After preaching a sermon on the necessity of the fear of God in public worship, a friend reminded me, “If you want a nail driven in, you have to hit it more than once.” With that in mind I set about a survey of the Bible’s teaching and found forty truths about fearing God to help hammer in the nail. Brief expositions of some of these verses can be found in Pastor Al Martin’s The Forgotten Fear: Where have all the God-Fearers Gone? (RHB) and Arnold Frank’s  The Fear Of God: A Forgotten Doctrine (RHB).

Old Testament

Fearing God is the right reaction to sin, guilt, and shame (Gen. 3:10).

Fearing God will flow from being in the presence of God (Gen. 28:16-17: Ex. 3:6).

Fearing God is an appropriate response to God’s character (Gen. 31:42).

Fearing God is an essential characteristic of Christian leaders (Ex.18:21).

Fearing God is the ultimate purpose of divine revelation (Deut. 4:10).

Fearing God should flow from the administration of justice (Deut. 17:13; 21:19-21).

Fearing God is the mark of an exceptional believer (Neh. 7:2).

Fearing God is approved by God and noted by Satan (Job 1:1, 9).

Fearing God is the right response to the exalted Christ (Ps.2:10-11).

Fearing God is to be mixed with joy (Ps. 2:10-11).

Fearing God will happen where mission is successful (Ps. 67:7).

Fearing God assures us of God’s mercy and love (Ps. 103:11, 13).

Fearing God is the result of forgiveness (Ps. 130:4).

Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7).

Fearing God is the end of wisdom (Eccl. 12:13-14).

Fearing God turns us away from evil (Prov. 3:7).

Fearing God will extend your life (Prov. 10:27) and improve the quality of your life (Prov. 14:27).

Fearing God will make you happier than millions of dollars (Prov. 15:16).

Fearing God neutralizes envy and is to be present throughout our lives (Prov. 23:17).

Fearing God is more important than looks in choosing a wife (Prov. 31:30).

Fearing God is a dominant trait in the Messiah and will always accompany the work of the Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:2-3).

Fearing God is the promised gift of God to new covenant believers (Jer. 32:40).

Fearing God helps them persevere in the faith (Jer. 32:40).

New Testament

Fearing God is commanded by Jesus (Matt. 10:28).

Fearing God is still expected of God’s people in the New Testament (Luke 1:49-50).

Fearing God grows in response to miracles (Luke 5:8).

Fearing God was one of the fruits of Pentecost (Acts 2:43).

Fearing God is a spiritually healthy reaction to his judgments in the church (Acts 5:5,11).

Fearing God is a mark of the New Testament church and is consistent with the comforting work of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31).

Fearing God is deepened by sovereign election (Rom. 11:20-21).

Fearing God is a motive for evangelism (2 Cor. 5:10-11).

Fearing God motivates sanctification (2 Cor. 7:1).

Fearing God is the framework for a biblical marriage (Eph. 5:21).

Fearing God makes us better employees (Col. 3:22).

Fearing God is the context for working out our salvation (Phil. 2:12-13).

Fearing God assists perseverance in faith (Heb. 4:1).

Fearing God is intensified by redemption and continues throughout our whole lives (1 Peter 1:17-19).

Fearing God is an essential part of successful witnessing (1 Peter 3:15).

Fearing God is God’s last sermon to the world (Rev. 14:6-7).

Fearing God continues into eternity (Rev. 15:3-4; 19:4-5).

Blogs

The Apollos Project – Raising an Alien Child | Jen Wilkin
“We are going to ask our children to think and live differently than the world in five different areas. ”

You Know You’re Preaching When… | The Christward Collective
“Preaching is a combination of certain elements. Preaching contains teaching or truth, but it is more than information dissemination. Preaching is a combination of spirit and truth, light and heat. Preaching informs the mind and stirs the heart. So, how do you know when you’re preaching? Here are a few tangible metrics you can use for guidance in the self-evaluation process:”

Working Toward Rest | LifeWay Pastors
“I have never met a pastor who did not say, “I’m in it for the long haul.” If the long haul is the goal, then routine maintenance is a must. And, rest is a required element of maintenance, so do not ignore it.”

4 Lies that Cause Pastors to Neglect their Families | 9Marks
“Our families are the closest people to us, and so our responsibility to disciple them and wash them in the Word is greatest. Pastors, let’s trust God, and keep our own vineyards.”

How Can Parents Help Their Kids Embrace Those Who Are Different Than Them? | The Good Book Blog
“Here are four ways to help kids embrace those who are different than them:”

Snapchat Wisdom on College Ministry Do’s and Don’ts | For The Church
A Youth Pastor asked his students “What is one Do and one Don’t of college ministry?” Here’s their response and his conclusions.

Practical Study Tips for Overwhelmed Students
“Now that I’ve learned the gist of a few languages, have taken hundreds of tests and received lots of grades, I’ve learned a thing or two about studying that I can pass along. With school back in session, I thought it may be helpful to post a few practical study tips for those back to the academic grind, especially for those of you that feel overwhelmed.”

Rosaria Butterfield: “Why I Signed the Nashville Statement” | CBMW
“I signed the Nashville Statement because my conscience compels me so, because the promises of liberty on the world’s terms are false and deceptive, and because many who currently claim to have Christ’s forgiveness and salvation must be called to account for leading good people astray with false promises and filthy lies.”

New Book

Portraits of a Pastor: The 9 Essential Roles of a Church Leader.

Kindle Books

Has Christianity Failed You? by Ravi Zacharias $3.99.

Incomparable: Explorations in the Character of God by Andrew Wilson $1.99.

Tried by Fire: The Story of Christianity’s First Thousand Years by William Bennett.

Bob Kellemen’s newest book, Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life releases on September 11, 2017, by New Growth Press. Just in time for the celebration of the 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation, Counseling Under the Cross shares scores of powerful vignettes, Luther quotes, and real-life narratives that illustrate how Martin Luther provided biblical counseling to hurting and struggling people. The following author interview with Dr. Kellemen provides a great introduction to the book.

1. Many people, when they think of Martin Luther, think of the great theologian-reformer. Yet you say that it was Luther the pastoral counselor who motivated Luther the reformer. In what way?

In his own life, Luther struggled to understand how to find peace with God. After many failed attempts at gaining favor with God by works, Luther finally realized the truth of salvation through Christ alone by faith alone through grace alone. He then spent the rest of his life helping others to come to the same saving realization. He nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg because he had tremendous pastoral concern that people were being led away from grace/faith and led toward works as the means for peace with God.

2. You explain that Luther struggled greatly with depression, anxiety, fears, and even with what we might today call “OCD.” What were Luther’s struggles like and how did he find peace and hope in the gospel?

Luther lived in terror that he could never satisfy a holy God—and he could not—in himself. He was tormented daily with fears of death and damnation. When Luther came to realize that Christ already satisfied all of God’s righteous requirements, Luther found the peace he longed for. Luther taught that if we deal with life’s greatest fear/anxiety—whether God accepts us—then we can face all of life’s lesser (but real) anxieties and fears. Grace grants peace.

3. Counseling Under the Cross is filled with scores of vignettes and stories of Luther’s pastoral counsel. Which stories are most meaningful to you?

It’s almost impossible to choose from among so many stirring examples, so I’ll highlight a “category” of care. In the book, I share numerous vignettes where Luther counseled grieving people. We often think of Luther as the fiery reformer. But he also had such a tender heart for hurting people. He encouraged people to grieve honestly, deeply, and candidly. He entered their pain and loss, and then he directed them to the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. Grieving people found in Luther a compassionate spiritual comforter.

4. One of the most powerful messages of Counseling Under the Cross is the four-fold message Luther taught about our salvation in Christ alone. What is that four-fold message and what difference does it make for our lives and ministries today?

In Christ, the Father says to us, 1.) “Forgiven!” (Justification). 2.) “Welcome home!” (Reconciliation). 3.) “Saint!” (Regeneration). 4.) “Victor!” (Redemption).

What difference does it make? We are to preach the gospel to ourselves every day so that we understand who we are in Christ and so we then live out that newness through Christ.

5. If Luther was talking to pastors today, what counsel would he give them about pastoral counseling?

“Do it!”

We think we are too busy to counsel. We think we are ill-equipped to counsel. We think we should just preach (the pulpit ministry of the Word) and not counsel (the personal ministry of the Word). Luther was busy—and he still counseled. Luther never had a course in “pastoral counseling,” but he still counseled the Word. Luther was a preacher, but he was also a pastoral counselor.

So, “Pastors, just do it! Speak gospel truth in love.”

6. You end each chapter with a tweet-size summary. So, what’s your tweet-size summary of Counseling Under the Cross?

I’d use the sub-title of the book as the foundation for that tweet. Here we go:

Richly Apply the Gospel to Each Other’s Daily Lives: “Forgiven! Welcome home! Saint! Victor!”

Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life by Bob Kellemen

Of the books I’ve written, Exploring the Bible is the one I’m most excited about. My hope and dream is that through it many children will learn the holy life-long habit of daily Bible reading. Reformation Heritage Books are the only supplier with stock right now.

USA Today has published a fascinating article about how top athletes are battling mental illness and also using their platform to de-stigmatize it.

There are a number of deeply moving stories which can only help build understanding and sympathy at the expense of ignorance and cruelty.

Roughly 44 million Americans experienced some form of mental illness in 2015, according to estimates by the National Institute of Mental Health. That’s nearly one in five people aged 18 or over. But athletes may be at increased risk because injuries, competitive failure and overtraining can lead to psychological distress.

An NCAA survey of athletes found over the course of a year that 30% reported feeling depressed while half said they experienced high levels of anxiety.

Each athlete found help in a number of different places, but if there’s one common theme it’s the importance of honesty and transparency, of opening up and talking about it.

My favorite quote is from tennis player Mardy Fish: “It’s OK not to be OK,” he says. “To show weakness, we’re told in sports, is to deserve shame. But showing weakness, addressing your mental health, is strength.”

Blogs

3 Things You Will Never Hear Me Say in a Counseling Session | Suzanne Holland, Biblical Counseling for Women
Suzanne breaks down 3 common “positive thinking” statements and instead shows us biblical responses.

Announcing a New Online Home for Tabletalk Magazine
My favorite Christian periodical.

Signs Of Danger Mean Time To Flee | Leslie Vernick, Christ-Centered Counseling
“Here is an acronym DANGEROUS that I developed to help counselors and people helpers to quickly discern the level of physical danger someone might be in. Please read it through and see what else might apply for you.”

Why We Must Emphasize A Pastor’s Character Over His Skill | Tim Challies
“So many Christians could be spared so much trauma if only their churches would refuse to put a man in leadership who is lacking such character. So many congregations would be spared so much pain if only they would remove men who prove they don’t have the kind of character God demands. This failure to heed what God makes plain is a terrible blight upon the Christian church.”

My 7 Most Productive Habits | Mark Dance, LifeWay Pastors
“Any pastor who wants to be productive needs a good plan. Last week I shared my seven least productive habits, so today I will show how I have turned those same bad habits into better ones.”

New Books

Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith by Chad Van Dixhoorn. Chad’s wife, Emily, also put together an accompanying study guide.

Particular Redemption by John Hurrion

Creation And Change: Genesis 1.1-2.4 in Light of Changing Scientific Paradigms (Revised & Updated) by Douglas F. Kelly