The Joyful Fear of the Lord
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Bible Paradoxes: The Joyful Fear of the Lord • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 47:58
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· 419 viewsBible Paradox, the joyful fear of the Lord.
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A paradox is a statement that attracts attention because it seems to be contradictory. This arouses curiosity and we are puzzled. But as we meditate on the statement, we go deeper into some important facet of life and learn something new. Paradoxes are marvelous instructors.
Wiersbe, W. W. (2016). Truth on Its Head: Unusual Wisdom in the Paradoxes of the Bible (p. vii). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Introduction:
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (Ps. 2:11)
You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! (Ps. 22:23)
He will bless those who fear the LORD, both small and great. (Ps. 115:13)
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.… As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. (Ps. 103:11, 13)
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD. (Ps. 112:1)
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. (Ps. 128:1)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov. 9:10)
The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil. (Prov. 19:23)
His delight is in the fear of the LORD. (Isa. 11:3)
His mercy is on those who fear Him. (Luke 1:50)
In the beginning of our faith, we exulted in the joy of the Lord.
After all, our sins were forgiven, we were learning from the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit was enabling us to walk in victory.
We were certain that this exciting new life would never change—but it did!
If our faith is to grow and become stronger, it must be tested; and so temptations and trials confront us as the world, the flesh, and the devil oppose us (Eph. 2:1–3; 1 John 2:15–17).
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Occasionally we lose the victory and deliberately disobey the Lord.
Then we confessed our sins, and from our hearts prayed,
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (Ps. 51:12).
We claimed 1 John 1:9 and got up and made a new beginning.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
But the enemy doesn’t want us to be joyful so he begins to accuse us (Zech. 3:1–5; Rev. 12:10).
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
He wants the memory of our sins to trouble us, discourage us, and make us worry about consequences.
When Satan tempted us, he whispered, “Don’t worry, you can get away with this!”
But after we sinned, he shouted, “You will never get away with this!”
Then the fear of the Lord moved in and we began to wonder if the Father would chasten us.
The joy of the Lord and the fear of the Lord must be replaced by the joyful fear of the Lord.
Let’s think about what it means to experience joyful fear continually instead of riding the roller-coaster of joy and fear—up one day and down the next.
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The Joy of the Lord
The Joy of the Lord
Jesus was a man of sorrows (Isa. 53:3), but He was also a man of joy (John 15:11).
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Strangely some have to be shown that Jesus had joy.
They believe it is wrong to have joy in your Christian walk.
The thinking is that religion is to serious to have joy. John 15:11 and John16:20–24, plus Luke 10:17–24.
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
“If Jesus had no joy, how could He give it to His disciples and to us?”
As God’s beloved children, we are blessed with the joy of the Lord and do not depend on the happiness of this world.
Happiness depends primarily on happenings.
If our circumstances are going well, we are happy; if they fall apart, we are unhappy and we complain.
The joy of the Lord is something quite different from mere happiness.
Unsaved people may experience happiness, but only true believers in Jesus Christ may have this deeper and more satisfying joy of the Lord (Luke 1:46; Phil. 3:1; 4:4, 10).
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
The joy of the Lord depends on the Holy Spirit within us and not on what is happening around us.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to grow within us the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy (Gal. 5:22).
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
It is a joy produced by the Father, for “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Our joy is given by the Son (John 15:11; 16:20–24) and nourished by the Spirit (1 Thess. 1:6; Gal. 5:22).
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
The joy of the Lord is beautifully illustrated in the three so-called lost parables in Luke 15.
The shepherd rejoiced that he found his lost sheep,
the woman that she found her lost coin,
and the father that his lost son returned home—
and they shared their joy with others.
Even the angels in heaven rejoice when a lost sinner is saved (Luke 15:7, 10)!
10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Should we not also rejoice because we have a Shepherd who cares for us and a Father who loves us, forgives us, and spreads a feast for us?
Paul wrote from prison, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4; see Phil. 3:1; Phil. 4:10).
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
Peter describes our joy as being “inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
We experience it but we can’t always explain it!
“In Your presence is fullness of joy,” wrote David (Ps. p 4 16:11);
and an anonymous psalmist rejoiced because God reigns from His heavenly throne (Ps. 67:3–4).
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Besides our own salvation and the joy of leading others to Christ, we have so many good causes for rejoicing!
We “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1–2; see Rom. 12:12)
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
and in the blessings of the word of God (Pss. 19:8; 119:14, 92, 111, 162).
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
162 I rejoice at your word
like one who finds great spoil.
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16).
16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
Whenever I have been in painful circumstances, the promises of God have encouraged me and given me joy—and they did the Thessalonian believers (1 Thess. 1:6).
6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
Whenever we sow the seed of the word of God, we have God’s promise of one day rejoicing at the harvest (Ps. 126:5–6);
and think of the joy of answered prayer (John 16:24)!
5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Our hearts ought to be filled with joyful praise all day long (Pss. 33:1–5; 98:4–6)!
1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
Jesus wants His joy to be fulfilled in our lives (John 17:13), and it will be if we live for all that rejoices Him.
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
In chapter 17 of his Letters to Malcolm, C. S. Lewis defines joy as “the serious business of heaven.”
Sin ultimately brings sorrow and regret, which is one reason why Jesus died for sinners.
Faith in Jesus Christ not only gives us the forgiveness of our sins but also the joys of knowing God’s will, the power to obey His will, and the reward of knowing we are pleasing the sovereign God.
All that the Father and Son and Spirit have said and done has but one goal: that we might possess eternal life and abundant life and rejoice in doing God’s will.
Lewis was right: joy is “the serious business of heaven.” Is that the “business” we are in?
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The Fear of the Lord
The Fear of the Lord
The fear of the Lord is that reverent respect for God that is born, not of terror, but of knowledge, love, and faith.
The better we know God, the more we love and trust Him and the more we want to please Him.
In the spiritual life, joy without fear can be shallow and careless,
while fear without joy can be destructive.
Terror paralyzes us but godly fear energizes us.
Mingled with joy, godly fear is a great source of power.
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably and with reverent and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28–29).
Without a proper fear of the Lord, how can we serve Him acceptably?
28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
I learned very early in life that my parents and my teachers meant business when they issued orders and that my job was to listen and obey.
If I rebelled, I might be disciplined, but even worse, I would have missed an opportunity to learn and make progress in maturing.
Respect for authority opens the doors to effective learning and living.
The phrases “the fear of the Lord” and “the fear of God” are used more than one hundred times in Scripture.
The believers in the early church walked in the fear of the Lord, and so should we—and be happy about it (Acts 9:31; Heb. 12:28–29).
31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
In one sense, the phrase “the fear of the Lord” is equivalent to “faith in the Lord.”
After the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, fear became faith and faith turned into joy.
“Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt, so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses” (Exod. 14:31).
After that, Israel burst out into joyful song and praised the Lord (Exod. 15).
If there is one thing needed in our churches today it is reverence for the sovereign Lord, a holy awe, a genuine fear of God.
When Israel came to Mount Sinai, God demonstrated His majesty and His glory, and Moses and the people trembled (Exod. 19).
Just as children must learn to respect their parents, students their teachers, and military men and women their officers, so God’s children must learn to respect and honor God so they might grow into the love of God!
After Paul listed the godless activities of the sinful world (Rom. 3:10–17), he explained why men and women live that way: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18). David started Psalm 36 with that statement and Paul quoted it.
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
There is no fear of judgment that makes people run and hide, as Adam and Eve did after they sinned (Gen. 3:10).
There is no fear of the unknown such as the people of Israel experienced at Mount Sinai (Exod. 19).
In our world of scientific wonders, we think we know everything and can control everything; and then hurricanes and tornadoes come and we head for a hiding place and start to pray.
As the saying goes, we can run but we cannot hide!
“Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13, KJV).
But the fear of the child of God is not so much “Will He hurt me?” as “Am I going to grieve Him and hinder His work?”
Our disobedience grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30), just as the stubborn disobedience of children wounds the loving hearts of their parents.
It is a joyful experience in the life of a family when the children start asking themselves, “Will this hurt others?” instead of “Will others hurt me?”
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10).
Knowing and respecting the instructors is as important as knowing and receiving the lessons they teach.
Knowledge deals primarily with people, places, things, facts, and events; but wisdom pulls it all together and reveals values, principles, and truths.
It is important to know the who, what, when, and where of life; but we also need to know the why and the how.
Wisdom is the correct use of knowledge for the building of character and a successful life.
“Reputation can be made in a moment. Character takes a lifetime.”
Let me amend it: “Character takes a lifetime of experience, knowledge, and wisdom.” Providing we know the Lord and trust Him, a lifetime of experience and knowledge will produce wisdom and character.
We can be smart and repeatedly do dumb things, but if we have wisdom, we will do the right things.
God blesses and uses those who understand the fear of the Lord, for it is “by the fear of the LORD [that] one departs from evil” (Prov. 16:6).
6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
“The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil” (Prov. 19:23).
“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” (Ps. 25:14).
Psalm 112 states some of the blessings the person will receive who “fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments” (v. 1).
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The Joyful Fear of the Lord
The Joyful Fear of the Lord
Thanks to paradox, reverent fear and joyful blessing can be friends and work together to make each believer a maturing and faithful child of God.
In Scripture we often find joy and fear cooperating.
Psalm 95 begins with rejoicing (vv. 1–5) and ends with worship and the fear of God (vv. 6–11).
And Isaiah 11:3 says, “His delight is in the fear of the LORD.”
In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul mentions joy at least eighteen times, and yet he commands the believers to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (2:12).
He himself rejoices and yet weeps over the carelessness of some believers (3:18).
How do God’s people properly balance the fear of the Lord with the joy of the Lord?
We must know the word of God and trust it and we must yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to fill us and work in our lives.
The Scriptures are rich with narratives about God’s people who experienced joyful fear of the Lord, beginning with Abraham’s offering of his son Isaac (Gen. 22; Heb. 11:17–19)
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
and closing with the book of Revelation, where twenty-six times you find Jesus the Lamb but also Jesus the Lion (Rev. 5:6; Rev. 6:16–17).
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
The Lamb died for our sins, but those who oppose Him discover that the Lamb is also the Lion who brings judgment to rebellious sinners.
Our Lord Himself demonstrates the balance between the joy of the Lord and the fear of the Lord.
At the transfiguration, Jesus was radiant with heavenly glory while discussing with Moses and Elijah His approaching death on the cross (Luke 9:30–31).
30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Jesus suffered greatly on the cross, yet by faith He laid hold of “the joy that was set before Him” (Heb. 12:2; see Jude 24).
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
Psalm 22, the psalm of the crucifixion, unites fear and praise (vv. 22–26).
The balance between suffering and glory is one of the major themes of Peter’s first epistle.
Peter taught that the church of Jesus Christ in his day was heading toward severe opposition and official persecution, and he told the saints how to be ready.
If we are not prepared for the fiery trial of 1 Peter 4:12–19, how can we experience the joy Jesus describes in Matthew 5:11–12?
The church needs this message today.
Our Lord’s disciples also demonstrate the balance between the joy and fear of the Lord.
When you read the book of Acts, you learn how the early Christians overcame persecution to the glory of God.
Their first aim in life was to magnify Jesus Christ and proclaim the gospel (Acts 4:20).
20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
If their ministries brought them beatings, imprisonments, and even martyrdom, they accepted God’s will and sought to glorify Him (Acts 4:1–22).
Daily they devoted themselves to the word of God and prayer (Acts 6:4), and they depended on the fullness of the Spirit for the power and wisdom they needed.
4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
They took their stand boldly for the truth of God (Acts 4:21–31).
Can our “business as usual” ministries today, and the absence of prayer and courageous witnessing, all mitigate against overcoming the enemy and reaching the lost.
We are not prepared for the fire (1 Peter 4:12).
A Christian is “someone who shares the sufferings of God in this world.”
Does that describe us?
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
Joyful fear is certainly a paradox but not an impossibility.
Blessed are the balanced!