Essential Fear Phil 2:12-13 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
The fear of God is essential fear. You must have the fear of God for obedience, holiness, submission, and service. It is also essential fear for the protection of and multiplication in the church. The fear of God is essential fear for:
Obedience – Phil 2:12-13 – God is working his will in you and, thus by obedience to him, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. You will never fully obey him until you fear him.
Holiness – 2 Cor 7:1 – you cannot perfect holiness without the fear of God. We are promised that God will dwell in us, be our God, receive us and be a Father unto us if we will separate from unrighteousness [2 Cor 6:14-18]. It is because of these promises that we are to cleanse ourselves and perfect holiness in the fear of God.
Submission – Eph 5:21 – obedience above is to God; submission is to any authority that God puts above you. That’s why we are to submit in the fear of God. Submission is good for you. You derive multiple benefits from submission.
Service – Heb 12:28 – we are to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Anytime we are in a position of service, if we serve as unto the Lord and not unto men, our service is going to be the best and when we serve in the fear of God, our service is going to be acceptable to him.
The fear of God is also essential fear in the church for:
Protection – Acts 5:1-11 – when Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Ghost about the offering to the church, they both died instantly. Great fear fell on the church which deterred further lying and protected the church.
Multiplication – Acts 9:31 – the churches did not fear persecution after Paul’s conversion. But they feared God. And thus, they multiplied. They were not content to become comfortable in their rest; they continued to preach the word to the lost as they were commanded by the Lord. They weren’t just gathering a crowd, they were multiplying souls in the body of Christ.
Conclusion: you can see the great benefits of the fear of God and see why it is essential fear to us and our churches.