©2003 Charles Darby
Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
One of the saddest things that has happened in this generation is, most have lost their fear of the Lord. As I was growing up, we were taught that God hated sin and we were afraid to do some of the things that are being done today, not only in the world but also in the church. We were taught to be quite and reverence the house of God.
The Preacher told us about hell and how hot it was. He told us the only way to avoid going to this place was to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Sometimes it seemed we heard more about hell than heaven. We did grow up with a reverential fear of our Lord.
Maybe in those days the message was out of balance with too much emphasis on wrath and hell. One thing we learned well was that there is a hell to shun and a heaven to gain. That has never left my mind. Thank God for those who loved me enough to tell me both sides of the message. How else could I make a proper decision to serve our Lord? God is love but He also has a wrath.
Col 3:5-14 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
For the last several years the message from most teachers and ministers has placed the emphasis on how loving God is and how He is a good God and loves everyone with an unconditional love. In most circles, no longer do we need to repent; God loves us just like we are. No longer do most teach or preach about hell or the wrath of God against those who don't repent and believe on Jesus Christ. To hear many tell it, all are going to heaven because God loves us all. Some even teach there is no hell.
A pendulum always swings from one extreme to another. Maybe years ago the message was off balance toward wrath but now have we gone too far in the other direction? The fear of our Lord should cause us to depart from sin. Without this fear we tend to continue in sin. After all, according to most, there is no longer a penalty for sin so why should we quit?
Prov 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Here is the definition
of fear.
3374. yir'ah,
yir-aw'; fem. of H3373; fear (also used as infin.); mor. reverence:-- X
dreadful, X exceedingly, fear (-fulness).
This kind of fear will cause all to be more concerned about what God desires of us than what others think of us. No longer will we be full of pride and haughty spirited. We will repent and get evil out of our life. Those who have no fear or have lost their fear of the Lord have no desire to know His commandments and become a doer of them.
Lord God, check me out and see if I have the true fear of You that causes me to desire to please You in all things. I ask in Jesus Name, Amen
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