Worship

The Fear Of The Lord Vs. Unhealthy Fear

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How do you reconcile the many passages of Scripture that call God’s people to not be afraid and those which call them to fear the Lord? The Old Testament has much to say about the fear of the Lord and contrary to what some people say the New Testament also has a good deal to say about the fear of the Lord.  

Here are some passages in the OT that may puzzle some of us:

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.” Exodus 20:20 ESV 

“And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart… 

Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”1 Samuel 12:20, 24 ESV

So which is it? Fear or don’t fear? 

There are also NT passages that teach us to fear the Lord such as:

Jesus On the Fear Of the Lord 

“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:26-31 ESV 

Here again, we see coming from the lips of our Lord do not be afraid and fear God. You and I are designed for awe and wonder and this is to be centered around the Lord, who created us for Himself. If we fail to live in awe of God, or in the fear of the Lord, then we will be subject to all sorts of other fears dominating our life.   

Peter of the Fear of the Lord 

The Apostle Peter wrote: Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.  1 Peter 2:17 ESV 

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. 1 Peter 1:17

Paul on the Fear Of the Lord

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. 2 Cor. 5:11 ESV 

…They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. Romans 11:22 ESV 

John On The Fear of The Lord 

The Apostle John hear an Angel say:

“Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Revelation 14:7 ESV

So it’s evident that both the NT and OT teach the fear of the Lord and call God’s people to not fear evil, people, trouble, death, etc…

Some passages are also very clear about us not walking in a certain type of fear such as these:

  • For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15 ESV 
  • for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
  • 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 John 4:18 ESV 

So what do we make of these two concepts that the Bible teaches? We have all seen enough of unhealthy toxic fear in our lives that robs us of quality of life. Clearly, a tactic of Satan is to use this kind of fear to keep people in bondage. Yet the fear of the Lord is clean and pure (Psalm 19:9). The fear of the Lord describes a life that is oriented towards God and worshipful of Him.

Luke wrote about the early church walking this:

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. Acts 9:31 ESV 

Here are so ways that godly men have distinguished between the two fears that Scripture addresses:

 • A forbidden fear vs. a fear commanded- John Bunyan 

•  Bondage fear vs. reverential fear – Stephan Charnock 

•  Filial fear vs. servile fear – George Swinnock 

•  Idolatrous fear vs. worshipful fear – John Gill

•  Fear that draws men further from God versus fear that drives men toward God. – Charles Spurgeon 

  • Twas grace that taught my heart to fear And grace my fears relieved- John Newton 

This last quote from the most loved hymn Amazing Grace has been so helpful for me as I’ve wrestled with seeing the compatibility of the fear of the Lord and New Testament grace. It reminds me of the powerful words of the Prophet Jeremiah when he wrote about the New Covenant:

I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 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.  Jeremiah 32:39-40 ESV 

The reality that God puts a holy fear of Him in us is a gracious gift. And that fact that through this holy fear, we are kept from departing from Him is also God’s grace, which helps sustains us. 

The gospel of Jesus addresses our deepest fears, such as fear of death, rejection, and judgment, by Christ taking the punishment for sin, tasting death for us, and becoming sin for us that we might become to the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Knowing what Christ has done for us relieves us of the paralyzing toxic fear, while at the same time, we are awestruck by who God is and what great things He has done for us at the cross. We respond as Psalm 2 instructs us to:

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:11-12 ESV 

We are those who have fled to Jesus for refuge and reverently welcome his reign in our lives, knowing that he has bore the wrath of God’s judgment for our sin (1 Peter 3:18, 1 John 2:1-2). Our hope is in Christ alone. 

Note the fear of the Lord is accompanied by hope:

  • Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:18 ESV
  • …the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
        in those who hope in his steadfast love. Psalm 147:11 ESV

Perhaps some of us need to recover a healthy fear of the Lord and be relieved through the gospel of the unhealthy fears in our life. 

The Scripture highlights several benefits to walking in the fear of the Lord and the consequences for not doing so. Here are some benefits:

  • The fear of the Lord leads to life,and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. Proverbs 19:23
  • Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. Psalm 25:12-14 ESV
  • …by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. Proverbs 16:6 ESV
  • In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:26-27 ESV
  • Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! Psalm 34:9 ESV

May you and I experience all the benefits of this holy fear in our lives as we ‘work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that God who works in us, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.’ Philippians 2:12-13 

May we be delivered from every toxic fear that Scripture calls us to courageously resist so that we might glorify God more fully with our lives (Psalm 34:4).

If you’re inclined to worship the Lord in light of these biblical truths here is a great song to lead you in your worshipful response.

Reflections on Psalm 145

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Psalm 145 is a chapter that I have found myself going back to over and over. What is it about this Psalm that has kept me coming back time and time again? This Psalm has been fuel to my worship of God. And I think I know why. The Psalm describes who God is, what He does & how we should respond in worship. The focus of worship is God & when a worship song or portion of Scripture magnifies the person & work of God it moves the heart of the worshipper to sing to & delight in God. As a worship leader I found myself stirred to praise & worship God from this passage of Scripture. As a preacher I’ve wanted to preach & teach on this passage but I’ve had difficulty ordering an outline of the Psalm until recently. This is what I came up with and I hope it is helpful to you:

Who God is:20130223-014745.jpg
He is God-V1
He is King-V1
He is great-V3
He is gracious-V8
He is merciful-V8
He is slow to anger-V8
He is loving-8
He is good-V9
He is faithful-V13
He is kind-V13
He is righteous-V17
He is near-V18

What God does:
He upholds all who are falling-V14
He raises up those who are bowed down-V14
He gives food-V15
He satisfies the desire of every living thing-V16
He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him-V19
He hears their cry-V19
He saves those who fear Him-V19
He preserves those who love Him-V20
He destroys the wicked-V20

What should we do:
We should extol Him-V120130223-015358.jpg
We should daily bless His name-V2
We should daily praise Him-V2
We should greatly praise Him-V3
We should commend His works to the next generation-V4
We should declare His mighty acts to the next generationV4
We should meditate on the splendor of His majesty-V5
We should meditate on His wonderful works-V5
We should speak of the might of His awesome deeds-V6
We should declare His greatness-V6
We should pour for the the fame of His abundant goodness-V7
We should sing aloud of His righteousness-V7
We should give thanks to Him-V10
We should speak of the glory of His Kingdom-V11
We should tell of His power-V11
We should make known the His mighty deeds-V12
We should make known Glorious splendor of His Kingdom-V12
We should speak the praise of The Lord-V21
We should bless His name forever-V21

 

Reflections on Psalm 8

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20130223-004921.jpgO Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1-9 ESV)

When we consider the greatness & glory of God in creation it is baffling that He would think of us. And think of us some much that we couldn’t keep count of the number of thoughts He has for us (Psalm 139:17-18). Great is God’s majesty & splendor and great are the number of His thoughts toward us and great is His love towards us. Though God is holy and dwells on high yet He is humble and stoops down to meet us where we are at with His loving care & guidance.
Our God is glorious & gracious, holy & humble, powerful & personal, mighty & merciful, great & gentle, majestic & meek…
Behold Him, stand in awe of who He is and worship Him in spirit and in truth.

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Why I love the Psalms

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20130223-001524.jpgSince I have become a Christian I have found great comfort & encouragement in the book of Psalms, just as many other saints have over the centuries. Often I have felt like the psalmists have articulated in words what I’ve felt when facing adversity. There are many prayers I’ve used that have seemed to be just right for me in my circumstance. The book of Psalms has helped teach me how to praise & worship God, by magnifying who God is and what He does, which has been fuel to my passion for worshipping God. Not only have the psalms taught me to worship God in the difficult times but they have taught me to trust God always. David was a mighty warrior who fought & won many battles in hand to hand combat but he also fought the fight of faith, trusting God when it was hard to see past his trials. This what he said kept him going “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13,NKJV). Great expressions of trust in God are saturated throughout the pages of the Psalms & I have been greatly helped in my fight of faith by the influence of the Psalms. I have also been taught a great deal about repentance & how fight sin in my own life. Psalm 51 & 32 God has used in my life to teach me how to repent when I have found myself with a guilty conscience. The book of Psalms is the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament. For some reason the Holy Spirit chose use the psalms more than any other Old Testament book to communicate His message. Certainly the Holy Spirit still uses these previous passages of Scripture to strengthen faith of the saints, comfort them in their trials & lead them into sweet communion with the Father.

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The Gospel & Our Worship

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How does or should the gospel influence our worship?

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The gospel powerfully transforms selfish broken sinners into passionate worshippers of the living God. The forgiveness that a person experiences through the gospel leads to a deep gratitude & affection towards the God of all grace . This certainly is true of the sinful woman in Luke 7. This woman has been forgiven by the Lord of much sinfulness and she loved much in return. The gospel’s impact on her lead her to an extravagant expression of worship. She affectionately & unreservedly poured out her life savings on Jesus. She valued Jesus more than any earthly treasure and her actions displayed that.
Through the gospel of Jesus Christ people experience not only forgiveness of sins but a removal of the guilt of that sin. God deeply cleanses the guilt of sin through the powerful blood of Jesus “so that we can worship the living God” (Hebrews 9:14 NLT). Oh what a privilege & joy it is to be forgiven and cleaned
so that we might worship God. This is what David expressed in Psalm 32 after experiencing the forgiveness from God. David was celebrating gospel truth that fueled his worship of God. The Apostle Paul in explaining the gospel in the book of Romans quotes David from Psalm 32, to highlight the gospel truth of forgiveness of sin through faith. David is one of the greatest worshippers of the Old Testament and the gospel truth which fueled his worship ought to fuel our worship much more. Much more has been revealed and given to us through the new covenant. We have a new and living way to approach God, through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:20). We can come to God boldly with a clear conscience because of the blood of Christ (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19, 22).
This is one way the gospel influences our worship.

Why Worship Matters

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Why does worship matter? It matters because God created mankind for His own glory (Is. 43:7) and worship is the means that we give God the glory He is due. If the chief end and purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever then worship is absolutely necessary, for through worship we not only glorify God but we get to enjoy Him and become captivated by His majesty, splendor, greatness, beauty, glory, grace and love… Living in this broken world with injustice, greed, murder, immorality, deceit and evil it is so refreshing and delightful to focus in through worship on our God who is Holy, Just, Loving, True, Righteous, Pure and Faithful. It is the best thing for mankind to worship God. Those who don’t worship The Lord will something else, which is called are idols or gods. David wrote that those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow (Psalm 16:4). Idolaters set themselves up for the worst heart break when they give their highest allegiance and affection to something else rather than God. God knows that He is the only one worthy and trustworthy of all our affection and allegiance. He is perfect. He will never let us down. He will always be faithful, just and true. Those who love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength will not be in any way disappointed or heartbroken. Actually they find their highest joy and satisfaction worshiping and loving God (Psalm 16:11). Worship matters because it brings God glory and it is for our own good that we worship Him.

We know that worship matters because Satan tempted the Son of God to bow down and worship him. But Jesus standing firm in His allegiance to the Father quoted Scripture saying “You shall worship The Lord your God and Him only shall you serve (Matthew 4:7-10). The spiritual battle for worship in these last days seems to be intensifying according to the book of Revelation (13:15-18). Those who don’t worship the image of the beast will be killed and those who don’t receive the mark of the beast won’t be able to buy, sell or trade. Those who are true worshippers of God now will resist the temptations of the evil one to worship anything else.
Worship matters because it is what we Saints will be doing for all eternity and it is what taking place in Heaven right now. Jesus taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). When the glory of God covers the earth like the waters cover the sea and all the earth worships God then we will see the fullness of the the kingdom of God and will of God done on earth as it is in Heaven. Worship matters because is manifests the kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. The book of Revelation gives us some glorious snapshots of the extravagant worship that is taking place around the throne of God (Rev. 4-5).
The closer we get to God and the more clearly we see Him the deeper and more extravagant our worship will be. The deeper and more extravagant our worship becomes the more others will see The worthiness of the God we worship. Or as Edmund Clowney said “When we worship God as we ought that’s when the nations listen”.

Gospel Gratitude

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20130222-140230.jpgThanksgiving is a great time to reflect on the many reasons we have to be thankful, remembering the the sources of all those good gifts (James 1:17), and then giving God the thanks that He is due. There are so many undeserved gifts that God has given humanity that we never even consider giving thanks to God for nor acknowledge that those blessings came from him (Romans 1:21). It is good to start with the gift of our life or existence. God in His goodness created us and gives us every breath & heart beat of our lives (Acts 17:25-28). He is the creator & sustainer of all life. In Him we live and move and have our being.
God not only created us but He also faithfully cares for us and provides us with everything we need in life. Jesus taught us we need not worry about anything in life because if God the Father cares for birds providing for each tiny little creature, than He will most certainly grant us humans who have been made in His image what we need, especially those whom God calls His children (Matthew 6:25-27, 1 John 3:1).

Of all people the child of God should be the most grateful. For not only has God given His children sustained existence, but He has granted abundant life & eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 10:10, 1 John 5:11-12). The children of God are forgiven of all their sin, which lead to death. The penalty of for their sin has been placed on Jesus and in exchange they receive eternal life as a FREE gift (Romans 6:23). A free gift like that is worthy of much thanksgiving towards God the giver. An abundance of gratitude overflows from those who have been saved by the amazing grace of God. When a person begins to grasp what has been done for their sake in the gospel and also grasps how undeserving of such blessing they really are, then thanksgiving arises from their heart. That is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians stating “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:15 ESV). Notice the progression; grace extended, thanksgiving increased and glory rendered to God. These three things should mark every child of God. The gospel produces gratitude in the hearts of its recipients, causing glory to be given to God. The link between grace & glory is thanksgiving. Paul exhorted the Corinthian believers to give God glory in everything that they do, even their eating & drinking (1 Corinthians 10:31). How does one eat and drink for the glory of God? It is by receiving the gift of food with thanksgiving & recognizing God has provided it for us (Psalm 145:15). God created every good food for us to receive with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3-4). Also, God gets glory when we enjoy what He provides us with. Paul wrote Timothy saying that God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). God also gets glory when we share our food with others and demonstrate the same generosity that we have experienced from God (1 Tim. 6:18, 2 Cor. 9:11, Hebrews 13:16).

It is good & fitting for us to give thanks for life & provision, but our gratitude for God sending Jesus Christ to save us from our sins should be the greatest reason for thanksgiving. This is what is loudly proclaimed in Heaven: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! … Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (Revelation 5:10-12 ESV).
Give thanks to God for such great salvation found only His Son Jesus Christ!
Child of God, know that God has taken care of your greatest need through giving you Jesus! So don’t worry about the little necessities of life but rather believe that “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 ESV).20130222-140236.jpg

Be thankful for what God has done through Christ coming and also be thankful that Jesus will return one day soon and will restore all things. He will make all things new (Revelation 21:5). He will bring forth judgement & wrath on the wicked (Revelation 19-21) and redemption & perfection to His people. He will wipe every tear from our eye and there shall be no more pain, death, mourning or crying because the former things will pass away and all things will be made new (Revelation 21:4-5). Great is The Lord and He is greatly to be thanked and praised (Psalm 96:4, 145:3).
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17 ESV)