Yesterday in the sermon I shared this life principle: “When you lose your awe of God you begin to look at man.” It was based on the following scripture:
Acts 3:11–12 (NIV84)
11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?”
Peter knew this principle – “when you lose your awe of God you begin to look at man.” He had learned it from his failures and the failures of others who were once close to Jesus. Peter himself denied Jesus three times around the fire pit of Caiaphas just before Jesus was crucified. His pride brought him to the pit. Then etched into his memory was the failure of Judas, the betrayer, the one who sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
I am convinced many of the problems we are currently experiencing in the church are because we have lost the awe of God and elevate a man/women to the place where only God can stand.
Can I speak openly and honestly?
In much of the church we have elevated the teachings of man above the teachings of Scripture. This happens when we set aside the Bible and man ideas become His ideas; and those ideas become your ideas.
Isaiah 55:8 (NLT)
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
In much of the church the priest /pastor has authority to do and act in ways that only God should have. Like the FORGIVENESS of sin. When you give a man power to forgive sins you give him the power to control your life and eternal destiny. He then becomes your savior! How dangerous is that? How easily a man with that kind of power can manipulate people’s lives and exert spiritual abuse. GOD WILL NOT SHARE his glory with anyone. He will always expose sin and bring to light spiritual abuse in the church. Peter knew this, and stayed off the throne that belongs only to God. (Read Matthew 9:1-7)
I love what Peter Tripp wrote concerning the awe of God. Read this carefully and ponder on its implications.
PETER TRIPP:
Every human being has been hardwired by God to live in daily awe of Him. This means the awe of God was designed to be the deepest, most life-shaping practical daily motivation of every human being. This is the calling of every person. This is the umbrella of protection over every person. This is the reality that defines and gives shape to every other reality.
Awe of God should in some way motivate everything I do and say. Awe of God should be the reason I do what I do with my thoughts. It should be the reason I desire what I desire. Awe of God should be the reason I treat my wife the way I do and parent my children in the manner I do. It should be the reason I function the way I do at my job or handle my finances the way I do. It should structure the way I think about possessions, positions, and power. Awe of God should shape and motivate my relationship with my extended family and neighbors. Awe of God should give direction to the way I live as a citizen of the wider community. It should form the way I think about myself and my expectations of others. Awe of God should lift me out of my darkest moments of discouragement and be the source of my most exuberant celebrations. Awe of God should make me more self-aware and more mournful of my sin, while it makes me more patient with and tender toward the weakness of others. It should give me courage I would find no other way, and wisdom to know when I am out of my league. Awe of God is meant to rule every domain of my existence.
REMEMBER THIS LIFE PRINCIPLE: When you lose the awe of God you begin to look at man.
Love and blessings,
Pastor Pat
