Welcome to From the Pulpit and Classic Sermons.
Each week we bring you a different message
from some of history's greatest speakers in the
Christian faith and powerful sermons from modern preachers
too.
This week we have various speakers with the
message, The Fear of God, Has the Church
Lost It?
Look at
your word this morning.
There was a time that you and I
fully embraced the heart of God and the
will of God and the ways of God
and the Word of God.
Oh beloved it's now.
There was a time in this country when
I'm sure you would walk in the house
of the Lord and if you were living
in willful sin you would tremble.
Oh there was a reverence of God.
There was a sense of God's holiness.
There's very little of the fear of God
among today's Christians.
Now I want to tell you God is
no grandfather.
He's not one who just ignores anything you
do like grandfathers do.
What did we read in 1 Peter 1?
Spend your entire life on earth.
This is not Old Testament.
This is New Testament.
It's the Apostle Peter writing 30 years after
the day of Pentecost.
Spend your entire life on earth in fear.
The same word.
I'm supposed to live my entire life on
earth 1 Peter 1 17 in fear.
In fear of what?
Fear of God.
But there was a trembling.
There was a time in this country when
you walked in the house of God and
you knew if you were living in sin
you were going to be confronted.
Paul speaks in Romans 11 about the severity
and the goodness of God.
In what connection?
In his dealing with this ancient people.
There's no fear in the church for God.
The fear of God is absent from the
church and that's why we take the horrendous
liberties that we do.
For how shall we fear him if we
have not known his severity, his judgments, his
dealings, how far he will go even with
his own ancient people who are yet the
apple of his eye despite their fallenness.
Even in the church we've lost our sense
of the holiness of God.
You know Charles Wesley gave us that lovely
children's hymn gentle Jesus meek and mild look
upon the little child.
But you know some people never get past
gentle Jesus.
He's lost the fear of God.
There's no fear of God left in the
land.
This is what the Bible says the fear
of the Lord the fear of the Lord
and depart from evil.
The fear of the Lord is to hate
evil.
By mercy and truth and iniquity is purged
and by the fear of the Lord men
depart from their evil.
From the fear of the Lord.
A reverend fear of God which brings freedom
and it's because many Christians do not have
that reverend fear of God that they don't
come into freedom.
Call it what you want reverential awe call
it what you want but there's such a
thing as remember that God is not mocked.
There's such a thing as looking at the
majesty and holiness of God.
But a one-sided Christianity which always spoke
about always be sure you're accepted before God.
God loves you brother.
Don't don't be.
Remember God loves you just as you are.
His love is unconditional.
It's all true.
But if you only look at that you've
got one side of God and you've got
a one-sided God and you'll see the
end result of that in the way you
live.
The other is the fear that I may
hurt God.
There is no awe no sense of fear
no deep respect that he's a living God
and a seeing and a knowing God and
we can't get away with our little gitchy
goo and cutting corners as if he does
not observe it.
The church of Jesus Christ needs a new
revelation of the majesty of God.
The remarkable thing is he lets it go
on and he's silent and we assume that
he has condoned it or he's not seen
it until the day comes.
Genesis 20 verse 10 and Abraham said verse
11 because I thought surely there is no
fear of God in this place and they
will kill me because of my wife.
There is no fear of God these fellows
are sexually.
It is interesting that the first time the
Holy Spirit uses the phrase the fear of
God is in relation to sexual sin.
As I meditated on it the Lord showed
me that it is through sexual temptation more
than in any other area that I test
whether men especially fear me or not.
We're not like Paul who always lived in
the conscious sense of the judge and the
day of judgment that we shall be held
accountable for every idle word that we speak
and that what all that we have done
in our bodies both good and bad will
one day come before us when we stand
before the judgment of God.
Folks what's it going to be like and
I've tried to imagine this what is it
going to be like when we stand before
the throne every pastor every evangelist when I
stand there everyone in this pulpit stands there
and everyone who's ever taken the gospel to
their lips and we stand before a Holy
Christ and the books are opened I can't
I can't bear the thought that I would
have preached for 20 years here in New
York City from this pulpit and that to
keep the money flowing or to keep the
crowds coming and every seat filled that I
should give a half gospel or diluted so
I won't offend you in Jeremiah's day the
false prophets had the biggest crowds the true
prophet could hardly get folks together in Jeremiah's
day the thing that was so heavy on
his heart was the false prophets told the
people what they wanted to hear and the
people naturally flocked and when he would start
to prophesy the true word of the Lord
the people said would you get this guy
to shut up could somebody take care of
this guy we don't want to hear this
anymore and you see if you have no
fear of God you have to invent a
gospel of convenience there's all kinds of phony
people now of huge followings you just turn
on some of the Christian television it's enough
to make you sick and they got people
writing checks all over the whole country for
them and they're not even close but because
of the biblical illiteracy among the people they
don't know the genuine from the false because
only through knowing God's Word are we going
to know what's true and this is what's
happened in America and around the world you
see man can't get away from that nagging
sense and that's the Holy Spirit who says
there's death and then there's judgment there's a
day of standing before God to give an
account the Bible makes it very very clear
there's a heaven and there's a hell and
there's a day we're going to have to
give an account and there is a hell
and Jesus said there's a hell of fire
and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth
a darkness that can be felt a lot
of us share God's Word here and there
Paul says how he preached he says in
1 Corinthians 2 verse 3 when I came
preaching to you I was with you in
weakness and in fear and in trembling preaching
with fear and trembling where do we hear
of that today people who preach afraid lest
they may say something God doesn't want them
to say repent or be damned well thank
God someone's still crying it out because that's
the whole Bible from the heart of the
God of love that you say wouldn't say
those words you liberal theologians shame on you
sending people to hell just so you can
have a job but you don't live from
this book sir God will require of you
and their blood will be in your hands
you better start preaching truth or get out
of the pulpit you live for a terrible
shock the next moment you'll be in front
of God not only with your own soul
to give account for but those you kept
from truth but today a whole lot of
people are learning about grace who haven't learned
about the fear of God and you got
to learn the fear of God before you
can appreciate the grace of God otherwise you'll
get a false grace the rep reverence for
God is an essential component of the true
grace of God a grace of God that
does not include a reverential fear of God
is a false grace verse 17 honor all
men love the brotherhood and fear God this
is the true grace of God the grace
of God which does not include the fear
of God is a false grace if you
don't contend and fall into a kind of
a slipshod easy casualness you are almost guaranteeing
your deception I would hate to die in
that condition because in whatever condition we end
this life or in the Lord's coming in
that condition we eternally remain there is no
remedy there's a finality there's closure and there's
no mercy mercy is gone forever and I
believe that many Christians are worshiping a false
God God of their imagination who's a grandfather
who just loves them do what they like
better is a little a little with the
fear of the Lord and great treasure better
is a little with the fear of the
Lord and great treasure and trouble they with
trouble they with and it will come let
me tell you you're dealing with a holy
God before the day of judgment sir and
if you're saved you're dealing with a God
that will chasten you so that you come
on in the school of God don't play
and think these things will never happen to
you conserving integrity with money that's the reason
why we have so many lovers of money
in Christendom that's the reason why we have
so many divorces in Western countries anyway in
Christendom today that's why that's the reason why
so many fine young believers are defeated by
the lust of the eyes 365 days of
the year that's why there are so many
believers who are involved in internet pornography you
think they lack Bible knowledge they got Bible
knowledge oozing out of their ears but and
their tongue especially but they haven't learned ABC
they haven't learned the fear of the Lord
but we have to confess it has not
remained primary it's secondary at best it's been
lost in the shuffle our car our home
our family our job our career our vocation
has pushed out the concern of God first
the kingdom of God is righteousness really impresses
God is if all the drums and the
music are all going wonderfully and our singing
is so beautiful and the parts go so
well but what about the holiness that's the
one thing God is looking for 7-1
since we have these wonderful promises let us
cleanse ourselves from every filthiness not only of
the outward things in the flesh but the
inner things of the spirit thoughts attitudes motives
as much as our words and actions and
how do we do it we perfect holiness
not in the fear of man but in
the fear of God those guys are perfecting
holiness in the fear of man they're afraid
of being exposed in the meeting that's not
true holiness here it says we perfect holiness
in the fear of God in chapter 2
verse 12 my beloved just as you have
always obeyed not as in my presence only
but much more my absence work out your
salvation with fear and trembling this is New
Testament with fear and trembling I have to
work out what God works within me what
God works inside me I got to work
out not casually but with fear and trembling
that brings a solemn fear of the Lord
in my heart and I persuade men I
say hey fellas remember this you're going to
stand before God and don't think with all
these justification gimmicks you're going to stand there
verse 21 be subject to one another in
the fear of Christ is there a place
for that in your life fear of Christ
we think these are Old Testament verses no
Ephesians 5 we lack a consciousness of God
actually as present and seeing and observing not
only the things that we say and do
but even the condition of our secret heart
when it's silent you got the picture what
am I am I commending some kind of
legalism and rob you of your charismatic freedom
and bring you into some kind of constraint
that God is always there seeing and knowing
I'll tell you dear Saints the greatest malady
of the church today is the lack of
the fear of God as God he will
say to me in that day Lord Lord
have we not prophesied in thy name cast
out devils and in thy name done many
wonderful works profess unto
them I never knew
you I never knew you depart from me
ye that work iniquity depart from me ye
that work iniquity when the
church falls into excellent condition do you think
this denomination is going to have any power
against sin when they become the perpetrators of
sin so many people are going to go
to hell through these churches they're going to
go to hell these pastors will be held
responsible you need to contend for the faith
continually that is where the devil trips us
up a false freedom where we think of
God's love God's love God's love God's love
and you go through a whole year without
ever hearing about the fear of God we
got so friendly with Jesus that we've lost
our reverence and when I hear people singing
you know put your hand in the hand
of him that walked on the water forget
it the new song that's out shake hands
with Jesus listen when you see Jesus you're
not going up and say hey buddy I'm
glad you died for me when you see
Jesus you'll be almost paralyzed with fear unless
you have a glorified body in a glorified
mind John the man who had walked with
him and talked with him for three years
says that when I saw him I fell
at his feet as dead what do you
think you and I are going to do
well I'll tell you what God looks for
is there a man who fears me oh
beloved because God says to this man will
I look whatever it takes whatever it takes
keep me on my knees the fear of
God said I saw many great things but
the greatest thing that I've ever thought of
the most awesome the most terrifying the most
shattering thought I've ever had is my personal
accountability to God one day feet are like
burnished brass his face is like the Sun
in its strength his eyes are living coals
of fire his tongue is a sharp threaded
sword on man who fears God and hates
him with a passion oh no no no
no no the man who only wants his
sins forgiven is trifling with Christianity this is
not the time to play games is extremely
dangerous time to play games with God judgment
with every secret thing he said be ready
at any time because I could come as
a thief of the night and so I'm
going right back back back to the foundation
will you remind people of the goodness and
the severity of God the most precious thing
we have a handle is the human soul
the player to one day we'll go up
in dust the cistern chapel will be blown
to smithereens that the soul of a man
will live forever and ever and ever and
ever either in eternal darkness or eternal bliss
heaven is impeccable joy there'll be no sorrow
hell is eternal misery there's no joy there
is only one way to heaven there are
a million ways to hell if I believe
that and I'm sitting watching a r-rated
movie I believe that and yet I carry
grudges the wrench of the vengeful spirit can't
lay down the hurt the
question arises what is God telling you to
stay away from this is this is where
we move towards truth or we cover our
own selves with a garment of religion you've
heard a lot of things today alone in
your mind just like Abraham heard one night
in his bed God spoke to him give
up your son you've heard some things today
nobody else heard it the person sitting next
to you didn't hear it you're like Abraham
read Genesis 22 where he spoke something to
only to you even Sarah sitting sleeping next
to him didn't hear it person sitting next
to you hasn't heard it your wife didn't
hear it your husband in here you heard
something now God is testing you whether you'll
obey that or not Abraham obeyed God said
to him Genesis 22 now I know that
you fear me this is a call to
each one of us what is the Holy
Spirit telling you right now to walk away
from see this is where you're going to
make a choice you're going to either cover
sin with religion are you going to throw
off that garment and move towards a holy
God and say Lord I'm I'm going where
you're calling me don't put off what God's
called you to do the more you put
it off the greater chance that you'll make
peace with it if you have doubtful practices
in your life put them away if you
have embraced sin believing erroneously today that there'd
be no judgment for it flee that as
quickly as you can walk in what is
right the New Covenant is a wonderful wonderful
truth but it's only for the honest Christian
it is not a contract for dishonesty it
is not a covering for willful rebellion folks
against God there is no protection for you
Zia and there is no protection for the
person who willfully embraces wrong if you don't
believe that then read Acts chapter 5 and
see what happened to Ananias and Sapphira that
was New Covenant Christianity and they died by
the hand of God folks the fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom don't
ever lose the fear of God God is
wonderful loving just and kind but you cannot
mock him you cannot play games with a
holy God there has to be an honesty
in the heart but I'm giving to you
now is the mercy of God who so
loved you that he put you in a
seat in this church this day and said
today now is a time to make it
right but my calling this morning is a
watchman and I'm telling you now what I
believe the Holy Spirit is saying it's time
to get right with God he's saying I
have wooed you so many times this time
I say to you in great love from
the Lord and from his heart if you
pay the price I'll open doors for you
I'll speak through you I'll use you again
I could have never conceived but you see
for a few this is the last call
I say it in the spirit and with
love so be careful what you
do with this sermon now sir you
have been listening to the from the pulpit
and classic sermon series this week you heard
various speakers with the message the fear of
God has the church lost it tune in
next week for another powerful message from God's
Word on from the pulpit and classic sermons