What Does It Mean To Fear God?

This week, we are understanding the significance of how Psalm 67 ends. Verse 7 says, “God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!” What does it mean that we desire for “all of the ends of the earth” to “Fear God”? What is the Fear of the Lord. We have started paralleling Proverbs 1:1-7 with Psalm 67:7 to understand the Fear of the Lord.

Look at Proverbs 1:7 and let’s understand what it means to Fear the Lord.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Notice the positive position that this phrase is in right here. “The Fear of the Lord…” This is a good thing. This is the best thing that could possibly happen to your spiritual life. To us, it seems like a negative to fear something, but the reality is that it is extremely positive! After Saving Faith, the Fear of the Lord is the first step for us to Walk in a Manner that is worthy of our calling.

Now, don’t misinterpret the meaning of Fear. Fear is definitely NOT being afraid of God. But fear is most certainly NOT simply having good manners in church. How many times do we think of this auditorium as where I NEED to fear God? We think… You shouldn’t lie in church. You shouldn’t run in church. You should say something mean in church. We think of “Fear” as simply having good manners. But that is not fear!

The Fear of God indicates that you stand in awe of God. That there is trembling within your soul. That you take God very very seriously. That you take God more seriously than anything or anyone in your life.You have a respect. You have reverence. It is a state of wander in your heart towards God. It is an amazement towards God.

The Fear of God is a worshipping heart in which God is viewed as Yahweh, the GREAT I AM, and we see ourselves as very tiny compared to God. The Fear of God is to recognize God for who He is. It is putting God in His rightful place. It is recognizing Him as having the right over my life. It is being astounded with the greatness of the Glory of God! Recognizing Him as Holy! “Holy! Holy! Holy! Is the Lord God Almighty!” “HOLY IS HE!” And we recognize His greatness and His holiness SO MUCH that the natural result is for us to honor Him. And to worship Him. And to obey Him.

The Fear of the Lord is standing in awe of God… kneeling before Almighty God… Bowing in humility before God. The Fear of God is being overwhelmed with His infinite perfections. The Fear of the Lord brings in our lives Humility… Submission… Obedience… Meekness… Contrition… Self-Control… You Fear God so much that you fear taking Him for granted.

And when you come to know God, there is a gripping in your heart and soul a sense and an understanding that there is someone who is WAY beyond you… Someone who is WAY beyond the entire universe.

If there is not the fear of God within you, I wonder if you have come to know God. The opposite of fearing God is to be very casual with God. To be frivolous. To be flippant about spiritual things. To potentially have a take-it or leave-it attitude about God and spiritual things.

But we need to understand that to Fear God is to have a trembling on the inside. It is not just that you have laid hold of God, but that God has laid hold of you. And that He holds your life in the palm of His hand. And that He pre-ordained the date of your birth. And that He numbered your days before there was one of them. And that your entire life is in the hands of God. And that it is IN GOD that you live and move and take a breath.

There should be a trembling in your soul about God and His power! He is Mighty! Philippians 2:12 — “… work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Work out your sanctification. This is walking in a manner that is worthy of your calling. And as you walk, there needs to be some trembling in your soul. This is a part of becoming more like Christ.

It is time to stop kicking back and being cool and chill about Christianity and start taking it a more seriously…

Think about Isaiah in chapter 6… The Prophet Isaiah went into the Temple and saw the Lord. He saw God like He had never seen Him before. God became massive and mighty and great! He saw the Lord High and Lifted up! His train filled the Temple! And he heard the seraphim crying out “Holy! Holy! Holy! Is the Lord God Almighty! Heaven and earth is filled with His Glory!” And at that point the threshold of the temple began to shake. And then Isaiah began to shake!! That is what happened when people encountered God. It wasn’t like hanging out at your local coffee shop. It was the most life-changing experience one could have.

Whenever men encountered God, they trembled with fear. Remember how Job was described? Job 1:1 — “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” Think about Noah in Hebrews in the Hall of Faith… How was Noah described? Hebrews 11:7 — “By Faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in REVERENT FEAR constructed an ark for the saving of his household.” He obeyed God because he FEARED God!

You want to stand out today? You want to be different today? You want your family to be different from the world today? You want to be counter-cultural in how you live your life? Then FEAR GOD.

You want to be a TRUE Ambassador for Christ? Then you need to FEAR THE LORD!

Truly fearing God leads to a delight in God (refer to Isaiah 11:2-3 in the Messianic prophecy about Jesus Christ). That is the key difference between living a life of debauchery and living a life as a Spirit-Filled, God-Fearing disciple of Christ. Someone who lives a life of debauchery delights in the things of this world. There is no Justification there. But the disciples of Christ, someone who Fears God, delights in His Commands. He is obedient to God. And this obedience is not out of obligation or necessity. It is obedience out of love. Obedience out of reverence. Obedience as a form of worship.

Today, you may need to repent because you do not Fear God. You are very flippant about sin. You are very casual about Christianity. And you need to have a realization… an awakening to understand that you do not Fear God. Fearing God is a posture of humility. Fearing God is Truly worshipping because you position yourself as low as you possibly can and see Him as High and Lifted up.

Are you a God-Fearing person? Do you take God this seriously in your life?