The Fear of Man

“We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear causes another. When man’s terror scares you, turn your thoughts to the wrath of God.”

WILLIAM GURNALL

Kirk Cameron’s Comment

If you’re like me, you care about what others think of you, and the last thing you want is for people to think you’re a religious fruitcake. While it’s good to be concerned about having a reputation of integrity, the “fear of man” is from Satan, and will constantly attempt to discourage you and destroy your enthusiasm to talk with people about Jesus Christ.

Questions & Objections

Lesson

It is a consolation to know that almost every Christian has a battle with the “fear of man” when it comes to reaching out to the lost. Take the time to look at the fears of the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 2:1–4). He said that when he reached out to the Corinthians with the gospel, he did so not with “excellency of speech or of wisdom.” He confided that he had “weakness” (he was not trusting in his own strength or ability) and “fear” (in Greek, phobos, “that which is caused by being scared”), resulting in “much trembling” (awareness of his insufficiency). Paul battled the fear of man.

There are certain keys that can help to bring our fears into perspective. One is to meditate on what God is not asking us to do. Here’s the scenario. You are outside a shopping mall and see a man standing by himself. You feel a strong conviction that God wants you to give the man a tract. Your heart begins to pound. Thoughts flood your mind: What if he gets angry? He is going to think I’m a religious nut who is trying to ram religion down his throat. Here is what to say to yourself to make the task easier. God is not asking you to stand on a soapbox and preach to a crowd. You are not being asked to do this in a country where you could be jailed for handing out Christian literature. All God is asking you to do is hand one tract to one man.

When the U.S. Navy trains rescue pilots, they place so much psychological pressure on recruits that half of them drop out. Because the Navy wants the best, those who enlist are pushed to the limits by being dropped out of helicopters into freezing water. In the water, a man simulates a drowning, and when his rescuer reaches him, he deliberately panics, grabbing the would-be rescuer and pulling him under. The trainee must take charge of the situation or be disqualified from the course. He must take control, not only of the circumstances, but also of his own fears.

If we want to rescue humanity from the fires of hell, we must take control of our own fears and reject the fears the enemy whispers to our hearts. Don’t let the lies of the enemy penetrate your mind any longer. Remember the command, “Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

To be dismayed or discouraged is to dishonor God. Since He is always with us, we must never lose courage. Remember that Satan is just a creation of Almighty God. A blind, anemic, weak-kneed flea on crutches would have a greater chance of defeating a herd of a thousand wild, stampeding elephants than the enemy has of defeating God!

The Book of Revelation says of the glorified Jesus, “out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword” (1:16). Soldier of Christ, throw away your sheath; it is not part of your armor. Your sword, the Word of God, should always be at the ready.

There is power in the Word of God. When the light of the Word is spoken, the darkness of the enemy must vanish. Make it a habit to quote God’s Word at fear: “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:1, 2).

We are not to fear man, but to fear God—the one who has power to cast into hell (Luke 12:5). This thought may help you get rid of the fear of man and replace it with the fear of God: He executes cowards, deserters, and traitors (see Hebrews 10:26, 27; Revelation 21:8). His army is for men and women of faith. Our courage is fueled by our faith in God. If we lack courage, it’s only because we lack faith. If we lack faith, we insult the integrity of Almighty God.

A number of years ago at a church in Minneapolis, the pastor of evangelism took hold of the microphone. He was an ex-cop, and his voice cracked with emotion as he spoke of an accident victim he once held in his arms. The critically injured man thrashed back and forth for a moment, sighed deeply, and then passed into eternity. The pastor’s voice was filled with emotion because his own church had over a thousand members, yet only five attended his evangelism class.

It was obvious that the army’s hive of activity was in the barracks of everything but evangelism. He pleaded, “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you care that people in our city are going to hell? I can teach you to rid yourself of fear...” His was no proud boast. The prison doors of fear can be opened with very simple keys: a knowledge of God’s will, ordered priorities, love that is not passive, gratitude for the cross, and the use of the Law before grace—just to name a few.

What is wrong with us? How can we not care that sinners are being swallowed by death? Why are we worried about petty fears when people are going to hell? We should grieve if our eyes are dry when we pray for the unsaved and when we speak to them.

Feathers for Arrows

“Mr. Thorpe was a member of an ‘infidel’ club. Among their amusements was that of holding imitations of religious services, and exhibiting mimicries of popular ministers. Thorpe went to hear George Whitefield preach, that he might caricature him before his profane associates. He listened to Whitefield so carefully that he caught his tones and his manner, and somewhat of his doctrines.

“When the club met to see his caricature of Whitefield, Thorpe opened the Bible that he might take a text to preach from it after the manner of Whitefield. His eye fell on the passage, “Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” As he spoke upon that text he was carried beyond himself, lost all thought of mockery, spoke as one in earnest, and was the means of his own conversion! He was carried by the force of truth beyond his own intention, like one who would play in a river, and is swept away by its current.

“Even the scoffer may be reached by the arrows of truth! Scripture has often been the sole means in the hands of its divine Author of converting the soul.”

Excerpted from Charles Spurgeon’s sermon #950, “Means for Restoring the Banished.”

Words of Comfort

I have a way with children. It was obvious as a couple’s eight-year-old was wide-eyed as he cuddled into me. The little fellow called me “Uncle Ray” and was extremely mature for an eight-year-old. I had stayed with these friends many times when traveling to their city, and so I felt I had the liberty with their boy to share my knowledge with him. He was eating a hard-boiled egg. While his parents were watching, I put my arms on his shoulders and lovingly said, “Jeremy, did you know that the number one thing people choke to death on in the U.S. is a hard-boiled egg? So you be very careful when you eat that. Just take little bites, one at a time.” Then I left the room feeling pleased that I had given a little of my wisdom to the child.

Thirty seconds later, I heard a commotion and returned to the kitchen. My dumb advice had so scared the poor kid that he became hysterical and threw up egg all over the kitchen floor.

Questions

1. How did Paul describe his feelings when evangelizing?
2. Can anything positive come from a fear to reach out to the lost?
3. How can we put our fears in perspective?
4. What was the lesson the U.S. Navy wanted their recruits to learn?
5. Why should we quote God’s Word in the face of fear?
6. According to William Gurnall, why do we experience fear and how should we overcome it?

Answers to these review questions are provided in the back of the printed book / source PDF.

Memory Verse

“Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Isaiah 41:10

Last Words

David Hume (1711–1776), Scottish philosopher and historian, who on being told by his doctor that he was a little better, said: “Doctor, as I believe you would not choose to tell anything but the truth, you had better say that I am dying as fast as my enemies, if I have any, could wish, and as easily and cheerfully as my best friends could desire.”

David Hume