Theological term
Fear of God
37 sermons · All terms
The Central Confession of Israel's Faith
The Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4 — 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one' — is examined as the central confession of Old Covenant Israel's faith, carrying both theological and polemical force for a people about to enter a land saturated with polytheism and syncretism. The sermon traces the purpose of God's commandments (obedience secured tenure in the land), the theological content of the Shema (divine unity of singularity and simplicity, and its compatibility with Trinitarian confession), and the fitting response of wholehearted love toward the one living and true God. The application presses New Covenant believers to the same totality of devotion — presenting themselves as living sacrifices — grounded in the redemption God has accomplished in Christ, the true Israel who kept the covenant His people perpetually broke.
The First Commandment
Deuteronomy 5:7 — 'You shall have no other gods before me' — is the foundation of covenant loyalty, defining not only who the one true God is but what response He demands from His people. This study works through the prohibition against other gods (atheism, polytheism, syncretism, sorcery, heresy, and creature-worship) before turning to the positive duties the commandment requires: knowing God, loving Him, fearing Him, obeying Him, trusting Him, and worshipping Him on His own terms. The first commandment is not merely theological orthodoxy but a call to total, exclusive, and practical devotion to Yahweh — a devotion made possible only by the grace that plants His fear in the heart.
Ask FGBC #24: Why is it important for a Christian to continually confess his sins?
Why must a Christian continue to confess sins after justification? This question-and-answer session draws on 1 John 1:9, 1 John 2:1, and several Psalms to distinguish between the believer's unchanging forensic standing before God and the ongoing maintenance of relational fellowship with the Father. Justification secures the status; confession restores the communion that sin fractures. The priestly intercession of Christ at the Father's right hand is the ground of that ongoing access, and all confession is ultimately designed to locate glory upon the Savior.
The Rebellion in the Wilderness
Numbers 14:1–12 records the congregation of Israel responding to the faithless report of the ten spies with weeping, complaint against Moses and Aaron, blasphemy against God, and a proposal to appoint a new leader and return to Egypt. The passage exposes the idolatry underlying Israel's rebellion — not merely a preference for Egyptian food, but a wholesale rejection of Yahweh in favor of the gods they had left behind. God's response in verses 11–12, spoken in what theologians call the 'manner of men,' underscores the gravity of Israel's sin, the holiness of God's judgment, and sets the stage for Moses' remarkable intercession on behalf of a people who had just sought to stone him.
Live Stream - January 08, 2023
Ecclesiastes 8:10–17 confronts the believer with one of the sharpest enigmas of a fallen world: the wicked die unpunished, the righteous suffer unjustly, and God's judgment appears indefinitely delayed. The preacher argues that Solomon's response is not philosophical resignation but two concrete imperatives — fear God and enjoy what God gives — grounded in covenant trust rather than in sight. The sermon closes by pressing the theological significance of God's delayed judgment: without it there is no gospel, no day of grace, and no salvation for elect sinners who would otherwise have perished in their first sin.
What is Good for Man?
Ecclesiastes 7:1–14 poses the question raised in 6:12 — who knows what is good for man in this vain, shadow-like life? Working through the 'better than' sayings of the chapter, the sermon argues that what is genuinely good for man is often the very thing he instinctively avoids: sorrow, rebuke, and adversity. These are not ends in themselves but instruments by which God cultivates wisdom, exposes the emptiness of riches, and teaches his people their creaturely dependence, so that their hope is ultimately anchored not in temporal blessing but in the incorruptible inheritance secured by Christ.
The 9th Commandment, Part 2
James 1:26 places the ninth commandment's prohibition of false witness directly inside the local church: a professing believer who does not bridle his tongue deceives himself, and his religion is exposed as useless — the same Greek word applied to idolatry. The sermon surveys the tongue's destructive power across James 3–4, Matthew 12 and 15, and a wide range of Proverbs texts, arguing that sins of speech are systematically undertriaged in the church compared to sins of action. Ten practical helps are offered, grounded in the conviction that taming the tongue is a fruit of genuine saving faith and requires the enabling power of the Holy Spirit working through the ordinary means of grace.
The Lord Who Treads the Waves
John 6:16–21 records the fifth of the seven signs in John's Gospel: Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee toward his storm-tossed disciples. The sermon works through two movements — the disciples' vulnerability in the storm and the Savior's sovereign approach across the water — to establish that Jesus, by treading the waves, enacts what the Old Testament attributes exclusively to Yahweh (Job 9:8; Psalm 77:19; Isaiah 43:16), thereby demonstrating his consubstantiality with the Father and his lordship over the natural order. The divine self-disclosure 'I am' (ego eimi), voiced both here and at key junctures throughout John's Gospel, is shown to be Jesus' deliberate appropriation of the covenant name revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14. The sermon closes by pressing the theological remedy for the fear that afflicts God's people: a right knowledge of Christ as the great I AM displaces anxiety about trials, persecutions, and earthly circumstances.
The Gospel and Jerusalem Sinners
Peter's Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:22–42 presents the gospel as an objective message focused on the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ — not a feeling or a personal response. This exposition works through Peter's call to repentance and baptism, the nature of imputed righteousness received by faith alone, and the sovereign scope of God's grace that reaches even the murderers of Christ. The sermon closes with the practice of the early church — steadfast continuance in apostolic doctrine, fellowship, the Lord's Supper, and prayer — as the pattern for all who are genuinely saved by grace.
Exodus 1
Exodus 1 traces the rapid shift from Israel's prosperity under Joseph to their brutal subjugation under a new Pharaoh who knew nothing of the covenant arrangement his predecessors had honored. The chapter moves in two broad movements: the origin of the oppression in the multiplication of Israel, which paradoxically fulfilled God's Abrahamic promise of seed and land, and the gravity of that oppression as Pharaoh escalated from forced labor to state-sponsored infanticide. The defiance of the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah, grounded in the fear of God rather than the fear of man, illustrates the Reformed conviction that civil obedience finds its limit where God's law begins. The sermon closes by drawing three contemporary applications: vigilance against the gradual escalation of tyranny, confidence in the sovereign providence of God who keeps his covenant promises even through suffering, and the call to Spirit-wrought courage that refuses to silently deny Christ.
Genesis 31:22-55
Genesis 31:22–55 records the pursuit, confrontation, and covenant between Laban and the departing Jacob. The passage exposes Laban's hypocrisy, his powerlessness before the God of Israel, and his resort to a non-aggression covenant once he recognizes that divine providence has secured Jacob against him. Jacob's theology in verse 42 — confessing God's presence, power, and mercy — serves as the interpretive key to the whole chapter, pointing forward to the same God who will later see the affliction of Israel in Egypt and deliver them.
Psalm 5
Psalm 5 is David's prayer tutorial, teaching the believer how to approach God in dangerous and difficult circumstances. The sermon works through four movements in the psalm: preparing prayer with ordered intentionality, grounding prayer in a precise knowledge of God's character, making requests on the basis of divine grace rather than personal merit, and declaring a confident assurance in Yahweh's protection of the righteous. Because God abhors not merely evil deeds but evildoers themselves outside of Christ, the believer can pray against oppression with holy boldness, resting in the promise that Yahweh's favor surrounds the righteous as an encompassing shield.
Stephen's Defense, Part 5
Stephen's defense before the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:30–36 draws on the call and rejection of Moses to demonstrate that the very history Israel appeals to condemns their rejection of Jesus. The sermon expounds six attributes of God revealed in the burning bush — God as revelatory, covenantal, holy, compassionate, delivering, and the self-existent I Am — showing that Moses received a theophany of the pre-incarnate Christ in Gentile territory, dismantling the council's temple-centered objections. Moses functions as a deliberate type of Christ: called by God, rejected by the people, and authenticated by signs and wonders. The sermon closes by applying the typology directly: as Moses was sent to deliver Israel from earthly bondage, Christ is sent to deliver sinners from the bondage of sin, and the call to come to him is extended to all who are weary and heavy laden.
The Thief on the Cross
The salvation of the dying thief in Luke 23 is examined as one of the most concentrated demonstrations of vital theology in all the gospel narratives, showing that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and that the sufficiency of Christ's atoning work requires no supplementary priesthood or sacrifice. The sermon moves through the sobering inscription over Christ's cross, the unrepentant blasphemy of the cursed robber as a window into total depravity, and the remarkable conversion of the penitent thief — a reviler turned praiser — as evidence of sovereign, effectual grace. The thief's confession is shown to be theologically substantive: he acknowledges the fear of God, owns the justice of his condemnation, confesses Christ's innocence, and calls upon Christ as Lord and King. Hearers are called to remember their former state of spiritual bondage, to glory in the amazing grace that has brought them from reviling to worshiping, and to rest in Christ's word to the thief — 'today you will be with me in paradise' — as a word addressed to all who trust in Him.
2 Kings 19:1-37
Second Kings 19 narrates the Assyrian crisis under Sennacherib and Hezekiah's response — a pattern of seeking God through the prophet Isaiah, spreading the enemy's letter before the Lord, and praying with conspicuously theological concern for God's honor rather than merely for personal safety. The sermon moves through three sections: the prophet's word of encouragement, Hezekiah's model prayer, and the divine defeat of 185,000 Assyrian troops by the angel of the Lord. Hezekiah's David-like rationale — that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that the Lord alone is God — illustrates why theology matters in trial, and why the best pleas in prayer are those taken from God's honor.
The Empty Tomb and the Risen Lord
The empty tomb of Matthew 28:1–10 is not merely an absence but a proclamation: Christ was raised bodily from the dead by the Father, vindicating His atoning work and confirming every prophetic word He spoke. The sermon works through the discovery of the empty tomb by the women and the appearance of the risen Lord, attending carefully to the apologetic weight of the narrative details — the guards' terror, the invitation to examine the tomb, the folded graveclothes, and the physical feet of Jesus grasped in worship. The message closes with 1 Corinthians 15, pressing the stakes of the resurrection: without it, faith is futile and sin remains unatoned; because Christ is risen, justification, sanctification, and glorification are secured for all His brethren.
Free Grace Baptist Church - January 21, 2018 PM
James 3:1-12 presents not a program for tongue improvement but a sustained lament over the tongue's untamable, poisonous, and inconsistent nature. The passage warns that no man, however disciplined, can fully bridle his speech — a recognition meant to cast the believer upon sovereign grace rather than upon personal resolve. The sermon moves through three main headings: the warning concerning teachers and universal sinfulness, the power of the tongue illustrated through bits, rudders, and fire, and the impossibility of human self-control over speech. The practical conclusion grounds tongue-discipline in justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, the fear of God, self-examination, and prayer — and closes with the imputed active obedience of Christ as the believer's only ultimate hope before a God who will call every idle word to account.
2 Kings 1:1-18
2 Kings 1 records the idolatry, judgment, and death of Ahaziah, king of Israel — a man who, when facing death, turned not to Yahweh but to Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron. The chapter exposes the nature of idolatry as a practical confession that the living God is incompetent to meet one's needs, and it establishes the certainty of God's word against any king or army that would silence it. God's protection of Elijah through consuming fire is neither divine caprice nor Old Testament barbarism, but the settled, holy justice of a God who will brook no rival and whose jealousy for his own glory is inseparable from his mercy toward sinners. The passage calls hearers to examine what their instinctive cry in trial reveals about the true object of their allegiance.
The Olivet Discourse, Part 14
The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30) is Christ's definition of watchfulness: not passive waiting for the Son of Man's return, but diligent, faithful stewardship of whatever the Master has entrusted. The sermon expounds the three servants in turn, establishing that talents are distributed according to God's sovereign wisdom rather than merit, that faithfulness rather than quantity of output determines commendation, and that the one-talent servant's condemnation flows directly from a defective doctrine of God. The central application is that justification by faith alone is never a license for inactivity — those truly justified will evidence it by serving the Master's interests in light of His coming.
2 Samuel 1:1-16
2 Samuel 1:1–16 records an Amalekite's false report to David claiming credit for Saul's death, and David's swift, severe response. This exposition examines the inconsistencies in the Amalekite's account, David's genuine grief over Saul and the house of Israel despite Saul's wickedness, and the theological weight of fearing to touch the Lord's anointed. Three practical lessons emerge: guarding against self-promotion, cultivating a multifaceted response to divine judgment that avoids bitterness, and living under the motivating power of the fear of God.
1 Samuel 6
First Samuel 6 records the return of the Ark of the Covenant from Philistine territory to Israel, exposing both the sovereignty of God over pagan nations and the terrifying holiness of God that no sinner can approach unaided. The chapter moves through the Philistines' carefully devised test, the miracle of the lowing milk cows, the judgment on the men of Beth Shemesh who looked into the Ark, and the Ark's final lodging at Kirjath-Jearim — each episode demonstrating that God will not be manipulated, conquered, or treated with casual familiarity. The central question the men of Beth Shemesh cry out — 'Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?' — is the perennial question of every soul that has truly glimpsed the majesty of God, and the sermon answers it directly: Jesus Christ alone, the mediator of the new covenant, who by his obedience, death, and resurrection brings the elect into the presence of a consuming fire.
Marks of a Real Christian
Deuteronomy 6:1–15 sets before Israel — and by extension all covenant people — seven marks of genuine, healthy Christian living: loving God, fearing God, obeying God, holding to sound doctrine, desiring heart religion, promoting truth to the next generation, and prizing the Word of God. The passage then turns to cautions against apostasy, warning that material abundance, forgetfulness of God, and idolatry are constant threats in every era of redemptive history, not merely in the Old Covenant. The sermon closes with a direct gospel appeal: these marks of real Christianity can only be pursued by those who first come to personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Response to Persecution
Matthew 10:24–33 confronts disciples with the certainty of persecution and the threefold answer Christ gives to the fear that persecution produces. Jesus establishes first that suffering at the hands of men is inevitable — if they called the Master Beelzebul, they will do the same to his servants — and then forbids fear on three grounds: the gospel's truth will be fully proclaimed, persecutors can only kill the body while God alone holds power over soul and body, and God's sovereign providence extends even to sparrows and the hairs of one's head. The passage closes with a solemn double verdict: those who confess Christ before men will be confessed by Christ before the Father, while those who deny him will be denied — a call to bold, faithful witness grounded in the fear of God rather than the fear of man.
The Fear of God
The fear of God is the necessary prerequisite for wisdom, right thinking, and right conduct before a holy God — yet fallen man possesses none of it apart from sovereign grace. Drawing primarily from the book of Proverbs, this sermon traces four observations: the fear of God is wrought by divine grace (not moral effort), it governs the mind, it shapes behavior, and it preserves the soul in perseverance. The sermon closes with practical applications to personal cultivation of the fear of God, corporate worship governed by reverence, and a call to unbelievers to come to Christ — the one through whom God plants his fear in the heart.
The Conversion of Rahab the Harlot
Joshua 2 records the conversion of Rahab the harlot — a pagan prostitute in Jericho who confessed Yahweh as 'God in heaven above and on earth beneath' and cast herself upon his mercy. This exposition works through her conduct, her confession, and her blessings, arguing that the narrative is strategically placed in Joshua to arrest the reader before the conquest begins with a reminder that God saves to the uttermost. The sermon draws out three implications of a Jonah-like contempt for 'unsavory' sinners: it is an implicit denial of one's own depravity, a failure to comprehend the power of the gospel, and a lack of appreciation for divine grace.
Slaves and Masters
Colossians 3:22–4:1 addresses the conduct of bondservants and masters within the Roman imperial context, grounding workplace ethics not in social reform but in the Lordship of Christ over every sphere of life. The passage calls slaves to obey their earthly masters in all lawful things — not with eye-service or people-pleasing, but in sincerity of heart and fear of God — because the ultimate master is Christ, who will reward his servants with an eternal inheritance. Masters are likewise charged to give what is just and fair, knowing they too answer to a heavenly master. The sermon closes with an evangelistic appeal: every person is either a slave to sin or a slave to Christ, and freedom from sin's bondage comes only through faith in the Son.
Beware of Forgetting God in the Land
Deuteronomy 8:6–20 presents Israel on the plains of Moab receiving Moses' final warning before entering Canaan: the land of promise will itself become the land of temptation. The abundance of water, food, and mineral wealth that God graciously provides carries within it the seed of self-sufficiency — the prideful declaration of verse 17, 'my power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' The sermon traces the anatomy of spiritual forgetfulness, showing that disobedience is its inevitable symptom, idolatry its destination, and covenantal destruction its consequence. The appointed remedy is remembrance: to rehearse God's redemptive acts, receive his gifts with thanksgiving, and live by the indicative of grace as the foundation for all obedience.
A Potential Danger Identified
Deuteronomy 7:17–26 identifies a specific temptation that would face Israel on the threshold of Canaan: the temptation to doubt God's faithfulness when confronted by nations greater than themselves. Drawing on the failure of the first generation recorded in Numbers 13–14 and Deuteronomy 1, the exposition works through Moses' five-part antidote to that doubt — a corrective, an exhortation to remember the Exodus, an encouragement from God's provision, a reminder of God's character, and a repeated command to destroy idols utterly. The cross-covenantal application presses believers to resist unbelief by rehearsing what God has already accomplished in Christ, and to cultivate a hatred of sin that guards against the gradual snare of idolatry.
Necessary Precautions for Israel
Deuteronomy 6:10–16 sets three concrete dangers before Israel as they prepare to enter Canaan, and the same dangers confront the covenant community today: forgetting God in prosperity, forsaking God through idolatry, and testing God in difficulty. The passage is read against the backdrop of sovereign, covenantal grace — Israel received cities, houses, wells, and vineyards they did not build or earn, and ingratitude is therefore the root of all three failures. The appointed remedy for each danger is the same: fear God, serve him, and rest in the sufficiency of Christ rather than in material blessing, religious feeling, or favorable circumstance.
The Potential Dangers Facing Israel
Deuteronomy 6:10–16 sets before Israel three concrete dangers they will face upon entering the promised land, dangers that map directly onto the experience of the new covenant church. Prosperity tempts God's people to forget the giver and embrace practical atheism; the gods of surrounding nations tempt them to forsaking covenant loyalty for idolatry; and hardship tempts them to test God's faithfulness by calling his word into question. The sermon calls believers to respond to God's grace with fear, service, and oath-bound covenant loyalty — and to resist the governing power of emotion, circumstance, and felt experience in favour of the unchanging word.