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August 27 - October 6, 2023
And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.” (Isaiah 29:13)
Our salvation is not worked out with love and kindness, rather with fear and trembling,
From this point forward, we’ll say it like this: our salvation is matured through fear and trembling.
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of . . . eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1–2 NKJV)
For we [believers] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. (2 Corinthians 5:10–11 NKJV)
At this judgment seat we will not be judged for our repented sins—they have already been eradicated by the blood of Jesus. God “has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). Again, He says, “I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Hebrews 8:12).
That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work. (Colossians 1:10 AMPC)
You cannot do anything to make God love you more or less than He already does. But you are responsible for how pleased He is with you.
The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else. —OSWALD CHAMBERS
The sin was their motive—the desire to be viewed in a certain light.
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.” (Luke 12:1–2 NKJV)
Jesus warns not to fall into this trap by remaining pure in motive. In essence, He is communicating, don’t let popularity or mankind’s approval drive you, but be led by the Spirit, staying firm in truth both in what you teach and how you live.
the fear of God frees us from the fear of man, and the fear of man enslaves us by removing our ability to fear God.
It’s easy to do godly, beneficial works before a watching world, all the while concealing a self-seeking motive. We can move a crowd with a great gospel message but inwardly be motivated by selfish ambition (Philippians 1:15–16). We can give huge gifts to the poor but do so void of love (1 Corinthians 13:3).
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword . . . and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)
The fear of the Lord keeps us in touch with our heart motives, which is critically important, for the lack thereof leaves us vulnerable to the deception of hypocrisy.
So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due. (1 Corinthians 4:5)
Here is the good news: we can repent of our dark motives, and God will not only forgive, but if we cry out to Him for holy fear and renew our mind through Scripture, we can be blessed with pure motives.
“For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” (Luke 8:17)
I will allow the double-edged sword of God’s Word to expose the thoughts and intentions of my heart.
The fear of death and judgment goes out of us as the true fear of God comes in, and that fear has no torment but is rather a light and easy yoke for the soul, one which rests us instead of exhausting us. —A. W. TOZER AND HARRY VERPLOEGH
Paul clearly identifies our assignments: “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV). Notice Paul writes we should, not would, fulfill these tasks. If we retreat from our assignments by choosing to live in a way that is motivated by temporary selfish gain, this would be considered one of the “evil” behaviors.
But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. (1 Corinthians 3:15)
Paul identifies will persuade you to not waste your time on things that do not profit or to spend it focused on your projected and perceived image. It’s my hope that your gift of time is dedicated in obedience to His Word and Spirit.
What we do with the cross determines where we’ll spend eternity; however, the way we live as a believer determines how we’ll live in the forever.
The carnal person fears man, not God. The strong Christian fears God, not man. The weak Christian fears man too much, and God too little. —JOHN FLAVEL
Does this sound as if I am trying to win human approval? No indeed! What I want is God’s approval! Am I trying to be popular with people? If I were still trying to do so, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10 GNT)
This kept him in the place of true holiness and obedience to Christ, even when met with the disappointment, disapproval, or rejection of others.
You will serve whom you fear! If you fear God, you’ll obey God. If you fear man, you’ll ultimately obey man’s desires.
(Galatians 2:11–14 MSG)
Proverbs 29:25 tells us, “It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you” (GNT).
If we live with the consistent goal of pleasing Jesus, we will not slip over to being controlled by how others perceive us; instead, we’ll live in truth.
God’s word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him, and to him we must explain the way we have lived. (Hebrews 4:12–13 NCV)
My son [or daughter], if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD. (Proverbs 2:1–5 NKJV)
You will serve whom you fear. If you fear God, you’ll obey God. If you fear man, you’ll ultimately obey man’s desires. If you seek to obey others’ desires, you can no longer be a true servant of Jesus Christ.
However, I have discovered that “the way” (path or road) is thought by many to be the unbeliever’s path that leads to destruction. But if you look closely, you will see He likely isn’t speaking of the path before finding the gate but the path after walking through it. Leon Morris writes, “We enter the gate right at the beginning (i.e., we commit ourselves to following Christ), after which we pursue the path before us.”2 Jesus is speaking of our life in Him after we are saved. He declares it’s difficult (or narrow).
Holiness is not bondage; rather, it is the true liberty that opens the way to enjoy both God and this life.
Scripture makes it clear—the starting place of knowing God intimately is the fear of the Lord. Without it, we develop a phony relationship with a knockoff Jesus—one who is not the Lord of glory. We believe in an unrealistic savior.
It is by the fear of the Lord that we depart from evil, not by the love of God. The love of God draws us to Him; the fear of God keeps us from the evil that seeks to destroy us.
All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech. (Proverbs 8:13)
The fear of the Lord is a gift from our loving heavenly Father that protects us from departing from Him. The moment we develop a tolerance for sin, rather than a hate for it, is the moment we begin our departure from Him.
Backsliding doesn’t occur the moment a person finds themselves in bed with someone they don’t have a marriage covenant with. It doesn’t start the moment a person finds themselves embezzling money from their employer. It starts long before, when we begin to tolerate what Jesus gave His life to free us from.
If you don’t delight in the fact that your Father is holy, holy, holy, then you are spiritually dead. You may be in a church. You may go to a Christian school. But if there is no delight in your soul for the holiness of God, you don’t know God. You don’t love God. You’re out of touch with God. You’re asleep to his character. —R. C. SPROUL
Passage: If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. (1 John 2:4)
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. (Psalm 25:14 NKJV)
Without chasing after behavioral holiness with the intent to apprehend, we cannot enter into the presence of the Lord. It’s not about when we arrive at the place of perfect holiness but rather when we make it our heart’s pursuit.
God knows if I am chasing after holy behavior or if I’m consistently excusing my love or tolerance for worldly desires and the pride of accomplishments. It all begins with my heart’s intentions.
I am chasing after holiness with the full intent to apprehend it. My goal is to be holy as God is holy.
God speaks to the apostle Paul: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
In other words, we will not receive anything from God unless we believe, and we cannot believe what we do not know.
