Fools Gold – week 4

Fool’s Gold  –  Week 4: Eureka!

There are so many who are searching for wisdom, and at the same time  the Scriptures make it clear that some people will simply despise wisdom.

Proverbs 1:7 (NIV): The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Truth is we all have a choice of which path to take.  And if we choose God, we must have an awareness of our position before Him. And that’s when and where we find wisdom.

Think of what your life was like before Christ came into it.  Truth is you and I were blind.

But once God entered in, you gained understanding and hopefully what I’m going to share today, a healthy fear of Him as well.

We need to obey His commands.  Jesus told us time and time again to follow him.  To keep His commands and when we do it will allow us to walk in step with His Spirit, and ultimately help us understand more about who He is and what He desires to give us: and one thing He desires to give is wisdom among other things.

1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV) – But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Then again in Proverbs. . .

Proverbs 21:3 (NIV): 3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

And as I mentioned Jesus said follow me at least 7 times and keep my commands about as many as well.

So here we are church. Today we are closing out our series “Fool’s Gold.”   We have been talking about wisdom and where to find it.

We’ve highlighted how God holds all wisdom and understanding. and to obtain them, we need to dig deeper in our faith and confidently with boldness ask and God will give them.

Today, I want us to talk about the correct heart posture to have in gaining wisdom.  Without the right heart posture, we will be tempted to only follow Christ when it’s convenient, accepted, or easy.

The right posture requires us to take some time to understand our position before God.

What is the correct posture you ask?  Good question. . . It’s what Scripture refers to as the fear of the Lord.

Maybe you know about fear.   You’ve  watched the scary movie and just as you are so engaged in what is going on someone sneaks up from behind you and. . .(BOO).

I’ll never forget one of my friends he was so scared when I took him on his first roller coaster, I didn’t get him to go on one of those well maintained coasters at Cedar Point, or Six Flags.  No, no, no this was at the Ottawa County Fair where they set up in like a day and hope for the best.   (Share story)

That kind of fear causes you to want to run in the opposite direction.

When someone scares you, you find yourself peeking around each corner, under the bed, leaving the lights on for days just to make sure the scenes you saw in the movie, were just that, scenes in a movie and not Jaws in your backyard pool, or Jason knocking on the front door, or in my friends case never trusting me again when I say come on it will be fun.

But the concept of the Fear of the Lord is not like that type of fear. God’s intention was never for His people to be afraid of Him to the point that they ran from Him.   But rather to be in awe of Him so that you are attracted to Him.

1 John 4:18–19 (TPT): Love never brings fear, for fear is always related to punishment. But love’s perfection drives the fear of punishment far from our hearts. Whoever walks constantly afraid of punishment has not reached love’s perfection. 19 Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.

So, today we are going to spend some time breaking down this type of fear toward our God. Once we can understand this fear and grasp our own position before God, I believe we will have a clearer understanding of the wisdom God desires to give us.

So, before we dig in let’s open in prayer.

Let’s look once more in Proverbs. . .

Proverbs 9:10 (NIV): The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

I want to talk about three things I believe the fear of the Lord produces in our life.   I’m sure there are more I’m just going to share three.

And when we allow these things to be produced in our lives, we will seek to walk in wisdom and greater understanding, inviting God to constantly do His work in us and through us. Here’s the first one. . .

The Fear of the Lord Produces Awe

At the beginning of this series, we talked about the importance of having reverence for God. This is something the Psalms talks a lot about, as it is a way for us to stand before God in awe of who He is.

Let’s look in Exodus.  In chapter 19 we see a bit of light shed on what the fear of the Lord looks like.

In this portion of Scripture, God is getting ready to give the ten commandments to His people. But before this happens, He makes Himself known on Mount Sinai. Here’s what the Bible says in verse 16:

Exodus 19:16 (NIV): On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.

Notice how the verse ends? “ All the people trembled.” But why did they tremble? They were trembling because of what they witnessed just moments before.

The Bible says thunder roared and lightning flashed. This was a sign of God’s great power.  And in that moment, God’s intent was not to scare off His people.  But rather, He wanted to display His power.   This was done to lead them towards reverence as they sought to obey His commands.

Have you ever encountered God’s power in a personal way? We don’t have to look any further than the opening chapter in the Bible. Genesis 1 tells us about how God created the world and everything in it.  He literally spoke things into existence, while forming man from the dust on the ground. All of that displays just how powerful God is.

I have seen God move in so many ways in my life.   I have been healed by the power of God.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, seen God restore my finances, seen people fall down as God moved upon them.

And in every one of those, it was not meant to, nor did not scare me away from God.

Instead, it helped me see there was no one else worth putting my faith and trust in.

Only God was and is deserving, because only God displayed this kind of power.

And the good news is, He desires to use you and I to display His power through us, to those around us.

Ephesians 3:16 (TPT): And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power.

Acts 1:8 (NIV): But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

1 Corinthians 2:4–5 (TPT): The message I preached and how I preached it was not an attempt to sway you with persuasive arguments but to prove to you the almighty power of God’s Holy Spirit. 5 For God intended that your faith not be established on man’s wisdom but by trusting in his almighty power.

Once we begin to understand what fearing the Lord is supposed to look like, we will stand in awe of who He is and the power He has.

And it’s meant to lead us to a point of placing our faith in Him and His power, which is the second thing produced from our fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord Produces Faith

Again let’s look in the book of Exodus chapter 14.

This is the account when the Israelites escaped Egypt and went through the Red Sea on dry ground.

It’s an incredible story of God’s power and provision for His people. There is a key verse at the very end of this story that highlights the people’s response to what they witnessed.

Exodus 14:31 (NIV): And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

The Bible says the people put their faith in the Lord. Once we learn to stand in awe of who God is, we must learn to place our faith in Him.

Hebrews 12:2–3 (TPT): We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! 3 So consider carefully how Jesus faced such intense opposition from sinners who opposed their own souls, so that you won’t become worn down and cave in under life’s pressures.

The New Testament says Jesus, God in the flesh, is the author and perfecter of our faith. This means He gives it to us, allows us to have it, and helps us grow in it.

However, it’s easy to place your faith in so many other things, tangible things, something you can see, feel, or touch.

Just like the power that the Israelites had just seen God display in Exodus.  But you need to understand that eternal wisdom isn’t tangible. So, how can we be sure it is worth putting our faith in?

I believe it comes down to a greater question: “Do I believe the stories in the Bible are completely true?”

You see, many people doubt God because they doubt the Bible.

They don’t understand how a book written thousands of years ago can still apply to their lives today. And I think at some point in all of our lives, we will be confronted with this same question at one point or another. Today, even here in this space, we are confronted with this question. Jesus makes it clear that it’s much harder to place your faith in something or someone you cannot see, feel or touch.

John 20:24–29 (NIV): Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

In this encounter with Thomas, Jesus says those who believe in Him but have not seen Him face to face, will be blessed. Faith requires a step. A step into something that, in our world, is not the majority.

Much of our world places trust in things, and some of those things may even give temporary satisfaction. However, the things of God, one of which is wisdom, they are eternal. And in our pursuit of wisdom, there seems to be one more thing the Fear of the Lord produces in our lives, and it is a necessary starting point of growth:

Fear of the Lord Produces a Foundation

Going back to our starting place in Proverbs the writer says in that verse that the Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge.

He talks to us about the importance of a good starting place. This concept of fearing the Lord is meant to serve as a starting place for our discovery of who God is.

The Bible is full of mysteries, as we talked about last week. But as we study the Bible and read what’s in it, if we have a healthy view of fearing the Lord, we will be building off that concept as we gain knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.  It’s important for us to spend time thinking about what kind of foundation we are building.

Jesus talks about foundations in Matthew 7. . .

Matthew 7:24–29 (NIV): 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

 I think they were in awe of Him.

 In this portion of His teaching, Jesus is closing out His Sermon on the Mount. He is helping people understand how important it is to follow His teachings.

The Word of God is the greatest possible place to build our foundation. And out of all the starting places for us within the Word of God, it’s important to begin with a healthy, proper view of God Himself. This is where the Fear of the Lord comes into play.

God is not sitting on His throne waiting to punish us when we mess up.  On the contrary. . .

Hebrews 1:3 (TPT): The Son is the dazzling radiance of God’s splendor, the exact expression of God’s true nature—his mirror image! He holds the universe together and expands it by the mighty power of his spoken word. He accomplished for us the complete cleansing of sins, and then took his seat on the highest throne at the right hand of the majestic One.

Romans 2:4 (TPT): Do the riches of his extraordinary kindness make you take him for granted and despise him? Haven’t you experienced how kind and understanding he has been to you? Don’t mistake his tolerance for acceptance. Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance?

Let me try to close this series with a question, do you desire something eternal but rely on something temporary?

As we have often said throughout this series, the world will offer us many things to build our lives on. It will offer you the “fools gold.”

However, each of those things is, in some form, shaky. Even if we build somewhat successful lives based on worldly ideals, they will fail at some point. The only firm ground, Jesus says, is His Word.

 I want to challenge you, as we wrap up this series, to think about the wisdom you desire. The knowledge you desire. The discipline you desire. The growth you desire.

There is only one source to obtain each of these, and achieving them begins with a healthy view of God, who is Himself the source.

In fact, when Jesus was asked how to pray in Matthew 6, He instructed His disciples to begin their prayer by honoring God and  acknowledging His majestic place among us;

“Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)

I pray for God to have your full attention, commitment, and awe of Him not just today but every day.

It’s time to stop chasing after worthless things. Counterfeit treasures, fools gold, those things will never satisfy us.

It’s time to honor and revere the Lord. In our worship and our life.

Your not doing God any favors coming to church and playing on your phone, dazing off in space, not singing, or worshipping.

He said obedience is better than sacrifice.

Hebrews 13:15 (NIV): Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

Wait isn’t that the opposite of what you just said?  No, but glad you asked.

This is saying when I’ve had a bad day, when I’m tired and have a million excuses to not to be with the community of believers.  I will offer that sacrifice so ai can be obedient to God’s call to worship.

Habakkuk 3:17–18 (NIV): Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

And Job said, “though he slay me, yet I will hope in Him. . .”

It’s time church to learn how to truly worship.  Stand in awe of Him, to revere His name.

It’s time to dig in and seek Him, His word, and His wisdom.

No more fool’s gold… bring on the eternal treasure of life lived in and by faith.

Let’s pray.