This sermon emphasizes the importance of reverential fear of God, highlighting the need for Christians to embrace the holiness, judgment, and severity of God. It calls for a return to a deep respect for God's majesty, warning against a lack of fear leading to false grace and deception. The message stresses the necessity of obedience, repentance, and walking in righteousness, urging believers to heed the Holy Spirit's conviction and make things right with God before it's too late.

Oh God, oh beloved, because God said to this man, will I tremble at your word, let us tremble this morning. If ever there was a time that you and I fully embraced the heart of God and the will of God and the ways of God and the word of God, oh beloved, it's now. There was a time in this country when I'm sure you would walk in the house of the Lord and if you were living in willful sin, you would tremble. There was an awe, there was a reverence of God, there was a sense of God's holiness. Has very little of the fear of God among today's Christians. Now I want to tell you God is no grandfather, he's not one who just ignores anything you do like grandfathers do. What did we read in 1 Peter 1? Spend your entire life on earth, this is not Old Testament, this is New Testament, the Apostle Peter writing 30 years after the day of Pentecost. Spend your entire life on earth in fear, the same word. I'm supposed to live my entire life on earth, 1 Peter 1 17, in fear, in fear of what? Fear of God. First Peter 1 17, if you address as father the one who impartially judges according to each one's works, then conduct yourselves in fear during this time of your stay on earth. But there was a trembling, there was a time in this country when you walked in the house of God and you knew if you were living in sin, you were going to be confronted. Paul speaks in Romans 11 about the severity and the goodness of God in what connection in his dealing with this ancient people. There is no fear in the church for God. The fear of God is absent from the church and that's why we take the horrendous liberties that we do, for how shall we fear him if we have not known his severity, his judgments, his dealings, how far he will go even with his own ancient people who are yet the apple of his eye despite their fallenness. Even in the church we've lost our sense of the holiness of God. You know, Charles Wesley gave us that lovely children's hymn, Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon the little child. But you know, some people never get past Gentle Jesus. He's lost the fear of God. There's no fear of God left in the land. This is what the Bible says, the fear of the Lord, fear the Lord and depart from evil. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. By mercy and truth iniquity is purged and by the fear of the Lord men depart from their evil, from the fear of the Lord. A reverent fear of God which brings freedom and it's because many Christians do not have that reverent fear of God that they don't come into freedom. Call it what you want, reverential awe, call it what you want. But there's such a thing as remember that God is not mocked. There's such a thing as looking at the majesty and holiness of God. But a one-sided Christianity which always spoke about always be sure you're accepted before God. God loves you, brother. Don't, don't be. Remember God loves you just as you are. His love is unconditional. It's all true. But if you only look at that, you've got one side of God and you've got a one-sided God and you'll see the end result of that in the way you live. The other is the fear that I may hurt God. There is no awe, no sense of fear, no deep respect that he's a living God and a seeing and a knowing God and we can't get away with our little gitchy goo and cutting corners as if he does not observe it. It's a very different picture in the world of God. I believe that the church of Jesus Christ needs a new revelation of the majesty of God. The remarkable thing is he lets it go on and he's silent and we assume that either he has condoned it or he's not seen it until the day comes. It's interesting that the first time the Holy Spirit uses the phrase the fear of God is in relation to sexual sin. As I meditated on it, the Lord showed me that it is through sexual temptation more than in any other area that I test whether men especially fear me or not. You will one day stand before that throne and you will be judged before that throne in perfect righteousness. We're not like Paul who always lived in the conscious sense of the judge and the day of judgment and that we shall be held accountable for every idle word that we speak and that all that we have done in our bodies both good and bad will one day come before us when we stand before the judgment of God. Folks, what's it going to be like? I've tried to imagine this. What is it going to be like when we stand before the throne? Every pastor, every evangelist, when I stand there, everyone in this pulpit stands there and everyone who's ever taken the gospel to their lips and we stand before a Holy Christ and the books are opened. I can't bear the thought that I would have preached for 20 years here in New York City from this pulpit and that to keep the money flowing or to keep the crowds coming and every seat filled that I should give a half gospel or dilute it so I won't offend you. In Jeremiah's day, the false prophets had the biggest crowds. The true prophet could hardly get folks together. In Jeremiah's day, the thing that was so heavy on his heart was the false prophets told the people what they wanted to hear and the people naturally flocked and when he would start to prophesy the true word of the Lord, the people said, would you get this guy to shut up? Could somebody take care of this guy? We don't want to hear this anymore. And you see, if you have no fear of God, you have to invent a gospel of convenience. There's all kinds of phony people now, huge followings. You just turn on some of the Christian television, it's enough to make you sick and they got people writing checks all over the whole country for them and they're not even close but because of the biblical illiteracy among the people, they don't know the genuine from the false because only through knowing God's word are we going to know what's true. Amen? And this is what's happened in America and around the world. You see, man can't get away from that nagging sense and that's the Holy Spirit who says there's death and then there's judgment. There's a day of standing before God to give an account. The Bible makes it very, very clear. There's a heaven and there's a hell. And there's a day we're going to have to give an account. And there's a hell. And Jesus said there's a hell of fire and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, a darkness that can be felt. A lot of us share God's word here and there. Paul says how he preached. He says in 1 Corinthians 2 verse 3, When I came preaching to you, I was with you in weakness and in fear and in trembling. Preaching with fear and trembling? Where do we hear of that today? People who preach afraid lest they may say something God doesn't want them to say. I've heard so many preachers say God doesn't throw anybody into hell. My dear friend, he does. Jesus told us that he does. Fear him who not only can kill the body, but afterwards take your body and your soul and throw you in hell. It is God who throws in hell. You say, well, I just don't like this kind of Christianity. I'm sorry. It's the only one that you've got. Repent or be damned. Well, thank God someone's still crying it out. Because that's the whole Bible from the heart of the God of love that you say wouldn't say those words you liberal theologians say, wouldn't you? Sending people to hell just so you can have a job. But you don't live from this book, sir. God will require of you and their blood will be in your hands. You better start preaching truth or get out of the pulpit. You liberal theologians, you're in for a terrible shock. In the next moment, you'll be in front of God. Not only with your own soul to give account for, but those you kept from truth. But today, a whole lot of people are learning about grace who haven't learned about the fear of God. And you got to learn the fear of God before you can appreciate the grace of God. Otherwise, you'll get a false grace. The reverence for God is an essential component of the true grace of God. A grace of God that does not include a reverential fear of God is a false grace. Verse 17, Honor all men, love the brotherhood and fear God. This is the true grace of God. A grace of God which does not include the fear of God is a false grace. If you don't contend and fall into a kind of a slipshod, easy casualness, you're almost guaranteeing your deception. I would hate to die in that condition. Because in whatever condition we end this life or in the Lord's coming, in that condition, we eternally remain. There is no remedy. There's a finality. There's closure. And there's no mercy. Mercy has gone forever. And I believe that many Christians are worshipping a false God, God of their imagination, who's a grandfather, who just allows them to do what they like. Better is a little, a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith. Trouble therewith. And it will come, let me tell you. If you're dealing with a holy God before the day of judgment, sir, and if you're saved, you're dealing with a God that will chasten you so that you crawl in the school of God. Don't play the fool with God, sir. Or his name if you touch it and carry it. And think these things will never happen to you. Concerning integrity with money. That's the reason why we have so many lovers of money in Christendom. That's the reason why we have so many divorces, in western countries anyway, in Christendom today. That's why, that's the reason why so many fine young believers are defeated by the lust of the eyes 365 days of the year. That's why there are so many believers who are involved in internet pornography. You think they lack Bible knowledge? They got Bible knowledge oozing out of their ears. But, and their tongue especially. But, they haven't learned ABC. They haven't learned the fear of the Lord. But we have to confess, it has not remained primary. It's secondary at best. It's been lost in the shuffle. Our car, our home, our family, our job, our career, our vocation has pushed out the concern of God. God, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The thing that really impresses God is if all the drums and the music are all going wonderfully and our singing is so beautiful and the parts go so well. But what about the holiness? That's the one thing God is looking for. Here's what I think fearing God means today. I think fearing God means that God is in your mind and heart so powerful and so holy and so awesome that you would not dare to run away from Him but only run to Him. Fearing God is not another requirement. It's the way you do covenant keeping. It's the way you receive Jesus. It's the way you come to Jesus. You come reverently. You come humbly. You come without any presumption that you deserve anything or He owes you anything. You come trembling or as we saw in Psalm 51, you come with a heart that is broken and contrite. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Tremble if you ever feel any inclination to leave this God. There is only destruction away from Him. 2 Corinthians 7.1 Since we have these wonderful promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every filthiness, not only of the outward things in the flesh but the inner things of the spirit, thoughts, attitudes, motives, as much as our words and actions. And how do we do it? We perfect holiness not in the fear of man but in the fear of God. Those guys are perfecting holiness in the fear of man. They are afraid of being exposed in the meeting. That's not true holiness. Here it says we perfect holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 2.12 My beloved, just as you have always obeyed not as in my presence only but much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. This is New Testament. With fear and trembling, I have to work out what God works within me. What God works inside me, I got to work out not casually but with fear and trembling. That brings a solemn fear of the Lord in my heart. And I persuade men. I say, hey fellas, remember this. You are going to stand before God. And don't think with all these justification gimmicks. You are going to stand there. Verse 21 Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Is there a place for that in your life? Fear of Christ. We think these are Old Testament verses. No. Ephesians 5 We lack a consciousness of God actually as present and seeing and observing not only the things that we say and do but even the condition of our secret heart when it's silent. You got the picture? What am I? Am I commending some kind of legalism and rob you of your charismatic freedom and bring you into some kind of constraint that God is always there seeing and knowing? I'll tell you, dear saints, the greatest malady of the church today is the lack of the fear of God as God. He will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? And in Thy name, in Thy name have cast out devils. And in Thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. What happens in the church today, when the church is in operation, is not only in power and strength, but in the perfect self-experience of faith. That is where the devil trips us up. A false freedom, where we think of God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, and you go through a whole year without ever hearing about the fear of God. We got so friendly with Jesus, that we have lost our reverence for him. You need to contend for the faith, continually. When I hear people singing, you know, put your hand in the hand of him that walked on the water, forget it. Or the new son that's now, shake hands with Jesus. Listen, when you see Jesus, you're not going up and say, hey buddy, I'm glad you died for me. When you see Jesus, you'll be almost paralyzed with fear, unless you have a glorified body and a glorified mind. John, the man who had walked with him and talked with him for three years, says that when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. What do you think you and I are going to do? Well, I'll tell you what God looks for. Is there a man who fears him? Oh beloved, because God says to this man will I look. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. Keep me on my knees. The fear of God. I thought many great things, but the greatest thing that I've ever thought of, the most awesome, the most terrifying, the most shattering thought I've ever had is my personal accountability to God one day. His feet are like burnished brass. His face is like the sun in its strength. His eyes are living coals of fire. His tongue is as sharp as a edging sword. One man who fears God and hates sin with a passion. No, no, no, no, no, no. The man who only wants his sins forgiven is trifling with Christianity. He who is to be feared. This is not the time to play games. This is an extremely dangerous time to play games with God. God should bring every work into judgment with every secret thing. And so I'm going right back, back, back to the foundation. Will you remind people of the goodness and the severity of God? The most precious thing we ever handle is the human soul. The Pieta one day will go up in dust. The Cistern Chapel will be blown to smithereens. That the soul of a man will live forever and ever and ever and ever. Either in eternal darkness or eternal bliss. Heaven is impeccable joy. There'll be no sorrow. Hell is eternal misery. There's no joy. There is only one way to heaven. There are a million ways to hell. If I believe that, and I'm sitting watching an R-rated movie. I believe that and yet I carry grudges. A vengeful spirit. Can't lay down the hurt. Now the question arises, what is God telling you to stay away from? See, this is, this is where we move towards truth or we cover our own selves with a garment of religion. You've heard a lot of things today alone in your mind, just like Abraham heard one night in his bed. God spoke to him, give up your son. You've heard some things today. Nobody else heard it. The person sitting next to you didn't hear it. You're like Abraham. Read Genesis 22. Where he spoke something only to you. Even Sarah, sleeping next to him, didn't hear it. Person sitting next to you hasn't heard it. Your wife didn't hear it. Your husband didn't hear it. You heard something. Now God is testing you whether you'll obey that or not. Abraham obeyed. God said to him, Genesis 22, Now I know that you fear me. This is a call to each one of us. What is the Holy Spirit telling you right now to walk away from? See, this is where you're going to make a choice. You're going to either cover sin with religion or you're going to throw off that garment and move towards a holy God and say, Lord, I'm going where you're calling me. Don't put off what God's called you to do. The more you put it off, the greater chance that you'll make peace with it. If you have doubtful practices in your life, put them away. If you have embraced sin, believing erroneously today that there'd be no judgment for it, flee that as quickly as you can. Walk in what is right. The New Covenant is a wonderful, wonderful truth, but it's only for the honest Christian. It is not a contract for dishonesty. It is not a covering for willful rebellion, folks, against God. There is no protection for a Uzziah and there is no protection for the person who willfully embraces wrong. If you don't believe that, then read Acts chapter 5 and see what happened to Ananias and Sapphira. That was New Covenant Christianity and they died by the hand of God. And folks, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Don't ever lose the fear of God. God is wonderful, loving, just, and kind, but you cannot mock Him. You cannot play games with a holy God. There has to be an honesty in the heart. What I'm giving to you now is the mercy of God. Who so loved you that He put you in a seat in this church, this day, and said, today, now, is the time to make it right. But my calling this morning is as a watchman, and I'm telling you now what I believe the Holy Spirit is saying. It's time to get right with God. He's saying, I have wooed you so many times this time. I say to you in great love from the Lord and from His heart, if you'll pay the price, I'll open doors for you, I'll speak through you, and I'll use you again like you'd have never conceived. But you see, for a few this is the last call. And I say it in the Spirit, and with love. So be careful. What you do with this sermon now, sir, never.