#012 Fear And Trembling (Philippians 2:12)
Christian, at times when we read the Bible, does it not make us fear and tremble?
Fear and tremble at the holiness, the power, the authority, the mercy of God!
Fear and tremble at our own unworthiness, our own stubborn wickedness and failure to obey God. Our failure to even want to obey God!
Especially those punchy verses in Hebrews such as 10:26 which says ‘For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins…’
If we read it rightly, we will discover that the Bible is constantly exposing our sin - in thought, in word, in deed - by weakness, by negligence, by our own deliberate fault.
And don’t we, at times, find ourselves crying out with the apostle Paul, in fear and in trembling ‘Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?’
But listen to what Paul also says to us in Philippians 2 ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.’
Christian, do you see? When the Bible causes us to fear and tremble, that’s often when our salvation is being worked out!
Because…
When we expose ourselves to the hard words of scripture - they expose us as wretched and sinful!
When they have exposed us as wretched and sinful - that’s when we most keenly sense our need for Jesus.
When we most keenly sense our need for Jesus - that’s when we’re ready to ‘draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.’
When the Bible causes us to fear and tremble, that’s often when our salvation is being worked out!
If you let it, it will lead you to that throne of grace, and mercy you will receive!
Fear and tremble at the holiness, the power, the authority, the mercy of God!
Fear and tremble at our own unworthiness, our own stubborn wickedness and failure to obey God. Our failure to even want to obey God!
Especially those punchy verses in Hebrews such as 10:26 which says ‘For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins…’
If we read it rightly, we will discover that the Bible is constantly exposing our sin - in thought, in word, in deed - by weakness, by negligence, by our own deliberate fault.
And don’t we, at times, find ourselves crying out with the apostle Paul, in fear and in trembling ‘Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?’
But listen to what Paul also says to us in Philippians 2 ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.’
Christian, do you see? When the Bible causes us to fear and tremble, that’s often when our salvation is being worked out!
Because…
When we expose ourselves to the hard words of scripture - they expose us as wretched and sinful!
When they have exposed us as wretched and sinful - that’s when we most keenly sense our need for Jesus.
When we most keenly sense our need for Jesus - that’s when we’re ready to ‘draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.’
When the Bible causes us to fear and tremble, that’s often when our salvation is being worked out!
If you let it, it will lead you to that throne of grace, and mercy you will receive!
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