People Will Physically Hurt Me
When People are Big and God is Small • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Janet’s vulnerability to the fear of other people can be compared to the vulnerability to lust common in a person who is introduced to pornography at an early age. Lust is found in us all, but such a person may have to be particularly on guard against sexual lust. For some people sexual lust may be a fluctuating temptation; sometimes the battle is fierce, sometimes other battles seem more urgent. But for someone introduced to pornography, the battle may be constant. Such a person may have to enlist consistent prayer support and be prepared to fight the battle daily. In a similar way, those who have been threatened, attacked, or shamed by others tend to be more vulnerable to the fear of man, and they have to especially vigilant.
A Review of the Three Things We MUST Do from a Biblical Perspective:
Step 1: Recognize that the fear of man is a major theme both in the Bible and in your own life.
Step 2: Identify where your fear of man has been intensified by people in your past.
Step 3: Identify where your fear of man has been intensified by the assumptions of the world.
The Power of Words
The Power of Words
…Scripture doesn’t only speak of destructive deeds. It says that words, too, are powerful. How, I wonder, does cruel speech affect children? I know that children are immensely resilient, and I am not suggesting that one world will scar a child for life, but the Bible indicates that reckless words pierce like a sword.
18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: But the tongue of the wise is health.
The Bible never minimizes the effect of sinful words.
Maybe the unkind words weren’t that frequent. I know a father who loses his temper perhaps once a month. When he does, everybody knows it, and anybody nearby is verbally attacked. After a half hour of being out of control, he comes back and apologizes to those he wounded. He acts like a binge drinker, but without the alcohol…It would be nice to see his outbursts down to zero, but he does apologize.
Reckless, piercing words are influencing this child to fear other people.
A Cowardly Hero
A Cowardly Hero
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
This is certainly the fear of man. Yet it is a little different from the fear of being exposed. Abraham’s was a fear of being physically threatened. He didn’t fear that someone would disgrace him; instead, he feared that someone could kill him.
David was afraid, but he did not fear people over God. He said...
3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
4 In God I will praise his word, In God I have put my trust; I will not fear What flesh can do unto me.
Although he is not an example of how to deal with the fear of others, Abraham at least shows us that it is common even among people of faith.
By why doesn’t Abraham learn from this experience? A few chapters later, in Genesis 20, he uses the exact same ploy.
With this checkered past, this mingling of faith and fear, Abraham did not seem to be a good candidate for perhaps the most difficult test a person could undergo. Could he prioritize his fear of God to the point where he would obey even if it meant sacrificing his only son?
…Abraham recovered from his fear of man in a spectacular way when he was tested by God. When Abraham demonstrated his willingness to trust God even if it meant the death of his son, the angel of the Lord said...
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Fear Wins and a Generation Loses
Fear Wins and a Generation Loses
Abraham’s example of bold faith did not eradicate the fear of man from his descendants.
In Numbers 13, a group of Israeli scouts had been commissioned to explore the land. In their report they indicated that, indeed, it was the Promised Land.
27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Moses’ plea not to be afraid was ignored.
9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.
…judgment for such unbelief was certain.
11 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
When God’s judgment was over and that generation was gone, Moses made one final appeal to the people.
21 Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
But during the wilderness wanderings the people had not listened, and the result had been a catastrophic defeat. What they feared really did overtake them?
So Moses continued with the warnings.
2 And the Lord said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.
22 Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you.
10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.
29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
17 If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
18 Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
Dozens of the same warnings and exhortations followed, all repeating the same theme: you are prone to fearing people who seem to be a threat to you; instead, fear God and God alone.
6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
8 And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Two Faith-Filled Leaders
Two Faith-Filled Leaders
1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
25 And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
His (Joshua) confidence was coupled with obedience - as it must always be - and he personally slew the five kings with his sword.
31 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel.
David is another shining example of a man who feared God, not man.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever, Even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; My glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
14 The Lord is my strength and song, And is become my salvation.
2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
When he was afraid, he remembered that people could have great power when compared to himself, but they had no power compared to his God.
The fear of man is the sinful exaggeration of a normal experience.
Let me explain. We should be afraid when physically threatened. It is certainly not sinful for your adrenaline to be flowing when you are being fired upon. But fear of man is fear run amok…It becomes fear that is consumed with itself and for a time forgets God. It becomes a fear that, when activated, rules your life. In such a state, we trust for salvation in others.
Being afraid is not wrong in itself. As creatures living in a sinful world we should be afraid at times. The problem is when fear forgets God. This was Janet’s experience and it was the experience of many of the veterans I have known.
David’s psalms, therefore, are not illustrations of the fear of man. His fear was within godly parameters. In his fear he consistently turned to his King.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
How can individuals recognize and address the ways in which their fear of others has been intensified by their past experiences and societal influences, as outlined in the three steps from a biblical perspective?
How do you think the power of words, both positive and negative, can impact a child's development and outlook on the world?
What lessons can we learn from Abraham's journey of overcoming his fear of man and prioritizing his fear of God? How can we apply these lessons to our own lives and faith?
What lessons can we learn from the Israelites' struggle with fear and faith as documented in the book of Numbers and Deuteronomy, and how can we apply these lessons to our own lives?
What lessons can we learn from the fearlessness and faith of Joshua and David, and how can we apply those lessons in our own lives?