Mars Hill Fellowship

MESSAGE |

The Fear of the Lord

SERIES |

Just Do It

SCRIPTURE |

Psalms 111:10 - 112:10

SPEAKER |

Pastor Joseph Ardayfio

KEY THEME |

The fear of the Lord is a necessary balance in the Kingdom of God that causes us to delight in God, His commands, His presence and therefore, shun evil.  A healthy fear of the Lord always leads to increased faith and blessings, rather than condemnation.

I. The kingdom culture of grace must be balanced with a healthy fear of the Lord.

II. Fear is an awareness of a perceived or real threat to one’s future that causes someone to respond in kind.

1. What we fear will dictate how we live.  Our fears will cause us to either respond with an attitude of anxiety or distress, or with an attitude of awe and reverence when our fear is in the Lord.
2. When we allow our fears to grow bigger than the God that we serve, our fears become our God because we are willing to do anything to avoid the fears. We become a slave to fear.

III. While God encourages us to not fear, He insists that the man who fears the Lord is blessed.

1. God is not looking to rule by unhealthy fear and intimidation because that leads to manufactured obedience.  God is looking for transformed hearts that love Him and out of that love operate with reverence and awe towards God.
2. Manufactured obedience leads you to pay lip service to God but your heart is never transformed. (Mark 7:6)
3. To fear the Lord means to delight in God, His commands, and His presence and therefore, to shun evil. (Proverbs 8:13) It is not dreading God, but a cherished sense of God’s presence.
4. A healthy fear of the Lord leads to increased faith, rather than condemnation.

IV. 5 blessings from having a healthy fear of the Lord.

1. We experience the fullness of God’s blessings. (v2-3) The Psalmist notes that the blessings of wisdom, understanding, a faithful heritage and prosperity belong to those who fear the Lord.
2. We are secure in God. (v4-5) When we fear the Lord, we know that we can trust God regardless of the consequences. Our security comes from knowing that God’s light follows us as we walk in truth and integrity.
3. We are unshakeable! (v6-8). When we fear the Lord, we don’t have to fear bad news, because we know that God is in control. Our heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord and His certain victory.
4. We are strengthened by God. (v9) When we fear the Lord, we receive God’s strength to accomplish all that He has planned for us to do.
5. We don’t experience the disappointment of misplaced trust (v10). When the fear of things takes priority over the fear of the Lord, it leads us to chase after things that are futile. Only when we place ourselves in God’s hands do we see the ultimate fulfillment of our hopes and dreams.

Scripture Index:

Psalms 111:10 – 112:10
Mark 7:6
Proverbs 8:13
Proverbs 29:25
Psalms 91:1-16
Matthew 7:24-27
Mark 7:6