Facing Down An Unhealthy Fear Of God - Part 2
Scripture: Psalm 103
What is God Really Like? If we knew who God is, would we treat him the way we do? On the road to Emmaus, two people met with Jesus and didn't recognize Him. They walked together and Jesus explained the Old Testament scriptures to them, but it was only when he broke bread with them that they knew who He was.
"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God."
(Psalm 14:1,2) In this Psalm, David describes the wicked. He uses the word, "FOOL" It has to do with moral failure, that which is stupid, wicked, irreverent, and inherently evil. David goes on to tell us that these fools who say there is no God are corrupt, their deeds are depraved, and there is no one who does good. They do not recognize any obligation on their part to Him. They have no reverence for the Lord. They think they are not accountable to God. Think about it with me.
Just about everyone here believes in the existence of God. Many of us have a great fear of God based on a faulty concept of who God is.
The Character Of God - Psalm 103
First, we need to learn to praise the Lord for all his benefits. (vs.1&2) "Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits"
(2 Peter 1:3)
The Lord always cautioned His people about forgetting all he has given. Moses speaking to Israel just before they entered into the Promised Land said . . . "Be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name." (Dt. 6:10-12)In
Psalm 103 David lists nine attributes of God's character. The are things he has given to us. These benefits are reasons for praise:1. "He forgives all your sins"
(V 3a) We live in a day when there seems to be no sense of sin. It's a day when we call good evil and evil good. (Isaiah 5:20)
Christ removed our sins as far as the east is from the west. He doesn't remember our transgressions any longer. When we confess our sins and rebellion against God, and confess that we need forgiveness, we find out that God forgives, pardons and spares us from judgement.2. "He heals all your diseases"
(V 3b) Disease is sometimes the result of sin. If we live sinfully, we will reap the consequences of iniquity in our bodies. If we repent of our sin, stop punishing our bodies and polluting our minds, the negative results may also leave us.
(Exodus 15:26) Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)However, disease is not always the result of sin. Sometimes it is just the result of the natural ageing process. The older we get the more things start going wrong with us. God allows some sickness and disease for the testing of our faith. Sometimes suffering disease is exemplary. How we respond to it will help someone else. If we live obedient lives for the Lord we will probably be healthier.
3. He redeems your life from the pit. (V 3b)
A man fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out. Many people had different ideas about what to do about the man in the pit. For example:
A subjective person came along and said, "I FEEL for you, down there but I can't reach you"
An objective person came along and said, "It's logical that someone would fall, down there."
A Christian Scientist came along and says, "You only THINK that you are in a pit."
A Pharisee said, only BAD people fall into a pit.
A Mathematician calculated HOW he fell into the pit.
A News reporter said, wanted the exclusive story on his pit.
A Legalistic Christian said, you DESERVE your pit.
Confucius said, "If you would have listened to me, you would not be in that pit."
Buddha said, "Your pit is only a state of mind."
A Realist said: Now, "That's a PIT."
A Scientist calculated the pressure necessary (lbs./sq.in.) to get him out of the pit.
A Geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit.
An evolutionist said, "You are a rejected mutant destined to be removed from the evolutionary cycle. In other words, he is going to die in the pit, so that he cannot produce any "pit-falling offspring."
The County inspector asked if he had a permit to dig a pit.
A Professor gave him a lecture on 'The Elementary Principles of the Pit.'
An evasive person came along and avoided the subject of his pit altogether
A Self pitying person said: "You haven't seen anything until you've seen MY PIT!!"
A charismatic person said: Just CONFESS that you're not in a pit.
An optimist said: "Things COULD be worse."
A Pessimist said: "Things WILL get worse!!"
But, "JESUS, seeing the man, took him by the hand and LIFTED HIM OUT of the pit." There is no humanistic answer to the pit of sin and death. Only Christ can lift you out of your pit by redeeming your soul.
(Psalm 40:1-3)Back to Psalm 103
He Crowns us with Love and Compassion.
(V 4b) God encircles us with love and compassion. He protects us from attack. He compasses us about like a crown.
"He satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." (V 5)
He Works Justice and righteousness for the oppressed (V 6)
He reveals Himself (V 7)
He is long-suffering (V 8)
He removes our sins rather than treating us as we deserve (V 9&10)
God is Self-Defined (V 11-22)
1. He cannot answer all fears. However, he is always close beside us to deliver our souls from the pit. It's like a little boy who lost the grip on his mother's hand. For that moment he cried for his mother even though she was only an arm's length away. She reached down, picked him up and all was well. It's the same with our Lord. We may not know the answers to all our fears. There is much we don't know. However;
2. We can Proclaim Truth. We want a God who defines himself. Any God worth our worship must reveal himself. If I try to define God I might leave something out. I probably would have a one sided God. God gives himself many names and through those names He reveals his character and nature.
Did you know that Jesus of the New Testament is the Jehovah of the Old Testament? When Moses wanted to know who was sending him to deliver Israel out Egypt, the Lord said, tell them "I AM" has sent you. Jehovah is the self-existent one who lives from eternity. When debating with the Pharisees Jesus said, before Abraham was "I AM." Thereby, He defined himself as Jehovah.
Remember that God is also holy and righteous. A holy God must judge sin. Either we bear the punishment for our own sin or we receive Jesus as our sin bearer and sacrifice for sin. We must make the choice. A person would be a fool to reject Jesus as the only punishment for sin.
If we accept Jesus we share in the benefits of his love and grace. If we choose our sin we elect eternal separation from God. Let us always praise God for all His benefits.
People who have a dread of God must not know about this list of attributes. They have defined God out of their own bad experiences with sinful people. There must be a hundred ways we can make mistaken judgements about who and what God is. We cannot refute them but one thing we can do. We can declare the truth about who God is. We can also celebrate the benefits of God's character and person who reveals himself to us.
Jesus said, Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
(John 14:21) This God We all need. Let us worship; obey Him so we can know Him better.