Title: Fear Him
Contents
Title: Fear Him
Key Verse: Luke 12:4-5
In the Bible, God repeatedly tells us not to be afraid. Because fear has punishment (1 John 4:18), and God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7).
But the Bible sometimes tells us to fear.
(Romans 13:7) It is also said, “Fear whom you are afraid of.” Who should we fear?
In today's text, the Lord tells us: "I will show you whom you ought to fear, fear him, who after he has killed also has authority to cast into hell. Truly I say to you, fear him."
In other words, it is God who we should fear. Regarding this, the Bible says:
“Lord, who will not fear your name?” (Revelation 5:4)
“Let the LORD Almighty be your fear and surprise” (Isaiah 8:13).
“Let all the earth fear the Lord” (Psalm 33:8).
"Fear God, for the hour of his judgment has come." (Rev 14:7)
Ladies and gentlemen, the God we believe in is a God of love and a God of mercy. But why do we need to fear God? Is our God a thug, a robber, or a terrorist? Some people think that God is a God who only looks at our faults and says, “Hey, you were wrong. Please punish us!” and misunderstand that He is a God who only rebukes and punishes us. there are people
But to fear God in the Bible never means to fear God in this way. In other words, to fear God in the Bible means not to treat God lightly or rashly, and to realize that God is in control of my life, death, and happiness, and to serve Him with fear and trembling.
Ladies and gentlemen, Christians are never afraid of suffering and tribulation. Not afraid of riots and rumors of riots. Neither robbers nor terrorists are afraid. Even the demons are not afraid.
Because God is with me, we can overcome any hardship, we can overcome scary terrorists, and we can cast out even demons. And if only God is with us, no matter how difficult it may be, we can overcome it and eventually find joy, peace, and happiness.
But if God is not with me, if God leaves me, we cannot overcome suffering and trouble, nor can we overcome the demons who steal, kill, and destroy us. In other words, if God goes far away, we are doomed. Failure. It's over.
Therefore, we fear God above all else. Not simply because God is afraid like a robber, but because He is so precious to us, and without Him our life is a desert without an oasis, and it becomes desolate and lonely like a burnt hearth.
(Psalm 3:6) David said, "Thousands of people will try to surround me, but I will not be afraid." confessing that Because no matter how many enemies try to attack me, as long as God is with me, I will not hesitate. Therefore, David confessed in (Psalm 27:1): "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; whom shall I fear?"
But if we continue to commit great sins against God, and if we harden our hearts to turn and repent of our sins, eventually God turns away from us, and if we turn away from God, it is truly terrifying. . It's scary and trembling.
At that time, curses will come from the city and from the fields, and things will be cursed whether they come in or go out, and shame and insults will come upon them. Therefore, we should most fear that God is far from me and that I am far from God.
In Acts 5, we see the couple Ananias and Sapphira. The name Ananias means 'Graceful to the Lord', and the name Sapphira means 'beauty'. These two couples sold their land and gave a lot of money to God. However, a very unfortunate thing happened to the two couples who devoted themselves to God in this way and had a good name. It was no wonder that these two couples ended up being killed instantly.
As to why this unfortunate thing happened, Peter said: “Ananias, why is Satan filling your heart with deceiving the Holy Spirit? You have not lied to men, but to God! How can you conspire together to test the Spirit of the Lord? )
In other words, the couple devoted themselves to God with a lot of material things, but later they tried to trick God through the work of Satan, and the result was death. As I dealt with this incident, I said, "No, God, for what purpose did you record this incident in the Bible? What a good incident this is? Isn't it rather a shameful revelation of the church? And will you not have negative thoughts about God?" and asked a question.
In this respect, we could argue against the deaths of these two couples as follows.
① No, I thought the God of the New Testament was a God of love. Why is this happening? Have you not damaged the character of God yourself?
② No, it's the same with Peter. You have to forgive and embrace up to seventy seven times. You are the Lord's servant. Can you prophesy the saints and make them die?
③ No, what did Ananias and Sapphira do wrong? : I sold the land and donated, but I can't praise you. How can I go to church because I'm afraid if I die because I don't make all the donations?
④ No, is there anyone in the world who doesn't lie? Who in the world wouldn't die if he died like this after lying once?
⑤ No, even if you kill someone, you have to kill only one person. If you kill the couple, don't the children become orphans? Where in the world is there such a heartless and cruel thing?
⑥ No, does this couple have to die for the Bible to be fulfilled and the order of the church to be right? Wouldn't it be better if God had this person repent and use it?
⑦ No, will his children or close relatives come to church after seeing this dead? On the contrary, wouldn't the church grind their teeth and regard them as enemies?
⑧ No, the two of them sold the land and donated a lot to the building. How can they kill without giving them a chance like this?
⑨ If the death of this couple is glorified in the church, isn't the church a strange cult?
⑩ No, in the eyes of the world, if a church-going couple died at the church on the same day, where would they go to church because they were afraid?
Ladies and gentlemen, why did God have to kill Ananias and Sapphira and have them recorded in the Bible even when their disposition was damaged? A closer look at today's text reveals the answer to this dilemma. “All who heard this were in great fear.” (Acts 5:5) “The whole church and all who heard it were in great fear” (Acts 5:11).
In other words, after this incident, the saints did not deceive God or lie like Ananias and Sapphira did.
Of course, God forgives and forgives. God is patient and patient. However, for some reason, Ananias and Sapphira died before God today. Through this event, we realize. "Aha, God is a terrible man! God is a person who kills and makes life! You must not neglect God!"
Of course, it is very sad that Ananias and Sapphira died. However, there is a very precious lesson that God gives us through this incident. That is, "Children, don't do this!"
Let me conclude. What is God's intention through this event? In a word, it is terrifying. It is to fear God. When you park, you will see the words "Unauthorized vehicles will be towed away at owner's expense." It translates as "If you park illegally, you will be towed. And the towing fee must be paid by the person who parked illegally."
When we look at the wording of this warning, we realize. "Ugh, you can't park here!" In other words, with proper warning and legal enforcement, parking order is established and social order is established. Likewise, there is a need in the Church of God, and that is order. Our God is a God of order, never a God of disorder. And God sometimes gives proper warnings to establish order.
Therefore, in today's text, Jesus repeats this.
"Fear him. Fear him."