A LOOK AT "FEAR"
by Bob Vermatt
'Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to
give unto you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)
Fear! What is fear?
According to Webster's New World Dictionary fear is 1. A
feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or
nearness of danger, evil, pain, etc. and timidity; dread; terror;
fright; apprehension. 2. Respectful dread; awe; reverence. 3. A
feeling of uneasiness; disquiet; anxiety; concern. In other
words, 1. To be afraid of; dread. 2. To feel reverence or awe
for. 3. To export with misgiving.
If we look at today's economic situation that prevails in
most of our western nations, it is easy to understand why people
are concerned for their immediate future. Job security is scarce,
finances are dwindling in a lot of cases, retirement funds are
being compromised, and in some cases homes are being lost because
of these situations. Yes, people fear for their well being so I
think that this fear or anxiety is fear number three, as per
Webster's. In Luke 12:6,7 we read as follows, "Are not five
sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten
before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear not, therefore; ye are of more value than many
sparrows." Let's also look at verses 27 through 31 of the same
chapter. "Consider the lilies how they grow. They toil not, they
spin not; and yet I say unto you that Solomon, in all his glory,
was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the
grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the
oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And
seek not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye
of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the
world seek after; and your Father knoweth that ye have need of
these things. But seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these
things shall be added unto you."
So, in essence Jesus is telling us in these verses to get
our priorities straight, "For where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also." (v.34). But this fear is not a fear unto
death, but a concern about an uncertainty, an apprehension about
future' things, that even though we know that the Lord will
provide all things, we in our finite mind cannot see and be
certain of the things in the immediate future. Hence the fear and
or dread of the unknown! But life goes on, and we keep plugging
along, in the hope that sooner or later things will turn out for
the better.
The second definition of fear according to Webster is "Fear,
awe, reverence; such as fear of God. This does not mean we are to
be afraid of God, but to revere Him, to pay Him honour. In other
words we are to be in awe of God simply because He is the only
true God. The creator of Heaven and Earth and all that is
therein, including us. The best definition of the fear of the
Lord in my estimation is found in the Books of Psalms and
Proverbs and in a lot of instances it shows that fearing the Lord
has profound benefits. So let us look at a few passages of
scripture to that effect. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."(Prov.
1:7). "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance,
and the evil way, and the perverse mouth." (Prov.8:13). "The fear
is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding." (Prov.9:10). "The fear of the Lord is a fountain
of Life, to depart from the snares of death." (Prov.14:27).
Thus according to Solomon, through the fear of the Lord we gain
wisdom, knowledge and long life and we learn to hate evil and
arrogance!
Let's also see what David had to say in the Psalms, "The
fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of
the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired
are they than gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
(Ps.19:9,10). "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the
inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him."(Ps.33:8). "The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding
have all they that do his commandments; his praise endureth
forever." (Ps.111:10). I could go on and on but these few verses
will suffice to show that to fear the Lord is a good thing, a
very good thing and way of life.
Thus this brings me to the first definition of fear
according to Webster's Dictionary, which is a fear unto death,
evil, terror, danger. This fear I want to pay particular
attention to, because this fear will often lead unto sin, namely
the sin of denial and omission. In today's politically correct
society we in general remain silent, even though a lot of today's
principles are in direct contrast to the Biblical principles we
profess to hold dear. We are afraid to be called out for standing
on Biblical truths and ideas. In today's humanistic and secular
society for example, even our Christian holidays are so
secularized that all aspects of religion have mostly disappeared.
Christmas is now called X-mas, Christmas carols are not allowed
in public, the nativity scene is not allowed to be shown in
public places, yet the Muslim Holy Days such as Ramadan and the
like are honoured by all, even our own politicians. The same goes
for the Jewish holidays such as Hanukah, in which the Menorah is
displayed for all to see, and no one makes any objection to this
display, not even the Christian community. This is a sin of
denial; we won't take a stand for the Holy name of Jesus. "But he
that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of
God." (Lk.12:9).
(The writer obviously looks upon so-called "Christian holidays"
as .... well "Christian" - but forget about that mis-concept of
his and note again the context he puts it into - and in many ways
he is correct in that aspect - Keith Hunt)
When someone makes light of Mohammed half the world is in an
uproar, yet when Jesus is depicted as a hippie and a whore monger
in some of Hollywood's movies, it is called entertainment. When
His image is spit upon and urinated upon it is called art. And
again most of Christianity is silent, and pretend that it didn't
happen. "Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me and of my
words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall
the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his
Father, with the holy angels." (Mk.8:38).
Whether it is the spoken word or whether it is the written
word, why are we so afraid to stand up for what the Bible teaches
us? If we would just trust and stand on God's Word, the Holy
Spirit will guide and lead and protect us from all evil that
lurks in the world. Jesus told us in Mt.10:34, "Think not that I
am come to send peace on earth, I came not to send peace, but a
sword." And in Eph.6:17 Paul said "And take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
And also Heb.4:12, "For the Word of God is quick and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword ... and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart."
So, you see brothers and sisters, we do have the tools and
the wherewithal to stand firm in our beliefs and to fight and
correct those things which were wrongly brought upon us. It is
our Christian duty. We cannot and must not fail the commandment
of our Lord to occupy till He comes. And once we start to occupy
again we will be able to take charge of all things wrong and
perverse and make this world a place fit for God's Kingdom on
Earth.
......
From the October 2010 "Thy Kingdom Come" - a publication of The
Asscociation of the Covenant People, Burnaby, B.C. Canada.
Note:
Yes indeed, we need to STAND UP AND BE COUNTED! We the people of
the Church of God, the people of the faith once delivered to the
saints, NEED TO NOT BE ASHAMED of Christ Jesus and the truth of
the word of God as contained in the Holy Bible. We need to have
the right kind of FEAR towards God, and then we shall NOT fear
what man can do or say towards us. And we shall also have faith
that we need not fear what the world's economy can do to us, for
we shall have peace of mind that our heavenly Father will provide
for us as Jesus said He would.
Time indeed to put away the fear of the world, and the fear that
many in the world now have as they see their society crashing
down in many ways.
Time indeed to have the proper fear of the Lord, and the
blessings that come to serving Him in spirit and in truth.
Keith Hunt
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