Do Not be Afraid – 4

Do Not be Afraid – 4

Subject – The Fear of the Lord

by Rick Welborne 

Isaiah 33:5‑6 (NIV) 

5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. 

6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. 

–How powerful is this?  Holy fear is the key to God’s sure foundation, unlocking the treasures of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. We spoke about this right before Covid 19.

–Place the fear of God alongside the love of God and the two compose the very foundation of life and godly living.

–As we continue this series we will see that we cannot truly love God until we fear Him; nor can we properly fear Him until we love Him.

1. Jesus needed to live by the fear of the Lord and we should too.

Isaiah 11:1‑5 (NLT) 

1 Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. 

2 And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 

3 He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. 

4 He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. 

5 He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. 

–Obviously this is an Old Testament prophecy about Jesus and it has much to say to us about what is needed in our lives. First, it says that Jesus was connected to God...shouldn’t we be connected to the vine?

John 15:5‑7 (NLT) 

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 

6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 

7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 

–Second, the Spirit will rest on Him...Holy Spirit...the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 

–If Jesus needed Holy Spirit...how much more will you and I need Him...maybe...just maybe one of the reasons we have lost our fear of the Lord is because we are not filled with Holy Spirit.

–Out of this Spirit resting on Him flowed obedience, justice, fair decisions, and the Word was strong in His mouth...what about us? Jesus even put on the armor of God...how much more should those of us who fear the Lord? Our earnestness to seek God has to be of a great priority in our lives:

Jeremiah 29:11‑14 (NLT) 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 

12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 

13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 

14 I will be found by you,” says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” 

–Please get in your mind that God wants to do good for you:

Jeremiah 32:37‑41 (NLT) 

37 I will certainly bring my people back again from all the countries where I will scatter them in my fury. I will bring them back to this very city and let them live in peace and safety. 

38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 

39 And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. 

40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. 

41 I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land. 

2. We must approach Him with reverence and awe.

Leviticus 10:1‑3 (NLT) 

1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. 

2 So fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD. 

3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when he said, ‘I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.’” And Aaron was silent. 

–How many of you would agree that it is important how we approach God. Sometimes I feel that we have lost our awe of God and our reverence for Him and His house...we have little godly fear of Him. 

–How many of you know that Aaron’s sons learned the hard way that how you come before God can be life or death...there was a reason Aaron was silent...Fear of God.

Isaiah 29:13 (NKJV) 

13 Therefore the LORD said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, 

John Bevere - He said, “Their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” He is saying that the people had reduced the glory of the Lord to the glory of corruptible man. They served God in the image they had created–not by His true image, but by their own standards.

–Ever since I have been a Christian I have often been very troubled by how people treat God so disrespectfully ...no fear or reverence.

–I worked with a young man in Irvin, Texas at a freight company who would often refer to Jesus as J. C.  Yes, I love Him and He loves me just the way I am.

–He would cuss, tell crude jokes, laugh about partying, and was so proud that he never had to go to church ...even would brag about his freedom to mess around. He would say to me...JC understands who I am.

–I told him that he was just kidding himself and please do not tell anyone else that he was a Christian...talk about influence...they draw near with their lips but their heart far from Me.

2 Corinthians 6:14‑18 (NLT) 

14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 

15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 

16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 

17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 

18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” 

–I have heard people refer to Him as The Man Upstairs...Big Daddy in The Sky...I have even heard people say that when they see Him they will run and jump in His lap.

–The prosperity movement has made Him out to be like Santa because He will fill your every wish list...all you have to do is name it and claim it.

–John the Revelator fell before Him as though he was dead...Ezekiel and Daniel fell in His presence...when we see Him we will fall on our faces. 24 elders around the throne fall constantly. 

–If we intend on approaching God with reverence and fear there has to be a difference between us and the world. We have drifted so far from His truth and holiness.

3. We should have the fear of the Lord because no one else compares to Him.

Psalm 89:1‑8 (NKJV) 

1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. 

2 For I have said, "Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens." 

3 "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: 

4 'Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.' " Selah 

5 And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints. 

6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD? 

7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him. 

8 O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. 

–When I was lost and so heavily addicted to so many things...no one had the power to set me free...to deliver me from the strongholds of the enemy.

–I remember my doctor telling me...you are going to die within the next few months if you don’t stop what you are doing...the doctor couldn’t help me. My parents were telling me I was out of control and I needed to change. 

–I was in the pigpen of life and it seemed that there was a spiraling vacuum right in the middle of it and there was no stopping the inevitable end to my life.

–The more people would tell me to quit the more I would take or drink...hopeless and lost.

–I am so glad that God put those in my life who had the answer...I mocked them...made fun of them and even scoffed at a Savior being born of a virgin.

–Many times, thru tears, Ronnie Chunn would tell me how much Jesus loved me and that God had a plan for my life...I wanted to believe it but who will deliver me from this body of death?

Romans 7:24-25 (NLT) 

24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 

25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Finally when I was at the end of myself I promised Ronnie I would go to a revival with him...just to get him off my back. That night everything changed!

Psalm 89:6-7 (NKJV) 

6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD? 

7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him. 

–We must honor Him, fear Him, revere Him because there is no one else like Him. Pastor Rick, I am a believer but I am hurting...go to the One that no one else can compare to:

Isaiah 40:25‑31 (NKJV) 

25 "To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. 

26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. 

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God"? 

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 

29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 

31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.