Please open your Bibles to Mark 4:35-41 which we will read in a few minutes.
This past week I saw a video of a comedienne ridiculing a devout, born again Christian and she was saying,
“I am Christian, I love Jesus, but he thinks Jesus tells him to say things.”
So, setting her slander aside, I was wondering, is she really a Christian?
Does she really love Jesus?
I watched just the beginning of one of her comedy videos and within a few seconds of starting out she was using extremely vulgar language.
Then I watched a video of her being interviewed by a priest where she declared that she is an agnostic, that she does not read the Bible and that she never prays to anyone!
The obvious questions are:
Does she even really understand what a Christian is?
Does she really love Jesus or even know Him?
And, finally, does she not have ANY fear of the Lord?
With that in mind let’s go ahead and read Mark 4:35-41
Mark 4:41 NIV
“They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!’”
Mark 4:41 YLT
“And they feared a great fear, and said one to another, ‘Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey Him?’”
OK. I don’t know about you but being able to control the atmosphere of the earth and the waves of a huge lake takes with just your words takes a type of power I know nothing about!
At this time the disciples pretty much only thinking that they have been following a rabbi. Yes, they have seen Jesus do some amazing miracles and they’ve heard Him teach and argue with some Pharisees, but, this is a whole new level.
Matthew 8:27, “The [disciples] were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of Man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!’”
Luke 8:27 says it this way, “In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.’”
“They were terrified … they feared a great fear” (Fear squared …)
Fear of the Lord; is that a concept missing in the church today?
I don’t know how many of us actually read church signs or even our own church sign, but, this week when I changed the sign I put, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” on one side and, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” on the other side.
Fear and love. We don’t really like that fear thing but we sure do love the love thing!
Fear. We don’t like fear and we don’t like to be frightened, do we?
I mean, real fear where a person feels endangered with harm or even death.
Not just some horror movie that is over in a couple of hours and then you go to bed and have nightmares.
On one hand we don’t like to think about actually fearing the Lord, do we?
But we clearly see the instruction to fear the Lord in the Bible.
On the other hand, we also see Scriptures telling us to love the Lord.
Matthew 22:37-38 NIV (recite from memory)
Can we actually fear the God we love and love the God we fear? Isn’t fear bad?
Doesn’t the Bible say that, “Perfect love drives out fear?”
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Let’s try looking at this from a parenting perspective …
Suppose a child has parents who demand obedience and any disobedience, no matter how slight, is severely punished. And, then after the punishment there is no teaching, no reconciliation, no affection of any kind; just the threat of more punishment.
This type of parenting would instill fear and rebellion.
What would the chances be of the child growing into a normal adult and becoming a good parent? The chances would be poor at best.
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On the other hand, suppose a child has parents who never correct or punish in any way whatsoever. Whenever the child does anything wrong there are no consequences whatsoever. And, if anyone is hurt by the actions of the child excuses are made for the child. This, of course, is all done in the name of love, because, we all want to be loving parents, right?
So, this would be a false form of love with no responsibility or consequences for actions at all.
What would the chances be of the child growing into a normal adult?
The child would have no fear or respect for authority and would feel entitled to act in any way that would please themselves.
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But, what if the child was raised with parents who established boundaries for the child and those boundaries taught respect for authority and respect for others? And, what if that child was appropriately punished for any disobedience and then after the punishment they were given affirmation of love and instructed how they should obey in the future and at the same time being informed that more disobedience would result in more punishment.
If this was a pattern throughout the raising of the child they would most likely turn out to be a benefit to those around them and a good parent as well.
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So, perhaps that helps us to understand our relationship with the Lord.
Perhaps it helps us to understand why we need to fear the Lord and how He is a loving God as well.
Many people believe that the Lord is the whack-a-mole God, kind of like this little video clip.
Some people believe that the Lord is ready to hit you over the head and throw you into hell over any sin. They most likely have either never read the Bible and so they just don’t know, or, they actually may have been raised by parents who were the severe disciplinarian types who never demonstrated any affection.
Then, on the other end of the spectrum are the “God is ONLY Love” people.
This is very fashionable. It is all accepting and nonjudgmental. It is warm and fuzzy and cuddly. He is the “Man Upstairs” and is truly only interested in our happiness and comfort. Sin is no problem. It’ll all be forgiven. Because, after all … God is ONLY Love.
But the Bible shows us a different God. A God of justice and judgment.
A God who swept through the nation of Egypt and wiped out the firstborn child of every household because the Pharaoh refused to let the chosen people of Israel go according to the command of the Lord.
Yet, He is also a God of such immeasurable love that He sent His One and Only Son to die on the cross so that we would not have to spend eternity in hell!
The Lord God is to be feared and is at the same time the source of all true, self sacrificing love.
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Perhaps we are so casual about neglecting the fear of the Lord because the thought of an eternity in hell is so buried in the back of our hearts and minds.
(Put up a totally black slide)
Let’s say this slide represents eternity. Now, I don’t know how many of you can see this laser pointer on the screen, but, let the laser pointer represent your life.
OK. Are you ready? Here’s your earthly life represented on eternity.
(Briefly flash the laser pointer on the screen)
That’s it. The rest of it is eternity; eternity in heaven or hell.
That’s not pleasant is it? No, it’s actually frightening.
That is certainly NOT going to draw in big crowds, is it?
But, is that what we’re really after?
Let me tell you about a couple of unpleasant things
Gouging out your own eye, cutting off your own right hand and chopping off your own right foot …
In Matthew 18:8-9 NIV Jesus says:
“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
“And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
“And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where
‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”
Jesus believes that hell is real and eternal and should cause us to fear.
That fear of hell should cause us to take make drastic changes in our lives.
Jesus came and died on the cross so that we might have eternal life in His presence instead of an eternal, unending death.
And THAT is the love of God that puts the fear of God in its proper perspective.
And, this is sooooooo important! What is Jesus saying in these verses?
Jesus is saying that it is YOUR CHOICE!
Jesus isn’t going to throw anyone into hell.
Jesus is only going to enforce the choice you have made.
If you have chosen to ignore the fear of the Lord and have scoffed at the love of the Lord that drove Jesus to the cross for you, then that is your choice and you will suffer the consequences.
If you have chosen to honor the fear of the Lord and embrace His sacrificial love for you, then that is your choice and you will be rewarded by the God you fear and love.
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So, ask yourselves these questions:
1) If I had the proper fear of the Lord combined with the proper love of the Lord what things would change in my personal life?
2) If I had the proper fear of the Lord and the ever present awareness of the eternal punishment of the unsaved how would it change my prayers for my unsaved family members and unsaved friends?
3) If I had the proper fear of the Lord combined with an overflowing gratitude for the salvation that comes from His sacrifice for me, how would my interactions with my unsaved family members and friends change?
In this Easter season as we had toward the cross …
Closing comments. Invitation for anyone to stay and pray.
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ADDITIONAL UNUSED MATERIAL
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We love to think about John 3:16-18, one of our memory Scriptures.
1 John 4:16 NIV says:
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
1 John 4:18 NIV
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
If you fear and obey the Lord you do not need to fear what you will encounter because:
Joshua 1:9 NIV
“Have I (the LORD) not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
The threat to the Russian soldiers defending Stalingrad in WWII - “Not One Step Back” or, “If you retreat, we will kill you.”
Psalm 33:8 NIV
“Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”
Proverbs 9:10 NIV
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Proverbs 15:33 NIV
“Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor.”
Job 28:28 NIV
“And [God] said to the human race, ‘The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’”
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Luke 1:50 NIV
“[The LORD’s] mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.”
Deuteronomy 10:12:20-21
“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name. He is your praise; He is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.”
A ridiculous slogan that is popular today is: “Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil shudders and says, ‘Oh no, he’s awake.’”
“The only safe place for a sheep is by the side of his Shepherd, because the devil does not fear sheep; he just fears the Shepherd, that is all. - A. W. Tozer
