Saturday, August 1, 2015

THE OVERLOOKED REQUIREMENTS FOR RICHES, HONOR, AND LIFE


The Overlooked Requirements for Riches, Honor, and Life

As we are at the beginning of another school year, it is always good to look at ways that we can help our children be successful.

Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.

The first requirement is humility.

Proverbs 3:34 (NKJV) Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.

Proverbs 18:12 (NKJV) Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility.”

James 4:6–10 (NKJV) But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

I Peter 5:5–6 (NKJV) Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

What is humility? Jesus gives us some insights.

Matthew 18:3-4 (NKJV) Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 23:11-12 (NKJV) But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 14:8-11 (NKJV) When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

 Luke 18:13-14 (NKJV) And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

 Philippians 2:8 (NKJV) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
The Lord will humble us if we do not humble ourselves!

Look at Peter…

The second requirement is the fear of the Lord.

The rewards of developing the fear of the Lord are emphasized throughout Scripture.  Bill Gothard lists 25 of them.

Worship
Psalms 5:7 (NKJV) But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.

To be taught the way of the Lord
Psalm 25:12 (NKJV) Who is man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

The secrets of the Lord
Psalms 25:14 (NKJV) The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.”

Experiences of God’s goodness
Psalms 31:19 (NKJV) Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!”

God’s watchful care and provision
Psalm 33:18–19 (NKJV) Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, 19 to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

Deliverance from trouble
Psalm 34:7 (NKJV) The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.

God’s faithful provision
Psalm 34:9 (NKJV) Oh fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.

Access to God’s salvation
Psalm 85:9 (NKJV) Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him that glory may dwell in our land.

God’s mercy
Psalm 103:11 (NKJV) For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.

The Lord’s fatherly pity
Psalm 103:13 (NKJV) As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him.

Food
Psalm 111:5 (NKJV) He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant.

The fulfillment of desires
Psalm 145:19 (NKJV) He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.

Bringing pleasure to God
Psalm 147:11 (NKJV) The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.

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

Healing and strength
Proverbs 3:7–8 (NKJV) Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.

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

Prolonged life
Proverbs 10:27 (NKJV) The fear of the LORD prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

Strong confidence and refuge
Proverbs 14:26 (NKJV) In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.

A fountain of life
Proverbs 14:27 (NKJV) The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.

The basis for contentment
Proverbs 15:16 (NKJV) Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, than great treasure with trouble.

Strength to turn away from evil
Proverbs 16:6 (NKJV) In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.

A satisfying life
Proverbs 19:23 (NKJV) The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.

Becoming God’s special treasure
Malachi 3:16 (NKJV) Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. 17 “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.”

Perfect holiness
2 Corinthians 7:1 (NKJV) Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Scriptural submission to one another
Ephesians 5:21 (NKJV) Submitting to one another in the fear of God.

What is the ‘fear of the Lord’?

Reverential awe.

Exodus 20:18-20 NKJV Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”


Revelation 15:3-4 (NKJV) They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”

The hatred of evil. 

Proverbs 8:13 (NKJV) The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

Now let’s go back and insert that phrase in a few passages and see how that affects the meaning.

Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) By humility and ‘the hatred of evil’ are riches and honor and life.

Psalms 25:14 (NKJV) The secret of the LORD is with those who ‘hate evil’, and He will show them His covenant.”

Psalm 34:7 (NKJV) The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who ‘hate evil’ and delivers them.

Psalm 145:19 (NKJV) He will fulfill the desire of those who ‘hate evil’; He also will hear their cry and save them.

Does that change the way we look at some things?

It is more than just a hatred of evil things; it is our relationship with the Lord!  We hate them because He hates them and we want to please Him!  We do not want anything in our life that would break His heart!

How do we develop the fear of the Lord?

The Holy Spirit

Isaiah 11:2–3 (NKJV) The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

The Word of God

Deuteronomy 17:18–20 (NKJV) Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

Deuteronomy 31:9–13 (NKJV) So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”

Parents and the Church have the responsibility for training children.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NKJV) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Acts 5:42 (NKJV) And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
There is a wonderful tool that helps parents and churches fulfill these responsibilities: the Christian school!

The Christian school is:

Based on the Word of God
Based on hearing and obeying the voice of God
Based on a philosophy of the Almighty God not the exalted man


TESTIMONY

I know many of you feel you cannot afford it.

Matthew 16:26 (NKJV) For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
This is meant to be a guilt trip, but an exhortation. God will make a way!  I have a dream!

My dream is to be able to provide a Christian education for every child under our care. We already have a Christian school, but tuition can be an obstacle. I long for the day that our church could provide scholarships for those that cannot afford to attend, especially those who are orphans and widows. We do not charge for Sunday school; I wish we would not have to charge for Monday school.

We are not in a position as a church to do that. However, if you desire a Christian education for your child, come talk to Alba or I and we will believe God to provide a way!  If you know of an orphan or a single parent that would benefit, consider giving a scholarship to help them. If your children are out of school, pray about helping a needy child to attend our Christian school.

I am not saying this because JCS needs students. I am saying it because I believe that Christian education is the hope for the future!


“There is no fear of God before their eyes…”