Wrestling With God 2

Intro

Fearing God

Doesn’t that make him hard to love?

Why should I actively seek a relationship with someone or thing that I fear?

How can he say in one place to fear him and then so many times tell his people not to be afraid?

Giant Banana-grams

making words and making meaning

What Kind of Fear

some words we use to convey an idea as best we can, realizing that language is not so plain as a single meaning for a word in every context

there is always work to be done to get a full understanding of a word in context, no matter the situation

the Hebrews’s use of fear is no different

Psalm 34- two different words for “fear”

G V/O R- object of dread

Y R Aish- has a specific connotation toward something like God

can be translated “fear” just as it can be translated “honor”

more like an idea of respect

MMA Fighters- their presence demands some level of respect

Nobel Prize winners etc...

you don’t fear God the way you fear spiders or heights

fear God like David, praising him and having respect and awe for what he can do

Actions Have Consequences

what we talked about last Thursday night

all the talk about the afterlife is to say that God is just and each will receive what they have earned

luckily there is grace offered freely to those who will take it

part of believing and having faith is understanding that there is consequence to action because God exists

part of that fear David has is understanding that God is the one who is powerful and God is a just God

Romans 1:18- the wrath of God is a real thing

luckily he goes on to explain that we have salvation by grace through faith

Revelation 21- lakes of fire, Sheol, Gehenna, all the places where God’s justice is served

Application

Remember when you are feeling blessed that God has given life to the world around you

its because the Lord is good that your life is good

Remember when you are about to do something selfish that you’re going to cause some of the good that God has made to die

that there are always consequences to your actions and living should not be taken so lightly

fear God in this way and you will learn to love him more at the same time