Tremble Before the Lord
By Mark Larson
www.cvillechurch.com
“And a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse, after hearing about Jesus, came up in the crowd behind Him, and touched His cloak. For she thought, ‘If I just touch His garments, I shall get well.’ And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?" And His disciples said to Him, ‘You see the multitude pressing in on You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction’” (Mark 5:25-34, NASB).
How many of us, like the woman who was healed by Jesus, would have confessed to the Lord that we had touched Him? Today, would we not tremble in His presence if we could actually see Jesus in person, right now? The Lord asked a similar question of the people of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah: “‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do you not tremble in My presence?’” (Jer. 5:22). To “tremble” means to shake or shudder involuntarily, especially out of fear or excitement. Do we today have enough fear, respect, and reverence for the Lord Almighty that we tremble in His presence?
Most People Do not Fear the Lord, Much Less Tremble Before Him.
Most People Do not Fear God and As a Result, Continually Practice Sin: “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes” (Ps. 36:1; cf. Rom. 3:10-18). How can we explain all the wickedness that goes on in the world? By pointing to the fact that most people have no fear of God. When people do not have fear of God, they disregard His will which leads to self-flattery and overconfidence in themselves to determine what is right and wrong (Jer. 10:23). This inevitably leads to a life of sin, namely wicked speech, foolishness, a lack of good deeds, and even plans of sin prepared ahead of time (Ps. 36:1-4). Those who do not fear God have little or no aversion to evil. No consideration is given to God’s word on whether or not a certain activity is sinful.
Those Who Truly Fear God Will Keep Away from Evil: “... And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil” (Prov. 16:6b). In contrast to the ungodly, those who have fear of God will seek to know His will so they may discern good and evil (Heb. 5:14). They will do their best to abstain from every form of evil (1 Thes. 5:22). Those who recognize their need for God’s mercy as given through Christ will obey His will and purpose to do the works of God (Eph. 2:4-10). “The Lord Reigns, Let the Peoples Tremble!” (Ps. 99:1a) Knowing who the Lord is will give us much cause to fear and tremble before Him. If we are God’s children, we will not feel terror or dread before the Lord, but we will always have a sense of fearful reverence for the powerful God we serve!
We tremble with fear because of who God is, what He stands for, what He has done, and what He will do. Our God is a great, awesome, and holy God! (Ps. 99:3). His kingdom endures forever and cannot be shaken (Dan. 6:25-27). Therefore, we offer an acceptable service with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:26-29). We recognize the Lord as the true God by whom all people will be judged. Unlike the idols of the pagans or “gods” of this world, the Lord is the true God who will hold every person accountable for their sins (Jer. 10:10; cf. 2 Cor. 5:10).
What Does it Take to Get a Person to Tremble Before the Lord?
For Saul of Tarsus to tremble, it took a visitation from the Lord Himself! (Acts 9:1-6). For the Philippian jailer to tremble, it took an earthquake and a miraculous prison break! (Acts 16:25-30). For Governor Felix to tremble, it took the preaching of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come (Yet, unfortunately, he did not obey! - Acts 24:25). What will it take for you to tremble before the Lord and obey His gospel?
Not a miracle nor the raising of the dead is necessary to get people to tremble before God and repent of their sins today (e.g., Luke 16:19-31). The word of God is perfectly sufficient to cause anyone with a good and honest heart to tremble, repent, and obey the Lord (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Luke 8:15).
The Lord Looks with Favor on Those Who Tremble at His Word.
“Thus says the LORD,‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,’ declares the LORD. ‘But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isa. 66:1-2). God is not impressed by fancy buildings of worship nor by elaborate ceremonies that just appear religious. Instead, God looks attentively upon those who tremble at His word, who take His word to heart with the utmost fear of accountability before the Lord.
As Christians, let us never lose the seriousness of serving God in accordance to His word. Let us take every word that God has said very seriously (John 12:48). Every Christian, if he or she expects to be saved eternally, will maintain such an attitude with fear and trembling: “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). Our fear of God is evident as we strive to obey His word each day and stay ready for the Lord’s return and judgment. “Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth” (Ps. 96:9).
www.cvillechurch.com
“And a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse, after hearing about Jesus, came up in the crowd behind Him, and touched His cloak. For she thought, ‘If I just touch His garments, I shall get well.’ And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?" And His disciples said to Him, ‘You see the multitude pressing in on You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction’” (Mark 5:25-34, NASB).
How many of us, like the woman who was healed by Jesus, would have confessed to the Lord that we had touched Him? Today, would we not tremble in His presence if we could actually see Jesus in person, right now? The Lord asked a similar question of the people of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah: “‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do you not tremble in My presence?’” (Jer. 5:22). To “tremble” means to shake or shudder involuntarily, especially out of fear or excitement. Do we today have enough fear, respect, and reverence for the Lord Almighty that we tremble in His presence?
Most People Do not Fear the Lord, Much Less Tremble Before Him.
Most People Do not Fear God and As a Result, Continually Practice Sin: “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes” (Ps. 36:1; cf. Rom. 3:10-18). How can we explain all the wickedness that goes on in the world? By pointing to the fact that most people have no fear of God. When people do not have fear of God, they disregard His will which leads to self-flattery and overconfidence in themselves to determine what is right and wrong (Jer. 10:23). This inevitably leads to a life of sin, namely wicked speech, foolishness, a lack of good deeds, and even plans of sin prepared ahead of time (Ps. 36:1-4). Those who do not fear God have little or no aversion to evil. No consideration is given to God’s word on whether or not a certain activity is sinful.
Those Who Truly Fear God Will Keep Away from Evil: “... And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil” (Prov. 16:6b). In contrast to the ungodly, those who have fear of God will seek to know His will so they may discern good and evil (Heb. 5:14). They will do their best to abstain from every form of evil (1 Thes. 5:22). Those who recognize their need for God’s mercy as given through Christ will obey His will and purpose to do the works of God (Eph. 2:4-10). “The Lord Reigns, Let the Peoples Tremble!” (Ps. 99:1a) Knowing who the Lord is will give us much cause to fear and tremble before Him. If we are God’s children, we will not feel terror or dread before the Lord, but we will always have a sense of fearful reverence for the powerful God we serve!
We tremble with fear because of who God is, what He stands for, what He has done, and what He will do. Our God is a great, awesome, and holy God! (Ps. 99:3). His kingdom endures forever and cannot be shaken (Dan. 6:25-27). Therefore, we offer an acceptable service with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:26-29). We recognize the Lord as the true God by whom all people will be judged. Unlike the idols of the pagans or “gods” of this world, the Lord is the true God who will hold every person accountable for their sins (Jer. 10:10; cf. 2 Cor. 5:10).
What Does it Take to Get a Person to Tremble Before the Lord?
For Saul of Tarsus to tremble, it took a visitation from the Lord Himself! (Acts 9:1-6). For the Philippian jailer to tremble, it took an earthquake and a miraculous prison break! (Acts 16:25-30). For Governor Felix to tremble, it took the preaching of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come (Yet, unfortunately, he did not obey! - Acts 24:25). What will it take for you to tremble before the Lord and obey His gospel?
Not a miracle nor the raising of the dead is necessary to get people to tremble before God and repent of their sins today (e.g., Luke 16:19-31). The word of God is perfectly sufficient to cause anyone with a good and honest heart to tremble, repent, and obey the Lord (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Luke 8:15).
The Lord Looks with Favor on Those Who Tremble at His Word.
“Thus says the LORD,‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,’ declares the LORD. ‘But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isa. 66:1-2). God is not impressed by fancy buildings of worship nor by elaborate ceremonies that just appear religious. Instead, God looks attentively upon those who tremble at His word, who take His word to heart with the utmost fear of accountability before the Lord.
As Christians, let us never lose the seriousness of serving God in accordance to His word. Let us take every word that God has said very seriously (John 12:48). Every Christian, if he or she expects to be saved eternally, will maintain such an attitude with fear and trembling: “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). Our fear of God is evident as we strive to obey His word each day and stay ready for the Lord’s return and judgment. “Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth” (Ps. 96:9).
posted by Mark E Larson | 10:08 AM
2 Comments:
Excellent article! We are all in desperate need to rediscover the fear of God. God's Word is pure and if we would study it and learn exactly what He says about fearing Him, as this article so well has done, we would learn to fear God with godly results!
Phil Beach, Jr.
philbeach@verizon.net
Excellent article! We are all in desperate need to rediscover the fear of God. God's Word is pure and if we would study it and learn exactly what He says about fearing Him, as this article so well has done, we would learn to fear God with godly results!
Phil Beach, Jr.
philbeach@verizon.net
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