Woodland
Hills Church of Christ
|
|
|
Sunday, February 25, 2007 Volume 51, Issue 7 THE FEAR OF THE LORD The fear of the Lord is that understanding of God's greatness and power and man's accountability toward Him. A scriptural and saving knowledge of God is the greatest need of every person. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped. Belief in God is the foundation principle of the Christian faith. The write of the book of Hebrews said "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and He is a rewarded of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. In Proverbs 1:7, the Bible says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." The fear of the Lord is that reverence we feel as we live daily in the presence of God. The fear of the Lord is the root of right living and wise conduct. The fear of the Lord influences our every action. The fear of the Lord is a choice to be made. Solomon wrote of those who did not choose the fear of the Lord, "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord." (Proverbs 1:28-29) God welcomes sinners with open arms. However, many sinners have stopped their ears and hardened their hearts to God's word. God's plea falls upon deaf ears. The fear of God will cause you to choose good instead of evil. The fear of the Lord leads to finding the knowledge of God. "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure." (Proverbs 2:4-5) The fear of the Lord awakens feelings of gratitude and love. The fear of the Lord leads us to the Bible so that we might gain the knowledge of God. The fear of the Lord causes us to depart from evil. God commanded, "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil." (Proverbs 3:7) He also said, "In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil." (Proverbs 16:6) No one who knows himself should be conceited. There is no experience more humbling than to come face to face with our own sins. One who thinks he knows everything will never come to fear God. Watch and pray constantly against the spirit of self-conceit. The fear of the Lord causes us to hate sin. "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." (Proverbs 8:13) Those who fear the Lord fear the punishment sin brings. This fear causes us to hate sin. God hates sin because of His very nature. To require us to hate sin is no more than God expects of Himself. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10) The same principle is also taught in Proverbs 15:33. "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility." The fear of the Lord will cause us to know and carefully follow the will of God. The fear of the Lord is at the root or true wisdom. The wise will understand the will of the Lord. Paul wrote, "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:17) Te fear of the Lord leads to long life. "The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened." (Proverbs 10:27) Long life is promised to those who fear God. If you could take the average of life you would it to be in favor of the godly. The fear of the Lord leads to good habits that promote health. The fear of the Lord provides a refuge for God's people. "In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death." (Proverbs 14:26-27) Godly fear leads to godly consequences. Those who fear God have a place of refuge in trouble. Jesus is our refuge. He is always willing to hear and to answer. The fear of the Lord makes a little be enough. "Better is a little with a fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble." (Proverbs 15:16) A person may have great treasures; but if he doesn't have God he has troubles. Those who have God have what matters. Truly, "better is little with the fear of the Lord." The fear of the Lord produces a satisfied life. "The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil." (Proverbs 19:23) A Godly life is a happy and satisfied life, here and hereafter. Te fear of the Lord produces a true life. True life, genuine satisfaction and freedom from sin are all blessings of the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord will cause us not to envy sinners. "Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day." (Proverbs 23:17) Sinners are not to be envied. They are to be pitied. What they have is all they will have, except misery. David wrote, "...Deliver...with Your hand from men, O Lord, from men of the world who have their portion in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, and leave the rest of their possession for their babes." (Psalm 17:13-14) The sinners have their portion in this life. They have nothing to look forward to in the world to come. The consideration of the end of life will help us reconcile ourselves to all difficulty and discouragement of this life. The fear of the Lord produces respectful citizens. "My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those given to change." (Proverbs 24:21) Those who are religious must be loyal to God and good citizens in the land. If government ever comes in conflict with God, "we must obey God rather than men." Have nothing to do with those given to change just for the sake of change. Many want change because of discontent with what is, a desire for novelty and because they enjoy confusion. There will always be disturbers of the peace in government and in the church. Have nothing to do with them. The fear of the Lord will cause you to obey the gospel quickly. To become a Christian you must hear the gospel and believe (John 6:44-45), repent of sins (Acts 2:38), confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3-4). The fear of the Lord will also keep you in faithful service to God. (Matthew 10:22) Solomon said, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, Whether good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
TAFT TALK We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We had a great weekend at Gatlinburg. We took 30 folks to the Smokies and everyone enjoyed a fun weekend. We have some great stories from the trip. At one point we lost power in the chalet, our vans couldn’t make it up the hill (due to snow)...and you should see 30 people hiking straight up a mountain for a mile, a very bonding experience! Neil Hillis and Preston Pinson brought us some great devotionals. A special thank you is due to all of the parents who allowed their children to go and to all of the youth that made it such a memorable trip! T.L.C. SPRING RETREAT Much Love,
FAMILY NEWS Baptist East: Earl Shipman 4402 (seriously ill)Woodland Hills Family: Jane & Janice Nolen, Judy Kilmer, Mary Evelyn King, Edd Marie Agnew, Marvin Allison, Mary Glenn, Marti Patchell, Evelyn Coleman Friends/Relatives: Eleanor Daugherty (knee replacement, mother of Betty Barker, 7834 Derby Lane, Apt. 101, Cordova, 38018), Dot Holmquist, Teresa Thomas, Marilee Miller, Melanie Beatty (sister of Ron Barker), William Wilson, Edwin Hill, Joyce Keough, Sherrel Wayne Lawhon, LaRae & Wilma Nichols (sister & mother of Louise VanSickel), Lloyd Britt, Lynn Britt Nursing/Assisted Living: Clemmie Allison, Alton Brown, Essie Brown, Mary Mullinaux, Ernestine Barron, Kenneth McCorkle (former member, Foxbridge Asst. Living, Room 3122180 Mangum Rd., Bartlett 38134) Out-of-Town: Roy Nichols (22418Sierra Blanco, San Antonio, TX 78259), Virginia Baxter (1380 S. Main, Covington, TN 38019), Mary Billingsley (1143 Shell Harbor Rd., Pierson, FL, 32180), Chris Sangster ( 24231 Baxter Dr., Malibur, CA 90265), Bobbie Ann Ridgeway (905 Hawthorn Dr. NE, Lenoir, NC, 28645), Jason Redding VanSickel (1204 E. 16th St., Plano, TX, 75074). WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
SYMPATHY THANK YOU SERVICE GROUPS Service Group #3, please turn in your assignment cards from last week. LADIES DAY CONGRATULATIONS OUR RECORD
QUESTIONS ABOUT HEAVEN... ■ Is heaven a place or just a state of mind? Jesus said: "I go and prepare a place for you (John 14:3). ■ Will we have a new body in heaven? "For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens" (2 Corinthians 5:1). ■ Will there be just 144,000 in heaven? The fact that there is exactly 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel indicates quite clearly that this is a figurative number (Revelation 7:4-8). "After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man can number, out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9-10). ■ Will we know each other in heaven? When David’s first son born to Bathsheba died, David cried out, "Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me" (2 Samuel 12:23). Hundreds of years after their death Moses and Elijah appeared on a mountain in Palestine (probably Mount Hermon) and talked with Jesus about his approaching death. They had been "dead" for hundred of years but actually were very much alive. Also, the rich man, Lazarus and Abraham are shown to be alive in Luke 16, many years after their physical death and they still retained their identify. ■ Has anyone ever been to heaven and returned to tell us about it? Jesus spoke of the glory which He had with the Father before the world was (John 17:5). Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12 that he was caught up into the third (See 2 Corinthians 10:1-12). Moses and Elijah returned from wherever they had been since the day of their death, to talk with Jesus on the mountain (Matthew 17). Jim Brasher - Pine St. Church of Christ
|
