October 23rd, 2024
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
Good Fear
You may sometimes think about my preaching like a pastor I heard about.
He gave an unusual sermon one day, using a peanut to make several important points about the wisdom of God in nature.
One of his members greeted him at the door and said, "Very interesting, Pastor. I never expected to learn so much from a nut."...
If you were to pass on some wisdom to your child, what would it be?
Solomon was writing down advice to his son to help him to live a prosperous and successful life.
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
No matter how much we know and understand, we are to be open to learn more about God's will and ways.
To gain wisdom we must be teachable.
A great example is Apollos in Acts 18:24-28
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
Here are 12 thoughts to help us discover if we are teachable:
1. I am willing to listen more than talk.
2. I admit when I am mistaken.
3. I observe before acting on a situation.
4. I am able to agree to disagree.
5. I desire information more than answers.
6. I enjoy asking questions.
7. I am open to suggestions and new ideas.
8. I feel comfortable asking for advice or directions.
9. I am patient and a willing “Student.”
10. I enjoy reading for information that is practical and applicable.
11. I seek out new perspectives on the questions of life.
12. I can appreciate criticism without being deeply wounded.
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
Proverbs 1:4 - The Hebrew word rendered simple in Proverbs denotes a person who is gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil.
Proverbs 1:6 - Or understanding a proverb, namely, a parable, / and the sayings of the wise, their riddles
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Usually, in Scripture fear is a problem. Over and again we are told to “fear not.” It is true that when God is on our side, we should never fear. However there is one fear that is “good fear”, the fear of the Lord. To fear the Lord is not about being afraid. It means to respect him. We should reverence him because of who he is. He is the creator of the universe, everything in it, including all of mankind. When we fear him, we are choosing to obey everything he commands. We should want his will to be first. In the prayer he taught his disciples he included this fear when he said, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Oswald Chambers wrote: “The remarkable thing about fearing God, is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”
To fear the Lord is to respect God for who He is – it is understanding that God is God and you and I are not.
To fear God is to open your heart to whatever he had for you. Whatever he wants you to do, you do. Wherever he sends you, you will go.
The Hebrew words translated fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, signify a person who is morally deficient.
Twice in the Psalms, 14:1 and 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
People who are unteachable, who are too filled with self to listen to godly advice will ascend into the depths of sin and destruction.
On one occasion, Ingersoll, after delivering one of his addresses in defense of agnosticism, pulled out his watch and said, “According to the Bible, God has struck men to death for blasphemy. I will blaspheme Him and give Him five minutes to strike me dead and damn my soul.”
There was a period of perfect silence while one minute went by.
Two minutes passed and people began to get nervous.
At three minutes, a woman fainted.
At four minutes, Ingersoll curled his lip.
At five minutes, he snapped shut his watch, put it in his pocket and said: “You see, there is no God, or He would have taken me at my word.”
In response to the story, one man said: “And did the American gentleman think he could exhaust the patience of God in five minutes?”
God is so much greater and more powerful than anyone, and God will not allow anyone to force His hand or paint Him in a corner.
One of the saddest statements in the Bible about a person’s position in life is the statement: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Ps. 36:1; Romans 3:18)
Do you have good fear?
This Sunday I will share a message titled DON’T GET BURNED based on Proverbs 6:23-29 & 32-33. We will look at the pitfalls of lust and temptation. Join us for a very personal spiritual checkup.
Fearing God with you,
Jon
Good Fear
You may sometimes think about my preaching like a pastor I heard about.
He gave an unusual sermon one day, using a peanut to make several important points about the wisdom of God in nature.
One of his members greeted him at the door and said, "Very interesting, Pastor. I never expected to learn so much from a nut."...
If you were to pass on some wisdom to your child, what would it be?
Solomon was writing down advice to his son to help him to live a prosperous and successful life.
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
No matter how much we know and understand, we are to be open to learn more about God's will and ways.
To gain wisdom we must be teachable.
A great example is Apollos in Acts 18:24-28
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
Here are 12 thoughts to help us discover if we are teachable:
1. I am willing to listen more than talk.
2. I admit when I am mistaken.
3. I observe before acting on a situation.
4. I am able to agree to disagree.
5. I desire information more than answers.
6. I enjoy asking questions.
7. I am open to suggestions and new ideas.
8. I feel comfortable asking for advice or directions.
9. I am patient and a willing “Student.”
10. I enjoy reading for information that is practical and applicable.
11. I seek out new perspectives on the questions of life.
12. I can appreciate criticism without being deeply wounded.
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
Proverbs 1:4 - The Hebrew word rendered simple in Proverbs denotes a person who is gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil.
Proverbs 1:6 - Or understanding a proverb, namely, a parable, / and the sayings of the wise, their riddles
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Usually, in Scripture fear is a problem. Over and again we are told to “fear not.” It is true that when God is on our side, we should never fear. However there is one fear that is “good fear”, the fear of the Lord. To fear the Lord is not about being afraid. It means to respect him. We should reverence him because of who he is. He is the creator of the universe, everything in it, including all of mankind. When we fear him, we are choosing to obey everything he commands. We should want his will to be first. In the prayer he taught his disciples he included this fear when he said, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Oswald Chambers wrote: “The remarkable thing about fearing God, is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”
To fear the Lord is to respect God for who He is – it is understanding that God is God and you and I are not.
To fear God is to open your heart to whatever he had for you. Whatever he wants you to do, you do. Wherever he sends you, you will go.
The Hebrew words translated fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, signify a person who is morally deficient.
Twice in the Psalms, 14:1 and 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
People who are unteachable, who are too filled with self to listen to godly advice will ascend into the depths of sin and destruction.
On one occasion, Ingersoll, after delivering one of his addresses in defense of agnosticism, pulled out his watch and said, “According to the Bible, God has struck men to death for blasphemy. I will blaspheme Him and give Him five minutes to strike me dead and damn my soul.”
There was a period of perfect silence while one minute went by.
Two minutes passed and people began to get nervous.
At three minutes, a woman fainted.
At four minutes, Ingersoll curled his lip.
At five minutes, he snapped shut his watch, put it in his pocket and said: “You see, there is no God, or He would have taken me at my word.”
In response to the story, one man said: “And did the American gentleman think he could exhaust the patience of God in five minutes?”
God is so much greater and more powerful than anyone, and God will not allow anyone to force His hand or paint Him in a corner.
One of the saddest statements in the Bible about a person’s position in life is the statement: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Ps. 36:1; Romans 3:18)
Do you have good fear?
This Sunday I will share a message titled DON’T GET BURNED based on Proverbs 6:23-29 & 32-33. We will look at the pitfalls of lust and temptation. Join us for a very personal spiritual checkup.
Fearing God with you,
Jon
Recent
Archive
2024
January
September
2023
July
August
October
November
Categories
no categories
Tags
no tags
No Comments