The Fear of God

Do we as the church Fear the Lord?

In Deut 6:2 it is recorded that the commandments were given in order that the Israelites, then and in the generations to come, would fear the Lord their God by keeping his rules and statutes.

Lev. 10:1-5 accounts for the deaths of two of Aaron's sons because they did not fear the Lord and offered adulterated fire before the Lord. The Lord responds by consuming them with fire.

Do we as the church today fear God? Do we tremble with the knowledge that the Lord that we worship holds the universe in the palm of His hand? Do our hands quake as we enter into the sanctuary hoping to meet with the Creator of all things? Do we purify ourselves before entering into worship in fear that God may consume us in our sin.

But God is Love right. John Bevere states in one of his sermons on Fearing God that "the love of God keeps us from legalism, but it is the fear of God that keeps us from lawlessness." He goes on to say that we do not see the Lord's presence sitting over the temple as it did in the desert because we are not walking in the glory of the Lord as during the time of Aaron and his sons.

Hebrews 1:3 states that the universe is held up by the "word of his power." Are we as the church fearing God? Am I as a follower of Christ fearing God? It is only through the fear of the Lord that we will see a time of purification in our own lives and within the church, and it is only through fearing the Lord that the presence and glory of the Lord will sit among us again.

Just a thought.