Living a Blessed Life Through Fear and Obedience

Summary

### Summary

Today, we gathered to celebrate and proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ, lifting our voices in worship and praise. We were reminded of the power of God's love and the testimony of His grace in our lives. As we transitioned into the sermon, we focused on Psalm 112, exploring what it means to live a blessed life. The central theme was that God's blessings are not random but conditional, based on our fear of the Lord and obedience to His commandments.

We discussed how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and how it should lead us to a joyful obedience to His commands. This fear is not about being terrified but about having a deep reverence and respect for God, understanding His holiness and our position as His creation. Obedience, in this context, is not a burdensome task but a delightful act of love and trust in God's wisdom and goodness.

The sermon highlighted that blessings are not just material but encompass various aspects of life, including our families, finances, and personal well-being. We examined the 14 results of a blessed life as outlined in Psalm 112, such as successful children, wealth, lasting good deeds, and a legacy of righteousness. These blessings are available to anyone who fears the Lord and delights in His commandments.

We were encouraged to reflect on our lives and see if they align with the blessings described in the Psalm. If not, we were urged to seek God's guidance, repent from our ways, and commit to a life of fear and obedience to Him. The message concluded with a call to prayer, asking God to help us live in a way that attracts His blessings and to break any curses that may be hindering us.

### Key Takeaways

1. Fear of the Lord as the Foundation of Wisdom: The fear of the Lord is not about being scared but about having a deep reverence and respect for God. This fear leads to wisdom and understanding, helping us to see ourselves clearly in the light of God's holiness. It is the first step towards living a blessed life. [42:52]

2. Joyful Obedience to God's Commands: Obedience to God's commands should not be seen as a burden but as a joyful act of love and trust. When we delight in obeying God's laws, we position ourselves to receive His blessings. This obedience is a reflection of our trust in God's wisdom and goodness. [52:28]

3. Blessings are Conditional and Not Automatic: God's blessings are not randomly distributed but are conditional upon our fear of Him and our obedience to His commands. This means that we have a role to play in attracting God's blessings into our lives. [38:26]

4. The Comprehensive Nature of God's Blessings: The blessings of God encompass various aspects of life, including our families, finances, and personal well-being. Psalm 112 outlines 14 specific blessings that come from living a life that fears the Lord and delights in His commandments. [59:09]

5. Reflecting and Seeking Greater Blessings: We are encouraged to reflect on our lives and see if they align with the blessings described in Psalm 112. If not, we should seek God's guidance, repent from our ways, and commit to a life of fear and obedience to Him. This reflection and commitment can lead to greater levels of God's blessings in our lives. [01:21:29]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[05:00] - Proclaiming Faith in Jesus
[12:55] - Testimony of God's Grace
[15:41] - Worship and Praise
[18:25] - Building on God's Love
[29:38] - Announcements and Upcoming Events
[31:03] - Outreach and Community Involvement
[32:23] - Trunk or Treat Events
[33:37] - Offering and Generosity
[35:16] - Children's Church
[36:53] - Introduction to Psalm 112
[38:26] - Conditional Blessings
[42:52] - Fear of the Lord
[52:28] - Joyful Obedience
[59:09] - Comprehensive Blessings
[01:21:29] - Reflecting and Seeking Greater Blessings
[01:22:44] - Altar Call and Prayer
[01:25:09] - Contending for God's Blessings
[01:28:05] - Specific Prayers for Needs
[01:36:57] - Closing and Evening Service Invitation

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Psalm 112:1-10 (NLT)

#### Observation Questions
1. According to Psalm 112:1, what are the two key actions that lead to a blessed life?
2. What are some of the specific blessings mentioned in Psalm 112 that come from fearing the Lord and obeying His commandments?
3. How does the sermon describe the "fear of the Lord"? Is it about being terrified of God? [42:52]
4. What does the sermon say about the nature of God's blessings? Are they automatic or conditional? [38:26]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of "fear of the Lord" as described in the sermon differ from common perceptions of fear? [42:52]
2. Why does the sermon emphasize joyful obedience to God's commands rather than seeing them as burdensome? [52:28]
3. The sermon mentions that blessings encompass various aspects of life, including families, finances, and personal well-being. How does this comprehensive view of blessings affect our understanding of what it means to be blessed by God? [59:09]
4. Reflecting on the 14 results of a blessed life outlined in Psalm 112, which of these blessings do you find most surprising or encouraging, and why?

#### Application Questions
1. The sermon encourages us to reflect on our lives to see if they align with the blessings described in Psalm 112. Take a moment to reflect: Are there areas in your life where you see God's blessings? Are there areas where you feel you need more of His guidance? [01:21:29]
2. How can you cultivate a deeper "fear of the Lord" in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to develop a reverence and respect for God? [42:52]
3. Joyful obedience is highlighted as a key to receiving God's blessings. Think of a commandment or teaching of God that you find challenging. How can you shift your perspective to see obedience in this area as a joyful act of love and trust? [52:28]
4. The sermon mentions that blessings are conditional and not automatic. What role do you think personal responsibility and intentional actions play in attracting God's blessings into your life? [38:26]
5. The sermon calls for prayer to seek God's guidance and to break any curses that may be hindering us. Is there a specific area in your life where you feel you need to seek God's intervention? How can your small group support you in prayer for this need? [01:21:29]
6. Reflect on the idea that blessings are not just for personal gain but also for being a blessing to others. How can you use the blessings you have received to impact your family, community, or church?
7. The sermon encourages us to delight in obeying God's commands. Identify one command or teaching from the Bible that you can focus on delighting in this week. What specific actions will you take to obey this command joyfully? [52:28]

Devotional

Day 1: Reverence as the Path to Wisdom
Description: The fear of the Lord is often misunderstood as being scared of God, but it is actually about having a deep reverence and respect for Him. This reverence is the foundation of wisdom, as it helps us to see ourselves clearly in the light of God's holiness. When we understand our position as His creation, we begin to grasp the vastness of His wisdom and the importance of aligning our lives with His will. This fear of the Lord is the first step towards living a blessed life, as it sets the tone for our relationship with God and our approach to His commandments. [42:52]

Proverbs 9:10 (ESV): "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to cultivate a deeper reverence for God? How can you begin to see His holiness more clearly in your daily actions and decisions?

Day 2: Delight in Obedience
Description: Obedience to God's commands is often seen as a burdensome task, but it should be a joyful act of love and trust. When we delight in obeying God's laws, we position ourselves to receive His blessings. This joyful obedience is a reflection of our trust in God's wisdom and goodness, acknowledging that His ways are higher than our ways. By delighting in His commandments, we demonstrate our love for Him and our desire to live according to His will. This kind of obedience is not about following rules out of fear, but about embracing God's guidance with a joyful heart. [52:28]

Psalm 119:47-48 (ESV): "For I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes."

Reflection: How can you shift your perspective on obedience to see it as a joyful act of love and trust? What specific commandment can you delight in today?

Day 3: Conditional Blessings
Description: God's blessings are not randomly distributed but are conditional upon our fear of Him and our obedience to His commands. This means that we have a role to play in attracting God's blessings into our lives. By living in reverence and obedience, we align ourselves with God's will and open the door for His blessings to flow into various aspects of our lives. These blessings are not just material but encompass our families, finances, and personal well-being. Understanding that blessings are conditional helps us to take responsibility for our spiritual growth and our relationship with God. [38:26]

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (ESV): "And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God."

Reflection: Are there areas in your life where you are not fully obedient to God's commands? How can you take steps to align yourself with His will and attract His blessings?

Day 4: Comprehensive Blessings
Description: The blessings of God encompass various aspects of life, including our families, finances, and personal well-being. Psalm 112 outlines 14 specific blessings that come from living a life that fears the Lord and delights in His commandments. These blessings include successful children, wealth, lasting good deeds, and a legacy of righteousness. God's blessings are comprehensive, touching every part of our lives when we live in reverence and obedience to Him. This holistic approach to blessings reminds us that God's favor is not limited to one area but is meant to enrich our entire existence. [59:09]

Psalm 112:1-3 (ESV): "Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever."

Reflection: Reflect on the different areas of your life. Do you see God's comprehensive blessings in each of these areas? If not, what changes can you make to align more closely with His commandments?

Day 5: Reflecting and Seeking Greater Blessings
Description: We are encouraged to reflect on our lives and see if they align with the blessings described in Psalm 112. If we find that our lives do not reflect these blessings, we should seek God's guidance, repent from our ways, and commit to a life of fear and obedience to Him. This reflection and commitment can lead to greater levels of God's blessings in our lives. By taking the time to evaluate our spiritual walk and make necessary adjustments, we position ourselves to receive the fullness of God's favor and break any curses that may be hindering us. [01:21:29]

Lamentations 3:40-41 (ESV): "Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven."

Reflection: Take a moment to reflect on your life. Are there areas where you need to seek God's guidance and repent? How can you commit to a deeper level of fear and obedience to Him today?

Quotes

1. "If I asked every person here, I said, do you want God's blessing in your life? Of course, every one of us would say, yes, yes, of course, Pastor. I want to be blessed. I want God's presence and power in my life. Uh, but what we have to be reminded this morning is that blessing is conditional. Blessing does not fall randomly from the sky. Blessing is the result of some actions and some decisions that we make. We can't just say like God's blessing is just snap your fingers and all of a sudden the blessing will come from heaven. It's not just a pill that you take or even just a church service that you go to. Being blessed by God is not the result of religious activities. The blessing of God is a result of some things this morning." [38:26] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Fear of the Lord produces a love of obedience. That's what our scripture said in the Psalms. He said, not only do I fear the Lord, how joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commandments. And so we know that obedience is necessary to find God's blessing. But can I just remind you that God is more interested in the reason why you obey? Not just obedience to the letter of the law, but to the spirit of the law. Lord, it's not just that. I want to skirt by and see how much I can get away with without actually breaking the law. Know that we delight in His laws and we love to obey." [52:28] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The blessing of God is not mysterious. It's not difficult to find. It is simple. If you want to experience God's blessing, the way is clear. And the Bible describes how we can find this blessing with two words, fear and obedience. Everybody say it together with me. Fear and obedience. That's exactly what our Scripture begins with in verse 1. How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commandments. So I want to just say, first of all, to you that you cannot expect blessing from God without first understanding who He is, who you are, our position as sinful and lost people, and how we must first surrender to Him." [42:52] (58 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "The blessing of God means light shines in the darkness. Number five, they are generous, compassionate and righteous. Think of the story that Jesus told the good Samaritan, the man who fell among thieves. He was bruised and half dead on the road and the Pharisee passes by, doesn't even look at him. The Levite passes by, has a look, gets a little closer, but still does nothing. And then a good Samaritan. Samaritan is the one that the Jewish people despise. But this man, he picked up the one who fell among thieves, put him on his own animal, took him to a hotel, paid the fare for him to stay. Then he promised, he said, if this man has any other needs, if you need to buy him something, go ahead and do it. I'll reimburse you fully. To see that he is restored. That's a good Samaritan. This is the blessing of God is not just for you. Hello? We are blessed to be a blessing. We are called to be a conduit." [01:10:12] (66 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "The blessing of God is not automatic, but it is available to anyone. And I want to give you some hope and some encouragement here of what the blessing of God looks like. That no matter your background, no matter where you came from or what is in your past, for those who have turned from sin and trusted in Jesus and believe His Word and fearfully obeying Him, I want to tell you there is blessing available. Let's look at the fruit of the blessed life. In this psalm, by my count, I counted 14 separate results following the Lord. And I want to go through them quickly as we close this morning." [01:00:33] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "The blessing of God is for those who fear Him and obey His commandments. Is that you? It's like the tree described in Psalm 1. Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or stand with sinners or join with mockers. They delight. Listen to that language. They delight in the law of the Lord. Meditating on it day and night. How often? Morning and evening. You know, it bugs me how much attention can we give to YouTube and Facebook and TikTok and all the social media and our sticky little screens. And the Word of God lies dormant in our lives. Hello, Christian? I'm not talking to the world. I'm talking to believers this morning. They delight in the law of the Lord. They meditate on it day and night. And when they do, this is how they're described. Psalm 1 verse 3. They are like trees planted on the river bank. Bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do." [57:35] (78 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "I want to ask you, don't you want that? Don't you want to see that in your life? Don't you want to see more of God's blessing and less of the curse? And the way that we find that is here. Lord, forgive me for trying to do things on my own. Forgive me for the fear of man. Forgive me for these things that I know cause your blessing to flee. Lord, I want to trust you. I want to delight in obeying your commands. I want to fear you above all other. This morning, I want to open up this altar for prayer. If you want to take, you heard something today, and you want to apply it to your life, we're going to pray together here at this altar." [01:21:29] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "I have seen so many. I have seen so many. I have seen so many of God's people wandering in the desert. Yes, saved and set free from sin, thank God. But still not experiencing all the blessing and favor and fruitfulness that God has for you. We're going to contend for that this morning. We're going to rebuke the lies of the evil one. And you know what he says? Yeah, you deserve that. Yeah, you deserve to be forever cursed. And the devil wants you to believe that so that you be in the right place. So that you be ineffective for the kingdom of God." [01:26:29] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "I want to pray specifically for needs in the family. This is such a point of attack in the world that we're living. And the enemy would have us to believe that there is no such thing as a healthy family. The enemy would tell us that husbands and wives are always going to struggle. Mothers and fathers are always going to struggle. That fathers and children are always never going to get along. That mothers and children are always going to be at one another's throats. But I want to believe God for blessing in our families. Can we contend for that this morning?" [01:28:40] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "I want to pray, I want to pray specifically for needs in the family. This is such a point of attack in the world that we're living. And the enemy would have us to believe that there is no such thing as a healthy family. The enemy would tell us that husbands and wives are always going to struggle. Mothers and fathers are always going to struggle. That fathers and children are always never going to get along. That mothers and children are always going to be at one another's throats. But I want to believe God for blessing in our families. Can we contend for that this morning? If you want to receive a prayer for that, would you come just right up to the front and make one line for me? I want to pray together. God, we want to see your blessing in our families. In our homes. Let it begin there. Let it begin there and then, like light that radiates, let it transform our communities. Let it transform our city. Let it transform our nation. This is the beginning. God, I want to see your will, your blessing on my family." [01:29:21] (70 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?