Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the starting place of wisdom, allowing us to understand and live according to God's holy and pure standards.
Chuck Smith emphasizes that the fear of the Lord is the foundational starting point for wisdom, urging believers to recognize the importance of reverential awe towards God. He discusses the desire for new beginnings in life, highlighting that true wisdom begins with yielding one's will to God and living to please Him. Smith warns against the high tolerance for evil in society and the need to hate evil as part of fearing the Lord. He stresses that understanding holiness is crucial for gaining true knowledge and wisdom.
Text
"THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM"
Intro: In 1:6, we are told "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge. Different Hebrew words translated beginning in one-six
word means sum total. Here, the Hebrew word means primary or
commencement, starting place.
I. THE DESIRE TO BEGIN AGAIN.
A. There are certain days set.
1. New years.
2. Birthday or anniversaries.
B. I want to start over fresh.
1. I hope to have better wisdom.
2. I want to avoid the follies of my past.
3. I'm starting my new diet tomorrow.
C. There is for us no true beginning.
1. Everything has been preceded by something else.
a. If I desire to plant an Avocado tree.
b. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
c. I may desire to start anew, but there is all my
past HET.
D. Where can I begin.? "The fear of the Lord is the starting place
of wisdom.
II. WHAT IS MEANT BY, "THE FEAR OF THE LORD?"
A. The classical definition is reverential awe.
1. This is more than bowing my head when I pray.
2. Or removing my hat when I come inside the church
building. 3. This means giving God proper place in my
life.
a. Yielding my will to His.
b. Living to please Him rather than myself.
c. Seeking to love the things God loves and hating
the things God hates.
B. "To fear the Lord is to hate evil."
1. We have developed a high tolerance for evil.
a. We have been glutted with evil.
1. Survey indicates that by the time your
child graduates from High School, watched
16,000 murders.
2. Evil no longer shocks.
3. No longer a strong revulsion.
4. We've been too satiated with it.
2. Those doing evil are demanding acceptance.
a. Our bachelor governor pushed for the consenting
adult bill.
1. He pressed for anti-discrimination laws
to protect those with sexual preferences.
2. Featured guest for the fund raising
dinner for gay rights.
b. In the name of freedom, people are being let
into bondage.
1. Bondage of their own flesh.
2. Your flesh is the world's greatest
tyrant.
c. The public school system is dominated by
humanistic teaching.
1. A Dr. Simon has introduced a concept
known as value clarification.
a. It's okay to lie, steal, cheat,
have sex, if that's a part of
your value system and you have
clarified these values for
yourself.
1. Makes own choice freely, must
disregard what he was taught by
parent or church.
2. Investigate all alternatives.
3. Weigh the consequence of each.
4. Select what you prize most.
5. Make public affirmation of
choice.
6. Act on choice.
7. Adopt it as your lifestyle.
C. The knowledge of the Holy is understanding.
1. What is holy or pure?
Sermon Outline
- The Desire to Begin Again
- Desire for a fresh start
- Desire to avoid past follies
- No true beginning, past precedes present
- The fear of the Lord is the starting place of wisdom
Key Quotes
“The fear of the Lord is the starting place of wisdom.” — Chuck Smith
“To fear the Lord is to hate evil.” — Chuck Smith
“The knowledge of the Holy is understanding.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- We must recognize the destructive nature of evil and seek to live according to God's holy and pure standards.
- We must yield our will to God and live to please Him rather than ourselves.
- We must seek to love the things God loves and hate the things God hates.