The Two Fears: Part Two: Fear God

 

MATTHEW 10:28

"Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

    Luke 12:4, 5

"I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you Whom you should fear: Fear The One Who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!"

Hebrews 10:31

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of The Living God."

    Ecclesiastes 8:12, 13

Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow. 

    Though God originally created hell for the fallen angel Lucifer and the angels who joined him in rebellion against God, people who have rebelled against God and died in their sins, will also be sent there. Matthew 25:41 "Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." 

    From the beginning of the written Word we learn that it is better to fear (reverence) God and be obedient to His Word, and learn to walk in His Way in our lifetime on this side of eternity. For after we die, there will be no more opportunities to do so. Hebrews 10:26,  27 "If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries." 

    Hebrews 9:27 tells us that we all have an appointment with death. Yet, not all who die will see Jesus and live with Him evermore. 

    You may think this study to be hateful, but you are mistaken. This is a study in the love of God. For God made a Way to avoid eternal punishment and damnation and that Way is JESUS CHRIST. John 3:16 "For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  

    It takes a small amount of faith to believe that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son. It takes another measure of faith to believe that God's Holy Way is True and Faithful. As our faith in Christ grows, and we walk our our faith daily, with Christ living in us, we become stronger in our faith: and Christ, through the power of God's Holy Spirit, becomes stronger in us. He is God's Love extended to the world through the power of the cross and the empty tomb. 

    God is Love and in His great Love for us, He sent His Word, wrapping It in lowly flesh and placing It, through the power of His Spirit, in a young virgin's womb. As Christians, it is our privilege to carry the gospel of salvation, the power of God's Redeeming Love, to every corner of the world until the whole world hears just how much God loves each and every person. 

    It is up to the hearer to listen, repent and receive God's grace and forgiveness, thereby turning away God's wrath from their souls and being brought into God's kingdom: through the blood of Christ, God's perfect Lamb, Which takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). 

    Now is the time to give your hearts to The Lord Jesus Christ. Now is the time to repent of your sins and receive God's forgiveness and Christ into your hearts. Now, today, is the day to begin to walk in God's Way and follow God's Spirit. A good place to start your walk is in The Book of John, then meander over to The Book of Romans. After which, perhaps, your fingers may find their way into the Epistles which Paul wrote to the various churches scattered throughout Asia, Rome and the middle East. 

    And never stop bringing God into your daily lives, for He wants to be with you always. If you let Him, He will show you Himself and what His Word means. 

The Two Fears - Part One: Fear Not

 

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I Am with you; Be not dismayed, for I Am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.' 

    The first time we see God saying to one of His chosen servants to not fear is in Genesis 15:1, when God tells Abram, "After these things The Word of The LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I Am thy Shield, and thy Exceeding Great Reward." 

    The last time The Lord speaks these words, "Fear Not", is in Revelation 1:17, when The First and The Last speaks to John in his vision: "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I Am The First and The Last." 

    In this day and age, we who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that The Word of God is Truth, are daily bombarded with unChristlike behaviors and attitudes. We are attacked on every side and must be able to hold onto the cross (the place of saving grace) and the empty tomb (the place of eternal life revealed), when we go about our day to day lives. 

    Everybody has a story, and in our stories are chapters: the situations we find ourselves in, whether through our own decisions or the result of someone else's decision(s) which impacted us in some way. But in every chapter God is there. Sometimes we see Him working in our lives, sometimes we are completely unaware that He is there. 

    I say all this to remind you (and myself) that God Is Present: He is The Omnipresent God -- everywhere at the same time. If you are a born again Christian, then God is with you: leading us, guiding us: revealing to us His purpose for our lives. If we would just listen to Him and follow His lead, He will work everything out for our good. He said so. Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." His purpose, His will, for our lives. We just have to wake up and pay attention. 

    There may or may not be 365 verses pertaining to not being afraid. I don't know, I've only just started this study. But I'm expressly searching out the two-word phrase "fear not". The rest can wait for another day. 

    When God gives the instruction to "fear not", He is preparing each person He speaks this to for a mighty move of God. God spoke to Abram and promised him that his seed, his heirs, would be in the multitudes, just as the stars that covered the night sky. God also informed Abram that his heirs would be enslaved by a people whom God was to judge at a later time (four hundred years). In all this Abram is to "fear not", for God is his Shield (his protector, his defense) and his exceeding great reward (not just Abram's Rewarder, but Abram's Reward). 

    Because of what took place in Genesis 14, God found favor with Abram and chose to visit him, speak with him, promise him many things and form a covenant with him. This great honor may be given to each of God's people when they obey God and believe His Word, as Abram did. Following God faithfully, we, too, may find ourselves in situations He places us in. Not for our comfort, but for our spiritual growth. God wants to speak to us. Are we listening for His voice? Are we in a place where we can hear Him clearly? and know which decision is the right decision? Only you and I and God know the answer to these questions. For He knows our hearts and our thoughts. 

    Let us "fear not" as we prepare to take the next step in our journey on The Way of Holiness in which we walk. 

Heart & Soul - - Faint Not, Fear Not

 

Jeremiah 51:46

Do not let your heart grow faint, and do not be afraid when the rumor is heard in the land; for a rumor will come one year—and then another the next year—of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 7401

Faint: tender, weak of heart

From the Hebrew word 'rakak' (pronounced raw-kak').

In this verse, weak of heart is defined as 'timid, fearful'. It is an important enough warning to warrant a double encouragement from The Lord. First, we are not to let our hearts grow faint. Second, we are not to be afraid of rumors of violence in our land. 

UNFAINTING HEART

    How do we prevent our hearts from becoming timid? We encourage ourselves and each other in The Word of God. 

>Allow God and Christ to encourage us: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

>Delight ourselves in The Lord: Psalm 37:4

>Jude 1:20-21

>Encourage one another: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

>Comfort one another: 1 Thessalonians 4:18

>Exhort one another daily: Hebrews 3:13

>Gather together: Hebrews 10:25

>Edify one another: Romans 14:19

>Serve/be agreeable with our neighbor for their edification: Romans 15:2

UNFEARFUL HEART

    There are several verses in Scripture telling God's people to not be fearful, not be afraid; to fear not. From Genesis to Revelation we find much encouragement from The LORD.

> Genesis 15:1 "After these things the Word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." 

>Revelation 2:10 "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you might be tested; and you shall have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give to you the crown of life."

    Even now, in these latter days, in these last hours, The Word of The Lord encourages His people. We do, indeed, have much violence spread across the globe. There are, as stated in Matthew 24:6 "wars and rumors of wars".  The earth itself is in upheaval "the earth groans" Romans 8:22. Yet, we are to gain strength in The Lord and not be afraid of all that is happening around us and to us. 

    For Christ has called us to suffer with Him that we might be found worthy of Him: Matthew 10:38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." That cross our Lord and Savior was nailed to was not comfortable, nor was it pretty. It was hard, heavy and painful to be on. Think you our crosses are any less? 

    The other thing about this cross we are to take up is that we don't get to choose our cross. Taking up our cross means we need to be prepared in all ways to follow Jesus Christ where He leads us. We need to be ready to suffer, ready to serve.

     Christ prepared Himself when He prayed with His Father. He spent many, many hours in prayer. His prayer times were a source of refreshing and a place of gaining strength from His Father. Our times of refreshing are also in prayer. Alone with God we acquire His peace, His strength, His wisdom. In Christ we have access to everything He is. 

    We must remember, take to heart, the encouragement of our God:

"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’" Isaiah 41:10.

WINDS OF WORSHIP 3

Signs & Wonders of Christ's Arrival - - Fear Not

 

Luke 2:30, 31

And the angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and you will call His name JESUS."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 5399

Fear: to put to flight, terrify, frighten; dread, reverence

From the Greek word 'phobeó' (pronounced fob-eh'-o). To be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm. The act of being startled at strange sights or occurrences.

FEAR NOT

It is this same frame of mind the shepherds were in when the angel appeared to them and "the glory of the Lord shone round about them" (Luke 2:10). In the previous verse, we learned that the angel suddenly appeared among them. This angel was not in the night skies to deliver the message from God. I'm sure I may have been just as terrified. My heart would have been racing and my breath would first be taken away and then my legs would have buckled under me. 

But they are both told to "Fear Not". Don't be afraid. Take courage. Strengthen your resolve to stay here. And listen to what God has to say to you. Fear is not from God: Peace is from God. Fear is a spirit that wants to defeat us (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear restrains and prevents a person from being fully obedient to God. But the Peace of God fills God's people with God's Love, God's Power and God's Prudence. See also John 14:27).

In Luke 1:13, the angel tells Zacharias, "Fear not". Daniel knew this fear in Daniel 10:11, for he was 'trembling' (shaking with fear, quaking) while the angel spoke with him. Both are encouraged to know that God has heard their prayers and He is answering them. Moses saw a burning bush and went towards it, but stopped in fear when he heard God's voice speaking from it (Exodus 3:6). He, too, is encouraged by God to stop and listen and hear. 

In Revelation 1:17 John knew this fear: He saw Jesus in all His glory and "fell down as dead" (fainted dead away). "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am The First and The Last."

FAVOR WITH GOD

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 5485

Favor: grace, kindness, gratitude; a gift or blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ

From the Greek word 'charis' (pronounced khar'-ece). As the concordance states, "is preeminently used of the Lord's favor – freely extended to give Himself away to people (because He is "always leaning toward them").

Mary is not the first person to find "favor with God". In Genesis 6:8 Noah found favor: "Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD." Out of all the people populating the earth in Noah's time, he is the only one who found grace in God's eyes. The result of that being that only Noah and his family boarded the ark before God shut the door (Genesis 7:1, 16). 

To "find favor" with God is to be the man or woman who knows God's heart, God's will, and follows it. David was such a man. Even before he was king. 1 Samuel 13:14 (when the prophet Samuel rebukes King Saul), "But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

THE MESSAGE

The message to Moses was "Go back to Egypt and deliver God's people". The message to Noah was "Build an ark to save you and your family and the animals I have chosen". 

The message to David was shown by Samuel "anointed to be King of Israel". 

The message to Daniel was "a response from God to understand the visions he had been given". 

The message to Zacharias was "you will have a son and he will be great in the sight of the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit in the womb, make ready a people prepared for the Lord". 

The message to Mary was "you will conceive a Son, and you will call His name JESUS". 

Moses: Go and be the Deliverer of My people.

Noah: Build and Save My people.

David: Rule over My people.

Daniel: Warn My people.

Zacharias: Prepare My people

Mary: Your Child will Save My people.

The Lord has a message for His people today and every day given them thereafter. 

REPENT

Ezekiel 14:6

Matthew 4:17

REPENT & BE BAPTIZED

Acts 2:38

BELIEVE ON HIS NAME

Acts 16:31

1 John 3:3

1 John 5:13

RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

John 20:22

Acts 1:8

Acts 2:1-4

PREACH THE GOSPEL

Mark 16:15

1 Corinthians 9:16

2 Timothy 4:2

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

Matthew 16:24

Mark 8:34

1 Peter 2:21

FOLLOW ME

Matthew 4:19

Mark 1:17

REJOICE

Matthew 5:11,12

Luke 6:22, 23

1 Peter 4:12-14

The joy we are to have as God's people is the same joy experienced by the shepherds after they had seen the baby JESUS. Exultant, exuberant, loud, noisy, REJOICE: to have joy in such abundance that it cannot be contained, but must be expressed in such a way as to draw people to the sound and sight of such excitement. And to hear what caused such Joy to be felt in the first place. Let us express our Joy in the Savior every day that we might fulfill His will for us. 

FEAR NOT MY CHILD by Carman

GRACE OF GOD by Passion

GOD WITH US by MercyMe

EMMANUEL by Hannah Kerr