Part 1 – Know Fear
Leader Guide
When we read the Old Testament, it’s easy to “fear God” while His power is on full display. As we enter the New Testament, Jesus displays a more merciful and peaceful God, making it seem counterintuitive to fear this loving God. However, the “fear of God” refers to a deep respect and reverence of Him. We can see that as we grow closer to God, we will also grow in our awe of Him. This week we will see how respecting His authority can change the way we live.
What you will need: A Bible or your Bible app, a notebook, pen, and highlighter. The verses highlighted below are linked so that you can easily access them during your study time.
Jump Start
Leader: This section is designed to get discussions started, examine God’s truth, and apply it to our week. Life Group leaders should not assume everyone in their group is a Christ follower. Because they are taking part in a Life Group, they must have some openness to knowing more, exploring. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work and let Him lead you as well.
1. What inexplainable matter (of science, math, or society) do you accept without question?
Leader’s Note: This might be a place to talk about things like electricity, gravity, light, quantum physics, even atoms! Jesus’ response shows us that there’s not much that we truly can guarantee we know. So why do we think we should know the ways of God? In fact, God separates Himself so we can know and trust Him by faith.
2. Read Exodus 20:18-21. How does Moses' attitude towards God differ from the people’s? What may be some contributing factors? How is the fear of God beneficial in our lives?
Leader’s Note: In the Old Testament, people saw only the power of God. Even when He fought for them, He was terrifying in His might and wrath. The thought of being close to Him scared them. Moses knew Him as a friend (Exodus 33:11). Now we have a clearer understanding of who God is because we see God through the lens of Jesus and He also calls us friends (John 15:15). Because of His closeness, mercy and sacrifice, this can take away our fear of God. We may be apathetic or indifferent because God is gracious when we sin. We may also sin because we have forgotten the holiness and majesty of God. Verse 20 says that the Lord doesn’t want us to be afraid, but he does want us to have a healthy fear of Him, which keeps us from sinning.
3. Read John 14:8-9. What did Philip want more than Jesus? What do Jesus’ words reflect? Read John 1:18. How does this help you understand the nature of God and the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ? Does this give you hope that you can truly know God?
Leader’s Note: Phillip wanted inside information on a terrifying “subject.” In the New Testament, people standing in front of Jesus were not scared. It is likely they felt peace and acceptance in His presence, which is drastically different from the people in the Old Testament wanting Moses to speak to God for them. They have lived their lives in a religion of rules and fear of God’s wrath and may have been having a hard time reconciling Jesus’ character with those aspects of God’s character. Suddenly, they could walk, talk, and share with Jesus. Yet He was still God! He was not far off. With the Holy Spirit, God resides within us! We should be encouraged, because Jesus has shown us the way to God. When we follow Him and accept His salvation, we have the right to come right into the throne room and call God our Father. We can intimately know God. The Spirit also dwells within us to make God’s will and Word know.
4. Read Acts 5:1-11: What was the main problem here? How do you know it was not about the money or even generosity? How does a heart filled with the Holy Spirit differ from any other heart? How did this example cause “great fear” among the believers?
Leader’s Note: This issue was Annanias and Sapphira lying to God and the people of the church. The sin was not the gift or how much money they gave. Verses 4 and 8 make it clear it was the lying that was the issue. They lost track of their awe of God and put praises of man above pleasing God. For the other believers, the fact that Spirit knows even our innermost hearts had to be terrifying; that a merciful God could still punish, even in the New Covenant was a new thought! Fear of God is putting Him first, respecting the fact that He is holy and mightier than we can comprehend.
5. Read Exodus 17:7. What does a test mean here? How were the Israelites testing God? How is it different than how Ananias and Sapphira tested the Holy Spirit? What emotions cause us to want to test God? How is this testing different than what we read in Exodus 20:20?
Leader’s Note: Typically, a test is administered to see how much you know or have learned. In Exodus, they were testing the Lord, but maybe a better way to say it would be they were “trying His patience.” In the second verse, the Lord is testing to see if they recognized and understood His “otherness” and majesty, His power and might. He wanted them to have a healthy fear of them so they would remember. Contrast this to an idol of wood or stone. There is no comparison in the “awe-inspiring-ness" of God! We can test God when we grumble, become apathetic towards Him, put other things before Him, grieve Him with continued sin, and disregard His Sabbaths.
6. Read Psalm 19:9, Proverbs 16:6, and 2 Corinthians 7:1. How can fear be a good thing? What makes it a healthy fear? What characteristics does a fear of the Lord produce in us? Can fear change our hearts?
Leader’s Note: Our reverence of God can align our hearts with Him. It is the antidote for sin’s hold on us. We are all in the process of becoming more of the person we were created to be. God wants us to see His holiness and to draw us closer to Him. This helps us to live a life more pleasing to Him. The fear of God is not only a deterrent to sin, but we can be terrified that we might cause there to be a separation with Him.
Action Step: Would you say you are living with a healthy fear of God? Would you say you are not perfect, but you are in process? How might you experience God more? How would that benefit your own life?
Deeper
In the passages below, we see examples of the power, majesty, or holiness of God. Answer these questions:
- What strikes me as awe-inspiring in this passage?
- What other emotions arise?
- Where am I in my relationship with the Lord?
- Is there an area where I am off track?
- Do these verses reinforce my fear of God?
- How am I to respond to this passage?
Read Isaiah 6:1-7: (LN: Holiness, exalted, majestic on the throne, surrounded by holy being. We sense our sinfulness in His presence.)
Read Exodus 3:1-6: (LN: There was a miracle, a powerful voice, God telling Moses it was holy ground. Moses hid his face in fear. We need to remember we have the Spirit within us. We are holy ground and should be very aware not to desecrate it.)
Read Revelation 1:9-19: (LN: The vision was so awe-inspiring that John fell at Jesus’ feet. Yet Jesus said, “Do not be afraid.” We are to be in fear of the power of God without being afraid of Him.)
Read Hebrews 12:18-24: (LN: The difference in the Old and New Covenant is not power or might or majesty, but terror is missing. We are no longer afraid because we have access to God through Jesus.)
Read Luke 5:1-11: (LN: We can see miracles, big and small, then forget them and the supernatural “otherness” of the Almighty God. We must remember how He has moved, cared for, and provided for us in the past, so that we do not test Him like the Israelites in Exodus 17:7.)