Have you ever come across a cat stalking some birds? Perhaps you stood there transfixed, as you watched the cat crawling on its belly, inch by inch, closer to the unsuspecting birds. All this while the birds are just pecking away at the seed, looking for food and totally oblivious to the danger that is creeping up on them. You realize that with just one clap of your hands, those birds would fly away. If you did clap your hands, you'd get a terribly dirty look from the cat who has been trying for so long to stalk the birds. If you don't clap, you’ll see feathers fly. However, if you clap, you will save the lives of the birds.
This is the way I feel in regard for many of us. Unlike those little birds, we're absent-mindedly pecking away at something that has captured our interest in life. We're going about our lives quite innocently. We're unaware of the sinister sin that is creeping up on us. I want to clap my hands today and alert you of the frightening reality of sin in our lives and I want to point you to the fear of God. You might say, “Well, why must I fear God? He's a loving God.” Well, we should fear God because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, according to the Bible. Let us pick up from Exodus at the end of the 10 commandments, which is found in Exodus 20:18 onwards. It says: ‘When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. “ ‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honoured, I will come to you and bless you. If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.'
Firstly, let’s look at the fear of God. Verse 18 tells us that as Israel stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, they saw the glory of God depicted by a mountain burning with fire and storming from which God issued the Ten Commandments that we have read for the last few weeks. The people were trembling with fear. I don't know if you ever told your children not to be afraid of lightning and thunder, as you've stood in your house behind some glass windows. Think about the experience of the Israelites. Wouldn't you have been afraid if you stood below a mountain exposed to the elements? Wouldn't you have been in fear if you stood before an active volcano? Would you be brave in the face of a tornado or a hurricane? Would you have been unafraid when darkness and fire balls of thunder and lightning issued forth, that can shake anyone standing on an open plane before a big mountain in a deserted desert? More than that, God said that we should not lie (not even tell white lies), gossip, break promises, look lustfully at the opposite sex, steal people's reputations, covet or wrongly desire anything. These commandments are enough to convict even the most upright human heart. Hence, Israel was gripped by the fear of God. Later in the Bible, Daniel himself, was without strength, as the fear of God gripped him and took hold of him as he saw visions, angels and God’s foretelling the future. The same happened to John the beloved apostle, who had once lent upon Jesus’ breast at the last supper. That same John, fell down like he was dead, with the fear of God as he saw Jesus Christ, his glorified master in Revelation 1:17. He saw the resurrected Saviour Jesus and he feared God. Throughout the Bible, the fear of God is taught to us, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
I need to ask you, what about you? As you have read the Ten Commandments over these past few weeks, have you seen how far short of God's standards you fall? Have you cried out to God and said, “Woe is me. I am a sinner. O Jesus, have mercy on me.” Have you feared God as you've seen your own heart? No one can keep the Ten Commandments perfectly all the time. All that we can do is to show up and cry out and ask God to have mercy on us. The Ten Commandments shows us the sin in our lives. The Ten Commandments are like a mirror, that reflects the dirt on our own face, and having seen the muck we need to do something about that mess. What do we do? Because the fear of God reminds us that there is a real punishment for sin - that real punishment is called hell. Hell is a death that separates us from all that is good. The first death we experience separates us from our loved ones and our body. Then there is the second death, that casts us into hell, it separates us from all that is good and pure, it separates us from all our loved ones who may be in heaven. It eternally separates us from life, companionship, love and justice. Hell separates us from all hope and joy.
As Hugh Ross tried to explain in his book titled Beyond the Cosmos. He tried to answer the question about hell, when asked the question, how can a loving God make hell? He reminds us that we as human beings are created to live forever. What if we are wicked and we keep on living in our wickedness forever? Hugh Ross tells the story of a friend of his, who ended up arrested and put in prison for 48 hours. For those 48 hours, his friend did not sleep a wink because he was locked up in a cell with a dozen other men, many of them were murderers, rapists and paedophiles. He said that his friend longed to just nod off, if only all the other inmates were tied down and restrained. Well, God is the one who has created hell and hell is a place of restraining evil forever. We are going to live forever, because we were created to live forever. We are born once to go on living, even through death and into the future. Hell is God's plan to restrain evil that could go on endlessly if God did not contain it in hell. Hell is the kindest thing that God can do for human beings who refuse to enter into a love relationship with God and for those who refuse to accept Him as their Creator and Saviour. Hell is another reason why we are to fear God. That is why, if we fear God, we need a mediator.
Secondly, we need to look at why a mediator is necessary. A mediator is necessary like the Israelites said in Exodus 20:19, when they wanted Moses to be their mediator. They were conscious of their own sin having heard the Ten Commandments. The fear of God gripped their hearts, as the law of God convicted them of their sin. They wanted Moses to act as an intermediary. A mediator is necessary for us all. So we have Jesus Christ. He has become our mediator. He is the one that brings God the Father to us, and He brings us to God the Father, by His substitutionary death on the cross. If a mediator is necessary, we also need wise interpretation.
Thirdly, we need to look for wise interpretation, just as Moses calmed the people. The fear of God in them, verse 20 tells us, that God appeared to them for instruction and not destruction. The same way we write exams or tests to assess our readiness to progress to a higher grade when we were at school; so instruction makes us aware that the fear of God is to keep us from sinning and reveal our spiritual progress. The fear of God is to impress us and motivate us to a higher standard of living for God. The fear of the Lord, is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom then sees the value of obedience to God's awesome majesty and obedience to God's endless love for us.
The fourth thing we need to see is that wisdom leads us to learn from Christ. The same Jesus who is our loving Saviour, who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our disobedience of the Ten Commandments. This Lord Jesus, is also the coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords who will soon return on the clouds. He will bring all history to an end. He will inaugurate a new heaven and a new earth that will go on forever. You and I always need to keep a balance in our minds, a balance between a loving Saviour Jesus Christ, who has come for us, and also who is the coming Judge and King, who is soon to come on the clouds for His people. You are to approach Jesus, out of the darkness of a realization of your own sinfulness and come into the light of a loving relationship with the resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity.
This Jesus tolerates no substitutes. He tolerates no idol images made of dead metal. This Jesus calls you to worship Him in spirit and in truth. In an uncomplicated way, a simple way like these altars of uncut stone for the Israelites. Jesus said that we can worship Him wherever we are, meaningfully, in spirit and in truth. You can worship Him in your quiet time, as you spend time reading God's word and talking to Him with integrity behind closed doors in your own room, privately, where only the Father sees you. You can worship him in studying the Bible in small groups anywhere. Even worship Him as you read this blog. Or worship Him in live services, with people around you singing His praises together with your voice, as in unison we honour our God and Saviour. All of these ways, add to the fear of Lord for that is the beginning of wisdom.
God doesn't want fancy altars and huge cathedrals. Instead, he wants people like you, to approach Him with integrity in our inner room and honestly confess our sins before an awesome God. A God who is all-powerful, who could snuff us out at any moment. This God who appeared in the storm, we ought to fear. Then we ought to turn to Jesus Christ. We can see that beyond the fear of God, is a Light, who Jesus and His love that was demonstrated by Him dying for us. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we are to fly away from sin like frightened birds, that is revealed by the Ten Commandments. We are to flee to Jesus Christ our Saviour, Friend, God and coming Judge. Do you know this Lord Jesus personally? Join me in prayer.
O Lord Jesus, we come in awe, reverence and fear of You. We do not want to offend You, but we come honestly to confessing our sin to You. Even in the quiet of our hearts, we cry out to You. Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner. Even the worst of sinners. Forgive me my sin. Please Lord Jesus, cleanse me of all iniquity and not only forgive me and cleanse me but come into my life by Your Holy Spirit. Be not only my Saviour and Lord but be my coming King and Judge. Come Lord Jesus. Maranatha. Come and save me, work in my life to live for You in this world as Your servant, holy and set apart for You in reverence. Always fearing You, fearing offending You, even as we have to be taught through your Ten Commandments. Lord, may we now love You with all our heart, mind, soul, strength and being. Please Lord Jesus, help us to practically and powerfully, love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Just as You have first loved us. Empower us now by Your Spirit we pray, in Jesus Christ's name, amen.
May God bless you and keep you. May you now live your life to the honour and glory of God. If I can encourage you or pray for you, do get in contact with me through email, which is: pastordrbc80@gmail.com or phone me. If this blog has been of assistance to you, won't you let me know? Then share it with others. To God be all the praise and the glory now and forevermore, amen.