FEAR OF THE LORD

Twenty eight times scripture uses the phrase “The fear of the Lord”, and multiplied other passages address this precept. In both the Hebrew and Greek testaments to “fear” God carries a strong sense of reverence, respect, and honor. But fear is more than this. Fear is a special motivation to be obedient – a call to obedience – that “the fear of Him might be before you, that you may not sin.” Jesus admonished: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body … But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him”! We do not fear those whose judgment is merely physical and temporal, we fear God whose judgment is final and eternal. Fear of God is an essential part of faith for our belief in God is based on our knowledge of God – who and what He is – which in and of itself produces fear. The natural response when the finite comes face to face with the infinite is fear: Awe and apprehension of the unknown – what the all seeing, all knowing, ever present, all powerful God might do… trembling in His presence. Mature faith must include a healthy dose of fear – we are talking about the God who lives in unapproachable light – but faith itself rules out anxiety of any sort, producing ultimate trust in its place. Fearing God involves trust, not terror, and promotes confidence. Fear of God becomes a refuge, a shelter from the storms of life. Fear, along with holiness and prayer, is the basic impetus for Christian activity.

Fear is more than an attitude, it is observance of God’s ways and doing what we know pleases Him, for true fear is a response to God’s commandments. As the Apostle Paul said relative to his need to obey God’s will for him: “For necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel”! The Greek word anagke is translated “necessity” here and means compelling force as opposed to willingness. And, “woe” is translate from the Greek ouai and means an exclamation of condemnation. Paul clearly seen fear of the Lord as a special motivation to be obedient and avoid displeasing God, for “the Lord will judge His people … it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Scripture states the fear of the Lord is a treasure of knowledge and wisdom, bringing obedience to His commandments and understanding, as the Spirit of the Lord rests upon those who fear Him. It is wise to fear the one who holds our breath in His hands. To do otherwise is foolish and can lead to a casual disregard of God – a taking of the divine for granted. You see, fear of God is synonymous with the worship of God. It is most unwise to give little attention to our loving Daddy. It is most unwise to underestimate the value of our loving Daddy. It is most unwise to fail to appreciate our loving Daddy. And… It never hurts to sometimes call Him Sir!

“THE FEAR OF THE LORD... IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM”

(Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Pr. 1:7, 9:10; Is. 11:12, 33:6; Ex. 20:20; Dan. 5:23; Lk. 12:4-5; Acts 9:31; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 Cor. 9:16; Heb. 10:31)

 

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

Worship is one of those activities that can be, or become, form without substance, so it is important saints understand what worship as a biblical term, means. Worship is used in the Bible eighty-nine times translated from the Hebrew word shachah (54) and the Greek word proskuneo (35) which have equivalent meanings. Proskuneo is derived from two Greek words, “pro” which means “To” and “kuneo” which means “Kiss”, To Kiss. There were several senses associated with the evolution of proskuneo’s meaning over time including, reverence, homage, adore, to prostrate or kneel with forehead to the floor. Proskuneo’s literal meaning at the time of the writing of the New Testament was to kneel or prostrate oneself while throwing kisses at the same time. Proskuneo is a concrete term, used only of a divine object, and demands visible majesty, being most effective in the presence of God. As containers – temple vessels of the living God – we are, effectively, in His presence 24/7 since He dwells within us. We are never forsaken and never alone. We really should act like we believe this.

The English word “worship” (from the old English “weorthscipe”) is derived from the word “worth” which means “value” and the native English suffix “-ship” which means “condition.” “Worship” asks the question, “What is the condition of value” or, put simply, worship ascribes or declares value on its object. Worship is the willful submission of our body (position) and our soul and spirit (attitude) to a loving God, bring Him worth and openly declaring His value! And, true worship is in Spirit, the product of God the Holy Spirit revealing God the Son in us: As we allow the Spirit’s progressive revelation of Jesus Christ within we become what we behold – changed in degrees of God’s glory – we become Christlike, a pure act of worship! This conformation of our nature into the nature of Christ is the Holy Spirit glorifing God the Father through us. We can worship God at all times and in all places because worship is first and foremost an attitude of the heart captivated by God and ruled by His Spirit – worship in Spirit and in truth. The lifeblood of a saint is worship for everything we do as a Christian practicing our faith is worship… everything! Our life, when focused on things above, becomes a love song we sing in the spirit realm to our loving Savior every moment of every day. A fully submitted life, walking in the Spirit, declares the value we place on the object of our worship: Declares our position of prostration. Declares our attitude of throwing kisses to the one we adore. We all understand worship as a physical act, and yes we may humble ourselves in prostration and we may throw kisses to the Great Lover of our soul. But ultimately worship should become our life – our life become our worship – a love song of 24/7 devotion to our ever present Daddy, His ever present Spirit, and His ever present Son… our Lord and Savior!

DECLARING OUR SAVIOR’S VALUE

MONOSCOPIC ORIENTATION

The Apostle Paul said “For whom He (IE., God) foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image (IE., nature) of His Son, that He (IE., Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brethren.” God’s plan from the get-go has been that all who come into covenant relationship with Him will be transformed… take on the character, virtue, values, and attitude of His Beloved Son. The Holy Spirit has been given this essential task, “for it is God (IE., the Holy Spirit) who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” The Apostle John called our transformation into christlikeness the perfection of Christ’s agape love in our heart: “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” Scripture uses the Greek adelphos, translated “brethren” in this passage, 160 times to refer to a spiritual brotherhood of believers, a fellowship of love based on identity of origin and unity of faith, a community of life which God calls His family. “As He (IE., Jesus) is” refers to His nature, and “so are we” indicates His nature should become our nature, “in this world.” Saints, our “Salt” and “Light” is the nature of Christ which we convey to the world in our daily life, for “as He is, so are we in the world.” We reflect the nature of our Firstborn Brother to the world!

The renewing of the mind is a basic ingredient in the saint’s transformation into Christlikeness, for our mind must be made new again, relieved of its attachments and desires for the world and refocused on things above. It is important, therefore, to understand two characteristics of our fallen human nature which greatly affect the Holy Spirit’s work in our heart. First, we humans tend to be monocular – of single vision. Our “monoscopic” orientation causes whatever we focus on to become principle and dominate our life, enhancing our vulnerability to addictive behavior. Secondly, we are very Self-centered, to the point of narcissism. The two great opposing forces vying for control of man’s mind and heart are the power of God’s agape love and the power of man’s monocular Self-centeredness. Most of our time is spent in making sure our “Self” is very well cared for. Coupling these two characteristics, monoscopic Self-centeredness, produces the proverbial worst case scenario: A Self-centered life with a mind singularly focused on that which appeases and gratifies Self, our carnal fleshly nature, to the exclusion of all else. This is why the “lust of the flesh”, “lust of the eyes”, and “pride of life” worked so well on Eve and works so well on us. This is why – as demonstrated in the Sower Parable -- “the desire for other (IE., nonspiritual) things”, “the cares of this world”, “the deceitfulness of riches”, and “the pleasures of life” will choke – literally overpower and suffocate – our spiritual life, leaving us in bondage to the powers of darkness with an empty “Christian” profession. It is essential we understand and deal with these two aspects of our nature as saints of God pursuing the Mind of Christ: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus … Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Mental renewal can only be accessed through the death of Self enabling Christ-centeredness, and a setting of our monocular vision on “things above.”

WE BECOME “BRETHREN” AS WE BECOME CHRISTLIKE

(Note: the Sower Parable must be read in all three passages to get the full meaning: Matt. 13:3-9, 18-23; Mk. 4:3-9, 14-20; Lk. 8:5-8, 11-15; Phil. 2:5, Rom. 8:29;Phil. 2:13; 1 Jn. 4:17; Col. 3:2)

WHAT NEW CREATION REALLY MEANS

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation... Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Many saints misunderstand being “born again” thinking it is an instantaneous act rather than a process. It is both. By one Spirit we are baptized into the Body of Christ... baptized into His death, set apart unto God to be made holy (IE., sanctification). This is an instantaneous two-fold act act whereby our enslavement to sin is broken and the nature of Christ is implanted in our heart awaiting release. We have become a new creation in the sense that we are no longer enslaved to sin, no longer under the old ways of the law, but walking in the newness of grace with the implanted DNA of our Lord in our heart. Now comes the tedious work of the indwelling Holy Spirit to conform... mold and shape, our nature into the nature of our Lord’s. This is a lifelong transformation process of submission to the Lordship of Christ and dying to Self, the carnal fleshly nature we were born with, that the Christlife may reign supreme in us, literally becoming our life. This is a thorough and dramatic change in our character, virtues, values, and attitude beyond the normal or physical level, a willful act, and it won’t happen overnight. You see, His life must replace our life – Christ living His life through us as our life. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” As Paul submitted to the lordship of Christ and progressively died to Self the nature of Christ replaced his carnal fleshly Self nature. He became Christlike. Christlikeness is every saint’s destiny, “to be conformed to the image (nature) of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Frances Frangipane said it best: “As awesome as being forgiven is, the Son of God did not lay down His life only to secure our forgiveness; the eternal goal of His sacrifice was to secure our full transformation. Forgiveness is but the first stage of transformation.” Our metamorphosis is to become new creations, to progressively become beacons of radiant light reflecting the holy nature of Christ to a world drowning in sin’s darkness. “For neither is circumcision now of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but only a new creation, the result of a new birth and a new nature in Christ Jesus, the Messiah.” (Amplified Bible)

FORGIVENESS IS BUT THE FIRST STAGE OF TRANSFORMATION

(2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15, 2:20; Rom. 8:29 Amplified Bible)

GOOD PLEASURE

Five times scripture records the “Good Pleasure” God has in His willing and working in the lives of His saints:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing... Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will … In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself … Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom … For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure … Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power."

“Good Pleasure” is translated from the Greek eudokia, and means that which seems good or well, with the sense of will, choice, delight, pleasure and satisfaction. God’s good pleasure is not the arbitrary whim of a sovereign, but represents that which in the wisdom and love of God would contribute most to the spiritual well-being and blessing of the saint from God’s perspective and in accordance with His purposes. The delight, pleasure and satisfaction God has in willing and doing in and for His children is derived directly from the fact that what He does for them is dictated by what is eternally good for them. So… sometimes God’s willing and doing in us… hurts!

Father, fulfill all the good pleasure of your will for us which You purposed in Yourself… the good pleasure of Your Kingdom released in us. Will and do in our hearts Your good pleasure fulfilling all the good pleasure of Your goodness… the good pleasure of your work of faith and power in us, in Jesus name, Amen… So Be it!

IT IS THE FATHER’S GOOD PLEASURE

TO GIVE US HIS KINGDOM!

(Eph. 1:5, 9; Lk. 12:32; Phil. 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:11)

TRUST GOD OR FEAR THE STORM

“Yes, though I walk through the deep, sunless valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You (God) are with me … For He (God) Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down nor relax My hold on you! Assuredly not! … Fear not, there is nothing to fear, for I AM with you.” (Ps. 23:4; Heb 13:5, Is. 41:10, Amplified Bible)

Overwhelming comfort: Hear the words of Hebrews 13:5 from the Wuest Greek New Testament: “For He Himself has said, and the statement is on record, I will not, I will not cease to sustain and uphold you. I will not, I will not, I will not let you down. So that, being of good courage, we are saying, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear.” “I will not let you down” is repeated three times in the original Greek text for emphasis. This technique only occurs a few times in the Bible highlighting the message in this passage as very important! This is our comfort when our heart is overwhelmed: Our Daddy Himself has stated this in the eternal record of His omnipotent word: “I will not fail you, or give up on you, or leave you without support. I will not! I will not! I will not leave you helpless, alone, forsaken, or let down! I will not relax My hold on you! Absolutely not… Not now… Not ever! So… My beloved child, Be of Good Cheer!

Ultimately, we can either trust God or fear the storm. The strength of faith -- faith that looks at God rather than the storm -- faith that knows our God is greater than any momentary affliction life can throw at us -- is its audacity to hope, giving sustaining evidence of the unseen reality of God’s presence. God’s presence during our darkest hour gives us the audacity to hope … come what may! And hope is hopeless without trust. Faith in the face of adversity is to trust (hope) in God’s goodness in spite of any apparent evidence against it, recognizing His ways are above our ways, knowing He is working all our “Things” into His eternal Good… knowing His love for us is relentless. (Rom. 8:28)

Storms never win: The Cross of Christ proves beyond any doubt… Storms never win! Rather than put our faith, hope, and trust in a certain outcome, we need to put our faith, hope, and trust in a certain Someone. Storms may cast a “shadow of death”, but it’s only a shadow, death has been defeated. Storms test and approve our faith, burning out the dross of doubt as we choose faith, hope, and trust over doubt, fear, and worry, developing “the word of our testimony.” (Rev. 12:11) And Daddy, the great I AM, is always with us… His abiding presence is always enough… more than enough…

STORMS NEVER WIN

SO... BE OF GOOD COURAGE!