Living Under the Fear of God

Nehemiah New Hope Baptist Church   Date 28 December 2025

Bible Reading: Nehemiah 5 Scripture Ref: Nehemiah 5:14-19

Title: Living Under the Fear of God

Introduction

Good morning, Church. It is good to gather once again as God’s people, to humble ourselves together before our great God, and to give Him the honour, worship, and praise that He alone deserves.

Today is the last Sunday of the year. Many preachers will use this moment to speak about New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I want to challenge you with the Word of God itself. Not with personal goals that’s hardly achieved and only focused on temporal solutions, but with a searching and weighty question that Scripture presses upon us in light of eternity.

As we look back on 2025, did you live your life in the fear of God?

I am not speaking about your Sunday church life, but about every moment of it.

Do your decisions, your priorities, your integrity, and your obedience show honour and reverence to God, especially when it’s personally costly and no one else is watching?

How much did God influence you at home, at work, and wherever He placed you?

And as we look ahead to 2026, the question is not, What promises will you make, or what resolutions will you keep?

Scripture calls us to something far more weighty.

How will you live your life in 2026 under the fear of God?

Not driven by self confidence or good intentions, but governed by holy conviction.

Not standing on promises made to yourself, but standing on the strong and unshakable foundation of God’s Word.

Because this question is not new and not confined to a single year or generation.

The fear of God has always been covenantal. It has always stood at the centre of God’s dealings with His people.

With that in mind, welcome back to our series in the book of Nehemiah. Today we come to Nehemiah chapter 5, verses 14 to 19. Please open your Bibles there and place your favourite bookmark.

Last time, as we worked through Nehemiah 5:6 to 13, we saw the God who confronts, corrects, and confirms His people. We witnessed how God exposed covenant sin, called His people to repentance, and restored justice within the community.

That passage pressed heavily on worldliness, unholy cultural norms, ethical failure, and communal responsibility, and rightly so.

But as we continue this chapter today, the text itself calls us to look even deeper. Beneath the injustice, beneath the exploitation, beneath the social and economic collapse, Scripture exposes a more fundamental problem.

Nehemiah asks this challenging question- plainly in verse 9: “Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God?”

This morning, I want us to realign our focus with the heart of the passage. The crisis in Jerusalem was not merely cultural, political, or economic. It was covenantal. It was the loss of the fear of God among God’s own people, and the shame that followed before the watching nations. And it’s the same with us today.

And in verses 14 to 19, Nehemiah does not merely speak about the fear of God. He lives it. He shows us what it looks like when a leader governs his power, his rights, his possessions, and his reputation under the fear of the Lord.

So as we come to this text, we are not simply asking how leaders should act, or how our church should function. We are asking a far more searching, deeper, definitive, and clarifying question:

What does it look like to walk in the fear of God when obedience costs us something?

So please stand with me, and let us read Nehemiah chapter 5 together, that we may hear the full context of God’s Word and submit ourselves afresh to His truth.

Prayer

Our sovereign and merciful Father,

We praise You for Your faithfulness to Your covenant and for Your steadfast love toward Your people in every generation. You are holy and righteous in all Your ways, faithful in all that You do, and worthy of our deepest reverence and trust.

We thank You that You have not left us to walk in our own wisdom, but have given us Your Word to confront our sin, to correct our hearts, and to lead us in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake.

As we come before You now, we confess that we are often slow to fear You as we ought. We rather fear loss, discomfort, and the opinions of others more than we fear dishonouring Your holy name.

Forgive us for the ways we have grown careless with obedience and content with outward conformity while our hearts drift from reverent awe before You.

Grant us, by Your Spirit, a renewed fear of the Lord.

Teach us to walk humbly before You, to love what You love, to hate what You hate, and to order our lives according to Your truth, even when obedience is costly.

As we open the Scriptures, give us attentive minds and submissive hearts. May Your Word search us, shape us, and strengthen us. Guard us from hardness of heart, from self-justification, and from treating Your Word lightly.

For the sake of Your great name, for the good of Your church, and for the witness of the gospel before a watching world, cause us to fear You rightly and to live faithfully before You.

We ask these things in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Living Under the Fear of God

Propositional Statement

What governs our lives as Christians in Australia today?

Is it the fear of God, the fear of the consequences of disobedience, or the pressures of a culture that prizes convenience, income, and personal advantage?

In Nehemiah 5:14–19, we see that walking in the fear of God restrains the use of power, embraces personal cost, and entrusts reward to God alone, shaping lives that resist worldliness and honour God in the home, the church, and the public square.

I. The Fear of God Restrains the Use of Power (vv. 14–15)

II. The Fear of God Embraces Personal Cost for the Good of Others (vv. 16–18)

III. The Fear of God Entrusts Reward and Vindication to God Alone (v. 19)

1 The Fear of God Restrains the Use of Power (vv. 14–15)

14Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

15But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

Before we examine Nehemiah, we must understand what is the fear of God.

The fear of God is a deep reverence for who God is that governs how we live.

It is the constant, mindful, awareness that every decision, every action, and every responsibility is lived before Him.

It is not superstition or fear of consequences.

And it is not the popular slogan, “What would Jesus do?”

Though that question sounds humble, it’s actually a self-centred, self-justifying phrase. It asks us to imagine Christ through our own limited and sinful judgment.

The fear of God does not invite speculation about Christ.

It demands submission and obedience to what God has already spoken and revealed.

It is not asking, “What will happen if I do this?” but, “Does this demonstrate that I truly fear and submit to God?”

To walk in the fear of God is to live under His authority.

It restrains sin, guides our choices, and produces integrity and obedience, especially when it is costly and no one else is watching.

Even small, secret sins—like lusting after someone in our thoughts or nurturing hatred toward someone in our hearts—reveal our true character.

Without the fear of God, we begin to rationalise and justify sin and disobedience, telling ourselves, “No one is getting hurt,” or “Nobody will know,” and we allow it to grow unchecked.

With the fear of God, we first examine ourselves by asking, “Does this reflect submission to God?” and, when it does not, we turn from it, recognising that He sees all.

The fear of God matters wherever authority exists, because power does not create character; it reveals it. Without the fear of God, authority is treated as entitlement. With the fear of God, authority is exercised as stewardship.

Hear in verse 14 we see Nehemiah’s example of how to live in the fear of God.

Nehemiah continues his account of the reforms he instituted among the people of Judah. He moves from exposing exploitation and injustice of the nobles and rulers- to demonstrating and emphasising what reverence to God look like as a governor.

Look at the beginning of verse 14, “From the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah.”

At first glance, this appears to be a simple historical statement, but it carries significant weight. Nehemiah reminds his audience—and us—that he did not hold his position by accident.

God, in His sovereignty, placed him as governor through the appointment of King Artaxerxes. His authority was given under God’s providence, not merely human approval.

This office carried real civil and administrative power.

As governor, Nehemiah could collect taxes for the Persian empire and benefit personally from his position. He could have lawfully used it for material gain and privilege.

Nehemiah also emphasises the length of his service: “From the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years.”

By specifying twelve years, Nehemiah highlights the consistency of his conduct. His restraint was not momentary or situational; it marked the whole course of his governorship.

He concludes verse 14 by saying, “I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.”

The word eaten does not merely refer to food. In the context of ancient governance, it refers to receiving the full provisions and material benefits attached to the office, including food, wine, money, and allowances intended to support the dignity of the office.

Nehemiah’s predecessors received forty shekels of silver daily, in addition to bread and wine, amounting to approximately 14,600 shekels annually—a substantial burden on the people.

By refusing this, Nehemiah demonstrates self-restraint and integrity, even though it was lawful for him to receive it.

Then in verse 15, Nehemiah sharpens the contrast:

“15But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people:”

The previous governors abused their authority. They burdened the people and allowed their servants to dominate them. Power became a means of exploitation.

Nehemiah, however, refused to follow that pattern.

He gives the reason plainly: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

The fear of God influenced, governed, directed and shaped how Nehemiah viewed his authority.

He understood his position as a trust from God, not an opportunity for personal gain. His reverence to God restrained him where others indulged themselves.

Loved ones, please listen to this exhortation.

Your position in life—whether as a husband or wife, father or mother, employer or employee, son or daughter—is a God-given responsibility, not a privilege or a platform for personal worldly gain.

The fear of God safeguards the heart. It restrains the misuse of power, but it also governs the whole of life.

Loved ones, what is in your power? Your will and choices. Your motives and intentions. Your time, ambitions, talents, strength, knowledge, and every responsibility God has given you.

It protects you from worldliness, from pursuing fleeting pleasures, from envy, pride, or self-indulgence. It restrains secret sins of the heart like pride, idolatry, lust, hatred, bitterness, and covetousness—that you may rationalise and justify as harmless or private.

It guards against idolatry of money, status, or ambition. It restrains careless words, deceit, and manipulation. It prevents self-deception, keeping you honest before God and faithful in all that He has entrusted to you.

Last month, we spoke about the Australian weekend culture, where so many professing Christians prioritise self, striving to earn “more money than needed,” sacrificing time with God and the fellowship of His people.

The fear of God calls us to reorder these priorities. It reminds us that our work, our resources, and even our rest are to be governed by obedience to God, not by the pursuit of worldly gain.

Ask yourself today: Are you living under the fear of God, or under the fear of men, the fear of loss, or the pursuit of convenience and wealth? Are your decisions, your priorities, your resources, and even your private thoughts governed by reverence for God?

Church, God calls you to repent where you have neglected this fear.

Turn from the subtle sins you have tolerated in your heart and life.

Submit your every decision, your every resource, and your every moment to the Lord.

Let your home, your workplace, and your life reflect this fear of God.

Use your position in life to serve, not to exploit.

Use your time wisely, your strength faithfully, your knowledge and talents for God’s glory, and your resources to bless others.

Let godly fear transform the ordinary and hidden areas of your life into acts of obedience and worship.

Beloved, the fear of God is not a burden—it is a safeguard. It is the foundation of integrity, holiness, and faithful service.

Let the fear of God govern you today so that when God examines your heart, He finds reverence, obedience, and faithfulness, even in the smallest and most secret aspects of your life.

2 The Fear of God Embraces Personal Cost for the Good of Others (vv. 16–18)

16Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.

17Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us.

18Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

Living under the fear of God is not only about personal holiness, as we saw in our first point. It also shapes how we steward what God has entrusted to us for the good of others.

Look first at the opening words of verse 16:

“¹⁶ Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall…”

Nehemiah contrasts himself with the former governors. His leadership is not merely administrative or positional; it is active, present, and personally involved in rebuilding.

That single word “also” is significant. It shows that in addition to his official duties as governor—duties that could have advanced his personal comfort, status, or wealth—Nehemiah himself laboured in the work.

Leadership was not an exemption from sacrifice.

He did not distance himself from hard labour. He did not remain behind a desk issuing commands. He did not delegate the cost while retaining the privilege.

Unlike the previous governors before, He laboured alongside the people, sharing both the danger and the burden of rebuilding and defending the city.

The verse continues:

“…neither bought we any land.”

This statement is not incidental.

In the ancient world, land acquisition was a primary means of securing wealth, power, and long-term advantage. Verse 15 has already shown that the former governors enriched themselves through financial exactions and exploitation of the people.

Nehemiah refused to follow that cultural and political pattern. Though he possessed both the authority and the opportunity to acquire land, he deliberately restrained himself.

Why? Because the fear of God governed his heart.

As verse 15 makes clear:

“…but so did not I, because of the fear of God.”

His reverence for God restrained him from personal gain and moved him to act justly. He refused to add to the burden of a people already crushed by hardship. His leadership sought the good of those he served, not his own advantage.

The fear of God shaped his stewardship. He laboured for the glory of God and the good of God’s people, not for personal enrichment.

Verse 16 concludes:

“…and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.”

Here we see that Nehemiah’s fear of God shaped not only his conduct but also how he led others. Those under his authority were not used to increase his comfort or prestige; they were mobilised for service.

Nehemiah gathered his household and servants, not to advance private interests, but to share in the work of rebuilding and defending the city. His leadership produced participation, not privilege.

Now consider verses 17 and 18:

“¹⁷ Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us. ¹⁸ Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.”

As the governor, he was responsible for hosting officials, leaders, and visiting dignitaries. “At my table” refers to this administrative obligation.

Look at how many he serves: one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, plus other visiting dignitaries. This was continual and costly hospitality.

Verse 18 lists what was prepared daily: one ox, six choice sheep, birds, and wine supplied every ten days. This must be expensive to do.

But the text does not mention the cost, and that omission is deliberate.

The only financial figure in this section appears in verse 15, where the former governors extracted forty shekels of silver daily from the people.

Nehemiah gives no such figure because his concern is not calculation, but conscience.

The point is not how much it cost him, but that he absorbed the cost to himself.

Isn’t this a picture of Christ? It was Christ’s sacrifice that cost His life to redeem us.

And look at the end of verse 18. Although legally Nehemiah is entitled to the bread of the governor, he refused to demand it. Why?

“…because the bondage was heavy upon this people.”

The fear of God led Nehemiah to embrace personal cost so God’s people would not be further burdened.

He chose sacrifice over entitlement, service over self-interest, stewardship over self-advancement.

Loved ones, listen carefully.

The fear of God embraces personal cost for the glory of God and the good of His people.

Worldliness does the opposite. It calculates obedience, measures faithfulness by convenience, and asks how much can be withheld while still appearing faithful.

Many professing Christians claim commitment to God and His church. They believe the gospel. They attend church. They serve when convenient.

But when extra shifts are offered on Sundays, or when opportunities for entertainment or leisure arise, they begin to reason instead of pray. They convince themselves that God would understand, justifying it with the need to provide for their family.

What has happened?

Obedience has been calculated. Faithfulness measured by convenience. The conscience grows comfortable. The heart hardens.

This is worldliness.

This is a love for the world, not the fear of God.

Loved ones, God rebukes this:

He does not commend faith that confesses Him with the lips but denies Him through life choices.

God rejects worship that costs nothing and obedience that disappears when comfort or career is threatened.

You say you fear God, yet your priorities are shaped by the world. You say you belong to Christ, yet your choices are governed by career, wealth, and personal influence. You say you love the church, yet you excuse your absence from worship and service, not out of necessity, but out of ambition.

Christians would rather pursue worldly gain than gather with the saints. Fathers would rather advance their careers than lead their wives and children in worship and prayer.

Church, what’s the result?

Homes are left spiritually unattended and weakened, family worship, bible reading and prayer is neglected, and consciences are silenced with excuses that sound responsible. But Scripture calls it worldliness.

The Lord says:

    If then I be a father, where is mine honour?

    And if I be a master, where is my fear? (Malachi 1:6)

We sing, ‘I surrender all.’ Really? Is that merely lip service, influenced by the music?

Loved ones, God’s Word commands us: ‘Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might’ (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2

1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Living under the fear of God is not merely avoiding sin or outward righteousness.

Living under the fear of God means offering ourselves completely to Him.

Our time, our resources, our will, our work, and our relationships are all to be given as a living sacrifice.

A living sacrifice is not a one-time act. It is shown in our daily choices and actions.

It is holy, set apart from self-interest and worldly ambition.

It is acceptable to God, measured by His standards and not by human approval.

It is the proper and reasonable response to His mercy.

Romans 12:2 says, “Be not conformed to this world.”

Worldliness measures faithfulness by convenience.

It gives in to career, comfort, and personal desires instead of God’s will.

We are called to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that our thoughts, priorities, and actions are aligned with God.

Nehemiah demonstrates this principle clearly. He did not demand the bread of the governor. He worked alongside the people. He refused personal gain. He gathered his household to serve.

He was a living sacrifice because the fear of God directed every decision of his life.

He did not ask, “What am I entitled to?” He asked, “What will honour God and help His people?”

He accepted personal cost so that the people under his care would not be further burdened.

The remedy for worldliness is not better scheduling, improved life balance, or careful justification.

Loved ones, the remedy for worldliness is the fear of God.

When the fear of God rules the heart, comfort is no longer supreme. Career is no longer ultimate. Money is no longer master. Obedience becomes costly but necessary. Sacrifice becomes natural. Stewardship becomes an act of worship.

Loved ones, the question is not whether you have power. You do.

Your will, your time, your resources, and your influence are in your hands.

The real question is how you use that power that you control.

Your choices reveal whether the fear of God or the love of the world governs your life.

3 The Fear of God Entrusts Reward and Vindication to God Alone (v. 19)

19Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

This is not self promotion. Nehemiah is not holding God to account for his works as if to demand recognition. Rather, he entrusts the vindication of his faithful service entirely to God.

Notice his fervent prayer: “Think upon me, my God.”

The verb think upon me is a weighty and earnest petition. Nehemiah calls upon God’s attention and intervention, appealing to God’s perfect knowledge and righteous judgment.

He is not asking to be remembered by men, but to be remembered by his God.

He addresses God intimately as my God, not boasting in personal righteousness or merit. His appeal rests solely on God’s covenantal love and justice, not on his own standing. This is the language of dependence, not entitlement.

He asks God to remember him favourably, not neutrally. Nehemiah is asking God to consider his obedience, integrity, sacrifice, and fear of God.

He is placing his life and leadership before God’s evaluation, confident that God sees not only the work, but also the motive of the heart.

Now notice the final phrase carefully: “according to all that I have done for this people.”

Nehemiah is not appealing to merit, but to faithfulness. He is not claiming perfection, but accountability. These were not hidden or self serving deeds.

They were costly, visible acts of leadership done for the good of God’s covenant people.

In the context of this chapter, this includes refusing personal gain, bearing personal cost, relieving the oppressed, and governing with integrity out of the fear of God.

Nehemiah places his entire record of service before the Lord and asks God to judge it rightly.

He does not negotiate, bargain, or claim entitlement. He knows he has nothing to offer God except a life lived in reverent obedience. His confidence rests entirely on the holiness of God, who rewards those who fear Him and faithfully seek the good of His people.

In this verse, we see that the fear of God entrusts reward and vindication to God alone. True godly leadership does not seek human recognition, nor does it presume upon God. It serves faithfully, lives with integrity, and leaves the outcome in the hands of the righteous Judge.

Nehemiah exemplifies this by laying his record of service before God, fully confident that the Lord who sees all will act according to His covenantal promises.

To live under the fear of God is to seek God’s glory through self-sacrificial service for the good of His people.

Loved ones, how do you want to be remembered?

As a kind and good person?

As a loving and faithful father or mother? As an obedient son or daughter?

As a fair employer or successful employee? As an intelligent or capable student?

And how would we, as a church, want to be remembered?

If your thoughts are immediately drawn to how others will remember you, let me gently but firmly refocus you.

The far more searching question is this: How does God remember you?

We often define ourselves by labels and people call us all kinds of things. Independent Baptist. Reformed. Calvinist.

But those labels mean nothing if God does not see in us a people who truly fear and revere Him.

The fear of God does not ask, “How will I be remembered by others?” Instead, it ask, “Am I living faithfully before the God who sees all?”

Conclusion Application

To conclude, I want to draw your thoughts to consider the words of God through the experience of Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived.

Nehemiah ends this chapter not with a declaration, but with a prayer: “Think upon me, my God.”

That single sentence reveals how Nehemiah understood life. He lived, served, led, and sacrificed with the settled conviction that God sees all and will judge righteously.

He was content to leave his reputation, reward, and vindication in God’s hands.

Scripture does not leave that conviction isolated.

Solomon, having lived a life marked by unparalleled wisdom, wealth, and opportunity, reaches the same conclusion near the end of his life.

Nehemiah speaks as a faithful servant in the midst of labour.

Solomon speaks as a king reflecting at the end of it.

Solomon explored every avenue of human pursuit.

Pleasure, labour, success, wisdom, and legacy. He tested whether anything under the sun could give lasting meaning apart from God.

His verdict is sobering and final: “All is vanity and vexation of spirit.”

Everything pursued without the fear of God is empty.

Everything built without reverence for God collapses under the weight of eternity.

And so Solomon brings the whole of life to a single, unavoidable conclusion:

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14

13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Do you see the connection?

Nehemiah says, “Think upon me, my God.” Solomon says, “God shall bring every work into judgment.”

Nehemiah entrusts his life to God’s evaluation. Solomon warns that no life escapes it.

Together, they teach us that the fear of God is not a feeling, not a slogan, and not a religious accessory.

It is the posture of a life lived before the all seeing God.

This is why the fear of God is not optional.

It is not for leaders only.

It is not for the spiritually intense.

It is the whole duty of man.

Loved ones, this is where God’s Word confronts us.

Have we feared God, or merely spoken about Him? Have we obeyed God, or calculated obedience by comfort and convenience? Have we lived as though God sees all, or as though no one is watching?

The fear of God strips away every refuge.

There is no safety in busyness. No shelter in reputation. No comfort in labels.

None of these will matter when God brings every work into judgment.

What will matter is this: Did you fear God? Did you keep His commandments?

Did you abide in Him? Did you live as one who knew God sees all?

So as we close this year and look ahead to the next, Scripture does not ask for resolutions. It calls for reverence.

May we be a people who live under the fear of God. May our homes, our work, and our church reflect holy reverence.

And when our lives are laid before Him, may we, like Nehemiah, entrust everything to God alone, and be found faithful in the sight of the righteous Judge.

Prayer

Our gracious and holy God,

we come before You with humbled hearts, knowing that You see all things and judge righteously. You know our works, our motives, and the desires of our hearts. We confess that too often we have sought comfort, approval, and ease rather than walking in the fear of You.

Forgive us, Lord, for the ways we have been shaped by the world rather than by Your Word. Cleanse our hearts from pride, self interest, and distraction. Teach us to fear You rightly, to walk humbly before You, and to serve Your people with integrity and love.

As we look ahead to 2026, we ask that You would order our steps. Guard us from careless living and shallow devotion. Give us hearts that desire obedience more than comfort, faithfulness more than recognition, and Your approval more than the praise of men.

Strengthen us to serve sacrificially, to steward our time and resources wisely, and to live in a way that can be laid honestly before You. Help us to entrust all reward and vindication into Your hands, knowing that You are faithful and just.

Make us a God fearing people. Make this church a place where Your name is honoured, Your Word is obeyed, and Your people are loved. And when our work is done, may it be said of us that we feared You and walked in Your ways.

We ask all these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.