11/16/2025 Hear, oh God Fearer

Acts Sermon 66 - Hear, oh God Fearer

Date: 11/16/2025

Scripture : [Acts 13:16-20]

Acts 13:16-20 (NIV)

16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.”

Intro

Paul and Barnabas arrived at the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch and joined the meeting there. At that time, the Temple still stood in Jerusalem, so worship (sacrifices) could only be done at the Temple. This gathering in the synagogue on the Sabbath was called a ‘meeting’ or ‘gathering.’

The order of the synagogue meeting at that time was: First, they recited the Shema.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV) 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Then, they would sing a community prayer like a song. They would read from the Torah - the books of the Law. Then, they would read from the Prophets that connected to the theme of the Torah reading. After that, there would be a sermon and a word of encouragement.

Doesn’t this order seem familiar? The modern church service is very similar: we recite the Lord’s Prayer together like the Shema, we sing praises together led by a worship leader, we read the Bible passage, and then we have a sermon.

This is natural, of course. The way of the Jewish synagogue meeting was carried directly into the early church. Paul, Barnabas, and the other disciples did not think they were spreading a new religion. They believed they were bringing ‘reformation’ to Judaism.

However, there is a huge difference between a synagogue meeting and church worship. The synagogue meeting was called a ‘gathering,’ but we call ours ‘worship.’ Worship originally meant ‘sacrifice’; the most important part was offering a sacrifice. That is why in Judaism, sacrifices could only be offered at the Temple, where animals could be presented on the altar.

But for us, a perfect and eternal sacrifice has been offered, so we no longer need to offer physical sacrifices. Instead, we can now worship in spirit and in truth. This means offering our lives as a living sacrifice! We offer true worship by living like Jesus Christ, who was the true sacrifice. It is worshiping by proclaiming the truth and living according to that truth.

Judaism was established as a religion when Moses received the Word from God and wrote the Pentateuch - the books of the Law. There was nothing wrong with this religion and its laws, which God gave to the people. But at some point, it became a dead religion, with only the form and shell remaining, without the presence of God.

This is why Jesus and the disciples tried to restore the true essence of faith.

So, what is the essence of faith? A teacher of the law asked Jesus the same question.

Mark 12:29-31 (NIV) 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ > 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Jesus was also quoting the Shema: "Hear, O Israel!" This emphasizes again that the problem was not with Judaism or the Law itself.

But Jesus added one more thing: “The second is this.” And then He said, “There is no commandment greater than these.” This means that both of these commandments are equally the greatest commandment.

In fact, this is obvious. If someone values and loves me, can they treat my children badly and despise them? In the same way, a person who loves God cannot despise God’s children. If they can, they are deceiving themselves and do not truly love God. The book of 1 John says this exactly.

In the Old Testament, God clearly reveals His heart, and one of those times is in the book of Hosea.

Hosea 6:6 (NIV) For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

The word for "mercy" here is hesed, which refers to a sacrificial love that cares for the orphan and the widow. So, the foundation of the Shema is to love God, and this must be shown by caring for and loving your neighbor! This is what it means.

But what was the condition of Israel when Jesus came? It was backward. They offered all kinds of sacrifices very strictly, but there was almost no love to be seen.

Jesus healed the sick and the blind who had suffered their whole lives. These were people the religious leaders saw every week in the synagogue. But when they were healed, the leaders did not rejoice at all. Instead, they made an issue of Jesus healing on the Sabbath and questioned the people who were healed. Is there any love here? Not at all.

The problem was not that they were trying to live diligently according to the Law. The problem was that the core was missing. The essence of faith—love—was gone.

The reason God gave complex and detailed laws was so that people would not do them carelessly. By going through the difficult process, they were meant to humble the center of their hearts once more.

We have seen in the Bible how Judaism, established by God through Moses, became corrupt. And in our own history, we witnessed the Roman Catholic church become corrupt in almost the exact same way.

We can see that this is not a problem with doctrine or the religion itself. It is a problem with people. If so, are the churches that came after the Reformation okay?

The Bible is filled with warnings and examples about this human problem, speaking of it countless times. It is the problem of not "fearing God." A clearer expression is "not being afraid of God."

Today, when Paul begins his sermon, he starts by calling out, “you who fear God!” In English, these people are called “God-fearers.” That is, people who are afraid of God.

The Bible divides humanity into two types of people: those who fear God and those who do not fear God. It promises blessings and salvation to those who fear God, and it warns of judgment and destruction for those who do not fear God. Through the stories of many eras and many people, the Bible continues to show us these two paths.

In English, the word is clearly "fear." The original Greek word is phobeomai, which is the root of the word "phobia," meaning terror. But in Korean, it is often translated with the religious term ‘경외하다’ (to revere or hold in awe). Because of this, the meaning has been watered down quite a bit.

This is because the expression "fear" itself feels very negative to us, so we resist it. But there is a part of the Bible where we cannot translate it any other way.

Matthew 10:28 (NIV) Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

It is the same word, but here the meaning becomes clear. Jesus is saying: Do not be afraid of the world’s threats, which can do nothing more than kill the body. Instead, be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell!

These two fears are opposite sides of the same coin. If you do not fear God, you will fear the world. In other words, fearing the world means you do not fear God enough.

Jesus is saying that fearing God is a good thing; it is something we absolutely need.

Proverbs 1:7 (NIV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

A person who does not fear God is, in fact, a person who ignores and despises God. Fearing the Lord! That is the most basic foundation of faith for a human being.

But... Doesn't the Bible say, "Do not be afraid!" hundreds of times? This means, as Jesus taught, "Do not be afraid of the world by fearing God!"

Some of you might be thinking, "God is love. Pastor, what are you talking about?"

But think about it. You have small children. You carry them in your arms all the time. When they grow and start to walk, you think it will get easier. But you can't take your eyes off them for even a second, right? They always touch the one thing they must not touch. They run gleefully toward dangerous places.

What does a mother do in that moment? Doesn’t she call their name in the scariest voice possible, so loud the child almost jumps out of their skin? A scary voice that probably surprises her and freezes her husband standing next to her! She has to do it. To protect her beloved child, she becomes the scariest person possible.

But what happens if the child is not scared of that voice at all? If a young child is not afraid of their mother at all and thinks she is a pushover, it's big trouble. It is truly dangerous.

When Israel came to possess the land of Canaan... In that promised land, Israel enjoyed great abundance. After Joshua, the time of the Judges began, and the exact same pattern repeats over and over.

What is that pattern? When prosperity continues, they begin to sin. They even worship idols. Then what happens? A time of judgment comes when they are attacked and oppressed by foreign powers.

Only then, in their pain, does Israel cry out to God in repentance. At that time, a Judge appears and saves Israel from the brink of destruction.

But this pattern doesn't just repeat; it gets worse and worse. By the time of Samson, even the Judge himself is corrupt. You all know the story of Samson very well, don't you?

As a Judge, it was a sin for Samson to even meet Delilah, a foreign woman. But not only did he meet her, he knew she was acting as an enemy spy... Even after being tricked several times, he went back to her again.

In the end, he told Delilah the secret of his strength, his hair was cut, and he lost his power. Samson did not break free from Delilah until his eyes were gouged out and he was in a miserable state.

Sin is always exactly like a drug. It tempts you with pleasure, makes you an addict, and turns you into a slave. Then, when you are ruined, it abandons you.

But is it possible that Samson had no faith in God? He himself was a living miracle! Could he deny that God was the one who gave him strength that no ordinary man had? He definitely had faith.

What was the problem? He did not fear God. When the temptation to sin came, he did not fear God enough to overcome it.

Why do people sin, regret it, and then repeat it again? It’s not necessarily because they don't believe in God, is it?

In the verse from Proverbs, what was the opposite of "fear"? It was "to despise" or "to ignore." To ignore something is to treat it as if it isn't there, even though it is. It is to not listen when spoken to, to not react, and to not be influenced.

On the other hand, what is "fear" like? When our brain's amygdala sends a signal that "something important is happening!" the sympathetic nervous system activates, releasing adrenaline and cortisol. As a result, the following symptoms appear: Increased heart rate (your heart pounds). Breathing becomes faster. Palms get sweaty. A tightening feeling in the stomach. A surge of energy. All senses become hyper-focused on that object.

What did the Shema say earlier?

Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV) 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Giving all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength—this is hyper-focus. It means to live hyper-focused on God.

In verse 8, it says to tie this Shema to your hands and bind it on your foreheads. This is why, when Jewish people pray, they actually wrap the tefillin, which contains the Shema, on their arm and forehead.

Why the head and the arm? It means that in all your thoughts and all your actions, you must use loving God as your standard.

But then, what if our thoughts move in a direction that does not love God? What if our actions try to do something that does not love God? At that moment, it is right for us to feel fear. It is right for us to feel shame.

If I had not avoided that fear, if I had not deceived myself and had feared God in that moment... How many of our big regrets and sighs in life would be gone?

Everyone, where is God right now? God is clearly here with us right now. Are you feeling and aware of that? Perhaps there is no other time in the week when you are as focused on God as you are in this one hour.

But when worship is over, when this one hour passes, where does God go? Or, does God stay in the same place, but our hearts scatter in ten thousand directions? Does it make us almost unaware of Him, as if the Lord has left for heaven, far away in the universe? If so, is fearing God really a bad thing?

If students think their teacher is a pushover, the school becomes a mess. If children ignore their parents, what happens to the home?

The book of Judges ends with these words:

Judges 21:25 (NIV) In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

The original word for "king" here is melek—meaning "ruler." It means that Israel had come to completely despise God, their true ruler, and everyone was doing whatever they wanted.

But if you look closely at this expression... "Israel had no king" doesn't just describe the state of Israel ignoring God. It also means that God had simply let them go.

Romans 1:24 (NIV) Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity...

The state of Israel in Judges 21 was worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. It became that way "because Israel had no king," their God. That is the most terrifying judgment from God: to be given over, to be let go.

Amazingly, God gave us, His creation, the freedom to reject Him. In other words, He gave us the right to decide our distance from Him. But the distance between God, who is Spirit, and us, who are spiritual beings, is not a physical distance. What kind of distance is it? It is a cognitive distance. It is the distance of the heart.

We confess that we love the Lord thousands of times when we sing praise. If you love someone that much, would you want to keep them far away? Is once a week, for one hour, the right amount? The Lord has kept that distance for you... Is that really what the Lord wants from you?

For us, who are still so easily tempted by sin, who find it most natural to make selfish choices... Fearing God is like the first gate we must pass through to get close to Him. That fear stimulates us and leads us to repentance, to return to the Lord, to draw closer, and to hold on to Him.

But the Lord wants us to come even further than that. He didn't say, "Fear the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength!" He said, "Love!" We must reach that point.

1 John 4:18 (NIV) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

The "fear" mentioned here is the fear of the world, which we feel because our love for God is lacking. The fear of God, who loves us so much, will be our medicine. It is just like how it is necessary for immature children to fear their parents. To be free from sin, we must fear God.

Believing you can solve the problem of temptation and sin without the fear of God... is the same as believing you can raise a child with praise alone.

But, as a parent myself, I do not enjoy being a scary dad to my children. There is nothing more painful than scolding my kids. The Lord did not say "Fear God" because He enjoys it.

Even a father like me, who is full of sin, desperately wants my children to know my love and trust that love. I want them to follow my words even if they don't understand, and even if I don't have to speak sternly. If even a flawed father like me feels this way, what about our Lord, our perfect heavenly Father?

How tragic must it be for Him that He cannot lead and change us with only good words and praise? If we know our Lord's heart... We can focus more on His heart, to try and reach a place of perfect love for Him. Even if we fall again in that process and have moments where we must be afraid... We must know that even that fear is love, and we must draw closer to the Lord.

Let us not be deceived by the lies that make us step back, but let us draw nearer to the Lord's embrace. Even then, the Lord's arms are wide open. We ask for forgiveness with a heart that is fearful and trembling. In this way, we must continue to shrink the spaces in our lives where we have been ignoring God.

Earlier, I scientifically explained the physical reaction that fear causes. When our brain's amygdala signals "something important is happening," the sympathetic nervous system activates... It releases adrenaline and cortisol... And as a result, the heart rate increases... palms sweat... and energy surges.

But there is one other thing that causes this exact same phenomenon. It is "excitement" or "anticipation." Scientists have said that it is much more possible and beneficial to change fear into excitement—which is physically the same state—than to change it into calmness.

Our fear of God the Father, who loves us, is not something to be avoided or covered up, as long as we have parts of us that are still stained by the world, parts that need to be fixed and must die.

We must take that fear and go to the Lord, step into the light, and experience that sting. We must truly repent in that fear. At that time, we will experience forgiveness again and come to love God even more. That fear is what God wants for us, because He loves us.

If you continue to shrink the spaces where you ignored God... the times of excitement will become more frequent than the times of fear. And the Bible promises that one day, we can reach a place of perfect love where no fear remains! It promises that we can become like Jesus, reaching the full measure of Christ.

The truth—the Word of God—has been proclaimed, which goes against the voice of the world that says all fear is bad. Now, how will you receive this Word?

Let us pray.