People That Scare Me
Gal 4:1 -14
Introduction: 1. After Israel beheld the fearful phenomena,
which manifested
the presence of Jehovah upon Mount Sinai at the giving of the
law, Moses informed the people that a fear of God needed to be
before them that they sin not.
2. A fear of the almighty power of God is a great deterrent
to sin.
We are commanded in the word of God to fear God. Leviticus 25:17
says "thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God."
Hebrews 12:28 tells us that we are "to serve God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear." Proverbs 23:17
states that we are to be "in the fear of the Lord all the
day long." Proverbs 16:6 informs us that "by the fear
of the Lord men depart from evil."
3. The reason sin is paraded openly today is because there
is no
fear of God. The Bible is clear in its statements that a fear
of God is healthy. "The fear of the Lord tendeth to life."
a. The only time we should fear men is when those men
represent God's authority. For example, Leviticus 19:3 says,
"Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father, and keep
my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God." Romans 13:4 talks about
the government when it says, "He is the minister of God to
thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for
he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God,
a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." God
has given the sword to the government, and with it authority to
punish and even to execute .
b. We are not to fear our enemies. The Psalmist stated,
"In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust;
I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." When Joshua and
Caleb spake to the children of Israel after the other ten spies
had given an evil report, they said, "Rebel not ye against
the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are
bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord
is with us: fear them not."
4. The text verse states that Paul was afraid of the Galatians.
No
scripture should ever be interpreted without its context. What
Paul was saying from the context was that he was afraid for them.
He was afraid of (for) them for the danger to themselves not
for danger to him. He feared as to whether these people had truly
received Jesus Christ as their personal
Saviour. Paul was not apprehensive with respect to his own interest
or his fruitless labours, but with respect to the spiritual welfare
of the Galatians.
Paul is like a father who observes his son attempting a dangerous stunt and remarks to the son, "You scare me to death." He is not afraid of the danger the child might do to him, but he is afraid of the danger the child might do to himself.
I. People who reject salvation scare me.
2 Corinthians 5:11
"Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men"
1 Peter 4:18
"And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the
ungodly and
the sinner appear?"
Either bend before the throne now or be broken before the justice
of
Almighty God later. Knowing the majesty and the holiness of
God, knowing the necessity and awfulness of punishment in Hell,
we persuade men.
Paul feared for those who were not saved because he was aware
of
the Great White Throne they would face.
Revelation 20:11-15
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which
is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they
were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book
of life was cast into the lake of fire.
He knew the appearance of it. He knew the sentence that will
be announced there.
A. Torment in hell is extremely fierce.
1. Consider the certainty of it.
2. Consider the crowd in it.
3. Consider the character of it.
Hell
HELL! The prison house of despair,
Here are some things that won't be there:
No flowers will bloom on the banks of Hell,
No beauties of nature we love so well;
No comforts of home, music and song,
No friendship of joy will be found in the throng;
No babies to brighten the long, weary night;
No love nor peace, nor one ray of light:
No blood washed soul with face beaming night;
No mercy, no pity, pardon nor grace,
No water; O God, what a terrible place!
The pangs of the lost no human can tell,
Not one moment's ease - there is no rest in HELL!
HELL! the prison house of despair,
Here are some things that will be there:
Fire and brimstone are there, we know,
For God in His Word hath told us so:
Memory, remorse, suffering and pain,
Weeping and wailing, but all in vain;
Blasphemers, swearers, haters of God,
Christ-rejecters while here on earth did trod;
Murders, gamblers, drunkards and liars
Will have their part in the lake of fire;
The filthy, the vile, the cruel and the mean,
What a horrible mob in Hell will be seen!
Yes, more than humans on earth can tell,
Are the torments and woes of an eternal HELL.
B. Time here is so fleeing.
Proverbs 27:1
Prov 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
II. People who resist the Spirit of God scare me.
Acts 7:51
Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do
always
resist the Holy Ghost : as your fathers did, so do ye."
Resist means to strive against.…to line up against....setting yourself up against.
A. To resist the Spirit of God is to defy the creator.
B. To resist the Spirit of God is to despise the comforter.
C. To resist the Spirit of God is to deaden the conscience.
1. Dead to the Word of God which the Spirit energizes.
Hebrews 4:12
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
2. Dead to the witnesses of God which the Spirit enables.
3. Dead to the work of God which the Spirit employs.
III. People who rob from the Storehouse of God scare me.
Malachi 3:7-9
Mal 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
Mal 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Mal 3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me,
even this whole nation.
This is robbery without a weapon.
"More could be learned about a person's commitment by
looking at their
checkbook than their prayer book"
A. God's apparent problem with believers.
1. It is a personal problem - "Ye"
The point of departure for many of us is in the matter of the tithe.
2. It is a pointed problem - "Have robbed me."
B. God's appointed program for believers.
1. The plan - "bring"
Mail does not run on Sunday.
2. The person - "ye"
There is a bumper sticker with the message "Honk, if you
love Jesus." I heard of another that says, "Tithe if
you love Jesus - anybody can honk."
3. The proportion - "tithes"
A tithe is a tenth. "As God hath prospered" and the
proportion of our giving is the tithe.
4. The place - "storehouse"
The storehouse is the local church.
When are we to bring our tithes? "Upon the first day of the week." What happens on the first day of the week? The local New Testament church gathers to worship.
5. The purpose - "that there maybe meat in mine house"
The tithe is to further the work of Christ through the local church.
6. The proposition - "prove me" - This is a challenge from God.
C. Notice God's abundant promise to believers.
1. There is the promise of provision - "I will open .....
the
windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing."
2. There is the promise of protection - "I will rebuke
the
devourer for your sakes"
Though we do not understand all the ramifications of these promises,
we are to abide by the command.
IV. People who refuse to obey the Scriptures scare me.
A. Obedience is following instructions.
B. Obedience is submitting to authority.
C. Obedience is humbling of pride.
D. Obedience is the proper response of love.
God accepts nothing in lieu of obedience. We only deceive ourselves when we try to make any substitution in regard to obedience.
V. DISOBEDIENCE IS SIN.
A young boy was applying for a job at a local newspaper
office. The
manager asked him, "Can you type?" "No sir,"
came the reply. "Can you run a printing press?" asked
the manager. "No sir," again came the answer. "Well,
young man, what can you do?" The boy stood tall, smiled
and said, "I can do what I am told, sir." With that
reply, the boy was hired.
I Samuel 15:1-3;9,21, and 22. Trust and obey for there is no other way.
1 Sam 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
1 Sam 15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
1 Sam 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
1 Sam 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1 Sam 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
1 Sam 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Joshua 6:18-19; 7:5,11
Josh 6:18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
Josh 6:19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
Josh 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
Josh 7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Jonah 1:1-3
Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Jonah 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
Individual disobedience endangers many. Disobedience imperils
as nothing
else.
A. Disobedience endangers companionship.
B. Disobedience endangers children.
C. Disobedience endangers the church.
D. Disobedience endangers your crowns in glory.
Conclusion: 1. Yes there are some people who scare me.
2. I am scared not so much for the harm that they might bring
to
me, but for the harm and hurt that they might bring to themselves.