INTRO: What do these have in common?
-Joseph Stalin -Women drivers (??? Sexist!!!)
-Adolph Hitler -Teenage drivers
-God -Flying in an airplane
-Satan -Going out on your first blind date
-Darkness to a child -Getting married
-An angry boss -Getting into a fight
Answer: Fear!
TITLE: What Are You Afraid Of?
TEXT: Psalm 34:4 (READ)
I. Things we fear
A. Man (the fear of man), Prov. 29:25 - “Fear of man will prove to be a snare.”
1. Snare - worrying too much about what others think and you let this control your life. Their opinions and attitudes put pressure on you (hindering you from the truth).
ex Peer pressure like molding hot glass (world shapes you).
2. Meaning of word fear (Hebrews: trembling, overly concerned with others).
B. Background to Psalm 34:4 is found in I Sam. 2 1:10-15 (READ)
1. Saul chasing David (jealous rage).
-After David killed Goliath.
-Success in anything he did (great victories).
-Saul tries killing David. Jonathan warns him to flee.
* David fleeing for his life because Saul is trying to kill him.
a. David’s condition: Mixed up, depressed, feelings of betrayal, alone, confused.
1. Flees to Gath - Goliath’s hometown, in Philistine territory.
-Remember David is a great enemy of the Philistines (great success).
* Fear of man will cause us to end up in the enemy’s camp because we will think irrationally.
a. When fearful we don’t think things out. (We just react).
-(READ v. 11-12) David suddenly realized how foolish he was!
1. Had 25 miles to try to think what to do - Nob to Gath (good day’s journey).
*With time we can think things out, but this does not seem to be the case with fear.
2. Fear clouds our mind (Felicia: bad dreams).
-David was so upset and concerned with Saul that he travels right into the enemy’s camp.
-Like some of us today who are so afraid of man, and we are walking into the enemy’s camp.
3. David was afraid of Saul and stopped trusting in God.
C. Fruit (effects of fearing man).
1. Damages our self-image - v. 13 (READ)
a. Fearing for his life David acts insane (marking on the door, spit running down his beard.)
-A mighty king running around acting like a lunatic (saddest thing, devil laughing and accusing us before God). Only way Satan can hurt God!
Q: Are king’s children (us) hurting our Father in heaven?
2. Fear of man also hurts our relationship with God.
a. David put more confidence in King Achish than in God (to protect him).
1. David rationalizing - Saul will never come into Philistine territory to get me (great enemies).
2. If David had trusted God he would not have to run around like a lunatic. God would have used
him mightily. (Goliath, man more terrifying than Saul).
*A lapse in faith towards God made David out to be a fool.
3. Without God’s strength the mightiest warrior is nothing.
-If the mightiest warrior is nothing without God, then what about us?
*Fear of man not only hurts our self-image but also hurts our relationship with God.
3. Fear of man also hurts others. (Damages self-image, relationship with God).
a. Background - where was David before he went into Philistine territory and acted like a madman.
1. I Sam. 21:1-2 (READ)
-David fleeing Saul, Jonathan warns him. (First place he flees is to Nob) a community of priests.
a. David’s lie - v. 2, 8 (READ)
-On a mission from the king. He is really fleeing from the king. Kings business is urgent (half-truth).
b. Saul’s servant is there - v. 17 (READ) observing priest Ahimelech giving David food and a weapon. So he returns and tells Saul.
1. Result: 85 people die (men, women, and children).
* Saul comes and kills all these people because of David’s sin.
Note: Sin not only hurts the participants, but it also hurts the innocent.
ex Sexual sin in this country hurts participants (diseases, mental abuse), but it also hurts the innocent (abortion, tax payers’ money, diseases).
*We do pay for other people’s sins. It affects our whole nation! Just like the people of Nob
were effected by David’s sin.
Summary: Fear of man will hurt: 1. Our self image
2. Our relationship with God
3. Other people
II. Fear of the Unknown
A. Effects (fruits)
1. Keeps us from taking risk.
Illustrate: Farmer story - Farmer sat in front of his old shack smoking his corn cob pipe. Stranger came along and asked, “How is your cotton doing?” “Ain’t got none. Didn’t plant none. Afraid of the boll weevil.”
“Well, how is your corn doing?” asked the stranger. “Didn’t plant any. I was afraid of the drought.”
“Well, how are your potatoes doing?” “Ain’t got any. Scart of the tater bug.”
Stranger finally asked, “Well, what did you plant?” “Nothing,” answered the farmer, “I just played it safe!”
*We laugh at a story like this, but sometimes we are like the farmer afraid to step out for God and take a risk (to let our imaginary wall down and let others in our lives, to be real with others and with God.)
*We’re afraid of the unknown (how they act).
III. How Do We Overcome these Fears? Psalm 34:4 tells us (READ)
A. Must seek the Lord.
1. Search, actively looking, not letting others do the looking.
-Notice: I sought.
ex Private, stranded mountains, 20 hours for help.
a. Has to be that hunger to find something.
ex Starving people in Somalia looking for anything to eat (anything).
-Hunger drives them to leave their homes, loved ones behind, way of living in order to find food.
* This is how we need to seek the Lord (with this driving hunger to know God and his ways). If we
come to God with this type of drive, God will answer us.
-I was talking with some young people and I asked them, “have you ever heard from God?” Answer:
“No.”
-Many reasons (have not learned to hear that small quiet voice. Struggling with “is God real?” But
the biggest reason, they are not looking for God with all their heart). Not a serious effort.
b. God will answer if we have the patience.
1. God will answer, but it may not be what we like.
a. I Sam. 22:5 (READ)
1. David left Gath (insane) and went to the cave in Adullam, a stronghold.
-Prophet telling him to leave the stronghold and go back to Judah (land of Saul).
* God wanted David to trust in Him. God wanted David to have the Lord as his stronghold!
-If we seek God (truly seek).
-God will answer (may not be what we want to hear, but God will answer).
-God will deliver us from all our fears (if we obey what He says).
TS - We have talked about some negative fears. Now let’s talk about some positive ones.
IV. The Fear of God
A. Different words used for fear.
1. Fear of man (trembling, terror). Fear of God (honor, respect mixed with love and awe,
reverence).
-Fear of God means not only to honor and respect but also to hate evil.
Prov. 8:13 - “Fear of the Lord is to hate evil.”
B. Fruits of fearing the Lord.
1. Prov. 19:32 - “The fear of the Lord leads to life, then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”
ex Eric - heart problems (peace and contentment).
2. Prov. 1:7 - “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
ex Saved when I was 21 (different way of thinking) - light bulb.
3. Prov. 10:27 - “Fear of the Lord adds length to your life.”
-Common sense tells us if you’re content and resting in God and gaining knowledge from the
Master, you will live long.
IN CONCLUSION:
I. Fear of Man
A. Fruits
1. Damages your self-image
2. Hurts your relationship with God
3. Hurts other people
II. Fear of the Unknown
A. Fruits
1. Keeps us from taking risk
III. Overcoming Fears
A. Seek God
B. God will answer
C. Deliver us from all our fears
IV. Fear of God
A. Word Different (honor, respect, reverence)
B. Fruits
1. Contentment, rest
2. Knowledge
3. Long life
Page 240 Victory in Jesus
