Oct 28, 2013 Words of Grace – How We Come to Fear the Lord
In yesterday’s sermon we saw that the fear of the Lord is that good, grace-produced, awe-filled, respectful, deferential, and delightful attitude toward God that produces worship, obedience, love and loyalty to him. You can hear that message here.
So, how do we come to fear the Lord? Primarily, through a genuine experience with his grace in salvation and the continual meditation on his character and ways.
When we have a deep soul consciousness of God’s forgiveness of us through Christ’s death for us, we are no longer afraid of God’s judgment and wrath. The grace of God in our salvation changes one kind of fear (running away from God because we are afraid of condemnation) into another kind of fear (running to God because he is so different than we are and such a delight to our souls).
We are set on a new course of life by the grace of God. He now becomes foremost in our minds as we live all of life by his commands and for his glory. We continually commune and consult with him. Doing so keeps our thoughts centered on his character and ways. When our rising and retiring thoughts are of God, we grow in the good fear of him. When he is consulted throughout the day, we come to fear him more. When prayerful meditation on his word and reflection on his grace is a regular discipline for us, we carry the fear of him into the routines of the day.
The fear of the Lord can come upon us unexpectedly as God works in our circumstances to get our attention. And the fear of the Lord can become a part of us as we keep his character and the grace of salvation ever in our thoughts.
– Scott