Galatians 4:1-14
"I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain"
After Israel beheld the fearful phenomena which manifested the presence of Jehovah upon Mount Sinai at the giving of the law, Moses informs them that a fear of God needs to be before them that they sin not. A fear of the almighty power of God is a great deterrent to sin. We are commanded in the word of God to fear God. Leviticus 25:17 says "thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God." Hebrews 12:28 tells us that we are "to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." Proverbs 23:17 states that we are to be "in the fear of the Lord all the day long." Proverbs 16:6 informs us that "by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil." The reason sin is paraded openly today is because there is no fear of God.
The Bible is clear in its statements that a fear of God is healthly. "The fear of the Lord tendeth to life." The only time we should fear men is when those men represent God’s authority. For example, Leviticus 19:3 says, "Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God." Romans 13:4 talks about the government when it says, "He is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." God has given the sword to the government, and with it authority to punish and even to execute.
We are not to fear our enemies. Psalmist stated, "In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." When Joshua and Caleb spake to the children of Israel after the other ten spies had given an evil report, they said, "Rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not."
But our text verse states that Paul was afraid of the Galatians. No scripture should ever be interpreted without its context. What Paul was saying from the context was that he was afraid for them. He was afraid of them for the danger to themselves not for danger to him. He feared as to whether these people had truly received Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Paul was not apprehensive with respect to his own interest or his fruitless labours, but with respect to the spiritual welfare of these Galatians.
It is like a father who observes his son attempt some dangerous stunt and remarks to the son, "You scare me to ." Now he is not afraid of the danger the child might do to him, but he is afraid of the danger the child might do to himself.
People who scare me
I. People who reject salvation scare me
"Knowing the of the Lord, we persuade men"
"And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"
Either bend before the throne now or be broken before the justice of almighty God then. Knowing the majesty and the holiness of God, knowing the necessity and awfulness of punishment in Hell, we persuade men.
Paul feared for those who were not saved because he was aware of the Great White Throne they would face (Revelation 20:11-15)
Knowing the appearance of it
Knowing the sentence of it
A. Torment in hell is so fierce
1. Certainty of it
2. Crowd in it
3. Character of it
Hell
HELL! The prison house of despair,
Here are some things that won’t be there:
No flowers will bloom on the banks of Hell,
No beauties of nature we love so well;
No comforts of home, music and song,
No friendship of joy will be found in the throng;
No babies to brighten the long, weary night;
No love nor peace, nor one ray of light:
No washed soul with face beaming night;
No mercy, no pity, pardon nor grace,
No water; O God, what a terrible place!
The pangs of the lost no human can tell,
Not one moment’s ease - there is no rest in HELL!
HELL! the prison house of despair,
Here are some things that will be there:
Fire and brimstone are there, we know,
For God in His Word hath told us so:
Memory, remorse, suffering and pain,
Weeping and wailing, but all in vain;
Blasphemers, swearers, rs of God,
Christ-rejectors while here on earth did trod;
Murders, gamblers, drunkards and liars
Will have their part in the lake of fire;
The filthy, the vile, the cruel and the mean,
What a horrible mob in Hell will be seen!
Yes, more than humans on earth can tell,
Are the torments and woes of an eternal HELL.
B. Time here is so fleeing
Proverbs 27:1
II. People who resist the Spirit of God scare me
Acts 7:51 "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost : as your fathers did, so do ye." Resist means to strive against...... to line up against....setting yourself up against.
A. To resist the Spirit of God is to defy your creator
B. To resist the Spirit of God is to despise your comforter
C. To resist the Spirit of God is to en your conscience
1. Dead to Word of God which the Spirit energizes
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, ...."
2. dead to witnesses of God which the Spirit enables
3. Dead to the work of God which the Spirit employs
III. People who rob from God scare me
Malachi 3:7-9
Robbery without a weapon.
"More could be learned about a person’s commitment by looking at their checkbook than their prayer book"
A. God’s apparent problem with believers
1. Personal problem - "Ye"
Point of departure for many of us is in the matter of the tithe
2. Pointed problem - "Have robbed me."
B. God appointed program for believers
1. The plan - "bring"
Mail does not run on Sunday.
2. The person - "ye"
Bumper sticker that declare, "Honk, if you love Jesus." Heard of another that says, "Tithe if you love Jesus - anybody can honk."
3. The proportion - "tithes"
A tithe is a tenth. "As God hath prospered" and the proportion of our giving is the tithe.
4. The place - "storehouse"
local church
When are we to bring our tithes? "Upon the first day of the week" . What happens on the first day of the week? The local NT church gathers to worship.
5. The purpose
"that there maybe meat in mine house"
The tithe is to further the work of Christ through the local church.
6. The proposition
"prove me" - challenge from God
C. God’s abundant promise to believers
1. Promise of provision - "I will open ..... the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing."
2. Promise of protection - "I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes"
Though I may not understand all the ramifications of these promises, I will still abide by the command.
IV. People who refuse to obey God scare me
Obedience is following instructions
Obedience is submitting to authority
Obedience is humbling of pride
Obedience is the response of love
God accepts nothing in lieu of obedience. We only deceive ourselves when we try to make the substitution.
SIN IS DISOBEDIENCE.
A young boy was applying for a job at a local newspaper office. The manager asked him, "Can you type?" "No sir," came the reply. "Can you run a printing press?" asked the manager. "No sir," again came the answer. "Well, young man, what can you do?" The boy stood tall, smiled and said, "I can do what I am told, sir."
With that reply, the boy was hired.
I Samuel 15:1-3;9,21, and 22. Trust and obey for there is no other way.
Joshua 6:18,19 ; 7:5,11
Jonah 1: 1-3
Individual disobedience endangers many. Disobedience imperils as nothing else
A. Endangers companion
B. Endangers children
C. Endangers your church
D. Endangers your crowns in glory
Conclusion:
Yes there are some people who scare me. Scared not so much for the harm that they might bring to me, but for the harm and hurt that they might bring to themselves..
