The Robe Is Always On

“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all [them that are] about him.” (Ps 89:7 AV)

I wonder how preaching something like this would go over today.  The modern Christian has no clue!  To say that God is to be greatly feared, and that reverence is to rule in His presence is not only foreign, but to some, an offense.  If the modern Christian cannot have a sacred ‘party’ while attending church, he or she feels robbed.  I am not saying that joy and encouragement should be banned from worship.  But we are a far cry from that!  There was something sacred about our church houses.  People came to worship.  People would dress differently to attend the house of God than they would any other gathering.  Music was different.  Even in the oldest of days, the style itself was distinct.  Today, our churches are filled with the musical styles of the world and sprinkled with religious words to call it ‘Christian’.  Christian Rock, Christian Pop, etc are a contradiction of terms.  Don’t get me wrong.  This business of fearing and reverencing God is a shortcoming in almost all of us.  Yours truly included.  The closer I get the heaven the more I am realizing that genuine fear and reverence of our Almighty Creator is seriously wanting!

Because of my wife’s early work history, we kept company with several judges.  She worked in a law firm that contained a couple of county judges.  These people were the same people whether behind the bench, or as an advocate in other matters.  I had never stood before these men as a plaintiff or a defendant.  I couldn’t have, anyway.  There would have been a conflict of interest, and the judge would have had to recuse himself.  But I have stood before other judges.  Most of the time it was to lend support for a family member, church member, or friend.  There is a difference between seeing a judge in the privacy of his own practice compared with the same individual sitting behind a bench.  One can be familiar and common with a judge when his robe hangs in his chambers.  But once that robe is worn, the nature and disposition of that relationship change.  I worked at a golf course for a few years as a caddy to the rich and powerful.  Some of our clients expected a relational gap between caddy and golfer.  We were to remain silent unless spoken to.  Others, not so much.  Those who were more friendly were more reserved and aloof when the circumstances changed.  When around the clubhouse, they may have been friendly on the course, but now where professional and appropriate.

These are examples of fear and reverence.  Something that is seriously missing in our relationship with the LORD.  As of late, I am trying to use the term Creator while preaching or teaching.  We have forgotten that we exist by His hand, we continue by His hand, and where we exist in eternity will be by His hand.  The concept of Creator/creation is being lost.  Because it is, fear and reverence are also abating.  It is time we get back to fear and reverence for the God who made all things and controls all things.  It is time we stop treating Him like someone who is there for us and not we for Him.  It is time that we approach the presence of God with deep and profound respect, so much so that with the remembrance of the blood of Christ as our way to Him, so that fear and trepidation would overwhelm our hearts.  For this writer, he is striving to overcome improper or insufficient attitudes towards his Creator.  Almighty God deserves more than we could ever hope to give.  So, it is best to give Him all that we have.  It is time to fear God greatly and approach only in a reverent spirit.