Why do we fear him, what about him evokes this response?

A. He Sees Us

2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

When you experience God, you realize he sees you. He has seen everything. The very person you have sinned against has been looking. The very person you have been talking about has been listening.

Charles Colson tells a story of a man who openly told his co-workers that he used pornography. When his friends told him to stop, he kept saying “I’m not hurting anyone.” One night he got up in the middle of the night, and as usual turned on the TV. A little later, his wife walked in. She looked at what he was watching, she saw what he was doing, and she simply stood there and cried.

That is what it means to feel caught. He knows what you do, who you hate, who you talk about, what you say. And it is all coming out.

B. He has Authority to Judge

fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.

You not only have been seen, but you have been seen by the rightful judge. I am not a trustworthy judge, I always think that I have a good enough reason for what I am doing.

Some of us don’t like the idea of a just God of wrath. But let me ask you this, can you really live in a world where there will never be justice ever? Do you really believe that wicked people who live a life of manipulation, abuse, exploitation and selfishness will never get justice? Do you prefer to believe that every child that dies as a result of neglect or abuse will never get justice? If anyone ever gets justice, then everyone has to get it. Everyone believes they are justified.

The Tucson Shooter honestly believed he was serving this country by killing the people on that stage. Hitler honestly believed he was making the world a better place by executing Jews. And you believe you have a good reason to run down your husband behind his back.

But the judge of all the earth, the one who is the definition of right sees you.

Once as a child I made a teammate of mine cry by laughing at his grades. My coach saw me, and the teammate was his son. He got down in my face and explained with clarity and intensity – if you ever make fun of my son again I will kick you off this team. My excuses started flowing, but he did not stop. If you ever make fun of my son again…

Every waitress you refuse to tip is a daughter of god. Every person you laugh about, every girl you degrade with your leering looks, every one of them is God’s son or daughter. And he will judge you rightly.

C. He cannot be contained

Finally we fear because of his immensity. His size, his power, his immensity overwhelms us and causes our bodies to fail. To be near God is like being too close to the edge of a tall building, or being on the side of the road when an 18 wheeler blows by. Just the force of His presence elicits a physical shudder.

When I was 17, all we had to do at night was drive around. We drove out in the country, and once we saw some hunters. I didn’t think anything of it till I heard shots. Then we drove back to town. I really didn’t think much, until someone pointed out the bullet holes in my trunk. At that point, my knees failed, in the presence of that kind of power I felt my mortality, and fell.

Even when God shows himself in good ways, we still shudder. When God healed Marty, I walked around in a fog. When God healed Judah, I could only comment – that makes me afraid.

To come into the presence of perfect holiness, complete authority, and absolute power drives us to the dust. As a matter of fact it is so great no one can do it. So how do we get to the “fear not little flock”?

By letting our fear drive us to the one who withstood it for us.