(This message series is inspired and excerpted from He Loves Me! by Wayne Jacobsen.)
The God We Love to Fear
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” – G. K. Chesterson
“If you’ve ever tried to go to sleep at night with fear preying on your mind, you know it’s incredible power. [I think of those times when you are walking to your car alone on a dark night and all of a sudden you get that “flood of fear” feeling.] Even when we can rationally discount it, fear nevertheless forces its will upon us, like a relentless rising tide.
Those who motivate people know that nothing works better. I see it in my work helping public schools navigate the treacherous waters where church and state issues collide. All of the letters sent out by advocacy groups on the right and on the left appeal exclusively to fear of what the other side is doing to destroy “the America we all hold dear.” They know nothing works better to make people send in their money or volunteer their time and energy. [We will see plenty of this in the election year.]
Fear permeates life in this age. It’s what makes you go to work in the morning and lock your doors at night, and it makes your heart race when a policeman pulls up behind you. Advertisers use it, and so do friends and family when they want you to do what they think is best.” (p. 69)
“And there is so much fear— [Think about your fears. Decide if each is harmful, helpful, or both]
- We fear the unknown.
- We fear being known.
- We fear not having enough.
- We fear getting caught.
- We fear we’ll never find the right person to marry.
- We fear debilitating or life-threatening diseases.
- We fear for our children’s safety.
- We fear what other people think of us.
- We fear they won’t think of us at all.
- We fear crime.
- We fear losing a loved one.
- We fear authority.
- We fear that we won’t get the things we desire most.
- We fear what others might do to us.
- We fear rejection.
- We fear failure.
- We fear being taken advantage of.
- We fear being alone.
- We fear losing our jobs.
- We fear people finding out that we’re not all we claim to be.
- We fear something bad might happen to us.
- We fear not fitting in.
- We fear death.” (p. 70)
“It would be easier to make the point here if fear always led us to do harmful and destructive things, but that simply isn’t true. Sometimes fear will lead us to prudent decisions. The fear of getting caught might win over our temptation to do something wrong. The fear of losing our jobs will induce us to work harder than we might otherwise.” (p. 70)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever! (Psalm 111:10 ESV, similar verses Psalm 1:7, 4:7, and 9:10)
We often hear that this use of the word fear is different than the way we understand fear today. But it has always meant basically the same thing. Reverence was caused by “dreadful fear”.
ya?re?’ (yaw-ray’)
A primitive root; to fear; morally to revere; causatively to frighten: – affright, be (or make) afraid, dread (-ful), (put in) fear (-ful, -fully, -ing).
“In a fallen world, fear is the only way to hold society in check. Caring for nothing more than our own self-interests, the fear of hurtful consequences is the foundation of all laws and authority. Before Jesus died on the cross, there was nothing else. Even God used fear to keep sin in check among his people. [As evidenced in the Psalms] We come to the regrettable conclusion that fear isn’t our problem—only what we fear. If we can fear the awesome, holy God more than anything else in our lives it will lead us to the right path, or so we think.
Thus we come to view fear in ambivalent [mixed feelings] terms. Fear of what others might think can lead us down a wrong path, but fearing God can help motivate us to holiness. So we don’t end up seeing fear as the problem it is, as long as it is God we fear the most.” (p. 70)
Has your fear of the Lord ever helped you avoid harmful actions?
Was it enough to make you stop sinning completely?
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (Romans 8:31-35 ESV)
“Isn’t it odd that the most compelling argument in our day to know God is the horror of not doing so? I find no such preoccupation in the ministry of Jesus for those who followed him. Certainly he and the writers of the New Testament warned us about the destructiveness of sin and the consequences that befall those who neglect his offer of salvation. But he did not use that fear to induce people to follow him.
He invited those around him to a God who loved them completely and to a kingdom more valuable than anything they had ever known. He didn’t use their fears because he knew that fear was part of the problem, even their fear of God. Though it might be easily manipulated to secure a temporal response, it would never be enough to bring them to the fullness of his Father’s glory.” (p. 72)
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39 ESV)
“Jesus had a far better way. He wanted to break the bondage of fear itself—even our fear of God. He knew of a force far more powerful—one that would not fade with the passing of time and would invite us into the depths of relationship with God. He would settle for nothing else. Why should we?” (p. 74)
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” – G. K. Chesterson
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” – Jesus Christ (Luke 12:32-34 ESV)
For Your Personal Journey
“Think back to the time when you first made a commitment to Christ. Did it come because you were overwhelmed with his love, or because you were afraid of his punishment? When you think now of God watching you every moment of every day, do you find that comforting or scary? Do you see fearing him as a necessary motive to help you avoid sin and do the things you think God wants you to do, and if so, has this thinking helped you avoid all the sins in your life? Think through these questions as you ask God to show you how your fear of him might be keeping you from feeling safe in his presence.
Next Week: The Most Powerful Force in the Universe
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