“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” — Psalm 111:10
“Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” — Hebrews 12:28–29
Introduction: A Generation That Forgot to Bow
We are living in a time when the sacred has become common, and the holy has been reduced to hype. Across this generation, and even in many churches, we see a growing trend: people have become far too casual with God.
There is an increasing lack of reverence, fear, and awe for the One who holds the universe in His hands. God is seen as a buddy, a cosmic therapist, or even just a vending machine for blessings — but no longer as the righteous King, Judge, and Lord of Hosts.
This crisis is not merely a shift in attitude; it is a spiritual emergency. Because when the fear of God is lost, so is obedience, humility, repentance, and ultimately, salvation.
1. When God Becomes “Just a Friend”
In youth culture, popular Christian content often paints Jesus as someone who “gets you,” vibes with your pain, and gives you second chances — which is true. But that’s only part of the truth.
We must not forget the other part: He is holy. He is Lord. He commands obedience.
The verse where Jesus says, “I no longer call you servants… I have called you friends” (John 15:15) is often quoted. But the verse before it says:
“You are my friends if you do what I command.” — John 15:14
That condition is rarely emphasized.
Many say, “God understands,” when caught in sin. Yes, He understands — but that doesn’t mean He excuses rebellion. Grace is not permission to continue in what Christ died to save us from.
When people say, “God knows my heart,” they often forget that Jeremiah 17:9 also says:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”
This is the deception: when we reduce God to a permissive friend, we lose the transformative power of His Lordship.
2. Casual Christianity: Comfort Over Conviction
We are in an era of comfort-driven faith.
In many churches, sermons focus on:
- Living your best life
- Discovering your destiny
- Receiving blessings
- Walking in favor
While none of these are wrong by themselves, many pulpits avoid the hard truths — sin, hell, judgment, repentance, holiness, and the fear of the Lord. We want the crown without the cross, the gift without the Giver, and heaven without submission.
This is what 2 Timothy 4:3–4 warned about:
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
Christianity has become more about what God can do for me than about how I can live for Him.
3. Churches That Entertain but Don’t Transform
Worship has become a concert. Sermons have become TED Talks. The altar is replaced by LED lights, and prayer meetings are replaced by social gatherings. We’ve designed church to attract the world, but in doing so, we’ve lost our distinction.
Many modern churches are so eager to “not offend” that they’ve compromised truth in the name of love. But Jesus never separated love from truth — in fact, He is both:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” — John 14:6
We have youth groups that don’t preach holiness. We have pastors afraid to say that living in sin is still sin. We have worship leaders living double lives, and no one says anything because “God is gracious.”
This is what the Bible warned us about:
“They have no fear of God before their eyes.” — Romans 3:18
4. The Fear of the Lord Is Not Terror — It’s Trembling Honor
Some might argue: “But we shouldn’t be afraid of God — He’s love!”
Yes, God is love. But His love is not weak. It is fierce, holy, and demands our all. The fear of the Lord is not about being terrified of Him — it’s about having a deep respect, awe, and trembling honor that keeps us from sin.
Think of Isaiah, a prophet of God. In Isaiah 6, he saw the Lord on His throne, high and lifted up. His response?
“Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…”
Even Isaiah, a righteous man, trembled in God’s holy presence.
How different that is from our generation, which walks casually into sin, saying “God will understand.”
5. The Rise of “Feel-Good” Christianity
A major sign of the times is how people now choose churches like restaurants. If the service is too long, the message too hard, or the worship not “lit” enough — they leave. Discipleship has been replaced with convenience.
We now preach:
- Comfort over conviction
- Relevance over repentance
- Inclusion over instruction
But Jesus was never afraid to lose the crowd. In John 6, when He taught hard truths, many left Him. And what did He do? He didn’t chase them. He turned to His disciples and asked, “Will you also go away?”
We must return to that same boldness. The church should not seek to be trendy; it should seek to be true.
6. Cheap Grace vs Costly Discipleship
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote:
“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance… grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”
The modern church offers grace, but rarely the cross. Salvation, but rarely sanctification. Encouragement, but rarely the cost of following Jesus.
But Jesus said:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow me.” — Luke 9:23
Following Jesus is not casual. It’s costly.
7. Real Repentance, Real Revival
We pray for revival, but revival will not come without repentance.
The early church walked in power because they walked in fear of the Lord.
“Then the church…walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied.” — Acts 9:31
Fear of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit go hand in hand.
We need both. But we’ve only kept one.
It’s time we return to trembling at His Word.
8. What Should We Do?
The call is not to condemnation — it’s to correction and revival.
- Return to the Word. Stop basing your faith on feelings and start building it on truth.
- Return to reverence. Approach God with honor and awe.
- Return to repentance. Don’t excuse sin — confess and forsake it.
- Return to obedience. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
- Return to true worship. Worship is not a vibe; it’s surrender.
Conclusion: Let Us Tremble Again
We must return to a faith that trembles. Not out of fear of punishment, but because we’ve seen the majesty of God. We must fall on our knees again, weep over our sin again, and preach with boldness again.
“But on this one will I look: on him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word.” — Isaiah 66:2
We cannot have revival without reverence.
We cannot see transformation without trembling.
We cannot walk in true friendship with God without fearing Him first.
May this generation rise up — not with hype, but with holy hunger.
Not with swagger, but with surrender.
Not with pride, but with awe.
Let us remember once more:
He is God. We are not. And He is still worthy to be feared.
