Fearing God

1 Peter 1:17-21
Shay Fields Life Group
January 28, 2017

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's
deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing
that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not
with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ,
like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the
foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave

him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:17-21)

Introduction

A. This Christmas Sarabeth expanded her nativity scene and requested that I
remake the wooden stable for it.

B. I found I make the whole nativity with one pre-stained cedar fence picket from
Home Depot.

C. But to make the nativity scene, I had to use a small table saw that I have in my
garage. Who do you think was on my mind as I prepared to use that table saw?
Yep, Glenn Kimmel and his recent accident.

D. Because of my renewed respect for the power of table saws, I followed all the
precautions to the letter:
1. Wear gloves and eye-ware
2. Keep the blade guard down at all times.
3. Keep the kickback guard in place.
4. Put up a table on the other side of the saw to catch the boards I was
cutting.

E. Table saws can be very helpful – if you treat them with respect, and if you
understand how powerful they are. In a word, if you fear them for all the right
reasons.

F. If you understand that kind of healthy fear, then you understand what Peter is
commanding us in our passage today when he tells us live our lives with a
healthy fear of our Heavenly Father.

Body

A. Use a healthy fear of your Heavenly Father to guide and guard your life (v. 17)

1. The Bible is very clear that those who know Jesus as Savior are the ones
who address God as Father, not as fearful slaves (Romans 8:14-17):
Fearing God
1 Peter 1:17-21
Shay Fields Life Group
January 28, 2017

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not
receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the
Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit
himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if
children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided
we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

2. This idea of fearing God can go off the rails very quickly if we
misunderstand it, esp. if our relationship with our father was less than
ideal.

3. John tells us plainly that we don’t have to fear God’s judgment for our
sins, if we know Jesus Christ as Savior (1 John 4:14-19):

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the
Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God
abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe
the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love
abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us,
so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is
so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love
casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has
not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

4. Yet Paul is also very clear that the fear of appearing before God to answer
for how he spent his life motivates him to spend it for the Gospel (2
Corinthians 5:6-11):

6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home

in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by
sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from
the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or
away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for
what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.11 Therefore, knowing
the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.

5. Even the wisest man who ever lived – King Solomon himself – understood
that the fear of the Lord was essential to a wisely-lived life, anticipating
our appearance before the Lord Himself:

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his
Fearing God
1 Peter 1:17-21
Shay Fields Life Group
January 28, 2017

commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring
every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

6. God is both Father – in whom we have faith and hope (v 21) -- and the
Father who judges us, based “each one’s work.”

a. Dad taught me how to play baseball, bought my first ball and bat
with his own money, stood out in the yard with me for hours and
hours playing catch and pitching me balls to hit, hitting me pop
flies and grounders to field. I owe everything to him for my
baseball skills.

b. But I also knew he was watching me from the stands when I

played summer junior league baseball, and I know that if I was
slouching on the field, or not paying attention, or not giving it my
all, I’d have to answer to him after the game was over.

c. I always played my best ball games when I knew that Dad was
watching. It always made me more alert, more aware, and more
desirous of pleasing him.

7. So that’s what Peter is talking about here: be sure to live your lives with a
healthy fear of your heavenly Father, a fear that will keep you thinking
clearly, acting soberly, and pursuing the holiness that he has just been
talking about (1:13-16).

B. Understand the cost of your redemption so that you may guide and guard your
life (1:18-19)

1. Generally speaking, I think we treat costly items with more respect and
care. The more something costs, the more care we take with it.

a. Part of my Saturday morning ritual is to vacuum out our 2015

Toyota Rav 4 we purchased a couple of years ago. I keep it clean,
washed, and keep the oil changed. All because it cost us a lot to
purchase it.

b. Same thing for our home; I’ve spent thousands of dollars over the
years on upkeep and improvements to our home, precisely
because I want to protect our sizable investment in it.
Fearing God
1 Peter 1:17-21
Shay Fields Life Group
January 28, 2017

2. But I’ll bet none of you have sacrificed your children to buy your house,
your car, jewelry, vacations, or whatever you think is of great monetary
value to you!

3. But Peter is saying just that: the Father’s investment in our salvation, our
redemption, cost us the very blood of His son, Jesus.

a. We often talk about “precious” metals like gold and silver – costly,
valuable, hard to find. And if we are gifted by rings or jewelry
made of such metals, it is rare, and uncommon gift. (Some of you
ladies might say it is far too rare! But that is something you’ll have
to take up with those who buy you gifts!)

b. Peter says those metals are “perishable,” not “precious.”

c. And in direct contrast, he says that Jesus’ blood shed for us was
“precious.”

4. And let’s be clear about something: God expended the life of His Son for
you, not because you had some intrinsic worth that He saw in you, but
rather simply because you were a sinner He loved, a sinner that needed
redeeming from the penalty of death!

a. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that
whoever believes in Him might discover their intrinsic worth” –
NOT!

b. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that
whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life” –
YES!

c. But we tend to think that way. We think “What a great Christian

so-and-so would make if she or he would just trust Christ. How
influencial that person would be for the kingdom of God.”

5. Idea: next time you wash that expensive car of yours, use the time to
think about what it cost your heavenly Father to redeem you from sin: the
very precious blood of His only Son!

C. Understand your redemption was no accident or second thought, but a part of

God’s much greater and more sweeping plans (vv. 20-21)
Fearing God
1 Peter 1:17-21
Shay Fields Life Group
January 28, 2017

1. Christ was foreknow [by God the Father] before the foundation of the
world (v. 20a)

a. “God ordained Him to carry out a particular task.” Marshall, p. 56

b. See Acts 2:23:

23 this Jesus,[a] delivered up according to the definite plan and

foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of

lawless men.

2. Christ appeared for your sakes (v. 20b)

a. “in these last times” : Christ’s coming is the beginning of the end of
history as we know it!

b. This whole plan – dare we say eternal plan – was to benefit you
who would believe!

1. My wife will often begin her Christmas shopping a year in

advance, so that the rest of our family will be the
beneficiaries on Christmas morning! Impressive…

2. My Dad worked on our farm and planned for some fifty

years, so that my sister and I would be the beneficiaries at
his death. Even more impressive!

3. The Father and the Son have been planning your salvation,
your redemption, from eternity past! What can we say
about such love and planning!

3. The Father worked miraculously through Christ [raised from the dead,
glorified Him in heaven] so that you are now believers in Him (v. 21)

Conclusion

A. My fear of breaking my ankle again has kept me from an activity I’ve enjoyed for
years: shooting baskets.

B. Fear of the Lord need to paralyze us; instead it can motivate us to live sober, holy
lives, which will assure us of the smile of the Savior on us.

Sidebar: The Fear of the Lord

Fearing God
1 Peter 1:17-21
Shay Fields Life Group
January 28, 2017

Bible passages

18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the
sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid[a] and
trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will
listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do
not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that
you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick
darkness where God was. (Exodus 20:18-21)

Two things were wrong with the people’s initial fear at God’s presence: first, it was
terrifying, even paralyzing, and second, it drove the people to separate themselves
from God. The “fear” God wants is not anxiety, but rather a healthy respect and awe
that controls one’s behavior, motivates holy living, and yet draws us to a majestic
God.

Other quotes

“This makes it all the more remarkable that alongside this profound awareness of
the destructive and therefore terrifying otherness of the divine nature we find, as
equally indispensable elements in the fear of God, confidence and trust in the help of
this very same Being. The religious feeling of terror does not have the character of
panic, nor even that of servile anxiety, but contains a mysterious power of attraction
which is converted into wonder, obedience, self-surrender, and enthusiasm.”

Eichrodt, p. 270, from the longer “The Fear of God,” pp. 268-277

Eichrodt makes the point that our God – the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – has
revealed Himself to us and asks us to trust Him. That desire for trust balances our
fear in His holy presence, and even outweighs it, but does not totally eliminate it. So
we can both fear and love our God, in contrast with other religions whose distant
and unpredictable gods may lash out in retribution at any time. That kind of
relationship leads to fear as the primary emotion and motivation toward such gods.

***

“Consequently the fear of the Lord….it is the dread of disobeying the holy will of
God.”

Oehler, pp. 546-7, from the longer “The Fear of the Lord the Subjective Principle of
Wisdom”, pp. 546-7.

***
Fearing God
1 Peter 1:17-21
Shay Fields Life Group
January 28, 2017

“In several passages, ‘fearing’ and proper living are so closely related as to be
virtually synonymous ideas…It is plausible that this usage of ‘to fear’ as a virtual
synonym for righteous living or piety grew out of viewing ‘fear’ – in any of the
senses above – as the motivation which produced righteous living.”

TWOT, p. 400

***

“God the Judge”, Packer, p. 125-133

1. The judge is a person with authority.

2. The judge is a person identified with what is good and right.
3. The judge is a person of wisdom, to discern truth.
4. The judge is a person of power, to execute sentence.

pp. 127-128

***
God as judge in 1 Peter

1 Peter 1:17
And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's
deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

1 Peter 2:23
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not
threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

1 Peter 4:5
but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

1 Peter 4:6
For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though
judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God
does.

***
Justification by faith and judgment according to works

“How does free forgiveness and justification by faith square with judgment
according to works? The answer seems to be as follows. First, the gift of justification
Fearing God
1 Peter 1:17-21
Shay Fields Life Group
January 28, 2017

certainly shields believers from being condemned and banished from God’s
presence as sinners....But, second the gift of justification does not at all shield
believers from being assessed as Christians, and from forfeiting good which other
will enjoy if it turns out that as Christians they have been slack, mischievous and
destructive.” Packer, p. 132; See also 1 Corinthians 3:12-15.

***
“In view of the fact that the Father lovingly disciplines His children today, and will
judge their works in the future, we ought to cultivate an attitude of godly fear. This
is not the cringing fear of a slave before a master, but the loving reverence, of a child
before his father. It is not fear of judgment (1 John 4:18), but a fear of disappointing
Him or sinning against His love. It is “godly fear” (2 Cor. 7:1), a sober reverence for
the Father.

“I sometimes feel that there is today an increase in carelessness, even flippancy, in

the way we talk about God to talk to God….An Old Testament Jew so feared God that
he would not even pronounce His holy name, yet we today speak of God with
carelessness and irreverence. In our public praying, we sometimes get so familiar
that other people wonder whether we are trying to express our requests or impress
the listeners with our nearness to God!” Wiersbe, pp. 38-39

***
“With the framework established by Chapter I and the patterns seen in the usage of
the primary and secondary data from both Testaments, we are able to come to some
conclusions. Since the primary meaning of servile fear is supported by this
examination, it's reasonable to conclude that the phrase "fear of the Lord" refers to
servile fear of God. That the range of meanings suggested by the translators of the
NIV Is so broad and can all be shown to be the results of servile fear further sustains
this conclusion. One might object that servile fear of God is a negative concept. Our
investigation in Chapter IV revealed that fear was neither good nor bad but was just
an emotion. I f one feared the wrong thing, there would be a bad result But if one
feared the correct object, great good could result. With this in mind, it seems
reasonable to further conclude, that when the Hebrew and Greek words for fear
seem to express an action or attitude other than fear, the writer of Scripture is using
the word "fear" as a literary device to express servile fear of God as the foundational
motivation behind the action or quality he is conveying in the text, These uses
reflect that fear of God has good results. These initial conclusions from the word
studies needed to be considered in light of the key passages in the Old and New
Testaments which we examined.

“Believers also need to be taught the fear of the Lord. Christians do not view sin with
the seriousness with which God views it. And He will punish His children for sin, not
with an eternal punishment but as a father disciplines his child. Fear of God is not
Fearing God
1 Peter 1:17-21
Shay Fields Life Group
January 28, 2017

taught in the church today. Perhaps this is because we view ourselves as too
sophisticated to have fear as a motivation for obedience. And yet the Apostle Paul
teaches: "let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates the body and
spirit, perfecting holiness in fear of God." The fear of the Lord should be taught in
light of the holiness of God in the church today If this were done. it would result in
more personal holiness in the lives of the saints (the 'holy ones') and less criticism
of hypocrisy by those outside the church.” (Stock, pp. 113ff)

Other notes:

Our redemption was accomplished at an extravagant price (the death of the Son)
and for an express, eternal plan (His sacrifice planned before the foundation of the
world)

Bibliography

Be Hopeful, How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times, Warren
Wiersbe

Knowing God, J. I. Packer

1 Peter, I. Howard Marshall, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series.

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Volume 1, “yare”

Theology of the Old Testament, Volume II, Walter Eichrodt

Theology of the Old Testament, Dr. Gustav Friedrich Oehler

Your God is Too Small, J. B. Phillips, “II. Parental Hangover”, pp. 19-22

“THE FEAR OF THE LORD: AN INVESTIGATION INTO ITS MEANING

AND RELEVANCE FOR CHRISTIANITY TODAY”, Paul Stock, Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School, ThM Thesis, 1986