Preached January 2019
Order of Service: The Order of the Holy Communion, Page 15.
Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 61:1-3.
Epistle Lesson: Romans 12:1-5.
Gospel Lesson: Luke 2:41-52.
Sermon: “The Fear of the Lord Is The Beginning Of Knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7.
Hymns: 5, 317, 304, 402
Dear Friends in Christ,
Martin Luther once said that each passing generation gets weaker than the previous generation. This is true in two ways.
First, it is true with society in general. The civil righteousness of the world, that outward righteousness stemming from the law in the heart, will become less and less. Thus, what was not tolerated years before becomes more acceptable. For example, even in the 1940‘s and 50’s divorce still carried with it a stigma. Until the 1970’s, society still condemned and frowned upon abortion. Until the 1970’s, homosexuality was still generally condemned. Now it is more and more being defended.
Yet when Luther spoke of the weakening of each succeeding generation, he meant chiefly in the Church. Visible Christendom would become increasingly tolerant of false doctrine and practice. While various sects and cults permitted women to be ministers, not until the 1960’s, beginning with the Episcopalians, did Christian denominations begin to accept women into the pastoral office. This contradicts the Scripture which says, “Let your women keep silence in the churches.” (I Cor. 14:34). And again, “I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man.” (I Tim. 2:12) Now women are pastors in all denominations. In short, more and more of Christendom is rejecting the divine authority of the Holy Scriptures. As Paul wrote, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (II Tim. 4:3-4) And who is chiefly to blame for this? It is the ministers who are afraid to call a spade a spade, who are afraid to preach the unvarnished truth for fear of offending their hearers. Added to this decline in the respect for Scripture, there is in each succeeding generation less and less Christian love. As Jesus once said, “For the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matt. 24:12)
Yet what lies behind today’s casual attitude toward Scripture? The answer is that people have lost the fear of God! Having no fear of God, they have no fear of going against God’s Word. Once people lose the fear of God, they become wise in their own eyes, and despise wisdom and instruction. As our text says, “but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Obviously, unbelievers have never had the true, spiritual fear of God. The Bible says, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Psalm 36:1-2 says, “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.” Thus, not until an unbeliever is struck with terror over his sins and fears damnation will he fear God and seek His mercy in Christ. Thus, the fear of God begins with conversion, with repentance of one’s sins, and faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. The true fear of God flows out of faith in Christ as one’s Savior.
However, we who do believe must take care that we not lose the fear of God. We who have known the Lord since our Baptism can subtly and gradually lose our reverent fear of God. We can become presumptuous about God and His grace. For this reason, the Lord had King Solomon write the words of our text. Solomon speaks to us as believers and says,”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” And not only is the fear of the Lord the beginning of knowledge, but also it is the continuation of knowledge and wisdom. There is to be no end to the fear of God.
Therefore, our sermon will focus on the true fear of God. In so doing, we shall do three things: 1) We shall explain further what is meant by the fear of the Lord; 2) We shall explain how and why it is the beginning of knowledge; and 3) We shall explain what blessings result from the true fear of the Lord.
Since the fear of the Lord is the central element of our text, we need to examine more closely what this fear of the Lord is all about. The fear of the Lord has been correctly defined as reverence for the Lord. This reverent fear of the Lord even for us as Christians is a recognition of the fact that God is Almighty, Supreme and Sovereign. The reverent fear of the Lord recognizes the Almighty power of God. This reverent fear of the Lord understands that He who created all things out of nothing can also destroy all things in an instant. If He chose to do so, He could in an instant bring all things back to nothing. With one earthquake God can leave an entire city a pile of twisted steel and mortar. A flood can wipe away entire towns and villages. Thus, the fear of the Lord understands that God has no rival, no actual competition. As God said through Isaiah, “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8) Likewise, He says, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no God with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live forever.” (Deut. 32:39-40) Thus, God can cause people to drop dead in an instant as He did with Ananias and Sapphira. Just last week on New Year’s Day, a pastor in San Antonio was out jogging, and suddenly he collapsed and died. He was only 64 and had no apparent health problems.
Unfortunately, many think of God as some white-haired old man sitting in a rocking chair and smiling away as men sin before His very eyes. Yet Scripture says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked.” (Gal. 6:5) Also, Scripture says of God, “The Lord thy God is a consuming fire.” Indeed, if you were to consult an unabridged Bible concordance, you would be amazed at how many verses speak of God sending fire or being a consuming fire. For example, Heb. 10:26 -27 says, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there shall be no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” Yet how brazenly people live in open sin. If the homosexuals and all immoral people really stopped to consider what awaits them, they would shudder to the very core of their bones. In fact, Scripture pictures unbelieving, unrepentant people trying to run from God’s judgment as people trying to hide in dens and caves of the earth. Even in view of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, Christ said to the Jews, “Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.” (Luke 23:30) In fact, anyone who is not a Christians will fear God on Judgment Day, but then it is too late.
Let us thank the Lord that by His grace He has brought us to saving faith, to the true fear, love and trust in God. Our fear is not one of dread, but of faith, hope and love. Having this true fear of God, we want only to please Him. In this regard, we hate sin and seek to live a life of holiness. Of course, we remain sinners till our dying day. We shall always be in this life both sinners and saints at the same time. We are sinners by nature, but saints through the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanseth us from all sin. Out of this our faith, we still retain that deep reverence for the Lord such that we do not take our sins lightly. In his “Christian Questions and Their Answers,” Luther answers the question, “Why ought we to remember and proclaim his death?:” “That we may learn to believe that no creature could make satisfaction for our sins but Christ, true God and man; and that we may learn to look with terror at our sins, and to regard them as great indeed, and to find joy and comfort in Him alone, and thus be saved through such faith.”
Where we have this true fear and reverence for the Lord, many other blessings follow. Out of our humble, reverent fear of the Lord, our hearts are able to grow in knowledge and understanding. We gain greater spiritual maturity in knowledge and understanding. We hunger and thirst for more knowledge and understanding. We love its instruction. With Samuel we say, “Speak Lord, thy servant heareth.” The Psalmist once said, “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy testimonies.” (Psalm 119:97-100) Therefore, out of reverent fear of the Lord, we love instruction. Thus, we do not resent what the Word says as the “fools who despise wisdom and instruction.” Out of our fear, love and trust in the Lord, we are not concerned with what the world thinks. We know that the Word is right no matter what society may say to the contrary. As the Bible says, “For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.” (Psalm 33:4). This is why God Himself says, ”But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2)
In this regard, out of true fear and love of God, we accept and profit from the chastening of the Lord. We better understand that the Lord chastens us out of love and for our good. For this reason the Bible lovingly reminds us, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Heb. 12:5-6) Out of reverent hearts we believe the Word which says, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb. 12:11)
In parallel fashion, the Lord may permit us to undergo a very sobering experience. For example, after God repeated to Abraham the covenant of the Gospel, He had Abram perform a very strange ritual. Its purpose was to deepen Abraham’s reverent fear of the Lord. The Bible says, “And he said unto him, Take an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divideth he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.” (Gen. 15:9-12). Then a few verses later it says, “And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.” Again, the Lord used this to deepen Abram’s reverent fear of the Lord and to confirm the promise to Abram that his seed would indeed inherit the land of Canaan.
However, as we continue in the true fear of the Lord, the Lord uses His Word to supply us with comfort and strength in all the trials and troubles of life. As the Psalmist says, “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.” (Psalm 119:50) Through the Word, the Holy Spirit gives us patience to endure and to ride out our troubles. The Holy Spirit dwelling in our reverent hearts helps us to see things with spiritual eyes. Through the Word, the Spirit instills in us the peace of Christ who says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
What is more, when a person has a true fear and love of God through faith in Christ, this produces another blessing. Out of true fear of God we take the Lord’s Supper with proper reverence. We see it as more than something we take mechanically, but as something we yearn to receive. We yearn to be renewed and re-confirmed in the forgiveness of sins which Jesus earned for us on the cross. We cherish the words of our Savior, “Given and shed for you for the remission of sins.” Thus, when the Bible says, “For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (I Cor. 11:26), our reverent hearts respond, “Amen.”
Being so renewed in our reverent hearts, we then want to amend our sinful lives. Instead of saying, “I gotta be me,” we say, “Lord, make me to be more and more like Thee. Help me to be more Christ-like.” And this very desire the Lord blesses. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13) And again, “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6)
As we can see, the fear of the Lord is a most blessed thing. It keeps us humble and ever receptive of all of God’s dealings with us. Therefore as we proceed onward into this New Year, let us pray, “Lord Jesus, keep me in the true fear of the Lord unto life everlasting. Amen.” In Jesus’ Name. Amen.