Sermon on 4 September 2022 by Ps Justin
Introduction
Proverbs deal with the subjects of wise and foolish children, laziness and hard work, use of the tongue, wealth and poverty, telling lies and speaking the truth, being talkative versus being subdued in our speech, slandering, justice versus injustice, pride and humility, good women and bad women, covetousness and contentment, anger and self-control, gloominess and cheerfulness, good company and bad company, the education and discipline of children, fear of the Lord, self-opinions, warnings against temptation, how to treat servants, bribery, reproof, correction, friendships, sensual pleasures, drunkenness, flattery, money not acquired in righteous ways, and revenge.
Message
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10
If you desire to have wisdom, start with the fear of the Lord. You will be able to walk in step with the Holy Spirit, and you walk will be in His light. When you have the fear of the Lord, you have the knowledge of God. The knowledge of God is not knowledge of the bible. The knowledge of God is the knowledge of His will, His way, His light.
There are 2 types of fear of the Lord. One is wrong and one is right. The wrong type of fear is the fear that God may hurt us.People who have this type of fear are afraid to lose blessings if they do certain things wrong. Such people are worldly Christians and can be termed ‘Babylonian Christians’, where Babylon refers to the world.
The right type is the fear that we may hurt God, our almighty Father. It is about fearing that we may hurt God by the way we live – our thoughts, our speech and our actions (Ephesians 4:30, Psalm 19:14, Proverbs 1:7).
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. – Proverbs 1:7
Wisdom comes from having the right heart posture, attitude, in fearing Him and knowing Him. When you have the right fear of the Lord, you will receive divine wisdom. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil (Proverbs 8:13).
When you walk in the knowledge of God, it produces awe. There is reverence, respect and honour of His wonderous work.
Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy. – Psalm 65:8
The fear of the Lord produces faith.
Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses. – Exodus 14:31
The fear of the Lord produces strong foundation. Successful lives based on worldly ideas will fail at some point. The word the Lord endures forever, while other things wither (1 Peter 1:24-45). The only firm ground is His word. Meditate on His word (Joshua 1:8). When you read His word, it produces awe and faith. The more you fear the Lord, the more you can feel the glory of the Lord. We must understand His godly way, His truth, and you can do this through the study of Proverbs.
Closing
Make living a life with the fear of the Lord part of your daily submission. Every day, submit to the Lord. The wisdom that comes from Heaven is pure (James 3:17-18). The Holy Spirit dwells in us. If you want godly wisdom, then have the discipline to walk in faith, walk in His power. It is time to honour and to fear the Lord. Seek Him.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13
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