Calvary Road Baptist Church

“RUN AND HIDE”

Isaiah 2.10 

I offer an opinion. It is very difficult for me to believe that a person could be genuinely converted without some appreciation of the majesty and might of God, without some feeling of the fear of God and the dread of Him.

It is a great tragedy, when God graciously saves some poor sinner through faith in Jesus Christ, that the newborn infant Christian is then usually surrounded by mainly unsaved people pretending to be Christians. This happens in so many congregations.

What do newborn babes in Christ know about anything? Not much. Hebrews 5.14 shows us that new and immature Christians have so little discernment that when they look around and watch fake Christians fake serving God, they assume that what they see is the right way to worship and serve God.

The tragic impact that unbelievers pretending to be Christians can have on a babe in Christ runs deep. It can take decades to correct misapprehensions and misunderstandings new Christians get about worshiping and serving God from those unbelievers they are initially exposed to. I am a living testimony that wrong lessons learned in the early days of a Christian’s life can take a long time to unlearn.

I use myself as a bad example. About six weeks after my conversion, I visited and was baptized in a Baptist Church. Looking back on it, I may have been one of only two or three genuinely converted people in the building. As a babe in Christ, with no discernment whatsoever, I “learned how to worship God and how to serve God” in that less-than-optimal environment.

So, what did I learn?

Though I am almost always overcome by the seriousness of my ministry just before I come out of my office, and though God tenderly reminds me of my weakness and dependency just before I mount the platform, I’ll have to admit that those misguided lessons I learned early on in my Christian life still bubble to the surface. I find myself sometimes setting a less-than-sterling example for your sons and daughters, for which I beg your forgiveness.

Young people and adults, I stand before you in need of your forgiveness. I ask you to allow me to alter the direction of your worship and service to God so that it might be more meaningful, more pleasing to God, and more real. I find in the Word of God that real worship of God, not just going through the motions while being silly and irreverent, is a fearful and dreadful thing. King David wrote in Psalm 5.7, 

“But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.” 

Before that, in Psalm 2.11, he wrote, 

“Serve the LORD with fear.” 

Our worship and service are to the same God David worshipped and served. Amen? Therefore, if, in response to the limited revelation of God, he had recognized the propriety of fearing Almighty God when worshipping and serving Him, how much more ought we to acknowledge the same propriety?

These days, much is made of so-called praise music, and great attention is paid in some Churches to what they like to call worship. However, I want you to consider the effect of contemporary praise services on people’s attitudes toward God.

I ask you who have been in such worship services, do they reflect what we see of the heart of Moses in Exodus 15.11, where he said, 

“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” 

Does contemporary worship and praise inspire fear, awe, and terror? None of the modern services I have ever been to have had such an effect on people.

Let us recognize that rejoicing before the LORD is integral to praise and worship. But how much thought and attention has been given to David’s directive that we “rejoice with trembling,” Psalm 2.11? Unlike how I was taught, and too oftentimes unlike the example I may have inadvertently set for you, all of our service to God, every part of it, ought to be done with reverence and godly fear. Hebrews 12.28 reads, 

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” 

I pray that God will give you grace to serve Him with godly fear. However, you may need an intermediate step. To that end, the Apostle Paul wrote, in Second Corinthians 7.1, 

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 

Perhaps you need to cleanse yourself this morning, Christian.

This is accomplished by separating from unclean people and practices, Second Corinthians 6.17-7.1. It is accomplished by the Savior cleansing an entire congregation using the Word of God, Ephesians 5.26. It is accomplished by drawing closer to God, James 4.8. It is accomplished by our ongoing acknowledgment of personal sin and God’s continual forgiveness of our sins, First John 1.7-9.

What moves a Christian to fear God so that we will separate from sinful practices and people so that we will not stay home when we might have been congregationally cleansed through the Word so that we might draw closer to God? So we might understand, appreciate, and respond to the forgiveness we have in Christ?

What makes the worship of God such a fearful thing to the child of God? Being tutored by John Bunyan, the author of “Pilgrim’s Progress,” let me suggest four considerations that motivate the clean Christian to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 

First, THERE IS THE MAJESTY OF GOD 

All responsible service rendered to someone carries with it a dread and fear that corresponds to the quality, character, or station of the person being served. Unless someone is a fool, he doesn’t need to be told to attend to the service of a king or the president of the United States with dread and fear. There is an inborn awareness that the more prominent, the more powerful, the more important a person is, the more fear and dread should be associated with serving him.

This is why parents who are competent and wise raise their children in such a way that they will carefully and cautiously attend to the chores and duties assigned to them by their parents. It’s a foolish child of negligent parents who does not fear serving his parents carelessly.

Consider, then, worship and service rendered to God. Since God Himself is fearful and dreadful, since God Himself is awesome and terrible, it only stands to reason that real worship and service given to Him by a competent servant who is intelligent and knowledgeable will be service and worship that is fearful and dreadful.

The ignorant Christian does not approach his ministry of ushering with caution and concern. The foolish Christian does not prepare and pray for her to sing in the choir with apprehension and careful preparation. The ill-trained teacher or evangelist does not tremble a bit as he attends to his task of communicating God’s truth to others.

Yes, the majesty of the God we serve cautions our fear and our dread, for “with God is terrible majesty,” Job 37.22. 

Next, THERE IS THE PRESENCE OF GOD 

Matthew 18.20: 

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” 

To be sure, this verse specifically applies to the prayers of Church members reconciling a Church member who has strayed from the cause of Christ. But can it be far off the mark in describing the Lord Jesus Christ’s close association with any activity that seeks to reconcile people to God? We have been given a ministry of reconciliation, Second Corinthians 5.18.

We seek not the physical presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, either in our service or in any sinner’s heart, knowing that the Savior sits at the Father’s right hand in heaven during His present session to be our Advocate and our Intercessor.[1] But do we not want His special blessing on our activities? Do we not wish to Him here by His Representative, the precious Holy Spirit of God? Of course, we do.

In Revelation 2.1, the Lord Jesus Christ described Himself as walking amid the golden candlesticks, which our study shows to represent Churches like ours. What an amazing thing, then, that He whose 

“hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters,” 

should be in an unfathomable way in our midst, Revelation 1.14-15.

Or, perhaps it’s just me, described in Revelation 1 and 2 as a star when I read that. 

“he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength,” 

Revelation 1.16.

Perhaps some of us are more motivated by this than others. But should we not be struck with fear and dread that God the Father, or the Son of God, through the ministry and person of the Holy Spirit, should answer our prayers and be somehow present in our midst when we worship and serve? 

Third, THERE IS THE JEALOUSY OF GOD 

We have been groomed to think of all jealousy as wrong. And, indeed, all jealousy is terrible, except when God is jealous. Jealousy, you see, is when a person is intolerant of unfaithfulness or rivalry. And when a friend of yours shows kindness toward another, and you become jealous, when you feel wronged that your friend has been friendly to another, you sin because your friend is supposed to be friendly toward others, not just you. But what happens when you are unfaithful toward God? What happens when you turn your attention from God to a rival for your affections and loyalties?

It is no accident, my friend, that God’s self-description as a jealous God is found in one of the Ten Commandments that deals with worship. Exodus 20.5: 

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” 

As concerned as God is about any display of unfaithfulness and rivalry for His affections, He is most concerned about such displays during worship and service. Be careful, then, how you worship God. Be careful, then, how you go about your service to God. Indeed, the thought of God’s jealousy kindled because, in Church, you wish you were elsewhere. After all, while singing, your thoughts are on play, and it ought to fill you with fear and dread ... if you understand the God with whom you have to do. What about your children? A seasoned Christian woman once told me that the struggle with children for proper conduct during worship is a battle that is won or lost at home. She told me children should be trained to calm down, sit, and be quiet whenever God’s Word is opened at home. She said to properly attend to that at home, and the misconduct problem in the Church house would evaporate. Oh, the benefit to the children of being adequately trained at home to adopt the proper attitude at Church. 

Finally, THERE ARE THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD 

Nadab and Abihu were burned to death with fire from heaven because they attempted to offer strange fire on God’s altar, Leviticus 10.1-2. Why? God said that He would be sanctified by those who come close to Him, Leviticus 10.3. God judged those men as they served Him. They were serving Him improperly when He brought fire from heaven upon them.

Remember when David ordered the Ark of the Covenant moved from Shiloh? It was moved on a cart instead of being born on the shoulders, as God had decreed. When the oxen stumbled, and the Ark threatened to tip out of the cart, Uzzah reached out to keep the Ark from falling. What did God do? He slew Uzzah, First Chronicles 13.9-10. Why? Uzzah touched that which he was forbidden to touch. He was judged while serving God.

“But I don’t think that’s fair.” No one cares what you think on this issue. What matters are the truths about God’s judgments toward those who serve Him. He also slew Ananias and Sapphira because they lacked the fear and dread of God’s majesty, name, and service when they came before Him and lied, Acts 5.1-10. So, He struck them both down.

For their lack of reverence at the communion of the Lord’s Supper, Paul informs us that a number of the Corinthians died, First Corinthians 11.30-32. Imagine! Slain by God for having fun at the communion service. 

SERMON: 

What do we learn from what we have considered? We should understand that warnings have been given to three kinds of people.

First, a warning has been given to those who do not worship or serve God. If God judges those who serve Him wrongly and without reverence, imagine what must be in store for those who do not worship Him at all.

Second, a warning has been given to those who think that just showing up on Sundays is sufficient. Understand that God is concerned about the state of your mind and heart, as well as the location of your body. What a sad accounting some will have to give because you come here not to worship with fear and dread but for some other reason known only to yourself.

Finally, warning has been given to you who do not care how you worship God. Perhaps you have created God in your image and after your likeness, and your God is not a god to be feared and dreaded. I say this to you: Someday, you will find out what God is really like.

Earlier I quoted Job 37.22, “with God is terrible majesty.” I might also bring to your attention Psalm 29.4: 

“The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.” 

Many other passages in God’s Word call attention to God’s majesty. What is majesty that should so impress a person that it should inspire such awe and reverence that it should evoke outright fear and dread?

The Hebrew word for “majesty” refers to exaltation, being lifted up, being excellent, splendor, and beauty.[2] The prophet Isaiah used the phrase “the glory of his majesty” three times in Isaiah chapter 2 alone to mean something like “the splendor of His majesty” or “the magnificence of His beauty.”[3] God overwhelms. The word “majesty” is one of those Bible words God uses to express something nigh unto inexpressible, to describe something that is really indescribable, to communicate something incommunicable.

Perhaps it’s better to show what a sinner should do when faced with God’s majesty. Please turn to Isaiah 2.10 and stand for the reading of God’s Word: 

“Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.” 

There is coming a day when you will be confronted with the majesty of Almighty God when you will be faced with His inexpressible beauty when you will find yourself in the presence of the One Who created you. What advice does the prophet Isaiah give to you for that day in which the lofty looks of man will be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down? In a phrase, “Run and hide. Run and hide.” 

WHY MUST YOU RUN? 

You must run because you are being sought out by the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to Revelation 6.15-17: 

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? 

The answer to the question is that no one can stand on the great day of His wrath. Whether young or old, rich or poor, bondman or free, you will run for all you’re worth to escape the wrath of the Lamb, the vengeance of Jesus Christ. Understand, sinner, that the Lord Jesus Christ is not angry with you. At present, He is patient and loving, compassionate and long-suffering. But there is coming a day when He will have had enough of your wickedness, when He will have had enough of your rebellion, when He will finally say, “Enough!” When that day comes, the Lord Jesus Christ will come back. When He comes back, He will execute vengeance on His enemies and on those who have refused to bend the knee and bow the head and confess that He is Lord.

But why will you be sought by the Lord Jesus Christ? You will run to find a place to hide because the Lord Jesus Christ is coming after you. Please do not misunderstand. At this present time, Jesus is come to seek and to save that which was lost.[4] His present desire is for you to turn from your sins and come to Him.[5] But there is coming a day when the Lord Jesus Christ’s posture toward you will no longer be the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. The day is coming when He will come as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, to execute wrath on His enemies, to punish you.[6] So, you will run because Someone is after you. And that Someone Who will be after you will not mean you good, but ill. He will not seek you to save you but to apprehend you and bind you for harsh judgment. He will cast you into Hell.[7] But why will Jesus seek after you to apprehend and punish you? Because you are a criminal. You have wronged heaven and sinned against God. The sins you have committed are infinitely serious, and you cry out for the maximum possible penalty. So, in a sense, you are a fugitive from the justice of God. And so desperate will you then be to escape the Lord Jesus Christ that you will cry for the mountains and rocks to fall on you. But you will not succeed. He will find you. And He will punish you with fire and with brimstone. 

BUT WHERE WILL YOU HIDE? 

You can do what most will try to do: hide under rocks and in the mountains. This is what those who hear the Gospel preached now but who refuse to pay attention will have to do. When warned to flee from the wrath to come, most will laugh and mock and scorn and ridicule. Others of you quietly smirk and chuckle to yourselves. You hide under social conventions and religion, under good deeds or good intentions. But what will happen to you when all those things are stripped away under the gaze of Him, whose eyes are flames of fire? When the Son of God returns to this earth, and when all pretense of sophistication is shown to you to be worthless and vain, when you are stripped naked and shown for what you really are a wicked and deceitful sinner, then all you will be able to do is look for a place to run to and hide. Into that basement. But it’s already full of people. Up to the hills to conceal yourself in a gully. But behind every rock you find, there are already too many people to hide. Ah, you’ve finally found a deep tunnel left over from an old mine. And no one else has seen it. So, you run in and walk deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth. As the tunnel gets smaller, you resort to crawling, ignoring the bruises and lacerations, feeling no pain from the cuts on your hands and knees, and caring nothing for the spiders and bugs. Now you feel safe. But wait! There’s a rumbling and deafening roar, and suddenly, the whole mountain above you is ripped away by a mighty angel, and you are left completely exposed. And another holy angel puts his hand around your wrist like a vice and instantaneously takes you his prisoner halfway around the world, where you are set before One Whose eyes are like flames of fire, Whose feet are like fine brass, and His hair white like wool. And suddenly, out of His mouth proceeds a sharp two-edged sword, and you are struck dead in an instant. And a bare second later, you wake up screaming with torment in Hell. And there you will be until the Great White Throne judgment.

You try to get away today by not thinking about your sins and God’s judgment to come. You will try to get away then by running and hiding. But in no case will you succeed. You who flee from Jesus are doomed.

However, there are some very few others who resort to escaping by different means. These are the ones who take the advice of Isaiah, who told them, 

“Enter into the Rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty,” 

Isaiah 2.10. Please turn to that verse. Will you be like the multitudes who seek safety in the rocks? Will you flee from the Lord Jesus Christ in that hour of judgment? Or will you be one of the few, one of the very few, with the wisdom to flee to the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you be one who seeks not to hide under the rocks but one who seeks to hide from the wrath of God and who seeks to find safety in the Rock, which is Jesus Christ? Look at that verse in the short time we have left. Isaiah says, “Enter into the Rock.” This means sinners should seek safety and refuge by entering into Jesus Christ. Turn from your sins and come to Jesus Christ, and He will take you in, and from henceforth you will be in Christ. The next phrase reads, “and hide thee in the dust.” That speaks of humility. 

“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.”[8] 

The proud will not bend his knee, bow his head, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. What’s your motive for seeking Christ, for humbling yourself? The fear of the LORD and the glory of His majesty. Here you are, a wretched sinner, resisting and grieving the Holy Spirit, Who strives to woo you. And suddenly, you catch a glimpse of His glory, comprehend His majesty just a bit, and His splendor chills you so that you fear God! Resistance is melted away. It is folly to resist so great and glorious a God as this. What monstrous sin it is to rebel against a God of such holiness. So, in awe, terror, amazement, reverence, and submission ... you come to Jesus. That’s what Isaiah would have you to do. That’s what Jesus would have you to do. 

I’ve been told that a man was trekking through the highlands of Scotland when a storm broke upon him. Running to find a place to hide from the cold wind and lashing rain, the man ran toward an outcropping of rocks and came to a massive monolith. At the base of the colossal monolith was a deep crack, a cleft in the rock, into which the man stepped and found perfect safety, warmth, and refuge from the storm.

While there, his mind settled on the Lord Jesus Christ, our Rock. I am told that is how Augustus Toplady came to write “Rock Of Ages.” “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.”

I urge you to seek refuge from the coming storm of God’s wrath, not by trying to hide under the rocks and mountains. Don’t run into the rocks. Enter into the Rock that is Jesus Christ and be saved.

__________

[1] Psalm 16.11; 110.1; Matthew 26.64; Mark 12.36; 14.62; 16.19; Luke 20.42; 22.69; John 3.13; 13.1; 14.2-4; Acts 1.9-11; 2.33, 34-35; 7.56; Romans 8.34; Ephesians 1.20; 6.9; Colossians 3.1; Second Thessalonians 1.7; Hebrews 1.3, 13; 8.1; 9.24; 10.12-13; 12.2; 1 Peter 3.22; Revelation 19.11

[2] Francis Brown, S. R. Driver & Charles A. Briggs, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew And English Lexicon, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1979), page 217.

[3] Isaiah 2.10, 19, 21

[4] Luke 19.10

[5] Matthew 11.28

[6] Revelation 5.5

[7] Matthew 3.10; 5.30; 7.19; 13.42, 50; 22.13; 25.30; Revelation 20.14, 15

[8] James 4.6; 1 Peter 5.5

 

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