Introduction: In this message, we will bring our series "Learning to Fear God" to a close. My goal in all of this is that the people of the Timberline Baptist Church will realize just how important it is to be a truly God-fearing people.
1 John 4:8 says that God is Love. God is full of mercy, grace, and compassion. He is lovingkindness and all that is connected with it. God is good, and He doeth good! When trying to describe the greatness and goodness of the Lord, you almost cannot exaggerate too much. God is a wonderful and marvellous God!
But the Word of God also says that He is to be feared. It is not right to only see Him as love, for He is to be feared, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" (Romans 2:4) It is just as warped to view God only as loving and compassionate as it is to view Him only as mean and hateful. The balance is found in the fact that God loves sinners enough to want them to go to Heaven but hates sin enough to create an awful place called Hell!
What does it mean to "fear the Lord?" In this particular place in the Word of God, the word "fear" means, "fear of impending danger, trembling, to see ourselves as weakness and God as strength." It means "to take God very seriously, to take Him at His Word."
In the world in which we live, there is no fear of God. It is missing.
- "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes." (Psalm 36:1)
- "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:18)
According to Psalm 112, there are things that characterize them that fear the Lord. What are these characteristics?
1. He is blessed. - Psalm 112:1
"Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments."
- If a man will take God seriously, he will know the blessing of God.
- To know the blessedness of God is to know the best of God.
- There are many references in the Bible about the ones whom God calls "blessed."
* "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." (Psalm 1:1)
* "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." (Psalm 2:12)
* "Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." (Psalm 32:2)
* "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." (Psalm 33:12)
* "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." (Psalm 34:8)
* "Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them." (Psalm 84:4, 5)
* "O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee." (Psalm 84:12)
* "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart." (Psalm 119:1, 2)
- If you will fear the Lord, you will be blessed of God! The opposite is also true. No fear of God means no blessedness from God!
- Why no blessings? Perhaps, no fear!
2. He will have a strong family. - Psalm 112:2-3
"His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever."
- A lack of fear for the Lord is destroying families today.
- When a husband does not fear the Lord, he places his family in danger. The blessing of the Lord will be lost.
- No one ever hurts only themselves.
- When children learn the fear of the Lord while young, it takes them through life with the blessing of the Lord.
- Children learn to fear or not fear the Lord from their parents!
3. He will have "dark" times in his life. - Psalm 112:4
"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous."
- Fearing the Lord does not guarantee smooth sailing, but it does insure a Good Captain!
- Tell the story of Jesus in the hinder part of the ship with the disciples in Mark 4:35-41. Storms may come, but it is all right as long as Jesus is in the same boat!
4. He will have light in the dark times. - Psalm 112:4
"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous."
- God will always give guidance to those who will fear Him.
- He is the way in a dark time! Follow Him. John 14:6 says, "I am the way..."
- If you fear the Lord, you will never be alone in the dark!
5. He lives unselfishly. - Psalm 112:4, 9
"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous....He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor..."
- Selfish people do not fear the Lord. They fear others!
- Living for others is a chief characteristic of those who fear God.
- They are full of grace and compassion!
6. They take God seriously about sin. - Psalm 112:9
"...his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour."
- One cannot be upright and righteous if he is playing with sin.
- One cannot be the friend of God and of the world at the same time!
* James 4:4 makes it clear, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
- Those, who do not fear the Lord, will live as if there were no God! "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." (Psalm 14:1)
Conclusion: I want my home to be blessed by the Lord. One of the things, that the Lord says will help insure that blessing, is the fear of the Lord. Are you one who fears the Lord? One who takes the Lord seriously about what He says? Let us decide today to choose fearing God over people and things. As it says in Proverbs 1:28-29, "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not CHOOSE the fear of the LORD."