Back in 1989, there was a terrible explosion in one of the monstrous 16-inch gun turrets of the old battleship USS Iowa. Is there anyone here old enough to have memories of that happening? Because it was a big deal back in the day. If you're interested in such military history things, you might notice in your research The extent to which the Navy's findings and their decision to fix the blame for the fatal explosion on the gun captain who died in the explosion was based on an FBI report. The FBI has a team of psychiatrists and psychologists who specialize in trying to discern the motives of people who commit various types of crimes. These specialists are used to either try and find out what makes a kidnapper tick so he won't kill his hostage, or to try and recreate the likely thought patterns of a serial killer. They're called profilers, and you've no doubt heard the term. When the USS Iowa gun turret blew up, the Navy brought in a team of FBI experts in an effort to justify their shifting of blame away from senior Navy officers' incompetence and mismanagement so they could blame everything on the sailor who was killed in the explosion and who could not defend his actions or his reputation. They were attempting to assassinate his reputation as senior figures in uniform oftentimes do. Did you know the CIA has a team of specialists that do the same kind of thing? Back in the day, when I met my wife, I was a spy satellite design engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company, and we were designing and building spy satellites. And I came to know certain things about the CIA and the NSA as a result of that program. We have men and women in the CIA whose sole job is to put together psychological profiles so they can predict with some reasonable amount of certainty how the leader of a foreign government will react under a given set of circumstances. Too bad the leaders of Argentina did not make use of such data back in the day when they decided to seize control of the Falkland Islands. the British islands off the coast of Argentina, when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of Great Britain. Of course, the attempted seizure of the Falklands was to shift the Argentines' attention away from their military dictatorship's badly failing economy. I told you about how guys in uniform like to shift blame. Back to Margaret Thatcher. Not only would everyone who had ever known her realize, but the shrinks employed by almost every nation's intelligence services could have predicted that the woman known as the Iron Maiden would not let the Argentines get away with their invasion of those tiny British islands, and indeed, she did not. Then there was the meeting between the Soviet Union's Mikhail Gorbachev and the USA's President Ronald Reagan in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1986. Gorbachev attempted to push Reagan to, in effect, bully him into an arms settlement. The result? Anyone who knew Ronald Reagan or who remembered how he dealt with University of California campus agitators when he was governor of California could have predicted it. President Reagan stood up, walked out, ordered his Secret Service detail to transport him back to Air Force One, and flew home. Here's another one for you. Why are our administrations, except for one who shall not be named, so, why are they so accommodating in their dealings with Vladimir Putin? He is an utterly predictable man, astonishingly aggressive, a complete xenophobe with respect to all things Russian, and a politician who is as ruthless as they come. No one climbs to the top of Russia's political king of the mountain game by being either stupid or nice. I might say the same thing of China's Mr. Xi Jinping. Those men are serious. and they need to be studied and dealt with in a most determined fashion. And when you're a senile old man, you're not going to cut the mustard. But moving along. Even the military uses these kinds of profiles. The United States military's various regional commands always know who the commander of the opposing forces they are facing in conflict happens to be. They always know. Is that commander aggressive or is he reluctant to attack? Is he a risk taker in battle or is he extremely cautious like Montgomery was? You want to know what your opposite in battle will do. Would you not agree with that? When you're in a fight, you want to know what your opponent is likely to throw as his first or second or third punch. The reason governments make up these psychological profiles is because there are times when it is good to know what makes the other guy tick, whether he be friend or whether he be foe. My goodness, football coaches do this stuff with opposing quarterbacks all the time. The main problem, though, as I see it, is that to try and figure out what makes the other guy tick, you have to be very judgmental. And the Bible says that judging the motives of another person is very sinful for a number of reasons unrelated to a nation's defense or a team's chances of victory. I know that governments, of necessity, have to do what individuals are forbidden by God to do. And there was nothing immoral about estimating the likelihood of a quarterback throwing on third down. You know that Daryl LaMonica is always going to do that for the Raiders. He always did that. They called him the Mad Bomber. But regarding the question of dealing with others in personal relationships, If you aren't supposed to judge another person's thoughts, and if you aren't supposed to try and figure out another person's motivations, and you're not, how do you know what causes another person to tick? What makes them do what they do? or what makes them not do what they do not do. Governments feel they need these kinds of answers. Teams feel the same way. I'll not argue with that. However, we who are Christians are directed to rely on the Bible for that kind of information for our interpersonal relations. Governments or teams can make judgment calls all they want. with all of the built-in error that such evaluations entail due to inadequate information about another person. But when you're considering questions of motivation on a personal level, you'd best rely on the infallible Word of God. Amen? You'd best rely on the Bible. We're going to rely on the infallible Word of God to limit our inquiry to that which makes a spiritual Christian tick. What makes for a truly faithful Christian life? And what really motivates a genuinely dynamic believer in Christ? We will forget for a moment about Putin and Xi and Iran's Ayatollah and North Korea's Kim. We will pay no attention to Aaron Rodgers or to Mahomes. Our concern today is you and me and others who credibly named the name of Christ. Have you ever wanted to know what makes the useful child of God do what he or she does when other Christians goof off and do nothing? Have you ever wondered What causes a godly missionary to forsake the comforts of the United States for the dangers of South America, the dangers of Africa, the dangers of Asia? Have you ever thought about why Christians in Russia, Vietnam, Syria, or Myanmar risk discrimination and imprisonment when they could just as easily lie and say that they didn't believe in Christ and thereby find relief from persecution. There are a number of things God's Word reveals to us about what motivates God's servants. There were a number of things that specifically motivated the Apostle Paul. and his colleague Timothy. In this message from God's Word, we're going to look at just one, just one of their motives for serving God. It is also one motive that provides modern American Christians, provokes modern American Christians to participate in evangelism, to faithfully attend church when the saints gather, and to give to the cause of Christ. Please locate, if you would, 2 Corinthians 5 verses 11-13. When you find that passage, I invite you to stand with me for the reading of God's word. I want you to try and see what powerfully motivated the Apostle Paul and his colleague Timothy in their service to and for the Lord Jesus Christ, mentioned here by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because they knew it would also motivate every other Christian who ever lived. I begin reading from verse 11. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. but we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. We trust God to bless the reading of His word. Won't you please be seated? Do you see what it was that was one of their motives for serving God as diligently and as zealously as they did? It was fear, wasn't it? It was fear. See the word terror in the first part of verse 11? That word translates the same Greek word phobos from which we get the word phobia, which simply means fear. It was a sanctified, healthy fear of God, fear of Christ, that was one motivation for them to serve God the way they did. They feared God. Christians who do not serve, do not fear. Let me say it again. If you do not serve, you do not fear. In 2 Corinthians 5, verses 11, 12, and 13, the word of God supplies us with Paul and Timothy's collective autobiographical psychological profile written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And in their profile, we are shown what the results are when spiritual men serve God in response to a healthy and a holy fear of the crucified and risen Savior. Yes, Margaret, fear does play its role in the well-adjusted person's life. Four results. The terror of the Lord results first in obedience. Paul begins verse 11 with the words, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. In John chapter 15, the Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples that he had chosen them for the purpose of glorifying their Heavenly Father by bearing fruit. A proper understanding of that passage reveals that the fruit the Lord Jesus Christ was talking about to his disciples was precious souls brought to the Savior. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 10 backs this up with Paul's assertion that the person who has trusted Christ as his savior has been, quote, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, close quote. The good works that are referred to in that passage, recognizing what Paul is generally talking about when he refers to works in a good sense is evangelism, the work of faith. And what about the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 28 verses 18, 19, and 20? The undeniable fact of life for the child of God is that the captain of our salvation has left churches such as ours with standing orders to preach the gospel to every creature. I ask you, therefore, why are so many of God's children disobedient in their unwillingness to adhere to the wishes of their Lord. Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? One reason is because they do not fear the consequences of disobedience. I love my mom. My mom never did come to Christ. She died about 20 years ago. And I loved her. There was a special relationship. I call it the burden of the firstborn. Levi, if you don't know it, you will know. There's a burden of the firstborn. There's a burden of the firstborn son. The firstborn son has a relationship with his mom that she doesn't have with any of her other kids, unless he's a complete jerk. I don't think you're a complete jerk. I think you'll probably get it one day. I'm a firstborn son. And so I understand these things. I love my mom. Well, I didn't want to mess with her. I didn't want to cross her. I remember one time, I was 13 years old. My dad made a terrible mistake. He said, son, you're 13 now, you're too old to spank. And at the time he said it, I thought, that's just stupid. If you're young enough to needle whooping, you're young enough to get one. And I knew I still needed one from time to time, but I took it. I said, okay. A couple of weeks later, I was in the kitchen doing something. My mom walked in. She said something. And I said, dad said, I'm too old to get a spanking now. She, but I'm your mother. Okay. And the Bible talks about fearing your mother. You can love your mother passionately. You better be scared of crossing her. Because she'll visit terror on you. She ought to. She knows what she's doing. Okay. So I ask, why are so many of God's children disobedient in their willingness to adhere to the wishes of the Lord? And it's because they do not fear the consequences of disobedience. It's because they do not know the terror of the Lord. Understand that this message is not designed to put the fear of God into anyone. I'll save that for the indwelling spirit of God. Perhaps you will gain that wisdom through the trials and experiences of life as you begin to comprehend God's response to you when you disobey him. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. And if he be without chastisement, who are of all our partakers. then are you bastards and not sons. If God doesn't whoop you, it's because you're not His. Okay? So if you're His, when you disobey Him, He will chastise you. And what I want to establish at this point is the truth that Paul and Timothy's terror of the Lord produced in their lives obedience in this area of persuading men to trust Christ. Until someone fears the Lord enough to avoid the consequences of not persuading men to trust Christ, they will not begin to persuade men to trust Christ. People typically do not persuade others to consider Christ just because they're told they need to. But when they acquire the beginning of wisdom, which is the fear of the Lord. Proverbs chapter 9 and verse 10. Next, the terror of the Lord results in observation. Look at verse 11 again with me. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. In the first part of verse 11, Paul informs us what the consequence was of their terror of the Lord, their fear of God. They persuaded men. In the second part of this verse, he reminds us of something we already know because it has happened to each and every one of us at one time or another. Those of you who have been believers for a while will need to think back to your early days as a Christian for just a moment. Those of you who have been believers for a matter of months will have no difficulty relating to what I'm about to describe because you're a new Christian. Do you remember? as a young Christian when just about the only thing about your life that appeared different since your salvation was the fact that you went to church regularly. For me, it was also my language cleaned up. Oh boy, did my language clean up. Oh, my vocabulary was cut in half when I became a Christian. I also want you to remember that first time you sat down to a meal, with a mature Christian and you began eating only to be stopped for prayer? Oh, how embarrassing. Anybody, don't raise your hand. I'm the only one, I'm sure. Or how about the time you were with a mature Christian and there was another person there and he started witnessing to that unsaved guy while you just stood there wondering, why didn't you think of doing that? He saw a natural opening, and he just went for it, and you're standing there, well, that was cool. How come I didn't do that? Paul and Timothy knew their heart motives were visible to God. They knew that God was aware of everything about them, but they also wanted the fact that they feared God to be evident to other Christians. They wanted others to see evidence in the way they lived their lives that they knew the terror of the Lord. So they trusted that their fear of God would be obvious enough to others that it would prick others' consciences, and those others would ask themselves, how come I don't serve God like that? How come I don't serve God like she does? How come I don't serve God like he does? That's one reason moms and dads are so careful to faithfully attend church and serve God. Otherwise, they risk their children never asking themselves, why don't I enjoy church like mom and dad do? They like going to church. I hate going to church. Why is it that they think serving God is great and I think them serving God is a waste of time, okay? I'd rather play. I'd rather be with my friends. I don't want to go to church. Of course a lost child will put up a fuss come church time. Of course, of course. Or come evangelism time. Of course lost kids put up a fuss. What else would they be expected to do? They're unsaved and they hate the things of God. However, fear of the Lord trumps fear of a rebellious child's response every time. When a child knows that protesting accomplishes nothing with mom, nothing with dad, the protests become less frequent over time and less energetic. Too bad so few moms understand that reality these days. We have a couple of first grade teachers in our church, and one of them is a deacon's wife, and she came up to me a couple of years ago. She said, Pastor, you'll never believe what it's like in public schools. It is so bad. It is so bad. I said, tell me. She said, we actually have to teach the mothers of first graders that it's okay to say no to your children. Mothers are so confused about the role of motherhood that they honestly believe that their existence is to yield to the demands of their children, and give their kids whatever their kids cry out for, rather than saying, no, I have no recollection of ever being purchased anything in a checkout line at a grocery store in my life. My mother never bought a single thing that we wanted at the checkout line, and those things are designed to produce reactions from children. But my mother said, she didn't say anything, she just looked. Okay, okay, okay. Paul and Timothy didn't know if everyone who saw them would put two and two together and realize they were serving God out of a pure and sincere motive. So they had to trust God that they would be made manifest to others' consciences. So then one of the results of fearing God is obedience in seeking the salvation of the lost. And the other result of fearing God is being observed by other people. Other people are watching you. Neighbors, unsafe spouses, children will see the effects of your spiritual attitude toward the person of the Lord of glory. And they'll take note of it. Do you want others to see your fear of the Lord, or the absence of your fear of the Lord? Your conduct will show what you truly and sincerely want others to see, or your lack of concern for what others will notice without you ever being aware that they notice. You realize you only have a certain amount of fear capacity in you, and you will either fear God and not fear man, or you will fear man and not fear God. And if you're afraid of what your mother-in-law will say or think, you're not going to fear God. If you're afraid of what the long-tongued witch next door says to you about how you raise your children, then obviously you don't have fear of the Lord. Or that powder pigeon down the street. If you fear them, you're not going to fear God. Third, the terror of the Lord resulted in an occasion. Look at verse 12. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not in heart. When you're serving God openly, It won't be just believers who are sympathetic to your cause who observe you in action. I'm sure most of you realize that by now in your Christian life. Let me say again that there are unsaved people all around you that absolutely delight in mocking and ridiculing Christians in Christian service, even if they do so under their breath. As I just mentioned, they notice. They always notice. There's always that woman across the street that opens up the blinds and looks out. Yeah, they're going to church. Or maybe they're going to Walmart. They are in a charismatic church, so you can't tell whether they're going to Walmart or going to church. No, these are Baptists. They look like they're going to church. There are also carnal Christians who make a show of serving God, but who have no real heart's desire to glorify His name. Oh, how they delight in a Christian's faulty conduct and service, reflecting, as it does, an absence of the terror of the Lord. They use that thinking it lets them off the hook. They think that we're the standard. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is the standard right here, not here. Not any Christian, because we always fail. We have a sin problem our whole lives that we have to deal with. Paul and Timothy, therefore, were very careful to point out in this verse that they were not seizing on an opportunity to commend themselves to the Corinthians. They were not seeking to brag about their ministry. However, they could not deny that their ministry and the ministries of their co-workers were greatly used of God, even though they did not spend time and effort to make their ministry a great show to impress or entertain other people. When the Corinthian Christians were confronted by unsaved people who mocked and ridiculed men of God as being fakes and frauds, who were only interested in self-promotion and high living, Paul and Timothy advised that they point to them and say, what about them? Are they promoting themselves? Are their ministries just show business? Or is the power of God evident in those men's lives? Or what about the so-called Christians whose ministries are nothing but public relations gimmicks, or who criticize and ridicule sincere and God-honoring ministries? When that happens, Paul suggests that the Corinthian believers simply point to his ministry. Is he bragging? No, he realizes that the fear of God in any believer's life, such as his own life, gives other Christians occasion to glory. So what is it to glory, preacher? It includes the rejoicing and the celebrating a person does when he is excited and when he's delighted at seeing God work in the lives of other people. Don't you just praise God when you see God working in a brother or sister's life? Doesn't it excite you? Doesn't it thrill you? Doesn't it encourage you? When you and your Christian friends fear God and serve Him, He will raise up a cheering section among other believers. Would you like your spouse to be in your cheering section? How about your Christian friends? How about your kids? Would you like your kids to be in your cheering section? What should the Christians in your cheering section do when they see God bless you and those you serve with who are God-fearing believers? They should cheer. It should warm their hearts. That's the third thing that results from the terror of the Lord. How sad it is then. How sad it is for a man to deny his wife an opportunity to cheer God working in his life because he does not fear the Lord. For a parent to deny their child an opportunity to cheer God working in mom or dad's life because mom or dad, they don't fear God. The kid doesn't know exactly what it is that's not there. But there's something that's not there, and it's the fear of the Lord. That is what people give up when there is no terror of the Lord, and they stay home instead of being here, or when they're silent in the face of witnessing opportunities God brings their way, or opportunities to make a principled stand for Christ. The fourth thing the terror of the Lord results in is obsession. Look at verse 13. For when we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. I want you to notice the word translated beside ourselves. Some people circle that phrase with a red ink pen without which it is not possible to go to heaven. So you can mark your Bible. Verse 13. Exist in me means to be crazy. It means to be nuts. And do you see the word sober in the same verse? That word, sofraneo, it means to be in good shape mentally, to be sane, to be sharp. Thus, what we have here is both ends of the sanity spectrum are being referred to by the Apostle Paul here. Crazy at one end of the spectrum, sane at the other end of the spectrum. And here essentially is what the text means. There are times when the child of God cannot quite figure out what and why extremely dedicated Christians do what they do. Just can't figure it out. Sometimes, what truly committed Christians do may look to others like it's a bit weird. Okay? But that's between the committed believer and God, isn't it? At other times, the committed Christian's actions and conduct seem so right. And so it's extremely logical. And that's for your benefit. That's for the onlooker's benefit. But what is it that results in behavior that seems somewhat strange and then results in behavior that seems very logical and proper? In both cases, it's a super strong commitment to Christ. That's what it is. It's what I've chosen to call obsessive behavior with the obsession being the overwhelming desire to please God at any cost. What does it take to stop you? Do you and your partners in ministry have that kind of desire? Oh, pastor, there's clouds in the sky. We better not go out on visitation lest we become Methodists. Of course, the unsaved will say such Christians are extremists. They will claim that all things are okay in moderation, but we mustn't be too religious. Ever heard that one? The reality is that if we do not have that kind of desire, it is not because we're not extremists, no matter what the unsaved say, it's because we do not know the terror of the Lord. It's because we do not have a godly fear a spiritual reverence, a holy caution with regard to the one who you call Lord. I'd like for you to reflect on the fear of God, the terror of the Lord. I'd like for you to think about whether or not you actually know the terror of the Lord Jesus Christ. Or are you one of those Christians who views the Lord of glory as little more than a buddy and a pal? but not one to be feared. And if you aren't quite sure whether or not you know the terror of the Lord, how about we take a little quiz? You're not going to be allowed to leave the auditorium unless you pass the quiz. I'm joking. But let's see if the characteristics that surround the lives of those who know the terror of the Lord are noticeable in your life. Now, just your life, mind you, no one else's. If you're evaluating somebody else's life, that's called judgmentalism. I'm asking you to look in the mirror of God's word for yourself. Are you ready? Here's the quiz. First, are you engaged in persuading men? Not do you intend to, and not did you used to. Are you engaged in persuading men? That is, do you attempt to persuade men and women that it is in their best interest to repent of their sins and trust Christ as their Lord and Savior? Yes or no? Do you seek to persuade your unsaved spouse, your unsaved children, your unsaved siblings, your unsaved neighbors, your unsaved co-workers? If you know the terror of the Lord, you do. Paul and Timothy explicitly made that assertion in our text. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Second, Is this observation made by others about you? Is your fear of God made manifest in the consciences of other believers? When you go to lunch with co-workers, do they see anything about you such as you're praying before a meal? Do they see anything about you that sets you apart? How about when you attend a family reunion and all the in-laws and out-laws are gathered together and you go to church though no one else goes to church, you go to church. Oh, but we're having barbecue. We're going to church. Okay, be that way. If you know the terror of the Lord, chances are some people will be aware of it. Third, is your life an occasion for others to justify the Christian faith when scorners condemn the Christian faith? When someone brings up the name of, oh, that great evangelist Jimmy Swaggart. I think they know him really well in Indio, don't they? or Joel Osteen, or Joyce Myers, and they bring them up for ridicule, which they deserve, excuse me, but they do, is it likely that believer will bring your name up to show that some who name the name of Christ really mean business for God? They're not all like Joel Osteen. How about Brother so-and-so? If you know the terror of the Lord, you likely qualify as such a candidate as that. And finally, do some people seem to think that you are obsessed with the idea of doing right and pleasing God? Do unsaved relatives think you go overboard with this Christianity stuff? If you know the terror of the Lord, there are times when that is exactly what unsaved folks will think about you and sometimes say about you, and that's a good thing. knowing therefore the terror of the Lord. There's an awful lot implied in that brief phrase. And if there's an awful lot implied in that phrase for those who know Jesus Christ as Savior, just think about the implications for those who reject the claims of Christ. In short, to know Him is to be saved. To really know Him is to fear Him with a fear that properly motivates believers to serve Him. To not fear Him is to be foolish, according to the Bible. Think about being, think about this, think about being on the wrong side of someone who can walk on water. Being on the wrong side of someone who can calm the wind and the sea. being on the wrong side of someone who can cleanse the leper, being on the wrong side of someone who can give sight to the blind, heal the lame and raise the dead. And if you're not a Christian, you're on the wrong side of someone who can do that. How smart is it to be on the wrong side of someone who not only forgives sins, but who conquered death himself and who will come again to punish those who are on his wrong side? Think you can deal with life yourself? So how's it going so far? Life going good for you so far? Think you do not need Christ? Now I will grant that you may not need the Savior if you can walk on water. And you may not need the Savior if you can raise the dead. And you may not think you need the Savior if you can heal diseases, if you can come back from the dead by means of your own power when you die. And most importantly, if you can stand before the great white throne and persuade the Almighty not to punish you for your sins. If you can do those things, maybe you don't need the Savior. But you cannot do any of those things, can you? Well, then you need Christ. And even when you have Christ, you still need the terror of the Lord to serve him effectively. A final consideration. Can serving Christ effectively not involve evangelism and missions? Can serving Christ corporately not involve evangelism and missions? Not from what I have seen reading the Bible through from cover to cover more than 50 times. not from what I've seen, but if I'm wrong, show me the verse. Amen? Show me the verse. Or else, begin to reflect on why it is. Oh, Lord, why is it that I do not fear you? Fear that motivates me to do these things, which the Apostle Paul and Timothy, because they feared the Lord, did and Christians who do fear the Lord do, but I do not do. Let's pray.