The Importance of Teaching Your Family the Fear of the Lord

The Importance of Teaching Your Family The Fear of the Lord

I. The need for the fear of the Lord

The Problem with our Culture:  There is no fear of God.  Scripture tells us that apart from the grace of God, “there is no fear of God.” (Rom. 3:18)  The repentant criminal asked the other criminal in amazement at Calvary: "Don't you fear God?" (Luke 23:40)  When our Lord wanted to indicate the character of the unjust judge in a parable, he did so by saying that he "neither feared God nor cared about men" (Luke 18:2).

II. How important is the fear of the Lord?

1. Jesus commanded us to fear the God who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

2. God's people are described as those who are "living in the fear of the Lord"  Acts 9:31: “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”  Living in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church increased in numbers.

3. The risen and ascended Christ has poured out his Spirit upon his church. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.  Isaiah 11:2: “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. ”

4. The mother of our Lord praised God that "his mercy is on them [extends to them] that fear him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:50).

5. The apostle Paul called upon Christians to "perfect holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1).

6. Paul said, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12).

7. One of the characteristics of the Spirit-filled life is our willingness to submit ourselves “ one to another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:21). 8. Peter tells us to "love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king" (1 Pet. 2:17), and to "live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear" (1 Pet. 1:17).

9. The fear of the Lord is extremely important! If we ask, “What are the marks of Biblical piety?” John Murray writes: “none is more characteristic than the fear of the Lord." (John Murray, Principles of Conduct, 229)

10. Proverbs teaches that the essence of true knowledge is the fear of the Lord.  Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.  Proverbs 2:5: Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.  Proverbs 9:10: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

 Knowledge is more than an accumulation of information.  It is the fear of the Lord that gives us the right perspective and prompts us to use knowledge for the right end.  The fear of God is the animating and invigorating principle of the godly life. It is the wellspring of all godly desires and aspirations.

III. The meaning of the fear of the Lord

The fear of the Lord means: recognizing who God is.

responding by: fearing, revering, trusting, worshipping, obeying, and serving Him.

recognizing who God is  Psalm 33:8: “Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world be in awe of him."  Revelation 15:4: “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.”  Hebrews 10:30: “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  Hebrews 12:28-29: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.”

Not a “servile” fear When the Bible speaks of "fearing the Lord," it is not speaking of a terror-stricken or cowardly spirit. That is what we may call “servile” Servile – Latin – servus – “slave.” Servile fear is the kind of fear which a slave would feel towards a harsh and unyielding master. (Mat. 25:24-25)

 Romans 8:15: "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.“

Illustration of Winemaraner dog.

It is a filial fear The Kind of fear Scripture commands and teaches is “filial” fear - Filial –Latin – filius meaning “son.” Filial fear is the loving fear of a child toward his father. It is a mixture of reverence, fear, pleasure, joy and awe when we realize who God is.

 The Biblical meaning of the "fear of the Lord" is in complete harmony with us viewing God as a tender, merciful, heavenly Father who infinitely loves His blood-washing children.

It is not a self-centered fear  A self-centered fear has a different focus and result from a biblical fear of God.  A self-centered fear of God focuses us on ourselves and is afraid of exposure.  It includes a feeling of shame, a sense of rejection by God, and personal humiliation.  This is not what the Bible means by the “fear of God.”  This kind of fear draws us away from God and focuses on ourselves.  At the heart of self-centered fear is the threat of the destruction of something: my values, my commitments, my property, or something else that I don’t want to loose.

IV. How to develop a Biblical fear of the Lord

1. Love wisdom and instruction.  Proverbs 2:3-5: “If you cry after knowledge … and understanding; if you seek for her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasure; Then shall you understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”

2. Learn to hate evil and pride  Proverbs 8:13: “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”  The fear of the Lord involves adopting God’s attitude toward sin—He hates sin! Since God hates sin, I should not entertain my self watching people do what God hates. Learning to hate evil and pride starts with your thinking.

3. Learn to be humble.  Proverbs 15:33: “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility.”  Proverbs 22:4: “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honor, and life.”  The fear of the Lord and humility walk hand in hand.

4. Depart from every form of evil.  Proverbs 16:6: “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”  Exodus 20:20: And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.  Proverbs 14:27: “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”  The fear of the Lord is a deterrent to sin. If any form of sin holds a fascination or enjoyment for us, we must realize we need the fear of the Lord in that area of our life so we can be free from sin ’s power.  Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”  Romans 6:14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

5. It is shown by obedience to God’s Word.  Deuteronomy 6:2: “That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.”  Deuteronomy 10:12: “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”

6. It is combined with offering praise and glory to God.  Psalm 22:23: “Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.”

7. We are to maintain the fear of the Lord all day long.  Proverbs 23:17: “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long [live in the fear of the Lord]

V. The results and blessings of fearing the Lord

1. It brings deliverance and protection.  Psalm 34:7, "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."  Psalm 33:18-19: "Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine."

2. It brings provision from God.  Psalm 111:5, "He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.“  Psalm 34:9: "No good thing will be withheld from them that fear him."

3. It brings the blessing of God.  Psalm 112:1: "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord."

4. It brings the mercy of the Lord.  Psalm 103:17: "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him."

5. It brings pleasure to the Lord .  Psalm 147:11: "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.“

6. It brings the promise of answered prayer.  Psalm 145:19: "He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry and will save them."

7. It brings God’s compassion.  Psalm 103:13: “Like as a father pitieth [has compassion on] his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.”

8. It brings guidance from God.  Psalm 25:12: “What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.”

9. It brings confidence.  Proverbs 14:26: “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.”

10. It brings long life.  Proverbs 10:27: “The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”

11. It is necessary to be a good leader.  2 Samuel 23:3: “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”

12. It is a requirement for proper worship  Psalm 5:7: “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.” 13. It is a great treasure.  Isaiah 33:6: And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

14. God keeps a book with the names of those who fear Him in it.  Malachi 3:16: Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

VI. We must teach our family to fear the Lord!

It is a choice  Proverbs 1:29: “For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD.”

Make it your prayer  Psalm 86:11: “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”