Revealer of Mysteries: The Writing on the Wall Study Guide

This past weekend, we continued our series, “Revealer of Mysteries: A Study Through Daniel,” as Pastor Doug Sauder shared from Daniel 5. In this message, we saw the Babylonian Empire come to an end as the Lord used Daniel to deliver a powerful message and discovered why the fear of the Lord is so powerful and of paramount importance in the life of a believer.

Watch the video below to see a few highlights from the teaching and share it with your friends via social media. To watch the message in its entirety, click here.


FOR THE NOTE TAKERS

Let’s recap some of the key talking points from Pastor Doug’s message this weekend:

The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning of Wisdom: What does the fear of the Lord mean? Biblically, it’s defined as a deep reverence and awe of the Lord. It’s an understanding of the awesome power of God, which leads us to a place where we can do nothing but honor Him, acknowledge Him and His position, and be terrified to be away from Him and His covenantal love, grace, protection, and wisdom.

To fear the Lord in every aspect of life allows us to walk in His strength, peace, and power. It gives us courage, understanding, and the proper perspective. It’s been said that when we fear God, we have nothing else to fear, but when we don’t fear God, we live in fear of everything else.

King Belshazzar didn’t fear the God of Israel; that’s why he defiled the implements of the temple of God by drinking wine out of them during his shameful night of sinful indulgence. But before the night was through, he would experience fear on a level he didn’t know possible.

The Fear of the Lord Keeps You from Sinning: In the same way that knowing the job of the police is to keep you from driving over the speed limit or robbing a bank, a healthy fear of the Lord helps keep us from sinning. Now, unlike the police, we don’t simply refrain from sin because of the fear of consequences, justice, and wrath. That is certainly part of it, because we know that, even for us believers, sin has earthly consequences. But it goes beyond that; there’s something much deeper at work in this.

You see, for believers, the fear of the Lord means a reverence and love for the Lord. And from that love, as a byproduct of it, believers are compelled to flee from sin. We are driven to right living by the outpouring of His grace, mercy, and love. So, just as a child seeks to honor and please his or her parents while also understanding that disobedience and bad behavior would lead to discipline and consequences, a child of God operates in that same tension as it pertains to the fear of the Lord.

The Fear of the Lord Leads to a Blessed Life: The Bible makes a few promises as it pertains to the fear of the Lord and how it impacts our lives. First, we’re told the fear of the Lord prolongs life (Proverbs 10:27). Second, the fear of the Lord is like a life-giving fountain that leads to eternal life and destroys the power of death (Proverbs 14:27; John 4:14). Third, the fear of the Lord leads to an abundant life, a life of godliness, bringing security and satisfaction (Proverbs 19:23). Fourth, the fear of the Lord releases His goodness and blessings over our lives (Proverbs 31:19).

In the Fear of the Lord There Is Strong Confidence: When we hold our heavenly Father in the highest regard, we want nothing more than to live a life that honors Him and brings Him glory! We want to live a life worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27) and our calling (Ephesians 4:1). We are motivated by a desire to draw nearer and nearer to our Lord and Savior each and every day, to become more like Him and walk more closely in His will for our lives, and to accomplish the good works He prepared in advance for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10).

Quote to Remember: When we fear the Lord, we have nothing else to fear. We we don’t fear the Lord, we live in fear of everything else.—Pastor Doug Sauder


QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

As you think about this weekend’s teaching, here are a few questions to reflect on and consider on your own, with your family, or in your group.

1. What does it mean to have a healthy fear of the Lord? What do you believe an unhealthy fear looks like?

2. How does the fear of the Lord motivate us in our daily lives?  

3. What’s one thing you can do this week to walk more deeply in the fear of the Lord? 

4. How do you get your awe of God back?


A LOOK AHEAD

Join us this Wednesday as we continue our discussion of Daniel 5 as Pastor Chris Baselice explores the different ways God speaks to us.

Then on the weekend, Pastor Doug Sauder will share from Daniel 6. In this message, we’ll take a look at one of the most famous and powerful stories in all of Scripture: the epic story of Daniel and the lion’s den. We’ll examine the circumstances, how God worked for Daniel’s good and His glory, and see a beautiful portrait of the gospel in these events.

About the Author

Danny Saavedra

Danny Saavedra is a licensed minister who has served on staff at Calvary since 2012, managing the Calvary Devotional and digital discipleship resources. He has a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling and Master of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry from Liberty Theological Seminary. His wife Stephanie, son Jude, and daughter Zoe share a love of Star Wars, good food, having friends over for dinner, and studying the Word together as a family.