The Wisdom of Fear

Q: What does the Bible say about fearing the Lord?

The Bible teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). In Proverbs, we learn that the fear of the Lord is foundational to acquiring true knowledge and wisdom. This fear is not merely being afraid but involves a deep reverence and respect for God. It positions us to truly understand His nature, His holiness, and our own sinful condition. Proverbs 1:7 states, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.' This encapsulates the viewpoint that wisdom starts with acknowledging God's sovereignty and holiness, leading to a life of reverence towards Him.

Q: How do we know that fearing God is wise?

Fearing God is wise because it leads to true understanding and guidance from God (Proverbs 2:5-6). Fearing God is established as wise within the Scriptures due to its role as a pathway to understanding and wisdom. Proverbs 2:5-6 states, 'Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.' Thus, fearing God aligns our hearts with His truth, granting us insight into His will and purpose for our lives. It is through this fear that we position ourselves to receive righteousness and protection as children of God.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to fear God?

Fearing God is crucial for Christians as it signifies a proper relationship with Him and leads to spiritual growth (Proverbs 2:1-8). Fearing God is essential for Christians because it reflects our relationship with Him and influences our spiritual growth. It encourages a heart that treasures His commandments, seeks His wisdom, and maintains reverence in our lives. This fear is a recognition of God's holiness and our need for His grace, driving us to trust Him fully. Proverbs 2:1-8 emphasizes that as we treasure God's words and seek His wisdom, we align our lives according to His divine plan, leading to fulfillment and protection from folly. Therefore, the fear of God becomes a transforming force in the believer's life.

Q: How can we cultivate a fear of the Lord in our lives?

We can cultivate a fear of the Lord by treasuring His word, seeking understanding, and living in accordance with His truth (Proverbs 2:1-4). Cultivating a fear of the Lord involves intentional practices that draw us closer to Him and His wisdom. Firstly, we treasure God's word by valuing and meditating on His commands, which allows His truth to penetrate our hearts. Proverbs 2:1-4 encourages us to make our ears attentive and to call out for insight as if searching for hidden treasures. This metaphor indicates the level of commitment and earnestness required in our pursuit of understanding. Moreover, cultivating relationships within the body of Christ, engaging in prayer, and submitting to His authority are vital in nurturing a genuine fear of the Lord that shapes our lives.

Q: What is the relationship between knowledge and the fear of the Lord?

Knowledge is rooted in the fear of the Lord, which begins our journey to wisdom and understanding (Proverbs 1:7). The relationship between knowledge and the fear of the Lord is foundational in biblical wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 states that 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.' This indicates that true knowledge finds its genesis in a rightful reverence for God. Such fear recognizes God's authority and our dependence on Him, guiding us to understand our lives, our sin, and His grace more profoundly. It is this humble acknowledgment of God that transforms knowledge from mere information into applicable wisdom, leading to worship and obedience in our lives.

Q: How does the fear of the Lord affect our daily lives?

The fear of the Lord affects our daily lives by guiding our decisions and shaping our character through reverence for Him (Proverbs 2:6-8). The fear of the Lord profoundly influences our daily lives by shaping our priorities, decisions, and character. It leads us to seek God's guidance in our actions and choices. Proverbs 2:6-8 illustrates that the Lord grants wisdom and guards the paths of the upright, ensuring that those who fear Him are not led astray. This fear not only guides us away from folly but establishes a framework for righteousness that governs our interactions with others, our approach to life's challenges, and our response to sin. Thus, fearing God becomes a practical expression of the transformative power of the Gospel at work within us.

Turn with me, if you will, to
Proverbs. This is a unique time. And our
lives and the life of our church. And. History, a unique time. It's a unique time because in
the essence of wisdom, this world has never been at a more wise
position. I mean, I think about that and
I think about how during the Reformation, God brought men
of great brains to the forefront of the world. God put great intellect. With people like John Calvin.
Luther. It wasn't the first time he'd
done that. He did that with Solomon. He gave great wisdom to this
man, great understanding to this man. He gave great understanding
to a man named Paul. And I believe God is doing that
again in our day. Giving wisdom and understanding
to great men of God who rightly divide the word of truth. Now,
look at just in the last 15 to 20 years of what is available
today that wasn't available 10 years ago to the average person
in all reaches of the world. Many people today who sit in
the pews of some Orthodox churches. Have some of the same teaching
if not greater teaching than most seminary graduates. You can go on the Internet today,
and if you find the right stuff, you can actually learn all the
material of one who has a Ph.D., a research diploma or degree
in theology. Matter of fact, every book that
I have read over the last few years in my preparation and continued
preparation for teaching the word of God. Most of you have
read. Or not most, but many of you
have read. I mean, if you have heard of
them. Whereas 20 years ago, that was
unheard of. If you weren't on a seminary
campus at their bookstore, you couldn't even get your hands
on these things. And if you could pay in one hundred and fifty
dollars for a textbook was unheard of. But today in this world,
especially in America, The knowledge and the wisdom of the word of
God is readily available for everybody. Everybody. But now here is what puzzles
me. Many people who profess Christ. Don't even have a hunger for
his word. And that, my friend, is foolish,
not wise. Not wise. You look at medical
science, you look at physics. Even philosophy. You look at
all these things that we can learn today, we have some of
the most educated young people that the world has ever seen.
How many of you have a VCR still at home? Does it blink? Isn't that a pain? To figure
out how to set that, hold this, your tongue. But yet our children
can write computer programs. That's normative. Walk around
with electronics all the time, things that they think about,
contemplate. Their dexterity is probably as
great as it's ever been in the history of the world. Nobody
ever knew opposable thumbs could do so much. And yet we are the most ignorant
generation that's ever walked the face of the earth when it
comes to the things of God. It's available, we're wonderfully
empowered with knowledge and technology, and yet we walk as
one of the most ignorant generations that's ever faced eternity. Why is that so? the difference
in knowledge. And wisdom. In the Lord and foolishness. Foolish knowledge, foolish wisdom. And so this morning we started
our Bible study in Proverbs, it's really great. The class
said, let's do Proverbs preaching in Proverbs. Studying in Proverbs,
talking about Proverbs. There's going to be a class starting
in a few weeks about Proverbs. It's going to be good stuff to
partner together. And we came up with, really,
we boiled it down through centuries and centuries of theologians
and people who have been writing about Proverbs. Our class boiled
it down this morning. We got it. We're done. And commentary is written and
it fits on a note. Sticky. You're either a fool
Or you're wise. And if you don't think you're
a fool, then you probably are one. Or if you think you're wise,
you're probably not. We surmised this morning that
the fool says, I know. So we are there, all of us, in
some area of our lives. But the wise man says, God knows.
knows and God says, in spite of what I know. And so as we
continue our journey in Proverbs, I've really been praying and,
you know, topical preaching is difficult for me anyway. And
then when you have textual preaching that's topical, it really makes
it frustrating because I want to just go through this verse
by verse, by verse, by verse. But, you know, we still got three
years left in John's gospel. I don't know that we could do
that long here. But the culmination of Proverbs
deals, especially in its introduction, and then it's actually replete
with these thoughts, is that there are two main things, a
comparison between what is foolish and what is wise and the reality
that true wisdom begins and true knowledge begins with the fear
of the Lord. We talked about that last week. And so fear and
wisdom, when you put that together, they sort of seem like they don't
go together at all. You ever thought about that?
Fear and knowledge, fear and wisdom. Because don't we teach
our children, you know what, you have to be educated on these
things and you won't be scared of them. Face your fears. Become wise and you won't have
fear. But yet the Scripture tells us to fear. The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom. So fear and wisdom is not a combination
that is commonly thought of together. However. In the context of biblical
wisdom, fear is the crux. It's the foundation. As a matter
of fact, fear is the foundation of many things for the child
of God, which is strange. Because when we define fear.
We contemplate fear as being this horror. Of the unknown. But the fear of the Lord is a
knowing of the Lord, is a reverence of the Lord. Many would say that one who is
wise has no fear. But the Scripture teaches differently,
and I believe it is the absence of the fear of the Lord that
makes us such a knowledgeable people in everything but worship
of God. Over the next few weeks, we will
examine the Proverbs on the topic of fearing the Lord. And I believe
this is an element of Christianity that has not only been lost,
but also forgotten. Forgotten. Not only that, but
many people refuse to hear it. They refuse to listen to the
idea of what it means to respect and revere and stand amazed and
tremble before the Lord God of Heaven. Because we have egocentrism
as our blood flowing through our veins. What does that mean?
Is that everything we do in life revolves around me. Which is contrary to every word
in the scripture. It's not about me. It's my relationship
with my God and my Savior, my Jesus, my friend, my church,
my Bible, my study, my family, my stuff. Aren't you glad that Christ didn't
come down here with that attitude? My holiness, my righteousness,
my sovereignty, my omniscience, my omnipresence. And you're not
getting it. And you know what? Had he said
that, he would have been absolutely justified. But Christ. He hung that on a nail, literally. So I'll hang that on a nail for
them. I'll hang my holiness. on a tree and I'll hang my righteousness
on a tree and I'll hang my sovereignty on a tree and I will die for
the very people who refuse me. Forgive them. Forgive them, they
don't know what to do. In God's economy of grace, what
good is grace if one thinks they deserve it? What good is grace if it comes
from someone who cannot really give it? What good is grace if
it is not given by the true and holy one? Last week, we looked at the idea
of wisdom, meaning first knowing the Lord, which is the foundation
of salvation, knowing the Lord. For one cannot see grace if they
cannot see God for his perfect and righteous character. And
also his loving judgment against evil, which means against me.
And against you. As a sinner. And so today I have
one goal, many goals, I've tried to make it one goal. To show you that it is wise.
Very wise to fear God. And I want to assist you in seeing
the essence of what fearing God means. And through the next few
weeks, we'll expose more of the wisdom of the Proverbs in the
idea of the fear of the Lord as we evaluate, listen, our profession
of faith. And compare it with the fruit
of our faith in our own hearts. In our own minds. In our own
lives. Our faith will be seen, church. Our faith will manifest itself. It will reveal all, it will reveal
worship, it will reveal wonder and glorious transformation in
every aspect of our lives, and it will produce wisdom which
rightly applies what we know and more importantly, who we
know. Who we know. Come with me to Proverbs chapter
two. And this is a weighty, heavy,
I tell you, you never really realize until you're going to
preach the Proverbs. How intricately these things
will wind into the. Foundation of your soul. Follow with me as I read the
first six verses, and then if I finish them off, I'll go through
verses, I'll read the first eight. My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive
to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding. Yes,
if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures. Then you will understand the
fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord
gives wisdom from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to
those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of His saints. Watching over the
way of His saints. And I see several things, seven
things. I see a lot of things, but seven
things specifically in this text that I think is imperative for
us to understand. The first thing I want you to
understand here is that there's each one of the next five points
that I make are going to start with this phrase, understanding
the fear of the Lord, period, or ellipses, and I'm going to
Continue that or finish that thought. Understanding the fear
of the Lord. The first four require something. The first thing for you to do
is to understand the fear of the Lord. It requires a heart
that treasures shepherding. Church, listen to these words. In order to understand the fear
of the Lord, it requires a heart that treasures shepherding. Treasures shepherding. My son. Solomon says to his son. My son,
God says to his people. My children. You receive my words and treasure
up my commandments with you. It's a condition. If, if, if,
then you look at verse five, then you will understand the
fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. See, that's
the outcome. We understand the fear of the
Lord and find the knowledge of God. Is that what you want? Is that what you want? In order
for you to say you want God, you must treasure the fear and
understand the fear and honor the fear of God. And you must
seek after fearing God. You must seek after knowing God.
Knowing God is salvation straight out of the mouth of Jesus in
John 17. For this is eternal life, that they know you, the
only true God, and they know the One whom you have sent. So knowing God is eternal life. And in order to have and understand
the fear of the Lord, it requires a heart to treasure shepherding.
See, it says, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments,
What is a treasure to you? What is a treasure? A treasure
is something that you fight to keep, that you protect at all
costs. A treasure is something that
you will lay down everything for. Think about that. Jesus says that himself as the
kingdom is like a treasure. Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure
hidden in a field. You know this. And a man comes
across the treasure, uncovers the treasure during his work
in the field, and he covers it up and he goes and sells everything
he owns. In contrast to the rich young
ruler who wants eternal life, responds to the holiness of Christ
as being man from God, worships him, follows him, finds him and
says, give me eternal life. And Jesus says, just go give
it all away and come back. He couldn't see the treasure
of Christ in comparison to the treasures of the world. It is
impossible, Jesus says, for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
It is easier for a camel, literally an animal that weighs a thousand
pounds to walk through the eye of a sewing needle than it is
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And His disciples
ask, then, who can be saved? Because only Jesus could turn
the affections of that man to Him. Jesus says what is impossible
with man is possible with God. Do you treasure shepherding?
I said a few months back in one of my messages that I've come
to the conclusion, Everybody. But holistically, across America
specifically. Is that many people in the context
of church? That's a whole nother thing.
The context of congregational life, they don't want to be shepherded,
they just want to be church. Shepherding requires submissive
hearing the word of God. Shepherding requires loving the
word and the law of God. Shepherding requires someone
or treasuring shepherding requires someone to actually have an affection
for right teaching. Because you can't just learn,
you don't learn anything you don't love. You get through it. Think about your days in school,
your hated subject. You're glad it was only a one-course
requirement. It's a new year. Taxes are due. Thank God it's once a year. See the point? Understanding
the fear of the Lord requires a heart to treasure shepherding. What do you treasure? Do you
treasure Christ? If you treasure Christ, you treasure
wisdom that comes from fear. of God and knowing who He really
is, like we said last week, if you treasure. The second thing
is understanding the fear of the Lord requires attention.
Requires attention. Look at verse two. Making your
ear attentive to what? To wisdom. It requires attention,
not only attention of the ear, but attention of the heart, inclining
your heart. Is your ear inclined to want
to hear good instruction? Is your ear inclined to a worshipful
state where you are desiring to be shepherded in the faith? Does your ear lend your heart
toward Christ? Not toward church. Toward Christ. Not toward ministry. Toward Christ. Not toward Bible study. Toward
Christ. It's a big difference in all
of those things. Christ should be the apex of all of those things,
but unfortunately, He oftentimes is not. And that's what the Proverbs
will do. It will ask questions of your own soul. And you must
answer those questions. As we learned last week in verse
seven of chapter one, the fool despises wisdom. and instruction. So as you even
hear these words, if you receive my words and treasure my commandments
with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your
heart to understanding, if that frustrates you to a point of
going, I don't need to hear this. There's a problem in your heart. Problem in your heart. And that's
not an opinion, that's God's word. It's a clear statement
of what is said here. There is no way of wiggling that
out without being wrong. Remember, the fool says, I know,
the wise says, God says. God says, so guess what I have
to do, Church? I have to adjust myself to God,
not adjust God to me. Because a God that you adjust,
a gospel that you adjust, a Christ that you transform, a ministry
that you mold is not of God and cannot save you. The fear of the Lord requires
attention to living, to loving, to learning, as we learn in 1
John. How are you learning? How are you living? How are you
loving? Is every aspect of your being being transformed by the
instruction of the Lord? Is Christ your shepherd? You see the point? You thought
I was your shepherd, didn't you? You got it wrong. Failed the
test. I'm an under shepherd. And the elders here in this church,
we shepherd as an under shepherd, but we're also a sheep. So we have to listen to Christ. You follow Christ. You follow
us as we follow Christ. Is your heart inclined to that?
Is that the affection of your soul? See, that's what Solomon
is saying here. Your heart must be affectionate
toward me, toward God, actually. For this wisdom that I impart
to you is from God. Understanding the fear of the
Lord requires a heart to treasure shepherding. Understanding the
fear of the Lord requires attention with our ears and our hearts. In verse 3, understanding the
fear of the Lord requires calling out for understanding. See, oftentimes
we think understanding comes with just being intellectual. I think Brother Ed said this
morning in Bible study that there are many geniuses who are fools. It doesn't matter about our intellect.
It doesn't matter about our ability to process information. It doesn't
matter about our IQ scores or our test scores or our memorization.
For Pete's sakes, I've left my car running and lost my wallet
all in four days. Is it running now? It might be.
I'm glad Robin is with me today. The children may be out in the
parking lot. So even a dummy can grasp it
if it comes from God. And if we don't understand, we
must cry out for understanding. Why? If you call out and raise
your voice, you call out for insight and you raise your voice
for understanding, you will understand the fear of the Lord and find
the knowledge of God. That's what this text says. Are
you crying out for understanding? Do you sit day to day in your
personal studies? Do you sit week to week under
the teaching of the pastors? Do you watch the television and
hear the sermon on there? And do you hear the sermon on
the radio when you go, I don't get it? Have you cried out for
God to give you a heart to understand and a mind to understand? Have
you rinsed your hands and pounded the floor and said, oh, God,
I need to know you more. I can't go like this anymore.
I can't go like this anymore. We often raise our voice, don't
we? We often call out, but we call
out for our own way. This is what I want. This is
what I think. This is what I know. We're all
guilty of that. All of us. We cry out for what
we want. Don't believe me? Go to a fast
food place for lunch and get the wrong order. You will turn
around. This is not what I wanted. And
I paid you my money for what I wanted and you gave me something
else. Fix it. It's a small example. So we cry out for that. We wouldn't
dare go to a restaurant and order a steak and that they come back
with a raw fish. Be OK with it. Some of us might,
oh, this costs more money as long as they don't charge me
for it. Some of us would say, well, just
not going to rock the boat. I know this is $40, but I'm not
going to say no way, Jose. Not going to happen if, if, if
you ordered something that is not right, you will voice it
to make it right. So we voice and we call out for
our own way. Sometimes we voice and call out
so we can hear the sound of our own wisdom. That's why one of the Proverbs
says be slow to speak, quick to listen. I think my grandmother wrote
that. Do the math, boy. Two to one. Two to one. Shut your mouth.
That's what I'm saying. That's what she said to me. Never
shut up. That was rude. But shut your
mouth. Oh, that's perfectly OK. But we do, we call out to hear
the sound of our own wisdom sometimes without contemplating, is what
I'm about to say what God wants me to say? Is what I'm feeling
the way God wants me to feel? Is the gospel the foundation
of what we do? And when we mess up, when we
sin, when our wisdom trumps the Word of God and we recognize
it, we come in repentance and we cry out, God, What does James
say? If any of you lack wisdom, what
does it say? Ask. It's not magic. It's not witchcraft. It's not
just saying if I ask, then I've got it. Are you earnestly seeking
wisdom? Are you just seeking knowledge?
See, sometimes we don't know the difference. Early days of ministry, 20 years
old, I didn't care about wisdom. I wanted to know stuff. See what
I mean? I wanted to read the encyclopedias
of systematic theology. I wanted to read the doctrinal
statements throughout the years. I wanted to know these things.
I want to memorize the whole New Testament. That was a goal
of mine many years ago. I think I got Matthew 2. Quit. Sort of like our resolutions.
Next week's it. Y'all are all done with those,
right? Give it a good go. Three weeks. I'm done, didn't
work. The issue is not for us gaining knowledge, the issue
is wisdom. What do we do with what we know? And even the little
bit of nothing that we all know, God can use it in the wise. He
will grow it in the wise. And when we call out for our
own way and the sound of our own wisdom, when it comes to
the word of God, this is not of God, nor does it submit to
his ways or his will, but is a haughty and sinful mindset. Friends, I hate to tell you that
this is probably one of my biggest sins throughout my life. I know what I know what I know,
yeah? Many of you, especially some of you brothers that I've
been close to in the last year, we all share the same thing.
Men in general are right. If you don't believe me, tell
one they're wrong. It might be the Dr. Seuss, the North going whatever
and the South going whatever. They built the entire city around
them because neither one of them moved east to west because they
didn't move that direction and they were right. Stubbornness. And what's amazing, the most
stubborn animal in the world, God spoke through. But he often
can't speak through men because they're more stubborn than mules.
But then yet. We must cry out for wisdom and
understanding. Verse four. If you seek it. If you seek it, not just look
for it. Seek it, what does it say? Like
silver. See where the treasure comes
in? The treasure. That's what the scripture is
saying here. Treasure shepherding. Treasure learning. Treasure instruction.
Treasure wisdom. Treasure Christ. Really, that's
it. Treasure Christ. Above all things. And seek out
like it is a treasure. Back to the rich young ruler. Don't ever forget His way. Don't
ever forget His desire. He found Jesus because He was
looking for Him. He wanted eternal life and He
asked for it. He kept the law so He understood
the holiness of God. He knew Jesus was from God because
Jesus says, no one is good but God. And He continued to kneel
before Him. But His treasure wasn't Christ.
It was eternal life. and holiness as an abstract or
way of living, Christ has got to be the treasure. And when
the Word of God is given and the wisdom of God is given through
His Word, as we'll see in a moment, it's the only way you gain wisdom.
Is that your treasure? Do you treasure that? Do you
seek after it like silver or do you seek after the world?
Do you seek after the world? And the world looks a lot like
churches sometimes. A lot of churches. That are just world
people gathered around with steeples. Don't believe me. Just visit
some. Visit some. Mr. Ricksham ruler, he rejected
the true Jesus, he rejected the true treasure, he rejected the
gospel. Seeking wisdom of the Lord, There's
also an understanding that it might come in seasons. I want
to give that disclaimer. When we seek the wisdom, for
instance, if we seek God's wisdom, then God will give us wisdom
as he sees fit. Don't mistake knowledge with
wisdom. Don't mistake one man's knowledge
in comparison to yours as failure or success. So what if you don't grasp certain
things? It's not what you need to grasp
right now. Can you worship God with the little bit that you
have? Are you desiring to continually grow? Then take it and go with
it. Take it and go with it. Don't get sucked into this trap. Because understanding the fear
of the Lord requires seeking what you treasure is the fourth thing,
seeking what you treasure, verse four. And my prayer is that you
treasure Christ and you seek after him. Seek first the kingdom
of God and his righteousness. Well, Christ is the kingdom,
Christ is the righteousness of God. Christ, if you seek Christ,
is the only way you can seek the kingdom of God, the real
kingdom of God is to seek Christ. And the only way to know Christ
is to really meditate, not become a scholar. There's nothing wrong
with becoming a scholar. There are many people in this
room that are scholars in knitting. My wife is becoming a scholar
in knitting. She's doing so good. Well. Whatever. Yeah, she's doing
well. She done good. There are many
people who are scholars in painting. There are many people who are
scholars in taxes, many people who are scholars in all sorts
of things. But are we really affectionately
treasuring the knowledge of Christ? The wisdom of the Lord. And when
we see little pieces, when we see the little aha, you know,
you ever had those moments or maybe the wow, that moment. Or this moment, oh, God, that
moment, those are good moments. And you may not even know how
to explain that to anybody else, but God showed you something
through his word. That's for you. And it's not
just for you to walk around for yourself, it is for you to express
that and to plug that into the body of Christ so that the body
may be edified. Christ isn't coming back to pick
you up. He's coming back to get us. If you're standing off on
the side going, man, I can't wait for him to come to me. You
not going? He's not going to make but one stop. He's going
to recreate this world in his church. He's coming for his bride.
He's not a polygamist. He has one bride. And if you
are a child of God, you're part of that bride. So, yes, you have
a personal endeavor and a personal understanding and a personal
relationship, but it is for the common good of the church. Which
is why in discipline, even though we may love you and understand
everything you're going through, if it's detrimental to the body,
we have to bring it for the betterment of the body to a close or to
a resolution. It's not about you or me, it's
not about me, it's about us honoring God together as a people. That's
the metaphor, wisdom of God in Ephesians 3. Do we seek that
kind of wisdom? See, many of us have never really
thought about that. We've never thought about the
purpose of the church, the purpose of the people of God, the purpose
of the Bible. The Bible is here for us to be
able to worship, to be prepared to worship, because without the
scripture, we don't have any knowledge to worship from. You
just worship in God, what God? Well, the one my mama told me
about, that's not good enough. It's sometimes difficult to see
or understand how we grow in certain seasons of our life,
but it is truly the passion of the child of God to seek out
wisdom. Oftentimes than I thought, I
went back and listened to some of my messages from last year that
revolved around this. And I think sometimes what we
hear churches when I say these things is we think about scholarship. I'm a pastor, I study 80 percent
of my time, I study. Studying and praying. Meditating
on the Word of God. That's what we do. That's what
shepherds do. To feed the flock. Push them to maturity. Grow them
up into the unity. And hope things just don't fall
off the edge. Keep them away from that edge.
Come here, boy. Quit playing in the street. Please. It's not safe. So I don't want
you to think it means scholarship. The scholarship could be the
call that you have. to some degree. But I'm talking about worship.
Knowing God and learning God and understanding the theology,
the doctrines that Scripture teaches, the New Testament, that's
what we learn, who God is and how God works. And that gives
us the basis, number one, for faith. That is the way that God
saves us by helping us understand who He is through His Scripture.
And then we can trust in what we've understood. Because God
has given us the ability to do that. Proverbs 120 through 21
says this wisdom cries aloud in the street and the markets. She raises her voice at the head
of the noisy street. She cries out at the entrance
of the city gates. She speaks. Friends, wisdom is
worthy to be expelled from our lives, not expelled, but expounded.
Expelled out of our hearts. Speak the wisdom of God. Small
things. The wisdom of God says quit worrying
about the economy and trust in the sovereignty of God. The wisdom
of God says it doesn't matter what's happening in the White
House because it's about the temple of the Most High. The
wisdom of God says why are you fretting over your relationship
when Christ paid it all? That's it. See how we ought to
cry out wisdom? Wisdom is the worthy. Understanding the fear of the
Lord, I think this is the fifth thing, is possible by knowing God. Look at verses
5 and 6. Then you will understand the
fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord
gives wisdom. The Lord gives wisdom. So to know the wisdom of God
is to know God Himself. For the Lord gives wisdom. You
know what that means? I am not your wisdom giver. The
person sitting next to you is not your wisdom giver. The book
you read is not your wisdom giver. The tape you watch is not your
wisdom giver. The class you took is not your wisdom giver. God
is the giver of wisdom. Dr. Chan made a statement. or
a question she closed us out with, and we didn't have time
to talk about it, about the Holy Spirit, just remembered. The
Holy Spirit teaches us all things, John says. What will be the Holy
Spirit's role in eternity? I'm not going to give away the
answer to that, but I'll tell you what, He teaches all things.
The Holy Spirit is the teacher of the church today. I could
give you as many examples and good ways of understanding something
or a doctrinal truth. But let me tell you right now,
if the Holy Spirit of God doesn't give you understanding, you will
walk out of here with no understanding. God is the Teacher. But let me tell you what He doesn't
do. He doesn't teach you why you sit doing nothing. He doesn't
teach you why you do other things when you're not hiding the Word
of God in your heart. He will not put you in a coma and wake
you up with a fullness of theology and a fullness of worship, because
I just felt like doing that. Wisdom comes from God and it
comes from His Word. Understanding the fear of the
Lord is possible by knowing God. Knowing God. And it is always
through Christ who is the living Word. It is always through Christ
who is the living Word. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30. And because of Him, you are in
Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness
from God, sanctification from God, and redemption from God,
so that it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the
Lord. Let the one who boasts, boast
in the Lord. So knowing God is always through
Christ, who is the living word. Solus Christus. And the Latin
means Christ alone. Christ alone. Wisdom of man is
no fear of the Lord and the wisdom of man that doesn't fear the
Lord says, I know Christ and my view of Christ is fine. Don't
teach me anything else. I have enough. I don't need to
grow understanding Christ. That's a fool's statement. Knowing
God always comes to Christ, knowing God always comes through his
word, sola scriptura, through the scripture alone. Wisdom of
man is no fear of the Lord and says this, the scripture is useful,
but there are other things to consider when making decisions
in my life. Well, that may be true. But friends,
you make any decision outside the gospel. That's not God's
that's not a God honoring decision. It's not a God honoring decision.
We believe that foundationally, the scripture, the written word,
the written word is the final say in all matters of life, period. Whether it explicitly deals with
it or whether you are able to infer from the teaching of sound
doctrine. The Word of God. And this, my
friend, is why so many people who profess Christ will stand
in judgment and be cast into hell. Because they do not stand
on the foundations of the Word of God. And the God they love
and the Christ they serve and the church they work in is just
something that they have fabricated through traditions and the mindsets
of men. When I teach critical thinking,
I always start my class out with, if you do not come to the conclusions
on your own, based on your own study, you are a slave to another
man's thinking. And the Scripture says we should
be slaves to righteousness. Slaves to righteousness. Slaves to the wisdom of God.
Not to ourselves. Knowing God always comes through
Christ, always through the Scripture. Knowing God is always through
grace. Sola gratia. Grace alone. It's by grace you've been saved.
Through faith. Wisdom of man is no fear of the
Lord. And the wisdom of man says this. Grace is wonderful. But
don't question my understanding of it. Don't get in the way of
my personal relationship with Jesus, because my relationship
with Jesus is my business. Friends, that's wrong and that's
of the devil. The Word of God says we are a
family, a corporate entity, a body who has one head, which is Christ. It's not about our little relationship
with Jesus. It's about God changing us that
we might be part of the bigger picture. We are not orphans to
float around and figure out on our own how we're going to invest.
If you are part of the body, you are not living in obedience
to the commands of God to bear one another's burdens, to be
subject to the authority of the church, to be subject to the
authority of the word, to be disciplined when things go awry,
to be encouraged when you're down, to be supported when you're
at the bottom. To cast your burdens on each
other and to carry them. Church, you ought to give your
burdens to each other, you ought to tell us what your burdens
are, because when we can't carry what you don't give. Do you need
something you have to ask for it, you have to make it known. But it is by grace. It is through
grace, through grace, through grace, which is a gift that God
has given. And there is no way you can earn
it. There is no way you can walk toward it. There is no way you
can pick it up. There's no way you can see it,
understand it, comprehend it, except that God in his sovereign
grace gives you that such ability. So knowing God comes always through
Christ, always through Scripture, always through grace, always
through faith, sola fide. faith alone, trusting in who
God has said he is. Wisdom of man is no fear of the
Lord. And it says, I believe that's
enough. I made the choice and it's settled
and I have the right mind toward God and I don't need to question
it. That's a foolish thing. It's
not about your faith, it's about God's faith. And when we get
to the bottom of our life barrel, we're holding on by a thread
and we say, oh God, everything I've ever thought, I can't do
it anymore. Please, God, help me. That's the beginning of faith.
That's the beginning of faith. Beginning. Start. And that's all you need. Start.
And every day, every second of the day, you start with that.
That's the start. Not the words, the heart. The
heart of throwing yourself off the cliff of faith into the arms
of grace. What an image. And knowing God
is always for his glory. It's always for his glory, his
manifest wisdom. His manifest wisdom displayed. Sola Deo Gloria. Only God's glory. for the glory of God alone. It's why we exist in this world. That's how we know God and friends,
in order to know Him, we must fear Him for who He is. He stores up. He stores up sound
wisdom. The Lord gives wisdom from His
mouth, the Word and knowledge and His understanding. He stores
up wisdom. Look at verse 7. For the upright,
God holds this wisdom. He stores it up. This little illustration here, if you will.
And He's ready to impart that wisdom on His children. He's
given it up. He's storing it up. So when God,
the closing two statements are when God makes one wise in fearing
Him. The first thing is when God makes one white and hearing
him, God provides more wisdom. John's Gospel, the Prologue. We have seen God's glory. Glory
as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. And
from this glory, we receive grace upon grace. And if I were John,
I'd have written that about 43 other times. upon grace, upon
grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon
grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon
grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace,
upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon
grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon
grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace,
upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace,
upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon
grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace But he didn't. He said grace
upon grace is an ongoing sequence continually given by God, by
his pleasure, for his glory to his people without any merit
of their own. And the wisdom of God comes from
God. To his people, he stores it up. And when God makes one
wise in fearing Him, God provides more wisdom. When God makes one
wise in fearing Him, God protects them in that wisdom. God protects
them in their path. The wisdom of God in the life
of a believer applied is that we know who He is, we know what
He demands, we know how He saved us, and we walk based on that
knowledge in wisdom. Someone offends me, let me change
that. Someone sins against me. Matthew 18, that's about personal
sin, by the way. And it's sin against, not upset
you. It's a big difference if someone's
sinning against you purposely and just frustrating your feelings.
It doesn't say offend or frustrate. It says sin against. But how do we deal with it? The
Gospel. Christ who was reviled did not
revile in return. He laid his life down. He took
the wrath of God. The persecution of man. His beard
was ripped out of his face. His skin was torn off his body. Pierced him. Destroyed him. Gibson got it wrong. You could
tell that was a man walking. The Scripture says you couldn't
tell he was born of man. God gives grace. The gospel application
of wisdom is that we know. Now, how do we respond? How do
we respond when calamity hits our lives? How do we respond
when pain and suffering and death come? Praise God. Praise God. Because we are aliens
walking through, and the sooner I get through, the greater it'll
be. But while I'm here, I'm going to give worthy honor where it's
due, and that is to my God. who saved me in spite of me. Why do I fear what man can do?
See, we fear more about what's going to happen in this life
than we fear God. And God protects those who fear Him, because those
who fear Him are really His children. God shields those who are His
so that they do not fall away. Jesus says in John's Gospel,
all that the Father give me, Come to Me and all who come to
Me I will never cast out." Ever cast out. God is our refuge and
our shield. We see the psalmist writing that
over and over again. God makes one wise and God protects
them. God provides for them wisdom. Guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of His saints. There's a lot there. But if you've been offended,
friends, God is your Avenger. God is your Avenger. God is the
righteousness of your path. Listen to these words. My life
verse one of them. Life. Block. But to those who
are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and
the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is
wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For consider your calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise according
to worldly standards. Not many of you were powerful.
Not many of you were of noble birth. But God chose what is
foolish in the world to shame the wise. And God chose what
is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is
low and despised in the world, even the things that are not,
to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no human being
might boast in the presence of God. And because of Him, you
are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness. sanctification and redemption,
so that as it is written, let the one who boasts, boast in
the Lord. Our boasting is in Christ. Our wisdom is Christ. Our redemption
is Christ. He is life eternal. The eternal
life, as John says. We are nothing without God and
His grace. Believe in Christ. Repent of your sin. Trust in
who God says He is. Who is a God who judges and a
God who saves. It's not even about what side
you want to be on. It really isn't. Nobody wants
to be in judgment, but just because you don't want to be in judgment
doesn't mean you treasure Christ. You can't get saved by wanting
to escape judgment. It's a good incentive to think
about it. But when you seek it out, seek
wisdom. And God gives you the gift of
faith. Gift, Paul says. Faith is a gift, Romans 3. Given
to you as a gift. We're given that gift. And we
receive that gift. The reality of God's grace and
a continual is a continual believing that never rests and never sits
in the past. It's not a point in history.
It's an act of continual confession of hope. And we urge you, brothers, brother
in the Lord, share this with me yesterday morning with a group
of us. Admonish the idle. Encourage the faint hearted.
Help the weak. Be patient with them all. See
that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to
do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always. Pray
without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not
quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but
test everything. Hold fast what is good. Abstain
from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself
sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and
body be kept blameless. See the protection of God there
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do. It takes wisdom to understand that. It takes the Spirit of God to
grasp that and let that rip your face off, rip your heart out,
If your guts just tear you up and didn't relieve you of your
obligation of self-rule. So my prayer for you is that
you would seek after wisdom. Christ. Treasure him. Desire him, know him. And next week, we will look at
other benefits of fearing the Lord. But do you know what the
fear of the Lord is? My prayer is that He would show
you. Because I can't explain what God has not revealed to
you. Let's pray. Father, it is amazing that You are powerful enough
To speak even to the hearts of the little children in this room. As we read Wednesday night. Psalm
of David, Psalm 22. Where he says, God is at my mother's
breast, you made me love you. And when I came out of my womb,
the womb, I was yours. God, you are the only one that
can do such a thing. To give affection to an ignorant child. Oh, Lord, we're all ignorant
children. And my prayer is that you would give affection to us
for you. That you would undergird and
protect us from the love of the world which belongs to Satan.
That you would help us to die to it. Oh, God, how many days,
how many times a day we adultery, we commit adultery with you,
against you. How many idols are just lined
up in the kiln ready to come out? And we don't even recognize it.
Thank you so much for your grace. Thank you so much for putting
to death those passions. May that be realized more and
more in our hearts every day as we grow into the maturity
to look like Your Son. Father, help us to get done with
all that we are and to come to the end of ourselves and cast
it all off and fall down at Your feet and never get up. May we eternally be Yours. Father, I pray that you would
call people to you this morning and that you would quicken them
and regenerate them, that they may see you for who you are finally. That you would save them and
they would respond in faith and repentance and belief as an ongoing,
everyday reality. And Lord, as we grow to become
more wise, we grow together, knowing humbly that you are the
one who gives wisdom. Father, protect us from the knowledge
of our own heads. Protect us from our own unbelief.
We praise you for being that God. It is in your son's name
that we come this morning. Amen.

The Wisdom of Fear

What does the Bible say about fearing the Lord?

How do we know that fearing God is wise?

Why is it important for Christians to fear God?

How can we cultivate a fear of the Lord in our lives?

What is the relationship between knowledge and the fear of the Lord?

How does the fear of the Lord affect our daily lives?

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The Wisdom of Fear

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