Yesterday

We discovered when God talks about the wise and understanding, He is referring to those who fear Him.

Today

We want to pick up from where we left off and continue LOOKING at the fear of the Lord is wisdom.

Discovery: LOOK, LEARN, LIVE>

Open GODcha to the Book of James.

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NOTE:

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Or, you can use your hardbound Bibles and follow along.

You can print off this post and put in a Notebook!

 

Let’s Pray

Lord, we come to You today because we love You Lord, and we want to know You. We want to understand Your will and ways. Help us today to see what You are saying to us, and grant us the understanding we need to apply these Truths to our lives. Thank you!

 

LOOK at What God Says

Let GODcha point the way.

Where shall we start?

READ God’s Word


Read James 3:13-18, asking the 5W’s and H to put you in context.

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Read out loud, as saying it and hearing it helps you remember it.

 

Our focus is on verse 13, regarding wisdom and understanding. 

What is understanding?

What is wisdom?

Why is the fear of the Lord key?

 

Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday!

Let’s LOOK at What God Says About

Fearing Him

CR-Cross References-Word Search Tutorial >

Fine Tune Your Ears!

1.  What is the fear of the Lord’?

What is ‘the knowledge of the Holy One’?

a. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Pro 9:10)

Understand: The fear of the Lord opens up wisdom.

Understand: The FOL is the source and foundation of wisdom 

Understand: NO one can be wise until they fear the Lord.

 

b. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding(Pro 9:10)

Understand: Understanding is not only departing from evil, as we saw earlier, but it is ‘knowledge’ of the Holy One.

Understand: To know God, the Holy One [understanding] is to fear God [wisdom].

LISTEN…

 

What do I know, understand, about God, the Holy One?

Do I know and recognize the Holy One is 3 Divine Persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?

Do I recognize God for Who He is? 

Do I know, understand, God is:

God and there is no other. (Isa 46:9-10)

Majestic, HOLY, and Righteous. (Exo 15:11; Rev 4:8; 16:5; 1Jo 3:3)

All Knowing, knowing you inside and out. (1 Sa 2:3); (1Ki 8:39); (1Jo 3:20)

All Powerful, Sovereign over your life and the circumstances of your life. (Dan 4:34-35); (1Sa 1:5-6; 2:6-10); (Isa 45:6-7)

A Jealous God. (Exo 20:4-5)

Your Almighty Creator. (Isa 43:7); (1Co 8:6)

Man’s Savior, offering forgiveness of sins. (Isa 45:21-22); (Luk 2:11); (Eph 1:7-8)

The Judge. (Jam 4:12); (Rev 20:11-13)?

Respond to God…LIVE it out!

 

2. What does Proverbs tell us about the fear of the Lord’?

a. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge(Pro 1:7)

We see: The fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of wisdom but also of knowledge.

We see: It is said to be the foundation and source of knowledge; it opens up knowledge; without which all other knowledge is vain and useless.

Understand: Any other knowledge is empty and not at all profitable in time of affliction; in the hour of death; and at the day of judgment.

 

b. Fools despise wisdom and instruction and knowledge. (Pro 1:7)

We see: Fools live without taking God into account. They are not capable of having wisdom and understanding (knowledge).

LISTEN…

 

Do I despise wisdom, instruction and knowledge? Why?

Do I refuse to take God into account when I make choices and decisions, even when I speak? 

Am I a fool?

Respond to God…LIVE it out!

 

3. What else does Proverbs tell us about the fear of the Lord?

The Fear of the Lord is:

a. To hate evil. (Pro 8:12-13)

b. A  fountain of life. (Pro 14:27)

c. Prolongs life allowing us a full and rich and meaningful life that is not cut short because of some evil. (Pro 10:27)

LISTEN…

 

Do I have a rich and meaningful life? 

What is the evidence to others that I hate evil?

Respond to God…LIVE it out!

 

4. From Romans, what do you learn about those who do NOT  ‘fear the Lord’?

They are ungodly, unrighteous, and suppress the Truth.

They profess to be wise

BUT 

became fools.

Their foolish hearts are darkened

They do not honor God or give Him thanks;

They are futile in their speculations;

They have exchanged the glory of incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man…

They have exchanged the truth of God for a lie…

They have exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural… (Rom 1:18-32)

We see: Those who do NOT fear the Lord give themselves increasingly to evil.

We see: Character, conversation, and conduct reveal those who do NOT fear the Lord. (Rom 3:10- 18)

LISTEN…

 

What does my character, conversation and conduct reveal?

Am I a fool, professing to be wise, but my heart is darkened, and I am giving myself increasingly to evil? 

Respond to God…LIVE it out!

 

“Nothing twists and deforms the soul more than a low or unworthy conception of God.” A. W. Tozer

 

5. Who was ‘God fearing’?

a. Abraham, a Jew, who believed, was declared righteous. (Gen 22:12)

b. Cornelius, a Centurion, a righteous, believing Gentile. (Act 10:22)

c. The church, Jews and Gentiles, believers. (Act 17:17)

 

6. What do those who fear the Lord, with a good understanding (knowledge of God), who are wise, do?

Those who fear the Lord:

a. Do His commandments. (Psa 111:10)

b. Hear God’s words and act upon them. (Mat 7:24-27)

We see: It isn’t the one who just hears, or says, but it is the one who does the Word of God.

Understand: Knowledge and wisdom begin when we fear the Lord.

Understand: When we fear the Lord, we have a good understanding, a knowledge of God, that causes us to respond to Him in obedience.

LISTEN…

 

Do I just hear? Or, do I hear and do?

Do I respond to God in obedience?

Respond to God…LIVE it out!

 

“The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else.” Oswald Chambers

We Are Done for the Day!

Shut out the world, and be quiet before the Lord.

Think deeply about all He has shown you in these verses until these Truths become real in your thinking and belief.

God loves you, take the time to have a good chat with Him!

 

Record Your Discovery

Typing what you have LEARNED helps you bury Truth down deep into your head and heart.

I also put the Definitions and Cross References next to these verses in my hardbound Bible.

 

Turn What We LEARNED into Prayer

Perhaps…

OH FATHER GOD, YOU WHO ARE HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS, SO MAJESTIC, we bow before You today with praise for who You are. Oh Father, wisdom begins with a fear of You and the knowledge of You! May we fear You when we sin, and Father, may we love You, honor and respect You, adore You and be in awe of You. Oh, make it our priority to know You, to know Your will and Your ways. And may it not stop there Father, but may You give us the skill, the ability to take that knowledge and understanding of You and apply it to our lives! In that knowledge, that understanding, may we commit to ‘depart’ from – ‘turn’ from – ‘hate’  evil. May we truly hate anything and everything that is bad in a moral and ethical sense! May we examine our hearts today! May we not be fools who despise wisdom, instruction, and knowledge. But rather, knowing that Your wisdom is equated with fearing You, may we truly fear You Father God! I pray that all on this journey in James have received Your wisdom from above, that can only come from You. We ask this in Jesus name! Amen!

 

Next: we will LOOK at how to get God’s wisdom.

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