Holy Fear = to stand in awe of God = Tremble At His Presence & Tremble At His Word

            = Terrified of being away from His Presence

            = Value (treasure) God more than anything else in your life

            = Love what God loves & hate what God hates

            = Love righteousness & hate lawlessness

            = Unconditional Obedience

Isaiah 66:1-2 ESV

Thus says the LORD:

“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Unconditional Obedience =

OBEY GOD…

1) Immediately.

2) Even If it doesn’t make sense.

3) Even when you don’t see a personal benefit.

4) Even if it hurts.

5) To Completion.

• We will obey whom we fear.

#1) IMMEDIATELY

Matthew 5:23-24 MSG

“This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.

1 Samuel 2:29a NLT

So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me…

• When we are slow or neglect to obey God for any person or purpose, we honor that person or purpose above honoring God.

1 Samuel 2:30b ESV

…but now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.’

despise = ḇâzâ = disregard; worthless

lightly esteemed = qâlal = to be slight; to be trivial; little worth or importance.

• If you don’t align yourself wit His Word, your problems will be regarded as trivial to Him.

Revelation 2:5 ESV

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

lampstand — His Spirit / His Influence

Luke 14:16-17 ESV

But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

Luke 14:18a ESV

But they all alike began to make excuses…

• If we delay our obedience to God’s Word for personal excuses, we communicate that His will is secondary in importance.

#2) IT MAKES NO SENSE

• Has God ever asked you to do something that didn’t make sense?

We’re not called to live by human reason. All that matters is obedience to God’s Word and His leading in our lives. When we are in His will, we are in the safest place in the world. — BROTHER YUN

Proverbs 3:5 ESV

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Matthew 11:19b NLT

“… But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”

Proverbs 28:26 NLT

Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.

• Don’t depend on understanding everything. It can easily persuade you to disobey.

#3) NO OBVIOUS BENEFIT

It is man’s duty to love and to fear God, even without hope of reward or fear of punishment. —  MAIMONIDES

• We don’t need to sell Jesus. We need to preach Jesus!

Esther

Esther 4:11 NLT

“All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.”

Esther 4:15-16 NLT

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”

• Holy fear is what motivates us to put God’s kingdom before our own welfare.
• What’s important to God must become the most important priority to us.

Matthew 16:25 NLT

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

#4) A GOOD PAIN

Apart from obedience, there can be no salvation, for salvation without obedience is a self-contradictory impossibility. — A.W. TOZER

Matthew 26:39 NLT

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Hebrews 5:7 NLT

While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.

1 Peter 4:1 ESV

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

• True Christianity seeks to obey God. And in that process, it often results in suffering.
• Obedience is what pleases God, even when it hurts.

2 Timothy 2:12 NLT

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

• Jesus did not come to make our lives better here on earth. We are here to follow Jesus despite whether it makes our life better or not.

#5) IT IS FINISHED

Saul (Again)

• Saul, before becoming king, he was a humble and God-fearing young man. (1 Samuel 9:21)
• When he was selected to be king, he was nowhere to be found.
  • He was hiding.
  • He had no desire to have the attention nor the position. (1 Samuel 10:20-24)

1 Samuel 10:22 NLT

So they asked the LORD, “Where is he?” And the LORD replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.”

1 Samuel 10:24

Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the LORD has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

• King Saul began to tremble with fear of man. (1 Samuel 13:5-14)
  • But this is where it gets tricky.
  • He also experienced great success. (1 Samuel 14:47)
    • Victory after victory (1 Samuel 15:3, 7-9)

1 Samuel 15:11a ESV

“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.”

1 John 3:4 NLT

Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

• Sin is not doing what you know to be right.

James 4:17 NLT

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Matthew 26:53-54 NLT

Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”

Hebrews 12:2-3 Message

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

CONCLUSION

• Obedience is the only way we can truly prove we love Him. Obedience is the only way we can build a friendship with Him.

• The person who fears God obeys 1) immediately 2) even when it makes no sense 3) even when you don’t see a personal benefit 4) even when it hurts & 5) to completion.
• Always obey. Always finish what he asks you. Don’t give up.
• Obedience is something we grow in maturity as we learn who God is and increase in holy fear.