Lessons ~ The TransfigurationSample

 Serve God with Reverence and Godly Fear  

The Israelites had astounding and frightening experiences with the glory and power of God. We read of this in Exodus 19:12-18/ 20:18/ 24:17/ Deuteronomy 4:11/ 5:22-24. 

Although they had all these astonishing experiences of God descending and speaking with man, God was not pleased with many of them and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness (I Corinthians 10:5). The Israelites’ experiences were written with the intention that we, in our times, would walk with God with reverence and godly fear (I Corinthians 10:11). 

Writing to the New Testament believers, the writer to the Hebrews says that we have not come to the mountain that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, like the Israelites (Hebrews 12:18-21). Rather, we have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God. We started in a garden but we are moving to a city, to the heavenly Jerusalem, where we will keep company with innumerable angels. We have come to the general assembly of God’s people from every nation, tribe, ethnicity and language. We have come to the church of Jesus Christ and are registered in the Lamb’s book of life. We have come to God the Judge of all, who is perfecting us who have been justified by the blood of Jesus, our Mediator (Hebrews 12: 22-24).

Since this is our awesome position in relation to the Israelites, who trudged across the desert, how much more earnest should we be to serve God with reverence and godly fear? 

We must ensure that we do not refuse Him, for if the Israelites did not escape, how much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him (Hebrews 12:25)?

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us by grace serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29).

Thought to ponder

If, after knowing and understanding all this, we still walk in the flesh and not in the Spirit, then all that is left for us is a fearful expectation of judgement.