Serve The Lord With Fear

 

Psalm 2:11

Serve The LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

SERVE THE LORD WITH FEAR

    Having just finished our study on The Fear of The Lord, do we have this one down pat? No. Learning is a process. Don't worry about remembering everything we are learning. We'll do what we need to do - learn - and The Holy Spirit will do what He needs to do - bring to our remembrance what we have learned. 

    When we serve The LORD with fear, we are serving Him with reverent awe, acknowledging that He is God and there is no other. Those who do not have this fear of The LORD are many because they refuse to recognize His authority and that He is The Only God. 

    Deuteronomy 10:12 The Lord asks us to fear Him by:

Walking in all His Ways

Loving Him

Serving Him with all our heart and with all our soul

Keeping His commandments and statutes

    The fear of The Lord in the one who fears Him is an active fear (walking, loving, serving, keeping) and is always in motion. Those who live in the fear of The Lord take their rest in Him: our eyes may close for sleep, but we are able to sleep the sleep of the blessed and the favored of The Lord. 

    We walk -- live out our lives -- in all His Ways. We walk by faith (living a life of hope in His Word) and we walk by His Spirit (we don't walk alone). We walk The Way of Holiness, a narrow path which only those who fear The Lord can traverse. It is an old, well-worn path which many have trod before us. 

    It is not a hidden path. But it's narrowness causes many to dismiss it as useless and worn-out, while others believe there is more than one path. A few believe they can walk more than one path at a time, blending paths together to form a new path. This is silly foolishness. 

    We love Him because He first loved us. We love Him had He done nothing for us but to call us to follow Him. The Old Testament saints had not yet seen the promise of God's Savior, yet they believed God and they followed Him anyway. 

    We make a conscientious and willing decision to serve God with all our heart and with all our soul: the dual seat of our decision making. We go where He sends us and speak what He tells us to speak. With Christ as our example, Who only went where God sent Him and only spoke what God gave Him to speak, we resolve (everyday) to do so, as well. 

    We keep His commandments when we put Him first in everything. Seeking His counsel first. Going to Him in prayer with our worship first, and our needs second. For the commandments of The Lord are righteous, holy, and perfect [Psalm 19:7; Romans 7:12]. The statutes of The Lord are righteous [Deuteronomy 4:8]. His entire Law is for our benefit [Joshua 1:7,8].

REJOICE WITH TREMBLING

    Those who fear The Lord in such manners as these given rejoice in The God of their Salvation. We praise Him, thank Him, glorify Him, honor Him. We give Him the 'firstfruits of our lips'. When we waken, we greet Him. When we arise, we seek Him. When we prepare for the day, we thank Him for the new day in which to serve Him. 

    This trembling within us is deep-seated, innate (fundamental/basic), deep-rooted. When we are in Christ and He is in us, we are keenly aware that not only that something wonderful has happened, but that that something is the power of God. We are amazed that He loves us so much He died for us. His grace overwhelms us and we fall to our knees, weeping. We throw ourselves on the mercy of His court and He forgives us! 

    This innate trembling is both inherited and acquired. We acquire it when we join the family of God through our faith in The Name of Jesus Christ. It is inherited after we are grafted into The Vine (Jesus Christ) and become a family member through the bloodline of The Lamb of God. The body of Christ trembles with profound joy. 

    Whether times are good or seasons of distress are upon us, we joy in The God of our Salvation. [Habakkuk 3:16-18]. The sovereignty of God over all of His creation is a blessing worth praising and taking joy in. 

    This word 'rejoice' is vividly rendered as 'violently spinning': to spin round (under the influence of any violent emotion). A person can so exult in their joy of their Lord that their bodies tremble in His presence. But this same base root can also refer to someone who is scared to death to be in the presence of The Lord, who cringes and backs away to get away from Him; someone who wants only to flee from the presence of The Lord God. The body of Christ anticipates a joyful union with Christ and we can't help but tremble in His presence: we love to be in His presence. 

THE LORD REIGNS - Bob Fitts (1989)

    

Serve The Lord With All Humility of Mind

 

Acts 20:19

Serving The Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews. 

    ALL HUMILITY OF MIND

    What exactly does that mean? I want to know so I can serve like that. 

    >Not seeking praise from anyone [1 Thessalonians 2:6].

    >Not preaching ourselves, but Christ [1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5].

    >To know only Jesus and Him crucified [1 Corinthians 2:2]. 

    >Seeking God's approval and no one else's [Galatians 1:10].

    >Doing nothing out of selfish ambition [Philippians 2:3].

    >Have the mind of Christ and become an obedient servant of God [Philippians 2:5-8]:

        A. Resolve to suffer for the sake of the gospel - 1 Peter 4:1

        B. Have the Harmony of God for one another - Romans 15:5,6

        C. A Gentle and Humble heart leads to rest for our souls - Matthew 11:29

        D. Choose servanthood - Matthew 20:26-28

        E. Forgive even the worst offenses - Luke 23:34 

        F. Love like Christ loves us - John 13:34

        G. A good reputation - 1 Timothy 3:2,3

FOR THE SAKE OF THE CALL - Steven Curtis Chapman

 

    

    

Serve The Lord Wholeheartedly & Willingly

 

1 Chronicles 28:9

And you, Solomon my son, know you The God of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for The LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if you seek Him, He will be found of you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off for ever.

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SERVE THE LORD WITH A PERFECT HEART

    Wholeheartedly. With everything that is within you. Guard your heart, keep it safe from intruders and invasions. 

    Proverbs 4:23

Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life. 

    Serve Him with a steadfast heart, a heart that is stayed on Him and His purpose, His will. A heart that understands His Word and His Ways. A heart that seeks Him out to know Him better. A heart that desires to have a strong relationship with Him. 

    Deuteronomy 6:5

And you shall love The LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

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SERVE THE LORD WITH A WILLING MIND

    A willing mind knows what it wants. A willing mind is intelligent and understands consequences to the heart's actions. It reasons out the pros and the cons of any given probability. 

    The willing mind of the Christian chooses to serve The Lord. And thereby seeks Him out daily to know what is the mind of The Lord on that day, at that time that He is sought out. 

    The willing mind of the fool chooses not to serve The Lord. Never having sought out The Lord's wisdom, it has no understanding and believes nothing. 

    The willing mind of The Lord's servant meditates on The Word of The Lord. Learning The Word and becoming familiar with it in all its fullness. Taking it in one word at a time. A lifetime is not long enough, but it's a start. 

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SEEK THE LORD

    A heart that is wholly fixed on knowing God will continue to seek out His presence, His companionship. We turn to The Scriptures, poring over every nuance, every descriptive adjective or turn of phrase, wanting to see Him more clearly. We talk to Him while we do so, desiring to know exactly what is meant in the passages we are reading at that time. 

    We crave an audience with The King of Israel. Just to be near Him is reward enough. We open our Bibles, open our hearts, open our eyes. The Lord gives understanding, wisdom, and knowledge to the heart and the mind of the seeker. 

SEEKING HIM FINDS HIM

    Isaiah 55:6

Seek The LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.

    Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

    Matthew 7:7

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

SEEK HIM EARLY

    Proverbs 8:17

I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me early shall find Me.

    Isaiah 26:9

My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.

    Psalm 63:1

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

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OR LOSE HIM FOREVER

    Reread the last part of that verse we began with, "...but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off for ever." Forever is a long time to be without hope, without peace, without comfort, without water, without food, without love. It is hell and hell's destination: the lake of fire. 

    Rejection is a horrible feeling, isn't it? Who likes to be rejected by anyone for any reason or no reason at all? God doesn't like it, either. His wrath and judgment falls on anyone who rejects Him. 

    1 Samuel 15:23 likens rebellion to witchcraft, divination. It transgresses the commandments of The Lord [2 Chronicles 24:20]. Deuteronomy 28:15-68 describes all of the curses that will be put upon the rebellious nation, the nation who chooses not to have GOD as their God. 

    1 Samuel 12:15 "...the hand of The LORD will be against you..."

    Ezekiel 14:8 The Lord 'sets His face against' the one who constantly rebels against Him and that person will be cut off -- destroyed or consumed. 

    Luke 16:19-31 details the destination of the unrighteous. It is a very clear description of hell and we need no other. This is the heart's destination when it has refused God. No water to quench thirst. No comfort to relieve the aching. No love, only selfish desperation. No hope, for hope can only be found in Christ Jesus and the hardhearted soul had refused Him. 

    Now is the time to (1) Serve The Lord Wholeheartedly; (2) Serve The Lord With A Willing Mind; (3) Cling to Him with everything that is within you. 

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A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Serve With Gladness

 

    Psalm 100:2

Serve The LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! 

    It is impossible to serve The LORD with gladness if there is none in our hearts. We need Jesus Christ living in us and The Holy Spirit's guidance working through us to know what true gladness and joy look like. 

    Lip service is not what God is about. He makes promises that He keeps. For instance, He promised a Savior way back in Genesis 3:15 and kept it in Matthew 1, Luke 2 & John 1. 

    God promises to never leave nor forsake us: 

-Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

-Hebrews 13:5 "Let your manner of life be without covetousness, being satisfied with the present; for He Himself has said: "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

-Matthew 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

    God is the ultimate Promisekeeper. We can trust Him. Always. 

Trust in The LORD

Psalm 119:9-11

Proverbs 3:5

Isaiah 26:4

Psalm 62:8

Isaiah 12:2

    We can serve God with gladness and come into His presence with singing because we have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We, the church, are the bride of Christ and we are anticipating His return to come and bring us back to the place He has prepared for us. 

    We can serve God with gladness and come into His presence with singing because our sins have been forgiven! Great is God's faithfulness to forgive us our sins when we repent of them. 

    We serve with gladness because the Joy of The LORD flows through us and overflows into anyone who comes near us and/or hears us rejoicing. Our cups overflow. 

Psalm 16:5

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.

Psalm 23:5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

CALLED TO SERVE WITH GLADNESS

Honey In The Rock - Brooke Ligertwood 

I Am Not Alone (Psalm 23) - People & Songs

Trust In The Lord - Babbie Mason

Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus - Casting Crowns

Song of The Beautiful Bride - Paul Wilbur

My Portion - Isla Vista