Conduct Yourselves in Fear

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I think is well needed. I did not plan this, but within this hour,
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I really believe that the church of Jesus Christ, especially God's people, believers in Christ, need to hear this.
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And I would to God this little building was full this morning. You would think it would be, wouldn't it?
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You know, with all that's going on, the Lord's soon to return, apostasy on every hand in the church, our nation divided.
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It's a mess, but God's got everything under control in His kingdom.
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God's kingdom doesn't diminish. In the political realm, it'll diminish. Man's kingdom is going to come down, but it must come down.
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It has to come down for God's kingdom to come. Because our kingdom must go.
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God's will will be done. You know, think of that. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray that, God's will,
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God's kingdom is always done. And His will is always done in heaven.
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Always. But not yet on earth. But that's why Jesus taught
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His disciples to pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. As it is on earth, as it is in heaven.
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And that's why He taught us to pray that. It's going to come. But I'd like to speak to you this morning about conduct yourselves in fear.
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Conduct yourselves in fear. So turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1
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Peter chapter 1. We're going to look at just one verse. And it's really loaded up.
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What it has to tell us. Hear the word of the living
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God. If you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear.
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Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth. Let's stop right there and let's pray.
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Father, we would look to You this morning, O God. Lord, only by Your grace can we know how to fear
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You. Rightfully so. Lord, I pray with the psalmist, deal paltifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep
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Your word. Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight.
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O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. May the gaze of our soul be upon Your Son, the
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Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray in His name and for His glory. Amen and Amen.
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This particular verse from 1 Peter is the third command of the
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Christian life. I find it very interesting that there are three commands that we have been looking at.
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This is the third, two commands we've been looking at. Today is the third of the believer's life.
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It is inseparably linked to the believer's obligation to respond to the salvation that is in hope, that the salvation is in holiness, and is our responsibility as believers to honor
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God. Now, I want you to notice, there's hope, there's holiness, there's honor.
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Hope in God, holiness unto the Lord, and honor in God.
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Verses 1 through 12, as we looked at, were a celebration of what God has done to make us
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His very own forever and ever. That's the Christian message. That is the gospel.
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Don't you love that? This is to the glory of God, and that is the glory of the gospel in Jesus Christ, because the gospel is the glorious story of what
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God has done through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Aren't you glad?
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It's not what man has done. As a matter of fact, man, what he's done, has made a mess of things.
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Man -made institutions, man -made religion, it's all going to lead to hell. But God has made a way, and it is the right way.
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Scripture says, there's a way that seems right unto man, but the end thereof is death. But the way, the truth, and the life is
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Jesus Christ. That's the gospel, and that's the gospel story.
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It's what God has done, through His Son, in Jesus Christ. That's the story of redemption.
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And again, all religion can do for us is take us straight to hell. That's why so many people are going to hell.
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They're religious. Why do you think the scripture says they have a form of godliness, and they deny the power thereof?
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Amen. The story of the gospel can be given in two words, but God.
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But God. Where would we be without God? We wouldn't be.
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Because in Him we live and move and have our being. We wouldn't exist, and we wouldn't have salvation.
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But God is the one that reconciles the believer to Himself, through Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life to heaven.
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He is the door. Now that's exactly what verses 1 through 12 basically says.
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I'm not going to read it, but that's everything that we have covered up until this point.
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Verse 13, as we look at, well, series of holiness and how to be holy unto the
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Lord, which I think has been wonderful because it's been right in sync, right in step with us reading
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Leviticus. Isn't that beautiful, the way this has been timed? It's not been planned.
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It's just the way it's just fit in our worship. And I believe that's by the providence of God.
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I really do. Verse 13 comes and tells us the first command.
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Now, I want you to see this. The first command is, in verse 13, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind.
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It basically tells us specifically how we are to live holy. Notice this.
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The hope is, He speaks about the hope. And rest your hope upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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In other words, there's another translation that says, fix your hope completely. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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Why can't we get that? Fix our hope completely on the grace that is to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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Not to fix our hope on politicians or presidents or men. But to fix our hope on Jesus Christ.
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That's where our hope is. Now, that's the first command.
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The second command is a follow up after our hope is to be fixed on the
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Lord and in Jesus Christ. The second command is in 14 and 15.
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What does it say? It says this. As obedient children, obedient children or children of obedience, literally, do not be conformed to the form of lust which were yours in your ignorance.
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But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior, all your conduct.
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Because it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. Now, that's the second command.
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That's a command, not a suggestion from God. Our command from God is to hope in Him.
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Get this. Any other hope is going to go down the tube. It's going to go down the drain.
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Eternally, the only hope, a living hope, will make it through eternally is in Jesus Christ.
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That's the hope that we have. That's the living hope we have to offer to this sin sick world.
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It's the only hope. And the second command, which we spoke there in 14 and 15, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the form of lust, your former desires, the desires that you used to have in your ignorance, but as He who called you.
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God has called us to something. What is it? He's called us to holiness. He's called us to holiness.
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You also be holy in all your conduct, in all your behavior. That's what it means.
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Conduct, the way you behave, the way you act, the way you live. Be holy for I am holy.
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That's a command. And you know, when God gives commands, we better perk up and listen very closely.
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Today we reach and come to the third command. This is a powerful command, beloved.
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Those other two are very powerful as well, but they're triplets. These are triplets commands given to us by God through the apostle
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Peter. We see that we, in verse 17, really is to say, if you are called or addressed on the
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Father, address the Father, who without partiality, no respect of persons, judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.
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Now I want you to pay close attention to this because this is a word for us. This is a word for me.
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God has really spoken to me about this, and I know He's going to speak to you about this as well, because it's a call, it's a command.
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So the third command is for Christian believers, and again, let me emphasize, these are not suggestions.
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God commands it, He means it. It's like in the military. When they give a command, you obey that command, or you're going to be severely disciplined for it.
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As a matter of fact, sometimes disciplined. I was in the military, in the army, for two years. If you disobey the command, they take disciplinary actions, one by one, step by step.
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One command was, well, you've got to show up in roll call. If you don't show up, you'll be late to show up in roll call.
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They say you could lose a stripe. Now, to get one stripe in the military takes about a year.
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Miss Lilly knows what I'm talking about. She was in the military, and it's severe.
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They don't play around. That's just showing up for roll call. Now, if you disobey an officer, a commander, folks, the next thing you know, you're in line to get ready to get ousted out of the army with a dishonorable discharge.
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And if you go AWOL, you end up in Fort Leavenworth. And why
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I'm giving that illustration is, but that's man's military. This is
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God. This is the commander of the universe. The one that has called us to hope in Him, to love
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Him, to honor Him, and to be holy as He is holy.
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So we need to pay close attention to what He is saying. These are commands from the
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Almighty God. So the first being hope, the second is holiness, and today we're going to look at honor.
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Honor. Hope, holiness, honor. So let's look at what it means to honor God, to fear in God.
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We need to remember that those three great words today, we live in hope, we live in holiness, we live in honor.
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That means fear in God. With these three commands from God, we move a little closer to God, don't we?
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We're further away from the temperament of the modern world, and the modern world which is passing away.
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So we are to live in hope. Our only hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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He alone is our living hope. And we offer that living hope to a dying world that is without hope, right?
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You ever seen so many people without hope? Have you ever seen so many suicides?
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People were hopeless. But we have the hope. We have the truth.
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We have the Word of God. We have the light of the world. And we have the hope to offer to them.
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The second command is to live in holiness. Christ is our holiness, and He provides
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His holiness. He's provided His righteousness. He covers us with it. To live in a sin -stained world, in a sin -sick world,
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He even keeps us righteous. Isn't that wonderful? He not only makes you righteous and covers you with His righteousness,
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He keeps you righteous. He's a keeping God. Keep us separated from the pollution of the world.
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Amen? Keep us holy. Keep us separated. And there's another aspect of it.
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Not only God keeps us, in the book of Jude it says, keep yourselves in the love of God.
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So there's a dual responsibility here. We are to trust in the Lord that God keeps us, but we have a responsibility as well to keep ourselves in the love of God.
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To be separated from the world. One's monogistic. Salvation's monogistic.
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All of God. Sanctification, as I've ministered to you about this before, some people say it's synergistic.
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Yes. But I believe it's monogistic and synergistic because it's God keeping you and sanctifying you in the process, but it's also you taking the responsibility to continue in the
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Word. You cannot pull away our responsibility and holiness. Paul talks about that.
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He says, work out your own salvation with what? Fear and trembling.
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Take that serious. Amen? I take that very serious. So the third command here is to live in honor.
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Live in honor. Let's look at it. We, as God's people, are to honor and reverence
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God. Honor and reverence God. Have you ever seen such a generation that has dishonored
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God? Oh beloved, this is so much needed in our generation. The fear of God is missing so much among this world.
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Not only in America, the world! You go in other parts of the countries. They don't fear
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God. Our nation is in trouble, beloved. And you and I are called to be that light and that beacon light in a dark world and salt that keeps it from decaying in our nation and in the church.
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Turn with me very quickly to Romans chapter 3. I want you to see this before we really go any further.
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I've got a lot of scriptures, so have your Bible ready. This is what redeeming grace church is about.
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What about the Word of God? I want you to notice here in chapter 3 of Romans, there is a beautiful order that God gives.
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God is a God of order. And you see this in the Lord Jesus Christ's teachings, especially the
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Sermon on the Mount. There's a perfect order. It's like a step. It's like a pyramid, a step.
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There's one step to go to another step. And we've got to look at these steps and we've got to take the steps of God.
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There's a perfect order here that the Apostle Paul is given in Romans chapter 3 verses 1 through 18.
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The Apostle quotes, without formal instruction, a number of different verses from the
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Old Testament. The first half, let me say this, the first half is made up of negative statements emphasizing humanity's deficiencies.
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Humanity's deficiencies. We see that in verse 10 and 12. Then he goes on to give the second half mainly that it exposes man's depravity.
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Man's depravity in verses 13 through 18. Hear the Word of God. This is the commentary from God Himself on man's corrupt deficiencies and man's corrupt depravity.
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This is the Word of God. This is what's wrong with the human race, folks. Of all that you've been seeing today, it's not a matter of one side of politics and another side or one color to another color.
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It's the heart. And that's what God gets to. God gets to the heart of the problem.
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That's the problem. It's the heart. But notice what the problem is.
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Notice in verse... Let me begin with verse 10. As it is written, there is none righteous, not even one.
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There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. All...
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All? Yeah, all. All have turned aside together.
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They have become useless. Wow. There is none who does good.
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None? None. None. There does not even one.
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Their throat is an open grave. With their tongues they keep deceiving.
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The poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
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Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their paths.
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And the path of peace they have not known. Notice verse 18.
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This is our subject. There is no fear of God before their eyes.
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No fear of God. Man's true spiritual condition is nowhere more clearly seen than in the absence of a proper submission to and the reverence for God.
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Folks, this is what we are seeing today. But you know, biblical fear for God consists.
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And this is what MacArthur says. Number one, all of His greatness and His glory. Two, dread of the results of violating that holy nature.
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And that is pretty much summed up. And that is what we are looking at. There is no fear of God before their eyes.
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There is no fear of God in the choices they make. In the way they live. Moment by moment.
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Minute by minute. Day by day. When they wake up. When they go throughout the day. When they lay down in bed.
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They are thinking of selfishness and how they can gain on their own. How they can hurt other people.
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No fear of God. No fear of the judgment to come. You know,
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I like what Martin Luther, the reformer said. He says, there is a two day calendar before me.
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Today, judgment day. That is what we need to keep before us. Today and judgment day.
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There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now, what is being said here is an
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Old Testament expression. For respect and reverence for God. Now folks,
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I am telling you. We can do a whole series on the fear of God. You take it through the Bible. You know what I am talking about. You take it through Genesis all the way through the 66 books of the
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Bible to Revelation. Revelation constantly speaks about the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord. The fear of the
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Lord. The fear of God. The fear of God. Well, I am going to touch just a little bit on it. I got a wonderful definition of the fear of God.
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Given to me by a good friend and a good brother. And it is a definition from Tim Challies.
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It gives us a good definition of what the fear of the Lord is. I love this. I had another definition, but it is pretty much closely related.
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I just like the way that Tim Challies sums it up. Listen very closely to what he says.
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What is the fear of the Lord? Listen to this definition. Quote, it is a holy mixture of reverence and awe.
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Wonder and amazement. Love and gratitude. Trust and obedience.
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It is when you know the depth of your depravity, but marvel at the grace of God showered upon you in Christ Jesus.
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It is the response of one who knows who God is in His holiness, righteousness, goodness, and truth.
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And rejoices at the privilege it is to come before His presence. It is the response of one who knows
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God is greater. Listen to that. That He is supreme sovereign who rules over all and ensures that nothing can snatch
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His beloved children from His hand. End quote. I don't know a better definition.
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I love the way he just put in that holy mixture, that beautiful mixture of fear in God and awe.
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That's what, you know, the scriptures, the psalmist even says, you know, we rejoice with trembling. It's like there's a mixture.
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We rejoice, but we rejoice with trembling in our hearts. You have the goodness of God, but you also have the severity of God.
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You cannot take away the both of it. God's great mercy that He has shown us in Jesus Christ at the cross, but also the wrath of God towards sin that God had put upon His Son Jesus.
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Now you think about that. That should cause us to fear because it's because of our sin.
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You know, beloved, I was thinking about this morning on the way here to worship. It's indescribable to even put in human language this morning how much
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God hates sin. We, even as a child of God, and we have the revelation of God and the light and we know what
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God has to say, but that is as close as we can get is what the revelation of the scripture says about how
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God hates sin. God is so holy, and yet people constantly live abominable, damnable ways.
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And we all need to watch ourselves. I think it's even a greater sense that God's people should live holy because of the grace that's been showered upon us.
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You see what I'm saying? It causes me to fear to even say that. Oh, what a...
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Oh, we need a revival of the fear of God. We need the fear of God before us more than ever.
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You know, the early New Testament church, you read it in the book of Acts, they walked in the fear of God. You know, you think about what happened to Ananias and Sapphira after God struck them down for lying to the
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Holy Ghost. The fear came upon the church and none would dare join the church.
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Beloved, we need to see this today. That was an example. People say, well, pastor, why doesn't
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God smite people down? I'm telling you, I'm glad He doesn't because there would be thousands smitten down of all the robbing from God in the name of God.
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God has shown us grace. But there are warnings. There are warnings to us. And Peter tells us, believers ought to conduct yourselves throughout your time, your stay here in fear.
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From the time that you're born again to the time you take your last breath into heaven and glory, we are to fear
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God. Oh, Lord, help us to fear You. It is a phrase, beloved, understood as something between...
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Now, look at this. I got this from a biblical dictionary. It is a phrase that is understood as something between terror and reverential awe.
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I like that. There is the terror of the Lord. Paul says the terror of the Lord persuades us to warn people that there's a judgment to come.
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You ever understood why the prophets and the apostles got up? I'm sure they were trembling as they said, flee from the wrath to come.
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That's what John the Baptist said. You flee from the wrath to come. You have no idea how horrible it is.
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And your sin. But he pointed them to the Lamb of God. The one that was perfect.
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And the one that took away the sin. You know, we need to always remember that God is a merciful, loving
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Savior, beloved. Notice in verse 3. In 1 Peter, back to 1
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Peter. I want you to see this. That's what he says.
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That God is merciful in verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to what?
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His great mercy has caused us to be born again.
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He caused it. To what? A living hope. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
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You know, that should give us cause to fear. But there's also another cause to fear.
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And also remember that God is a perfect holy judge. You see this in verse 15 through 17.
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As we read. Both always needs to be before our eyes. Before our eyes.
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Before our eyes. On either side of this third commandment. To conduct ourselves in fear is a reason to fear.
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Alright. I hope that doesn't sound like a contradiction. But let me say that again.
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The third command here. To conduct ourselves in fear. In fear is a reason for this fear.
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You see what I'm saying? On the front side of this verse. First half of this verse in verse 17. Is the reason.
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If you call on the Father. Who without partiality judges. Notice what he says.
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Judges according to each one's work. That's what we're going to be judged by.
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That causes me to fear. A .W. Tozer told Leonard Ravenhill this. And I used to hear
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Ravenhill talk about this. And he would speak about. Well Dr. Tozer he says. He said Len. This is
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Dr. Tozer speaking to Leonard Ravenhill. He said you know what causes me to fear. Not the works that I'm going to be judged by.
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But the things that I didn't do. I had the opportunity and I passed it up. And he said oh
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Len. It causes me to fear. Then I'm going to go to the judgment seat. A pauper. Oh beloved.
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We would have that kind of sense. Of knowing that we're going to be judged. By the motives.
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Not just what we do. But by why we did it. The motives. Now here's the first reason for conducting ourselves in fear.
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Why? Is that the one we call Heavenly Father. The one we address as our
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Father. Judges everybody on the same kind of evidence. The bar is the same.
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The scales are the same. Why can't people see this? Because they're blind.
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The God of this world has blinded their eyes. The God of this world. But you know.
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At the judgment. It's going to be equal. And God's not going to bend that judgment for nobody.
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Because it's based upon His character. Namely. What is it going to judge our lives?
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What do our lives and our deeds say about our heart? You see. Doesn't that make you fear to think about that?
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I fear. There will be a different set of rules for different people. It doesn't matter what the nationality is.
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They could be an Indian. Hispanic. It could be
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African American. It could be Caucasian. It doesn't matter. I kind of think of it.
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You know. How God looks down. And I think in the scriptures. It says in Nahum. That the clouds are above us.
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And the clouds are the dust of His feet. And as brother Keith mentioned this morning. That heaven is
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His chair. His throne. And the earth is
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His footstool. God is so high above the heavens. He looks down and think of it.
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Well like specks of dirt. Just different colors of dirt. With different languages.
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That God calls. Because they were disobeying Him. Trying to be God. Going to the heavens.
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And He confused the world. Oh beloved. Every person that the millions has lived.
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Is going to stand one day at the judgment. We are going to stand before the one. The one that has an eyes as flames of fire.
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And He is going to judge us. According to our works. That is what the scripture says. Judge us according to each one's work.
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That is what He says. That is what Peter is talking about. There is only one thing that saves us beloved.
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And that is faith in Jesus Christ. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad for that? It doesn't mean we are going to escape the judgment from our works.
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We are going to be judged even as a believer for our works. I think it is going to be even more severe.
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Especially those who teach the word. Like I am doing now. That is why I am being very careful what I choose and say.
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And I write it down. Because I know I am going to be judged for it. Jesus says every idle word that we speak.
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Is going to be given an account of judgment. All the words. All the actions.
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Even our thought life. You know Spurgeon said that. He said your thought life is like speech before God.
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I said oh, that makes me fear. Because sometimes my thought life runs rampant.
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And I think thoughts I shouldn't think. And I am saying Lord help me to gird up the loins of my mind.
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To pull it together and think like Christ would think. There is only one standard of judgment.
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And that is going to be God's standard. Our lives and our deeds and our works are going to be judged before Him.
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Jesus taught the disciples to pray. To address the Father. Our Father who is in heaven.
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What did He say? Hallowed be thy name. God's name is holy.
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There is reverence for you. You know the word address. And the present middle voice in the
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Greek here. Means to call upon or to appeal to. God that way. That we believers should address
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Him with reverence and awe. And when we come into His presence.
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With thanksgiving. Knowing that God is a holy God. You know the
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Apostle Paul affirmed the legitimacy of such an intimate form of address. When he told the
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Galatians. In Galatians 4 or 6. Because you are the sons, your sons.
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God has sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts. Crying Abba Father.
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Abba Father. In a sense this is not disrespect. But it is saying like.
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Our Father is like our Daddy. In heaven. He is our Daddy. We as His children.
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We can come to Him. Because we are part of the family of God. We have been adopted. That is what
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He is saying. That is the appropriate manner for saints to call on God.
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The Apostle Peter did not want believers to forget. That they have an intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father.
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They must conduct themselves in holiness. During their time. And stay on earth.
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Because it is also one. God is one who impartially judges according to each one's work.
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Now. How. How do we know this?
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How do we know this? First. Because God's Word says so.
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Now it is not because the preacher says so. But because God says so. God is an all knowing
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God. An all knowing God. Now I want to establish this point.
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Very clearly. God keeps a perfect record of everybody's works. Now you think.
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How can God do this? Because He is God. He is God. He is all knowing.
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He is all powerful. And He is ever present. He is omniscient. Omnipotent.
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And. Omniscient. Let me establish this first. From the
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Holy Scriptures. That God has a perfect knowledge of man. A perfect knowledge of man.
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Psalm chapter 139. Go with me to Psalm 139. You know where I am going.
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You know Psalm 139. I know if you read the Scriptures here. I know you do. You know what this whole chapter speaks of.
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God is all knowing. Isn't He? The Word of God makes this very clear.
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And you know. Let's establish this right now. That God is an all knowing God. That's why
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He knows all things. God's omnipresence and omniscience. This is
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David. Notice what he says. I want to just read the Scriptures. And let the Scriptures speak for themselves.
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Amen. That's what Paul said. Preach the Word. I'm going to do it. Lord you have searched me and known me.
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You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down.
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And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue.
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Behold O Lord you know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before.
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And laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is too high.
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I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can
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I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol.
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Behold you are there. If I take the wings of the dawn. And if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea.
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Even there your hand will lead me. And your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say surely the darkness will overwhelm me.
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And the light around me. I will be night. Around me will be night.
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Even the darkness is not dark to you. And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to you.
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Wow. For you formed my inward parts.
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You wove me in my mother's womb. Listen to this inspiration. This revelation.
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I will give thanks to you. For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works.
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My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you. When I was made in secret.
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And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance.
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And in your book were all written. The days that were ordained for me.
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When as yet there was not one of them. How precious.
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How precious. Also are your thoughts to me oh God. How vast is the sum of them.
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If I should count them. They would outnumber the sand. When I awake
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I am still with you. Oh that you would slay the wicked oh
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God. Oh this is a prayer that's worthy of praying folks. Listen. God would slay the wicked oh
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God. Depart from me therefore men of bloodshed. For they speak against you wickedly.
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And your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you oh
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Lord? And do not I loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with the utmost hatred.
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That's a holy hatred folks. They have become my enemies. And then he says this.
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Notice he prays this to his enemies. And then he turns the searchlight on his own heart.
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Search me oh God. Oh God search me. And know my thoughts.
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Know my heart. Try me. Test me. Know my anxious thoughts.
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And see if there be any wicked way in me. And lead me in the way.
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The everlasting way. Oh what a song. And we've established it. Notice this. God knows all things.
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He knows everything. Every motive. Every thought. Every action. And he's taken account. As he calls us to fear.
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As he calls us to fear beloved. Now let me see how much time I've got. I've got a lot of scriptures
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I need to pull forth here. My time is clicking by. Let's cover a little bit from 1
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Corinthians. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. The apostle
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Paul speaks, the Old Testament says, much about the judgment of our works before God.
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But I want to focus a little bit here what Paul the apostle says to the believers. To all of it's to the believers of course.
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But I want us to get this. Notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 3.
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A few verses. 10 through 15. 10 through 15. Notice. According to the grace of God which was given to me.
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Like a wise master builder I laid a foundation. Another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds.
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For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid. Which is Jesus Christ. He is the chief cornerstone.
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Amen. And now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, wood, hay, straw.
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What he's talking about is ministry folks. And notice what he says. Each man's work will become evident.
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God keeps an account. For the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire.
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For the fire itself will test the quality. Not the quantity.
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The quality of each man's work. If any man. Any man's work.
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Which is built on it remains. He will receive a reward.
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If any man's work is burned up. He will suffer loss. But he himself will be saved.
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Yet so is through fire. Now that pretty much speaks of the believer's judgment.
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Look at chapter 4 verse 3 through 5. But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you.
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This is the apostle Paul. He believed in accountability didn't he? The apostle Paul says to be examined by you.
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Or by any human court. In fact I do not. I do not even examine myself.
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For I am conscience of nothing against myself. Yet I am not by this acquitted.
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But the one who examines me is the Lord. That's why this man could have a clear conscience before God.
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Notice what he says in verse 5. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time. But wait until the
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Lord comes who will both bring to light. The things hidden in the darkness. And disclose the motives of men's hearts.
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And then each man's praise will come to him from God. That's very, very clear isn't it?
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God is going to, these refer to inner motives, thoughts, attitudes. Only God can know it.
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But the apostle Paul can say I've got a clear conscience. Before God of everything he did. Notice in 1
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Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 10. I'm sorry verse 9 through 10.
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5, 9 through 10. And I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people.
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That doesn't mean we reach out to them. What he's talking about is having fellowship with them. I did not at all mean with immoral people of this world.
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Notice he explains it. Or with the covetous or the swindlers or with idolaters.
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For then you would have to go out of the world. But actually
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I wrote to you not to associate with any so called brother. That's the key right there.
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A person that calls himself a brother if he is an immoral person. Or a covetous.
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Or an idolater. Or a reviler. Or a drunkard. Or a swindler. Not even to eat with such a one.
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For what I have I do with judging outsiders. Question.
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Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside God judges.
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God judges. And the judge of all the earth would do right. Then he says remove the wicked man from among yourselves.
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That's all about the purity of the church. That's what he's talking about. And he's following the example and the command that Jesus gave.
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About church restorative discipline. Now that's another sermon.
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But the point is that God is the one that ultimately judges everything. Man's heart.
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Man's motives. These are warnings about God as the judge to believers.
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And it's not limited to just their future. This is a powerful verse. But 1
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Peter 4, 17 and 18 says this. And this is one you want to memorize.
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To underscore in your Bible. The apostle Peter said this. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.
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He didn't say the house, the White House. He says the house of God. And if it begins with us first.
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What will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? And then he says this.
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Now, if the righteous one is scarcely saved. Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?
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That's powerful. That's loaded. That's why he says to believers in Corinthians.
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Judge yourself so that you may not be judged. But what happens when judgment begins at the house of God?
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God exposes people. And what about those that do not obey the gospel? They talk the gospel, but they don't obey it.
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You know, a person can talk their Christian all they want to. But if there's no obedience to back up what they're talking.
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It's vain. It's nothing. Anybody can talk it.
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Talk's cheap. It costs something. Matter of fact,
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Stephen Lawson said this. He said, it's going to cost you everything to follow
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Jesus. And he said, actually, it'll cost your soul.
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If you don't count the cost and obey Christ. You know, we better think hard about that.
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People better think hard about it. We ought to conduct ourselves in holy fear.
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You know, Spurgeon said this. He said this.
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He said, the fear of God is the death of every other fear.
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Like a mighty lion, it chases all other fears away. Now, did you ever think about where Spurgeon got that?
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I'm going to tell you where he got it. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 10. Spurgeon just didn't reach out of the air and grab this.
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He got it right out of the Word of God. This is where we should get it. I love to quote these godly men and these
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Puritans, but Spurgeon said this. He said, read good books that live in the
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Bible. Let's stay in the Bible. This is where the Puritans got it. This is where Spurgeon got it.
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What about our Lord Jesus Christ? What did He teach about the fear of God? That's it.
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Verse 26. Let's look at 26. Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
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You can stop right there and look at the fear of God. You know, because everything Jesus is talking about, there's nothing that people are trying to hide is not going to be revealed before God Almighty, because God sees everything.
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Nothing concealed that will not be revealed. There's things, folks, that's done in secret in this world that people think they might have gotten away with it on this earth.
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But still there's one that says not they've gotten away from, that sees everything. That's God Almighty.
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Listen to what Jesus said. What I tell you in darkness, speak in light. And what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.
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Listen to what He says. Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul.
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But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body and hell.
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Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father.
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You see, God sees it all. And then He says this. You want to talk about God knowing everything? Jesus gave an illustration.
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But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. You know, I wash my hair every day.
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You wash your hair and then you see bits of hair come out. And I'm thinking, God, you know that number, that number.
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You know the minus. If there's a million in my head, you know minus one. I'm thinking, that's amazing.
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The hairs that go down the drain. He knows every single thing. Every motive.
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Nothing gets by God. And then what does He say? Verse 31. Then Jesus says, so do not fear.
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See, that's a different kind of fear when God says fear not. He's talking about the fear that has torment there. But basically what
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He's saying, you fear ultimately and irreverentially all God. And therefore you will not be able to fear.
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That's what Spurgeon's talking about. The fear of God is the death of every other fear. Because it's like a mighty lion.
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It chases all the other fears away. Did you ever think why the martyrs and the people that went to their death, they didn't fear.
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They didn't fear the threats. Burn them to the stake. They said, I'm not going to fear.
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I'm telling you what, amen. They said, put me right in the glory. Now it may hurt temporarily.
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Matter of fact, I can't think and imagine how to be burned alive at the stake would feel. I know it was horrible.
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Matter of fact, you can read the Fox's Book of Martyrs. Can't think of his name at the moment, but he was a disciple of the
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Apostle John. They put him on, they martyred him before a crowd. They kept trying to, what was his name?
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Polycarp. Polycarp, thank you. Teresa's back there trying to tell me Polycarp. Thank you, thank you.
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Polycarp was being burned to the stake. Read it. They kept trying to light the fire. It kept blowing out. Finally, it lit and burned him up.
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But you know, God was giving a demonstration. You don't have control. God allowed that to happen.
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You know, isn't it amazing? Polycarp. What was he doing? Read it. He was given praise and glory and joy, almost like in gladness to do this, and counted worthy to suffer for his master.
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As a matter of fact, his testimony was, my king has did me no harm in my life, and I will not deny him now.
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He's did me nothing but good. Nothing but good. Could we say that if it was burned to the stake?
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You know why that man said that? Because he did not fear man, he feared God. Proverbs 29, 25.
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The fear of man brings what? A snare. A snare. But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
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Now, does that mean safe from suffering? No. You know what that safety means? He's going to keep our soul.
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He's going to keep our soul. Polycarp's soul is in heaven. Until the resurrection, and his ashes have burned, and wherever his ashes are laying,
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God's going to bring it up as a glorified body at the resurrection. All Jesus has to do is speak the word.
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Now folks, people would think, you tell people this today, they'll look at you crazy. But then point to them the trees, and the sun, and the stars, and say everything that exists came by the power of God's word.
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God spoke it, it happened. All the matter that exists came from the power of God's word.
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Now you think it's too hard for God to just speak the word and bring up ashes in a glorified body? He can do it.
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And he's going to do it. Because Jesus said it's going to happen. Trust in the
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Lord, not man. The fear of man brings us a snare. That doesn't mean, like I said, physical safety.
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It means God himself keeps our soul. Amen. Well, I've got to move on.
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I couldn't help but think about Job. The oldest book in the entire
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Bible gives us a revelation. Job 28 .28
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Here's one to memorize. Job 28 .28
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And by the way, Solomon says of wisdom, which I personally believe Solomon read the book of Job. Let me first quote
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Solomon. In Proverbs 3 .7 Do not be wise in your own eyes.
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Fear the Lord and depart from evil. You back up in verse 5 and 6.
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Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge
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Him and He shall direct your paths. So, basically, the fear of the
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Lord is the backing up of that. The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil.
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It's trusting God. The meaning of the fear of the Lord is honoring God, reverence to Him. So, that involves a commitment and obedience of all of our worship to Him.
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And this is how we are to have the fear of God. Now, what's the beginning of the fear of God?
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I'm sorry, the beginning of knowledge. It's the fear of the Lord, right? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
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We're talking about the knowledge of the truth, just not head knowledge. But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
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Have you ever seen a world full of fools in which we live? We live in a world of fools.
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God calls them fools. Beloved, we live in a world of fools. They're wise in their own eyes.
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They know it all. They got all the answers. No, they don't. Because God resists them.
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He resists the proud. They're arrogant. They're fools. God's only going to give grace to the humble.
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And to the humble, and those who are contrite and broken before Him are the ones that He's going to share His fear with and give knowledge.
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You know, you take, for example, Job. Job 1 -1. His testimony was this. It opens up.
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The oldest book in the Bible. There was a man. Now, I love that. Let me stop right there. A man. He was a man.
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Elijah was a man who liked passion. Job was a man. You know what it says about Jesus?
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The man. And look in the Bible. Capital M. Don't you love that?
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Amen. Now, that'll preach, Brother Keith. He was a man.
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We don't even have that today. Jesus is the man. Job was a man in the land of Uz whose name was
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Job. I'm sorry. I said that twice. He was a man. Name was Job.
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And that a man was blameless and upright and one who feared God and he shunned evil.
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There's two aspects of Job's character. I need to speak about this.
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I think this is good to mention as I'm trying to land this plane. Number one, two aspects of his character and his actions was this.
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In which he conducted himself. One highlighted from Scripture. Job was number one.
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He was blameless and he was upright. Blameless and upright. Now, that doesn't mean he was perfect.
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Right? He wasn't without sin. He did sin. But he was straightforward and ethically straight.
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This is the fear of the Lord, folks. Emphasizes his spotless character. Again, doesn't mean he was perfect.
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But he did have godly character and he did have integrity. Now, how do we know that?
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Like Daniel, the prophet in Daniel 6, 4. Job was a blameless before human critics.
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Before human critics. Again, not completely sinless before God. But later there was a testimony of his personal integrity and you can mark this down.
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Job 31, 5 and 6 says this. If I have walked with falsehood. This is
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Job. Or if my feet has hastened to deceit. Let me be weighed on honest scales.
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That God may know my integrity. Now, folks,
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I'm telling you. Integrity is. You know what there's a definition. D .L. Moody had this definition of integrity.
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It's who you are. It's who God sees you in the dark. It's who you are in the dark, in the secret place.
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When no one else can see it. But God. That's who you really are.
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That's integrity. If you're without practice and sin in the dark place.
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No one can see. But Job had this kind of character. He was marked with personal godliness before God in secret.
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Oh, that God would have men and women like that. Amen. They go a long way in the church to have victory in Jesus Christ.
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Job feared God. That's the reason why. He feared God. This is why he had integrity. He feared God. He feared the
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Lord. Joseph feared the Lord. That's why he ran from that wicked woman that wanted to lay her hands on her and seduce him.
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He ran. And the Bible says she was even holding his clothes. And he ended up in prison.
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Because of running from evil. Fleeing from wickedness. But God's hand was on Joseph.
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And you know the story. God promoted him in his own time. And Joseph had his human feelings.
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He said, God. He almost felt abandoned from God and in prison. But God's hand was on him.
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The hand of God was on him. Integrity. Integrity. To pursue godliness.
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To flee from wickedness. This is integrity. You can read it in your devotional time.
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But you also see that Job was a man that was an intercessor. He prayed for his family every day.
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He brought them up before prayer and God. So how's your walk before the face of God?
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Before the face of God. How is God seeing you? The one who would judge your motives, your works, your personal deeds at the judgment.
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Now I want you to get this. Let's go back to 1 Peter. There's so many verses I can go to. But I think
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I need to close this down because I can pick it up next week and we're going to look at redemption.
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But I want to end with the hope that he gives us. Notice this.
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If you look at verse 17, if you address his father, the one who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.
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Then in verse 18, knowing. There it is. Knowing. Knowing what?
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That you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers.
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Isn't that wonderful? He's basically saying that God has done something in your life. You've been born again.
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You've been washed. That's where he's going to. In other words, you know that you were not redeemed.
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You were purchased. You've not been purchased with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood.
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Precious blood. As of a lamb, unblemished and spotless. The blood of Christ. So you know what he's saying, beloved?
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If you're a believer today, you've been ransomed with the precious blood of Jesus, of infinite, eternal value.
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The blood of Christ has purchased you and redeemed you and bought you from the slave market of sin.
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You belong to Him. And God is not going to lose you. He's not going to lose you.
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The seed is in you if you're a real believer. You know what boils down to this, beloved?
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Fear because you've been ransomed. You ever think about that? That makes me fear with tremble that I've been ransomed by God.
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I fear God. Not man.
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I don't fear what man can do to me. I fear what God can do to me. But if God promises
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He's a loving Father, He's going to keep me, even though I'm going to be judged for my works,
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I thank God that when I stand before the judgment, for the sins I've committed, they've been washed in the blood.
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Now you've got to get this. For the sins, it's all cleansed. God's forgotten.
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There's therefore no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Amen? They've been canceled out.
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Amen. The blood of Christ has washed you and cleansed you. But you're going to still give an account for the deeds in the body.
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Because it's in the name of God we do it. It costs God everything to purchase you.
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Does that make you fear? It costs God the life and the blood of His own
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Son to purchase you. Psalm 134 There's forgiveness with you,
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O God, that you may be feared. Get that? There's forgiveness with you,
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O God, that you may be feared. Forgiveness of sins leads to fear.
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Forgiveness of sins leads us to tremble in awe of God. And in the same way,
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Peter says, there's an infinite ransom paid. And that's the blood, the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
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Beloved, think of that. That's great value. Jesus, the great pearl of great price.
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Jesus has purchased you with His blood. He's rescued from your old sinful habits and your old sinful desires and your selfish lust.
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So conduct yourselves in fear. That's what He's saying. True love and worship to God are marked by understanding by the
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Holy Spirit, beloved, that He is the believer's loving, gracious, generous
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Father, but also His holy discipline, judge of all the earth, who would judge in righteousness.
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That makes us fear. So how believers conduct themselves before omniscient, all -wise, all -knowing, ever -present
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God matters both in time and eternity. Let me close with this. Go with me,
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Ecclesiastes 12. Ecclesiastes 12. I'm going to just read this whole chapter and we'll bow in prayer.
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Isn't this a great chapter to end with? So much could be said about this, but this is one that comes to my mind.
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Listen to the preacher. Remember God in your youth, amen? Because your youth fades quickly.
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Remember also your Creator in your days of youth before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say,
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I have no delight in them. Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are dark and the clouds return after rain.
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In the day that the watchmen of the house tremble and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because there are few.
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And those who look through windows grow dim. And the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low and one will rise at the sound of the bird.
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And all the daughters of song will sing softly. Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road.
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The almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along. The caterpillar is ineffective.
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For man goes his eternal home while moaners go about in the street. Remember him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed.
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The pitcher by the well is shattered and the well at the cistern is crushed.
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Then the dust will return to the earth as it was and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
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That is so sobering. Vanity of vanity, says the preacher, all is vanity.
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In addition to being a wise man, the preacher also taught the people knowledge and he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs.
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And the preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.
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The words of the wise men are like goads and masters of these collections are like well -driven nails.
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They are given by one shepherd. Praise God. But beyond this, my son, be warned, the writing of many books is endless and the excessive devotion to books is weary to the body.
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And here it is. This is what we need to get. Set this before our eyes. Your eyes, my eyes.
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The conclusion, the conclusion, when all has been heard, is what?
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Fear God and keep His commandments. Fear God and keep
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His commandments because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment.
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Everything which is hidden, just like Jesus said, whether it is good or evil.
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These are the final words of Solomon by the Holy Spirit. May we be wise to heed them and obey them.
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Let's pray. Father, we thank You for Your grace today. Lord, we thank
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You that it was grace that taught our heart to fear and it was grace our fears relieved.
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Lord, thank You, help us to fear You. How precious did that grace appear the hour
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I first believed. Oh, Father, thank You for Your great, wonderful love toward us, unworthy sinners.
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That's nothing but specks of dust made from the dust with Your breath in us.
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Now You've redeemed our souls. Now, Father, may we come to know You closer and more nearer than ever before because the days are winding up and Your Son is soon to come with the sound of a mighty trumpet.
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Father, may we be ready and stand faultless before You only as we're dressed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
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But, Father, we're going to give account for our works. Oh, Father, may this cause us to fear and be careful to walk circumspectly and walk in wisdom because the days are evil, redeeming the time.
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Help us, O Lord, to be a beacon light to a lost and dying world. Thank You, Father, for the redemption that You have purchased us through the precious blood of Jesus.
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How we thank You that You loved us so much. Father, we will forever give
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You the praise and the glory throughout eternity for this great redemption that we have in Your Son and through His blood.
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And we ask this in Jesus' wonderful and precious name. Amen and amen.