Proverbs 28:14, Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Life Hack: Reverence for God leads to blessing and joy, while pride and rebellion invite disaster.

Review the series:
- Righteousness brings joy
- Peacemaking brings joy
- Generosity brings joy
- Saying the right thing, the right way, at the right time brings joy
- Good news brings joy

Matthew 10:26, “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”

Matthew 10:28, …Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Fearing the Lord more than circumstances turns anxiety into awareness of God’s holy presence.

Proverbs 26:27, Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.

Many times, God doesn’t have to bring consequences; He just turns us over to our own desires.

Ezekiel 18:21-24, “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.”

Proverbs 1:7, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…

Ezekiel 12:13,14, The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Ezekiel 12:14, For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Nehemiah 8:9-12, And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

Fear of the Lord produces…
1) Reverence

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
- C.S. Lewis

Proverbs 3:5,6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Fear of the Lord produces…
2) Repentance

“No one who’s trying to maintain an image of perfection will be comfortable around Jesus, for in order to sustain the illusion in the face of real perfection, they must either justify themselves or denigrate Him. Only those who are humble and honest about their own sin can stand to be around, let alone love, someone who is truly good.”
- Amy K. Hall, Stand to Reason

Philippians 2:6-8, Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Fear of the Lord produces…
3) Rejoicing

Nehemiah 8:10, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”