What man is he that feareth the Lord? (Quality: very good)

[0:00] The word of God that I must now seek to bring before you this morning you will find in Psalm 25, reading the 12th verse.

[0:16] Psalm 25, reading verse 12. What man is he that feareth the Lord, him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose?

[0:45] Psalm 25, verse 12. What man is he that feareth the Lord, him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose?

[1:06] Our late friend, Miss Scrivener, on more than one occasion, used to tell me how burdened she had often been concerning her own standing in the things of God as to the reality of her religion.

[1:48] And on one particular occasion, was so burdened before the Lord that she scarce knew how to bear it. And the Lord was pleased to bring this word into her heart with power.

[2:06] What man is he that feareth the Lord, him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose?

[2:17] And this brought relief into her soul. And she had to feel something like this.

[2:28] I do not understand the word of God as I would understand it. I do not feel to have been so deeply convinced of sin as some have, which was one of the burdens that so distressed her.

[2:51] This feeling within her soul, and I'm sure there are those here in a very similar case this morning.

[3:02] She felt she had not been so deeply convinced of sin as she should have been, or as she had desired to be.

[3:15] And this, and in many other ways, brought her, as it were, to the feet of Jesus in her need. And so the Lord granted her relief.

[3:29] What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose? This brought light and comfort into her heart.

[3:43] And she felt something like this. Well, I do believe then that the Lord is indeed teaching me, that he is leading me in the way that is pleasing to him.

[3:58] And one further thought concerning our late friend. She said, one thing I can say, and I wonder how many of us could say this here this morning.

[4:13] She said, I can say this, that I fear God. Whatever else she felt she didn't have, I can say this, that I fear God.

[4:29] Now this is a very vital point. And this particular verse commences in this way, and it is in the way of a question.

[4:42] What man is he that feareth the Lord? The Lord help us then, first of all, to look into this part of the verse.

[4:56] We commence by needing to tell you that ever since Adam and Eve fell in the garden of Eden and brought the judgment of God upon them because of their sin.

[5:22] This has continued. We have a hymn that I trust will help us to understand a little of what I would convey to you concerning the fall of man.

[5:41] Because when Adam and Eve fell in the garden of Eden, they, through their sin, as the hymn puts it, he ruined all his future race.

[5:55] The seeds of evil once brought him increased and filled the world with sin. How it has ever been like that? What then can change the seed?

[6:08] What can make men and women, boys and girls, young people, fear God? It must be a sovereign, divine act of God himself.

[6:31] In Psalm 14, indeed, in other places, in the word of God, we have these particular truths conveyed.

[6:43] But in Psalm 14, the opening three verses, we have a description of the condition of all men that have been born upon the face of the earth, without exception, because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

[7:06] There is no man that sinneth not, said Solomon, in that wondrous prayer of the dedication of the temple. There is no man that sinneth not.

[7:17] All have sinned. From the moment, as it were, that Adam and Eve fell, sinned against God, in breaking his command concerning the forbidden fruit, then man fell, then man fell, became sinners in sight of God, fallen sinners.

[7:38] Now in Psalm 14, then, we have a description concerning the natural man, the corruption of a natural man.

[7:55] The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt.

[8:06] They have done abominable works. There is none that doeth good. I mean in the sight of God. I need help to be clear here.

[8:21] All good in the sight of God concerning every good work can only be accepted in the sight of God as it is the work of the Spirit of God by and through the grace of God.

[8:42] And it is such works alone that are acceptable with God. I hope I've made that clear. You see, this word says, there is none that doeth good.

[8:59] All are fallen. And if we are rightly helped to do good, we know that many good things are done in the world itself.

[9:10] But I'm trying to convey this, that all real, gracious, good works that are acceptable to God are as they are done in and through the Lord Jesus.

[9:30] Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Now it is only that that is done in the name of the Lord Jesus that can be accepted with God in a true, gracious sense of the word.

[9:55] Now this goes on then in Psalm 14. And it says, The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God.

[10:13] They are all gone aside. They are all together become filthy. There is none that doeth good. No, not one.

[10:27] This is our condition by nature as fallen sinners. What then can change the scene? What can make us listen to God in his word and in his dealings with us?

[10:47] What can bring us to desire to do that that is right in his sight, to be concerned in our lives? Now here we come, as it were, to the commencement of this subject contained in this verse.

[11:05] What man is he that feareth the Lord? So we must seek to make it clear that the fear of the Lord is a precious grace.

[11:19] It is one of the perfect gifts that come down from the Father of light. Let me just remind you of what the Apostle James says.

[11:32] Every good gift, and there are so many, the many, many things, the many gifts that we receive from the hand of God.

[11:43] Every good gift, and every perfect gift. And perfect gifts, the perfect gifts, are the precious graces of the Spirit that are given from God alone.

[12:01] We may receive good gifts. We do receive good gifts. But it's another thing to receive perfect gifts. You see, the fear of the Lord is one of the perfect gifts that God alone can give.

[12:22] And it is the fear of the Lord implanted within the heart by the Holy Spirit through the new birth that brings men and women to a point in their life where they begin to fear God.

[12:47] What man is he that feareth the Lord? I hope then I can make this clear as we proceed that no man or woman has ever feared God until they have received this gift.

[13:08] No one will ever fear God. God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men. And what have we read together? There was none that doeth good, no, not one.

[13:23] So then, we can only do good rightly as we are motivated by the fear of God. And this is one of the precious gifts which God alone can give.

[13:39] It's not something that we can take ourselves because we have no desire to take it by nature. It can only come from God.

[13:53] The thing that we need to consider today is this. Do I possess the fear of God? Do we have the fear of God in our hearts?

[14:06] I hope the Lord will help me now to speak to you that you may be favoured to know indeed that you do fear God.

[14:17] As dear Miss Scrivener was brought to this point in her life, she could say, I do fear God. Whatever else I lack, and I lack so much, but oh, I do fear God.

[14:31] And the Bible tells us concerning this sacred gift and blessing that it will be well with them that fear God, that fear before him.

[14:46] The fear of the Lord then is a gift that can only come from God. But wherever it is given, and as soon as it is given, it will begin to have an effect upon the hearts of those that have received it.

[15:08] I hope in this way we may be helped, may the Holy Spirit help us to examine our own hearts today, for this is what we need. Examine yourselves to see whether we be in the faith or no.

[15:27] Examine yourselves, prove your own selves, says the Apostle, that we may see whether there is life within our hearts.

[15:41] What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

[15:54] Now in seeking to speak of what this means, that is the fear of the Lord, we would go at once to the life of Saul of Tarsus.

[16:11] We are told in the Bible that before the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, as he is known in the Bible, but before his conversion, he thought thought that he was doing God's service.

[16:31] Many people think that they are doing God's service in various ways. Saul thought that he was doing God's service by persecuting the Lord's people, hailing men and women to prison.

[16:50] But what happened to Saul on the Damascus Road? what was it that changed that man's heart, renewed his will, and turned his feet to Zion's hill?

[17:04] What was it that turned Saul of Tarsus completely round on the Damascus Road? I mean this by way of a figure. It was light that light shone into his soul.

[17:28] We are told that the light that shone upon and in to the soul of Saul of Tarsus was above the brightness of the sun.

[17:42] Now the light that shone from heaven into Saul's heart was the very power of God put forth into that man's heart and life.

[17:59] What did it do for him? It did this. He fell to the earth. He fell to the earth. Now if we have received this gift of the fear of the Lord in our hearts it will have compelled us to fall to the earth.

[18:22] It will have compelled us to fall before God feelingly and we shall have commenced to understand the meaning of the publican's prayer.

[18:38] The hymn that we've been singing 385 and the first verse I just mention it to you. But if you can sing, if you did sing from your heart that hymn 385 then that in itself is an evidence that you fear God.

[19:02] And I just think of the first verse hear gracious God a sinner's cry for I have nowhere else to fly.

[19:13] my hope my only hope's in thee. Oh God be merciful to me.

[19:24] Now if you can feelingly pray the petition in that verse alone from your heart it is an evidence that you fear God.

[19:39] God because no one will ever pray like that until they receive life from heaven brought down to the earth brought as it were to bow their knees before their maker brought to cry for mercy.

[19:59] These are the things that accompany salvation. salvation. The Lord help every one of us then to consider this in this particular way.

[20:11] What man is he that feareth the Lord? We know this that Saul of Tarsus certainly didn't fear God before his conversion.

[20:23] He tells us that a Pharisee of the Pharisees he was full of pride and self-righteousness concerning his attainments in religion and the laws of the fathers.

[20:39] He was well versed. He'd been well educated. He'd been brought up at the feet of Gamaliel a very notable doctor of the law in those days.

[20:51] I think we could rightly say that Saul of Tarsus had a very good education church. And he went on a proud man, a self-righteous man, until that day in his life when God met with him and the light, the light of life which flows from Calvary and it flows through Jesus.

[21:18] I am the light of the world, says Jesus. this powerful, precious, sacred light shone into his very soul and it brought him to the earth.

[21:33] It brought him to cry unto God. What man is he that feareth the Lord? Now another thought concerning Saul is this.

[21:48] we have the record of his first cries unto God. Light had shone into his soul.

[22:01] He'd been brought down. He'd been brought to feel something of his need as a sinner. And what did it do for him? It did this. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what will thou have me to do?

[22:21] So another evidence of the gift of the fear of the Lord within our hearts will always mean that we shall begin to tremble before God.

[22:35] We shall tremble before his holiness, his majesty, and his power. He will make us aware of this in measure, in the measure that is pleasing to him.

[22:51] But we shall know something of what it is to tremble before our maker, to tremble before God, to be brought to cry, and to feel our need of God in the same way as Saul did.

[23:07] Now, I put it to you like this. I wonder how many of you hear could sincerely take up the prayer of Saul this very morning.

[23:22] Has the Lord brought you to tremble? Perhaps you've known something of what it is to be astonished at the Lord's dealings with you. You may even have been brought, and this in a way is in a different context, that you may have been brought during this past week to say with Job, show me wherefore thou contendest with me.

[23:50] There may be things in your life you cannot understand, or fathom. You need light. And if you've been brought to fear God, you will understand what is penned in the book of Job in another place, where it says this, what I see not, teach thou me.

[24:13] What I see not, teach thou me. And that again is an evidence of the fear of God working within our hearts.

[24:24] But now again, concerning Saul, can we take up the petitions that he uttered on that occasion, and he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

[24:44] I wonder if there are those here this morning in particular need. You may be in felt need of direction in your life. You may be in felt need of guidance in your life.

[25:00] You may be in felt need for the Lord to bless you in your soul. you've come to chapel with the same cry as the Greeks expressed in the word of God where they said, Sir, we would see Jesus.

[25:16] God will take up this petition. But whatever way, or whatever your case is this morning, can you take up this petition?

[25:27] And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Now if you can take that up, and the Lord's dear people, as life is implanted within them, the fear of the Lord is given to them, this is how they begin to live.

[25:50] This is a sign of life. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? How often we need to make decisions, how often we need guidance, how often we need the Lord in our life.

[26:06] So I repeat this and say this to you, hoping it may be some comfort, but if you can take up that petition in the same way, that is, knowing what it is to tremble, and perhaps to be astonished in the Lord's dealings with you, and yet recognising it to be the Lord's dealing with you.

[26:30] And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Now that is an evidence of life, because you need God, you need the Lord, you need a Saviour, you need God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost in your life.

[26:57] You're beginning to be a Trinitarian, a believer, one who believes that there is a triune Jehovah, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

[27:14] What man is he that feareth the Lord? So then it is to be brought to bow before God as sinners, to feel our need of God in our life, to feel our need of the Lord's mercy and favour and blessing.

[27:36] we shall come so often with the psalmist in another place, perhaps you are there this morning, teach me thy way, O Lord, lead me in thy truth and teach me, show me what I have to do, every hour my strength renew, let me live a life of faith, let me die thy people's death.

[28:00] what man is he that feareth the Lord? Now, there are other graces that will always accompany the fear of the Lord received in the heart.

[28:24] Vital need that the Lord will make known to every living soul. And another evidence of possessing this sacred gift is that we shall also feel our need of faith.

[28:44] We shall feel our need of faith, which is one another of the perfect gifts that come alone from God. Without faith, it is impossible to please him.

[28:59] And those that possess the fear of the Lord, their desire is that they may please God. They want to please God. In pleasing him, their pleasure is placed, and his delight is placed in them.

[29:17] Now you will feel your need of faith. And yet it is something that we shall need to cry for unto our God.

[29:32] Let me just go back to Saul for a moment. When he cried and trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

[29:45] And the Lord said unto him, you see how the Lord answered him? the Lord said unto him, arise and go into the city and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

[30:05] The Lord said unto him, arise. There was something that he must now do. There was a command that he must obey.

[30:18] now he could not have arisen and gone into the city without the gift of faith. You see, he now needed faith.

[30:34] And the Lord gave him faith. Arise and go into the city and it shall be told thee what thou must do. Now you see, as Saul went into the city, he arose from the earth, he went into the city, in his case, he couldn't see, he had to be lent, but he must go into the city.

[31:01] Now he could not have gone into the city without having received the gift of faith. But he received that gift because he did what the Lord commanded him.

[31:16] He did arise, he did go into the city and in going into the city he then received further answers to prayer. He received wondrous answers to prayer and he received his sight and arose and was baptized.

[31:38] What man is he that feareth the Lord? God. Now again in coming to a close this morning thinking of this wondrous gift what man is he that feareth the Lord?

[32:00] Another way in which we may be favoured to know that we possess this precious gift is in the effect of it in our life.

[32:13] We've mentioned the gift of faith. What do we read concerning Obadiah in the days of King Ahab?

[32:30] We are told this about Obadiah that he was in a responsible position in the household of King Ahab.

[32:41] Well what are we told about Obadiah? We are told this now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.

[32:55] Now what was the effect of this in his life? You can read about it for yourself but I feel we could put it like this that where and as the fear of the Lord is imparted and implanted it will also be accompanied with its fair partner love.

[33:18] It will be accompanied with faith God's gift but it will also be accompanied with the gift of love. Fear is a grace that ever dwells with its fair partner love.

[33:33] blending their beauties both proclaim their source is from above. Now what was the effect of the fear of the Lord in the life of Obadiah?

[33:45] Well he took all those prophets of the Lord and hid them in a cave and he fed them with bread and water. Now there you have the effects of the fear of the Lord.

[34:02] Faith motivating the soul. You also have the effect of love moving Obadiah. We know this that when he took the prophets of the Lord and hid them in a cave as he did that he was motivated by the fear of the Lord.

[34:25] He was motivated by God given faith he was also motivated by love. We could say of the fear of the Lord it is like love in action.

[34:42] What man is he that feareth the Lord him shall he teach in the way that he shall chew. You see Obadiah was motivated to do something to do something for the cause of God and he did it not without great danger to himself in his own life.

[35:08] So you owe that you might see then at least a little of what the effect of the fear of the Lord will do in a person's life and in simple words it will motivate us it will move us it will be like a monitor that is in our heart and indeed it is true of the fear of the Lord that it is an unctuous night to all that's right and a bar to all that's wrong Amen down to saúde handed b in a andje