Fear God

How do we approach the notion of fearing God? Does it line up with the experience of those in the Bible who encountered God? Thanks to Francis Chan's 'Basic' series it's something we've discussed in our young adults group recently, and what I am preaching on this Sunday.

Now I know the Greek word for fear, 'φοβέω', is also synonymous with respect and is used in both contexts in Scripture... however, do we too quickly just read 'fear' as 'respect' because the idea of respecting God is much easier to comprehend than the idea of fearing Him.

Chan, in his video, speaks about how what he heard about the fear of God just didn't seem to line up with the actual experience of people in Scripture who were said to be fearing God.  In Scripture the fear looks like real fear... in fact, a terrified realisation that God is so awesome and holy that they are completely out of their depth and in danger of their lives when they are in His presence.

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.  "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips,
~Isaiah 6:4-5

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 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. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
~Revelation 1:12-17a

As soon as people see God, they fear Him.  Isaiah states "I am ruined", I am dead; done for; hopelessly situated before the perfect God as a sinful and ruined human.  John's reaction is even more stark... on seeing Jesus John drops... just drops, like a dead man.  The sight of the resurrected Jesus sitting in authority is simply too much, he is so fearful John simply cannot bear it.

That's the real reaction people have when they come before the throne of God - that goes so much beyond just explaining away fear as respect doesn't it??

In each case God, on the person's realisation of their fear, extends grace, mercy and peace in some way - but He only offers that after each person realises their fear.  That's where I wonder if we glaze over it in our current church culture.  We present a loving God, a kind Father, dear brother, friend who wants a personal relationship... and all those things are true - but it should all start with a healthy fear of the powerfulness of God and His supreme might over us.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
~Psalm 111:10

We begin with fear, because the truth of the matter is when we see God we will fear Him.  It's the only natural response of a creation before the might of their Creator. But that is just the beginning, but for a true understanding of who God is we need to start at that beginning.

Working as a Motorsport Chaplain.

"God look over us today, even though so many choose to overlook you"
Garry Coleman - Bathurst Track Prayer 2014 

This is just a single line from a 90 second prayer V8 Supercar chaplain, Garry Coleman, had the opportunity to pray in front of a crowd of 195 thousand people and international TV audience of over 3 million before the Bathurst 1000 race this year.

Chaplains are ministers who work within a certain environment, usually, not governed by principles based on the faith they hold. This causes tension at times, but handled effectively gives an incredible opportunity to show people Jesus’ love and grace. There are sports chaplains in nearly every sporting code in Australia, as well as chaplains for the military, hospitals, police, fire and of course schools all over this nation.

Garry and myself are just 2 of over 40 motorsport chaplains working in Australia, and though much of our work is behind the scenes, it is amazing the public influence Garry can have on Australia’s biggest day in motor sport. However, the majority of the ministry is focused on things that happen behind the scenes, really interacting with the community at the track; not just the drivers, but the engineers, mechanics, family, marshals, firemen and medical officers. It is not overtly evangelical role, but more subtly so through a focus on pastoral care and compassion.

Motorsport is dangerous, but those involved are full of passion; people race because they love it. As chaplains we respond to all the different results that come from that risk.  We're usually based with the medical team and work closely with the track doctors in assisting with follow up, communicating with families and doing the additional things to help out like picking up from hospital and taking personal belonging back to people - or even just simply sitting with someone while they get their fluids replenished before walking them back to their job point.

Betty Klimenko, V8 Supercar team owner,
took and posted this photo of Dad & I
 on Instagram with some kind words
about our work.

Last weekend I worked the Gold Coast 600 event for V8 Supercars with Garry and my father. In all there were actually five chaplains on track for the weekend but I was based in pit lane with the medics and had a whole range of opportunities to show the love of Jesus.  I actually missed the majority of the final V8 Supercar race on the Sunday because I was picking up someone who had been injured on track from Robina Hospital - that's the job and missing the main event to help someone is certainly not an issue in my mind.

Even with that though there was plenty of time to submerse myself in my passion for motorsport. I got to chat with heaps of drivers, actually walking on the grid before the race and sharing a word of encouragement with many of them (from all driving manufacturers as well) before they jumped in their cars for the race.  Early mornings before the public is allowed in is when all the drivers and teams arrive.  They do pit stop practice, have breakfast together and there is a really warm and inviting atmosphere which is great to simply mix into - kind of lurking with intent - looking for meaningful conversation opportunities.

Like Garry's prayer said, many of these people over look God, but we can be there to show them that God still looks over them.

Jesus Loves Me

New song from Chris Tomlin, on his album "Love Ran Red" which will be out in Australia next week.

Looking forward to it, as I love the heart of this man and his passion for reflective and honest worship.

Where do you pray?

Currently reading Bill Hybels' "Too Busy Not To Pray"... here's an interesting excerpt regarding the choice of where we pray.

If establishing a regular prayer time is important, so is designating a regular prayer place.  Some people pray in public places, at social gatherings and at mealtimes just so they can be seen and heard and assumed to be religious.;  But prayer, Jesus says, is not a spectator sport.  It is not something we are to engage in to give off signals of spirituality.  'Forget that idea' says Jesus. 

Instead, when you pray, go into your room and shut the door.  Find a small room, an empty office, the workshop out in the garage, some secret place where you can be away from people and alone with God. That's where you can pray most effectively... The place you choose may be more important than you think.  When you establish a time and a place, it becomes integrated into the rhythm of your life.  I'm a morning person, so I typically arrive at work before anyone else is there. Every day. I sit down in my office chair, swivel around, prop my feet up and reach for my spiral notebook, a Bible and a weak cup of black coffee. 

This routine has taken such root in my life that it tends to take precedence even over more logical considerations, such as whether I need to be in the office on a particular day.  If I'm not preaching that weekend, or if it's my day off, most of the time I still show up, just to spend those precious moments with God... Once you identify such a place and begin to use it regularly, a kind of aura surrounds it.  Your prayer room, even if it is a laundry room in the basement, becomes to you what the Garden of Gethsemane became to Jesus - a holy place, the place where God meets with you.
Bill Hybels, "Too Busy Not To Pray" - p54-56 

Now I don't see Hybels negating the role of public prayer here... he's not saying prayer should only be done in a private, secret place.  But I think he makes a compelling argument that if you don't take prayer seriously enough to invest in private time like Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:5-13, then you don't have the right to pray in public.  If you do one without the other then you are only praying to be seen, but if you have the private time, then your public prayers are simply inviting others to join with you in what you usually share with God alone.

So then where do you pray?  I am not sure I have one 'secret' place, but living on my own means that my whole house is my own private place, so sitting having my cereal each morning at my dining table is a common place for me to pray, other times it is the couch, or even my bed.  I do wonder though about the wisdom of creating a 'prayer place', maybe purchasing a comfy chair to put in my spare room with a coffee table, or something that can symbolically become the place I meet God each day.

Interested in other people's ideas, I am really searching to enhance my prayer life at the moment.

What's the consequence?

I think about sin a lot.  Well, I don't mean think sinfully (though don't we all do that at times too), but about sin, more exactly my sin.

I know I sin.  I know I sin horribly, and that many of my sins are known to no one but God Himself.  I am very sorry for those sins, because I know what they do to my relationship with God.  God have any part of sin in Him, or near Him, so my sin effectively cuts me off from God.

That is... before the grace of Jesus comes into play.

But even as a Christian, knowing I have peace with God in regard to my sins because of the righteousness of Jesus that is imputed to me (Romans 5:1), I still feel guilty over my sins at times.  It is not because I am feeling guilty of being caught for my sin; for looking bad in others' eyes.  Like I said before, most of my sins are probably only known to God Himself, others haven't seen them anyway so they have no impact on their perception of me.  I am not sorry for being caught, but I feel a great sorrow for standing in front of God knowing I have done things against His will.

I have been dwelling on that feeling lately, and a few sermons at churches I visited while on my leave really helped me process it a bit more.  I recognise there has to be a consequence for sin.  Like a court of law, a crime is committed so a punishment must be dealt.  I see my sin, but continue to feel a bit of guilt because personally I don't see a consequence - I ask God for forgiveness and receive grace and mercy, my dutiful brain doesn't rest because I haven't had to pay a price.

Thinking about that is when I realise I don't not see the consequence of my sin, what I am doing is taking it for granted!

My sin has a huge consequence! It's just that as a Christian I do not have to face it.  My sin meant that God sent Jesus to earth; that Jesus chose to leave heaven, to put aside all the power and knowledge and presence of what it means to be God and become a human; to experience a sinful world all while never sinning; then suffer the most horrific death imaginable because of the people's sin; and then on the cross face all of the consequences for all sin for all time.

The consequence of my sin is that God is angry at me - but because of my faith in Jesus to save me that anger was heaped on Jesus instead.  How can I take that for granted?  That must turn my feelings of guilt into unashamed reactions of worship and thanks.  It must also serve as a motivator to not sin, because sinning again after I know Jesus is the pinnacle of taking what Jesus did for me for granted.

But when I do sin, instead of feeling cut of from God and not communicating with Him, or ignoring Him more because I feel guilty, what I need to do is worship Jesus for what He's done, apologise again for causing wrath to fall on Him instead of me, but feel the love and the grace He offers, not to turn away, but turn towards.

Tweet of the Week

1. Timothy Keller ‏@timkellernyc  4h4 hours ago

   Prayer can be simple, but it's not easy. Nothing great is.

This is great - and so pertinent to my sermon prep at the moment.  Will definitely be on a power point slide come Sunday.

New Evening Sermon Series @ dBay Baptist.

Psalms is virtually the Jewish hymnbook. We don’t know the tunes, but we assume that in the temple, synagogues and probably even the early church these Jewish songs were sung to praise God.   Yet as you read through the Psalms you find such an amazingly vast selection of topics, emotions, focuses, and questions.  This really shows us the far reaching impact faith should have on our lives, on how our worship is intertwined into every aspect of our daily lives.

Starting on November 2nd and continuing for the rest of term 4 we are going to be looking at a selection of different Psalms in our evening services.  When people think of worship in the contemporary church many people automatically equate that to music.  From the Psalms we see that music was an important way of praising God for the Jews, and should be for us.  But their music reflected the wide range of issues that they could worship God through.  This series isn’t specifically about worship, but about how our faith must interact with every single aspect of our lives and how that intertwines with how we can worship Jesus for the amazing sacrifice He made for us.

Jesus died on the cross to bring us into a state of peace with God.  A relationship that was broken at the very beginning of creation was repaired because the debt we could never pay was paid by Jesus.  He substituted Himself for us, and stepped in to bear the wrath and punishment God had meant to push on us for breaking that relationship.  Jesus, being God Himself, was able to pay the price for everyone’s sin (that is the actions that break relationship with God) and, again because He is God, conquer death, rise again and be alive today for us to interact with and look forward to a similar resurrection into eternal life.

That’s why we worship Jesus, because He is so worthy, and He did so much for us.  It is silly for us to think that just singing some songs on Sunday does justice to the worship Jesus is worthy of.  Join us in our evening services this term to take on a deeper reaching idea of worship.

I watched Bathurst... and didn't go to church.

I seriously enjoyed the Bathurst 1000 on Sunday. I got up early and watched it from start to finish, I yelled at the screen when Mark Winterbottom was spun just laps from the end, I jumped from my seat on the last lap when Chaz Mostert passed Jamie Whincup at Forest Elbow and I cheered (and possibly even cried) as he crossed the line winning for Ford… and you know what… even though it was Sunday… I didn’t go to a church service.

I was disappointed to hear a few little grumblings on that front – or some insinuations regarding ‘choosing sport over God’, because I certainly don’t feel I did that at all. Let me explain.

I openly admit I do love motorsport, all kinds. V8 Supercars is certainly my favourite variety of motorsport, having been involved in the series as an official and a chaplain for almost 10 years. The Bathurst 1000 is the biggest and best race in this series, it’s the biggest and best race in Australia hands down (if not the world) and has such a long rich history. Not only that, but my family has such a long history with this race. From the earliest time I remember watching it every year with my Dad (who remembers watching it with his Dad), I learnt only the other day that he and Mum sent money to Dick Johnson as part of that outcry of support after he hit the rock in 1981, my grandfather and his brothers all worked for Ford when they immigrated to Australia from Malta and I grew up hearing stories about building all the famous Falcons, the XY GTHO, XC Cobra and many others. For most of my life the name Sandham has been synonymously linked with Ford, building them, driving them, supporting them and hot rodding them.

And though I do admit all that, I also confidently say that motorsport, Fords, or cars in general are not an idol in my life. When I was 17, with my new license and first Ford (a 1986 Laser) it probably did become an idol for a while, but as I grew in faith I have very much addressed that and continued to as the years have gone on. I have even turned down opportunities at times for purchasing some truly beautiful cars because of where God had me in my life or in checking my motives I wasn’t convinced I was following His plan properly.

But I do drive a Falcon, and I do watch Bathurst every year (religiously you could say), yet I feel I can do this an honour God while doing so. God created me an individual, He created me with passion, with love, with a sense of duty and the ability to enjoy love, passion, commitment and fun. He even placed me in a specific family, in a specific country at a specific time. He did all this on top of the fact that He sent His Son to come and step in place for the punishment of my sin. First and foremost I am eternally thankful and resolutely faithful to Jesus and what He did for me, but I feel a great thanks also for the way God created me, the passions and family He has given me.

Sometimes I wonder if as we strive for dutiful religious following of Jesus we shun the idea of praising God by enjoying the passions He has created us with. We have an idea regarding the dutiful attendance at church each week (possibly twice each week) and it becomes legalistic in the sense that we regard anyone who doesn’t do this as inferior or uncommitted or even a heathen. For that reason alone I don’t mind missing a church service here or there, just to show that even though I am committed to Jesus, and the life He’s called me to (which certainly includes being involved in my local church) I am not legalistically holding to anything that promotes a work based or evaluation based belief.

But there’s more to it as well. I truly believe I can honour God in my passion for motorsport by including Him in my passion for motorsport. Directly I have known following God’s plan to be involved with chaplaincy has allowed me to do this by serving the motor racing community in Jesus’ name, but even in watching I think in a prayerful awareness and pure enjoyment I can glorify God for who He is as Creator, by enjoying who He created me to be. Watching on Sunday I joined in heart as V8 Chaplain Garry Coleman prayed on live TV before the race, I prayed for drivers and marshals as I saw accidents and conflicts arise. I conversed with Dad as we sat and watched together and encouraged and loved my nephews when they came for lunch to; ‘watch “Frosty” and “Number 5” with Uncle Dean.’

For me Bathurst was a celebration of family, passion and ministry – I do not feel any sin in putting that before going to church on one day each year. I know as a Pastor there is are extra obligations due to my employment, but I was on my annual leave break this year so those considerations don’t really fit here.

Hopefully you can see by the length and depth of this post, that this mode of thinking has only come about because of lots of in-depth consideration on my part and years of self-reflection to engage Jesus in a proper and passionate way. It’s not simply an excuse to not go out on Sunday and sit in front of the TV instead. For some it is, for some motorsport or sport in general is an idol. For some it keeps them from serving or worshiping God. I think sport, music, tv, movies, arts, and personal enjoyments need to be carefully considered but each person is created with certain passions, and if we find ways to enjoy honouring God through those passions, we will be much happier, and feel a better sense of freedom and a closer interaction with Jesus day by day and not just when we dutifully apply it in only certain areas of our life.

So I will continue to passionately say “GO FORD”!!!