FEAR OF THE LORD

EXODUS

We have been in Philippians for the past couple of weeks.

Two weeks ago we were in chapter 2 and we talked about the working out of our salvation passage.

The passage reads “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

And in our chapter for young married class tonight we are talking about fear of the Lord.

This has been a phrase that has been on my heart and mind most of the year. In fact, I think I have mentioned that we would talk about it at some point.

I really think that it is a deep and complicated topic but this week, the Lord has shown me something about it that I believe will open our eyes and minds to understand and apply the fear of the Lord in our lives.

Let us first establish the biblical commands for us to fear the Lord, both in the NT and OT.

Philippians 2:12 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Luke 1:50 (ESV)

And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

1 Peter 2:17 ESV

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

Some of the famous OT passages

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 14:27 (ESV)

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death.

Jeremiah 33:9 ESV

And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.

Jeremiah 32:40 ESV

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 ESV

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Its all over scripture! But for years we as believers been afraid of this topic because its too hard to understand or there has been some bad or incomplete teaching on the topic.

Now, i’m not claiming that I have completely figured it out. But I do believe that the Lord has laid on my heart a deep desire to understand and apply fear of the Lord in my life.

I do believe that its not a one time thing that you just get. But after this morning I hope that you will see that the Lord has been teaching us this all year.

There are messages and passages that we have covered over the past year that I believe when we look at them as a whole, I believe the Lord has been leading us to this.

And I personally believe that a lack of fear of the Lord in the lives of believers and the church today is rampant.

So, turn with me to the book of Exodus starting in chapter 3.

We are going to be looking at the story of the Israelites from Moses to Mt Sinai and see how the Lord revealed Himself to the Israelites and how the Lord taught them how to fear Him.

But before we start, I want us to put ourselves in the place of the Israelites.

We have been enslaved by the Egyptians for 215 years.

We are dependents of a man names Abraham and this man worshiped a God.

Now remember, at this point, there is not much known about God. Francis Chan reminded me of this perspective this morning that they don’t have thousands of years of history of who God is to look back on.

This is Exodus.

(switch to notes)

Exodus 3:13–15 ESV

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Exodus 3:17 ESV

and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’

Exodus 6:6–9 ESV

Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ” Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

Exodus 19:16–20 ESV

On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Exodus 20:18–21 ESV

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Exodus 25:8 ESV

And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.

Exodus 29:45–46 ESV

I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

Exodus 32:30 ESV

The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

Exodus 34:6–7 ESV

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

OVERWHELMED BY HIS GOODNESS AND MAJESTY AND HOLINESS AND GRACE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS - BY ALL THAT GOD IS - THE FAITHFUL TREMBLE. -MICHEAL REEVES

Isaiah 66:2 (ESV)

But this is the one to whom I will look:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit

and trembles at my word.

Philippians 2:12 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

Romans 7:24–25 (ESV)

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 8:1 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

We should be filled with trembling and rejoicing when we hear verses like

Romans 5:8–11 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

We should be filled with trembling and rejoicing when we hear

John 3:16–17 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

or

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We as a people need to re-establish fear of the Lord in our hearts.

To be trembling and rejoicing before the Lord is a deep place of humility.

Its extremely hard to be prideful in that position.

Its extremely difficult to complain in that position.

Its extremely hard to complain about not getting your way in this position.