WYTHENSHAWE COMMUNITY CHURCH SUNDAY SERVICE

BY PASTOR RASOL MANOUCHEHRI ARDAKANI

Recorded on Sunday, 01 January 2023

The fear of the Lord is a topic mentioned frequently in Scripture, especially in the book of Proverbs. It is not the slavish fear of a criminal before a judge but the loving and respectful fear of a child for his or her parents.

If we want to understand God’s works and God’s Word, we must maintain this reverential fear of the Lord, for this attitude is the basis for receiving spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Job 28:28 (NIV) 28 And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

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

The word “beginning” means “the principal part,” and without this we are unprepared to learn God’s truth. But fearing the Lord leads to obeying the Lord, and obedience is important to spiritual understanding (see John 7:17).