The Fear of God is Foundational

Review of the Sermon Series on Parenting: Climate, Chastening, and Admonition

0:02 1991. For those who may be visiting with us, that last remark of Pastor Dixon is an in-house remark. After many months of gracious but continuous pressure, our brother consented to lead the adult class and helped us all, I'm sure, as he gave us some very practical and biblical perspectives on family worship and devotions, and we trust that those things are already finding expression in helpful ways in many of your homes. Now, it's quite customary that we

0:43 experience a major exodus of our own people on the Memorial Day weekend, and looking out on the complexion of the gathering, it's quite evident that this has been no exception, but generally we have an influx of visitors among us. I saw one driving on the way to church, and I would be very surprised if I do not catch the faces of others who fit that category. And what I want to do this morning, since it's been several weeks since we were engaged in our study on how not to foul up the training of our children, to take a few minutes for the sake of our visitors especially, to review and to bring into focus

1:27 precisely where we are in our study. And then to carry on in this new unit of our study. We began our study by focusing our attention on the issue of what I call the overall spiritual and emotional climate of our families. We had occasion to underscore the fact that what we might call the overall emotional and spiritual climate of the home can be likened either to a healthy atmosphere in which those who breathe what is in that atmosphere continue in a state of good health, or there are

2:05 influences which act like the noxious gases of radon and of suspended particles of asbestos. And we've heard much in recent years from environmentalists, it's one of the few causes in which I think their zeal is in any way commensurate with reality, that in many situations, there is a condition in homes, in schools, and in offices and factories in which people are constantly breathing invisible but very real noxious elements. And likewise, if we're to speak biblically about the

2:47 training of our children, we must begin with the overall spiritual and emotional climate of our homes. If that is not what it ought to be, by the grace of God, no amount of the correct administration of the use of the rod on the one hand or of admonition on the other is likely to amount to much. God may sovereignly bless it, but we have no right, no grounds to expect Him to bless it unless, by the grace of God, we have a climate in our families that is marked, first of all, in the spiritual realm by reality and transparency, as opposed to hypocrisy.

3:28 Hypocrisy and opaqueness. If the general climate of our home is not one in which father and mother are real spiritually and are open spiritually with their children, it is unlikely that there will be much effective implementation of Ephesians 6 and verse 4. And then emotionally, both in the category of the relationship between the husband and wife as marraig partners, between husband and wife as parents to their

4:08 children, this relationship, and, with respect to the relationship between the children to themselves and to their parents, the head of the household, in cooperation with his wife, is responsible under God to cultivate and to maintain an emotional climate which, as I described, is block nodigly. to be about 5 inches long rather than more than 5, and the will not be 50 inches wide. described as one of warmth, closeness, acceptance, and goodwill, as opposed to a climate of coldness, distance, alienation, and ill will. And I am thankful to God that that very perspective has been used.

4:51 A number of you have said it has helped you. I know of one family that's been so radically overhauled by the grace of God that even at this level, reports have come back to me unsolicited that the child or the children are living in a totally different home. And they have seen mom and dad sitting with arms around one another. And instead of words of bitterness and retorts, they have seen gentleness and words of endearment.

5:21 And the glow is all over the face of the child or the children involved. I've spoken in the...

5:28 I've spoken in the most general terms so that none of you can sit there and play Dick Tracy and try to figure out who I'm talking about. Well, having then dealt with this matter of the emotional climate of the home and the spiritual climate that must be maintained by the grace of God, we then began to focus on the two great means that God has put at our disposal for the nurture of our children. And according to Ephesians 6, 4, those two means are chastening and admonition. And after doing a mini-word study on chastening or training or discipline, we saw that in that particular context where it is set in apposition,

6:13 not opposition, but apposition over and against admonition, the focus is upon training primarily by deeds. That is, the enforcement of patterns of life, the inculcation of perspectives by means of training enforced with the rod of correction. And then we launched into a rather extensive biblical study on this whole matter of the rod of correction, taking as our fundamental starting point, demonstrating that it was biblical to do so, that God himself is the only perfect parent, and that all of the major lines,

6:56 all of the principles of our discipline of our children, must be reflective of and consistent with the patterns of God's discipline of his children. And Ephesians 12, with its tap roots in Proverbs 3, is one of the most fundamental passages, though not exhaustive, for we looked at passages in the Psalms and in the Prophets, in the New Testament, establishing that principle. Now then, with God as our perfect pattern, we then dealt with the, the absolute necessity of the rod of correction, the God-like character of the rod of correction, the God-intended functions of the rod of correction, and then we dealt with nine of the most frequent failures

7:39 in the use of the rod of correction. Then, in our session three Lord's Days ago, two weeks, but three Lord's Days ago, we began to take up this second great means by which God ordains that we should nurture, or build up, train our children. And it is called admonition. And so we went into a word study of admonition.

8:06 We noted in passing that the etymology of the word does indeed, in this sense, help us to understand its significance. It comes from two Greek words, both the noun and the verb form, nuthesia, and nutheteo, the verb form, nous, the mind, and tithemi, to place. So that, that fundamentally, etymologically, admonition means to put or to place in mind of something. And then we looked at the three uses of the noun and the eight usages of the verb, and we found that according to the New Testament, admonition can be as limited as a synonym for reproof or rebuke.

8:50 We are to admonish the unruly. But it can be as broad as instruction, teaching, exhortation, entreating. The apostle says in Romans 15, 14, I myself am persuaded of you, brethren, that you are full of knowledge, full of goodness, able to admonish one another. And in the context, that admonition would be putting one another in remembrance of the great principles of Christian liberty, encouraging one another, to pursue a relationship in which Jew and Greek are harmoniously integrated in the same church

9:32 in spite of all of their differing religious and cultural baggage and the varying degrees of their understanding. A situation in which if someone begins to judge another one, there would be a brother to rebuke and reprove him. So admonition in certain contexts, such as Romans 15, 14, Colossians 1, is much broader. So admonition in certain contexts, such as Romans 15, 14, Colossians 1, is much broader.

9:54 So admonition in certain contexts, such as Romans 15, 14, Colossians 1, is much broader. So admonition in certain contexts, such as Romans 15, 14, Colossians 1, is much broader. Than mere reproof or rebuke, it has under its umbrella all forms of verbal instruction. So that we can say in summary, and this will conclude our review, and I mentioned to you that this quote from Trench's study on synonyms is quoted by many of the commentaries, discipline, paideia, is training by act.

10:19 is quoted by many of the commentaries, discipline, paideia, is training by act. is quoted by many of the commentaries, discipline, paideia, is training by act. is quoted by many of the commentaries, discipline, paideia, is training by act. is quoted by many of the commentaries, discipline, paideia, is training by act.

10:27 which Trench refers to the laws and ordinances of the Christian household, the transgression of which will induce correction, whereas instruction or admonition is training by word, by the word of encouragement when this is sufficient, but by that word of remonstrance or reproof or blame where these may be required. So if God has given us this means, we better know what it is, So if God has given us this means, we better know what it is, and know what it is from our Bibles, not from the experts. The Bible is its own self-interpreting body of revelation, and don't allow any guru, regardless of how many degrees he has,

11:12 no matter how much he may claim to be a Christian guru, who's graduated from X number of seminaries, if he tells you that admonition is anything other or anything less than what God says admonition is, sweetly and lovingly and politely but resolutely refuse his instruction. To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, including the man in the pulpit, is because there is no light in them. Let God be true, and every man a liar. Well, that completes our review.

Introducing the 'What' of Admonition: Key Questions for Study

11:47 We come now to begin to take up what will occupy our study for the next few weeks, having identified what admonition is. It is authoritative parental verbal instruction in the context of Ephesians 6-4, involving where necessary reproof, rebuke, encouragement, exhortation. That being so, then there are naturally certain questions that arise in our minds if we're thinking at all. Such questions as these.

12:19 What should be the subjects of our admonition to our children? What areas of their lives are the legitimate sphere of admonition that is in or of the Lord? Under the Lordship of Christ, what areas of our children's lives ought to be the subject of our use of this means of admonition? Should it be in things simply practical?

12:50 Things simply religious? In things domestic? In things...

12:56 Of personal character? What is the legitimate biblical range of the admonition which we are under solemn obligation to give to our children? The what of admonition? Then we're going to address the question of the when of admonition.

13:14 Should we admonish only as a need arises? Should we have a framework for systematic admonition as well as occasional admonition? Thirdly, how should we admonish our children? Should our admonition always be with gentleness?

13:37 Or is there a place for admonition with firmness and with stridency in our voices? We better understand and have biblical warrant for an answer to that question. If it is unbiblical ever to, quote, scold our children, then every time we scold we better repent before God and before our children. But if it is biblical to scold, then our consciences ought not to be laden with false guilt.

14:03 And then we're going to deal with the prerequisites for effective biblical admonition. Once we see from the scriptures what is the legitimate range of the subject matter of our admonition, when we ought to admonish them and how we ought to admonish them, then we'll be prepared to address the question, what are the prerequisites then in us as parents? What must we have and continually accumulate in our minds and in our character if we are to administer spirit-filled admonition? For I remind you, as I have periodically, all of this instruction about family life

14:44 at the end of Ephesians 5 and on into Ephesians 6 follows the admonition. The exhortation of Ephesians 5.18, be filled with the Spirit. And we must never think only in terms of spirit-filled preaching and spirit-filled listening to the Word of God.

15:05 We must think in terms of spirit-filled parenting.

The Foundational Issue of All Godly Admonition: The Fear of God

15:10 Because that's the emphasis of the very context in which these directives come to us. All right? We begin to address then this morning the what of, our admonition. And I gave you sort of an unofficial homework assignment and asked you to speed read through the book of Proverbs in order to see what areas came within the scope of the father's admonition of his son in the book of Proverbs.

15:41 And we are going to concentrate on the book of Proverbs as we address the question, what are the subjects of the admonition of our children? Because in the United States, we have a lot of children, and in a unique way, God has given the book of Proverbs as the goldmine of parental admonition, especially the first nine chapters. Though the commentators differ on the overall structure of Proverbs in some parts, upon this, all of the commentators that I have read, there is close to universal agreement. I can't say universal because I haven't read all the commentators, but those that I've read are all agreed that, in a very special sense,

16:24 the first nine chapters in which large themes are taken up and treated, we have a manual of godly parental admonition. Now, this morning, our attention is going to be focused on what I am calling the foundational issue of all godly admonition.

16:49 And I wrestled to try to find better words,

16:53 but when my mind was getting weary last night in copying over my notes into their final form, I couldn't come up with a better way to state it. If some of you think of a better way, then I'd appreciate it, and I'll incorporate it into my review and into my notes. And if someday this stuff should see printers' ink, it will be incorporated there as well, and I might even footnote it and give you acknowledgement. All right?

17:19 How's that for incentive to try to use your brain in this area? But for now, anyway, we'll call it the foundational issue of all godly admonition. Now, do you have any idea as to what that foundational is as you studied the book of Proverbs, or in the light of your present knowledge of the book of Proverbs? And I'll give you a very, very helpful clue.

17:46 The answer is found in the first chapter of Proverbs, as well as many other places. Someone bold enough to venture a response. As we think of the whole matter of nurturing our children under the blessing of God, seeking to bring them to their full potential in Christ by the enablement of the Holy Spirit, and we have this grand means of admonition that is to be in the Lord or of the Lord, carried out under the Lordship of Christ, according to the Word of Christ. What is the foundational issue in all godly admonition?

18:24 Whatever's built up here in all of its particulars and its specifics, take this away and the whole thing crumbles and it ceases to be admonition of the Lord. What is the foundational issue? All right, Jerry? All right, let's turn to Proverbs chapter 1.

18:47 And after the introduction in which we are told what the purpose of Solomon was in putting these Proverbs down to know wisdom, to discern, to receive, to give prudence, to understand, then his very first pronouncement after that introduction is this. The fear of Jehovah is the beginning, or you'll notice the marginal reading in the 1901, the chief part of knowledge. The fear of the Lord is not just the beginning,

19:28 something that you encounter on the threshold but then you leave it, but it is the chief part. In other words, the fear of the Lord is foundational to all true knowledge. Take it away at any part and you have stripped that part of its chief element. The chief part then of all of the knowledge that we seek to impart to our children by verbal instruction, by admonition considered in its broadest usage as we saw it is warranted to do in the light of its usage

20:12 in the New Testament. Take away the fear of God and you have stripped that element of admonition of that which is its chief part. It ceases then to be what Paul is speaking about in Ephesians 6.4.

Defining the Fear of God: Irreducible Factors

20:30 Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord. And admonition which is of the Lord will have as its chief part in all of its individual parts the fear of Jehovah. Now without wanting to give a study on the fear of God, since we've had an extensive study a number of years ago, a more limited study some months ago from Pastor Nichols, obviously the fear of God is a commodity that exists only in the light of these things. The fact of God's existence

21:15 is recognized. You cannot be teaching anything in the fear of God unless in the teaching of that thing the fact of God's existence is recognized. Secondly, the reality of God's authority is acknowledged. The reality of God's authority is acknowledged.

21:37 Thirdly, the certainty of God's knowledge of us and our ways is constantly considered. Whatever the fear of the Lord is, it does involve the certainty of God's knowledge of us and of our ways and we must constantly consider that. Fourthly, the smile or frown of God's approval or disapproval is our paramount concern. That is a vital element of the fear of God.

22:07 And fifthly, the final judgment by God is inevitable. The final judgment by God is held as an inevitable fact of life. Now, whatever the fear of God is in all of the richness of its implications and in all of the diversity of its elements, these are some of the irreducible factors which make up the fear of God. The fact of God's existence is recognized.

22:42 The reality of God's authority is acknowledged. The certainty of God's knowledge of us and our ways is considered. The smile or frown of God in approval or disapproval is our paramount concern. And the final judgment is held to be inevitable.

A Survey of Proverbs: The Pervasive Presence of the Fear of God (Chapters 1-5)

23:00 Now, what I want us to do, since I did my homework assignment twice, is to take the book of Proverbs, open up our Bibles in our laps, and we're going to buckle our mental seat bolts. And with the Indy 500, I think it comes off on Memorial Day proper, and it's in the minds of some. I don't know any among us who are racing fanatics. I'm certainly not one of them.

23:27 But using that imagery, we're going to make a racing car trip through the book of Proverbs because I want you to feel the cumulative effect of the fear of God percolating through all of the admonitory material in the book of Proverbs. You see, there are some who say, well, the book of Proverbs is basically just a collection of little aphorisms about moral conduct, etc. It's far from that. All of its admonitions either assume these realities that constitute the chief part of wisdom, that is the fear of God, or they explicitly make reference to it

24:11 and sometimes in the strangest ways. And what we need to learn from that is this. You don't need to say a thing over and over again ad nauseum to have it there as the conditioning element in what you say. And what I trust you'll see as we make this quick survey through the book of Proverbs, picking up several verses in almost all but I think three chapters, we will see that the admonition is indeed built upon this foundation of the fear of God.

24:46 It is the chief part of the admonition. Therefore, if we are to admonish in a manner that is of the Lord, our admonitions, though not in every single instance, must name the name of God, and in every single reproof or rebuke or exhortation must bring the name of God, if it is not the overall recurring theme, it is something less than the admonition warranted by Scripture. All right? Chapter 1, verse 7, we've already looked at.

25:22 The fear of Jehovah is the chief part of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction. Verses 28 and 29. After the exhortation of wisdom, crying aloud in the streets, entreating people to turn away from folly, then will they call upon me, but I will not answer. Then will they seek me diligently, but shall not find me.

25:54 For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of Jehovah. A refusal to choose the fear of Jehovah as the chief part of one's knowledge and one's perspective and one's actions in the totality of all of life's categories is to reject all true knowledge. So you see that right in the very opening chapter, the fear of the Lord is set before us in verse 7 as the chief part of knowledge and at the end of an entreaty where wisdom is personified as crying out to the sons of men to heed her voice.

26:39 He says those who reject that wisdom are rejecting the fear of Jehovah. Chapter 2, verses 1 to 4. My son, if you will receive my words, lay up my commandments, incline your ear to wisdom, apply your heart to understanding, cry after discernment, lift up your voice for understanding, seek her as silver, search for her as treasures, then you will have a Ph.D.

27:10 and be intellectually respectable. No. You see, he sets as the goal of all of this what we would call sincere, intense, intellectual inquiry. The attainment of what?

27:27 The fear of the Lord and the knowledge of God. You see that in the passage. If you will receive my words, lay up my commandments, incline your ear to wisdom, apply your heart to understanding, cry after discernment, lift up your voice, seek as for silver, search as for hid treasure, then you will be brilliant and get the highest scores on your SAT. No.

27:56 And God help you if that's the goal you set before your children in trying to get them to use their brains. You'll get good scores on the SAT and get into a good college and get a good scholarship. Shame on you. That's carnal worldliness.

28:14 ...made end in all of our entreaty to our children to use their God-given talents, their faculties is that they might discover what?

28:28 The fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Chapter 3, verses 4 through 7. Chapter 3, verses 4 through 7. Here he exhorts, starting in verse 3, let not kindness and truth forsake you.

28:46 Bind them about your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Why? So shall you find favor and good understanding in the Son, the sight of God.

28:57 Here's the great end, my son. Lay my words to heart. Why? Because God sees you.

29:06 You're accountable to God. And above all else, you should desire the favor of God. Heed my admonitions and you will have what? Favor in the sight of God and man.

29:20 Trust in Jehovah with all your heart. Lean not upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. You see, the whole concept of the fear of God is that I acknowledge God's claims over me.

29:37 I acknowledge God's involvement with me. I acknowledge that the God of heaven and earth will actually guide my feet. Verses 11 and 12. My son, despise not the chastening of Jehovah, neither be weary of His reproof for whom Jehovah loves, He reproves even as a father the son in whom he delights.

30:00 As he's teaching his son about the realities of life and says that the path of acknowledging God will be generally a path of inward psychological and outward emotional health. It will be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones. But then he says it won't be unmixed all cloudless days. There will be periods of chastening.

30:23 Do not despise that chastening of God. These circumstances that are afflicted in nature, they're not accidents. They don't just happen. You see in His admonition there is a God centeredness percolating through the admonition.

30:40 Verses 19 and 20. Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth. By understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the depths were broken up and the skies dropped down the dew.

30:54 He didn't teach His son that the laws of nature are such and such. No. As someone said the so-called laws of nature. Who made them?

31:04 A law is a principle of action created by someone and imposed upon someone or something. The laws of nature are God's own footsteps through His world. And they are predictable because God is predictable. And yet we believe in miracles that the God who made His order and the path to enlightenment can if He chooses cut another path.

31:32 He can make the sun stand still in the midst of a battle for Joshua. Well you see this God centeredness that comes in to the admonition to His Son. And then verses 25 and 26. Be not afraid of sudden fear nor of the desolation of the wicked when it comes for Jehovah will be your confidence taken. How does he teach courage? He doesn't say, reach deep into yourself. He says, no, run into

32:03 Jehovah, who is the confidence of his people. You see, there's a God-centeredness to his admonition to his son about not being afraid when calamities come upon others around him and seem to be coming upon him. He's teaching his son how to react to unexpected calamities in life. And he does so in terms of the fear of God. We could look at verses 32 and 33. Let's look at them. For the perverse

32:31 is an abomination to Jehovah, but his friendship is with the upright. The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked, but he blesses the habitation of the righteous. My son, why do I want you to become a godly and a righteous man? Because I want the blessing of God upon your house and not his curse. And if God's curse is upon your house, there's nothing you can do

32:53 to turn him away. Turn it away, but to become a righteous man. Chapter 4, verses 18 and 19. The path of the righteous is as the dawning light which shines more and more unto the perfect day. The way of

33:08 the wicked is as darkness, and they know not at what they stumble. What is he telling him? He's saying, as you go through life, remember that God is withholding the best for the end for his own. The beginning.

33:24 of life and the life of the righteous is like the sun breaking up over the horizon, but its end will be like the sun in its zenith. The best is yet to come. You don't need to grab all you can get now because you're only going around once. Get all the gusto you can. No, that's not the God-fearing

33:45 perspective. Chapter 5 and verse 21. Here in this chapter where he is giving practical suggestions to his son about avoiding the immoral woman, verses 7 to 14, then giving God's divine antidote to immorality, verses 15 through 20, which is godly marriage with 1 Corinthians 7, 1 to 4, due respect of conjugal duties and privileges between a husband and a wife. But where does he root the whole thing? For, here's the great rationale for all my exhortation,

34:24 the word of God. The ways of a man, and in the context, the ways of a man are what you do in your sex life. That's the context. The ways of a man when he goes by the door of the house of the immoral woman, verse 8, the ways of a man are before the eyes of Jehovah. Son, if you're tempted to go by the peach show on

34:47 42nd Street, God's eyes are there. God's eye doesn't stop the port of authority and turn away and say, I can't look, there's too much filth. His eyes see you. He's telling him. The ways of a man are

35:10 before the eyes of Jehovah, and he weighs carefully all his paths, and when your feet make your way to the house of the immoral woman, God is weighing carefully what you're doing. You're not only going there contrary to the law of God, but contrary to the law of your father, who lovingly and faithfully warned you about the immoral woman. He wasn't mute about sex. He wasn't mute about sex. He wasn't mute about sex.

35:34 He wasn't mute about the dangers of immorality. He was a faithful father to you, and God weighs that when you go there, you're not only violating his law, you're violating your daddy's loving, patient, frank warnings. His own iniquity shall take the wicked. He shall be held with the cords of his sin. You see how he brings the fear of God into his moral instruction. Chapter 6,

A Survey of Proverbs: The Pervasive Presence of the Fear of God (Chapters 6-9)

36:01 in verse 16, here you're going to teach character. Character development. Things to avoid. Why do it? Because they're socially unacceptable, because they'll get you into trouble, because they'll make you a nasty person. No, there are six things which Jehovah hates.

36:20 Yea, seven that are an abomination unto him. Haughty eyes. You've got a little daughter. Everybody tells him, oh, you're so cute. Don't let people push your daughters on the way to hell by careless remarks in their presence of how cute they are. Take the people aside and say, look, I'm glad you're so cute.

36:38 I love my daughter. I think she's cute, too. But please don't cooperate with the devil in making her have haughty eyes. God hates them.

36:46 Don't cooperate with the devil to pop up her proud heart. Please don't do it.

36:54 God hates haughty eyes. Lying tongue. Why do you tell your children not to lie? God hates lies, because he's the God of truth.

37:02 Hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devises wicked purposes. Feet swift, running to mischief. False witness that utters lies.

37:12 You see how he's doing this? You see how he's doing this? You see how he's doing this? you bring the fear of god you just don't say if you're a liar nobody will trust you if you're a liar nobody no when you lie you do that which god hates the fear of god is brought into this specific conditioning of the conscience of the son with respect to moral and ethical issues chapter 7 verse 27 got to step down in the accelerator if we're going to get through here's a whole chapter given over to solomon's observation of the naive young man who is taken in by an older experienced

37:50 married woman this is not a professional harlot in that sense she's not asking for money she says the man's gone away on a business trip and won't be back till the new moon she's an older experienced nymphomaniac a married woman not content with her one husband and she takes the naive young man fascinated with sex and in his naivety he goes into her snare and what's the end of it look how solomon ends her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death if all the other things my

38:32 son don't grip your conscience remember to go to her house is to take a door that's the portal to hell that's the fear of god you see that your actions with that clansmen ever seductive married woman using her experience to seduce you almighty god sees in the day of judgment is coming her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death chapter 8 beginning to get a feel for this now you see how in every issue 8 and verse 22 in this chapter in

39:12 which wisdom is personified some believe christ himself speaking others do not take that position but surely whatever position we take on the matter look at verse 13 in the midst of wisdom's great entreaty the fear of jehovah is to hate evil pride and arrogancy in the evil way and the perverse mouth do i hate and here we are told that if we are living in the fear of jehovah we will then by god's grace reflect something that is not true and of god's disposition to evil specifically pride and arrogancy the evil way and the perverse mouth

39:55 verse 22 jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old i was set up from everlasting here the origin of all true wisdom is described as god himself and likewise at the conclusion of the chapter verse 34 blessed is the man that hears me watching daily at my gates waiting at the post of my doors whoso finds me finds life and shall obtain not a good job primarily a good name primarily though those issues are touched on in the book success and all the rest but whoso finds me finds life and obtains the favor of jehovah

40:40 you see again how the fear of god becomes the chief part of this element of knowledge even when the focus is the cry of wisdom personified chapter 9 and verse 10 here's the repetition the fear of jehovah is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy one is understanding you see lest we think that as he gets into one subject after another he's left the chief part no no he periodically goes back and points to the foundation again and he says essentially what was

41:18 he doing in chapter 1 and verse 7 now chapter 10 and verse 3 jehovah will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish but he thrust away the desire of the wicked as you think of the whole matter of what principles will govern me in my desire to provide for myself and for my family shall i ever do wickedness in order to put bread on the table verse 2 treasures of wickedness profit nothing but righteousness to live in the world and the righteousness of the world and the righteousness

A Survey of Proverbs: The Pervasive Presence of the Fear of God (Chapters 10-17)

41:48 of the universe everything man's soul full and no man that moves at the cost of the devil every collectively a rising and falling umbrellas a rising saying it may be that is passive it may be passive is when thing begins to planeUp ground that should be understood as manifest when suddenly He shall be next to me and with my Prayer and the glory of the Master of my Grace shall The antagonmy whoever dear to me when their eyes shall know him shall know bleach then shall be a weight stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity. What's he saying? He's saying again that in all of these things I'm seeking to head you up to a life in which

42:33 you consider God's eye and God's concern and God's standards and God's care and provisions for his people. This is not empty moralism, mere humanistic approaches to how to live the good and the fulfilled and the responsible life. No, it is admonition which is of the Lord. Chapter 11, verse 1 and verse 20. Strange place to find it. A false balance is an abomination

43:05 to Jehovah, but a just weight is his delight. Here the man is operating a little candy shop and he's...

43:13 He says, well, here's the one pound weight. I'll just shave a few grams off the weight so when I give a pound of candy to balance it up, I mean, it's only three or four amongst a hundred. I mean, what's the difference? He says, Jehovah's eye is a... And if you

43:36 have a false balance, the one pound weight has only a couple of grams shaved off it. God looks down. He looks down upon it and abominates it. Why? Because it is a constant lie. That scale is

43:54 one pound here, whatever here, one pound, and every time God sees it balancing, knowing it's declaring a lie, Jehovah looks on the counter of your candy shop and he abominates what he sees. And when he sees a pound weight that is exactly that, and when it balances, it is a pound God's eye on your counter in the candy shop and he smiles. It's his delight. You see, there's no area of life where God's eye is not watching, where God's character is not responding with favor or disfavor. That's how he's admonishing to

44:33 economic and fiscal honesty in the fear of God. He doesn't say honesty is the best policy. That's self-centered. He said, honesty brings the smile of God. Lack of honesty brings the

44:47 frown of God. Verse 20, same chapter. They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Jehovah, but such as are perfect or upright in their way are his delight. Here's someone tempted to begin to allow perversity only in his heart, only in the realm where he and God can go. He says, uh-uh, don't ever think

45:12 that what you think and purpose and resolve in your heart is detached from the eye of God. Those that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Jehovah. Chapter 12, verse 2, a good man shall obtain favor of the Lord, but a man of wicked devices will he condemn. When you're weighing, my son, whether to go in the path of goodness and righteousness, remember, it is that path in which the favor of the Lord drops down upon you. But if you go into the path of the wicked with the devices by which that wickedness

45:48 will be manifested, God will condemn you. There's a day of judgment coming. Bring near the day of judgment when you're weighing your ethics in your business, when you're weighing the ethics of your words, when you're weighing the ethics of your relationship to your neighbors. Remember this, a day of judgment is coming and a man of wicked devices in any of these areas will be brought to the condemnation of Jehovah.

46:15 Chapter 13 and verse 13, whoso despises the word brings destruction. On himself, but he that fears the commandment shall be rewarded. My son, when you're tempted to treat lightly the commands that I give you in the name of Jehovah, to treat lightly the commands you hear under the ministry of the word, remember this, you're bringing destruction on yourself and it's God himself who will make sure that that destruction comes. But if you fear the commandment, you'll be rewarded. By whom? By the Lord himself who rewards

46:53 the righteous. Verse 14, the law of the wise is a fountain of life that one may depart from the snares of death. You see the issues of life and death, heaven and hell, they break up through the surface again of all of this practical instruction. Chapter 14 and verse 27, here we meet our friend again, the fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life that one may depart from the snares of death.

47:23 And if you read through the chapter, you see there are many practical issues being dealt with. Such matters as being a true witness, having a heart that is peaceful and at rest, verse 30, our responsibility and attitude to the poor, verse 31, the whole matter of national righteousness in verse 34, tremendously diverse issues, but tucked in the middle of all of it is this great reminder that it's the fear of Jehovah. This fear of Jehovah that is a fountain of life. Chapter 15 verse 29, the way of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah.

48:07 If I'm tempted to go in the way of wickedness it's not just that I'm going to irritate my mom and my dad and disappoint my friends and my elders and the Christian people that know me. I go in a path that makes me. me abominable to Jehovah himself but if I would have the favor of God upon me I must be in the way of righteousness but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness verse 29 Jehovah is far from the wicked but he

48:43 hears the prayer again in the midst of many practical instructions verse 17 or verse 18 dealing with the wrathful man verse 19 the sluggard verse 22 seeking of counsel you see in amidst all of these individual aphorisms these pithy little statements that encapsulate moral principles concerning all of life it is never detached from the fear of God Jehovah is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous chapter 16 the plans of the heart verse 1 belong to man but the answer of the tongue is

49:28 from Jehovah all the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes but Jehovah weighs the spirits you may do a head job on yourself and convince that all my ways are right but remember this Jehovah weighs the spirits and he weighs with accurate balances he doesn't play head games for you or with you but he has an accurate knowledge of what you are commit your works unto Jehovah and your purposes shall be established the Lord has made everything for its own end even the wicked for the day of evil are you bucking God because you think you can escape God if you go on in the way of wickedness even your damnation will glorify God you can't escape God so why

50:13 not glorify him by being his obedient subject rather than glorify him by being an eternal monument of his righteous anger and his righteous wrath against the sinner but you won't escape God God has made everything for its own end even the wicked for the day of evil and when you're tempted to be puffed up and proud what's the greatest antidote to pride everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to Jehovah what are you proud about proud of face proud of race proud of grace proud of ability what are you proud about what are you arrogating to yourself that belongs only to God what praise what adulation what thanks inwardly

50:56 you may not strut around like a peacock some of the most outwardly quote humble people are as proud as the devil they labor at living the lie that they're humble they're proud as the devil and God sees it and God says that he abominates the proud so he doesn't teach humility on any other basis but what the fear of God beginning to get a feel for this are you I hope you're having the same impression I did when I speed read yesterday the book of Proverbs twice and that the weight of it be gained a go to nó way no way one can be in the spirit of the admonitory discipline of the father in

51:37 Proverbs and not have the fear of God central to be sinful Terminia we could look at verse 23 of chapter sixteen the heart otherwise instruct his mouth and adds learning to his lips I chapter 16 it's my reference again verse 33 I'm sorry could lav isasters the lab but the whole disposing thereof is of Jehovah don't ever talk about luck and chance in a matter so given over to what the world would say chance of God himself is disposing such events chapter 17 and verse 15 he that justifies the wicked he that condemns the righteous

52:22 both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah you're in the workplace you know someone's innocent but the whole office is saying he's guilty and if you say what you know it's going to intimidate your boss and it may run you the risk of losing your job and you're tempted to justify a wicked man and condemn a righteous man for that particular issue that's in focus shall I be an abomination to Jehovah or shall I run the risk of losing my job and be an honest man and have the smile of God the fear of God you see is to influence us in all of these decisions and in all of these actions and reactions and then we could go right through I'm simply going to list the references and then you can catch them on your own

A Survey of Proverbs: The Pervasive Presence of the Fear of God (Chapters 18-31)

53:05 18, 10, and 22 and you can get the tape if you're serious about finding them or you can find it for yourself just do what I did 19, 14, 17, 21, 23 chapter 20 verses 12, 22, 23, 24, 27 chapter 21 verses 1 to 3, 30 and 31 chapter 22, 2, 4, 17 to 19, 22 and 23 chapter 22, 2, 4, 17 to 19, 22 and 23 chapter 22, 2, 4, 17 to 19, 22 and 23 chapter 23 verses 11 and 17 24, 11 and 12 17 to 20 and 28 chapter 25 verse 2 21 and 22 chapter 28 verse 5, 14, 25 chapter 29, 29 and 30

53:47 chapter 30 verses 5, 6, 7 to 9 and chapter 31 verse 30 because the epitome of the godly woman is what? she that fears the Lord when he's going to summarize the taproot of all of her births she that fears the Lord shall be blessed she's the one who will have the praise of her children and of her husband now in conclusion let me very quickly answer a plausible objection someone says yes but pastor surely you know because you've preached to us that no one by nature fears God Romans 3, 18 there is no fear of God before their eyes how can we admonish our children in the fear of God when by nature they don't have

Addressing the Objection: How to Teach the Fear of God to Unregenerate Children

54:31 the fear of God and you say since only by regeneration is the fear of God put in their hearts what use is there? Jeremiah 32, 40 God says I'll put my fear in their hearts that they may not depart from my ways why bother? my answer is we have the warrant of God to do so nurture them in the admonition which is of the Lord and if the admonition which is of the Lord has the fear of God as its fundamental tenet then God says do it and we must do it and if there were no other warrant but that that should be enough but we have the example of David in Psalm 34, 11 he said come ye children and I will teach you the fear of the Lord

55:16 though the spirit of God alone can implant the disposition of the fear of God in the heart he is the God in the third place who uses means to accomplish his ends David said come ye children and I will teach you the fear of the Lord now he couldn't teach them the fear of the Lord effectually without the work of the spirit upon the heart but he did not sit back passively and wait for God to work without means and then there is the marvelous doctrine of common grace if we admonish our children with an admonition that has the fear of God as its foundation and surround as it were their whole psyche and their thinking

56:01 with those biblical principles though they may not yet have been implanted in the heart when God does regenerate them they don't have to start from scratch the spirit of God takes all of that influence which was surrounding them in common grace and then it's internalized and they make tremendous strides as believers that others do not make who did not have that blessing in the meanwhile they may become some of the most notorious sinners because all the light of the light of the light beyond and the vanu they have subscribe

56:42 to God of기를 stunned have dark because their conscience is that much more light and so they may have aroundocked con since used with a life of abandonment some of you are in for great shock and surprise you really down under theett job with me out all right well don't count on it pray that it will but don't assume it and don't be shocked if some of the most notorious sinners for a period of time come out of trinity church and out of the

57:20 families of this church because if they're resisting the more light there is the more the resistance is manifested john 3 19 this is the condemnation the light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light the more light there is the more the hatred will manifest itself in trying to ground the conscience in sin but i say our duty is clear the example of david is clear the principle that god uses means is clear and the doctrine of common grace should encourage us let me ask you in closing this search in question having dealt with the answer to a plausible objection i ask the searching question in closing is this the foundational

Concluding Exhortation: Is the Fear of God Foundational in Your Admonition?

58:02 issue in the admonition of your children the fear of god when you set the rule the fear of god when you set the rule the fear of god when you set the rule and when you reprove and when you rebuke is it an admonitory framework in which the fear of god is foundational or are you just passing on your ways family standards family traditions cultural traditions my friends that's not doing what god says nurture them in the admonition which is of the lord and if it is of the lord it will have as its fundamental element the fear of god well our time is gone plus five minutes that i snitched let's pray and ask the lord to bless

58:46 his word our father we thank you that we have the scriptures as a lamp unto our feet and a light to our pathway write your word upon our hearts and all make us wise to be able to nurture our children and our grandchildren in the admonition which is of yourself may your holy spirit take the things we've considered this morning and make them effectual in all of our hearts and lives we ask in jesus name amen you have been

Closing and Resource Information

59:28 listening to how not to foul up the training of your children by pastor albert n martin these cassettes are distributed by the trinity book service if you would like a free listing of other audio cassettes and books please call us at 1-800-722-3584 1-800-722-3584 if you prefer you can write us at the trinity book service post office box 569 montville new jersey 07045