Ingredients For the Fear of God

Good morning everyone, it is such a blessing and thank you for that beautiful song, it really blessed my heart. Give a benediction and go home, enough has been said. In the beginning was the word, the word was God and the word was with God.

Wow, that is dynamite, that will melt your heart. And I needed that, I was actually going to reach out to Liz and I heard you practicing that Reformation song and it warmed my heart too, thank you for that.

Not only that, it is just so good to be here. But nevertheless, I was going to reach out and say could you please change the first hymn to Be Thou My Vision. This morning I finished typing my notes because I had chicken scratch everywhere.

And I was going back over to the front porch and I heard the kids singing and I was like, Hi King of Heaven. And I was like, oh my, Lord you are good, you answer prayers. Sometimes we don't utter them but you answer them.

He knows the thoughts and tensions of our hearts and he knows exactly what we need this hour, this very hour, this very day. I don't take it lightly as an opportunity to step in and preach for my pastor that he may enjoy his family as John is here from Italy.

I don't take this lightly because in a day there is much heresies, much things spoken from a pulpit. Not only that, but to trust me with the word of God that I am going to do is what the Lord told Peter to do.

If you love me, feed my sheep. So pray for me as I expound this duty of God. This is not a light duty because I am going to give an account for this. Do I glorify him and do I lift him up that you may see him high and lifted up today and be changed.

The Fear of God as a Lifelong Pilgrimage

So as you know that we, I am not sure, I guess this thing is going, but previously I had started a sermon series on the fear of God. And I sense that as you all know that there has been many leaders within the church that have compromised, that have fallen into immorality.

And I don't know about you, but it grieves my heart.

I was watching a film last night on the revival and I am not going to say their name, but they spoke and it burdens my heart. I wanted to turn it off, but as a matter of fact I wanted to turn the searchlight on my own heart.

Because the fear of God is not just the beginning, it's the beginning, it's the middle, and it's the end of your pilgrimage here on this side of heaven. And by God's grace this morning, I want to continue.

This title of the sermon is, I titled this, A 3D View of the Fear of God. A 3D View of the Fear of God. So we live in three dimensions. Height, width, depth. But by God's help I want to see these three visions, these three views stacked one on top of another.

And then this is going to lead us to a proper understanding of the fear of God. And this is what motivates it. It's the engine. It's the hymn behind it. So before we get started, my keynote text of this whole series of the fear of God has been from Matthew 10, 28.

Matthew 10, 28. You don't have to turn there, but I'll read it out to you.

You can if you like.

It says,.

So before we proceed upon text, I just want to pray and ask God's blessing upon us this hour. So let's pray. Father God, we thank you. Lord, you are high and lifted up, shining in the light of your glory, pouring out your power and love.

And may the church return it back unto you and sing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty.

Lord, I pray this hour, Lord, you will come. Lord, we know that you're in our midst.

No matter if we feel it or no matter if we sense it.

You're in our midst.

So Lord, I pray this morning that you will give us a fresh view of the fear of God. What a great paradox that also it frees us from one fear and gives us another fear.

Lord, this is such a paradox.

So profound.

Lord, I pray this morning, help us all to remember, Lord, while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us. Lord, this is amazing grace. How can it be that thou should save a wretch like me? So Father God, I ask you, Lord, please encourage us in this hour.

Give this one Lord unction in discharging your holy duty and give your people ears to hear. Lord, I ask this in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen.

God Is Sovereign, and Man Is Not the Center

If you will, often the center of higher education in the United States is often considered, and it's the oldest university in the U .S. Meaning you probably know where I'm going. Harvard. It's in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Cambridge, Massachusetts. The inventor, or you say the head of the school, was John Harvard. He was a Puritan clergyman. John Harvard feared God. John Harvard feared God. One of his favorite verses was, The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. Proverbs.

Nevertheless, there was a philosophy building there on campus. And I kind of have seen this building because I once worked at MIT.

This building is called Emerson Hall.

A named after a philosopher named Ralph Waldo Emerson, which was a transcendentalist that once was quoted, write your own Bible. So we know where that leads. And some people do that without even saying it.

Some people do that without even saying it. But you might say, where are you going with this? This building, the philosopher building, this philosophy building, they were going to dedicate this building.

It was in the early 1900s. And it was common to put an inscription above the door of a building. The Greek architecture, it was common to put an inscription above a door to dedicate it. So the four presidents, Charles Eliot, reached out to another philosopher who was an alum there.

And he said, what can we put above this door? He said, he quoted a philosopher called Protagoras. Protagoras. And he said, let's put this quote from Protagoras up there. And it says, man, the measure of all things.

Man, the measure of all things.

Let's put that above the door.

Let's engrave it in letters as big as a human above the door and etch it in stone. The fourth president, his name was William James. Charles Eliot was the fourth president. But William James didn't hear back from the fourth president for a while.

And so he saw the scaffolding go up.

He saw a canvas go up.

He heard the chisels banging with great excitement. I can't wait to see this new dedication. And even the faculty there was excited to see this new engraving above the door of this grand building. Come to find out,.

Charles Eliot feared the Lord. And told the artisan to write this. So the day that all the canvas was written back, the people were standing out waiting to see. And this is what it read. They had a great surprise.

What is man that thou art mindful of him?

What is man that thou art mindful of him?

Doesn't that sound familiar?

Psalm 8 -4. Psalm 8 -4.

If you notice this, they were not happy. Because it confronts their pride. And it says, you're not at the center. God is majestic. He's sovereign. And he's over creation. And man is very little. That you would even consider him.

That you would even consider us. So you say, why are you starting off with that? I want to ask you this. What is above your door this day? What is written above the door of your heart today?

That's the question.

In Exodus, there was a death angel that came to the doors. And he was looking for one thing. He didn't go in the house. He was looking for one thing. He says, when I see the blood upon the doorpost of your house.

My question is, secondly.

How would you react this very moment if you come face to face with the living God? How would you react if you were to come face to face this morning with the living God? A lot of people think of God just as the man upstairs.

My daddy. Just flippantly. The problem is that we don't see that in Scripture. We don't see that in Scripture. You're not going to jump into his arms when you come into his presence. And Scripture says differently.

The chief end of God is to glorify God. You might say, you just messed up the whole short of catechism in the first one. No, no, no. Think about it. The chief end of God is to glorify God. That's looking from down.

And then we look back up and say the chief end of man is to glorify you. By God's grace, if you will take your Bibles and let's turn to Isaiah chapter 6. By God's grace, the three visions that I would like for us to see is a high view of God.

A low view of man.

And a glorious view of Christ. And through these three lenses, that's what motivates the fear of God. That's the engine. That's the hemi that all other parts in your life will link up to and be pulled by.

This right here.

I'm just going to jump off into this Scripture.

So Isaiah chapter 6.

Many of you know this is probably one of the most well-known verses of the holiness of God. I think Jordan's been reading through it. Motivated me a little to go here. You know, fire likes fire. So may this word of God bless you.

And hear from the living God. This morning I'm going to read from Isaiah chapter 6. This will be 1 -8 will be a high view of God. High view of God coming from Isaiah 1 -8. So hear the word of God. In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.

And his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face.

With two he covered his feet.

With two he did fly. And one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the building moved at the voice of him that cried.

And the house was filled with smoke.

Then said I, Woe is me, for I am undone. Because I am a man of unclean lips.

And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand. Which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.

And he laid it upon my mouth and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips. And thy iniquity is taken away. And thy sin is purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I sin? And who will go for us?

Then I said, Here I am, send me. We dive into the context a little bit of this background of this. This is sometimes called the commissioning of Isaiah. But there have been five chapters already go by.

If you look back, there are six woes in chapter five. Of Judah, God's people. And you say, What is going on in this context? King Uzziah.

King Uzziah. He lived 700. I mean, I'm sorry.

He reigned for 52 years within the tribe of Judah. The southern tribe. He was considered the golden age of the church. He was considered somewhat of a good king. We'll get into that later in 2 Chronicles.

Many people start well. This is the problem. Isaiah chapter 1 tells us he was the son of Amoz. Beloved, this is the point I want to get to this morning. Isaiah 6 records a testimony of a sinful man that had a violent encounter with God.

And lived to tell about it.

For us, for our admonition.

He had a violent encounter with God and lived to tell about it. A .W. Tozer was writing his book when he said the keys of a deeper life. That's from the book, The Keys of a Deeper Life. I'm quoting A .W. Tozer here.

As long as God is considered to be very much like the rest of us,.

Except a little higher and a little greater,.

There won't be any great amount of holy fear in the church.

The greatest single need of the moment.

Is that light-hearted, superficial religionists be struck down with a vision of God on high and lifted up with his train filling the temple. Beloved, your view of God is everything. My view of God, your view of God is everything.

Only when God is seen in his right perspective through the lens of Holy Scripture, everything else in life will then be brought into its rightful order. Outside of that is utter chaos. May the Spirit of God be our teacher as we continue through these scriptures to illuminate.

And this outline came from H .B. Charles. And he mentioned three essential elements of the sovereignty of God. I thought were profound. It's a description of God's sovereignty here in verse 1 that I would like to share with you.

So in the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah says, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

You know, earthly kings come and go.

Presidents come and go. They're not the answer. First of all, God is sovereign. Jeremiah 9, 23 and 24,. Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might.

Let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth in this, that he understands and knows me. That I am the Lord which exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these things I delight, saith the Lord.

So you say, how did Isaiah?

He says he saw the Lord. But doesn't scripture say no man has seen God? How can a man see God?

Isaiah said, I saw God.

I saw God. There's a little bit of hint of this.

It says, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also, I saw the Lord. Notice this.

Look in your Bibles.

L, lowercase, O, R, and D.

See that? Look down in verse three,.

And you see L, capital, O, R, D.

This is significant.

That gives us a little bit about who he saw right here. This is a Christophany. This is a Christophany. L, lowercase, O, R, D, means the sovereign one, the sovereign ruler, the sovereign authority. This is a pre-incarnate picture of Christ before his incarnation,.

Before his resurrection.

He saw him sitting on his throne. That's Adonai.

Adonai.

That's what that means. L, O, R, D, capital, is Yahweh. That's who Moses saw in the burning bush. So those are key distinctions out there we need to see in that. So it says he saw the Lord. Who did he see?

He saw the sovereign ruler of the world, Christ Jesus.

Adonai.

Psalm 425 says God is a spirit.

And that they must worship him in spirit and truth. So no man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us. The key point is Isaiah did not see God's essential nature, but he saw God's sovereign authority.

So if you look at this, it says in the year King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon his throne. God is sovereign, he's in control. He can't impeach him and he's not going to resign. That should bring us great comfort because he does all things well.

He does all things well. And did you know God's greatest desire is that you may be with him? His desire in John 17, the high priestly prayer, said that you may be one with me and I with the Father. That's God's greatest desire is that we may be with him.

He desires us to be with him. So notice this. He is eternal.

If you will turn with me.

To 2 Chronicles 26. It's a couple chapters back. This is going to bring some insight into this King Uzziah.

I'm going to just briefly read.

Starting in verse 1 in 2 Chronicles 26. Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah who was 16 years old.

And made him king.

In the room of his father Amaziah and he built Elah and restored it to Judah and after that the king slept with his fathers. It means he died. 16 years old Uzziah when he began to reign and he reigned 50 and 2 years in Jerusalem.

His mother's name was also Jekelah of Jerusalem. If you will skip with me now to verse 10. It says also he built towers in the desert and digged many wells.

And he had much cattle.

Both in the low country in the plains husband also divine dressers in the mountains and in Carmel for he loved husbandry.

Moreover Uzziah.

Had a host of fighting men.

And went out to war by bands.

According to the number there account by the hand of Jael the scribe and Messiah the ruler.

Under the hand of Hananiah.

One of the king's captains. In verse 16.

If you will look there.

Here's the. But this is when it goes bad. I kind of skipped over a lot.

But God was raising him up.

It was a prosperous time but notice this and this is where we need to really tune in our ears right here.

But is a contrast word.

But when he was strong.

To his destruction for he transgressed against the Lord his God.

And went into the temple.

Of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense and as a riot the priests.

Went in after him.

And with him four score priests.

Of the Lord.

That were valent men and they withstood Uzziah the king and said unto him it appertaineth not unto thee Uzziah to burn incense.

Unto the Lord.

That are consecrated to burn incense and go out the sanctuary for thou hast trespassed neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord. Notice in verse 20 and Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked upon him and behold he was leprous in his forehead and they thrust him out there because the Lord had smitten him.

Uzziah ultimately ended up dying outside of Israel. Do you see how when God raises up a man and we heed the praises of man I think that's that hymn that says rich as I heed not nor man's empty praise he started to read his own news clippings and I think often times that's the problem.

God starts to bless us and starts to give us opportunities to minister gifts but then we abuse the gift not unto his glory and to serve his people. It becomes me, me-ism instead of we-ism and this is the problem and he said he went into.

The temple.

Where only a priest could burn these incense and make offers. He was totally out of line. He went into a whole other role. He believed he could just do as he pleased and notice this it says. God struck his forehead with leprosy.

You know that's a that's a fearful thing to believe in God and God will not be mocked.

If you will flip back with me.

To Isaiah chapter 6.

So notice this.

It kind of reminds me of today.

We live somewhat in a golden age.

The land is prospering.

We have plenty.

We have many bibles we have many stores we have sermonettes we have many ways to get the word of God to the ear.

We have many.

We are well fed.

Well fed.

It says in the year King Isaiah died I saw the Lord sitting upon the throne. So there was. Actually they thought it was going to be turmoil.

So actually.

There was.

So actually.

The outward man was prospering but the inward they were rotten. Chapter 5 in your study will show that.

Materialism.

The idea that wealth was gain they thought wealth was gain that was the problem. They were looking with a carnal eye as already been read obedience is better than sacrifice. So they were thought so outwardly they almost crying almost like Laodicea.

You can hear the crying. We have no need of nothing we are good self satisfied just everything we have.

I saw.

The Lord sitting upon his throne.

High lifted up.

Notice this.

There is men on their throne and there is another higher throne.

Way above their throne.

And that distance is great.

High lifted up.

He is transcendent.

First he is eternal.

Because God is everlasting and everlasting. He already knew what was going to happen. He raised up Isaiah he is high lifted up.

He is transcendent.

Notice this.

And his train filled the temple. Psalm 46 .10 says be still and know that I am God. Can I tell you what that really means.

Give up.

Give up.

Be quiet be still.

That is what it means.

Give up.

Stop striving.

This is what Isaiah is coming to learn. This man is seeing the Lord Jesus himself seated upon the throne whom you and I are soon going to see. It could be this very day. It could be this next hour. Are you prepared to meet God face to face.

Notice this in verse 2. God is holy. Verse 1. He is sovereign. Verse 2. He is holy. Above it stood seraphims. Each one had 6 wings 2 they covered their face 2 they covered their feet and 2 they flew. There are 2 things I want you to observe in this.

Notice. Their posture and their praise. Their posture and their praise. The late R .C. Sproul excuse me said any attempt to understand God apart from his holiness as idolatry isn't that great. That is so true because many people worship a God that is not the God of the Bible.

But the question is who are these seraphims. They are called the burning ones. Can I tell you who they are. In our terms the secret service. They do a better job than President Trump. They guard his holiness.

They are the burning ones. Notice their posture. Notice this it said. And above it stood the seraphim.

Hold on.

Are the seraphim above God. No no they said above it.

Where is it.

That is beautiful. Will the details matter with God. Above it stood the seraphim. Notice here this whole area right here the first 4 verses are about the throne.

This is key.

So what do we mean by holy.

What do we mean by holy. It is found all throughout scripture but sometimes it is elusive. We think about it as in descriptive terms when really it is definitive and that is key. The verb form is called howling.

Holiness is not descriptive of its essence it is God's essence.

Holiness is what sets God apart.

From his creation.

And from you and I.

We are unholy.

Therefore holiness is like a fire.

It gives off heat to warm.

But it also consumes everything combustible.

Hebrews 12 verse 29.

Says God is a consuming fire that is outside of Christ.

He will consume you.

He is your fire he is your enemy and that is your worst nightmare to wake up and know that God is your enemy but in Christ he will be your refiner's fire to be made more and more to his image you become his workmanship for his glory.

So where does holiness come from.

It is a gift from God. Wherever God is at there will holiness be. He has a holy people he has a holy bride and wherever God is there will holiness be. There will holiness be. So let's continue on walking through this scripture and let's look at verse number 4.

Notice this. It says in the posture of the door moved at the voice of him that cried in the house of full of smoke another sign of God's glorious presence. He is glorious. He is so glorious.

It says the door shook.

The door shakes more than some people in an inanimate object. Beloved I am thinking that is pointing to the door of your own heart. It should shake in God's presence. Our hearts should tremble in his presence.

Martin Luther.

We know this is all sometimes in the reform camp as the reformation month. Martin Luther Rome taught that you had to be sanctified in order to be justified. Misery upon misery come to find out by God's grace.

That leads to such a slavish fear a slavish fear.

It puts you in bondage when you feel like you have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps in order to please God.

That's what separates Christianity from everything.

It's not me going to God.

No God came to me.

God came to you. God came to us his church. That's what separates Christianity from everything. It's not us working our way up to God.

It's God coming to us.

And that's what C .S. Lewis said. This is what I believe what separates everything from all other forms of religion that God desires to dwell in the midst of his people.

Below that.

If we were to end right here.

In these first four verses.

It would be your worst nightmare.

It would be your worst nightmare.

Verses 1 -4.

If it would end here.

It would be a terrible sign just of God's pure utter holiness. But if you look in verse 5.

The first four.

Are all about judgment.

The next.

Four verses are all about grace and notice this. This is key. Now what is key about this.

The first four deal with a throne.

The next four deal with an altar.

If you get the throne by itself you don't want it. You need to have an altar there.

Christ.

I believe when I see through scripture that that altar that came that tongue that came off that altar was the cross. Where did God's wrath fall?

He is the Passover Passover.

During the time of the Passover feast that was the first butcher house in the temple it said over 250 lambs were slaughtered 250.

Thousand.

250 ,000 lambs were slaughtered on a Passover feast occasion.

And John the Baptist.

Says can you imagine this setting when John the Baptist comes in. Passover is coming up. They are getting the lambs prepared and he says.

Behold the sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world.

That's what he said.

It would have shocked them.

Because they might have heard.

Remembered a little bit of Abraham. Might have remembered a little bit of Isaiah. And he is saying the sacrifice behold not a lamb amongst you the definitive lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

Beloved, sin entered into the world.

Through the eye gate.

And it destroyed the whole human race. God is in the business of restoration and he says behold the lamb of God looky, proceed take a hold of by faith, it's the look of faith that we are restored and it was counted unto us righteousness and now we are called friends of God because of our elder brother.

Jesus Christ at no time was a victim.

Zero. He was a victim he conquered he said. No one takes my life. I have the power to lay it down I have the power to raise it. He is our captain he is our beloved. He is the one that is the sweetest of all smells.

He is the lover of your soul.

Notice in verse 5.

This is where grace enters.

Then said I.

Woe is me.

For I am undone.

Because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of unclean people for my eyes have seen the king.