Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Christian Church
  • Home
  • Orthodox Christian Faith
    • What we believe
  • Parish
    • Our Patron Saint - Saint John
    • Our History >
      • Where we were and where we are...
      • "Remember your leaders..." (Hebrews 13:7)
      • What's in the name?
    • Administration
    • Saint John's Faith Formation: Christian Education
    • Chapel
    • Become a member!
    • Parish Library
    • Service request form
    • Donate
  • News
    • Sermons & Articles
    • Pictures & Videos
    • Weekly e-Bulletin
    • Quarterly Newsletter
    • Friends & Neighbors
    • Looking Ahead to Next Sunday (LANS) [archived]
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Useful Links
    • Choose Life!
    • Online Christian Bookstores >
      • St Vladimir's Seminary Press
      • St Tikhon's Seminary Press
      • Holy Trinity Bookstore, Jordanville
      • Eighth Day Books
      • Hermitage of the Holy Cross Monastery, WV
      • Nevsky's Books
      • Fr Daniel Sysoev Bookstore
      • Издательство Московской Патриархии
      • Магазин Сретенского Монастыря, Москва
      • Православный Книжный Магазин
    • Orthodox Intro
    • Orthodox Christian Radio

The fear of God [text & audio]

10/17/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
17th Sunday after Pentecost
Sermon on the Epistle reading from 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1
​In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.

Last week I was at a small clergy retreat where the topic of our discussion was fear. Fear is no small thing. In a lot of ways, our fears shape the way we live our daily lives.

This is especially true today, in this uncertain time of pandemic. What are we afraid of these days? Death? Taxes? Inflation? Truth? Lies? Coronavirus? Any other virus? Unmasked or masked people? Vaccinated or unvaccinated people? Spiders? Darkness?

​Our fears shape our daily lives.

At the retreat we also talked about the fear of God. This phrase is often mentioned in the Bible, in our prayers and services, but what exactly does it mean?

We quickly came to realize that this phrase may not mean what we think it might mean. In other words, the fear of God does not necessarily mean being scared of God.

Being afraid of God is definitely implied in the phrase. But is this fear similar to the fear a bug might have of a shoe that is about to step on it? Is this the kind of fear a robber experiences when he is caught by the police? Is this a fear a child has before an abusive parent?

We did not come to a conclusion what exactly the fear of God means. However, all over the Bible, we find very clear commandments and advice calling us to “fear God” (Deuteronomy 10:12, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Isaiah 8:13, Matthew 10:28, 1 Peter 2:17).

So, what is the fear of God? Why are we called to fear God? And how do we properly fear Him? There is definitely the right way and the wrong way to fear God.

The phrase the fear of God or the fear of the Lord appears over a hundred times in the Bible. Here are just a few of them, “The fear of the Lord is wisdom” (Job 28:28), “is pure” (Psalm 19:9), “is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10), “is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7), “is hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13), “is life” (Proverbs 19:23).

None of these things are scary, right? Unless one is afraid of wisdom, knowledge, and life.

So as I was thinking about the meaning of the fear of God, I saw that today’s Epistle reading concludes with these words from Saint Paul to the Corinthians, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.”

Making holiness perfect in the fear of God.

It had to be some kind of a sign that I had to explore this subject a bit more. So I will present to you some of my thoughts, imperfect as they are, based on a little research I’ve done, on what the fear of God might mean.

First, the fear of God is not an emotion. It has very little to do with our feelings. The fear of God involves specific actions on our part, not emotions.

As I said, the fear of God does not mean being scared of God. It may be a part of it, but a very small part. Through this concept, however, we do come to learn how we relate to God and how God teaches us to behave towards Him.

The word “fear” has the obvious meanings of terror and dread, but also of reverence and awe, and it has been used to indicate greatness, hierarchy, and specific patterns of behavior.

When the Bible says God is fearful, it means He is awesome and great. When it says God is to be feared, it shows His supremacy over other gods, “He is to be feared above all gods” (Psalm 96:4-5). And it also shows that reverence (same word as fear) is to be showed only to God, Who is above all other gods (Psalm 89:6-7). And it’s not because other gods are not real, but because other gods are inferior to the One True God Who created everyone and everything.

Fear is how we behave towards God. And we do that in worship and in instruction.

In worship because the fear of God provokes specific actions, namely walking in His ways, loving Him, serving Him with all our heart and soul, and keeping His commandments (Deuteronomy 10:12).

One of the meanings of fear is reverence. We show reverence only to one God, the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to no other god. Much less any other person. We worship only Him. We bow down and kneel only before God, and no one and nothing else.

The fear of the Lord is wisdom and knowledge…wisdom and knowledge to know when and before Whom we bow down.

And the fear of God is taught. We have to learn it, because it is possible to fear Him the wrong way. Such as thinking that God is an angry being, Who looks to punish us and make us suffer to save us.

That’s not Who God is and that’s not what the fear of God is about.

We learn the fear of God from our pious and God-fearing parents; and we learn it in the church community that knows the fear of the Lord. In other words, we need to surround ourselves with God-fearing people to know what the right fear of God is.

Again, fear of the Lord is wisdom, knowledge, life. We learn and grow in these things; we are not born with wisdom, knowledge, and life.

At the end of his life, Moses instructed the people of Israel to teach their descendants the fear of God, “Assemble the people, so that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God and to observe diligently all the words of this Law, and so that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 31:12-13).

How does each generation know the fear of God? They learn it from the older generations. They see it in the lives of their communities.

So a very important question we need to ask ourselves – do we provide the necessary example and environment for the younger generations to learn the fear of God?

If not, what’s stopping us? Persecutions? Tyrannical dictators? Natural disasters?

We should not be surprised that our society is going down to hell in a hand basket. We’ve lost the fear of God, and we have become incapable of passing it down to our children…

So, fear is not an emotional response to God, because emotions are spontaneous and unpredictable. The fear of God involves specific actions of worship and instruction.

Our fears shape our lives. Does the fear of God shape our daily life? Does it lead us to walk in His ways, to love Him, to serve Him with all our heart and soul, to keep His commandments?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge, and life.

In Christ our God we find the fullness of wisdom, knowledge, and life. Therefore, Him alone we fear, and to Him alone we give all worship, honor, and glory, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

​Amen.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    9/11
    Abortion
    Adam's Rib
    Addiction
    Advent
    Akathist
    AmazonSmile
    American Saints
    Anaphora
    Announcement
    Annual Report
    Annunciation
    Apostles Fast
    Archbp Dmitri Royster
    Ark Of Salvation
    Asceticism
    Baptism
    Baptismal Liturgy
    Beheading Of Saint John
    Be Still
    Bible
    Bible Study
    Bishop
    Calendar
    Canaanite Woman
    Children And Life
    Christian Burial
    Christianity
    Christ Is Risen!
    Christmas
    Christmas Sermon
    Clay In The Hands Of God
    Clean And Unclean
    Coming Home
    Compassion
    Conception Of The Theotokos
    Confession
    Conform To Christ
    Conversion Story
    Converts
    Coronavirus
    Courage
    Creation
    Creed
    Cross
    Death
    Deny Yourself
    Depression
    Division Vs Unity
    Donate
    Donations
    Dormition
    Dormition Fast
    Doubting Thomas
    Drug Of The 21st Century
    Elected By God
    Eve
    Faith
    Fasting
    Father Alexander Schmemann
    Father Andrew Stephen Damick
    Father Chad Hatfield
    Father Lawrence Farley
    Father's Day
    Father Sergei Kosich
    Father Stephen Freeman
    Father Thomas Hopko
    First Light
    Forgiveness
    Forgiveness Sunday
    Foundations
    Freedom In Christ
    Fullness Of Faith
    Funeral
    God's Invitation
    Gospel
    Grace Of Christ
    Great Flood
    Great Lent
    Grief
    Halloween
    Health & Happiness
    Help Wanted
    Hollywood
    Holy Friday
    Humility
    Icon Of Nativity
    Iconography
    Infant Baptism
    Interview
    Jesus Christ
    Journey
    Joy
    Keeping Kids Christian
    Kids And Faith
    Kids And Porn
    Kids Vs Technology
    Kiss Of Peace
    Kitchen Upgrades
    Knowing God
    Lamb Of God
    Lesson
    Life After Death
    Liturgical Commentary
    Liturgical Year
    Liturgy
    Living Together
    Lost Sheep
    Love
    Love Your Neighbor
    Maintenance
    Marked By God
    Marriage
    Mary
    Memory Eternal
    Mission Of A Parish
    Mission Of Orthodoxy
    Moral Compass
    Nativity Fast
    Nativity Of Christ
    Nativity Of Saint John The Baptist
    Nativity Of The Theotokos
    Newsletter
    New Testament
    New Year
    New Year Resolutions
    Normal?
    No War
    Nudity And Movies
    Orthodox Christianity
    Orthodox Church
    Orthodox Community
    Orthodox History In America
    Orthodox Saints
    Orthodox Wedding
    Orthodoxy & Catholicism
    Orthodoxy In America
    Orthodoxy Is Life
    Orthodoxy Is Not Religion
    Orthodoxy & Lutheranism
    Orthodoxy & Protestantism
    Paralytic
    Pascha
    Patience
    Patron Feast Day
    PayPal
    Pictures
    Pilgrimage
    Podcast
    Polemics
    Porn
    Porn And Brain
    Porn Is A Lie
    Porn Kills Love
    Power In Weakness
    Pray At Home
    Prayer
    Prayer Of St Ephraim
    Prayer Rule
    Prayers To The Theotokos
    Procession
    Pro-life
    Publican And Pharisee
    Reading Bible
    Relics
    Religion
    Repentance
    Resist Porn
    Royal Priesthood
    Sacraments
    Sacred Space
    Saint Alexander Hotovitzky
    Saint Alexis Toth
    Saint Herman Of Alaska
    Saint Innocent Of Moscow
    Saint James The Brother Of The Lord
    Saint John Chrysostom
    Saint John The Baptist
    Saint Juvenaly
    Saint Nicholas
    Saint Patrick Of Ireland
    Saint Peter The Aleut
    Saint Raphael Of Brooklyn
    Saints Peter And Fevronia
    Saint Theophan The Recluse
    Saint Thomas Sunday
    Saint Tikhon Of Moscow
    Salvation
    Sanctity Of Life
    Seal Of The Holy Spirit
    Search For Christ
    Self-care
    Sermon
    Seventh Day
    Sexual Revolution
    Sharing Faith
    Silence
    Sin
    Skillful Children
    Sower
    Sunday Of Orthodoxy
    Sunday Of The Blind Man
    Sun Of Righteousness
    Teaching The Faith
    Telling The Truth
    Temple Of God
    Temptation
    Thanksgiving
    Theophany
    Theotokos
    Thorn In Flesh
    Tolerance
    Tree Of Life
    Triumph Of Orthodoxy
    Unchangeable Christianity
    Unity
    Weakness
    Why Confess To A Priest
    Woman
    Words
    Youth Ministry
    Zacchaeus
    Антоний Сурожский
    Архим. Ианнуарий Ивлиев
    Вера и знание
    Воспитание
    Дети
    Иоанн Златоуст
    Исповедь
    Молитва
    Новый Год
    о. Александр Шмеман
    о. Ианнуарий Ивлиев
    Пасха
    Подготовка к исповеди
    Подготовка к Причастию
    Подготовка к Рождеству
    Пост
    Причастие
    Проповедь
    Проповедь
    Пятидесятница
    Рождественский Пост
    Рождество
    Современное поколение
    Троица
    Христос Воскресе!

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016

Picture

Jesus said to the crowds about John, “I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John the Baptist.” (Luke 7:28)


Address

29 Weaver Street
​Little Falls, NJ 07424

Email

StJohn.Singac@gmail.com

Telephone

(973) 256-0314

Join our mailing list

* indicates required
Picture
Picture
Picture

Search our website

  • Home
  • Orthodox Christian Faith
    • What we believe
  • Parish
    • Our Patron Saint - Saint John
    • Our History >
      • Where we were and where we are...
      • "Remember your leaders..." (Hebrews 13:7)
      • What's in the name?
    • Administration
    • Saint John's Faith Formation: Christian Education
    • Chapel
    • Become a member!
    • Parish Library
    • Service request form
    • Donate
  • News
    • Sermons & Articles
    • Pictures & Videos
    • Weekly e-Bulletin
    • Quarterly Newsletter
    • Friends & Neighbors
    • Looking Ahead to Next Sunday (LANS) [archived]
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Useful Links
    • Choose Life!
    • Online Christian Bookstores >
      • St Vladimir's Seminary Press
      • St Tikhon's Seminary Press
      • Holy Trinity Bookstore, Jordanville
      • Eighth Day Books
      • Hermitage of the Holy Cross Monastery, WV
      • Nevsky's Books
      • Fr Daniel Sysoev Bookstore
      • Издательство Московской Патриархии
      • Магазин Сретенского Монастыря, Москва
      • Православный Книжный Магазин
    • Orthodox Intro
    • Orthodox Christian Radio