Trembling at God's Word, Part 1b

How do I know that I tremble under the authority of God's word? Don't you want to know that? How do I know that I fear God's word? How do I know that I'm like Josiah who rips his clothes, whose heart is melted, who humbles himself? How do I know that I'm that kind of person? What is the mark of that kind of person? I want to give that to you in one statement. You know that you fear God and His Word when you fear nothing else. That's how you know. If you fear something else more than you fear God's God's word, then you're not trembling under the authority of God's word.

And go back to Mark chapter 4. And what were those men afraid of? They were afraid of a storm. They were afraid of an earthquake. They were afraid that they were going to die. And God said to them, what? You have no faith. You don't believe in what I said. You're not afraid of me. You don't fear my word. See that? And that's how we are. understand that. Listen to Psalm 119. 161. Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of thy words. Princes persecute me. They can destroy me.

And the Psalm says, that's okay, because I don't fear that. What do I fear? I stand in awe of the word of God. That's what I stand in awe of. That's the most important thing in all the world. There is nothing else more important. Turn with me in your Bible to the book of Revelation.

Chapter 1. Let me illustrate it this way for you. I am having such a wonderful time tonight. I don't know what it is, but I'm just having a great time tonight. So come join my party, will you? Listen to verse number nine, chapter one, I, John, your brother and fellow partaker of the, or should be fellow partaker, in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance, which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos. Why? Read on. Because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Why was John there?

Why was John exiled the Patmos? Because he feared God in his word more than he feared the king of his day. That's why he was there. John tells us this is why I'm here. Turn over to Revelation GF2, verse number 8. To the angel in the church of Smyrna Wright, the first and the last who was dead, and has come to life, says this, I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich, and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews that are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have, Tribulation, 10 days, be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Do not fear, the Spirit of the Lord says. Don't fear the tribulation. Don't fear death. Don't fear what's going to happen to you because of Satan. You be faithful until death. How do you know? You tremble under the authority of God's word. You fear nothing else but God's word.

You read on, Revelation. Verse number 13, chapter 2. I know where you dwell, Pergamum, where Satan's throne is, and you hold fast my name and did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipus. I love that guy. My witness, my faithful one. who was killed among you. Antimus, meaning of course, against all. There he was. He died because of the faith. He died because of his belief in the Word of God. He feared God and His Word more than he feared anything else. And that's why God looked upon Him. And that's why God had favor toward Him.

And that's why God delighted in Him. And that's why God wants to delight in you, because he wants you to fear him more than anything else. Read on. Revelation 6. Verse number 9. And when he broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain. Why? It tells you, because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained. Why were these people in the tribulation killed? because they did not fear Antichrist, because they did not fear death, because they did not fear the plagues, they feared the word of God.

That's why they were slain because the text says of the testimony which they maintained because of the word of God. You see that? You can read about it again in Revelation chapter 12, verse number 17. Revelation 12, verse number 17, Satan is so mad. He is so furious because he wants to destroy the people of God, the nation of Israel, he can't do it. So it says in verse number 17, and the dragon was enraged with the woman that is Israel and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring. Who?

Keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Same thing in Revelation 6, verse number 9. Same thing in Revelation 1, verses 9 and 10 about why John was there. Because of the Word of God, because of the gospel of God, because of the testimony of Jesus Christ. These people did not fear the dragon. They did not fear Antichrist. They did not fear Satan. Why? Because they feared the Word of God. That's why. That's how you know. truth is the most important thing in all the world and you will die for it because you love it so my dear friend Della who went home to be of the Lord she and her husband came to this church when it started.

Her daughter, Dina, was talking to me yesterday, and she said, you know, Lance, my mother used to always tell me truth over tradition. She said, my mom and my dad came to Christ Community Church. They left the relationships they had for over 70 years. They left their friends. They left them all behind for one thing. The truth. It's tough to stand on truth. when your family doesn't. It's tough to stand on truth when you've been friends with people for 10, 15, 20, and 25 years and they no longer agree with you.

But Dina said to me yesterday, she says, you know, my mother and my father would never, ever dream of compromising the truth. Man, what a testimony. And you want to know why, Della Grendal touched so many people's lives? That's why. It was the truth of God that governed her behavior, and she would not compromise it for anything. And she was a powerful woman. She was small, frail, and weak on the outside, but strong and tough as nails on the inside because of the truth of God. and you see we need to understand that why does God honor which is another question those who tremble at his word what the Bible tells us why Isaiah chapter 42 verse number 21 verse number 21 see I told you on Sunday I've been I've been doing this for six months now since July this past summer in my in my spare time when I don't study for Wednesdays and study for Sundays I study other things and this has consumed me for the last six months and it says in Isaiah 42 verse number 21 the Lord was pleased for his righteousness sake to make the law great and glorious or great and honorable.

Why does God look to those who tremble at his word? Because his word is great. His word is glorious. His word is honorable. And 1 Samuel 2.30 says what? He who honors me, I will honor. And if you want God to honor you, you must honor His great and glorious word because he honors it. Now, I've quoted that verse to you many times over the years. But let me remind you of John chapter 12.

First number 26. If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the father will honor. him. He'll honor him. He will honor him. That's what God will do. Over in John 5, verse number 44, listen to this. This is what our Lord said. He said, how can you believe when you receive honor from one another and you do not seek honor, that is, from the one and only God? The reason you don't want to honor God, the reason you don't want to glorify his name is because you, in the depths of your heart, want other people to honor you.

That's why. That's why. And that's why God says, I will honor those who honor me. I look with favor upon those people who will tremble up my word because they are looking at my word as the highest, highest entity in the world today. heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away they won't the last forever it's the eternal word of god it never ends it's a great and glorious word of god and he honors those who honor him that's the way he works that's why over in the book of proverbs the 13th chapter The 13th verse that says this, the one who despises the word will be in debt to it or will ultimately pay for it.

The one who despises the word. The one who treats the word as if it means nothing. The one who looks at the word and passes it off as, ah, you know what, that's not for me. Oh, that's for a different culture. at a different time. They'll be in debt to it. They'll pay for it. But the one who fears the commandments will be honored. See that? The one who trembles at the commandment of God, the one who shakes uncontrollably under the voice of God is the one who will be honored. I will honor that person.

So many times we treat the word with such frivolity. Oh, man, our churches today have gotten away from the authoritative preaching of the word to somehow drum up all these drama presentations to somehow make the Bible come alive. That somehow if we can dramatize it, we can make the Bible come alive. Folks, listen, the Word of God is already alive. It's already there. It's the living, abiding word of God. And the church of God, which is supposed to be the pillar and foundation of the truth of God, 1st Timothy 3, verse number 15 and 16, all of a sudden now has devalued the word of God.

We treat it as if it doesn't mean much anymore. So we try to think of all these new fanky, ideas to get the gospel out. All these newfangled ideas to try to get people interested and come into church. All the while, no longer teaching and preaching the Word of God because in a video age, in a TV age, in a high-tech age, who's going to sit and listen to a sermon for 55 minutes? Let me tell you something.

I spoke to a thousand students today, and they all listen for 55 minutes. So, you know, they'll listen.

the problem is not with the book the problem is the one who stands to speak the word of God to people who need to hear the word of God God God's word will never return void he promises that it will accomplish God's purpose that's the promise God gives we need to believe that the Bible says in Proverbs 1533 that the fear of the Lord is instruction and wisdom the fear of the Lord is instruction and wisdom those who fear the Lord those who tremble under his words word are the ones who receive instruction and wisdom.

If you wonder why you're not getting it, if you wonder why you read it and it's not sinking in, if you wonder why it's not sticking to you, then you've got to realize the fear of the Lord is instruction and is wisdom. You need to fear the word. of God, there's something else you fear more than God in his Word. Maybe it's the fear of losing your marriage, or maybe it's the fear of losing your spouse, or maybe it's the fear of losing your job, or maybe it's the fear of never getting a job, or maybe it's the that the fear of the Lord is instruction and his wisdom.

And we need to fear God more than we need to fear anything else in this world. That's what we need to be. That's what God wants to do. I'm going to close. with this. And next week we'll get to our outline. The significance of this is unbelievable. I had a wonderful opportunity to share with our men on Monday night. The marks of a man. And we talked about one of those men being Daniel himself. we read about Daniel and Daniel 10 verse number 11 when he would tremble and fall to his knees but I want to let you know something remember the situation with King Darius and the decree that was signed that if he didn't bow down and worship his image you'd be thrown into the lion's den Daniel knew that you know what Daniel did he went to the same place he always did to his window knelt and he prayed the Bible says in verse number 10 of Daniel 6 now when Daniel knew that the document was signed he entered his house now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.

He didn't fear the king. He didn't fear losing his life. He didn't fear the document that was signed. He just kept doing what he always did because he was committed to his God. He feared his God. And you know what? He was thrown into the lion's den. And the next day, Darius would show up. Daniel! Was your God able to deliver you? And Daniel says, yeah. Yeah? And I love how the story goes. It says, then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den so Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him because he had trusted in his god the king then gave orders and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel and they cast them their children and their wives in the lion's den and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones I love that story.

All the women, all the children of those men who maliciously accused Daniel were thrown to the same den that they wanted him to die in. But the story gets even better. Listen to this. Verse 25. Then Darius the king wrote to all the people's nations and men of every language who were living in all the land. May your peace abound. I make a decree. that in all the dominion of my kingdom, men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel. Man, do you know what happens when you tremble under the authority of God's Holy Word?

It causes other people to tremble under the authority of God's Holy Word. I've come to realize that if I want my children to fear God, I better fear God. If I want my wife to fear God, I better fear God. And if I want the people of Christ's community church to fear God, I better make sure me and all the elders fear God. And Darius said this, for He is the living God and enduring forever. And his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. and his dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs of wonders in heaven and on earth, who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Isn't God good? To this man, I will look. To him who is broken and of a contrite spirit and to tremble at my word. You say, how can I begin to tremble under the authority of God's word? That's next week. Let's pray. Our most gracious Heavenly Father, once again, your word has spoken. And once again, we stand in all. and we pray as we go home tonight give his journey's mercies but may we not go home tonight as we came tonight may we leave this place knowing that the most significant thing in all the world the most important thing in all the world is to do exactly what your word says.

And that is to tremble at your word. May we be those kind of trembling people from this day forward. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.