Sunday School

The Fear of Man

Do you think that you are affected by the fear of man? Before you are too quick to answer, consider these questions. Have you ever felt that you should witness or share the gospel to a neighbor, friend, or co-worker, and then backed off? Why did you? Have you ever compromised and laughed at an indecent joke, or maybe joined in with gossiping or criticizing someone with a group of people? Or perhaps you just didn’t speak up and come to that person’s defense. Do you find it difficult to speak to several people in a group, or to pray aloud in a group of people? Are you sometimes embarrassed to the point that you will not ask a question or make a comment because you feel uncomfortable?

I think if we are all honest with ourselves, we do care about what others think of us. None of us enjoy being looked down on or disliked. But we need to take a closer look at this issue, and come to some Biblical conclusions. If our desire to be accepted and get along with others is because we fear what they think about us or what they may do to us, then we have an issue in our lives that needs to be addressed.

What does the Bible teach about fearing others? What do the Scriptures teach about fear in general? What does the Bible teach us as Christians about our relationships and social interactions with other people? Is God concerned with our ability to be around other people, and is He concerned with how we feel around others and how we respond to them? He most certainly is. Let’s look at a passage that addresses this problem.

Proverbs 29:25

25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

Let’s consider a couple of words in the first part of this verse. First, the word "fear", which is the Hebrew word charadah. It means fear, anxiety, quaking, trembling, extreme anxiety and anxious care. The root word means to tremble.

Now the word "snare". It is the Hebrew word mowqesh, and it means a bait, a lure, or a snare – a trap.

Think about these definitions, and how they describe this potential problem. It is important for you to recognize the nature and extent of this problem Biblically. Any fear or anxiety of others that causes you to tremble or quake inside is a trap. It is something that controls, and limits you. Fear of others, or of being around others, is bondage, a limitation, in a sense, a jailhouse that has you trapped and keeps you from being free. It prevents you from fully experiencing the Lord’s best for your life. But be encouraged. The rest of this verse is a promise. The Word of God says that if you can learn to trust in the Lord, you will be kept safe from this snare and be set free.

At this point you may be tempted to become a bit defensive. You may think, "You don’t understand. This is just the way I am." In other words – "God made me this way, why can’t people just accept me the way I am – I just don’t feel comfortable around other people, and prefer to be by myself. What is so wrong with that? Why do I have to be comfortable around other people?" Let’s analyze that thinking Biblically. Is it God’s intention for His children to fear others and their opinions and evaluation of them? Is God the source of fear and timidity in our lives?

There is a passage that addresses this question directly. It is II Timothy 1:6-8. II Timothy is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to his junior associate, Timothy. Timothy was struggling with a type of the very issue we are addressing – He was intimidated and tempted to be afraid of some people in the church he was called to lead – and here is Paul’s counsel to him:

The word for timidity, or fear in the KJV is rightly rendered "fearfulness" in II Timothy 1:7. The word denotes "cowardice and timidity" and is never used in a good sense. And it is clear from this passage that the spirit of fear does not come from God.

God does want us to be timid and afraid of others. And this is great news! If He has not intended this for you, then He surely has provided a way to overcome this problem.

In this letter to Timothy, Paul was encouraging him that he had a gift and something given to him by God to offer the church, and that he needed to stir it up, and not allow fear and timidity to quench the work of God in his life and the ministry God had given him for others.

I want to encourage you today. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, then God has gifted you uniquely to bless other people. And fear of others can bind and ensnare you, thereby hindering the ministry God has given you to help other people. This truth is a key to overcoming this anxiety and fear – loving other people. Fear and anxiety by its very nature is self-focused and self-centered, and perfect love casts out fear.

So let’s go to work at overcoming this fear of others. One of the first keys to overcoming the fear of man is to RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS ROOTED IN THE HEART

A key principle in overcoming problems and being transformed to the glory of God is recognizing that the change that God produces begins in our hearts, and a changed heart produces a changed life. Mere reformation of behavior is not sufficient and does not constitute true Biblical change. God is interested in addressing anxiety and fear at the heart level. He is interested in changing the motivation and source of behavior, not just outward reformation of actions and reduction of symptoms. We must realize that the ability to truly change from the heart must come from the Spirit of God through the Word of God. Though we must cooperate with God for such change to occur, the ability and power to change does not come from within us, but comes from the Spirit of God.

Let’s look at a key passage of Scripture that teaches us the relationship of the heart to actions, Luke 6:43-45.

Godly desires, motivations, and beliefs produce godly words, actions, and emotions. Sinful desires, motivations, and beliefs produce ungodly words, actions, and emotions.

To address the fear and anxiety, the Spirit of God must expose and address the root issue, which is in the heart. Fear and anxiety are not entities that attack us from the outside. Their source is from a heart that has not fully learned how to trust in God. This is an essential concept to grasp. God desires to change our hearts; our beliefs, motives and desires, and the effect will be a changed actions and emotions. So how do we get to the heart issue of fear of others?

The Word of God has the power to uncover the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us that the Word of God is a sword that pierces and cuts to the very heart of man. As we listen carefully to the Word of God as it is preached, as we read the Word of God, as we discuss the Word of God with others, as we memorize the Word of God, and think about it, we will begin to expose and uncover our weaknesses and our sins. The Spirit of God will take this living sword and penetrate to the depths of our very soul, and it will judge us. It will not just expose our actions, but reveal our very thoughts and motives. And this, though painful, is good. To be cleansed and set free according to I John 1:9, we must confess our sins, and to confess them, we must first recognize them.

The path to cleansing from impure and unrighteous heart conditions is the pathway of confession. The word "confess" means to "agree with" or "speak the same thing as". As God uses His Word to expose our heart, and we recognize our shortcoming, sin, rebellion, or weakness, then we can choose to agree with God. To confess means that we agree with God that we have fallen short of His standard. We admit and confess our condition, and God cleanses us and removes it from our lives. In this passage, the Apostle John also says that if we say that we have no sin, if we don’t agree with God about our condition, then we deceive ourselves, and we remain in darkness. Jesus told the Pharisees that because they failed to acknowledge and recognize their sin, that they remained blind and spiritually dead.

If you are a believer in Christ, God fully accepts you based solely on the work of Christ. Christ has paid the penalty for all of your sins through His death on the cross, you can never again fall under His condemnation. Sin legally has no hold over you, for Christ has broken its power. However, for you to experience the freedom from the power of sin that is legally yours, you must recognize, confess and forsake your sin. And you need the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to do that.

James 1:22-25 speaks of God’s Word as a mirror that shows us ourselves, and as we look intently into that mirror, we need to change what we see that is wrong. So what is it that we will see as we look into the mirror of the Word?

At this point you may be thinking, "All of this is great, but what does it have to do with my fear and anxiety around other people?" Fear and anxiety are bad fruit, and this bad fruit has its source in a bad root. There is something rotten in our hearts that causes fear and anxiety. There is something in our hearts not submitted to God that manifests in the fear of man. We are going to call this bad root an idol of the heart. Let’s explain this concept of an "idol of the heart".

What is an idol? It is a false god. What is idolatry? It is the worship of a false god. It is placing trust, allegiance, affection, desire, homage, and/or praise on something or someone other than the true and living God. The fear of man has its root in misplaced worship. God commands that we worship Him alone, and that He alone should have our awe, fear, and obedience. When fear and anxiety are in operation, something or someone has taken an place in our hearts that rightfully belongs to God. Jesus addresses this in Luke 12:4-5:
⁴  And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  ⁵  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

When we fear people, we have exalted them and put them in a place in our lives that belongs only to God. It’s because our perception and view of others it too big, and our perception and view of God is too small. And this, my dear brother and sister, is spiritual idolatry! Are you beginning to understand why this issue holds much importance to God? He deserves and demands all of our fear, reverence, and worship. It is wrong for anyone or anything to hold that place in our lives.

In a moment, we are going to see some practical steps we can take to uproot this idol of the fear of man. But before you address your actions, you must first recognize and understand the false beliefs, motives, and desires are the basis of these fears. You need to ask God reveal your heart to you, where you have been ruled by other people, and where you have obeyed fear and allowed it to control you. You need to begin to confess this as sin, and agree with God that these attitudes and actions are wrong, and that the Lord Jesus deserves to have all of your fear and respect and devotion. Once these idols of the heart are exposed, then the Lord can start to remove them and replace them with Himself. He is to be the only fear and ruler in our lives.

Exodus 20:3  states Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Idols are not just statues and images. They include anything that we put in the place that God deserves. Here are some likely candidates for heart idols for those who battle the fear of man:

• Acceptance by others; fear of rejection by others vs. content in accepted by Christ
• Finding your identity and worth in others vs. your identity and worth in Christ
• Dependence on yourself vs. dependence on Christ
• Pride that manifests in a fear of humiliation vs. true humility and transparency
• Fear of being exposed vs a confidence that comes from integrity and openness

One key heart issue is the source of confidence and security in life. What should be the source of a believer’s confidence in life? Should believers look within themselves to find security, and rely on their own strength, intelligence, and abilities to have confidence in life? People that struggle with the fear of man lack confidence and only feel secure when they are accepted by others. True security can only be found in acceptance by God.

When you have time this week, review Romans 8:28-39. Through careful meditation on the love and care that the heavenly Father has for His children, fear and insecurity can be uprooted and removed. Look closely at this passage in Romans 8, especially as it relates to this issue of fear and insecurity. Consider the implication of being God’s elect. If you are saved, then you are God’s child, and according to the Scriptures, the following is true concerning you:

• God chose you to be His child before the world began.
• That choice was based on His own good pleasure
• Based on that choice, God called you to Himself
• You are justified (declared righteous based solely on the work of Christ)
• You will ultimately be glorified.
  

Everything that happens to you in life is designed by God to transform you into that ultimate expression of His glory. And the Father gave His Son to make this transformation possible. So how does this relate to the fear of man? Consider this. Since the Father chose to save you, and offered the very life of His Son to provide this salvation, then it follows that He will keep and protect you from all harm. This passage clearly states that if God has justified you no one can effectively condemn or judge you. You are God’s chosen and belong to Him. He has set His eternal love on you. Since you are accepted by God in Christ, then you are totally secure. If you believe this and keep it before you, then what others think of you or what they do to you will lose significance. If God is for us, it doesn’t matter what others may do to us. You belong to Him, and He takes perfect care of His own. There is nothing in this life that can break your relationship with God or separate you from His love. Other people, and even supernatural entities can’t even touch you without the permission of your sovereign, omnipotent heavenly Father. I encourage you to allow the Spirit of God to minister this truth to your heart. As you meditate on it, then fear and insecurity will lose its hold in your life.

The fear of man is rooted in self-interest. To overcome the fear of man, your attention needs to turn away from what others think about you, and re-directed toward pleasing God. The fear of man is a snare that keeps people from fulfilling responsibilities. God sets us free from our fears and insecurities in order to serve Him and others. Make a list of responsibilities and ministry opportunities that you have avoided because of the fear of man. What would God want you to do on that list that you have avoided or neglected because of the fear of man? You may think at this point "I really have no ministry or contribution to the body of Christ". This is another lie of Satan that must be challenged and overthrown. The Scriptures assert that every believer has been gifted in a unique way to minister in the body of Christ. There is no such thing as a non-gifted believer. Your gifts may be quenched and hidden right now, but according to God’s Word, they are there. I Corinthians 12:7 Romans 12:4-6a ^ I Peter 4:8-10

The proper motivation for expressing gifts in the body is love for one another. Our love for God and others will overcome the fear of man. I John 4:16-19 states it this way:

Note the relationship of confidence, boldness, and love. You can be confident and secure in life because God has set His love on you. And as this love is matured, it casts out all fear. Again, this confidence is linked with our acceptance by God. Because Christ has born the wrath and punishment for our sins, we experience the blessing, acceptance, and security of God. And because you have been loved in this way, you are empowered and enabled to love others. To love another person deeply, you have to make yourself vulnerable. As you reach out, and disclose yourself to others, you risk rejection and criticism. As you realize your security and acceptance in God alone, then you are willing to take such risks. In fact, we are commanded to love sacrificially. We are commanded to love others the way we have been loved by God. We are called to follow our Savior. Jesus was hated, despised, rejected, spit upon, ridiculed, misunderstood, and humiliated. He did it for the joy set before Him, even though He despised the shame. That joy was satisfying His Father and completing the work that had been given to Him to do.

Agape love, true biblical love, gives regardless of the response. Because we have been unconditionally accepted and loved by God, we are free and in fact obligated to express this love we have received to others, even to our enemies. Such love frees us from the fear of rejection. We love others out of love for our Father and to please Him first and foremost. The response of those we love is not our motivation.

We are in a battle – not against people, but against spiritual foes that wage war in the arena of the mind. We will win or lose based on what we allow in our minds, and what we choose to think about and meditate on.

The Scriptures present the Christian experience as spiritual war waged on the battleground of the human mind. Victory over spiritual foes is rooted in learning to think Biblically. This principle is expressed throughout the Bible. Paul speaks of this mental warfare in II Corinthians 10:1-5

Paul was waging a spiritual war. He was being accused by false teachers and apostles of lacking authority and validity. False teachers followed behind him and brought false ideas about the gospel and how to have a right standing with God. They also propagated lies about the Apostle Paul’s authority and integrity. They were undermining his ministry, and this letter is largely Paul’s defense against these attacks against his apostleship and the truth of the gospel. In this passage Paul makes it clear that the fight that we are in is not against people, but against false ideas, doctrines, and heresies. And what is the weapon given to Paul and to us to fight this battle? It is the sufficient Word of God ministered by the power of God’s Spirit.

In our Christian experience, we are facing the same foes. Our enemy is false belief and wrong doctrine that attack our minds and thinking. Our fight is against strongholds and fortresses of false thinking, understanding and beliefs that have exalted themselves above the truth. Our battle tactic is to expose and subdue these thoughts and ideas by submitting our minds to the Word of God.

This basic principle of spiritual warfare is another key to being set free from the fear of man to serve Christ. These strongholds in the mind consist of ideas and thoughts contrary to Biblical truth. This is the means Satan uses to bind and control people, by controlling their minds and thinking. Positively stated, Jesus said it this way in John 8:32: Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

For us to gain the victory over the snare of the fear of man, we need to know, believe and act upon the truth of God’s Word. It is the weapon that we have been given to overcome the enemy. It is through the renewal of our thinking that we are transformed into the image of Christ and set free to serve Him and love others.

Ephesians 4:20-24 says that we are to be made new in the attitude of our minds. This process of putting off of the old self and putting on of the new self has its foundation in changing our thoughts, attitudes, motives and beliefs. There is no mystical way to become a holy and righteous person. It happens as we submit our thinking and then our actions to the Word of God.

Romans 12:1-2 says that we are enabled by God to change by allowing the Word of God to transform us from the inside out. Godly action starts with godly thinking. True spirituality starts in the heart; the motives, affections, desires, and thoughts. Again, the Word of God has the unique power to expose our vain and sinful attitudes and thinking, and replace that thinking with the truth that will set us free.

Let’s consider some thoughts that you may battle when struggling with the fear of man, and then look at some passages of Scripture that can expose, refute and replace these unbiblical thoughts:

• I can only be confident if people appreciate and accept me
• I must be accepted by others to be safe and secure
• I can’t get involved with people because I they might hurt me.
• If people don’t like me, I just should stay away from them.
• The Lord would not want me to be uncomfortable or suffer; It is too painful for me to be around others, or, I can’t witness or talk about my faith to others because they may not like it and try to harm me.

In conclusion, listen how the Word of God refutes and overcomes these thoughts:

Psalm 27:1-3
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? ² When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. ³ Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

Isaiah 51:7-8 (NIV)
⁷ "Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults. ⁸ For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations."

Psalm 56: 1-4; 10-11 (NIV)
Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. ² My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. ³ When I am afraid, I will trust in you. ⁴ In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Hebrews 13:6 (NIV)
⁶ So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

1 Peter 2:20-23 (NIV)
²⁰ But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. ²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ²² "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." ²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

1 Peter 3:14
¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."

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