Turn with me back to Psalm 85. Psalm 85, we have broken down this psalm and had three messages from it so far, from the first eight verses. And tonight I want us to look at verse nine. And I pray this, I really have sincerely been asking the Lord to make this to be a comfort to us. I really do want this to be a comfort to us, but this doesn't feel like a normal Wednesday night message to me. It feels more like a Bible study or a Sunday morning message. But I can't get this off my mind So I believe in my heart, it's the message of the hour.

I hope this will be something that really brings some understanding to us on the subject of the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord. Verse nine says, surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Surely, surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him. Them that fear him. The first thing we can understand from that is His salvation is not nigh them that don't fear Him. His salvation is to a particular people. God's salvation is to a specific people. And we can know who those people are by this truth and this character trait in them. They fear the Lord. They fear the Lord. They believe on Christ. They need Christ. They cast their all on Christ because they fear the Lord. That's who this salvation is near to. Those that fear the Lord.

The word fear means those who are reverently afraid. The fear of the Lord has something to do with fear. It's those who have reverent respect for his authority, his ability, and the certainty of his word. The certainty of his word. Look with me at Psalm 34. Psalm 34 verse 11 says, come ye children, hearken unto me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord. That's what we're teaching. That's what we're teaching. You know, in these, in these, our Bible classes, these kids classes, what are we teaching them? The fear of the Lord. What are we teaching adults while they're teaching that? The fear of the Lord. That's what we're teaching, the fear of the Lord. That's the result of teaching the word of God, the fear of the Lord.

Turn over to Psalm 111. Psalm 111 verse 10 says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all they that do. His commandments is in italics. If you have italicized words, those were added by the translators. It was originally written to say the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all they that do." Do what? Fear the Lord. His praise endureth forever.

Turn with me over to Proverbs chapter 2. Proverbs chapter 2. Verse 1 says, My son, if thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandments within thee, so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and apply thine heart to understanding, yea, if thou cryest after knowledge, if you cry, Lord, give me knowledge, increase my knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding, If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures, verse five says, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Then you'll understand the fear of the Lord and you'll find the knowledge of God.

Just listen to these scriptures. Okay. Psalm 25 14 says the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. I hope I'm stressing a point here. I hope come the end of this we get the point of what I'm trying to make. OK. There's a secret with the Lord. And Psalm 25 14 says the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will show them his covenant. Psalm 33, 18 says, Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy. Psalm 34, 7 says, The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them. Three different verses in Psalm 103 say, For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him." Specifically, specifically. Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear Him."

All right, now here's the problem for mankind. Here's the problem. Here's the great problem for man in his natural condition before God. Turn with me over to Romans 3. Romans 3 verse 18 says, There is no fear of God before their eyes. That is mankind's problem. That is false religions problem. That's one of the most obvious errors that can be seen in false religion. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Every time that I'm in a position where I have to hear false religion, that's one of the things that stands out to me. There's no fear of God before their eyes. There's no fearful reverence. There's no fear of God because Men and women don't, they can't see him as he is. There's no fear of God when we don't see him as he is. And let me just say, when I say God, who am I talking about? The Lord Jesus Christ, not the Lord Jesus Christ's dad. Okay, because he doesn't have a dad. The Lord Jesus Christ. When we talk about God, we're talking about Father, Son, and Spirit. And the only way that you can see or know the Father, Son, and Spirit is in the body, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God. This is the true God. The one that everybody just calls Jesus. Jesus. Slap a bumper sticker and a t-shirt with me and Jesus. There's no fear in that. There's no fear in that.

And I told you this is not necessarily a Wednesday night kind of message. I tried to go somewhere else, but the Lord just wouldn't let me. No man or woman can see God, Jesus Christ, as he is unless God, Jesus Christ, reveals himself. Once he reveals himself, men and women say, I had no idea who Jesus Christ was, meaning I had no idea who God was. Everybody talks about God. And then all of a sudden it's like, boom, I did not know who God was. The moment that a sinner sees God as he is, fear comes over that sinner. Fear, I mean afraid, fear.

Ask a man named Manoah, if you know the story of a man named Manoah in Judges 13, this is what he told his wife. We're gonna die because we've seen God. And do you know men are still saying that? This is how fast people are leaving this earth and going to be with God right now. People are dying right now all over the world. And if we go see God, the moment we die and we go back to the God, the soul, he gave the soul, the soul's gonna go back to the God who gave it, we're gonna say, I'm about to die, I've seen God. No man can see God and live. No man can look at God and stay alive outside of Jesus Christ. Our condition looked on God on the cross of Calvary, and we died. And Manoah told his wife, we're going to die because we've seen God.

If you know the story of Nebuchadnezzar, after he saw God, Saul of Tarsus, Boy wasn't he he was an arrogant on fire religious church goer. And after he saw God.

What brings this fear to men and women when they see God is the moment they see him in his high holiness they see themselves. That's what brings the fear. For the first time in the lives of men and women, they see themselves, they see God's holiness and they see God's demands for righteousness. And then for the first time, this is what they see.

If you're right here in Romans three, look at verse 10. As it is written, there is none righteous. No, not one. God demands righteousness. You want to go to heaven? What that means is you've got to be as good as God. You gotta be as good as God. Well, I try to do my best, and I try to, uh-uh, you gotta be as good as God. And verse 10 says, there's none righteous, no, not one.

Verse 11, there's none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all going out of the way. They're together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good, no, not one. Well, I do good. No, I don't. No, you don't. No, we don't.

Verse 13, their throat is an open grave. That's what a sepulcher is. It's death pouring out of it, the stench of death. With their tongues they've used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. In the way of peace have they not known? There's no fear of God before their eyes.

This is the revelation that comes when God reveals these things. They start to realize, verse 20 says, we know that what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped. Man's like, well, now, but, but, but, but. And all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Provide the law is the knowledge of sin. They see their sin, they start to get a hold of their sin. That's why there's no true fear of God in false religion. You say, well, it sounds like you're really throwing false religion under the bus. I am and but for the grace of God, that's what we all would be. If man is left to himself, that's all we can be. There's no true fear of God in false religion. It's because men and women have not gotten ahold of their sin, their sin. And they haven't gotten ahold of their sin because they haven't gotten ahold of God's holiness. They don't believe God truly does punish men and women for their sin. They believe everybody's okay. I'm okay, you're okay, my denomination is okay, your denomination is okay. We're not really sinners before God. He doesn't really punish sin.

Men and women may say, I used to be a sinner. Sometimes you hear that. I used to be, you don't even want to know what I used to be. But I fixed all that, I changed, I stopped all that. The Apostle Paul said, that's what I thought about myself when I was Saul of Tarsus. But the moment God revealed himself to me, I became a sinner. Sin came alive in me, I started seeing what I was, realizing what I was. Those who do not know God say, I was a sinner. Those who do know God and see something of his holiness say, I am a sinner. And that realization is what brings the fear of the Lord and the fear of the Lord is what brings this wisdom to a man or a woman. Turn with me over to Luke 18. Luke 18, this right here is the difference in a person who doesn't know God and a person who does know God. A person who has not seen the truth of his holiness and a person who has seen the truth of his holiness.

All right, Luke 18 verse nine says, and he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. Two men went up into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee, and that was a religious, church, suit wearing, Sunday school teaching, religious man, okay? Pharisee. The other was a publican, that was a member of the mafia. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican, I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven. Why? The fear of the Lord. The publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. You remember what the word justified means? This man went down to his house justified rather than the other for everyone that exalted himself shall be abased. And he that humbleth himself in the fear of the Lord, in the fear and reverence and respect to the Lord shall be exalted.

Two men, one did good works according to man. And one did evil works. What role did their works play in their salvation? None whatsoever. Their works were not the evidence of their standing before God. What was the evidence? What evidenced the difference? Here's the answer. The fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord. The fear that causes a man or a woman to say, Lord, I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. Will you be merciful to me because I'm such a great sinner? That's what David said in Psalm 25. He said, for thy name's sake, because your name is Savior, your name is Redeemer, your name is Deliverer, your name is the Lamb of God. For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great. Lord, you're the pardoner. You're the one who pardons. You're the one who's able to pardon.

The fear of the Lord is what causes a sinner to say, Lord, because I'm such a great sinner against you, I'm coming to you for mercy. I'm coming to the one I've sinned against for mercy. Lord God Almighty, will you please have mercy on me? Every time we see that, what we're seeing is God revealing himself. Every time a sinner does that, we're witnessing God revealing himself to one of his own and drawing his own to himself through that revelation by causing his own to cry out to him for mercy. The fear of the Lord, this is the conclusion we're coming to. The fear of the Lord is a great gift from God. All right, that's the summary of all this. The fear of the Lord is a great gift from God because the fear of the Lord is what drives a sinner to Christ. It is literally the thing that drives a sinner to Christ. And when the sinner gets to Christ, this is what the sinner will find every time. When fear comes and the sinner goes running, begging for mercy, crying for mercy, this is what the sinner will find every time.

Turn over to Luke 15, Luke 15, verse one. Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners. He even has dinner with them. He'll even be seen with them. He'll spend his time with them. You know what the fear of the Lord will reveal to a sinner? This man receives sinners. False religion will never reveal that to a person. False religion will never reveal that to a person. False religion will tell people, now if you want to get to Christ, you better clean up your act first. If you want to get to Christ, you better stop being a sinner. But the truth of God's word, through his true spirit, moving on the souls of his people, will cause them to realize this man receives sinners. Not just sinners in theory, real sinners. Not just little white lie sinners, but I mean black as coal, the vilest this world has ever known. This man receives sinners.

Man by nature in his error and in his false religion is trying as hard as he can to be righteous so he can put his trust in his righteousness. And that is such a foolish thing to do. That is so, so foolish. Man is trying to be as righteous as he can. And that is such a foolish thing to do if we're going to trust in our righteousness. And here's the reason why. This man did not say, I came to call the righteous. He said, I did not come to call the righteous. I came to call sinners. I came to seek and to save sinners. Now don't turn back, but our text says, surely his salvation is nigh them near them that fear him. It's his salvation. It's not ours. It's his. To give to whoever he wants to give it to. And do you know who he said he wanted to give it to? Sinners. Sinners like you and me. Sinners who God has revealed their sin to them. Sinners who God has revealed His holiness to them. Caused them to fear and reverence and bow and beg and plead for mercy. Lord, I need mercy. That's who he's been pleased to send his salvation to.

And our text said he was pleased to do that, that glory may dwell in our land. That's how the verse ended. That glory is Christ. That glory is the Lord Jesus Christ, the brightness of the Father's glory, the brightness of his own glory, the brightness of his people's glory. John said, we beheld his glory. That glory is Christ, that glory is his work of redemption that he accomplished for his people on the cross. Bearing their sin. That glory is the mercy and grace that we've received in him, settling our sin debt, satisfying our judgment from God.

Moses said, Lord, show me your glory. He said, I'll be merciful. To whom I'll be merciful, I'll be gracious to whom I'll be gracious. Every soul Christ accomplished that for every soul that he accomplished, accomplished grace for and mercy for receives the fear of the Lord. Every one of them, every soul that Christ accomplished that for is drawn to Christ through that fear. And if God has given us that fear, we're a blessed people. We're blessed people. I titled this blessed with fear. That's what we are, blessed with fear, and this is God's word to us.

If you'll just go to Luke 12. Luke Chapter 12. Verse 32, it says. Fear, not little flock. For it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Every soul who fears the Lord has no need to fear. Every soul who says, my only hope of salvation is mercy from the one I've sinned against. You know, David said, against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. And my only hope of salvation is in the blood that was shed from the very one I sinned against to put away my sin.

Every soul who fears the Lord has no need to fear. And here's the reason why. It's because surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. It's surely Because he said it, if he said it. It will surely be so that will surely be the case. So. To every soul who fears him. The Lord's salvation is near you. Honestly, every soul who truly fears him. It is truly looking to him and is truly reverencing him and is truly bowing to him and is truly saying Lord. I have no righteousness, but yours alone. All I have is sin. And I'm coming to you for mercy.

To every soul who fears him, the Lord's salvation is near to you. And we praise him for that.