies and interests?

How does the gospel influence the use of my time?

How does the gospel influence the use of my money and resources?

How does the gospel influence and permeate my friendships and relationships?

How does the gospel influence what I watch? What I read? What I listen to? (Music)

One way that you and I can increase our fear of God and enlarge our view of God is to regularly and passionately mediate on the gospel.

All this was leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is good to be amazed at everything in the Bible, but this is where holy love and holy justice are one. As a result, our fear (reverence, faith) should always end at the gospel.

Holy love — he was like a sheep going to the slaughter, instead of us. “While we were still sinners [enemies], Christ died for us.”

Holy justice — the penalty for sin is the removal of the very presence of God. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

His death should provoke godly fear in us. There is no other act that encompasses such holy love and holy justice.

Ed Welch

Consider the responses to Christ and His work.

The Roman Centurion’s response ought to amaze us. (Mark 15:39)

Samaritan woman (John 4)

Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)

Saul/Paul (Acts 8-9)

Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40)

Roman Centurion and his servant (Matthew 8:5-13)

Woman with blood disease (Mark 5:25-34)

And on and on the list could go.

The Attributes of God

Taking time to study out each of the attributes of God in scripture will help you know God better and will strengthen your fear of God.

Omnipresence

Omniscience

Omnipotence

Holiness

Purity

Justice

Righteousness

Mercy

Grace

Love

Trinity

Eternality

The Attributes of God by AW Pink

Knowledge of the Holy by AW Tozer

Behold Your God DVD Series by John Snyder

Understand Our True Needs

Difference between desire and need

What is the difference between a desire and need?

NEED - necessity, requirement

DESIRE - something longed/craved for BUT not necessary.

NEED - Something necessary for life and health

DESIRE - Something longed for for ease, comfort, or pleasure

Why is it so often hard to discern the difference?

We have a very loose definition of need.

If you look it up in the dictionary, it will include such things as...

A lack of something wanted or deemed necessary

A lack of something desirable

We have applied the word NEED to things that are not legitimate necessities for life or health.

What are Needs?

So, what are needs?

The world essentially identifies three areas of need...

Scripture only identifies the first two.

Biological

Spiritual

Psychological

What are biological needs?

Food, water, shelter, clothing, etc.

Matthew 6:32 - Jesus addresses these kinds of needs.

What are spiritual needs?

Our deepest need is spiritual. We need forgiveness, salvation. We are dead in our sins, desperately separated from God, condemned by his holy and just wrath, we are enslaved to sin, to the passions of the flesh, and we NEED salvation.

Even the world seems to agree that man has spiritual needs, even if they refuse to acknowledge sin or God. They will encourage man to have faith, to believe in something…but what that something is, changes from person to person and is often nebulous.

God has meet our need here…this is the gospel that we have spoken of already. But God goes even further. He not only supplies the salvation we need, but EVERYTHING we need for life. Romans 8:32 and 2 Peter 1:3.

What are psychological needs?

This gets tricker. It is long and varied. But Welch summarizes...

The list of psychological needs can be a long one, but they typically have to do with what we want in relationships: significance, acceptance, respect, admiration, love, belonging, meaning, and so on. Some people collapse this long list into one: the need for love.

This is where the push for self esteem enters the picture. It is purported that having a high self esteem is a NEED, without which, we could not possibly be happy or healthy.

Many of the things we include here, God does not list as needs for happiness or healthiness.

May of the things WE list as needs really fit into the category of wants.

We want to be respected and appreciated by people. This is not a bad thing…but is a need? No.

And those wants, in and of themselves, are not bad....UNTIL they become ruling things.

A good thing becomes a bad thing when it becomes a ruling thing. Paul Tripp

Let’s go back to the NEED to be loved for a moment.

Welch notes...

...there are two questions that are rarely asked about this need for love. First, while we all agree that love is a universal human desire, how do we justify elevating desire to God-given need?

Second, and perhaps more importantly, what is the purpose of having this need met?

The answer to the first question is usually, “God created us in his image and said that it is not good for us to be alone. Therefore we need people.” This makes biblical sense. There is a way in which we need people. But this leaves the second question: What, according to the category of psychological needs, do we need people for? According to the category of spiritual needs, we need people to warn us about the deceitfulness of sin, to point us to the love of Jesus, to help carry our burdens, and for many other things. What about the category of psychological needs?

According to the popular thinking, these needs must be met so that we can reach our potential and have happiness, psychological stability, and self-esteem. Put less technically, our psychological needs must be filled in order for us to feel good about ourselves.

We know that we are created to live in relationship with other people, and in these relationships we are to love, encourage, and comfort each other, but is the purpose of these relationships to bolster our self-esteem? At first glance the Scripture can support the idea that we have a need to show love to others, but it is more difficult to find Scripture that says we have a God-given need to receive love so that we can feel better about ourselves. Where does the Bible talk about these needs?

It doesn’t.

In fact, if somehow we NEED other people to be fulfilled, what does that make man? God.

Truth is, our deepest need is not love. Our deepest need is forgiveness and salvation. THIS, God provides BECAUSE of His love.

When Jesus came, what did he say he came to do?

To see and save the lost

Did he come to satisfy our desire to be loved and accepted? NO. He came to SAVE, to forgive.

BUT in doing so, he also supplies his love and as we rest in Him, his love satisfies and fills us.

Does this make the desire to be loved wrong? No. Welch explains...

This is not to say that taking delight in being loved was the original sin. Certainly not. Since we were forged by The Lover, we should delight in loving and in being loved. It would be inhuman not to delight in love. It would also be inhuman if we didn’t hurt deeply when rejected or sinned against by others. The problem is not that we desire love, the problem is how much we desire it or for what purpose we desire it. Do we desire it so much that it overshadows our desire to be imitators of God? Do we desire it for our own pleasure or for God’s glory? Ed Welch

Christ, in dying for us, in offering forgiveness and salvation ALSO PROVIDES THE VERY LOVE WE DESIRE. Love that is is far better than any man or woman can give us.

Our greatest need is forgiveness, but God gives us so much more than just that.

And this is the problem with this category of psychological needs.

The problem of psychological needs

The problem with these psychological needs, is that they are often man centered and unsupported by scripture.

When you begin to unveil them, you begin to see their very self-centered focus on making much of man.

When you buy into them, you essentially give permission for the culture to shape one third of man because the culture is put in charge of addressing man’s psychological needs.

The pastors and the church are told that this is not their area. They are in charge of the spiritual needs and they need to stay there (as the world asserts). Essentially, an embracing of this ideology places man, the world in charge of shaping man.

And the does the world and the bible agree on much? No..

Here is the danger, summarized by Ed Welch.

When psychological needs, rather than sin, are seen as our primary problem, not only is our self-understanding affected, but the gospel itself is changed. A needs theory suggests that the gospel is, most deeply, intended to meet psychological needs. In other words, the gospel is aimed at our self-esteem problem. It is aimed at our tendency to dwell on our failures. It is intended to be a statement of God’s love saying that “God doesn’t make junk.”

Jesus did not die to increase our self-esteem. Rather, Jesus died to bring glory to the Father by redeeming people from the curse of sin.

Ed Welch

This danger of the needs based theology is most troubling. It manages to even take the gospel and make be used for selfish ends.

But it does not stop there. It will also affect our interpersonal relationships.

For example, marriage becomes mutual need-meeting. At first glance, this seems to fit the experience of marriage, and it also seems to square with Scripture’s view of love. People are commanded to love because (from this perspective) we need love. Is it possible, however, that we are called to love not because other people are empty and need love (to feel better about themselves) but because love is the way in which we imitate Christ and bring glory to God? Ec Welch!”

In order words, we can enter into and pursue relationship, friendships or romance, for selfish reasons…at times, without even realizing it.

We ought to be asking…

How can I be satisfied in God’s love for me so that I am free to love others unconditionally as a reflection of God’s glory and His love for me?

Am I making God’s love for me about me or am I making it about Him and His glory?

Listen, our deepest need is not be loved

One of our deepest needs is forgiveness – Matthew 6:12.

But…when we are forgiven, we are able to receive and give God’s love rightly…For HIS glory and not our own.

This ought to challenge us to consider, what are our true needs, what are we perceiving as needs, and how do we need to change our thinking to be aligned with scripture?

Man and Their Needs

Matthew 6:9-13 – Jesus model prayer and the things we are to pray for and request reveal what our true needs are.

Matthew 6:9–13 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Notice how Jesus models prayer...

Hallowed be your name...

What is man’s greatest need?

To know and delight in the glory of God

This can only happen when we repent and believe…when we are granted forgiveness and grace.

What other “needs” are we told to pray for?

God’s kingdom and HIS will to be done.

Our daily bread - All of our physical needs.

Forgiveness

Spiritual protection

This prayer is a great example of how to evaluate NEEDS in our lives and to separate them from desires.

John 17:1, 15, 17 – Jesus high priestly prayer and his requests reveal what our true needs are.

There are two critical petitions: (1) that God be glorified, and (2) that God’s people would grow in obedience. These were Jesus’ two basic needs. They are ours as well.

Look

Take time to reflect upon the following questions.

How strong is your fear of God?

How deep is your knowledge of God?

What steps will you take the increase your knowledge of God and strengthen you fear of God?

What are your perceived needs?

How are your choices and desires being influenced by “needs” that are not identified as needs by God?

How can you begin to change your understanding of what is needed?

Took

Pick an attribute or characteristic of God and do an in-depth study on that attribute or characteristic.

Mediate on how that knowledge ought to shape your desires, motives, and actions.

How does the knowledge and understanding of that attribute strengthen your fear of God and weaken your fear of man?

Resources

Awe by Paul David Tripp

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