An uncommon commodity called the “Fear of the Lord”

When Israel was lead by Moses to leave Egypt they had not been directly associated with “The Lord” for 400 years and their understanding of God was based on the false god’s of Egypt.

The journey led by Moses who brought the children of Israel was extremely challenging.  In this divine route to the freedom The God of the Hebrews had to teach them His reverential fear and this was accomplished by many dramatic signs and wonders.

The Awesomeness of His presence was demonstrated through many great miracles even through many individual and corporate acts of mercy and chastisements

From Moss’s call to the awesome acts of God demonstration of His mighty power, we are all left as the witnesses of His greatness. The Lord in bringing Israel through the Red Sea and by many other miracles signs He proved His sovereignty over nature and all that is created under heaven to His own treasured inheritance. Yet in all of these the children of Israel did not adopt a healthy fear of their God. It was as though their fear of Him was not based on an awe of Him with a healthy fear of the creator of all things.

In Exodus chapter 3 and 4 even Moses in his approach to Him had not fully understood the greatness of this awe inspiring God. In verse 11 of Exodus chapter 4 “The Lord” speaks to Moses of who He is and this demonstration of His greatness I believe is enough to bring anyone to their understanding of God’s greatness and His eternal majestic glory.

Now in Exodus chapter 4 verses 11 and 12 after Moses tries to speak of his own lack of eloquent speech “The Lord “says to Moses … “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?, therefore go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

Here I believe we read one of the most incredible verses of the scripture that God Himself describes of who he is…

This alone I believe needed to bring a sense of Holy Fear or reverential fear of God to His servant Moses.

However even with Moses in the verses 13 & 14 we see God became angry since, it was as though His own chosen vessel could not comprehend the seriousness of his encounter and greatness of God was.

Why am I saying all this, because I am heading to make a point in all of this.

Our God requires us to fear Him.

As the Old Covenant scripture speaks of God’s presence in the wilderness was a great and scary sight, so does the New Covenant scripture of the letter of Hebrews chapter 12.

The author of Hebrews writes in the 12^th chapter that we need to walk in a reverential awe of God, called the fear of the Lord. In verses 18 through 29 he speaks of a concept ignored by many in this day and age. The gospel of cheap grace and prosperity and love has replaced the true and healthy fear of the Lord.

But this is what the word says in Hebrews 12: 18-29…

“ For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and the blackness and darkness and tempest. And sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

( For they could not endure what was commanded; And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow;” And terrifying was the site that Moses said “ I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.” )

But you have come to Mount Zion and the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels.

To the general assembly and the Church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. To Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke from the earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven. Whose voice then shook the earth, but now He has promised , saying “Yet once more I shake not only the earth

But also heaven.” Now this , “Yet once more” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.

You see this is what I mean, the healthy and true grace will bring the fear of God in man’s heart not an indifferent spirit. Today we the Christians of this final hour do not hear enough about the fear of the Lord.

Yes I even I have preached in years before that the true fear of the Lord is the sense of being afraid to lose His love and doing the right things in fear of losing His love and presence in our lives, and that is all true, but there still remains more to talk about here on this subject.

Here is the great confusion of this final generation that the grace and the love of God is viewed in a whole new and unhealthy way. The lack of the healthy fear of the Lord has kept Christians captive to a hallow and destructive ways. Preachers of the truth like Paul are called deceitful workers or preachers of the law. The true gospel is swallowed up by myths and romantic lullabies of immature babes. The words of 2^ndCorinthians 5:10 & 11 are miss interpreted by immature and gullible people. The words like “the terror of the Lord” and

“ The Judgment Seat of Christ ” are taken as fables or only as an academy awards ceremonials. I have unfortunately seen even misinterpretations of scripture to the point that verses like Matthew 10:28 is preached to say we need not fear at all and not even God, since no matter what He is on our side, to the extent of approving  all forms of evil. What a counterfeit gospel Saints?

Another common commodity among the perishing that has caused many incurable harm is the lack of true reverence of the word.

Man’s doctrines has replaced the true preaching of the gospel and by this many are averted to a powerless faith. In this the Lord’s body has been divined in many segments and many extremes has slipped in. By listening to a counterfeit good news either in legalism or a perverted and adulterous gospel many have lost the true sense of the fear of the Lord.

Just like Isaiah cries out to the Lord in Isaiah 29:13 we see Christians do the same today. In this Isaiah says to God the following. “ 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 towards Me is taught by the commandments of men.

Wow what a discrete example?

This means either by self deceit or counterfeit doctrines these people are trained to fear. They do not have a true fear of the Lord. The following verses says “ Woe to those who seek deep to hide their own counsel far from the Lord and their works are in dark; They say who sees us ( meaning the inside of their wicked hearts ) and Who knows us?” Then Isaiah says but the Lord says “ Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay? For shall the thing made say of him who made it, He did not make me? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it He has no understanding?

Here is the wisdom. Are we going to hide our counsels from God and stand in His presence in pretentiousness of our own deceitful hearts? If so how long do we think we are able to hide ourselves from an all-knowing God?

These the very scripture Apostle Paul used to write Romans 9 in regards to Esau and Jacob’s predestined choices of which God was fully aware.

In closing it was for such a divine foreknowledge of God that Esau was marked before birth a fornicator and that is why the whole chapter 12 of Hebrews is written to warn us and prior generations. It is this love of the worldly pleasures and self deceit that blinds the eyes of the perishing. They think they love and fear God, but their fear is a mere façade of their own allusions. Comforts of this earthly life. Temporary smoothing luxuries of this earth. They have not developed a healthy fear of the lord, which the scripture says is the beginning of their understanding. They are more afraid of men to do wrong, thank God who sees and knows the intents of their hearts. Isn’t it strange that such even crowed our assemblies too? Theirfear of God is based on human values and traditions thought commandments of men.

These do not do wrong so that would not be caught by men.

These willfully  forget that God is watching them where ever they go and whatever they do, therefore the fear of the Lord is not in them. May we escape this great enemy, which is a casual understand of our Lord.

Yes the true Fear of the Lord is a rare or uncommon commodity among us these days.

God bless