Transcription
[Music] Praise the Lord everyone and welcome once again to another exciting episode of Doers of the Word Ministries broadcast on the Marketplace Network.
My name is Bishop Reginald Given and I'm the senior pastor of the Word of Truth Community Worship Center. Our mailing address is 75 West New Ao Road. That's sweet E342 in the city of Paris, California 92571. Amen. And we're grateful unto the Lord for blessing us to be here today. I have a teaching message that I want to share with you today. And the title of this message simply is God said, "Fear me." Amen.
God said, "Fear me." So, before we go into this lesson, we're just going to bow our heads with a word of prayer. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the blessings of another day. I thank you, dear God, for this opportunity to share your word. I pray, dear God, that your word would go out, Lord, that it will accomplish that which it is sent out to do, that it will not return unto you void. Father God, I pray that you will help your people, oh God, to have ears to hear what the spirit of the Lord wants to say. And God, let us not just hear your word, but help us to become doers of your word. Father, that we will be blessed. And Father, I thank you for all these blessings we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. Amen. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who regularly reads his Bible, then it should not be difficult to know and to understand the times and the seasons that we now live in today. Because Satan who is the god of this world has blinded many eyes. So that the world and its views have never been relational to God. But it has surely been religious. Amen.
And what I mean by being religious is defined in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse number five. Come on. It says, "Having a form of godliness, DJ, but denying the power thereof from such turn away." In other words, they have a resemblance and a profession of what is right and holy, but they have no actual possession of the power, which is what it takes to actually live what the Bible tells us to live. And religious people who who want to be taken seriously, religious people and they want to be taken seriously will often times use certain words and phrasiologies to add credence and give validity to what they want to say. And one of the favorite intros that religious people love to use is the phrase, "The Lord said."
I love it. Teach it. The Lord said, And they use statements like this so as to create a fear in the people so that they will not contest what they are about to say.
Wow. The Lord said preach it. But I want to instruct you today. Be careful of those who say the Lord said. Yes. Without them showing you where in the scriptures the Lord actually said. Amen. Amen. Amen.
1 Timothy 4:es 1 and two says this. Now the spirit speaketh expressly. the spirit speaketh. And the object of this statement seems to be to call Timothy's attention to it in an emphatic manner and to show the importance of listening to what is about to be spoken. Why? Because the spirit speaketh. Yes. that in the latter times and it does not mean that this would occur just before the end of the world uh but that it would take place during the last dispensation and that the end of the world would not happen until this should take place. Now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times, watch this, some shall depart from the faith, that there will be a forsaking from that's good the great doctrines which constitute the Christian faith. Some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, referring to those kinds of spirits that would lead men astray. Verse two, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. In other words, no longer having a conviction of what is truly right or wrong. Uh just wanting to get your uh attention under the opaces of the Lord said. Amen.
And one of the shest signs that God has said something is when it is in regard to what God wants from you and what he wants you to do. Yes. rather than what you want from God. Amen. And what you want him to do. Amen. The condition of a lot of churches is that people have a strong confession of God, but the question is, do they really fear God? Amen. Do they really fear God?
So, guess what? I'm going to take you in the direction of what the Lord said today myself. Amen. But I'm going to tell you what he actually said. Yes. And I'm also going to show you where he said it. Praise God. My message is entitled God said, "Fear me."
But wait a minute, preacher, wait just a cotton picking minute here. Uh because I know the Bible, too. Somebody might be saying, I know what the Bible says, too, because it says in 2 Timothy 1:7, for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. And the word fear in the Greek language is the word delia. It means to be overly timid or simply to be afraid. Amen. God does not want his people to be afraid of anything. Amen. Because he admonishes us in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16. He says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Good word. Now, you cannot be bold and afraid at the same time. It's impossible. Amen. It's it's it's like almost being pregnant. There's no such thing. You either are or you're not. Amen. Amen. Being bold dispels fear just like light dispels darkness.
And when God says, "Fear me," I find in the book of Psalm a very exact definition of the kind of fear that God is re is referring to. It's found in Psalm 33:8 in the Amplified Bible. I want to read it to you because the amplified kind of throws out a little bit more, but it says the same thing as the King James. Psalm 38:33:8 says, "Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let the inhabitants of the earth revere and worship him." Let them give reverence unto the Almighty God. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in all of him. Amen. That is exactly what God means when he says, "Fear me." He wants us to revere him, to reverence him, to worship him, and to stand in awe of who he is. That's what the fear of the Lord means.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Now, please understand and don't get it twisted. God is someone to be afraid of. Amen. Amen. Because it tells us in Luke 12:es 4 and 5, it says, "And I say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear. Fear him which after he has killed has power to cast into hell. Ye man as as as the Jamaicans say, "Yay man, I say unto you, fear him." Amen. Hebrews chapter 10:31 says this. says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
So, now that we kind of cleared that up, now that we know what fear means in reference to God, it means to revere him. It means to reverence him, it means to worship him, and it means to stand in awe of him. Now that we've cleared that up and we understand what the fear of God means, God is still saying to his church, "Fear me." Amen.
Because the lack of fear of the Lord is why some people fall into sin and they bring reproach on the church and the name of the Lord. Preachers that are well known by millions all over the world have stumbled and fallen into sin because they have gotten away from the fear of the Lord. Wow. Amen. Job 28 28 says and unto man he said behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding. It is referring to the evil that is within you. For we all have sinned and is also referring to the evil outside of you because we live in a sinful world. Because your own evil and the evil that is in the world both will conspire together against you to sink you into ruin and destruction. Yes. Therefore, let it be your constant employment to shun and avoid that evil which is everywhere, that evil that is diffused through the whole moral world by sin's offense. and let us labor to be reconciled to him by his righteousness and his true holiness that we may escape the pains of an eternal death.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 11 in the God's word edition Bible it says as people who know what it means to fear the Lord we try to persuade others. Amen. That they too will come to understand what the fear of the Lord is. God already knows what we are and I hope that you also know what we are as well. So my friends, I I have I have been called to stand before you today to persuade you, Amen, through the preaching of the gospel to live as Christians and to labor to be acceptable unto him. Because we all must stand before the judgment seat. And if you receive not the grace of the gospel down here, you shall not be saved from your sins in this life, which will keep you separated from God and the glory of his power in the world to come. This is a powerful motive to persuade men to accept salvation provided for them by Jesus Christ.
Now, I don't know about you, but I want to do whatever it takes. Whatever it takes down here to miss hell. Amen. Whatever it takes. That's right. I want to do it to miss hell. God said, "Fear me that I might give you grace."
In Psalm 19:es 7-10, it says this. It says, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean. In other words, it purges away all defilement, and it makes for a spotless character, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yay, than fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. The fear of the Lord. If you operate in reverencing God, revering God, if you live your life in worshiping God, and in being in awe of who he is, the fear of the Lord keeps you properly positioned to receive the best that God has to offer you. Amen. That's why God says, "Fear me."
Not only that, but God wants to show you great and mighty things that you know not. In Psalm 25:E14, it says, "The secret of the Lord." Did you hear that? The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant. God will allow you to see the greatness of his blessings that he has provided for them that love him and for them that fear him.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 2:9 it tells us this. It says, "But as it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him." And I always like to tell people this. I say, "God's got some things for you." Amen. Amen. If you will be wise and be able to see good days with good understanding, God says, "Fear me."
Psalm 111 verse 10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all they that do his commandments. His praise endureth forever. It is in vain for any man to pretend to be wise who does not fear the Lord. Amen. Amen. For he who fears the Lord departs from evil. But he who lives in sin neither fears God nor is wise. And if you wish to have the knowledge of God, to understand the ways of God, God says, "Fear me."
Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Listen, I don't care what school you went to. I don't care how many degrees you have before your name. If you don't know God, then you are nothing but an educated fool. That's good. Knowledge begins with God. Wisdom begins with God. Understanding begins with God. Righteousness begins with God. Salvation begins with God. Direction begins with God. The beginning even began with God. Amen. Everything that pertains to our very existence begins with God. God is. And when you say God is, you can just God is all day long. God is great and mighty. God is a strong tower. God is our defense. God is a way out of nowhere. God is a very present help in a time of trouble. Amen. God is
There will be those that will rise up against you and they will try to do everything that they can to bring about your downfall. But Proverbs 23 17 and 18 tells us, "Let not thine heart envy sinners. But be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end, and thine expectations shall not be cut off." In other words, let us continue to live in the expectations of the promises of God. That's my theme for this year for our church. living in the expectation of the promises of God. And then to take it even further, let us continue to live our lives before God as promise worthy. God has given us promises, but are we worthy of those promises by how we live. And let us not fear what man can do to us.
In Proverbs 29 verse 25, it says, "The fear of man bringeth a snare, but who so putteth his trust in the Lord shall be saved." Amen. Let us not lean to the left, nor to the right, neither to our own understanding, but let us lean to the fear of the Lord. That's where God will bless you. That's where God will keep you. God will cover you. God will lift you up. He will lift up your hung head. Yes. That's where the joy of the Lord will be your strength. That's where peace will abound. So always remember, my friends, remember what God says more than what man says. God said, and I say it emphatically, God said, "Fear me." Amen.
As I close, I just want to read one last scripture. Acts chapter 9, verse 31. It says, "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord. And in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, they were multiplied." Praise God for who he is. Praise God for all that he has done. Let the church say, "Amen."
Amen. God bless you. Well, I hope that you enjoyed that message. I hope you got something out of it. God said, "Fear me." He wants us to walk every day practicing the presence of the Lord. When we practice his presence everywhere we go, we believe God is with us. And he is because he said, "I'll never leave you, nor will I forsake you." and in the fear of the Lord to reverence God to revere him to worship him and to stand in awe of who he is. I believe that God will work miracles in your life. I believe that God will open your eyes to see things that that no one else can see, to hear things that no one else can hear. I believe God will give you revelation, that he will give you power over the enemy, that sicknesses and diseases will leave your body. that finances will come rolling in. Amen. The Bible says all things are possible to him that believe. Amen.
I want to pray with you right now very quickly because there might be someone out there that might be going through a trial or might be facing a a a doctor's prognosis that was highly unfavorable to you. You may uh have run into a financial situation and you don't know how you're going to pay your bills. I want to pray with you that God will answer your prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you and we praise you that you are a God who is able to do exceeding and abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Father God, we cast our cares upon you. Father, I pray that as I pray, Lord, that you will stretch out your hand and touch those in the audience, oh God, touch those that are watching this broadcast through the marketplace network, Father God, that you will that you will minister healing, Lord, that you will minister restoration, God, that you will give sound minds, Lord, that you will go before them and make the crooked places straight, Father, that you'll provide every need according to your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Father, it is already done. For you told us in your word that when you pray, believe that you have received and you shall have the things you ask. So God, we believe it now and we thank you for it now. We trust you for the manifestation. And God, we give your name the praise. We ask it in Jesus name. Amen.
Amen. Praise God. Once again, my name is Bishop Reginald Given. I am the senior pastor of the Word of Truth Community Worship Center. Our mailing address is West 75 New Ao Road, Sweet E 342 in the city of Paris, California, 92571. And I would like to just make an appeal. Being on this wonderful network, the Marketplace Network, is a blessing and a privilege, but it costs. is expensive. And so I solicit those of you that are watching, if this broadcast has been a blessing to you, we would ask that you send in a donation, 10, 20, 30, 40, $50, whatever you can to help defay the cost so that we can stay on this network and continue to bring you messages such as this. You can send it to our zale uh 562-5691464. We do cash app dollar sign bishop given g i v i n. Amen. And then you can just send in a check if you're just oldfashioned. And I just gave you our mailing address. West 75 New A Road, Sweet E342, Paris, California 92571. We'll greatly appreciate anything that you send in and it will definitely help us to stay on this wonderful broadcast. So until the next time, I pray that God's choices and Rich's blessings will be yours until we meet again on another exciting episode of Doers of the Word Ministries broadcast on the Marketplace Network. My name is Bishop Reginald Given. God love you. Godspeed. [Music]