New Year, New Fear!
Fitchburg Nazarene Church
January 01, 2017
Outline by Dr. Wes Bredenhof
Adapted for use by
Rev. Charles W. Pendleton, Jr.
(These are the Pastor’s notes. He may have said more which is not noted here. He could have ignored certain portions of these notes in our actual service.)
Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus,
527,040.
We all just got through using 527,040 minutes in 2016.
That’s how many minutes there werethis last year.You can anticipate almost that many minutes in the upcoming year. Unless Christ returns sometime in this new year, you will have 525,600 minutes at your disposal. (Leap year was more, last year.)
And, in case you were wondering, that works out to 31,536,000 seconds.
The Lord graciously gives usall this time. How are we going to make the most of it?
We could use that time foolishly.We could take all those seconds and minutes and hours and just devote them to ourselves – our wants and our desires.
You could say that 2017 is going to be a
me-year – this is the year it’s all about me.
This turning of a new year is something that just about everybody commemorates, both Christians and non-Christians.
Unbelievers have their own way of looking at the year ahead, a way that is usually consistent with their worldview.
An unbelieving worldview is characterized by foolishness.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20
18Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”20and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
So it follows that an unbeliever is going to look at the opportunities afforded by hundreds of thousands of minutes and millions of seconds in a foolish way.
It might come out in narcissism and self-centeredness, but it could come out in other ways too. But whatever it is, it will be a foolish approach. That’s what you can expect.
But what should be expected among Christians is something different.
As we look ahead to a new year, we would want to be wise in how we do that.We would want to have our approach informed by the wisdom of God given in his Word.
If we’re going to make the most out of a new year, and seize the opportunities that lay ahead, we need to sit as students in the school of the Holy Spirit. We need him to teach us from the Scriptures.
That’s why we’re here today. We want to approach this new year in a wise manner, led by the Word of God.
We’re going to do that this morning by looking at a pair of proverbs from Solomon.
There are many instances in the book of Proverbs where the sayings are apparently random and there’s no connection between one verse and the next. This is not the case in our text for this today. These two verses are connected – both speak about the fear of the LORD.
They speak about the fear of the LORDin a positive way, teaching believers that the way of blessedness is found with fearing God.
This is certainly also going to be true as we look ahead to a new year. Therefore, on this New Year’s Day morning, I hope to preach God’s Word to you, and together, I hope we will see howthe fear of the LORD is the sure way to a blessed new year.
READ: Proverbs 14:26-27
26Whoever fears theLordhas a secure fortress,and for their children it will be a refuge.
27The fear of theLordis a fountain of life,
turning a person from the snares of death.
Right off the bat, we see that the fear of the LORD gives a believertwo things:
- Strong confidence in a refuge for you and your family
- A fountain of life to save you from death
The Bible speaks frequently about the fear of God. It’s an important biblical concept, but it’s easily misunderstood.
We usually think of fear as a bad thing, as a negative emotion or feeling. And it’s true that, sometimes in the Bible fear is meant to be understood that way.
There’s a reason why the most frequent command in the Bible is “Do not fear” or “do not be afraid” or words to that effect.
We see it …
Zephaniah 3:16
Isaiah 8:12
1 Peter 3:14
Jeremiah 42:11
Exodus 9:30 (Moses)
Numbers 14:9 (Moses)
Ecclesiastes 8:13
That’s just one variation of this thought…
“do not fear.”
Change our search to “fear not,” and we get a whole new list of thoughts on not being fearful of certain things.
Like this one from Jesus in Matthew 10:28.
28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
However, when it comes to the fear of God, the Scriptures are clear that this is a good thing.
Only a fool does not fear the LORD. The fear of God is something virtuous and praiseworthy.
So, what is it exactly? The fear of God is:
- when someone has high respect
and awe for God.
- when one recognizes that God is almighty and powerful, majestic and exalted.
- what a person feels when he or she senses the holiness and perfection of God, but at the same time (senses) his or her own lack thereof.
Perhaps the best way to think about it would be to see it in terms of a child and its father. Every child understands that theirfather has power and might. A child knows that their father is strong and should not be messed with.
The child respects their father, but in the background there’s a sense that their father has power to correct any lack of respect or any disobedience.This is the fear of God.
C. S. Lewis gave a good illustration of this in his bookThe Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Mr. and Mrs. Beaver were telling Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy about Aslan the lion.
At a certain point, Susan asks if Aslan is safe – after all, he is a lion. Mrs. Beaver replies, “…If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or just silly.”
Lucy then asks, “Then he isn’t safe?”
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
Aslan is a good king, but he is to be feared because of his power. No one messes with Aslan.
This is far more the case with our God. He created all things and still holds all things in the palm of his hand.
He has all power and might – he can do anything he wants, including instantly destroying any of his creatures.Psalm 47:2 says it clearly, “For theLordMost High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.”
So you see, there is awe and reverence in the fear of the LORD, but this does not exclude the possibility of trembling before his majesty.
You cannot trifle with God. His majesty demands that he be taken seriously by everyone.
The fear of God is vital for gaining wisdom.
According to Psalm 111:10, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
The fear of theLordis the beginning of wisdom;all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Proverbs 1:7 puts it slightly differently and tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.
The fear of theLordis the beginning of knowledge,but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Any way you put it, it’s clear that fearing God is a key that opens doors to riches.
You’re going to be blessed when you fear God.
One of those blessings is described in our text - inverse 26 of Proverbs 14.The fear of Yahweh gives one a strong confidence. It is not coincidental that Solomon uses the personal name of God here. LORD is in all capital letters, which tells us that in Hebrew we have here God’s personal name Yahweh.
We’re speaking here of God who has a personal connection to his people. When you fear God in the biblical sense, you’re in a covenant relationship with him. You love him and are loved by him. He says, “This is my beloved child.” You say, “Yahweh is my God, my awesome God whom I love and whom I want to serve.”
Loved ones, you see when you have this fear of Yahweh,you are connected to someone trustworthy.
You are in a relationship with someone who gives safety and security.
Evil might attack, it might oppress, but it cannot harm you in any meaningful waybecause you have a covenant bond with Yahweh, the mighty King.
And lest we forget – we have that bond through??????
Jesus, the Christ.
Moreover, when you fear the LORD, you can be fully confident that he will work all things for good.
Look at what happened with Abraham in Genesis 22. Abraham was commanded by God to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. He went to the mountain and was going to do exactly as God told him. At the last minute, the angel of the LORD stopped him.
God said to Abraham in Genesis 22:12,
“Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him,for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me.”
Did you get that? Abraham feared God and that’s why he obeyed him. Moreover, we need to see that in the light of Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham did this by faith.
According to Hebrews 11:19, Abraham had confidence that God could raise Isaac from the dead.Look at it.
Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
The “fear of God”gave Abrahamconfidence that God would make everything work out. In the fear of Yahweh, Abraham had a strong confidence, strong security.
But this is best seen in what the Bible says about Christ. In Isaiah 11, we have that prophecy about the stump of Jesse. Isaiah says that the Holy Spirit will rest upon him. According to the end of verse 2, he is the Spirit who works the fear of Yahweh.
Then Isaiah 11:3 says about the Messiah, “and he will delight in the fear of theLORD.”
That’s speaking about Christ and it was certainly evident in his life, as he lived on this earth.
Remember that the fear of the LORD is a commandment.
It’s part and parcel of the heart of the Law.
Deuteronomy commands it again and again.
Deut. 6:1-2
1These are the commands, decrees and laws theLordyour God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,2so that you, your children and their children after them may fear theLordyour God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.
Deut. 6:13
Fear theLordyour God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.
Deut. 10:12-13
12And now, Israel, what does theLordyour God ask of you but to fear theLordyour God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve theLordyour God with all your heart and with all your soul,13and to observe theLord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
Deut. 10:20
Fear theLordyour God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.
Deut. 31:13
“Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear theLordyour God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
But least we think that this is just an Old Testament way of thinking – hear the words of the Apostle Peter…
1 Peter 2:17
Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
The gospel announces that this is something that Christ did for us too – and left us an example in giving His own life. He feared God in our place and he paid for all the times that we haven’t feared God as we should.
Now, the same Holy Spirit who rests upon him also lives in us and unites us to Christ. He creates in us that desire to fear God, to follow the way of wisdom shown here in our text.
As we look to a new year, one of our resolutions should be to grow in the fear of God, so that we can also grow in having that strong confidence, that we can be blessed in that way.
Then you might ask: how can you grow in the fear of God?This is related to knowing God. When it comes to the fear of God, there are two ways that the Holy Spirit can foster this in us.
1st--
The natural world around us speaks to us of the majesty of God. You can learn to fear God as your mighty Creator and King by being a good student of the natural world. When the summer months come and you hear the thunder crashing and see the lightning lighting up the sky, let that inspire in you the fear of God who has created all these things and who holds them all in his hand.
If you have the opportunity to be outside the city on a clear night and you can look up and see all the stars and planets, let that foster in you the fear of God, the Creator who is bigger and grander than all the galaxies.
And what about the mountains? Loved ones, never waste an opportunity to see mountains and stand in awe of your God.
In all these ways, and many more, the natural world testifies to us of our mighty God who is exalted.
2nd--
The other way that the Holy Spirit fosters in us the fear of God is through the Word of God. Through the Scriptures, we are placed before the Holy One of Israel. We can read passages like Isaiah 6, where the prophet had his encounter with God’s holiness and we can be reminded of what our God is really like and how we should think about that.
Do you remember that passage? Let me remind you by reading Isaiah’s scenario.
Turn with me to Isaiah, chapter 6.
I don’t know if I can stop before the end of the chapter, so there’s no sense putting this up on the screen. Look along as I read.
And that’s just one example!
As we come into this new year, I want to encourage you again to be a good student of Scripture.If you don’t have a decent plan for reading the Bible, loved ones, tomorrow is the day to start. Take up one of those plans and stick with it.By doing that in this new year, you can grow in the fear of God and receive the blessings that come along with that.
There will be blessings for you, and also for your children. That’s what we find in the second part of verse 26. It says,
“…and his children will have a refuge.”
The person who fears God not only has strong confidence for himself, it’s something that has a bearing on his whole family.
The children of a God-fearer have a safe place for them too. When parents fear the LORD, that has a spill-over effect for their kids. It’s a blessing for them too.
When mom and dad clearly fear God, it sets a good example for their kids. When mom and dad respect the Word of the Lord, they teach their children that Word too.
They disciple them with it.
If parents fear God,they will instruct their children in his ways.They’ll teach them that they are sinners in need of salvation.
They’ll teach their children about the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. God-fearing parents will also guide their children into a Christian walk of life.
All of this will be like a refuge, a safe place for covenant children.
With this type of instruction, a hedge is being put around them to protect them from our enemies, the devil, the world and our own flesh.
Loved ones, don’t you want that for your kids? Don’t you want to see them have a refuge, not only in 2017, but always?
According to our text, it begins with youand whether or not you listen.
Follow the way of wisdom and fear God.
He will be security for you and a refuge for your family. This is promised us in the Word of God.
According to verse 27, the fear of Yahweh is also a blessing in a different way. It is a fountain of life.In other words, when you fear God and listen to him, from that springs life.
Fearing God and listening to him is a good thing for us! God is the Creator and the Designer of everything in this world.He knows how everything is supposed to work, because he made it.
He has given us a manual, so to speak, a manual that gives clear directions on how things are designed to function. The fear of God leads one to respect his will. That will be for our temporal good as we live on this earth.
The Ninth Commandment gives us a good example of how this works. If we fear God and follow his will, if we love the truth and strive to live with integrity, there are blessings that come from that.