The Fear of the LORD | Slav Romanov

What is GARDEN CHURCH Podcast?

"Here as in Heaven."

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Intro/Outro: 00:08

Welcome to Garden Church podcast. We are a community in Southern California dedicated to raising resilient disciples of Jesus Christ.

Slav Romanov: 00:19

Can you guys give it up for the youth this morning? Man, it is it is such a joy and an honor to be with you all this morning. Merry belated Christmas, I guess you say. Happy New Year. I I just wanna first off, Darren isn't here, but I just wanna thank him on behalf of my family.

Slav Romanov: 00:43

Just the opportunity to be here, just a part of the community that God is building here and also this immense privilege of being the youth pastor here. We've seen amazing, amazing things. Alright, I'm not gonna pull a Darren but you better get your Bibles out to Exodus, Exodus chapter 19. I see that Bible, I see that Bible. Alright, Exodus chapter 19.

Slav Romanov: 01:08

Before we go there, we have, as you saw in the announcement videos, we have a youth conference that we're putting on for the first time. There's gonna be about 25 other youth ministries from all over Southern California. We have friends from out of state that are joining as well. And so if you're a parent or if you know a sixth through twelfth grader, that you want to be there, we had one girl at the garden purchase a plane ticket and a camp ticket last summer for their brother to come out from Colorado to camp and he encountered Jesus powerfully. Wasn't following Jesus, gifted him a bible and now he's following the Lord.

Slav Romanov: 01:46

So if you know someone like that, sixth through twelfth grade, make sure you get the ticket ASAP because the early bird ends on the thirty first. So it's coming up, okay? Yes. Cool. Alright.

Slav Romanov: 01:57

Today I was reflecting on what to exactly talk about this morning because you know, I'm the youth pastor the twenty eighth. Welcome, you made it to the last Sunday gathering of the year. You guys are welcome, glad you guys are here. You made it out of the slump of the holidays. And I just felt immense like, man, I really wanna say what what God has for this community.

Slav Romanov: 02:22

I just don't wanna bring out a banger, know, a message that I know will hit. I just wanted his voice for his community. And earlier this month I met up with a youth pastor and local pastors at, I ran into local pastors at a coffee shop. We're always hanging out coffee shops if you ever wanna know where we are. Rye, Rye Goods in Costa Mesa, that's where we are most of the time.

Slav Romanov: 02:51

Just kidding, not really, but yeah, sometimes. And I meet this new, this pastor that I hadn't known before and they make a comment that really didn't sit well with my heart and it was, man, we're seeing that garden is blowing up. You guys are just blowing up on social media, it seems like things are going really well. And I didn't really know what to say to that. Like we're, yeah, we're blowing up on social media but something just didn't fit sit right in my heart.

Slav Romanov: 03:23

And many of you guys know you're here at Garden, and a lot of you are new here, and we've seen the miraculous of what God has been doing here. We've seen radical generosity, we've seen radical healing, miracles, we've seen prodigals come home, we've seen many dozens and dozens of individuals who have never even followed Jesus come into his kingdom. We baptized 97 brothers and sisters this year at Garden. Isn't that amazing? And we're seeing this at youth as well.

Slav Romanov: 03:56

Exponential growth. We launched four Jesus clubs, 160 students represented at these Jesus clubs hearing the gospel every week at a public high school, come on. We've been seeing, we did youth alpha this year, we had over 80 alpha guests represented. It's just been amazing like in the six years that I've been doing youth ministry, God is really near and there's an ease. But there's a danger as well.

Slav Romanov: 04:24

The danger is that we become associated to the things of God to get all the benefits from associating with him. We become spectators, we post on social media, we we hype up the youth ministry or whatever other youth, what other ministries going off here at Garden and we'll post about it, we'll talk about it, we'll be ecstatic about it, but where our loyalties may lie may not be in the heart of God. A couple years ago, there was a chapel service at a university in Kentucky where a bunch of the college students stayed back and just decided to pray extra long after the chapel service. And what ended up being just like, you know, they they thought it was gonna be twenty, thirty minutes, ended up being two full weeks, fifteen days of God pouring out his presence on Gen Z. Over 50,000 people came to the small town of Wilmore, 6,000 people who lived there to experience God's presence at Asbury University.

Slav Romanov: 05:28

And I had the immense privilege of going out there with a friend. I had been praying for a move of God for a long time, since I was about 11 or 12, since I had an idea of what a revival was. And as I'm there standing in line to get into the chapel room, the president of the university comes on the microphone and he says something that really startled me. He said, please put your phones away. Going viral isn't the same thing as a move of God.

Slav Romanov: 06:00

We've experienced him here, he's been near. And you've probably experienced his goodness this last year, maybe your businesses have finally been doing well. Maybe you finally have seen the goodness of God in your life, your marriage, in your family, you've seen prodigals come home or maybe even like on the other side of the coin, maybe you haven't seen the goodness of God this year. You've seen a lot of healings happen here in the front at Garden this last year, but maybe you've been asking God to heal you for years and every time you come up, it just feels like a no. Maybe your businesses aren't doing well in this economy, Lord knows.

Slav Romanov: 06:37

Maybe your marriage is still struggling. I don't know wherever you find yourself in the last Sunday of 2025. But my question that I wanna dive into this morning is, are you seeking his hand or are you seeking him? Because what God is interested in, he's not interested in just spectators. He's not interested in a momentary high in worship on Sunday, whatever gathering you go to.

Slav Romanov: 07:08

He's not interested in just your marriage is doing well, he does care about that. He's not just interested in your businesses doing well, he does care about that. He's interested in full transformation within and around. Because of the moves of God that we've seen around the world throughout history, societies have changed. Because of the early church we have hospitals, we have education universities.

Slav Romanov: 07:37

Some of the biggest universities in The US started out as seminaries like Harvard and other universities like that. And human rights are a thing, the value of children, women's rights, voting, all these things came as the result of a move of God transforming society. God isn't interested in just having this hype moment where we blow up on social media, he's interested in transforming the world around us. Especially in this day and age where we feel like there is just so much going on in turmoil around us. Like there is, political polarization, of course, we feel that almost every time we open the news app.

Slav Romanov: 08:24

There is wars going on in the world with including Ukraine and incoming war probably with Taiwan and China. All of the things that are going on in the world with poverty and illness and sickness, we don't need a cute church. We don't need association to a cool church. We need people transformed by the presence of God to transform the world around us. For some reason, God has decided to use the church to transform the world.

Slav Romanov: 08:55

I don't know why I wouldn't have done that. I wouldn't have picked us to do it. We're like helpless sheep. Like Jesus said, he looked upon the crowd and he said, they're like sheep helpless. But he decided to do that.

Slav Romanov: 09:09

So the anchoring text that we have today is in Exodus chapter 19 verse three, and then we'll dive into what what this looks like for us. Then Moses went up to God and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, this is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel. You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and brought you to my And how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all the nations, you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Slav Romanov: 10:04

These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites. This is at a pivotal point in the Exodus and in the narrative of the first five books in the Bible. This is what scholars, if any of my theology nerds would care about this. This is called the grand chiasm, meaning what happens at Sinai is mirrored before and after. There's a picture that depicts this.

Slav Romanov: 10:31

This is critical. So as you can imagine, the majority of people in the ancient days wouldn't be able to read, so they heard this. They heard the law and the Torah being given. And this is the part, whichever author wrote this part, is saying pay attention to these words. In fact, most scholars would say that these few verses that we just read are one of the most important verses in the whole Hebrew Bible.

Slav Romanov: 11:00

I didn't say that. Some of my professors have said that. So, this is super important. And I was I was thinking about the the story of the Israelites coming out of Egypt, and I was reminiscing and re watching, of course, Prince of Egypt, come on, so good. Hans Zimmer did the music.

Slav Romanov: 11:21

If you haven't watched it, you better watch it, okay? I tell that to our youth all the time I talk about the Israelites. And I always thought, why did the Israelites get delivered out Egypt, out of slavery? For the Okay, come on. Back and forth here.

Slav Romanov: 11:37

For the Promised Land, right? Yeah, thank you. You guys are awake here, yeah? Too much eggnog, I'm just kidding. I thought it was for the Promised Land.

Slav Romanov: 11:47

I was like, that's the goal, right? Get them delivered out of Egypt, out of slavery. The end in sight is the Promised Land. But after further inspection, that's not the case. What was the reason why?

Slav Romanov: 12:00

Well, we see in multiple verses, but I'm just gonna show two this morning. Exodus five one, let my people go so that they may hold a feast for me in the wilderness. Or Exodus seven verse 16 and all those other references, let my people go that they may serve and worship me in the wilderness. Not the promised land. Ain't that interesting?

Slav Romanov: 12:26

Carmen Joy Iimes, she says, at Sinai, everything changes. This is important, the wilderness. At Sinai, the Hebrews discover who they are, and more importantly, whose they are. The agenda for this stop is worship. So Yahweh brings his people out to worship him.

Slav Romanov: 12:43

He has kept his word. They've been set free and now they've come to do what they intended to make all things right with God and give him the honor he deserves. It's divine appointment. And in the process of learning how to honor God, they discover their own vocation. So no, the reason was not the promised land, it is worship.

Slav Romanov: 13:05

Worship. Remember in the garden narrative, it is for communion between man and God that humanity was created. And there was a split between humanity and God and the entire time the rest of the narrative is God attempting to commune with the Israelites, with his people, and eventually gives us a spirit. And he tries that through Sinai, he tries that through the tabernacle, he tries that through the temple, and the whole time the Israelites are fixated on the promised land. But Jesus said, Yahweh says this to the Israelites, you've seen what I've done.

Slav Romanov: 13:39

I've delivered you out of Egypt. This is what he's reiterating all the things that they saw. The the fire by day, the cloud, the fire by night, the cloud by day, the going through the waters, the actual water coming out of the rock, the manna on the ground. You've seen what I've done, I've taken care of you on eagles' wings, like a mother who loves their children. I've taken you to myself, but this is now your response to that salvation.

Slav Romanov: 14:08

If you obey my commandments and keep my covenant, covenant, this is a marriage ceremony. This isn't just theophany. This isn't just a big grand speech from Yahweh from a deity. This is God wanting to marry with his people. And upon that new marriage they receive a new identity, a treasured possession, a new name, Segullah.

Slav Romanov: 14:43

Can you say Segullah? I gotta pull out the Hebrew so you think I'm smart. It refers to someone who enjoys a special status in relation to the king. A covenant partner who's especially treasured and entrusted with greater responsibility or in the Aramaic translation which I love, beloved, the apple of God's eye. They're very special possession of Yahweh the creator himself and as a result of their new name and their new identity, they have a new vocation.

Slav Romanov: 15:19

They have a new purpose in life. Don't you wanna know what your purpose in life is? This is it, kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Christopher J. H, right, he writes this, they have a role that matches their status.

Slav Romanov: 15:35

The status is to be special treasured possession. The role is to be priestly and a holy community in the midst of the nations. Priests represent the presence of God here on earth, and beyond that, it's very fascinating that Yahweh decides to use the kingdom of priests. For all their life, for generations, all the Egyptians knew was slavery. All that they knew was just being considered less than dirt.

Slav Romanov: 16:06

And here Yahweh, the God of Gods says, kingdom of priests. Kingdom of priests, you are now considered royalty. You're now a part of my kingdom, my domain. Wherever I go, you are considered to be as part of it as anyone else. And priests, you are the representation of heaven here on earth.

Slav Romanov: 16:32

You're supposed to be the perfect representation of what it looks like for heaven to meet earth, of what happens when the king is in charge, the kingdom of priests. You're supposed to embody that. And the next, a holy nation, holy nation set apart. You're not gonna be like the other nations that surround you. You're gonna live and and operate in a different economy, the economy of heaven.

Slav Romanov: 16:59

You're gonna you're gonna be different, you're gonna be set apart, and holiness in the ancient's mind isn't perfection. That's the Greek thought of what holiness is. It's not being perfect. It is covenant faithfulness. You're gonna be covenantly faithful to me and it's gonna show amongst the nations.

Slav Romanov: 17:16

And so first Peter, he picks up on this. He writes this in first Peter two and he applies this to us now in the New Testament church, but you are a chosen people. What's interesting here in the Exodus narrative is you will be a chosen people, but here he writes, you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you have not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Slav Romanov: 17:58

And so, we as well, we've been liberated just like the Israelites out of slavery. We've been set apart from We've been set from the grip and the hold of Egypt. He carried us through the waters, through baptism, and through death. We've entered in into this new life with God, this new opportunity with him. Just like the Israelites, you didn't have to do anything to deliver yourself.

Slav Romanov: 18:22

Yahweh didn't come to Egypt and say, alright Israel, get your act together because I'm gonna come and deliver you. And in the same way, Jesus doesn't, he doesn't come to us and say, get your act together so that you become my special possession, my treasured possession. He delivers us and puts that name on us, treasured possession, treasured possession, beloved. The way that he sees you is through the eyes of the father, through the eyes of the son. And just like the Israelites, the goal is not heaven.

Slav Romanov: 18:57

The goal isn't a ticket to heaven. Salvation isn't about getting us to the promised land. John Ortberg, he writes this, salvation isn't about getting you into heaven, it's about getting heaven into you. It's not about relocation, it's about transformation. It's not about what God wants to do to you, it's about what God wants to do in you.

Slav Romanov: 19:18

It's about allowing Jesus' kingdom life to permeate our little lives one moment, one choice at a time. It's about becoming a beautiful community that can reflect his kingdom as priests and his holiness as a holy nation set apart. Wouldn't that be amazing? Wouldn't that be awesome? There were people who lived up to that.

Slav Romanov: 19:47

If something goes awry, something goes wrong in the narrative and I think it is the very same thing that can honestly go wrong for us. Immediately after receiving their new identity and their new vocation, God asked for the people to meet with him. Remember this is the whole point why Yahweh delivered them. And there's this epic moment, Exodus 20 verse 18. And when the people saw the thunder and the lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain and smoke, they trembled with fear.

Slav Romanov: 20:20

They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, speak to us yourself and we will listen, but do not have God speak to us or we will die. Moses said to the people, don't be afraid. God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. Don't be afraid but he's come to see if you have the fear of the Lord, that seems interesting. But the people remained at a distance while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Slav Romanov: 20:52

What happens here? Israel abdicate their responsibility to Moses to meet with him. They're afraid of God. He comes in this awe and wonder and this you can just like sense that they're sensing his holiness in the wilderness. And so as a result, they're afraid.

Slav Romanov: 21:14

They they don't enter in into this time with Yahweh. Instead, they do this. Moses goes up, he receives the law, and this is what happens jumping over to chapter 32. And when the people saw that Moses was so long and coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, come, let us make gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who has brought us out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him.

Slav Romanov: 21:43

And Aaron answered, take off the gold earrings that your wives and your sons and your daughters are wearing and bring them to me. So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron and he took what was handed him and made it into an idle cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, it's very interesting. These are your gods Israel who brought you out of Egypt. And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced tomorrow there will be a festival to the l o r d Yahweh.

Slav Romanov: 22:26

This is weird. What's going on here? They've reduced the image of God from the smoke and the lightning to a golden calf. They're ascribing things that only Yahweh can be ascribed to. The deliverance out of Egypt and a festival to Yahweh.

Slav Romanov: 22:44

They even use his name in front of the calf. 2025, almost six, reading into this, I would never bow down to a golden calf. That's silly. The only calf I bow down to is on my way to Chick fil A. I know it's chicken but they, you know, they're a marketing scheme.

Slav Romanov: 23:07

Which I'm sorry for mentioning Chick fil A on a Sunday, I know. It's tough. We do the very same thing friends. We demote the image of God into our likeness. When he comes in actuality, he comes in awe and wonder and holiness and majesty but yet we settle for less.

Slav Romanov: 23:32

Not only that, we abdicate, we we relieve of our right to meet with him personally to the pastors. So go on pastor Darren, go on pastor John, pastor Ramin. All of you guys go up to the mountain, meet with him yourself, and then when you come down, just let me know what he said on Sunday. But you were never designed to eat seconds. You were designed for the garden.

Slav Romanov: 24:00

You were designed to eat the bread of life and that is Jesus himself. And so what do we do? We we reduce him as a result, we don't wanna meet with him, we we get busy, we we are afraid of him, and we we want the self help God, we want the one who is attainable, that I can comprehend in my mind, the one who wins elections based on my political preferences, the one who blesses your business but never demands generosity out of you, The one where life goes as you please, and we sing these songs of how we wanna see God rightly. We're singing it this morning so beautifully, but we don't revere him enough to actually change us. If that was the case, if he was actually If we were in a place as a community where there was reverence and all for his name, the world would feel it around us.

Slav Romanov: 24:54

Is that a little too audacious to say? The world, we would become truly kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This isn't what is often thought, like I mentioned before, Christianity is not about getting you into heaven, it's about marriage. But we settle for less. No, we don't settle for less, we are deceived.

Slav Romanov: 25:28

We're lied to. Friends, we still live around Egypt everywhere we go. I had a friend who was close to me and was on the rock, his life was on the rocks. He entered into great depression and he was just not doing well. And so one night he's driving home late at night and he's just he can't take it anymore, so he pulls on the side of the road and is weeping.

Slav Romanov: 26:00

He's like, God, would you encounter my heart? I I really need to know if you're real or not. And so a mutual friend of ours, all the way in Colorado calls him and says, hey, you've been on my mind for some reason. I woke up from a dream and I just felt like you need to sign up to do YWAM. I love YWAM.

Slav Romanov: 26:18

How many YWAMers are in here? Come on, love it. There we go, a few, come on. Of them are back home right now enjoying free food. Youth without any money, love it.

Slav Romanov: 26:34

So he signs up and he has this radical encounter with God's presence. He didn't grow up charismatic and so they threw him right into it. Saw miracles, saw the glory, tongues, whole thing, experienced God's nearness. He goes on on a mission trip across internationally and he all The same thing, even more so times 10. And he comes back home and life is just normal.

Slav Romanov: 27:00

He comes back into Egypt around him. He was in this hyper fixated place of God's presence and now when life is normal, things just started pulling at his heart and eventually I started his heart, saw his heart started to get cold. And he stopped talking to me and we stopped hanging out and now he's not following the Lord. Friends, we've seen his glory here, seen his miracles here. What is gonna keep us near to his heart?

Slav Romanov: 27:36

What's the answer? Our faith. It's what Moses said at the very beginning. The Lord has come to see if you have the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the answer.

Slav Romanov: 27:59

Isaiah picks up on this in chapter 33 verse five, the Lord is exalted and he dwells on high. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. Doesn't that sound amazing? I just wanna live wherever that is.

Slav Romanov: 28:20

The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. What is the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord is awe and reverence for who God is. It is awe and reverence.

Slav Romanov: 28:36

Eugene Peterson, he says it this way, the bible talks about the fear of the Lord not to scare us, but to bring us to awesome attention before the overwhelming grand year of God. I love that. Having the fear of the Lord is not being scared of God. It is in a sense being so afraid of being away from God that you orient your life towards him. It is his presence that you seek.

Slav Romanov: 29:05

John and I were talking about this in between services. He reminded me, Moses is meeting with God and Yahweh says, you guys can go take the promised land, I'm gonna stay back. And Moses says, don't want the promised land. If we have the promised land but don't have your presence, we lost everything. We need your presence.

Slav Romanov: 29:26

But I would argue most of us don't fear him, but are scared of him. Being scared of him is a kind of fear like the Israelites had to hide because you expect God to harm you, to reject you, to humiliate you. It's mainly about self protection, and so you say to yourself, God is unsafe, so I need distance. And so we disengage with our hearts. We disengage with him.

Slav Romanov: 29:53

In Isaiah, he says this, these people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. This is compartmentalization if I said that right. I was struggling on the service. This is I'm gonna have my bible time in the morning and then the rest of the day I'm not even gonna think of him.

Slav Romanov: 30:23

This is, I'm gonna show up on Sundays and I'm just I'm gonna enjoy the worship song. If it hits, it hits. If it doesn't, well, man, that was a bummer Sunday. But the implications of not fearing him is severe, severe. Proverbs one twenty eight says, then they will call to me but I will not answer is what the Lord is saying.

Slav Romanov: 30:48

They will look to me but will not find me since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord. John Bevere, inspired a lot of this talk, he writes this, do you think that the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is going to come into a place where he's not given due honor and reverence? Do you think that the master of all creation is going to speak when his word is not respected enough to be listened to attentively? You're deceived if you do. And the Israelites failed.

Slav Romanov: 31:24

They failed tremendously to walk into the field of the Lord. You want a good picture of what the rest of the Old Testament sounds like? It's them him drawing near through the tabernacle, through the temple, through his prophets, and they just mess it up continuously. They don't become a kingdom of priests, they become a kingdom of destruction. They've become Egypt themselves, oppressing the poor, the weak, enslaving people.

Slav Romanov: 31:53

They don't become a holy nation, they mix, they meddle with, they bring in other gods from around the nations for political influence and for their right living. In Isaiah, he promises this about a man who would one day come and live in the fullness of the fear of the Lord. And he says this in Isaiah 11, a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a branch will bear fruit. The spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might and the spirit of the knowledge of the fear of the Lord. And he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

Slav Romanov: 32:35

Isn't that beautiful? Jesus has revealed what it looks like to walk in the fullness of the fear of the Lord. Not so that we couldn't do it, but so that we knew how to. We knew how to, how did he do this? First Peter picks this up one verse 17, since you call on a father who judges each person work impartial, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.

Slav Romanov: 33:04

We're here, just on a stop by, until his kingdom comes, we're foreigners in exile. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed, it was not the golden calf. I forgot to mention this, what's interesting is that they take off the earrings and the gold in the Exodus narrative, the things that were given to them while they were departing Egypt, that's what they used to build a golden calf. But you weren't redeemed with silver and gold nor can you attempt to. You were redeemed from the empty way of life handed to you from your ancestors but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Slav Romanov: 33:49

He was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in the last times for your sake. This kind of grace is costly, the precious blood of Jesus Christ. What I would argue is that we've bought into what Bonhoeffer would call cheap grace. He was living in the time of Nazi Germany and he saw this, the way that the Nazis would infiltrate the churches is through cheap grace. And in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, he contrasts it with costly grace and he says this, I do not have this quote, this was in between services, so bear with me.

Slav Romanov: 34:30

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again. The gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow. And it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life and it is grace because it gives the man the only true life.

Slav Romanov: 35:00

It is costly because it condemns sin and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it costs God the life of his son. You were bought with a price. And what God, what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us.

Slav Romanov: 35:32

Costly grace is the incarnation of God, God with us. So Jesus, he paid away for us to not have to go through all of the stipulations and the law that is written out from Exodus through Deuteronomy. He gives us access to the father in fullness. In Hebrews it says, enter his throne room with boldness. That picture for me is like little children running up into the father's lap.

Slav Romanov: 36:15

But if we're not careful, Egypt will rob our hearts, cheap grace will rob our hearts and we'll forget how costly it was for him. So what does fear of the Lord look like today in light of Jesus? What what does it look like to walk in the fear of the Lord now? Number one, you are aware of his presence. You're aware that he's near.

Slav Romanov: 36:43

For I got married to my wife five years ago, and it doesn't matter we still have a long way to go, I know. I look all to you older couples for wisdom. You have to convince me 100, 200, 300, 400 miles away from her that I'll be faithful to her in covenant. That will be loyal to her. I'll honor her name.

Slav Romanov: 37:07

I'll speak highly of her when she's not even there. How much more so now that we have the Holy Spirit with us at all times and not only that he is seeking you, longing to be with you, longing for your face turned towards his, how much more so is the awareness of his presence brought into our day make everything way more powerful. We're aware of his presence at all times, at all times. Brother Andrew would say, I don't know the difference between washing dishes and the grand worship choir at church on Sunday. My version of it.

Slav Romanov: 37:53

Number two, you obey and follow him not out of duty or obligation but because you love him. The fear of the Lord at the root of it all is love. If you feel this weight, it's like, oh, just like duty and this like responsibility that you have to live out your faith and perfection, that is not love, that is religion. That's the enemy, it's condemnation, it's not from him. It is out of love that you follow and obey him.

Slav Romanov: 38:28

It is not the the Bible reading and the prayer and the fasting and the showing up on Sundays that will produce love for you. It is the actual out of love that you do those things. I wanna know him more, so I'm gonna pray more, I'm gonna read, I wanna know what he's like. Number three, you worship out of reverence and a heartfelt response not because you feel like it but because he's worthy of it. But because he's worthy of it.

Slav Romanov: 38:58

I don't know how many times when I come here on a Sunday or in a worship gathering and I just I don't feel it. I just I don't feel it. I don't feel the goosebumps. I don't feel the whatever. But like David said in the Psalms, bless the Lord all my soul.

Slav Romanov: 39:14

I submit, I get on my knees. So if you ever see on my knees over here, it's probably not because I'm feeling it but because I need to tell my body to feel it. Submit because he's worthy. Who am I to say I'm not gonna worship you because I'm not feeling it? Dangerous, dangerous.

Slav Romanov: 39:34

He's here. He's worthy, he's worthy. Number four, everything is an opportunity to honor him. Everything is an opportunity. Every conversation, every interaction, your finances, the way that you treat your spouse, the way that you raise your kids, everything is an opportunity to honor him.

Slav Romanov: 39:58

Why? Not because you're afraid he's gonna punish you, because you wanna honor him, you love him. So how do we grow in the fear of the Lord? Number one, you ask for it, real simple. You don't need to go to seminary for that one.

Slav Romanov: 40:19

You ask him for it. Proverbs nine ten says, the beginning, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. In James it says, he who lacks wisdom should ask of God and he will give it to you. There's a few prayers that God will always say yes to, always. And friends, when he when you ask for the fear of the Lord, he will surely give it to you, why?

Slav Romanov: 40:44

Because it means you get to love him more and he gets to love you even more. So you ask him for it. Number two, you seek his face. You cannot revere or love whom you do not know. This is a illustration that I stole.

Slav Romanov: 41:07

Darren says always quote your sources, so I don't know who said it, so here you go. You're welcome, Darren. Imagine my wife and I in a room together, we're, at home and, I just finished seminary, so I have a lot more time in life. It's crazy how much time is freed up. So I'm probably playing Age of Empires or something, you know?

Slav Romanov: 41:31

I played it when I was 10, so if you don't know what that is, that's fine. It's you know, I got one right here. It's really nerdy. And I'm not the video game type, but I'm playing. I'm enjoying it, you know?

Slav Romanov: 41:41

Life is free and fun. And as I'm destroying the Mongols, Sydney is probably mopping the floor, and we're aware of each other's presence in the room. We're aware of each other that Sydney is out there and I'm here like we're aware but we're focused on the task at hand. It's completely different when Sydney would turn to me and say, hey Slav, and I look up from my game probably being killed and we meet Ice. That's a different level of connection there.

Slav Romanov: 42:17

We are so focused on what's that task at hand right now. In this life, you know, all the things that can come up, distraction and busyness and hurry, all those things. Just focus on what's at hand. We're worried about the outcomes of our life and we're just focused on those things, but the entire time Jesus is just like, my eyes are looking for yours. Will you lock in with my eyes?

Slav Romanov: 42:46

That's what it means to seek his face. Is that you lift up your head and you look to him and you get to know him. It's not the content of the, it's not the date nights in of itself with Sidney and I that produces a beautiful marriage, it's the content within It's it's it's the stuff that we we get to talk about and dream about and work through in the date nights. So seek his face. Number three, this is my favorite one.

Slav Romanov: 43:15

Surround yourself by those who have shining faces, shining faces. Moses when he leaves the mountain, he comes back with his face luminescent with the glory of God, his face was shining with the glory of the Lord. There are people here who have shining faces. There are people in your life who have seen the Lord and their face and their countenance, the way that they do life is completely different. Pastor Darren always says, we've traded saints for celebrities.

Slav Romanov: 43:54

We've traded for the ones who have long history with Jesus for the cool TikTok Instagram reel hot take on Instagram. Surround yourself with those who have met the Lord. Ask them Jesus ask them like, how do you know this Jesus more? How do I get to know him more? How how do you pray?

Slav Romanov: 44:20

Can you show me how you pray? You will learn a lot by sitting in a person who has long history with Jesus in their prayer life. Surround yourself with those who have shining faces. And lastly, consecrate your life. Almost every time when the Lord comes in, in the Exodus narrative at least, he says, he tells the he tells Moses, he tells the leaders to tell the people to consecrate themselves, to, wash themselves, to purify themselves.

Slav Romanov: 44:58

What what God is getting at, he's not trying to get rid of things that make life enjoyable, he's trying to make room for himself. So that he would love you more. David Wells says this, worldliness is what any particular culture does to make sense seem normal and righteousness seems strange. And so there are things in your life that you know, you know that God has asked you for it. I don't know if it's stranger things.

Slav Romanov: 45:30

Maybe it is. I know how to take, oh, I heard a gasp. Maybe it's the Instagram, maybe it's the movie, maybe it's the ambition in life, maybe it's the body figure that you're going for, maybe whatever it is for you, you know that Jesus has asked you for it. Not because he's just trying to rid your life of all the pleasures of life, but because he wants to increase your capacity for knowing him. Consecrate What was fascinating at the Asbury outpouring was that they had this thing which Garden has shifted in light of that.

Slav Romanov: 46:13

Instead of the Green Room, they called it the Consecration Room. Green Room is notorious for all the speakers hanging out back there enjoying their meals and just doing whatever in there. But the Consecration Room was when whoever whoever would set foot on this stage at Asbury, they would pray their sins, confess their sins, ask God to cleanse them and fill them with his Holy Spirit. And we got to see a wonderful outpouring of God's presence. That is the next thing, pure vessels.

Slav Romanov: 46:54

It's not the cool Instagram. It's not even being associated with garden. It is pure hearts wanting to meet with him. We all stand. Now hear me.

Slav Romanov: 47:28

If you are feeling any sense a weight that is not from the Lord, remove it. Just relax, relax into this. This is not Jesus said, come to me all who you are weary and a heavy burden and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. So any sense of duty or obligation that you might have right now because of religion that's not from him.

Slav Romanov: 48:03

Father's always looking to speak to you belovedness. Love, I love you. I love you so much that I wanna be with you. And I'm gonna come in powerful ways in my glory and in my splendor and it's going to confront things in your life, but it's never unto condemnation. It's always like Bill said, always to hope.

Slav Romanov: 48:30

Always to hope. And as we, a people here at Garden, community here at Garden, embrace the fear of the Lord. Kingdom of priests, holy nation, declaring the goodness of God in the darkness. We bow your heads. Just open your hands like you're receiving a gift.

Slav Romanov: 49:04

Can you just start dealing with the Lord in your heart right now? Can you just begin to ask him to fill you with the fear of the Lord? To see him rightly. For some of you, I just sense that there are idols. The idols of Egypt are trying to hold on to your heart.

Slav Romanov: 49:41

And I just sense I I see some of you just holding on tightly, just like not wanting to let go, and I just sense the Lord wanting you to relax and release, release, lean to him. So if you feel like you wanna rid yourself of idols, come and receive prayer. If you feel like you wanna know him rightly, that you've actually reduced the image of God down to whatever acceptable God is in your eyes, and you wanna meet him, and you wanna see him rightly come and receive prayer. If you sense that your eyes feel this someone specific that, your idols have created have created, the word that comes to mind, this unity and chaos in your relationships. Idols always under deliver, over promise and under deliver.

Slav Romanov: 50:46

And you you you feel that, you sense that, come and receive prayer.

Intro/Outro: 50:59

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