Psalms 4:4 - Homiletics

Fear of sin.

"Stand in awe, and sin not." There is no cowardice in being afraid of sin; no true courage in daring to break God's Law and defy God's anger, Joseph was no coward, but a brave man, when he said, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" "Perfect love," St. John tells us, "casteth out fear, because fear hath torment." Here slavish fear is meant—the fear that drives men from God, makes them hypocrites, hating God all the more because they make believe to love him. But there is a fear which has no torment, but is akin to love, not love's foe; a fear that does not drive us from God, but makes us flee from ourselves to take refuge in him; a fear that has nothing base or weak in it, but ennobles and strengthens the soul.

"Fear him, ye saints, and you will then

Have nothing else to fear."

To such fear our Saviour gives a place of honour and power among evangelical motives ( Luke 12:4 , Luke 12:5 ). Proposition: To point out some chief reasons for cherishing the fear of sin .

I. BECAUSE OF WHAT SIN IS IN REGARD TO GOD .

1 . It insults the majesty of God. Sin practically denies the existence or else the authority of God; and puts scorn on his warnings, as though he means not what he says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Scripture represents sin as atheism ( Psalms 14:1 ; Titus 1:16 ). Yet Plato was not correct when he thought all sin ignorance. Sin is often wilful, against light ( Romans 1:32 ; Luke 12:47 ). There is a way of talking of the love of God which tends to rob love itself of all moral character. People talk almost as if they thought of the eternal Creator as the almighty servant-of-all-work of the universe, whose business is to minister to his creatures and make them happy, whether they obey him or not. Take away the authority of God, and you take away worship. How could we worship a Being who made laws to be kept or broken at pleasure, and uttered threats he never meant to fulfil; affixed nominal penalties, only to make his justice the jest of the universe? This is what sin would do, if allowed to run to its full length—what every wilful sin tends to. Imagine an insult publicly offered to the sovereign of this great nation. What indignation! Why? Because, in the person of the sovereign, the whole nation would be insulted and injured. But the Divine majesty does not represent the universe—is not derived from it. God is the sole Fountain of all that is glorious, noble, right, good, happy.

2 . Sin grieves God. How can we think otherwise? He is "the Father of spirits." Does not he desire to see in every spirit the filial likeness, the image of himself? Scripture uses very bold language; but its strongest figures do not exaggerate, but fall below the truth ( Genesis 6:6 ; Amos 2:13 ; Isaiah 43:24 ). It was no light burden, no imaginary load. when the Son of God "bare our sins." We might go on to speak of how sin robs God by destroying all that is precious. But this leads to another reason for fearing sin.

II. BECAUSE OF WHAT SIN IS TO THE SINNER .

1 . Sin breaks the inward law of man's nature; defaces God's image; destroys man's power to know God. People complain that the Bible is over-severe regarding sin; too hard on human nature in representing it as fallen, corrupt, dead. They forget the reason—the noble and lofty view the Bible takes of man. "A little lower than the angels;" "The offspring of the Godhead;" "Made in the image of God." A ruined hut is no great matter, but a palace in ruins is a woeful spectacle. We need not go back to Paradise. We see what human nature ought to be, and, but for sin, would be, in Jesus ( Romans 8:3 ).

2 . Sin is the bitter fountain of human misery; it is spiritual death. Sin must die, or we must die in our sins ( John 8:24 ; Romans 6:12 , Romans 6:21 ).

III. BECAUSE OF WHAT SIN IS TO OTHERS . Oh, the harvest of broken hearts, ruined lives, blasted hopes, wasted powers, desolate homes; of disease, agony, despair, death; which sin sows and reaps every day! "One sinner destroyeth much good." He perishes not alone ( Joshua 22:20 ). This is a false proverb, "Nobody's enemy but his own." His own enemy is everybody's enemy. People gloss sin over with light words. One of the sweetest words in our tongue, "gay," is used as a perfume to drown the stench of the vilest sins. "He is only sowing his wild oats." His ? Where did he get them? From what happy home did he steal them? Who gave him leave to steal them? What will be the harvest? and who will reap it? You say, "He will come all right by-and-by." Suppose he does; will those come right whom he has helped to mislead and ruin? "No man dieth to himself."

IV. Lastly, BECAUSE OF WHAT SIN HAS COST . "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth of the gospel, stands the awful truth that he who knew no sin has been "made sin for us." "By his stripes we are healed." The cross is the mightiest persuasive to "stand in awe, and sin not."