What Does It Mean To Fear God? Pt 2

We learned last week that the fear of God is a good thing, but the reason for it is not readily apparent. We have to remember that God created us with free will and that carries the implication that we can choose not to love Him or obey him. God does not want us to be automatons but free willed people who come to Him because they want to. God cannot be around sin: After all that is the whole point of Jesus sacrificing His life isn’t it? If God who is truly holy, righteous, and perfect cannot be around sin, then how do we suppose He teaches about Himself? Well of course one way is through the Word. Another is that God gives little glimpses of Himself through prayer and the lives of other believers so we can get small views of the beauty of His love. But the thought remains: Why would anyone want to come to God? What’s the point of it anyway?

The reverential awe of God is a funny thing. It can’t be quenched or satisfied. Once a person feels it he wants more. It is kind of selfish in a way except the impassioned search for God is never sinful and leads to a sense of fulfillment that cannot be found in any other way.

By the way —> is a symbol I use a lot and means ‘implies’ or ‘leads to’

I’m sure we all have friends that we trust, but some we trust more and others less. I think if we thought about it, we would realize the deepest relationships are those we have with the friends we trust the most. Trust means we depend on honesty, faithfulness, and interest in our best well-being to come from that friend. Sometimes that friend will say something that twinges a little but it is intended to help us become a better person. But over time we have learned that friend will never abandon or forsake us. It is the same with God.

Consider this thought: Reverential awe —> awareness of the majestic sovereignty of God —> genuine faith —> trust that God will never abandon or forsake us —> the realization that the dependence on our own strength is not the answer —> God is the only place that is safe. In Jeremiah 31:33 God says that He will make a new covenant with His people (that means us) and that He “will put a new law in their hearts and write it on their minds”. Our part in that covenant is only that we trust him. There are many verses that speak of the benefits of having reverential awe of God. Deuteronomy 6:1-2 says we will have long life. Proverbs 1:7 says we will obtain knowledge and wisdom. Proverbs 2 says He provides success, presents a shield to protect and guard us. There are many others. Here’s the thing: having wisdom that comes from reverential awe of God means one avoids sin, evil, and wickedness in his daily life and thus does not experience the unpleasant consequences which comes from those things. We avoid jail, or financial loss, or public exposure that those things bring.

Next week we will talk about what happens when we don’t fear God.