Well, good afternoon. You're here this afternoon to observe the Lord's table. You're commanded to live in a fear before him. In fact, the title for this meditation is Cultivate a Gospel Fear. And I will read Proverbs 19, verse 23, in your hearing, you may listen or turn there, it's a single verse. Before we get started, John Stott says that the book of Proverbs is evidently a product of prolonged reflection. And careful composition. We have the thoughtful words and as we consider this treasure chest of gospel gems, it appears that Proverbs is a book with many colored and many faceted gems, many varieties Many excellent jewels altogether. And so we're going to take a look at just one verse in this vast treasure chest of God's word. Proverbs 19, verse 23. The fear of the Lord leads to life. And whoever has it rests satisfied. He will not be visited by harm. And so we have two points in our meditation. The first is to cultivate a gospel fear. And secondly, to rejoice in its fruits, let us pray as we come to the word of God. Lord, even now, as we hear the rain pouring down. We remind that in the same way, your blessings are poured out on us more than we can count. All doing the purpose for which you have sent it forth. Her rejoice to come to your word, we ask that you would aid us by your spirit, illumine our minds and hearts to a gospel fear to bring us to a higher place of rejoicing in your name with the fruits that proceed from that. We are a dependent people. We need more light. We need more love in our hearts for Christ. We need more aid and assistance by your spirit. And we thank you that you are so generous to give. You are a mighty God. Turn our hearts and our eyes towards you. For indeed, we look to the hills from where our help comes. We look to you, our God, in this hour. And in Jesus name, we pray. Amen. It's really coming down. Beautiful. Well, to read the verse again in your hearing, the fear of the Lord leads to life and whoever has it rests satisfied. He will not be visited by harm. So my first point is to cultivate a gospel fear. And that's actually a phrase from Charles Bridges and his commentary on Proverbs as a grace of the gospel cultivated to the uttermost. And so the majority of this meditation is actually taking that command and seeking to apply it, seeking to cultivate it. And a word on this, as we cultivate this fear, let us cultivate it in its breadth. Let us cultivate it not as a single entity, but as a wide ranging encompassing of fear. It's not a summarized fear. A lot of times we think of the word fear. The first word we often think of is, well, it must mean a reverence. It's common in our conversations, my own thinking, what is fear? We think of reverence, and it's a much broader topic. It's as if there's a rainbow outside. And you say to someone, go out and look at that rainbow, come back and tell me, what is a rainbow? If they came back with the averaged experience, a rainbow's yellow. And you say, well, okay, I wonder if you really saw the rainbow. The rainbow's more than yellow. Well, I took the reds on one side of the spectrum and I took the blues and the ultraviolets on the other side of the spectrum and I kind of averaged the experience and came up with yellow. What's a wonderful thing, what the Lord does with us as we walk in our Christian life, it seems he's not only content to sanctify and make our character holy, but he also grants us a character that is able to hold on to a wider breadth of ideas and truths at the same time. As you walk as a Christian, you find that in your life you're able to come to a point where you're able to hold a grief over some things. At the same time, you're holding to a rejoicing in the other thing. And you don't just average the experience and say, I'm living an OK life. My life is at one dot right in the middle. I'm OK. We actually learn to hold a breadth of ideas at the same time. In this last month, if I could give a thought, the thought of the month. It comes out of a John MacArthur sermon on First John. Where he says. All the attributes of God. are fully infused into all the other attributes of God. So God is loving. And it's not really right to say in this act, God was loving. In this act, God was tender. In this act, God was judging. Every act of God exercises every attribute of God at the same time. It's a spectrum. It's not just yellow anymore. It's the full colors through the rainbow. That's all the attribute of God himself being displayed. Every action of God is full of wisdom. Every action of God is full of the power that cannot be stopped. Every action of God is just. It's filled with the right place of anger and wrath and compassion and tenderness. All exercise the same time, we can't just minimize it to a single attribute and say that's his action. It's a spectrum, and I hope we bring the same kind of thinking to the word fear. Fear isn't just a dot of reverence on our map of what fear is. A right view of fear to cultivate a gospel fear is to cultivate it in its breadth as well as in its depth. The New Testament gives a full view of this fear to cultivate, and so let us embrace it in its breadth. Now, fear the word itself has 352 occurrences in the scriptures, so I don't have 352 bullet points in the sermon. There's 77 in the New Testament, and I have taken those 77 and I've summarized them into six categories. So as we look at cultivating a gospel fear, I'd like to review these six categories of how fear appears in the New Testament. And it'll kind of be like a pie. With the first slice is going to be the largest and then every slice afterwards will get a little smaller according to the number of times that category or that use of the word fear appears in the New Testament. And so let's start right in our first slice. Of fear. I would give it the category name, it's a fear that addresses. Fear of man or providence. So the first and largest numerical usage of the word fear in the New Testament addresses fear of man or providence. And almost all of these. Really are in the category of do not fear. When we fear God and we take his commands to heart, we are told to endeavor after not fearing certain elements. I can't remember who has said it, but if we fear God. The man who fears God at the same time fears nothing else. That seems to be this category. Almost all are do not fear men and providence take their proper place when our fear of God is first. We're told of a Messiah who will come and his people will serve without fear. We're told that we are not given a spirit of fear, but rather one of love and control. We are told that we are not to fear, but we have a fatherly fear. but not a timid fear of punishment. We see if the angel says, fear not, I bring good tidings, good news. We see many cases of do not fear providence. We even see here the experienced fear of what I would call a squelching fear. Actual episodes where people did something secretly for fear of the Jews. Christ's body was taken from the cross and buried somewhat quietly because of fear. Christ was not spoken of openly at certain times because there was a fear of man that stopped them. We're told that we are delivered to serve without fear. We are delivered from the fear of death, which holds us in lifelong slavery. We say we are not to fear, but is the spirit that bears testimony to us that we are the children of God and by which we cry out, Abba, Father. So in this first category, We see that there is an addressing of the fear of man and Providence. And as we come to this table, let us live without fear. Those is him that we just saying. He has just hushed the laws loud thunder. Justice smiles and asked no more. When we come to this table and hold the bread in our hands, we take this cup and we see it. It's a picture of that answering It's a picture of the things we need not fear for Christ has answered on our behalf. We can even say, how shall I fear for who shall bring a charge against God's elect? This is the work of Christ in us. We see that we can live with fear in the knowledge of relationship. Our relationship is not just one of slavish fear of God. But it's one of a God who is our father, a father who has engaged us in covenant. Our fear is bounded and tempered by this relationship that we have. So that's the first category, the second category of fear is a fear of death or torment. And 13 verses in the New Testament. In fact, there's actually a couple of verses that fit between the first two categories. Don't fear man who can kill the body, but fear God who can not only kill the body, but cast the soul into hell. It actually covers both of these categories. And so here we see that don't fear men, fear God. We see here the fear of God himself. People realize when they come to the presence of God's own person, there is much to fear. We see that there is a fear of God's judgments. That which he personally sees and has anger against and now judges is the fear of death and torment in the second category. We see that the church feared. In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, it was the church that feared because of their death of lying to the Holy Spirit, and it was the church that feared and people didn't want to join them because of fear. We see her also Babylon judged. In revelation, such a fearful judgment upon her that the people of God are called to look and fear this great judgment of God himself. We see the jailer. His world literally being shaken, coming in fear to the apostles, asking what he must do. It was a fear of his death that wasn't a nice, proper little reverent fear. It was a fear for his life. The judgment is not a tender thing, but a thing that is terrible and something that is a fear of death or torment. We see in the last days there are those who will faint from fear at the happenings at the end of the age. We even have the thief on the cross. Asking the other thief, telling the other thief, will you not fear? We die for our sins. There's a fear in him. And as we come to this table, Indeed, let us fear God who judges and let that have a little root in you. What is the judgment we deserve? Take a quick view. Of the judgment that is rightly ours, the judgment we have earned, the wrath that rightly would sit upon our shoulders if it were not for Christ. And then turn that and rejoice that Christ removes this fear. Also, Christ has taken the judgment. Heed the warning. In first Corinthians 11 to partake in a worthy way. These are all a fear that is right and good is a fear of judgment, but then it's turned as we take partake of this table for Christ has received that judgment on our behalf. Thirdly. Third category of fear, what I would call a needed fear, we have felt needs. Here's a needed fear, I guess that's our equivalent or a moderated fear. And I would call this an operational fear as we live our life as Christians, what is the fear that we are to have? What is the fear that we are to exercise and cultivate and grow after? And the major category here is Christians are to live and fear God. Pray and fear God. Do that work of completing holiness in the fear of God. In fact, the wicked are actually categorized by the very opposite for the wicked do not fear God. He says, Paul says, bring forth holiness in fear. That is a fear we are to take to heart, a fear that we are to exercise through our minds and our hearts. We're told to work out our salvation in trembling and fear. So rather than pushing fear aside, and I know in the workplace, I always hear perfect love cast out fear. Why do you talk about fear? Well, it does remove fear of judgment, but it doesn't remove the fear of which we should operationally live our lives out. The fear in which we should hold these great truths that are presented to us in the New Testament. So we see here as we come to the table that we are to conduct ourselves in fear. As we partake. Let this ordinance urge you on in your race. Let this ordinance be something that helps you pray even Lord, let this be applied, this grace that comes to me in this ordinance. And Lewis Burkoff does say there's a grace, a grace like that grace that is imparted or not imparted, but given to us in the preaching of God's word. That same type of grace that is strengthening to us comes through in this ordinance. So we sing the song. Bid my anxious fears subside. As we come to the table, the Lord is bidding our anxious fears subside. We have before us a picture of the death of death and of hell's destruction. For Christ has made full satisfaction of it, so as we come and we think of the fear we ought to exercise before God, let us come to this table in the same way. Fourthly, I would call it a ministry fear. The New Testament has 12 verses Regarding a ministry fear. Largely a fear of the apostle or of officers in the church. A fear of God as they minister. Knowing the fear of God, we thus persuade men, Paul tells us. So ministers operate in fear. Paul also has what I would call part of this ministry fear takes on a very parental character. Paul says, I fear for you that for the truth you have known, it now has come to nothing, that there's a vanity He longs to meet with the brethren and as he's at a distance from them and he's writing them, he says, I fear for you that you are falling into temptation. And so this ministry fear, it's a fear for others. It's a parental fear that Paul has. It's a love. It's a father brooding over his children, desiring they would walk upright and be strengthened. A very present fear in the New Testament. Interesting phrase here, show mercy to those that are erring and are in sin. We are commanded to show mercy in fear, show mercy to those who are erring. And yet for yourself and for them, fear the end that might come upon if sin takes them its full length. If sin takes them part of the length, be fearful, show mercy and fear. And again, as we come to this table. Maintain a fear in ministry. This fear also, by the way, includes what I would call an institutional fear, a fear of the government who is there to encourage the right and to hinder the wrong. So as we come to this table, let us maintain fear in ministry. Remember that we have been shown mercy. And therefore, let us show mercy in fear, let us get grace for sincere obedience and conduct. Fifthly, I would say a type of fear that we can call a miracle fear. A fear of seeing the power of Christ in his ministry, they can use the word astonished, but there was a fear that gripped them as they saw the power and person of Christ in a new light, as there was a glorious appearance. As there was a transfiguration, there was a great fear. Even some of our loquacious apostles, disciples were speechless. They're on their face. They were fearful in the Lord's presence. Here we see even a fear of demonic power. In fact, it was just last Sunday morning we read of the seven sons of Sceva, the Christ whom Paul preaches. We a jury or come out. And he said, Christ, we know Paul, we've heard of, but who are you? And they so attack these men that fear and exalting praise to God resulted from seeing that demonic power. We see even a fear of the resurrection, it was joy and fear. With which the women left. The tombstone, the tomb site of Christ. Those two mixed together, it was a miracle fear. Jesus in the sea, they feared when Christ walked towards them. And it's very interesting, because as Christ walked towards the disciples in the boat. He wasn't there to cause them to fear, he was not there to have them fear his judgment. It's particularly an act of Christ coming to them to be with them, to comfort them, to aid them. And even so, they were fearful, thinking it was a ghost upon the waters coming to them. And so as we come to this table, let us grow in fear towards Christ. Grow in fear that bonds us closer to him, that gives us a greater affection to be near him, that type of fear. This is a different type of fear than the world thinks of. Fear is repulsive, avoiding. Let me go hide myself from it. And yet we need a fear that recognizes the majesty of Christ, the extent of his work. The complete supernatural other worldliness of it. And not to be astonished to flee, but to be astonished to draw towards Christ. And so as we hold this bread, this very picture of the work of Christ, very God, a very God, very man, a very man having died upon the cross as we take the cup in our hands and realize that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. And this is a perfect blood represented in Christ. This is the blood of the new covenant that Christ speaks of. Yes, let's be astonished. Let's take it to heart and let it be a fear that draws us towards Christ. But this richness in display draws to him in affection and in faith embrace the incomprehensible nature. We know something as small children know something that their father is present, but they don't know all about their father in the same way that this is incomprehensible. We can't understand all of it. Let it be a fear that draws us to him. Sixthly, I would call finally, it was my first thought that reverent fear would be there. It ends up being the sixth slice of the pie. It is a reverent fear. And most of these verses are fear that is associated with glory and praise. So the first thing I thought of was when you talk about fear, it's a reverent fear. And the second thing I thought of naturally was that a reverent fear is something of a stoic, quiet, mousy silence in God's presence. And yet, when we are given what I would call a reverent fear in the New Testament, it's so connected with glorifying God and giving praises to God that it's anything but silent. The reverent fear is coming to God's presence for the purpose of praising him. The next greatest use is a title of men. When Paul went to the synagogue, he would address those and bid them to come in. Those who fear God, those who had a pattern of life of such high regard and fear for God, they actually had something of a title. I believe scripture uses their name as a title. Those of you who fear God come and listen. Gentiles, Jews, those who fear God bring in the different groups of people. But it is a praising, a fearing him, even a synonym for worship. Fear is used as a synonym, as another word to declare worship unto God. So we see a type of people, we see the Lord says there is mercy upon those who fear him. We even have a reference to Noah, who feared the Lord and built the ark. It was a fear that was active. It was a fear that was a response to God's greatness. And revelation is paramount in saying who will not fear and glorify God come into his presence. And so that is the connection of the reverent fear. And so we see from these six definitions that fear is not a narrow concept. Its breadth includes at least. The right object, not man, but God, not Providence, but God, it includes judgment. A way of living your life, a posture in ministry, a drawing near to Christ and worship. Packing all that into one little word fear, it amazes me. Bridges says in his commentary, his mercy sweeps away the terror. His holiness maintains the fear of reverence. We have both at once, we must hold the fear across the spectrum. And another part that I won't go in at this time, but fear is not only varied in its own definition, but fear is wonderfully connected to other words. If you look at the other words in the same verses where there's fear, you find words like beloved and fear are connected. You find word like mercy and fear are connected. Salvation and fear are connected. Abba Father and fear are connected together. It all hangs together. And with these things in mind, Let us cultivate a gospel fear. Secondly, let us rejoice in the fruits of fear. Three things proceed in this verse. Again, I will read it in your hearing. Proverbs 1923, the fear of the Lord leads to life and whoever have it rest satisfied and he will not be visited by harm. We have three wonderful fruits that come out of this cultivated fear, life, satisfaction and security. Are these not precious? Are they not wonderful? Aren't you the thing that all men strive after? Many looking at all the wrong places and yet the very thing the world avoids, the fear of God. God went through that avenue, bring these very desirable fruits, we have life before us because of fear. It leads to fear, it tends to fear the fear of the Lord leads to life. It helps with a life that is enduring. We have the storms of life and this fear of God so causes us to build our life on the rock that we are able to withstand the storms. We see it's not just a. Fear that tells us not to fear the temporal matters of this life, we find it goes far and above into the supernatural. It goes into that life that is eternal. The fruit of this fear is a life that is heavenly, a life that lands you into heavenly Jerusalem, into that festal banquet before God. We see that it is heavenly, that it is eternal and that it is promised. What a wonderful fruit of life, and we find that this abundant life that Christ gives, it doesn't even wait. For you to die and be glorified and brought into heaven. But it's an abundant life now. It's helping you now, it's giving you confidence is now this Holy Spirit is a deposit upon you is part of that payment now, that life even now. Another fruit of the spirit is satisfaction. This world and we ourselves, have we not run after one satisfaction to find that it's empty and then to go to another satisfaction? And yet the Lord would break that cycle within us and cause us to know in cultivating a fear in him, cultivating a dependency, we can have a satisfaction from his hand. In this, we have a quiet rest. And it seems that our day and age, our world does anything but a quiet rest. We hear busyness and schedules and stress and see things that are so impacting on our life that it shortens our life. And yet here. We have a quiet rest. You see that he that has it shall be satisfied. Highlanders as they look at this passage translated slightly differently, they say satisfied one spendeth the night. That word for rest has a connection with sleeping with vulnerability. Being satisfied one spends the night. Sleep is not hindered by hunger, sleep that is not hindered by terror. And in fact, Colin Daly should again link it to other parts of the New Testament, where it speaks of one being unclothed and cold in the night. Have you ever been really cold, unable to sleep? Just I remember one night in high school going to Idlewild, my friend and I, we were sleeping on five feet of snow and everything I owned was under me, anything to get me away. It was cold. I didn't sleep a wink. It was miserably cold. Here we have the very opposite, that there is a satisfaction and in satisfaction one spends the night. It's a fruit of this fear. Also in Isaiah, there's a connection of this word with visitation of punishment. It comes in the night. It comes to beguile you, to harass you, to judge you. And yet the one who has cultivated a gospel fear, one who has this fear that Proverbs 1923 speaks of has a satisfaction and here also is a motive for a godly life, knowing that this fear produces such wonderful fruit. It should make us dread departure and separation from his love. Why would we want to leave satisfaction? Why would we want to leave this wonderful life that Christ has for us? Let that be a force to motivate you and bind you in affection more to Christ. Lord, I'm sorry for the sin I have, and yet I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to be closer to you than I've ever been before. You have given me satisfaction, you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. I don't want to leave that. I don't want to be in anyone else's house. Your house is glorious, your presence is desired, everything else is less or sin or misery. You are a great God. Thirdly, a fruit of this fear is security. He will not be visited by harm and some translations will say evil. There is not an evil that will take over their life. This fear puts a man in a place where God so super intends every struggle and trial and miserable aspect of the Christian's life that it's turned for good. We can call out even the most miserable situations, whether our own sin or something put upon us. We can cry out who will separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Look at the list that Paul gives. Nothing will set us will separate us from the love of God. Even our hardships are not for our destruction, but for our satisfaction. For it binds us closer to our savior. Even the worst thing that you can experience. God overturns it for good. We see Joseph's brethren weren't able to sell him in true slavery, but God used him for the saving of many souls. We see Egypt's oppression upon the people of God. It almost seems the harder Egypt pressed to make them slaves, the more they were fruitful and grew and multiplied. And their fears that the Jewish people might join the enemies of Egypt and come against him became greater, not less, because God made it so that evil would not befall them. We see Christ's poverty as he grew up a young man. That was an evil that did not fall on him, but was turned for good. We're told that he learned obedience from what he suffered. It was the very means by which God made him even more of a blessing. God proved and showed the obedience of Christ through his sufferings. And greatest of all, and as we come to this table, We might think it a great evil, and it is on the part of men that they crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. But here and also no evil became upon him because he was exalted, he has been raised even now at the right hand of the father. All his enemies under his feet, king of kings and lord of lords, we can't keep up a large enough pile of accolades or titles to show forth the glory and honor that belongs to Christ. But the most wicked act ever, The harshest trial ever was Christ crucified upon the cross. And yet, don't we point to that as the greatest good that our souls could rejoice in the very place of our victory, the very place of hell's destruction, our sin, the laws demands against us being nailed against the tree. What seems like the greatest evil is the greatest triumph, and so we see this evidence most fully in Christ. that this fruit of security, this fruit, that no evil shall become those who fear God evident in Christ. And it's evident in us. And as we partake of this table, we hold that bread, we hold that cup. And we're able to say victory in the worst of times, the most evil of times, we can say victory in Christ Jesus. We see that a tender heart fixed on God's ways will always see the good. So this table brings to mind our life, our satisfaction and our security. It's a pure fountain flowing. It is Christ in his work, Christ in his ministry, Christ, the head of the church, the oil flowing from him to the rest of his body. Rejoice as we come. So let's cultivate a gospel fear in its wide diversity and it's in its well connectedness. And let us rejoice in these fruits of life, satisfaction and security. Let us pray.