We all understand the concept of fear or being afraid. Some of you when you were children may have been afraid of the dark

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1 Proverbs Part 2 "Fear of the Lord" Community Group Questions 1. What do you worry about the most? 2. How has you faith in Jesus helped you through difficult times? 3. Does the term "fear the Lord" confuse you? 4. How would you describe we are to "fear the Lord"? 5. Do you feel your life displays a "fear of the Lord"? We all understand the concept of fear or being afraid. Some of you when you were children may have been afraid of the dark As you got older you may have developed what you would consider real fears, losing your job, getting sick, someone in you family being harmed, people not liking you. Fear for most of us has been connected to negative feelings such as discomfort & anxiety. So when we here the term that continually comes up in the Bible that we should "Fear the Lord" what does that mean? We need to make some important distinctions about the biblical meaning of fearing God. Martin Luther called a servile (sur- vul) fear and a filial(fil- le- al) fear. The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer, or the executioner. It s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person. Filial fear, drawing from the Latin concept of family. It refers to the fear that a child has of his parents. Luther is thinking of a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who wants to please them. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he s afraid of displeasing the one who is, the source of security and love. 1

2 The focus here is on a sense of awe and respect for the majesty of God. That s often lacking in contemporary Christianity. When we say the "fear of the Lord" we are referring to a great respect and awe and a strong desire not to displease the One who loves us. Proverbs 1:7...if you want to be truly WISE you will have this healthy "fear of the Lord" and when we do we will walk in comfort and peace. So today we are going to answer three questions in regards to "having a healthy fear of the Lord" 1. What is required in order to have a healthy fear of the Lord? Personal Knowledge Sometimes the less we know the less we are afraid (Brooke 5 year old on the Sky Screamer) But Sometimes the more we know the more we are afraid (Shark Tracking ocearch.org) Mary Lee Proverbs 9:10 When we know who God is and what He has done it inspires a healthy fear. The GOSPEL message should be the most terrifying and comforting message we have ever heard. There needs to be a healthy balance. Terrifying because our sin offends God and deserves punishment Comforting because Jesus took it for us. Now that we have personal knowledge of who God is and what He is capable of there should be some type of evidence in our lives. 2. What will be evident when we have a healthy fear? Evidence #1- Our Faith 2

3 One of the main things that others should see in our lives is a strong faith in the Lord. This is a foundational goal. Without a healthy fear of the Lord your faith will not be evident and you will not know or understand wisdom. Proverbs 3:5-7 Explain passage Proverbs 19:21 God never tells us not to make plans...but He wants us to realize to trust Him with those plans. The wise thing to do is make the plans and give them to the Lord. As Christians we should be an example to others that when things go wrong or right we still trust Jesus that He will work things out. When we lack faith the natural response is to worry... Some of you are plagued with worry & anxiety George Muller said The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. When we develop a strong faith in the Lord even though we have reasonable and real things to worry about...we will not worry. Proverbs 12:25 the "good word" is the Word. Someone once said "worry is like a rocking chair...it gives you something to do but goes no where" Worry does not get you anywhere and it is NOT an example of strong faith or a healthy fear of the Lord. Evidence #2 Our Obedience- What does obedience look like for a Christian? - Dealing with personal sin Proverbs 16:6a What pays for sin? Jesus. Our response to sin when we fear the Lord 3

4 Proverbs 23:17- don't get sidetracked by people who are not living for the Lord and basking in sin. Proverbs 24:21- Do not join in with those who do not fear the Lord. Proverbs 28:13 the one who fears the Lord brings their sin to the Lord and confesses. This is healthy fear going to the one who can take care of it. (cut finger illustration) - Doing what is right. Proverbs 21:3 Why because sacrifice normally comes after disobedience 1 Sam 15:22-23 Many times we can be confused because we think "isn't sacrifice obedience?" Our fear of the Lord is displayed by how we obey Him. In todays church culture many turn a blind eye to sin because they are "helping the least of these" God desires your personal holiness. 3. What are the benefits of a healthy fear of the Lord? One of the things we see in the Psalms is this concept of the Psalmist complaining that wicked people still seem to have a pretty good life. (explain common grace)...so if we are all recipients of common grace why should I fear the Lord? Hey I am getting good things and living a sub par or even a very sinful life and things are going well. Don't be fooled by things going well because...here are some benefits... - Long Life- Proverbs 10:27 a truism I know plenty of Godly people who died early and plenty of very ungodly people who lived a real long time. The sentiment here is in view of eternity - Confidence & Protection- Proverbs 14:26 you know when you are doing what the Lord wants you and family will be taken care of - Success- Proverbs 22:4..you will call success to yourself - Praised- Proverbs 31:30 Praised...you will win people Having a healthy fear of the Lord is another step toward "knowing and understanding wisdom" 4

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