"KNOW FEAR: THE FEAR OF GOD"

Proverbs 1:7

 "I look forward to oblivion.  I am what is known as gradually disintegrating.  I don't fear the next world or anything.  I don't fear hell and I don't look forward to heaven."  Kathryn Hepburn

 "I fear God and next to God I chiefly fear him who fears Him not."   Unknown Persian Poet

 “The fear of God is the continual awareness that I am in the presence of a holy, just, and almighty God and that every thought, word, action, and deed is open before Him and is being judged by Him.”

             Fear is to the old testament, what faith is to the new testament. 

 ·   Do you need God's direction in making a decision you are facing?

"Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose."  (Psalm 25:12, NLT)

 ·   Do you want protection from your enemies? 

"The angel of the Lord stays close around those who fear Him, and he takes them out of trouble.     (Psalm 34:7, NLV)

 ·   Do you want to stay away from temptation and have victory over sin?

"The fear of the Lord keeps one away from sin." (Proverbs 16:6, NLV)

 ·   Do you want to have the best quality of life that you can possibly have on this earth?

"The payoff for meekness and Fear - of - God is plenty and honor and a satisfying life." (Proverbs 22:4, MSG)

 "The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short."     (Proverbs 10:27,NIV)

 Fearing God is not a bad thing - it is a good thing.

 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."      (Proverbs 1:7, NKJV)

Did you know that just as important to salvation is the love of God, the grace of God and the mercy of God is the fear of God? 

 "No one can know the true grace of God who has not first known the fear of God."  A.W. Tozer

 "Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him."                   (Psalm 85:9, NKJV)

 Fearing God is taking God seriously and putting God in our lives where God belongs. 

 What hinders people from fearing God?    We love ourselves too much.

 "There is no fear of God before His eyes.  For in his own eyes, he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin."    (Psalm 36:1-2, NIV)

 When you don't fear God two things are in the wrong place:

1.  You.

2.  God.

 The fear of God is not only something you learn, it is something you choose. 

 "Hate knowledge and choose not to fear the Lord."         (Proverbs 1:29, NLT)

 The fear of God and the love of God are inseparably linked.

 "But the Lord watches over those who fear Him, those who rely on His unfailing love." (Psalm 33:18, NLT)

,"Let those who fear the Lord say: 'His love endures forever'". (Psalm 118:4, NIV)

 The person that fears God the most loves God the best. 

"O fear the Lord, all you who belong to Him.  For those who fear Him never want for anything."              (Psalm 34:9, NLV)

When God is in His proper place in your life and you have put nothing else in front of Him or before Him, He will satisfy every need you have, because He is all you need.

How can I fear God better, so that I will love God more?" 

"My child, listen to Me and treasure my instructions, then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord and you will gain knowledge of God."  (Proverbs 2:1 & 5, NJKV)

1.  When you hear God then you will fear God. 

"The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them."  (Psalm 25:14, NIV)

2.  When you fear God then you hear God. 

            "And they said, 'Cornelius is a just man, one who fears God.'"  (Acts 10:22, NKJV)

             The Fear of God should be seen in your walk. 

 "Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead fear the Lord and turn your back on evil."  (Proverbs 3:7, NLT)

"Do not be afraid.  God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."   (Exodus 20:20, NIV)

  If you really lived your life in a healthy fear of God:

·   What thoughts would change?

·   What words would not be spoken?

·   What actions would cease?

·   What attitudes would be corrected?

·   What motives would be purified?

             The Fear of God should affect your worship.

 "Make an offering of ten percent a tithe of all the produce which grows in your fields year after year…The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to fear the Lord your God" 

            (Deuteronomy 14:22-23, MSG, NLT)

 Now that leads to a shocking conclusion: the real reason why people do not tithe is because they do not fear God. 

             The Fear of God should affect your witness. 

 "We know the fear of God.  So we try to get men to put their trust in Christ."  (II Corinthians 5:11, NLV)

When you truly fear the Lord, you want others to fear the Lord,

 "Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is the duty of every person." (Ecclesiastes 12:13, NLT)