Let Us Fear: Don't Harden Your Heart, Learn to Hear His Voice
Dr RJ Sing, 24 min, Part 4 of Steps to a Supernatural Year
This is the whole service. The video opens where he begins, at 1:26.
Originally preached as “Steps to a Supernatural Year, Episode 4: Let Us Fear”
Sermon outline
The first step to a supernatural year is to fear the Lord: refuse to let hurt and deceitful people harden your heart, put God first, and make it your goal to know Him and hear His voice for yourself.
Main text
- Hebrews 4:1
- Hebrews 3:7-14
- John 10:27
Opening
Continuing from Episode 3, he recaps how information overload and stories of misuse can open the door to unbelief, using the question 'Why do you tithe?', and restates the first step from Hebrews 4:1: let us fear, a godly reverence and awe for God. He returns to Hebrews 3 and the warning not to harden your hearts among deceitful people.
Don't let hurt build a wall around your heart
After dealing with deceitful people for a long time you can become cynical, trust nobody and put a wall around yourself because of the hurt and pain. But Scripture says do not harden your hearts as Israel did in the desert, where they tested God for 40 years and could not enter His rest; today some believers come to church but do not enter God's rest because they have provoked Him. In spite of the pressures and backstabbing, make a resolute decision to fear the Lord and not harden your heart.
“We've got to come to a point where we make a resolute decision, the decision of quality, we'll fear the Lord, we will not harden our hearts.”
- Hebrews 3:7-11
Encourage one another and keep your first confidence
Hebrews 3:12-14 calls us to encourage one another daily and to hold firmly to the end the confidence we had at first. When you were first saved you couldn't wait for church, home cells and prayer meetings; now there is every excuse. Missing church or being late now and again is fine and nobody should feel condemned, but when the things of God are number 10 or number 50 on the list, that is a problem.
Illustration: The service now starts at 8:30, yet people arrive at 8:31, 8:35 and 8:45; arrive at work like that and there would be a disciplinary.
“It's got to be God number one.”
- Hebrews 3:12-14
I will fear the Lord, whatever comes
We fear the Lord not to please anybody: in any position, when God is enriching us or when we are retrenched and in financial hardship, we still fear Him and trust Him to help. Resolve that no matter who offends you, you will serve the Lord and keep the faith, and that you will not rely on the pastor to interpret what God is saying but will know Him for yourself.
“I will determine that I will know the Lord for myself.”
Why fear? So you don't miss the inner essential
The Israelites' mistake was to focus on the externals and miss the real inner essential, which is hearing the Lord's voice ourselves. As for me and my household: when there is a problem, husband and wife should pray together to hear what God is saying, and God will speak to you about your children, your work and your business.
“What is the real inner essential? It is that we may hear the Lord's voice ourselves.”
- Joshua 24:15
My sheep hear my voice
John 10:27 says His sheep hear His voice, He knows them and they follow Him. God knows you by name, your struggles, your fears and your mountains, and He cares about your welfare. This is the clearest description of a true Christian: Jesus said His sheep know His voice, so God can trust you to obey when He leads you, in a dream or in your spirit, to bless or pray for someone.
“Jesus did not say, my sheep read the Bible, although reading the Bible is good.”
- John 10:27
- Philippians 3:10
Putting it into practice
- Refuse to let hurt and deceitful people harden your heart or build walls around you.
- Recover the excitement and confidence you had when you were first saved.
- Put God first, not tenth or fiftieth on the list.
- Pray together as husband and wife and listen for God's direction for your family and work.
- Make it your goal this year to know the Lord and hear His voice for yourself.
Closing
He pleads with the church, 'with all of my heart', to accept this resolution: to fear the Lord, hear His voice and know Him, so that they have God's peace in whatever they are going through. He ends: 'That's your first step.'
In his words
- “Whatever position you hold, I still fear the Lord.”
- “When the things of God to us are number 10 or number 50 on the list, that becomes a problem.”
- “God knows you. Knows your name.”
- “He said, my sheep know my voice.”
- “If you will make this your first step this new year, you will be a better person by the end of it.”
Every scripture in this message
- Malachi 3:10
- Genesis 1:28
- Hebrews 4:1
- 2 Timothy 1:7
- Philippians 2:12
- Proverbs 9:10
- Hebrews 3:7-14
- Matthew 25:32
- Joshua 24:15
- John 10:27
- Philippians 3:10
Faith Chronicles readings on this
Suggested messages
Also on Wisdom and Growing in God and The Holy Spirit and the Anointing
