The Fear Of The Lord
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This year is the 250th year of this nation.
But, the US, today, is a far cry from the US of 1776.
I do believe God blessed this nation in the beginning as we were founded on Judeo-Christian principles.
But, we have clearly seen the degradation of society since then, as our nation has become increasingly theistically pluralistic.
We are no longer a nation under God.
We have instead become a nation of many gods.
Freedom of religion was intended in the beginning as freedom to worship God, that is the God of the Bible, in whichever denominational manner you prefer. Presbyterianism, Methodism, or as a Baptist or Congregationalist.
The foundational principle the founding fathers understood is that a belief in the God of the Bible was necessary to the continuation of this Great Experiment, as they called it.
Thomas Jefferson: Primary author of the Declaration of Independence
“And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
As I have been pondering this some as we move towards our 20th anniversary as a church, there’s a cautionary tale in the trajectory of our nation and the direction of our church.
I believe there is one element that can be highlighted as the linchpin of all the ills of society and the thief on the cross actually reveals that to us.
One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
Even criminals can have a fear of God, even if they don’t have faith in the Son of God.
I believe people as a whole in 1776, whether they were believers in Jesus or not, at least they still had a fear of God.
Sunday School - Solomon and Proverbs.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
We’ve heard this verse plenty of times before, or it’s counterpart:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
And we get that at face value, but what many people fail to really flesh out is the question that Judene asked last Sunday morning.
Judene asked, “What does it mean to ‘Fear the Lord?’”
We collectively kinda sorta knew what it meant, but struggled a little defining it. We finally came to a general understanding, but even then, in my opinion, there was some uncertainty.
Many years ago, I was pondering this exact question and resolved that at some time, I would study it a little more and then preach a sermon on it. That was like 10 years ago.
Well, between Sunday School and pondering our 250th anniversary as a nation and our 20th as a church, I felt the nudge from God to dive into it this week.
Hopefully, today, I’ll be able to help us see what the Fear of The Lord is and how we can “better” fear the Lord.
I’m going to do that by first looking at how we “lose” the fear of the Lord before looking at how we get it back.
Read: Proverbs 2:1-13
How We Lose The Fear Of The Lord:
Take God Off The Throne Of Your Heart.
Divert your affections elsewhere.
Find your ultimate satisfaction in other things.
Put Yourself On That Throne.
Pursue anything that brings pleasure to self.
The purpose of life is to be happy.
Reject Anything That Gets In The Way Of Your Happiness.
Do things your way without regard to rules.
Avoid anything unpleasant or hard.
Reject The Bible As The Authority In Your Life
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
despise - to hold in contempt, to belittle, to ridicule.
to treat as worthless.
evil and depraved condition of the heart.
A contemptuous trampling under the feet.
Satan’s lie in the Garden.
You don’t need God’s rules and rulership.
Make your own.
Be your own god.
In the pride of Satan, which they followed, they chose to reject wisdom, instruction, and discipline
He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.
Live Life As A Practical Atheist.
Live life like God doesn’t exist...
Live life without taking God into consideration on anything.
Become A Fool.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
characterized by a dull and closed mind.
Thick headed and stubborn.
Lazy and shortsighted.
Rejects information from others.
One who lacks spiritual perception.
Morally unskilled
Refuses correction
Arrogant and flippant and mentally dull.
in their arrogance they reject God and wisdom from God.
Indifferent to God’s character and government.
Willfully ignorant of what matters.
Incapable of being corrected and unwilling to know God.
Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
How Do We Get The Fear Of The Lord Back?
Put God Back On The Throne Of Your Heart
The OT word for fear mostly signifies respect.
I respect you enough to not mess with you.
NT fear - phobeo - to reverence, to stand in awe of
Healthy awe and respect of the power to help or harm.
Electricity
Awe-inspiring reverence; reverential awe;
To be held in the highest esteem and honor and even dread
Without a personal awareness of the awesome and majestic power of God, it is impossible to have a meaningful faith existing in one’s heart.
A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him?
“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?
Having a reverential awe of God, results in worship of Him
We want to elevate Him above all others
Proper response is to first revere and worship Him.
revere - to admire and adore deeply
casting our affections and devotion toward Him
A singular focus upon
You have solely captivated my gaze and affections unlike any other.
You have gripped my soul with a force I can’t release.
You have swept me away with a love too powerful to ignore.
Can’t keep my eyes off of you.
Can’t divert my attention elsewhere.
Do we have that kind of awe-inspiring reverence for God?
If we want this church to survive the next 20 years, let alone the nation, we must make sure God is on the throne of our hearts
Diligently Search The Scriptures. Proverbs 2
The Fear Of The Lord Is Something Learned
Then you will discern the fear of the Lord And discover the knowledge of God.
Looking at vss 1-4...It begins with a decision to pursue God’s Word like a treasure hunt.
It comes through receive, treasure, make attentive, incline one’s heart, cry out for, lift your voice for, seek as for hidden treasure...
Motivation.
Desire to dig into God’s Word.
Then you will discern - to perceive and observe unto understanding
You will understand what the fear of the Lord is and how to act on that
You will also discover and learn more about our awe-inspiring God.
The Fear Of the Lord Was Closely Tied To Keeping God’s Decrees And Laws
“Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’
so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
To repudiate the fear of the Lord is to promote anarchy.
And there’s a subtle promise here. If we fear the Lord, our lives will be blessed.
If we want the Lighthouse to be viable in 20 years, then we corporately AND individually must keep diligently searching the Scriptures.
Studying the Word together adds so much to our understanding.
We learn from each other.
We keep each other accountable.
Reverential Submission To The Lord's Will
Having a reverential awe of God, results in worship of Him and a desire to please Him in all we do.
An undivided loyalty to.
Putting God in His rightful place and us in a rightful space.
Listening to and being molded by.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Not my will, but Thine Be Done.
Jesus was perfectly obedient.
This reverential awe of God leads to willing obedience and humble devotion
We as a church body must continue to submit to His will in all things or risk atrophying down to nothing.
Submission to His will is like exercising our muscles.
It’s action that strengthens the body.
Fully Trusting Him In All Situations
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge.
Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.
Love What He Loves And Hate What He Hates
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.
Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always.
Don’t tolerate evil.
One of the greatest challenges for the church is: How do we accept people without tolerating evil?
We can’t be open and affirming, but we can be kind and compassionate as we point people to Jesus.
We don’t condone, but neither do we condemn.
We let the Word of God speak and the Spirit of God convict.
We have to preach a loving repentance.
Stop loving yourself and start loving God.
Turn from your selfish ways and live the selfless life of Jesus.
Repent of your sins and accept the forgiveness of God.
Benefits To Fearing The Lord (touch on more next week)
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.
The fear of the Lord leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.
May we at the Lighthouse be a fountain of life, leading others to life.
May we be one that avoids the snares of death and turns away from evil.
May we be a church untouched by evil.
May God satisfy the desires of our heart and hear our cry and save us when we call out to Him.
May we be a church and a people that fears the Lord.
Conclusion:
Here’s the expanded definition of what it means to fear of the Lord:
The Fear Of The Lord
Awe-inspiring reverence of God that captures the mind, heart, and will, causes us to admire, adore, and trust Him deeply, and enables us to be willing to do whatever He asks.
Having a fear of the Lord results in complete worship, loyalty, and devotion to Him, which transforms one’s life to one of holy thinking and conforms one’s life to holy living.
Learning how to fear the Lord is born out of a deep knowledge of God and His love for us as found in His Word, which we have a desire to dig and search for as a buried treasure.
Pray that our nation may once again Fear the Lord.
Mykala Voita introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 604 in the South Dakota Legislature, which calls for the month of July to be recognized as "a time of prayer and fasting in South Dakota." ...emphasizing the need for spiritual solutions alongside policy measures.
The resolution urges South Dakotans to "seek the Lord Most High for His healing presence and mercy," referencing Judeo-Christian values and the Bible. It passed the Senate 22–11 and the House 42–23 at the end of this past January.
President Trump: In Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary launched the America Prays Initiative.
The initiative, called “America Prays,” urges Americans to dedicate one hour of prayer every week for the United States and its people. The White House is encouraging the faithful to create prayer groups of 10 or more people to pray together for the nation.
Website - 22 page document of national prayers and proclamations throughout American History.
The Bible teaches: “In all circumstances give thanks.” As such, it is fitting that we mark this special year as a unique occasion to celebrate our proud history, reflect on our abundant blessings, pray for our country and our people, and rededicate ourselves as one Nation under God.
At the national prayer breakfast this past week:
In honor of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Trump announced at the breakfast that he will hold an event, titled "Rededicate 250" on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on May 17 “to rededicate America as one nation under God.”
“We’re inviting Americans from all across the country to come together on our National Mall to pray, to give thanks,” he said.
And last, but not least, we pray that we, the Lighthouse, corporately and individually, may keep fearing the Lord.
Amen?
Closing Song:
I Stand In Awe; When I Look Into Your Holiness
