by Pastor Daniel Yaw

Introduction
Receiving a call from a stranger is no longer a rare thing.  It is so common that once you hear it on your phone, you could almost discern that it is a scam call.  The person on the line (if it is a person and not a voice recording) will sound stern.  I just had that again a few days ago, so I know it is a scam.  It is also clear that they prey on the fear of the possible victim. 
Fear is a real feeling in all of us, Christian and non-alike.  Certain things trigger in us when fear is employed, and we will immediately respond to remove that fear, leaving many actually fall into the scammer’s trick.
What about this fear in our Christian life?
In Hebrews 12:28, it says, "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe." 
The book of Hebrews continually brings this contrast and comparison of Jesus and the past, the old and new covenant, with the knowledge that in Jesus, it is always better.  Then there is also this contrasting theme of fear and faith. 
The opposite of faith is actually fear.  We need more faith because we fear that our faith will be disappointed.  Well, that is natural if we do not know the object of our faith.
Faith in our "awesome God," as mentioned in Hebrews 12:29, removes all fear.
 
Fear
Reading these few verses, the first thing that stands out is a warning. It is a warning for those who refuse to hear or listen to the Lord.  The example given earlier is the example of Esau, who refused to listen to the Lord, with the consequence of God's judgment upon his life.  Later on, in the example of Moses that when the people refused to listen to the Lord, they did not escape the judgment of God.
Fear, though we frown upon it, is something viewed as undesirable, but it has a beneficial element in it.  The fear of being judged by God is sometimes a "good" motivation to live a life pleasing to the Lord.  Fear of death keeps us living.  Fear of failure keeps us striving.  Fear of danger keeps us safe.  While it is a warning, that fear keeps us faithful.  When there is no fear in this perspective, it can be dangerous. 
 
Faith
The next element is faith - faith in our awesome God.  God will shake the "shakeable", that which was created, that which is temporal.  Our life on earth is all temporal.  The past month, we have seen some of our brothers and sisters take to glory.  It may be sad, but the sadness is temporal.  There is hope because there is faith in the promises of God.  Only the kingdom of God and His promises are eternal, and those are unshakeable.  Our faith must lie in the unshakeable.  God will shake yet another time.  There will be shaking as in the past - the flood, the exiles, and finally the tribulations.  Whatever it takes, our world may be shaken, but our faith in God in his eternal kingdom will not and must not.
 
Conclusion
"Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe."   Yes, in “reverence,” or rather, the literal word is the word “in fear” and awe.  That is what our journey of faith is about.  A holy fear and a rightful faith.