Evangelical Reformation

What if Congress Feared the Lord??!

For those who think that fear is always bad, think about how different the “stimulus package” would be if Congress feared the Lord.

What if Jesus, clothed in His majesty, was seated at the committee table as bills were being formulated or at the front of the House and Senate when they were being debated and voted on?

According to Rev. 1, the scene would look like this. “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” (Re 1:12-16 NIV)

When He walked into the room, they would probably not need a gavel to call the session to order. The response of the Apostle John is recorded in the next verse, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” (Re 1:17 NIV) I would say that this response conveys some fear, wouldn’t you? If the apostle closest to Jesus at the Last Supper, the one who stayed near Him at His trial and at the cross, responded with such dread, how much more might those who have substantially more reason to fear?

Imagine the scene in the Senate if Jesus walked in at the beginning of the session on the stimulus package!! Sen. Barney Frank suddenly remembered another meeting that took precedent. However, he got trampled while trying to get through the door and ended up in the emergency room.

As the senator arose to introduce the bill for the funding of abortion, the flaming eyes turned toward him and a quavering voice was heard saying, “Mr. Chairman, we have decided to send that bill back to committee.”
The sponsor of the pro-homosexual bills could not be found. A colleague reported that he had to use the restroom.

By this time, fear of the “Presence” in the front of the room had cleared heads and focused minds to the awareness of their ethical responsibility to make decisions for the benefit of the country and not their self-serving agendas. This led to the tabling of the political payback bills such as those funding ACORN.

The “pork” bills began to be introduced, but when the a senator began to list reasons why these were really for the benefit of the country, it appeared that Person in the front of the room was about to stand to His feet. The debate stopped immediately and the remaining 52 senators, just one over the quorum, unanimously voted down the bill.

It was now 9:30am, and it appeared that all of the discussion on the stimulus package ready for discussion had been addressed. Senator Harry Reid looked anxiously over at the glorified Christ and asked nervously, “Do you plan to be joining us tomorrow.” His burning gaze turned toward Senator Reid as He pronounced, “I plan to be here every day.” Senator Reid wilted under the gaze and with the all his remaining strength mumbled that the committees had a lot of work to do and that the session was adjourned.

The reality is that Jesus is at every session of the Senate and House. But because the members of Congress cannot see Him, most do not fear Him. Just think of the difference that it would make if they did. That would provide that ultimate stimulus for our nation.

We tend to see fear in a totally negative light. As noted in our last message, fear can be a destructive emotion. However, the Bible asserts that some fear is necessary and beneficial. How so?

In Proverbs 1:7, Solomon teaches us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”

Consider the importance of knowledge to your life and wellbeing. If fear really is the fountainhead of knowledge, fear is of vital importance—it is a source of great blessing.

But what is the connection between fear and knowledge?

The relationship between the two begins with the unflattering reality that we are all inclined to pursue the various forms of self-gratification. John summarizes these as the lust of the flesh and eyes and the pride of life. We all crave the good feelings that stem from these sources.

Sometimes this gratification is legitimate. A good meal or making love with one’s spouse are God-given sources of pleasure.

However, we tend not to be satisfied with self-gratification only when God says it is okay. We desire it whenever we can get it. People tend to eat too much or desire pleasure from someone who is not their spouse, even it that entails an indiscrete analysis of the anatomy of an indiscrete NFL cheerleader.

Since God’s Word tells us where those boundaries are, why do we need fear to gain knowledge? We can get knowledge right out of the Bible, and we can also glean it from observing what does and does not work in life.

Well, that’s true as far as it goes. That is the way it should be. However, this does not consider the human malady cited above. The reality is that our thirst for gratification incites us to rationalize.

I can easily give you five reasons why I should eat that second piece of chocolate cake. The hostess made it especially for me, and I want her to know how much I appreciate it. Or the second coming may occur tomorrow, in which case I would have missed the opportunity needlessly. Etc.

If they sound like a stretch, I guarantee you that both of us have employed rationalizations more idiotic than those and really believed them to be valid at the time. And as time goes on those irrational rationalizations become well-established principles for living.

In other words, we have corrupted knowledge. We are guiding our lives based on lies devised by our rationalization and that of other people. Our favorite Bible teachers are those who can validate our rationalizations with Scripture.

This is where fear helps us. It keeps us from trifling with God’s Word. If we really believe that God deals severely with those who bend His teachings to enable self-gratification, we tend to be more honest with His Word. In other words, we develop a worldview based on genuine knowledge rather than self-serving lies.

In contemporary society, when Christians legitimize watching movies containing nudity or assert that it is okay to be angry with God, they manifest a lot of truth bending that reveals the absence of fear.

Though fear may be an unpleasant emotion, it would clear their heads, straighten out their worldviews, and save them a lot of trouble in the long run.

Next week’s topic addresses another benefit of fear.

But what about fear of poisonous spiders or crossing unsafe bridges? The point is that some fear is healthy.

FDR told us that “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” For the approximately 418,500 American who died in WWII, his assurance rang hollow. They did have something to fear as did their families.

Fear is not necessarily a psychological illness but rather can be an indication of health. The person with the “No fear” sticker on his truck probably misses that point. But most Americans do as well.

On the eve of the inauguration of a new President who will head up the most liberal government this country has ever known at a time of great national peril, my greatest fear today is the lack of fear among Americans over the condition and future of our country.

Most conservatives think that we are headed in a bad direction, but they convey an underlying attitude that ultimately things will come around. It’s sort of like watching a movie. The situation tends to get scary in the middle, but no need to get scared because you know that it will all work out in the end.

What is the basis for this confidence? Some would say, “Well, it always has worked out.” They overlook the reality that history, including recent history, is full of accounts of populations that have fallen prey to terrible plights.

Others place their confidence in our national character. “We’re Americans. We are survivors. We always have and always will.” To quote the investment disclaimer, “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.” A case could be made for the position that we are not the nation we used to be, morally, economically, and in many other categories, and therefore we have no basis for expecting the same outcome as before.

Some place their hope in the Lord. We need not fear because we are trusting in God. I have even had Christians get angry with me and label me as faithless because of my fear. However, I fear because I do believe. Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the beginning of knowledge.

Many evangelicals are not fearful because they have concluded that the fear of the Lord means “reverential awe.” As one well-known Christian writer stated, “We should never fear God.”

However, the biblical words related to the fear of the Lord are the plain old Hebrew and Greek words for fear. Many skilled expositors have tried to make the fear of the Lord mean something else, but it does not.

Others set up a straw man by asking, “Are you suggesting that we should be cringing in God’s presence? I had a wonderful father. When I was playing it straight I was perfectly comfortable in his presence. However, when I was living in disobedience I was fearful. That is what Scripture is telling us about our relationship with God.

In 1965 Billy Graham wrote a book entitled World Aflame. In reading the chapter on the sinful condition of America, his wife, Ruth commented, “Billy, if God doesn’t come soon and bring judgment upon the United States, He’s going to have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”

Our nation is far more wicked today than in 1965. However, we are far less concerned about God’s judgment than was Ruth Graham. Why?

Sometimes fear is a phobia, a sickness. Sometimes a lack of fear indicates pathology. I would challenge you to read the 27 passages in Scripture that speak of the fear of the Lord and decide whether our lack of fear indicates whether we are healthy or sick.