A Blessed Fear

Q: What does the Bible say about fearing God?

The Bible teaches that fearing God is essential, as it is the beginning of wisdom and reflects reverence towards Him. The fear of God is portrayed as a deeply reverent attitude towards the Lord, where believers hold Him in awe. In Malachi 3:16-18, it is written that those who fear the Lord speak often to one another, implying that this reverence influences not only personal faith but communal worship. This fear is not about being afraid of punishment, as Christ has atoned for our sins, but about acknowledging God's majesty and sovereignty, which leads to wisdom and affects how we live out our faith in daily circumstances. Proverbs 9:10 emphasizes that 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,' highlighting its foundational role in a believer's life.

Q: How do we know God listens to our prayers?

The Bible assures us that God hears the prayers of His people, as seen in Malachi 3:16, where it describes God hearkening to those who fear Him. In Malachi 3:16, it is explicitly stated that 'the Lord hearkened and heard' the words of those who feared Him. This suggests that God is attentive to the prayers and conversations of His people. Throughout Scripture, we see instances of God responding to the pleas of His followers, indicating that He listens not just to our requests but also to the expressions of our hearts. Psalm 34:17 affirms this when it says, 'The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.' This assurance strengthens our prayer life and encourages us to not hesitate to bring our concerns to Him.

Q: Why is worship important for Christians?

Worship is vital for Christians as it expresses our reverence for God and aligns our lives with His will. Worship plays a crucial role in the life of a believer as it reflects our relationship with God. In Malachi 3:16, it is highlighted that those who fear the Lord speak of Him often, indicating that worship is not confined to church services but is a continual act of devotion. This ongoing worship influences our attitudes and behaviors daily, fostering a desire for His will to be accomplished in our lives. Furthermore, worship is a communal experience that draws believers together, strengthens their faith, and serves as a witness to the world about God's power and glory. Thus, worship is both a personal and corporate expression of our faith, rooted in our understanding of God's character and His works.

Q: How does the fear of God influence daily life?

The fear of God affects our disposition, worship, and relationships with others, guiding our actions and thoughts. The fear of God profoundly influences various aspects of a believer’s life. According to Malachi 3:16-18, fearing God leads to a purposeful disposition where individuals find comfort in God’s sovereignty over their circumstances. This fear fosters a desire to worship God genuinely, beyond mere ritual, and encourages sincere expressions of love among believers. It leads to discussions about God's character and actions, shaping how Christians converse about Him and interact with each other. Knowing that God listens to our thoughts and words encourages a culture of reverence, respect, and accountability in our relationships, making the fear of God a driving force behind living a faithful and reflective Christian life.

Q: What is a book of remembrance in the Bible?

A book of remembrance is mentioned in Malachi 3:16, indicating God records the deeds and conversations of those who fear Him. In Malachi 3:16, it is stated that 'a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord.' This book signifies that God takes note of those who honor Him and expresses a record of His people's faithfulness. This concept emphasizes God's awareness of His people and their interactions, reinforcing the idea that He values our conversations about Him and our expressions of faith. The significance of this book is further seen in the understanding that God remembers us not for our sins, but for our reverence and love for Him. It illustrates His commitment and connection to His people, assuring believers that their actions and devotion are acknowledged in His divine purpose.

Malachi chapter 3. We'll talk about a blessed fear. Let's start in verse 16 and read down to verse 18. Malachi 3.16.

Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it. 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 the jewels, I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall he return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

But you see there in the fear is a wonderful thing, it can be a tormenting thing, but the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. That's what the wise man said. And what a blessed fear it is to fear the Lord. That's just the beginning of wisdom. And there's three things here. First of all, I want you to see about the Lord's people. It says there in the beginning, they that feared the Lord. That's the first thing that the Lord's people do. They fear the Lord. They reverence Him. That word fear also means reverence. You hold Him in awe.

If we're not afraid of punishment, we don't fear the punishment of God or retribution from God because Christ just unserved everything that's against us and pulled against us. But it, and it doesn't take a fear, you know, it's not a fear that motivates us to try to live right. That's not the reason we do it. You know, we don't want it, we want to be in his presence, but Adam, when God, he hid from the presence of God, when he found out he was naked, he hid from God. Now we don't hide from God, we don't want to hide from God.

He knows us better than we know him. We're just as transparent to him as anything. But I, you know, We're no longer afraid of his presence. We're not fearing retribution. We don't fear the judgment of God anymore, but we have such a reverence for him. We don't take his name in vain. We don't use his name uselessly. We don't use his name in a flippant matter, a glibly matter. When we talk about the Lord, we talk about God. We're talking about Christ. We're talking about the one with all the power and all the glory that is manifested in himself.

And the fear of God influences our disposition. and our circumstances. You know, when our Lord, when we get in certain circumstances, it's so comforting and so assuring that no matter where we're at and what our circumstances is, the Lord is the one that orders these things and controls these things. We don't fall to pieces when bad things, what the world calls bad things that happen. If we get sick, we don't just throw up our hands, what are we gonna do? No, the Lord, He helps our disposition in our circumstances. You know, because we trust Him. Who else are we going to trust? Trust Him. And I tell you what, not only does it affect our disposition, but it affects our worship. They that fear the Lord, it affects our worship.

We don't get together to try to find out who's the most spiritual, who's got the best testimony, who does the best business, who shouts the loudest, or anything like that. And look what it says. It says, look in the last part of this verse. And they that thought upon his name.

But the fear of God affects our worship. We're here today, you know, this evening, and we'll do it again tomorrow. But our worship does not just start and end in a service like this. We worship God all day, every day. God is our God. We worship Him, we adore Him, we bow to Him, we submit to Him, and more than anything in this world, we want His will to be done in this world. We want His will to be done in our lives. We want His will to be done in our minds. We want His will to be done.

And that affects our worship. Me and Angus are talking about it today. The simpler we can keep our worship, the better off it is. The simpler we're saying some, you know, read some scriptures, pray, saying some hymns, preach, and then go to the house. That's what we do.

And oh my, look what else is in this thoughtfulness. We have, not only we fear God, It affects us, but the second thing is, is our thoughtfulness. Look what he said again in that last part of the verse. And they that thought upon his name. What do we think about? We think about the Lord. Oh my, you know when it says about we thought upon his name, his name is his character. His name is his character.

You know, as believers, we want to have a name that's honest, got some integrity, got scruples, morals. You take a man at his word, if he says something, he's gonna do something, he'll hold to his word. Well, God is so infinitely greater than that, but his name is his character, and his name is precious.

You know, in Exodus 33, The Scriptures, Moses said, Lord, show me your glory. I want to see your glory. He said, well, first thing he said, he said, I'll cause my name to pass before you. And then the second thing he said, I'll cause my goodness to pass before you. And he said, well, what is it? I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So listen, and that's what he said also in another place, it's not of him that willeth, it's not of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.

And we thank upon his name. The name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous run into it. And his name is so precious, so precious. And his name is powerful. You think about the name of God, powerful. Oh my. We plead, you know, His name is so powerful. We plead His name. He did it this evening when we was praying for this evening for meal. His name is powerful. We plead His name. When we want to talk to God, whose name do we go in? We go in the name of His Son. When we talk about the Lord, we talk about the Lord Jesus Christ. And His name has such power to it. You know, it's called upon Him.

Our Lord said this is, wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, my name, I'll be in the midst of them. Not in the preacher's name, not in the denominational name, not in somebody else's name, not in some preacher's name, but in the name of the Lord. Whosoever gathers in my name, Two or three, just two or three. He said, I'll be right there with them. And how many times have believers got together and just sat and talked to one another and the Lord come and be among them? Oh my.

And how do we describe God? When we say we thought upon his name, how do you describe him? If you have somebody ask you, what's your God like? What is God like? What the God that you worship, what's he like? What is he? How are you gonna describe himself? Well, you describe him just like he describes himself. What does he say about himself? He says he's almighty. He says he's all powerful. He says he's all wise. He says he's omniscient. That means he has all wisdom, all power, All glory, all majesty belongs to him.

So we describe him like he describes himself. What does God say about himself? There's no other God beside me. I am God and I, last week I mentioned this, in Job 33 it says this, to strive not with the Lord, for he gives no account of his matters to anybody. And I tell you, we call him sovereign. That means he's the one that reigns. He sets upon a throne. He don't have to ask anybody anything to do anything when he wants to and for whom he wants to do it. And he don't ask leave of anybody.

And we just, he calls himself holy. We say our God's holy. He calls himself good. We say he's good. He calls himself righteous. He's good, he calls himself God. And he calls himself savior. Oh my, he calls himself just. Oh, bless his name. I tell you what, you know, The Lord is my shepherd, and he leads us beside the still water for his name's sake. Oh my. And then not only are we thoughtful people, a fearful, you know, and worshipful people, but look at our testimony. Look what it says about our testimony.

And it says there, in the middle of the book said, and the Lord hearken, and a book of remembrance was written before him. And they that thought upon his Lord, and he said, they spoke one to another. They spoke often one to another. You know, they speak one to another about the Lord. We talk about the Lord. My wife and I talk about the Lord. Talk about the Lord, my brothers and sisters in Christ, I talk about Him, we talk about Him together. And oh my, they spake often one together. Those who love the Lord, those who know the Lord, you know, they love one another, and they spake often one to another, and they love one another, and they genuinely delight in the Lord, and genuinely delight to speak one to another.

If any of y'all ever read Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, there's a fella named Talkative. And as Christian and faithful were on their way, this fella jumped over the, got in over the, you know, he was a thief in a robbery, climbed over the wall and started walking. And he started talking, talking, talking, talking, talking, you know, and they started asking questions. He couldn't answer questions the way, you know, they had talked to him.

But we speak one to another, and when we speak one to another, I could, you know, there's a lot of people say a lot of things about the Lord that's not true, that's not right. But when we speak one to another, we speak of an eternal, blessed Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior of sinners. and we will acknowledge our inabilities, our powerlessness, no strength, no nothing, and that we utterly and absolutely depend upon the Lord and nobody else. Absolutely.

And then there's three things about the Lord here I want to tell you about. Look what it says there in verse 16 again. They spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened heard. The Lord hearkened and heard. He listens to his people. You say, well, I don't want to, you know. He can listen to your groans. He listens to your heart. He listens to your soul. He listens to everything you got.

He said, I crawled over the Lord and he inclined his ear. He held his ear. There's an old fella, he's dead and gone now, in our congregation. He got hard of hearing and he'd turn around sideways and hold his ear like that to listen. He didn't want to miss anything. But our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord, he said he listens to his people. He hearkened to his people and listened to them. He hears us. He hears us. Could you imagine God listening to what we got to say? And he listens to us when we have conversations. He listens to what we have to say. Oh, my, my, my. David said, I love the Lord because he has hearkened unto my voice. Hearkened unto my voice. And I'll tell you, this is the first thing he hears about.

He hears about what we say about himself. He hears what we say about him. That's why we want to be, that's why we're very cautious and very, very, when we speak of the Lord, we want to speak the right things. He listens to what we say about himself. And oh my, I've heard folks say some awful things about the Lord, but my father one time, and I was visiting him in the hospital. He just had, gonna have open heart surgery. And I tried to talk to him about the Lord, you know, and tried to, because he was on the verge of going into eternity if the heart surgery failed or anything like that. But I tried to talk to him, and you know what he said to me, and he knowed I was a preacher, he heard me preach, he listened to tapes and things. I said, Dad, I said, boy, you fixing to go out into eternity, I'd like to talk to you a little bit about the Lord and your need of him.

He said to me, he said, don't worry about it, DB. He said, me and Jesus worked this out a long time ago. And that bothered me and I said, Dad, I said, Dad, I don't talk to you the way you just talked about the Lord. I don't say things about you the way you just said about the Lord. It bothered me bad that that's what he called it. He said, me and Jesus worked this, we negotiated this, we worked this out a long time ago. There ain't no working anything out with God. But that bothered me to no end. I never missed the Lord to him ever again. Never again. I wasn't a mention to him for nothing.

He's gonna talk about him like that. And oh my, he pays attention to what we say about him. He pays attention to what we think about him. And I'll tell you one thing else, is that he hears what we say about each other too. Not only what we say about him, but he pays attention to what we say to one another. What we say about one another. He pays attention to that, how we treat one another, how we speak to one another.

You know, if we're people of grace, we believe grace, and we believe in the love of God, and we believe in his mercy, and in his goodness, and his grace, and his preciousness, and how powerful and glorious he is, and what he's done for us, so we, he pays attention to what we say about one another, and say about one another. That's why we, you know, if the memory of the just is so blessed, And here I am, down here in Australia, and I'm preaching, talking to people, that this is the first time I've been able to speak to you, other than what you may hear from America or something. And so, you know, you've, What I would say about you is when I get back to America, and I've said this about Australians before, I've met several of them. They're the happiest, joyful people. They're easy to get along with. They're delightful people to be around. And I hope that I'm that way.

But that's what I would say about you. When I speak of you, I'll speak of you very highly. And that's what we ought to do when we talk about one another, speak of one another very highly. Because you're talking about the Lord's people. You're not talking about some Tom, Dick, or Harry. We're talking about speaking to one another, the Lord's people. Each one, one to another.

And I'll tell you something else, he remembers. Not only does he hearken and listen, but look what it says there in verse 16 again. The Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him. A book of remembrance was written before him. Now, there's several books that the Bible talks about. There's the Book of Life. There's the Book of Life. And, you know, Paul called it the Lamb's Book of Life. Those whose names are written in the Book of Life.

And, you know, but I'll tell you some things that's not written in the book. Our sin's not written in that book. Our faults are not written in that book. Our weakness is not written. Everything that would be written in that book about us that would be true, God does not remember it. He said, I'll not even remember their sins anymore.

Oh my. He remembers the saints of the Old Testament, and you know what they did in the Old Testament when you get to the New Testament. Everything is like it never happened. You know, when you read about Lot in the Old Testament, you say, boy, there's no way that man could have been saved. But God said he is a righteous man. Abraham, he lied three times, went off to Egypt, you know, because he was afraid, and all those things. But you get in the New Testament, Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but strong in faith, giving glory to God, knowing that God was able to perform what he promised.

You get in the New Testament, everything that's ever done in the Old Testament don't even exist. Oh my, and I tell you what, he's not gonna, you know, he remembers, he remembers us in time after he chose us in eternity. The foundation of God stand assured, the Lord knows them that are his. And he remembers, I chose that one from eternity. I gave that one to my son. I set my affection on him before he was ever born. Set my affection on him.

And he isn't gonna get out his book and start reading all the things that we did. And he's not gonna talk about any good works that we did. He's not gonna talk about any good deeds that we done. He's not gonna talk about anything about us at all. except what I don't hold against you. Can you imagine God getting out of the book saying, this is what you did, you gotta look at that. No. If the Lord should mark iniquities, where should we stand?

But there is forgiveness with thee that you may be feared. Oh my. And I tell ya, Oh my, he's not gonna start reading all the good things we did, the good works we spoke and the kind deeds we done. No, no. Look in Psalm 139 with me. I want you to see something. Keep Malachi now in your right hand. Look over in Jeremiah, I mean, excuse me, Psalm 139. In verse 16. I hope I'm not holding you too long. Look in verse 16.

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect, and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when yet there was none in them before you ever started. God said, I had all your members in my book. And I look what he said.

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, oh, my thoughts of me, oh God, how great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I'm awake, I'm still with you. Oh, the names, the things that God's done for us, you can't count them. And then faithful, now to show you the third thing about God, he is faithful. Look what he says in verse 17.

And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, when I make up my jewels. Can you imagine being a jewel? Huh? God said, they shall be mine when I start gathering my jewels. You know, I'd be a lump of coal, but God says they're jewels. One of the sweetest women I ever know, her name was Ruby. And I said, boy, you are a real gem. She really was a real gem. But God calls us, he said, he calls us his jewels.

They shall be mine, they belong to me. And when I make up my jewels, I'm gonna start gathering in my diamonds, my rubies, my sapphires, my emeralds, my diamonds. I'm gonna gather them all up and they're all gonna come around and I'm gonna gather them up because I made them my jewels. They belong to me. I made them to be jewels to me. I made them to be jewels one to another. I made them to be precious. I made them to be worth something, and not of themselves, but I made them, by their relation to me, to be something, to be something. And all they shall be mine.

And you know how we know that he is? He said, all that the Father gives me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, there's nothing they'll ever do to cause me to cast him out. Oh my. God who has saved us. He is so faithful. God who has saved us. You know, everything God did for us, now, it's in the past tense. It's in the past tense. And he said, God who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ, when? Before the world began. That's what, that's how faithful he is. Chose us in eternity, calls us in time, and keeps us from that eternity to that eternity, and the only thing we'll know anything about what a little bit of time we're here. We won't even leave a footprint.

Oh, they shall be mine, mine to love, mine to choose, mine to save, mine to keep, mine to feed, mine to teach, mine to lead, mine to glorify. Our Lord said it when he prayed to his father in John 17. He said, Father, I will. Those that they have given me be with me. that they may have the glory that I had with you before the world ever was." Have the glory that he had before the world ever was. Oh, my. And now the Lord said in John 13, one, having loved his own, he loved them to the end. And then, oh, we're special treasure. We said, when I make up my jewels, And I'll spare them in verse 18, no, verse 17. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son. Spares his own son.

So I tell you what, I want to bless three things then about our Lord's people and three things about God. He's faithful, faithful. So three things about the Lord's people, three things about God. And I tell you, To be called, first he says, this shall be mine. This shall be mine. And he's the only thing that makes us worth anything.

And you know, we know we're not worth anything. And I'll hush. Now, if I had a piece of paper, if I had three zeros, what would I have? If I put a little comma in there and get three more zeroes, what do I got? But if I put one in front of them, then it's worth something. You know what makes us worth something? The Lord Jesus Christ. The rest of us just got zeroes. He's the only one that makes us worth anything. Ain't that right?

Well, I hope that's a blessing to you. And I look forward to meeting with you in the morning. Our Father, thank you for being with us. Oh, thank you for your precious word. Thank you for your precious, precious people. Lord, there's nothing like your saints on this earth, nothing like your precious word, nothing like our fellowship together. Thank you for this dear saints of God. Thank you for this dear preacher. Bless our time together tomorrow for Christ's sake. Amen. Amen.

A Blessed Fear

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about fearing God?

How do we know God listens to our prayers?

Why is worship important for Christians?

How does the fear of God influence daily life?

What is a book of remembrance in the Bible?

Sermon Transcript

About Donnie Bell

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A Blessed Fear

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about fearing God?

How do we know God listens to our prayers?

Why is worship important for Christians?

How does the fear of God influence daily life?

What is a book of remembrance in the Bible?

Sermon Transcript

About Donnie Bell

Comments

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