Treasuring the Fear of God | Francis Chan

you guys as Christians you know we can talk we can say anything we can say oh I'm not afraid to die it's another thing when you're on that table and you're feeling the exact same thing as when you were sitting comfortably in the pew and you're going nope I know where I'm going I know what Jesus has done because of the Gospel oh man I hope you guys are just overwhelmed by him tonight I am I'm just Blown Away by who our God is I was praying for you guys and I'm like God what what do you want your church to know because I want you to be blessed I want you to live that type of life like Luke where hey anything happened and this isn't something I dread it's actually it's all good and I know there's some of you sitting here and you're going I don't think I'm there I want to be there but I'm not there and I want that for you I want that perfect peace there's a verse that I've been meditating on this week um it's in Isaiah 33 and I just found it not strange I mean a little bit strange but then I'm just like oh this is so true where he says to Israel in Isaiah 33 at the end of verse 6. he says the fear of the Lord is your treasure the fear of the Lord is your treasure the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure foreign I want you to have this treasure see most time when we think of the fear of the Lord people talk about it like it's a bad thing I don't want to talk about the fear of the Lord and your scripture says the fear of the Lord is your treasure man this is like your greatest possession this is like a gift from God if you have a fear of the Lord that is a gift from God that's an amazing gift from God just today at lunch a buddy of mine was asking me if I'd spend like he has a son who's turning 18 he's like man did I prepare him well he read some book and he says you know ask like a couple guys that you respect to just impart something to your son and so he he he said you know I was thinking about did I prepare my son with finances and understanding how to use it for the Lord and everything else no I'm going to have him spend half a day with this one guy you know that he respects because he just uses everything for the Lord and then he goes you know I I want him to learn about prayer and fasting and so I'm going to send him with this other friend of mine for half a day and then he said to me he goes hey could you spend half a day with him and teach him how to fear the lord I'll just stay at lunch because when I think about the fear of the Lord you talk about that a lot and I see it in your life and I just got so excited I go you know I do talk about the fear of the Lord a lot because it's my treasure I never got until I saw that verse this week like that's I don't know like I'm so glad at the at the core of who I am is I have I understand what he is like and I have a healthy fear of him and the Bible says that is your treasure and he says you know you talk about it a lot why because we talk about the things we treasure some of you you can't stop talking about your kid right because that's your treasure or your spouse or your job or one of your possessions or yourself because that's what you treasure and I never realized man the fear of the Lord really is my treasure I'm just thanking God if you have a fear of God thank him for that because not everyone fears the Lord many people treat him like he's nothing and as though you know they've got power over they don't humble themselves before him in Proverbs there's a couple verses I want you to look at we're set 26 says in the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence and his children will have a refuge okay in the fear of the Lord one has don't you want strong confidence I would just love to walk around with a confidence or you're in a hospital bed and you're like I don't I'm not afraid of this I don't dread this I have the strong confidence the Bible says that's because you've got a fear of the Lord you understand who he is and that's Central in your life and what it says it says so so so men he says if you fear the lord he says your children will have a refuge men women moms dads the fear of the Lord is a treasure and if you are parents who who fear the lord your children actually can find safety with you it's not an awesome verse like this is why it's important your kids will always know there's a place that Mom and Dad they are Rock Solid fearing the Lord and that's their Refuge and then in verse 27 it says the fear of the Lord is a Fountain of Life that one may turn away from the snares of death it's a Fountain of Life everyone's searching for you know remember they used to make those movies about people looking for that Fountain of Youth or the Fountain of Life and the scripture says here's the Fountain of Life the fear of the Lord you fear the lord and she says constant source of life it's like a spring of water that just keeps on going so the fear of the Lord is a big deal it's an awesome thing it's not something that that is just for people in the past and oh we're under grace now no like the verse we were meditating on when you guys came in it's like no with him there's forgiveness therefore we fear Him the fear is for those who have been forgiven well what I want to do this evening is not talk so much um I want to continue in this time of worship and I want the word of God to minister to you so tonight I want to look at Hebrews 12. but it's kind of half sermon half meditation where you just stare at the word of God because the Bible says this is to him to whom I look he who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at my word it's the person who trembles at his word so we don't want to just talk about it we want to tremble at it and right now in our Bible reading we've been reading Hebrews so I want to do some verses from Hebrews 12. starting in verse 14. strive for peace with everyone and for the Holiness without which no one will see the Lord just meditate on that tremble at that command strive for this remember one of the verses we memorized this year is blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God and here he's saying strive for peace with everyone and for the Holiness without which no one will see the Lord see to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God that no root of bitterness Springs up and causes trouble and by it many become defiled let's see that no root of bitterness Springs up and causes trouble and by it many are defiled this happens in the church a lot someone gets bothered by something they get embittered and where they do they start talking and this root of bitterness starts spreading and destroying and God is saying make sure that no root of bitterness Springs up and causes trouble and maybe bitterness in your own heart has defiled other people that no one is sexually immoral or Unholy like Esau who sold his Birthright for a single meal now is the time to confess to the Lord pornography lust and God forbid if there are any relationships in here sexual relationships with anyone who is not your spouse let's have a fear of the Lord on that for you know that afterward when he desired to inherit the blessing he was rejected for he found no chance to repent though he sought it with tears we've been sharing this passage several weeks now of the deceitfulness of sin in Hebrews how it says if if you hear his voice don't Harden your hearts don't let your hearts become callous today's the day of salvation remember we talked about the calluses you know from playing guitar it hurts so bad but each time it's less and less to where you don't feel it and so if you feel the conviction now praise God that you still feel conviction over your sin and confess that and turn from that in verse 18 he starts describing God now before we get into this let me explain a little bit a lot of people think we've talked about this how the Old Testament is this terrifying God and then the New Testament it's all about Grace and when you read the book of Hebrews you realize God is the same yesterday today and forever and if anything there's actually an increase of fear and intensity and and more things are understood about Grace and so some people have taken this passage and said well that first part doesn't really apply to us that that's talking about the Old Testament which is true true but it's it's it's not it's not that that's not that God is different now it's just saying it's all of that and then some okay so it's almost like this isn't it's not just merely what they experience in the Old Testament it's actually that and then even more that's what we're reading in our Bible reading today right when he says look if you don't even listen if they if they had to pay for not listening to the angels you know or from human beings how much more when we have been warned from Heaven by the son of God if he knew how to show retribution then how much more so now right that was our Bible reading this morning so it's the same thing here he's saying look look at the Old Testament and then wow we have even more now so he starts off in Hebrews 12 he says for you have not come to what may be touched a blazing fire and darkness and Gloom and a tempest remember when we started tonight I said okay let's lock eyes on God let's let's sing to him but what do you picture when you think of him and who you're singing to the author of Hebrews is reminding us of the Old Testament this was Moses going up on the Mountaintop they used some of these words this is job when when it says God answered him out of the Whirlwind this is Moses when he he saw the burning bush so he says for you have not come to what may be touched okay so when you're speaking to God don't think of him like like like a person like me that you could just come up and touch me he says no do you understand who you're approaching you're not you you haven't come to what may be touched you're talking about a blazing fire a blazing fire think of these words Darkness Gloom Tempest is that what you think when you think of God because these are words that the Bible uses to describe him that as Moses was coping in this mountain they're going man this is crazy I mean it's a fire and yet it's just like this deep gloomy Darkness and the The Tempest was the idea of like a tornado I mean a picture like standing as a tornado is coming towards you and you're in total darkness fire Gloom that's our god this is why I fear him I just read this description it's my natural response ago okay You Are Holy I don't know anyone like you we don't describe anyone like this but you and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them this is exactly what the people said they said Moses you go up and talk to him but we they're going we can't believe we're still alive to hear the voice of God and survive that if you read Deuteronomy 5 Exodus 19 it describes this moment when they're just like don't let him talk to we're we're terrified of this voice you go how do you picture the voice of God was a sound like we have to be so careful with some of these things that we can flippantly sing you know I want to hear your voice okay yes but let's let's be careful about that too let's maintain our reverence go on for they could not endure the order that was given if even a beast touches the mountain it shall be in stone it shall be stoned indeed so terrifying was the site that Moses said I tremble with fear This Is Our God he is like no other he is so different from anyone you've ever spoken to or even thought about then he goes on in verse 22. he says but and understand is not saying that's the way he used to be and here's the way he is now he's saying understand that was what was revealed to them in the Old Testament and now he's revealed even more he says but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the Living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to innumerable Angels infestal Gathering he's explaining we're not like those people in the Old Testament that just had to stand at the base of the mountain and couldn't really go up into the presence of God and Moses had to go up for them and they couldn't hear the voice of God like okay you just go you go listen to her because I feel like we're gonna die he says we actually have a greater access now and now we actually get to approach Mount Zion not just Mount Sinai and stand at the base of it but now we're going to Mount Zion to the city of the Living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to innumerable angels in Festival Gathering okay when you when you sing when you pray when you come in this room are you picturing just us or do you ever picture yourself joining with innumerable angels in festal gathering what does that look like so you understand when you when you lock in on the throne of God in the Heavenly Jerusalem sitting on his throne then also picture like just innumerable more than you can count Angels celebrating okay so so whether you show up or not there are innumerable Angels celebrating God on his throne and so at 6 30 we're not starting worship we're like joining in with innumerable angels and and as their screaming Worthy is the Lamb who was slain you know as as Vince and Vince red and and Joe red even better it's just like wow it's just like I'm I'm screaming with them yes worthy as a lamb I mean picture of Throne with angels everywhere celebrating Worthy is the Lamb Worthy is a lamb and then here we are on the earth in this little room and we're screaming the same thing yeah we agree with all those angels I can't believe you Jesus what you did for me the God we come before he goes on and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect so who else is up there my brother-in-law whose funeral I did last week I'm joining with him now with Zuri that's why Luke can be sitting an operating table with a huge growth in his in his body and go I'm either going to celebrate up there I'm going to celebrate here but Worthy is a lamb who was slain and I'm going to come before that judge and the Assembly of the firstborn I'm gonna the Assembly of the firstborn who were enrolled in Heaven There are people who made it there before us and we're joining them we're joining the angels and we come before God the judge of all man what a great phrase God the judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel I sure hope when you came tonight you were not thinking I'm going to go to a church service and I'm going to hear from a preacher but in your heart you're going I'm going to join innumerable angels in Festival Gathering I'm going to come before God the judge of all and I'm going to come before Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel see that you do not refuse him who is speaking okay the same thing we read this morning in Hebrews 2 see that you do not refuse him who is speaking for if they did not Escape when they refused him who warned them on Earth much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven okay that's very clear like Moses gave a warning and when they didn't didn't heed that warning what happened they were judged so that's just Moses we've heard from the Son of God at that time his voice shook the Earth but now he has promised yet once more I will shake not only the Earth but also the heavens so yeah when they were standing at the base of the mountain the whole Mountain was shaking that must have been terrified terrifying I don't know how many of you have been in like a severe earthquake Lisa and I were in that Northridge Earthquake it was crazy and so imagine standing on on at the base of mountain and everything is shaking and he says well once more I'm going to shake not just the Earth but the heavens okay what does that even mean he's just saying it's going to get more intense this phrase yet once more indicates the removal of things that are shaken that is things that have been made in order that the things that cannot be shaken May remain therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire you see this he he's not saying so that's why they had so much reverence and fear in the Old Testament and that was for back then he says no it's even more intense now okay you remember those stories of them carrying the Ark of the Covenant and as it touches it and instructed all these crazy instances in the Old Testament with the power of God you're like wow they must have feared and feared and feared him and and we somehow I don't know if his 70s 80s we started Shifting The Narrative as though in the New Testament we don't need this reverence anymore and we come to church casually and we can kind of just uh you know gather together casually and worship God you know casually and and we're trying to beg people to come and and lure them in with free iPads or whatever else and and it's like do you understand this is this is a holy God that we've come before and he says because we've received a kingdom that cannot be shaken we're a part of this heavenly Kingdom this unshakable this invisible even the heavens he says will shake even the Earth will shake but we're a part of this invisible Kingdom that cannot be shaken his promises have been made to us his and his spirit is in US and so we're beyond all of this it's going to be shaken and he says because we know that then let's offer to God acceptable worship what does that word tell you if he's telling us to offer him acceptable worship what does that tell you there's unacceptable worship this we talked about that a few weeks ago Malachi you know chapter one when they bring those their leftovers to God God's like I'm not receiving that all through the Old Testament God made it clear I'm not listening to your songs he goes that's that's what you call a fast you're not even caring for the poor I'm not going to listen to you this is from the star from the beginning the story of Cain and Abel right and we as human beings living you know the 21st century we're going oh that's not fair how come he rejected Cain's look there's an acceptable sacrifice and there's unacceptable sacrifice and what God is saying to us is hey because of who this God is let's offer him worship that's acceptable and he defines that as with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire reverence and awe not like all right let's worship again but man when you hear the gospel like Vince presented it earlier does your heart just go what kind of being are you you are so amazing I just want to praise you when you read this passage from Hebrews and you think about this consuming fire and you think I'm about to join all of these angels in heaven how do you sing to him with reverence and awe my prayer for myself coming in tonight okay coming into this evening I prayed this today I'm my God can you make me more reverent than I've ever been in my life tonight that was my prayer I encourage you to pray that right now God right now as I'm about to worship you make me more reverent than I've ever been

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Id: 4MJxKQS-i60

Length: 34min 47sec (2087 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 09 2023