Are You Fearful Or Fearless

Title: “Are You Fearful Or Fearless"

Text: Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”

Introduction: In our text we find a double proverb. Each half is entirely true by itself; and put together, the whole is forcible and full of truth. He that fears man is in danger from that very fact; he who puts his trust in the Lord is in no danger of any sort. Our text teaches us that trusting in the Lord is the great antidote against the fear of man. At this particular time let us examine each half of this proverb and extract what truth God would be pleased to give us.

I. Here is a very Perilous Snare.

“The fear of man bringeth a snare…”

The fear of man is a very common evil of our day, and it is a very dangerous snare to find your self in. It is dangerous because:

A. It affects many people in their Conversion.

They feel that their companions would ridicule them; their friends would be annoyed with them, and that they may even be persecuted for their faith so they are numbered with the “fearful and unbelieving”.

~ Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

B. It affects many people in their Confession.

Some people are so fearful of others that they are kept from avowing their faith in Christ openly before others, so they try to get to heaven through some back door.

~ Romans 10:10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

~ II Timothy 1:8 “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;”

~ Luke 9:26 “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

C. It affects many people in their Commission.

Some people will not even do what God has commissioned them to do because that cannot find the courage to out of their great fear of man.

II. Here is a very Precious Safeguard.

“…but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”

Here we find the antidote for fear of man. How precious this truth is, not just as an antidote for fear, but also for the glorious doctrine it presents to us.

A. One who puts his trust in the Lord is safe from the Damning Power Of Sin.

B. One who puts his trust in the Lord is safe from the Destroying Power Of Satan.

C. One who puts his trust in the Lord is safe from the Defiling Power Of self.

D. One who puts his trust in the Lord is safe from the Deadening Power Of Sorrow.