Fears Refining Fire
The Fear of God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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ANNOUNCE:
Surveys
Miracle in our midst Doreen’s knee
Andy Wright, Ryan Jackson, Rachael McGough, Ashley Gealy, My Wife ran a Sprint Triathlon in Dewitt yesterday. Andy won 2nd place in his age bracket.
Speaking of running…that defines my life
Sprinting is ok for short periods but rest is imperative for everyone.
I am going on a sabbatical.
I have been working my hours here some weeks that is up to 60 hours, and doing 5-6 hours of homework 5 days a week for a year.
NLF, QCM, Presbyter for the state, School, Family
Conference coming up…Aug 5
Prayer tonight
INTRO:
WEEK 1: WHAT IS THE FEAR OF GOD
- we defined the fear of the LORD
- an awe and reverence that drives us to worship, and obey God)
WEEK 2: HOLY FEAR
- we discussed the Holiness and majesty of the LORD (what does God look like)
WEEK 3: IT’S A LIFESTYLE
- we discussed the lifestyle of the fear of the LORD. (Treasure God’s Word, listen, understand, cry out, and you will receive the fear of the LORD.
This week
WEEK 4: FEARS REFINING FIRE
- I want to discuss the manifestation of the fear of the LORD.
The fear of the LORD will do the work of a refining fire purifying us from sin
Exodus 20:20 (NLT)
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”
Proverbs 14:27 (NLT)
27 Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death.
Proverbs 16:6 (NLT)
6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.
Malachi
Summarizing book of the OT and
A preparation book for the NT foretelling the coming Messiah
He begins by pointing out God’s love for His people.
Warns his people concerning their sins and lack of fear of the LORD
Warned them about God’s righteous judgement
The Israelites did not learn from their past and and entered a serious spiritual decline
He rebukes them for not tithing
So Malachi addresses them.
IS IT RELEVANT TO US? YES...
We need to maintain genuine worship to make sure that we do not let our worship become just a mechanical observance of religious practices.
Give God our best
Don’t take family issues lightly. (divorce, marriage to unbelievers)
3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.
ILLUSTRATION:
“Cupellation,” involves heating crude silver at extremely high temperatures until it is liquefied and adding certain substances such as nitric acid to help absorb the impurities. Once the pollutants are consumed, and the temperature is just right, the liquefied silver should become as clear as a mirror. According to tradition, when the silversmith can see his/her reflection in the metal, it is ready to pour. Both the temperature and the moment to take the metal out of the fire must be precise, or it could destroy the silver. For that reason, the craftsman must “sit” as the verse in Malachi says, and carefully manage the process, tempering the metal until it’s ready, controlling the heat and timing.
“God’s refining of his people always involves a concrete goal or purpose, i.e. cleansing and purification. Something precious will result from the process.”
G. A. Klingbeil
6 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’
Honor and Fear
Malachi 2:5 (NLT)
5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name.
This required reverence (Fear) from them, and they greatly revered (Feared) me and stood in awe (Fear) of my name.
Malachi 3:5 (NLT)
5 “At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
We see, The lack of fear is the reason for their sin in 3:5
Malachi 4:2 (NLT)
2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.
The fear of God summarizes the OT through Malachi
WE WILL ALL FACE JUDGEMENT
A. The Great White Throne Judgement (For the unsaved)
11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.
12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.
13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.
14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.
15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
B. The Judgement Seat of Christ (For the Christian)
9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.
10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.
1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.
2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,
3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.
13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.
14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.
15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
ILLUSTRATION:
A while back QC Mission came along side a neighbor that lost everything in a fire. She was saved, but left the house with only the clothes on her back.
5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done.
7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.
8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.
ILLUSTRATION:
As parents there is nothing our kids could do to make us love them more.
But what they do can impact how proud of them we are.
LET A HEALTHY FEAR OF GOD PURIFY YOU
A. Paul maintained a high level of holy fear towards God. (This kept him in a place of: Pg 92)
i. Holiness and
ii. Obedience to Christ, (even when met with disappointment, disapproval and rejection of others)
B. HOLY Fear keeps us aware of our shortcomings, failures, and motives of the heart (PG 84)
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
C. Like Adam and Eve we try to hide our shortcomings
i. We need to search our hearts and let the Word of God identify, and bring to the surface the impurities that lie deep within our hearts.
ii. Be cautious of your motives (PG 74-78)
iii. We are often more concerned about what others think, than what God thinks.
a. Ananias and Sapphire
b. How often do we try to hide our failing marriage, failing, finances, failing business to give a image that is not a reality.
ALTAR:
God wants to expose us to the refining fire, Purify us and Set us apart.
Look at your neighbor, and say you're going to live forever
Look at your neighbor, and say life is short prepare for eternity