Morning Worship
ON FEARING GOD
I PETER 2:17
INTRODUCTION:
A. I REMEMBER hearing preachers, elders and others referring to certain
individuals with this expression: “he was a God fearing man”
B. And as a boy, THERE WERE CERTAIN FEARS, MAMA’S SWITCH FOR ONE, COACH’S
pADDLE FOR ANOTHER!
C. Still, there may be a great many people who have not been able to get
much beyond that youthful understanding - Deuteronomy 10:12,13
i. The things mentioned here are “required” of God’s people:
a. Moses asks the question in order to give the answer
b. but the word “require” must not escape our attention
c. “require” puts the context in terms of “the essential” - not optional!
d. i Peter 2:17 - here is an “imperative” ... a requirement
II. God’s people must fear Him:
A. can “fright” be involved here?
B. Hebrews 10:26,27,31 - “It is a fearful thing ...”
C. there may be good reasons why people “fear” (as “fright”) God
D. but surely the Father does not want His children to be scared of Him! is
there more to fearing God?
III . God’s people must walk in all His ways:
A. here is one of the very first conditions of “fearing God”
b. His ways versus the ways of the world must be our thought process
B. notice Psalm 23:3 - “he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness...”
C. but notice, ALSO, Psalm 25:9
IV. God’s people must love Him:
a. this is the vital difference Godly fear and slavish fear (“fright” as
motivation)
b. consider Deuteronomy 10:14,15 - “...he chose...you above all people...”
c. put that with i JOHN 4:19 - “...because he first loved us”
A. God’s claim on us is the claim of love ... He loved us and provided for
us before we were even born! He has a right to the reasonable expectation of
being loved in return
e. so, Deuteronomy 6:5 -quoted by Jesus in MATTHEW 22:37,38
f. fearing God, then, has this element of love within it which makes it so
palatable, so good, so enjoyable
V. God’s people must serve Him:
a. i Samuel 7:3 - “...and serve him only...”
b. the temptation in life is to serve to many “masters” - divided devotions
c. Samuel’s admonition to divided loyalties is “...put away...serve him
only...”
A. of the ways in which our service might be offered I would remind of but
one ... Mt 25:38-40 - serving God from day to day will be in so many
practical ways
VI . God’s people must keep His commandments:
A. now notice fear, walk, love, serve ... obey!
B. especially, I want us to notice the joining of fear and love with
obedience
C. the joining of love and obedience is consistently found in scripture – I
JOHN 5:3
d. if we do not keep His commandments (in every realm of revelation), we do
not love Him
e. fact: you cannot be God fearing and be disobedient
CONCLUSION:
A. Interestingly, Moses words to conclude this particular admonition are
these: “for thy good”.
God requires nothing of us that is not for our good
B. Here is another proof of His love for us ... it’s all for our good. May I
ask sincerely, “Are you a God fearing person?”
Evening Worship
IT MATTERS WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT THE JUDGMENT
ACTS 24:24-27
INTRODUCTION:
A. Felix was a man living in sin. So, when the apostle Paul was called
before him to speak of “the faith in Christ”, the apostle chose three points
for his sermon: “righteousness, temperance and judgment to come”.
B. this MAY not HAVE BEEN what Felix had expected
C. his only response was to tremble at the word he heard. But he did nothing
to change his life. Dear friends, it really does matter what you believe
about the judgment
I THERE IS MUCH I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE JUDGMENT TO COME:
A. There are questions I simply cannot answer
B. I cannot answer because God has not revealed some of those things
B. But the Bible does tell us some very important things about the judgment
II SOME THINGS I CAN KNOW ABOUT THE JUDGMENT DAY?
A. First, the Day of Judgment is a fact - there is a great judgment day
coming
1. any idea that there will NOT BE A final judgment finds no support in
scripture
2. MATTHEW 10:15 - “...It shall be more tolerable...in the day of
judgment...”
3. II Peter 3:7 - “...reserved unto fire against the day of judgment...”
4. i JOHN 4:17 - “...that we may have boldness in the day of judgment...”
B. The judgment will be universal in scope:
1. MATTHEW 25:31,32 - “...before him shall be gathered all nations...”
2. Romans 14:10 - “...we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ”
3. II Corinthians 5:10 - “for we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ”
4. Jude 1:14,15 - an understanding of the judgment of God goes to almost the
dawn of time!
5. no one will be exempted from the judgment - people from all ages of time
and from every circumstance will be there
C. There will be a standard by which all will be judged
1. Romans 2:2 - it will be “according to truth”
2. Romans 2:5 - it will be according to righteousness –Psalm 96:13
3. RomANS 2:12 - it will be according to the law to which one is subject
(Gentiles did sin, but not according the stipulations of the law of Moses
... Jews sinned according to the stipulations of the law of Moses ... people
since the death of Christ sin according to the stipulations of the law of
Christ)
4. JOHN 12:48 - this is the pertinent fact for you and me and our age
5. ii Thessalonians 1:7-9 - we need to be concerned about the gospel
standard
D. How one lives in this life will determine the outcome of the judgment
1. Matthew 16:27 - this was the teaching of Jesus
2. ii Corinthians 5:10 - this puts the standard and my life’s relationship
to it in focus
3. yes, we get to choose how we will live - but what about consequences?
4. there is no logic in believing one can live his life ignoring the
revealed law of God and receive “good marks” in the judgment
5. recall Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 - after writing of the perplexities of life,
this is the “bottom line” advice from a man of vast experience!
III I CAN PREPARE FOR THE GREAT DAY OF JUDGMENT:
A. Preparation can make so many things about life happy & successful
1. preparation for occupation, for marriage, for births, for retirement
2. it is fairly evident, however, that many, many people do not prepare
3. they just let life “happen to them” - and they are always in confusion,
always in turmoil, always in crisis mode
4. we can and must prepare for this final “appointment” we will all keep
B. ii Corinthians 5:9-11 - “...we labor, that...we may be accepted of him”
1. this should (must!) be our life’s objective ... to be approved of God
2. we prepare by being baptized into Christ - Galatians 3:26,27
3. we prepare by living for and to Christ - II Corinthians 5:14,15
4. and I remind you of iI Timothy 4:6-8
CONCLUSION:
A. HebREWS 9:27 - So, the question the old hymn asks is really very
relevant: “Are you ready for that day to come?”
B. REMEMBER – JOHN 5:29,29
