WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DON’T FEAR GOD

There is No Fear of God Before Their Eyes!!

Text: Romans 3:10-18

I.         Most of us have been burnt one time or another.

A.        The memory of the sharp pain makes a lasting impression. As a result, we hold a healthy respect for fire and other hot things.

B.        You could even say that we hold some fear of what fire could do to us.

C.        The concept of respect and fear often go hand-in-hand.

D.        The thieves on the crosses had this conversation – Luke 23:39-41

1.         “Where,” one thief asked, “is your fear of God?”

2.         Even on the doorstep of death, the thief did not consider that soon he would appear before the judgment seat of God.

3.         The punishment by man was harsh and just. What would God do?

II.        In laying out the condition of man, Paul proves that all have sinned. – Romans 3:10-18

A.        The reason for the continuance of sin is because there is no fear of God within them.

B.        What do we mean by fearing God?

1.         To love, honor, respect, and obey God. A firm reluctance to displease God. A strong desire to do His will.

2.         Abraham showed a fear of God when he placed obedience to God above the life of his promised son. – Genesis 22:12

3.         The duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments – Ecclesiastes 12:13

4.         Fear God because of His judgment – Revelation 14:7

5.         The discipline of God should lead all to fear Him – Deuteronomy 8:2-6

6.         The fear of God keeps us from evil – Proverbs 16:6

C.        Since the fear of God motivates us to do His will and to refrain from evil, we would expect the person without a fear of God to become sinful.

1.         They have no reason to bind themselves to the laws of God.

2.         The history of mankind has been littered with the result of a lack of fearing God.

a.         Self-righteous behavior, wickedness, lies, and violence is common among man

b.         The fear of God and a respect for His laws go hand-in-hand with peacefulness and a love for mankind.

III.       What happens to a man who does not fear God

A.        He refuses to seek God. He refuses to walk in the ways of righteousness – Romans 3:10-11

1.         Psalm 14:1-4 – It starts with a denial of God and it leads to corruption

2.         Romans 1:28 – Because man denies God, God turns them over to depravity

3.         As a result, calamity of their own making comes upon them – Proverbs 1:25-33

B.        He becomes without value to God – Romans 3:12

C.        The words of his mouth become poisonous – Romans 3:13-14

1.         It is the righteous who bridles his tongue – James 1:25-26

2.         His speech is well-seasoned – Colossians 4:6

3.         But the wicked sees no need to control his words – James 3:5-12

4.         Instead, his words become weapons to injure – Psalm 64:2-4

D.        He is violent – Romans 3:15

1.         When God is ignored, men become animals, the strong preying upon the weak. – Proverbs 1:10-19

E.        He is without peace – Romans 3:16-17

1.         There is no peace for the wicked – Isaiah 57:21, 59:6-8

2.         So unlike the righteous – Philippians 4:7

IV.      We must remind ourselves to maintain a fear of God

A.        We teach our children to fear flames, to avoid busy streets, and to not talk to strangers.

B.        Should we not instill in them a fear of and a respect for God? – Matthew 10:28

 

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT WORRY

Everyone knows the signs: sleepless nights, sick stomachs, mental breakdowns, deep depression, hiding away, high blood pressure. turning to drugs and alcohol, etc… These are indicators an individual has fallen victim to his own worry.

Worry eats people alive, and Christians are not immune. It touches the lives of virtually every family and affects millions of people every single day, touching all walks of life in myriad circumstances: The educated worry because of everything they know, while the uneducated worry because they know so little. The rich worry because they have so much, while the poor worry because they have so little. The old worry because they aren’t young, but the young worry because they aren’t older.

Worry takes so much time for so many folks, interfering with everyday action, sometimes even making people physically ill. It remains, however, one of those silent problems few seem to want to talk about. This is not just a psychological issue, though, and there may be many who would be surprised to learn that worry is prohibited by God (Matthew 6:25-34). “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life …” (Matthew 6:25).

The unfortunate fact remains that many Christians do not consult the word of God for their daily problems, failing to realize that anything can be properly addressed using the wisdom and knowknowledge from. Yet, these same people will consult doctors, read worldly books, listen to what Oprah or Dr. Phil has to say, etc. We need to address worry from a biblical standpoint, realizing it as a problem and habit that can cause us to be lost eternally.

Fact About Worry

It Causes Physical Harm

In Psalm 32:3, we read: “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.” David speaks here of sin he kept to himself, but anything bottled up inside can lead to “groaning bones.” Most everyone has felt that pit in their stomach and feelings of real anguish over something impending, a sure sign that worry has taken control.

Worry Does Not Mean Being Thoughtless or Careless

Some have mistaken teaching against worry as an endorsement of indifference or carelessness. If we adopt an attitude of apathy, we are guilty of the opposite extreme and no better off than if we were worrying. In his teaching in Luke 14:28-32, Jesus talks about planning using a builder and a king as an example. We are reminded by this to be mindful of what is going on round about us and making the necessary arrangements to handle whatever undertaking. There must be balance between worry and apathy, and neither extreme pleases God.

Worry is Useless

I would suggest that people only worry about two things: Things you can’t change, and things you can change. Everything falls into one of these categories, and neither represents a good reason to worry. After all, if there’s nothing you can do to change something, there’s simply no point in worrying about it. And if there is something you can do, heed the direction of Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.“
So how can we stop the sin of worry, and do so according to God’s Word?

Forget the Past

Many spend their lives in past days. Some can’t live today because of the greatness of yesterday, while others can’t make it through today because of the problems and sins of days gone by. And while there is nothing wrong with fond memories or nostalgia, and certainly much can be learned from past mistakes, the Bible teaches against living in the past, regardless of the way we remember it.

Paul writes, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). In this passage, we are instructed to forget the past and look toward the goal, ahead to our goal of eternal life, not dwelling on those things gone by. How much better we would be if we took this advice and pressed forward? Instead, we offer excuses, saying we can’t clear our minds of the past. We must be leery of such a line of thinking, though. The words of Philippians 3 are not suggestions, but commands of God, and we must forget what is past and move forward in Him. Imagine if the great Apostle Paul had dwelled on and worried about his past — what a waste it would have been — and his was a past full of horrible sin, much of which you and I have had no part. “Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (I Timothy 1:13).

So, from yesterday we must learn from mistakes, we give thanks for our blessings, and then turn our attention to today.

Live One Day at a Time

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).

Perhaps it is the speed of modern life with all its conveniences and fast pace. For some reason, people today have a difficult time taking one day at a time. Rather, they “live life in the lump,” overwhelming themselves with everything at once. If you think about everything you have to do this week, it will depress you with worry about how you can possible get everything done, and you might not face your week. This kind of thinking is well illustrated in the following facts I recently came across: The average man’s lifetime includes 20 years sleeping, 6 years watching television, 5 years shaving and dressing, 3 years waiting for others, 1 year on the telephone, and 4 months tying his shoes. It is overwhelming to me to think about standing in line for 3 years, but we all understand how unreasonable it would be to worry about such a thing. Why then must we consume ourselves over other matters? Good advice according to Jesus’ teaching: Don’t dwell on everything you have to do, set your mind on what you must do next!

Understand and Accept Yourself and Your Abilities

To really beat worry, we need to come to terms with who we are and what we can do. I’m not saying we should accept sin in our lives or be content with doing the bare minimum, but we must understand everyone is different. We have different degrees of ability and can do different things to serve God. The parable of the talents, comes to mind here (Matthew 25:14-30). Note the one talent man wasn’t condemned for not being the five talent man, rather, for not using what he had. How unfortunate that some feel because they cannot do big things they cannot do anything.

You may not be cut out to be a preacher, teacher, song leader, elder, etc. But if you are, use that talent or ability to the glory of God. Don’t waste time comparing your service to the service of others; they are not the standard by which we will be judged. We should spend our time seeing how we measure up to the word of God, His standard, looking into it to see how to apply it in our lives, and how we can use our abilities for the furtherance of the kingdom.

Count Your Many Blessings

Often we only want to notice our problems, what’s wrong with us and all about us. For many, it is a constant gloom and doom outlook — this is wrong and that is wrong. Instead of counting our blessings, many folks are busy counting their problems. The Bible speaks to the thankful attitude of the Christian:

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

“Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

Here’s something to think about: How would we feel when you put forth great effort and achieve great accomplishments, yet someone complains about what we didn’t do? It’s like that boss we all had at one time that always made us feel like nothing we did was good enough. Similarly how must God feel or think when we, the most blessed people in the world, both spiritually and physically, bellyache and moan about all our problems? Especially when what He has done for us so greatly outshines the earthly comparisons of what we might do.

If we count our blessings, instead of our problems, we will beat worry.

I really believe the reason people worry is because worry is easier than action. I came across a funny little quote that illustrates this pretty well:

“Worrying is less work than doing something to fix the worry. Everybody wants to save the earth; nobody wants to help Mom with the dishes.”

Now, that’s not in the Bible, but it reminds us of a biblical truth. Worry is the easy way out, as sin usually is.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

 

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT THE ARMOR OF GOD

“THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD”

Text: Ephesians 6:10-18

I.         Rome was the mighty governing power in the days the New Testament was written.

A.        Its strength was in its military, which constantly was on guard

B.        Josephus, a Jewish historian, observed that Roman soldiers always carried their weapons with them, even in times of peace. “Every soldier is every day exercised, and that with diligence, as if it were in time of war, which is the reason why they bear the fatigues of battle so easily.” [The Wars of the Jews, III.5.1]

C.        Yet mighty Rome fell, in a great part due to herself.

1.         “The relaxation of discipline, and the disuse of exercise rendered the soldiers less able, and less willing, to support the fatigues of service.” [Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 3, p. 271]

2.         It spread itself thin and so used hired mercenaries to fill its ranks, but these men did not have the same discipline as the old guard.

3.         In addition, the emperors knew that their position was upheld by the army, so they began to pamper the legions. When complaints came about the armor and weapons being too heavy, they were allowed to make do with less and lighter armor.

4.         “The cavalry of the Goths, the Huns, and the Alani had felt the benefits, and adopted the use, of defensive armor – they easily overwhelmed the naked and trembling legions, whose heads and breasts were exposed, without defense, to the arrows of the barbarians.” [Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 3, p. 271].

II.        Paul brings his letter to the Ephesians to a conclusion by reminding the Ephesians that they are at war – Ephesians 6:10-12

A.        It is not a physical war, but a spiritual battle. It cannot be won by hit and miss tactics. It requires endurance.

1.         Be strong in the Lord – Joshua 1:6-9

2.         Battles are not won through fears.

3.         Wage the good warfare – I Timothy 1:18

4.         Endure the hardships – II Timothy 2:3-4

B.        But wars require that those fighting must be prepared. We have to have our armor on.

1.         Without it, we can stand firm against Satan’s schemes.

2.         Satan doesn’t fight fair. He doesn’t wait for a convenient time to attack.

a.         He looks for openings when we are least ready and least prepared.

b.         Forgiveness is important because we have to present a united front – II Corinthians 2:10-11

c.         Distracted by fancifulness – II Corinthians 11:3-4

d.         Deceived – II Corinthians 11:13-15

C.        We have to be ready to stand firm

III.       Our armor – Ephesians 6:14-17

A.        Girded with Truth

1.         The girdle or belt of a solider was not decoration, it is what bound the various pieces together against the body

a.         In that culture, people wore long loose-fitting robes, but such hindered movement.

b.         So the bottoms were pulled up and held in place by the girdle, thus forming shorts.

c.         It also held the breastplate against the body, thus taking much of the weight of the armor off the shoulders to put it on the hips, allowing the arms to swing more freely.

d.         It also was used to carry the soldier’s weapons, so they would be close at hand.

2.         It is truth that is the foundation of our armor and where Satan seeks to attack – II Thessalonians 2:9-12

a.         Imagine weakening your opponent by first convincing him that he doesn’t need the core of armor

3.         Many people view truth as a restriction, a binding

a.         You can’t do this, you can’t do that

b.         It does restrict – restrict you from things which are harmful anyway

c.         What they miss is that those very restrictions give you freedom – John 8:32

B.        Breastplate of righteousness

1.         Common soldiers wore leather body armor. Those of higher ranks had chain mail. The top ranks had molded metal.

a.         Paul uses the word for the chain mail. It weighed about 15 pounds with a front and back piece.

b.         Its purpose was to protect the heart and other vital organs

2.         Righteousness is what protects our hearts

a.         What Job held to – Job 27:6

C.        Shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace

1.         The Romans used studded sandals for their soldiers, much like football cleats. It gave their soldiers a firm footing during battle. And it allowed them to move quickly from one location to another.

a.         Interestingly the design made it difficult to walk backwards, so the soldiers were less likely to give ground.

b.         Also since most of the armor was on the front, a soldier was not inclined to turn his back to the enemy.

2.         Our sound footing is found through the gospel of peace – Romans 10:15

a.         It is where we stand – I Corinthians 15:1

D.        The shield of faith

1.         In those days, enemies often fired arrows tipped with ignited pitch. A soldier’s breastplate might stop the arrow, but the pitch would be knocked off and set the soldier aflame.

2.         “The word Paul uses is not that for the comparatively small round shield; it is that for the great oblong shield which the heavily armed warrior wore. One of the most dangerous weapons in ancient warfare was the fiery dart. It was a dart tipped with tow dipped in pitch. The pitch-soaked tow was set alight and the dart was thrown. The great oblong shield was made of two sections of wood, glued together. When the shield was presented to the dart, the dart sank into the wood and the flame was put out. Faith can deal with the darts of temptation.” [William Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians , p. 183]

3.         We resist Satan through faith – I Peter 5:8-9

4.         Victory is in our faith – I John 5:4-5

E.        The helmet of salvation

1.         The Roman helmet was generally made of bronze with a iron skullcap inside that was lined with leather or cloth to pad the head.

2.         The helmet is our hope of salvation – I Thessalonians 5:8

3.         It protects our head from direct blows

a.         We cannot be moved away from our hope – Colossians 1:22-23

b.         Hold fast to our confidence and hope – Hebrews 3:6

c.         For our hope saves us – Romans 8:24

F.        The sword of the Spirit

1.         Everything mentioned so far are defensive armor. The sword is the offensive weapon

2.         Roman swords were designed for stabbing because slashing gives mostly surface wounds, but a stab can penetrate deeply to vital organs.

3.         Our weapon is the word of God – Hebrews 4:12

4.         Remember that this is a spiritual battle – II Corinthians 10:3-5

IV.      Always on alert – Ephesians 6:18

A.        The best armor is useless if we are not on guard – Colossians 4:2

B.        Don’t stop. Don’t give up – I Thessalonians 5:17

C.        Watchful in our prayers – I Peter 4:7

V.        Are you prepared? Are you on alert? Are you ready to stand firm against the enemy