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I really wish I still had my 1994 message "Trembling & Shining." It basically showed that after you have trembled in fear before the LORD, that you will shine with the glory and Spirit of God, using the example of Moses down to the present day when some Christians are said to "glow" or "shine" on their countenance.
Psalm 2:11, "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."
The truth is most modern Churches teach the fear of God is reverence ONLY, and there is no reason to "fear" God as in being afraid. This flies in the face of what the SCRIPTURES teach, and we must look to the SCRIPTURES as our final authority.
Psalm 4:1-5, "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord."
DEFINITIONS OF FEAR & TREMBLING:
Yira (Heb.) = fear, dread, terror, as well as respect & reverence: piety
Phobos (Greek) = fear, dread, terror: that which strikes terror, alarm or fright. Secondarily: respect for authority (From where we get our word "Phobia" which is an overwhelming fear, often irrational.)
Eulabeia (Greek) [Hebrews 12]= caution, discretion, reverence, veneration, anxiety, dread
Ra'ad (Heb.)= Trembling, fear, to shudder
Tromos (Greek) = trembling, quaking with fear: used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfil his duty.
Fearing God in His Sovereign Majesty - Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952)
Why is it that, today, the masses are so utterly unconcerned about spiritual and eternal things, and that they are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Why is it that even on the battlefields multitudes were so indifferent to their soul’s welfare? Why is it that defiance of heaven is becoming more open, more blatant, more daring? The answer is, Because “there is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom 3:18). Again; why is it that the authority of the Scriptures has been lowered so sadly of late? Why is it that even among those who profess to be the Lord’s people there is so little real subjection to His Word, and that its precepts are so lightly esteemed and so readily set aside? Ah! What needs to be stressed to-day is that God is a God to be feared. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Pro 9:10). Happy the soul that has been awed by a view of God’s majesty, that has had a vision of God’s awful greatness, His ineffable holiness, His perfect righteousness, His irresistible power, His sovereign grace. Does someone say, “But it is only the unsaved, those outside of Christ, who need to fear God”? Then the sufficient answer is that the saved, those who are in Christ, are admonished to work out their own salvation with “fear and trembling” (Phi 2:12). Time was, when it was the general custom to speak of a believer as a “God-fearing man.” That such an appellation has become nearly extinct only serves to show whither we have drifted. Nevertheless, it still stands written, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him” (Psa 103:13)!
Philippians 2:12, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
Matthew 10:28, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
2 Corinthians 7:1, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Jeremiah 32:40, "I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me."
Hebrews 12:28-29, "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire."
The Fear of God: Its Manifestations, Causes, and Enjoyments - John Gill (1697-1771)
Wherein the Fear of God Appears, and by What It Is Manifested
1. In an hatred of sin. “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil” (Pro 8:13). As nothing is more opposite to good than evil, nothing is more to be abhorred; it is to be hated with as gloomy a hatred as hell itself. “Abhor that which is evil” (Rom 12:9). And a man that fears God, who has a reverential affection for Him, will hate it as being contrary to Him. “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil” (Psa 97:10).
2. It shows itself by departing from evil: “By the fear of the LORD men depart from evil” (Pro 16:6; 3:7), not only from open and public sins, but from private and secret ones.
3. The fear of God appears in men in not allowing themselves to do what others do, and what they themselves formerly did.
4. The fear of God manifests itself by a carefulness not to offend God nor man. Such study to exercise a conscience void of offence to both, and would willingly give no offence to Jew nor Gentile, nor to the Church of God (Act 24:16; 1Co 10:32)
5. The fear of God in men is seen by a constant attendance on the worship of God, and by a strict regard to His will and the observation of it.
6. The fear of God is seen and known in men by their withholding nothing from God, though ever so dear unto them, whenever He requires of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jonathan Edwards: Religious Affections,
A little child is apt to be afraid of superiors, and to dread their anger, and tremble at their frowns and threatenings: so is a true saint with respect to God; Psalms 119:120, “My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments.” Isaiah 66:2, “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and trembleth at my word.” V. 5, “Hear ye the Word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word.” Ezra 9:4, “Then were assembled unto me, everyone that trembled at the works of the God of Israel.” Ch. 10:3, “According to the counsel of my Lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God.” A little child approaches superiors with awe: so do the saints approach God with holy awe and reverence. Job 13:11, “Shall not his excellency make you afraid, and his dread fall upon you.” Holy fear is so much the nature of true godliness, that it is called in Scripture by no other name more frequently, than the fear of God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We see then that the fear of God shall drive us to repentance, and to a life of holiness, a hatred and abhorrence of sin: sin should become repulsive and repugnant to those who truly fear God, and then when assured of forgiveness of their sins, they shine with the blessed love of the father in the light of Jesus Christ, and may come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16)
Malachi 3:16- 18 - "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not."
Psalm 2:11, "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."
The truth is most modern Churches teach the fear of God is reverence ONLY, and there is no reason to "fear" God as in being afraid. This flies in the face of what the SCRIPTURES teach, and we must look to the SCRIPTURES as our final authority.
Psalm 4:1-5, "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord."
DEFINITIONS OF FEAR & TREMBLING:
Yira (Heb.) = fear, dread, terror, as well as respect & reverence: piety
Phobos (Greek) = fear, dread, terror: that which strikes terror, alarm or fright. Secondarily: respect for authority (From where we get our word "Phobia" which is an overwhelming fear, often irrational.)
Eulabeia (Greek) [Hebrews 12]= caution, discretion, reverence, veneration, anxiety, dread
Ra'ad (Heb.)= Trembling, fear, to shudder
Tromos (Greek) = trembling, quaking with fear: used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfil his duty.
Fearing God in His Sovereign Majesty - Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952)
Why is it that, today, the masses are so utterly unconcerned about spiritual and eternal things, and that they are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Why is it that even on the battlefields multitudes were so indifferent to their soul’s welfare? Why is it that defiance of heaven is becoming more open, more blatant, more daring? The answer is, Because “there is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom 3:18). Again; why is it that the authority of the Scriptures has been lowered so sadly of late? Why is it that even among those who profess to be the Lord’s people there is so little real subjection to His Word, and that its precepts are so lightly esteemed and so readily set aside? Ah! What needs to be stressed to-day is that God is a God to be feared. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Pro 9:10). Happy the soul that has been awed by a view of God’s majesty, that has had a vision of God’s awful greatness, His ineffable holiness, His perfect righteousness, His irresistible power, His sovereign grace. Does someone say, “But it is only the unsaved, those outside of Christ, who need to fear God”? Then the sufficient answer is that the saved, those who are in Christ, are admonished to work out their own salvation with “fear and trembling” (Phi 2:12). Time was, when it was the general custom to speak of a believer as a “God-fearing man.” That such an appellation has become nearly extinct only serves to show whither we have drifted. Nevertheless, it still stands written, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him” (Psa 103:13)!
Philippians 2:12, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
Matthew 10:28, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
2 Corinthians 7:1, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Jeremiah 32:40, "I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me."
Hebrews 12:28-29, "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire."
The Fear of God: Its Manifestations, Causes, and Enjoyments - John Gill (1697-1771)
Wherein the Fear of God Appears, and by What It Is Manifested
1. In an hatred of sin. “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil” (Pro 8:13). As nothing is more opposite to good than evil, nothing is more to be abhorred; it is to be hated with as gloomy a hatred as hell itself. “Abhor that which is evil” (Rom 12:9). And a man that fears God, who has a reverential affection for Him, will hate it as being contrary to Him. “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil” (Psa 97:10).
2. It shows itself by departing from evil: “By the fear of the LORD men depart from evil” (Pro 16:6; 3:7), not only from open and public sins, but from private and secret ones.
3. The fear of God appears in men in not allowing themselves to do what others do, and what they themselves formerly did.
4. The fear of God manifests itself by a carefulness not to offend God nor man. Such study to exercise a conscience void of offence to both, and would willingly give no offence to Jew nor Gentile, nor to the Church of God (Act 24:16; 1Co 10:32)
5. The fear of God in men is seen by a constant attendance on the worship of God, and by a strict regard to His will and the observation of it.
6. The fear of God is seen and known in men by their withholding nothing from God, though ever so dear unto them, whenever He requires of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jonathan Edwards: Religious Affections,
A little child is apt to be afraid of superiors, and to dread their anger, and tremble at their frowns and threatenings: so is a true saint with respect to God; Psalms 119:120, “My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments.” Isaiah 66:2, “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and trembleth at my word.” V. 5, “Hear ye the Word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word.” Ezra 9:4, “Then were assembled unto me, everyone that trembled at the works of the God of Israel.” Ch. 10:3, “According to the counsel of my Lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God.” A little child approaches superiors with awe: so do the saints approach God with holy awe and reverence. Job 13:11, “Shall not his excellency make you afraid, and his dread fall upon you.” Holy fear is so much the nature of true godliness, that it is called in Scripture by no other name more frequently, than the fear of God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We see then that the fear of God shall drive us to repentance, and to a life of holiness, a hatred and abhorrence of sin: sin should become repulsive and repugnant to those who truly fear God, and then when assured of forgiveness of their sins, they shine with the blessed love of the father in the light of Jesus Christ, and may come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16)
Malachi 3:16- 18 - "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not."
