Grace and Fear

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is about Grace and Fear. Let’s turn to Heb 12:28&29, Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. See how the grace of God is coupled with the fear of God? God is greatly to be feared; He is a consuming fire, and yet He, in His great love wherewith He loved us, has granted us grace through the gift of His beloved Son. The grace of God enables us to serve Him acceptably, which is with reverence and godly fear. Heb 10:26-31, For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who  rejected Moses' law died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, Vengeance is mine; I will repay says the Lord. And again, The Lord will judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! 

1 Pet 1:1- , Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s people scattered through out  Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into. Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am Holy. Verse 17-19, And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work;  the Lord has repeatedly promised that we are all going to be judged according to what we have done, and what we have said in this life,  conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;   the fear of the Lord is clean, it is His treasure; He has promised so many good things, without partiality, to those that fear Him,  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. If we look in verse 22, we can see how we can cleanse ourselves. The Apostle Peter said, purify your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, in sincere love of the brethren. The Word of God is the truth. Jesus said, in John 17, when He was praying to the Father, He said, Father, sanctify them through thy truth; thy Word is truth. If we look in Eph 5: 25-27, it is written, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Let the Holy Spirit lead you in the Word of God, and wash you, and cleanse you from all your filthiness. 

You know it is written in the scriptures that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever, and God has spoken to His people that He does not change; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. So God is the same. God does not change. We are going to read about something He did with the children of Israel in the wilderness. Let’s turn to Numbers 16:1-7, Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?  So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face; and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. Do this: take censers, Korah and all your company; put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi! I don’t have time to read all these scriptures, but I’m going to read how God judged Korah, Dathan, and Abiram for their rebellion against the Lord. Verse 20-35, And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. Then they fell on their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation? So the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the congregation, saying, Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins. So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children. And Moses said: By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD. In the King James Version it says, they have provoked the Lord. Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also! And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense. 

Our God is a consuming fire. He has not changed. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He is greatly to be feared! It is truly a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. And there is no conflict between the love of God and the fear of God. God loves the Children of Israel. He was very long suffering with them for over 40 years in the wilderness. And through them He sent His Son, because He so loved us, and He desires to save us from His great wrath which is soon coming upon all the wicked. All the wicked will be as stubble, and the fire of God will consume them; those who sin willfully and reject the good counsel of God against themselves. Jesus willingly and lovingly gave Himself to suffer on the Cross for all our sins, and those who reject Him condemn themselves to eternal torment in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; day and night, forever and ever. God hates evil; He hates sin. Why? Because it destroys His people that He created; it ruins men and women. So He sent His Son, once to die, to put away sins, that those who have a heart to love Him and repent may receive forgiveness of sins, and enter into His Glorious Kingdom, to live forever with Him in His presence, where there is no more suffering and pain, no more sorrows. God Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes; the former things will be forgotten. He loves people, all people, and He hates sin because it destroys people. People, therefore, that love sin, He will destroy, but He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He proved His love for us when He gave His beloved Son to die for us. And He raised Him from the dead to justify us from all sins, that we may overcome sin and all things that would destroy us, as He, our great High Priest, intercedes on our behalf at the right hand of the Father. Jesus said in Revelation, Those that I love I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore and repent! 

Don’t be deceived by the many false prophets that are speaking in this hour. The grace of God and the fear of God go hand in hand. The fear of God and the love of God are in perfect harmony. When you fear Him, you will obey Him, and when you obey Him you are loving Him, and as you love him and keep His Words He will love you and grant you grace to overcome all the evil that would destroy you and your family, IF you will continue with Him, steadfast in the faith, and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which is come unto you, as it is in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also in you, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth. That’s what we need: We need to know the grace of God in truth! For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; the Seed of David, the Seed of Abraham; what the Father went through to bring Him forth!, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation: that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. In Heb 1:8&9 we read, But to the Son He says, Your throne o God is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions.

Mal 4:1-3, For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this, says the LORD of hosts.