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[0:01] Well, good evening. Let's start with a word of prayer as we begin to look into God's word. Will you please pray with me?

[0:12] Our Heavenly Father, you've promised that whoever would ask for wisdom, that you would give it. You would not begrudge us our need.

[0:26] And so here we are. We need to have insight. We need to have clarity of thought. And your word brings us light.

[0:38] Light to see our world. Light to see ourselves. And light to see you. And so I pray that you would now come, Holy Spirit, and help me as I preach.

[0:52] And for those who are listening at home, I pray that you would bless them with your presence, with your instruction. That you would work in them.

[1:03] And new thoughts or greater thoughts or clearer thoughts of you. I pray this in Jesus' name. For his sake. Amen. Well, one day when the world was a quieter place and cars were still a novelty, and to see one was an exciting thing.

[1:24] A baby otter. A baby otter got lost. And Mr. And Mr. And Mrs. Otter were beside themselves with worry, as you would be if you had lost a child.

[1:36] And their friends, rat and mole, went looking for baby otter. And as they made their way into the back part of the back water, part of the river, they stumbled right into the presence of God.

[1:57] And the most surprising thing to happen. And suddenly, the mole felt a great awe fall upon him.

[2:09] An awe that turned his muscles to water, bowed his head, and rooted his feet to the ground. That's what the awe did.

[2:20] It turned his muscles to water, and it bowed down his head, and it rooted his feet to the ground. It was no panic terror. Indeed, he felt wonderfully at peace and happy.

[2:35] Rat, he whispered, shaking. Are you afraid? Afraid? Rat's eyes shining with unutterable love.

[2:49] Afraid of him? Oh, never, never. And yet, and yet, oh mole, I am afraid.

[3:03] And then the animals, crouching to the earth, bowed down their heads and did worship. That's where wisdom begins.

[3:19] That's where the book of Proverbs begins. That's the fear of the Lord. Feet rooted in the ground. Feet rooted in the earth. Unutterable love and peace and joy.

[3:32] And yet, at the same time, this fear. This fear that overwhelms you and pulls you down, down to the ground.

[3:43] Now, that is one of my favorite passages. It's from The Wind of the Willows. It's one of my favorite passages I've ever read. Because with all my heart, I know I was made for that.

[3:59] I know that that is where I am going. And my heart yearns for it. And that is the fear of the Lord. And that is the beginning of wisdom.

[4:11] If wisdom is a path, and step by step we're going to become wise. And remember, that is what the agenda, what God's agenda is for the book of Proverbs to make us wise.

[4:25] Then verse 7 says that the fear of the Lord is where that path starts. We don't go anywhere in our pursuit of wisdom if we don't begin here.

[4:40] This is the trailhead. This is where the path begins. And so you start with getting with rat and mole, feet rooted in the ground, with love and awe perfectly combined for God in your heart.

[4:58] And so we started this series on the book of Proverbs. And last time we saw what wisdom is. And do you remember the definition I gave you for what wisdom is?

[5:12] It's understanding the fabric of God's world. And then living in harmony with it. But there's this caveat.

[5:23] But you're never going to completely understand it. Because you are dealing with someone who is far, far above you. It's understanding the fabric of God's world and then living in harmony with it.

[5:38] With the grain. And so you're seeing reality in all of its complexity. And if you don't see the complexity, it's because you're not looking closely enough. It's gears within gears.

[5:51] It's too much to comprehend. But you are seeing something of it. What it is. How it works. And then wisdom is living in harmony with it.

[6:03] It's bending before it. So the fool is blind to reality. He hides his eyes from reality. Or he sees it and demands that it bends to him.

[6:19] It bends to her. Instead of bending to reality, you make reality. You insist that reality should bend to you. And you should have your way. And so the fool is sure she's right.

[6:33] And she's so surprised and angry when it blows up in her face. When reality turns around and slaps her across the face.

[6:46] C.S. Lewis, 70 years ago, couldn't be more relevant for today when he said this. For the wise men of old, the cardinal problem, the chief problem, had been how to conform the soul to reality.

[7:05] And the answer was wisdom. So the philosophers, the wise men of old, thought, how do I conform my soul to reality?

[7:18] And the answer was wisdom. But now the problem is, in today's world, today's culture, and that was true 70 years ago and how much more true it is today.

[7:30] The problem now is how to subdue reality to the desires of men. Isn't that so true? Am I male or am I female?

[7:44] Am I male? Well, don't look in the mirror at what is staring you right in the face. Don't look at reality that is so abundantly clear, if you have eyes to see.

[7:58] Make reality bend to your soul. Then make everyone join you in your delusion. And change the definitions.

[8:08] And change reality by whatever means you can. And no one dare say that the emperor has no clothes on.

[8:22] So professing to be wise, we become fools. Unable and unwilling. Unwilling to see reality. And that has been true for as long as men have engaged in this rebellion with Satan.

[8:39] We suppress the truth in unrighteousness. And we're completely unwilling to bow to it. And instead demanding that the whole world, animate and inanimate, bow to me.

[8:54] So the fool says in his heart, there's no God. The throne is empty. It's up for grabs. I'll take it. We're completely free. We're completely free. We're completely free. And Satan laughs.

[9:07] And we kill ourselves. Proverbs 5 talks about the simple, who dies for lack of discipline.

[9:18] That's bending to reality. By coming and subduing yourself to it. Or being subdued by it. For lack of discipline, he dies.

[9:30] Led astray by his own great folly. Discipline is bowing before the greatest reality of all. And God exists.

[9:44] And God is God. And I am not. Well, that's where we start on this path of wisdom.

[9:54] Do you want to be wise? Do you want to enjoy everything that the book of Proverbs promises that offers to those who pursue wisdom?

[10:09] Well, this is where that path begins. It doesn't begin in school. It doesn't begin in a college. It doesn't begin by reading lots of books or something like that.

[10:22] It begins right here with something in your heart, with your relationship to God. Verse 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

[10:34] It's the ABCs of knowledge. It is what the alphabet is to Shakespeare. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

[10:47] But fools despise wisdom and discipline. And so tonight we're going to look at the fear of the Lord. And we're going to look at it under four headings. The gift of the fear of the Lord.

[11:00] The heart. The actions. And the pursuit. The gift. The heart. The actions. And then the pursuit of the fear of the Lord.

[11:14] And so first is the gift of the fear of the Lord. That I would ever have this fear of God. That we're going to find out about.

[11:26] That rat and mole experienced in some way. That I would ever experience that in some sort of day-to-day fashion. Is a gift from God.

[11:40] And that's where we have to begin. See because my old heart was a dead heart. It was dead to God. Unresponsive. Unimpressed.

[11:51] That's the word. Unimpressed. With God. Pharaoh said who is the Lord that I should obey him? Unimpressed. And I know that. I get that.

[12:03] Because that was me. Fools despise wisdom and discipline. Fools despise seeing God. Understanding and knowing him. And then bowing before him. So folly is rooted in this relational problem that I have with God.

[12:22] And then so what hope do we ever have of becoming wise? If we don't even get to the beginning of the path. No one is righteous.

[12:35] Not even one. There's no one who understands. No one who seeks God. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

[12:46] Now every now and then in God's common grace. We might stumble upon some wisdom. And that is certainly true. There is wisdom by God's common grace in the world.

[12:57] But we are never going to be on the path. We are never going to make strides. We are never going to go from wisdom to wisdom. In this upward path. We are never going to become those beautiful, impressive, solid, kind, little Christ.

[13:16] That wisdom would make us be. Ready to serve in the kingdom of God. Ready to live in the palace of the Lord. Unless God does something. Unless the Holy Spirit comes to these dead hearts.

[13:30] And makes us alive. The fear of the Lord. Even to get to step one on this path. Is grace. For stupid. Foolish. Sinners.

[13:42] Jeremiah 32. I will inspire them to fear me. Parents, what a prayer. To pray for your young person. Your teenager.

[13:53] Lord, inspire them. To fear you. To see you. They don't fear me. Jeremiah is talking about. The Israelites under the old covenant.

[14:04] And the great mass of them. They didn't fear him. And the Lord says. I will inspire my people in the new covenant. To fear me. I'll come down to them. And show them myself.

[14:15] And I will convince them. They're so unimpressed. But I will impress them. I will make it impossible for them. To not fear me. To not love me.

[14:26] To not see me as great and good. He's not going to do it in such a way that. Like forces and breaks. And it is against their will. But he's going to so overwhelm their hearts.

[14:37] With his greatness and his goodness. That they will have no other choice in their heart. But to fear me. Men. Don't ever climb up.

[14:49] To see the face of God. To know God. Men don't ever come. In their own wisdom.

[15:02] The world through its wisdom. Did not know him. First Corinthians 1 talks about. God. In grace. Reaches down.

[15:15] To blind. Foolish sinners. And he gives us. This fear. He. Implants it in our hearts. He implants us.

[15:26] By making us alive. By pouring out. His Holy Spirit on us. Isaiah 11 says. That the spirit. Is the spirit of wisdom. And understanding. The spirit of counsel.

[15:37] And of power. The spirit of knowledge. And the fear. Of the Lord. He comes to us. And he gives us. This grace. Of the fearing him.

[15:49] Now why is this so important. To know that this is a gift. Because. You'll never get anywhere. In the book of Proverbs. If you. If you miss.

[16:00] This. This. This whole thing. This whole point. You'll. You'll miss everything. About it. The Proverbs. And wisdom. Is grace. From God.

[16:11] And you'll miss. The whole thing. Until you're born again. Until you have a new heart. That sees God differently. That sees you differently. That. Instead of being.

[16:22] Supremely. Unimpressed. With him. You. Are. Supremely. Impressed. You must be born again. Wisdom is a gift of God.

[16:34] To his children. And every one of his children. Partake. Of it. Proverbs is a gospel. Book. And so don't read its pages.

[16:46] Don't try to apply it. Without first. Coming. To Jesus Christ. Without taking life. From him. Because it will do you no good.

[16:58] You'll get bits and pieces of it. But those bits and pieces. You will twist. And misinterpret. And misunderstand. To your own destruction. Step number one. In the book of Proverbs. Is get.

[17:09] To Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Christ. Christ. Because from him. Every spiritual blessing flows. Every spiritual blessing. Comes through him. And so through him.

[17:19] We have the spirit. Of the fear of the Lord. And as we are connected. To Jesus Christ. The one who lived in him. Without measure. The spirit of the fear of the Lord.

[17:31] Comes to us. And we take part in him. So that's the gift. It's all of grace. It's all of grace.

[17:41] It's all of grace. Know how we need it. Number two. What is the heart. Of the fear of the Lord. So we've seen the gift. Now the heart. Of the fear of the Lord. What does it look like.

[17:52] In the heart. Well let me give you. Let me give you an example. If I. If I or you. Were to meet Shaquille O'Neal. So.

[18:04] There he is. Hello. Shaq. So. Incredible. And cool. To see you. You're. You're on. The Mount Rushmore. NBA centers.

[18:15] Of all time. And there he is. All seven foot. One. Two. Or whatever he is. Of him. Now let me ask you. Would I ever see him?

[18:30] Would I ever be able to get to know him? Would I ever be able to have a relationship with him? Would I ever be able to see his face? See his smile? Understand what he is trying to do?

[18:41] To say. If I was trying to look down on him. If I was trying to look down on him. Would I ever see his face? Would I ever get to know him? If I insisted on looking down.

[18:54] On him. And I mean that physically. No. The only way to see Shaquille O'Neal's face. For 99.9999% of the population.

[19:06] Is if you quit trying to look down. And instead you look up to him. You quit looking. Trying to look down on him. And you say.

[19:17] Oh I have to look up. To see this person. Where does wisdom start? What is the fear of the Lord? It's when you quit trying to look down on God.

[19:30] Quit your pride. The heart of the fear of the Lord is humility. I'm quoting C.S. Lewis a lot lately. Forgive me if I do it again. He says this.

[19:42] In God. You come up against something. Which is in every respect. Immeasurably. Superior. To yourself. And unless you know God is that.

[19:54] And therefore you know yourself. As nothing. In comparison. You do not know God at all. If you don't know that he's infinitely. And surpassingly greater.

[20:05] Than you. Then. And you're nothing compared to him. Then you don't know God at all. As long as you are proud. You cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things.

[20:19] And people. And of course. As long as you are looking down. You cannot see something that is above you. As long as you're looking down.

[20:32] From your high perch. You'll never see anything. Above you. Stupid. Foolish man. Looks down on the sun.

[20:44] And wonders. Why he can't see. Foolish man judges. And argues. And tries to put God. In his place. And in his wisdom.

[20:56] He never. Knows him. What's the heart of the fear of the Lord? It's rat and mole. Rooted.

[21:08] With their feet. Rooted in the ground. And then bowing. Down. You'll never become wise. You'll never. Ever. Ever. Ever. Become wise.

[21:19] As long as God is small. And you are big. And in whatever part of your life. Where you have blown yourself up out of proportion. And God is smaller than what he is.

[21:32] That is the point of your folly. That's where you don't have wisdom. And so you'll be forever trying to bend God's world. To your imagination.

[21:42] And you'll be surprised again. When it turns around and smacks you. Across the face. You aren't God. You aren't the center and measure of all things.

[21:57] He is the king of ages. Revelation 15 says. He is the king. Of ages. Who will not fear him?

[22:08] It's more than humility though. It's not just humility. It's trust. Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

[22:20] One of the most famous verses in Proverbs. Proverbs 29.25. Fear of man will prove to be a snare. But whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Fear and trust.

[22:31] Fear and trust man. Or fear and trust God. Proverbs 28.26. He who trusts in himself is a fool. But he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

[22:45] Trust in yourself. Is the opposite of trusting God. And fearing God. And so it's not just that God is great. And that God is surpassingly above you.

[22:56] That is true. But that is not enough. To put the fear of the Lord. Like the Bible talks about. Into your hearts. Just that. Would horrify you.

[23:08] And would not create any sort of love. Or service. Or wisdom in you. So it has to be. That humility has to be joined. That not only is God great.

[23:19] And high above you. But he is good. And he loves me. He loves me. And I can trust him. And so the fear of the Lord.

[23:30] It empties us. And faith. Are those hands. That receive. Him. And trust him. But not only is it humility.

[23:41] And faith. It's love too. Love for him. Deuteronomy 6. Moses says. I'm teaching you these commands. He gathers all the people. And he says. I'm teaching you these commands.

[23:51] So that you might fear the Lord. As long as you live. And then two verses later. Two verses later.

[24:02] He says. Love the Lord your God. With all your heart. And mind. And soul. And strength. Fearing the Lord. Is loving him. Finding him supremely.

[24:14] Lovable. So that everything that he is. Draws out all that you are. In love. That's the fear of the Lord. It is not this dread.

[24:26] This terror. And this panic. That has no love. And humility. And doesn't see anything of God's goodness. So it's humility towards God. It's faith in God.

[24:37] It's love for God. Is this starting to sound familiar? But what about hope? That fourth Christian grace. That we're going to get to someday. Lord willing.

[24:48] Psalm 147 11. The Lord delights. He delights in those who fear him. Who put their hope. In his unfailing love.

[25:02] Fear of the Lord is humility. Faith. Love. And hope. It's the opposite of a hard heart. Pharaoh was unimpressed. And he hardened.

[25:12] His heart. He wouldn't bend. He wouldn't receive God's word. He hardened it. Toward God. Proverbs 28. One. Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord.

[25:25] But he who hardens his heart. Falls into trouble. So the fear of the Lord. Is this teachable spirit.

[25:36] This open. Receptive. Spirit. The fear of the Lord teaches. Wisdom. It's so.

[25:49] The fear of the Lord is this death to our egos. It's death to our self. Assured. Opinions. It's death to thinking.

[26:01] I know better than anyone else. I don't need counsel. I just have what I need here. And instead of looking here for answers.

[26:11] I'm humble before God. And I'm awake. And I'm alive. God exists. And he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

[26:22] And I'm awake to his grandeur. And I'm awake to his goodness. I am awake to his greatness. And his glory. And I'm awake to his wrath. There is.

[26:34] In the fear of the Lord. In awareness. God's wrath. I'm awake to his sovereignty. I'm awake to his rights. And I'm awake to his grace.

[26:49] But with you there is forgiveness. Forgiveness. Psalm 130 verse 4. But with you there is forgiveness. Therefore you are feared. Have you known that fear?

[27:02] That forgiveness produces? It's not terror. But it's this love. This esteem. That you have for him. He is so good. He's been so merciful to me.

[27:19] How could I sin against him? He's forgiven me so much. This is where wisdom begins. This is the heart.

[27:30] It's now ready to walk the path of wisdom. Until this heart is in some way put into you. In some way growing in you. The book of Proverbs is going to be a closed book to you.

[27:43] So the gift. The heart. And now the actions. To have the fear of the Lord is to be alive.

[27:57] It's to be alive to God. And where there's life there's action. There's movement. The fear of the Lord is this heart engaged with God. And when a heart is engaged with God. When your heart is engaged and alive and connected.

[28:09] You are connected to something. And someone. Who will. Certainly. And definitely. Do something.

[28:21] In your life. You cannot. You cannot come in contact with God. And nothing happened. That's why James is able to say. The faith. Without works is dead. The.

[28:31] Real faith. There's life. There's action. So what does the fear of God do? How does it work itself out? Well in a certain way.

[28:42] The book of Proverbs is. Is the answer to that question. What does the fear of the Lord look like in real life? Well. Read the whole book of Proverbs. But what can we say more specifically? Well.

[28:53] One. The fear of the Lord makes you depart. From evil. It makes you repent. And shun evil. Proverbs 16. Five. By the fear of the Lord. Men depart from evil. They. They turn from it. Job 1.

[29:04] Eight. Remember the Lord is talking to Satan. And he says. Have you considered my servant Job? There's no one on earth like him. A man who fears God. And shuns evil.

[29:18] Proverbs 3. Seven. Fear the Lord. And shun evil. Joseph saying. How can I do such a thing? And sin. Against God. The fear of the Lord.

[29:30] Has this expulsive power. This. This pushing out. Explosive power. It expels sin. From the heart. It turns us. Against our own sin.

[29:42] So to love. And trust. And be humble. Before God. It purifies the heart. It cleanses it. And so when you have this big view of God. And you're trusting in him. And he's great.

[29:53] That cleanses you. Of the idols. You don't need them. You don't want them. You see them finally. For the paltry. Disgusting.

[30:04] Nauseating. Things that they are. And so we shun evil. It's more than shunning evil though. It's thinking about God. All the time.

[30:15] It's connecting him to. To your circumstances. All the time. It's this habit of mine. That says. I put the Lord at my right hand. He's always before me. And so in all your ways.

[30:27] You acknowledge him. You say. He's here. You present. You know he's present. You acknowledge him.

[30:40] It's like you go into a room. And you're. There's a lot of people. And you. See. Him. There. And he registers.

[30:51] On your conscience. And you greet him. You see him. All your ways. Acknowledge him. Where is God?

[31:01] He's right here. He's in this decision. This situation. Now in this pride. The wicked man. Does not seek him. He has no room for him. In any of his thoughts.

[31:13] The fear of the Lord. Fills your minds. With thoughts for God. And so the fear of the Lord. Is Christ dwelling. In your mind. By faith. He's this light. Shining. In your mind.

[31:23] So he's present. And we see everything. In his light. And so he. We sing it. He's my best thought. By day or by night. Waking or sleeping. Thy presence.

[31:34] My light. How do you live. This. In this world. With light. How do you make decisions. With light. With. Where you see things.

[31:45] As they are. And you have clarity. And vision. Well you do it with God. In your mind. And so that's why. The way of the wise. Shines.

[31:56] Brighter and brighter. It's like. The more they're. Living in this wisdom. The more they're living. In the fear of the Lord. The brighter. And the clearer. The world.

[32:07] Becomes. It's the difference between. Walking through your living room. Walking through your child's. Bedroom. With the Legos. Scattered everywhere. In the dark. For doing it with.

[32:18] All. The lights on. You're thinking. Of the Lord. It's surrendering. To his will. The fear of the Lord. Does this.

[32:28] It surrenders. Us. To God's will. Abraham. Sacrifice. Your son. Isaac. And Abraham. Does it. At least.

[32:38] He gets right. To the very edge. And so. God knows. That he will do it. And God. Comes and says. Now I know. You fear God. Now I know.

[32:49] You fear me. Psalm 103. Talks about. Three times. Those who fear. The Lord. From everlasting.

[33:00] To everlasting. The Lord's love. Is with those who fear him. With those. Who keep his precepts. Or keep his covenant. And remember. To obey his precepts. Wisdom is more.

[33:12] Than obedience. We're going to see. This. As we go along. Wisdom is more. Than morality. Wisdom is more. Than obeying.

[33:22] The. God's rules. But it is not. Less than. Obedience. The fear of God. Changes my heart. So that I want. To obey him. So I see.

[33:33] The reasonableness. And the goodness. Of his laws. And his commands. And I'm inclined. To obey him. So. The fear of the Lord. Surrenders. My will.

[33:44] To his will. And that's why. In the garden. Jesus said. Not my will. But your will be done. Because he was filled. With the Holy Spirit. The spirit of the fear. Of the Lord.

[33:58] The fear of the Lord. Is fitting in. And submitting. To your brothers and sisters. In the church. Ephesians 5. 1. Or Ephesians.

[34:09] Not 5. 1. But Ephesians 5. Submit to one another. Out of reverence. Or out of fear. Of Christ. If you're acting proud.

[34:22] If you're acting willful. And you're saying. But what about my rights? What about my opinions? And you're not thinking about.

[34:33] Your brothers and sisters. Opinions or rights. What they want. My freedom. That's what I'm really concerned about. That's not fearing Christ.

[34:48] That's still being puffed up. It's the opposite of the fear of the Lord. And so you get a big view of Jesus. And that will shrink you down.

[34:58] Where you start fitting in. You start submitting. To your brothers and sisters. As Ephesians 5 says. And again. We could say more. The whole book of Proverbs.

[35:11] It is. What does the fear of the Lord look like? What is it? How does it work itself out? That's enough for now. Let's get to our last point. The pursuit.

[35:22] Do you want to be wise? Well here's where you get on the road. This is the narrow wicket gate.

[35:34] For the path of wisdom. And it's the same narrow wicket gate. For salvation. It starts at the foot of the cross. It really does.

[35:48] Where a big. Great. Holy God. Sacrificed. His perfect.

[35:58] Holy son. For a sinner. For sinners. Where the wise one.

[36:10] Died. For fools. Because he loved them. And so how do you grow in this. In this sense. In this principle.

[36:21] The fear of the Lord. That's the question.

[36:33] Maybe you say. I have the beginnings of it. Maybe you're like me. You're saying. And your heart is desperately saying. I want to grow in this. I want more of this.

[36:44] I need this. I want more of this fear. How do you grow in it? You get a good view. You keep going deeper and deeper.

[36:54] Into the. Into the gospel. That's. That's true. In the broader sense. Deuteronomy 31. 12. Helps. It tells us.

[37:05] How we can grow in this fear. It really does. Help us. To see this. How we pursue this. And Moses is saying. Assemble the people.

[37:16] He's talking about. After they come into the land. What are these people. Going to do. How should they.

[37:26] How should they carry on. And he says. Well. You'll need to assemble the people. Which of them. Well. The men. And the women. And the children. And the aliens.

[37:37] Living in your towns. So they can listen. And learn. To fear the Lord. Your God. Their children. Who do not know this law. Must hear it.

[37:49] And learn. To fear. The Lord. Your God. So children. Two times. Are mentioned. Hear it. Hear the word.

[38:00] Learn it. Know this book. And you'll learn. To fear the Lord. John Bunyan said. If he drinks in much.

[38:12] He fears him greatly. If he drinks in. But a little. He fears him. But a little. If he does not drink in it.

[38:23] In at all. He does not fear him. At all. How. Moses. How are we going to grow.

[38:34] In the spirit of the Lord. Learn this book. Learn the God. Of this book. Drink it in. Apply your heart.

[38:46] Your heart. And your mind. To this book. Drink it in. With a merry heart. In Atlanta. There are.

[38:58] Express lanes. That go through. The middle of the city. And it's outside of the normal. Interstate traffic. And you have to pay a price. To get on the express lanes.

[39:13] But to get on them. To pay the price. And to get on those roads. Is to make quick progress. And I've desperately. I've driven through Atlanta.

[39:23] I don't know how many times. I've wanted to be on them. But I don't have. The peach pass. I haven't paid the price. And so I go. Crawling.

[39:34] Through the city of Atlanta. With all the traffic. Are you. Slowed down. To a crawl. On your pursuit.

[39:45] In your pursuit of wisdom. Get. Let me just say. Get out of the common road. Buy the peach pass. Pay the price. And get into God's.

[39:57] Word. Change. Lanes. Everyone else is going down this road. Get into another road. Pull into the lane. The express lane.

[40:07] Of God's word. And dig in. And now. As we begin. The first. Ten chapters. Of the book of Proverbs.

[40:18] You are going to hear. Ten. Ten. Ten. Verse. Nine chapters. You are going to hear. Ten times. The father. Pleading.

[40:30] With his son. Listen to me. Accept. My words. Receive them. My son. If you accept my words. And store up. My commands. Within you. Turning your ear.

[40:41] To wisdom. And applying your heart. To understanding. Then you will understand. The fear of the Lord. You'll grow. In this. This. This. Thing.

[40:51] That we've been talking about. Where we. See God as good. And great. And it transforms my heart. He says. You apply your heart. To the word of God. You apply your heart. To what I am saying. You will understand.

[41:02] The fear of the Lord. And you will find. The knowledge. Of God. You. Will know. God. Better. How do you grow.

[41:15] How do you pursue. How do you pursue. The fear of the Lord. You. You get in. To the Bible. Brothers and sisters.

[41:29] And young people. Young people. Let's. Let's begin reading our Bibles. Let's renew. The reading. And the hearing. Of God's word.

[41:40] And let's dig in. And let's have. Dealings. With him. Who is wisdom. Himself. And then you will become wise. Let's pray.

[41:52] Heavenly Father. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the clarity. And the truth of it. Thank you for the way. That it. Pierces our hearts. And. Brings us up short.

[42:03] And makes us to see ourselves. And it measures us. And it weighs us. And we know. We have been found wanting. We've wanted wisdom.

[42:14] We've wanted to know. The fear of the Lord. To some degree. But not like we ought to. Oh Holy Spirit. Come. And inspire us. To fear. The Lord. Inspire us.

[42:27] To fear you. Bring us to the foot. Of the cross. Where we can see ourselves. Clearly. And see our God clearly. The Holy One.

[42:40] Doing something so. Sacred. So amazing. So terrible. And good. For us.

[42:52] And in the light of the cross. Make us to see everything. To understand you. To understand ourselves. To understand the world. That we might begin.

[43:02] To understand this path. To understand this path. Of fearing the Lord. Pray that for myself. Pray that for our young people. I pray it for all of our people.

[43:13]  For Jesus sake. Amen.