Video Transcript: Reverence and Humility

Wow, it's day six already. This will take us to the halfway point of our course.  Today is lesson six. And we are going to talk about reverence and humility. We  see in the scriptures that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But  have you ever wondered what exactly is the fear of the Lord? And how do I get  it? Take a moment and think about a time when you were really afraid. What  caused you to fear? What was the outcome? What happens the next time you  face a similar situation? I remember a time when my husband and I were afraid  that we might lose our house. Now God provided miraculously. In fact, he turned everything around 10 minutes, even after the banks deadline, which told us that  the banks were not in control, God was in control and man's deadlines, bow to  him. So now when similar circumstances arise, we go back and we recount what God did for us. And it reminds us that He is our provider, not man. My husband,  Robert had a kidney transplant in 2013. I remember early on, when his kidney  numbers were failing. I couldn't sleep, I went out in the living room, you know, to  wrestle with myself and God, and an overwhelming fear came over me as I  realized that Robert might die, and I would be left alone. Honestly, it was almost  too much for me, I had faced the possibility of my own death years before and  the Lord had given me his peace. And that stayed with me throughout the years. But the idea of losing Robert required that I grew into a totally different kind of  faith. God told me that I had to begin to accept everything, as from his hand, for  my good and for His glory. submitting to God is a choice. And it is always  because he has shown himself trustworthy, that we finally submit, there's a huge difference between humility and humiliation. To fear implies a perception of evil  interaction and it carries with it an aspect of humiliation. Trust that comes from  humility, on the other hand, rests on the knowledge that the person you're  trusting, has your best interests at heart, that they are true to their word and  trustworthy and have the ability to do what they say they're going to do. While  you recognize their position of power. There's no fear, because you trust that  they will not harm you. Well, man can't always do what he says he's going to do, no matter how much he wants to, but God can and will and always does show  his love for us. The Bible says that true love casts out all fear. Fear of man or  circumstances really comes from the same place as the fear of God. Fear of  God, according to Strong's is moral reverence. Merriam Webster says that  reverence is respect or esteem, honor, or deference. It is this construct of  deference that joins the ideas of fear and reverence when we pay honor or defer to someone. It's because we believe in some respect, they are more and we are less. This might be by virtue of their position, think about the president of a  company or a country. It could be by virtue of an exceptional quality or ability,  such as a noted Bible scholar or a sports figure or movie star. I know I was  totally intimidated by academic scholars and I felt inferior to my professors.  Sometimes we fear a person because they actually have the ability to harm us.  And so we defer to them to avoid punishment. Why does God deserve our 

reverence are what many call holy fear, by virtue of his position as Sovereign  King of the universe, by virtue of His power, exhibited in his creation of the  universe, by virtue of the fact that he is the sustainer of all life, where the fear of  man or circumstances differ from a healthy fear of God is in the moral  component. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines moral as of or relating to right  and wrong behavior. The scriptural uses of the word righteousness and sin are  similar in connotation. Righteousness is tending to the right hand, sin is missing  the mark or veering off the path. But Jesus tells us right and wrong behaviors  begin in our heart, and they're a product of our thoughts. Jesus says that if a  man even looks at a woman with lust in his heart, he's committed adultery  already. If we call a person an idiot, we've committed murder. So when we look  at God, we examine his thoughts toward man. And Scripture tells us God is  always and only good. His thoughts. His ways, are always righteous, they never  veer off the path. And because he's always good, we can know that he holds our life in his hands. And we don't have to be afraid that he's gonna snap his fingers  and take our life away arbitrarily, like Thanos, if you saw the movie, we know his  thoughts. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, I know the plans I have for you saith the Lord  for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. So when we encounter evil or hardships, we can know God's only allowed it for our good and his glory,  because he tells us over and over his great love for us. And we know he has our best interests at heart. We know that God is sovereign, he's able to do what he  says he will do. He's the king of all kings, the Lord of all lords. So if we walk in  his ways, we don't have to fear even man. Because what can mere man do to  me, if God is for me, who can be against me? Before I received Christ Jesus  into my life, I was afraid of God. I knew I was sinful. I didn't know that he loved  me. I think I thought of you know that he's kind of good. But I didn't understand  that everything. He does is good. Once we're transformed, our fear of God  changes to awe as he begins to reveal Himself to us. We're in awe of his purity,  his holiness, righteousness, goodness, kindness, power. For me, the most  profound example of humility is found in Philippians 2. It shows us that the  decisions that Jesus Christ made to place himself in a position below not only  human beings, but also below the spiritual force of death, as well as below the  constructs of man of what constitutes eternalness. death on a cross was  considered by the Jews to be an abomination and a person's existence  represented in their name was considered wiped out as if they never existed if  they had death on the cross. Have you seen examples of what reverence looks  like in Scripture? Let's take a look at Mary, the mother of Jesus, the angel  Gabriel came to her to tell her she'd have a baby. But she wasn't married. It was  shameful in her day to be pregnant out of wedlock. Not only that, but the law  actually called for her to be stoned to death. She didn't know at first, if Joseph  would stay with her or leave her. She only knew that God sent an angel to her.  And her response tells us of her deep reverence for God. She says let it be 

done to me, as you have spoken. One of my favorite examples is Esther when  she goes to King's Xerxes, to plead for her people. In her request, she says, If it  pleases the king, if he thinks it's the right thing to do, if I have found favor in his  eyes, and if I am pleasing to the king, her words indicate she understands his  position of leadership and authority. She recognizes that he has an overall plan  for His kingdom and His reign, and that he is sovereign. She also recognizes  that his evaluation of her motives is important. And she realizes that when he  looks at her, what he sees must be pleasing in His sight. I use this as my  example for prayer when I approach our Heavenly Father. I know when he looks at me, he sees Jesus. But as I go through the request process, I am forced to  recognize who it is I am asking that He is the ruler of the universe. I  acknowledge that His will is all that matters, because he can see everything and he has a plan that he's allowing me to participate in. And I also know that he  wants me to bring my desires to him because he cares about what I care about.  Just like King Xerxes cared about Esther's concerns. I examine my motives I  make sure they align with the mind in the heart of God, as I've seen borne out in Scripture, and I examine myself, I repent of anything that is not pleasing in His  sight. And then I rest in knowing he sees me washed in the blood of His dear  Son, and in his righteousness. Today's reflection question asks you, are you  seeing God work in your life? To bring you to total trust in His goodness and His  love for you? Are there areas where fear of man or of circumstances still have a  hold? Can you bring your fears to God in prayer? If you feel comfortable write  your prayer in the comments box. may God richly bless you as you seek His will  for your life. And as you rest in is all encompassing. Love for you