Trapped Or Triumphant?

INTRO:

--Someone has said that there are 4 motivations for man: fear, faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is fear.

--Ann Landers receives 10,000 letters a month and most of the questions she is asked revolve around fear.

--Psychologists call fear ‘phobias’ and some have calculated up to 700 types of phobia.

--28 million Americans suffer from chronic phobia.

--Some of the strongest men in history had fears:

*Julius Caesar-fear of thunder

*Peter the Great-fear of crossing bridges

--The truth of the matter is that we all have fears.

--There are good fears and bad fears:

*Psalm 19:9

*Proverbs 1:7

*Proverbs 8:13

*Proverbs 9:7

--Charles Gibbons wrote in his book SuperSelf that of the top 12 fears man faces, #1 is the fear of human beings.

*fear of performing in front of them

*fear of speaking in front of them

*fear of working in front of them

--The Bible has a lot to say about fear, it uses the word fear 400 times.

--Here in our passage we learn 3 facts about the fear of man:

I. The Cause of Fear

--A. The Thoughts of Man

----1. Most people wonder what other people are

thinking.

----2. Those people don’t realize other people are

wondering what they are thinking.

----3. Only God knows the thoughts of man. (Psalm

139:1-6)

--B. The Taunts of Man

----1. Nehemiah 4

----2. Matthew 5:11

----3. illustration: The Wright Brothers

----4. If you attempt to do anything great for God,

you will be mocked.

--C. The Threats of Man

----1. I Samuel 17:10-11—Goliath

----2. Daniel 3:6—Three Hebrew Children

----3. Daniel 6:7—Daniel

II. The Cost of Fear

--A. You will be trapped.

----1. ‘snare’ = something that holds back

----2. Lamentations 3:47

----3. Romans 8:15

----4. II Peter 2:19

--B. You will be tormented.

----1. I John 4:18

----2. Matthew 25:46

----3. There is only one Hell, but if there was a

Hell on earth it would be living in fear.

III. The Conquest of Fear

--A. ‘safe’ = inexcessibly high (protection);

growing in greatness (promotion)

----1. Three Hebrew Children

----2. Daniel

----3. Joseph

--B. ‘putteth’ = active activity with diligence

--C. ‘trust’ = faith

--D. ‘in the LORD’ = Jehovah

----1. Psalm 8:1

----2. Psalm 17:2, 17

----3. Philippians 2:9-10

----4. Acts 4:12

--E. “In the name of the Lord is every man’s need.”

--F. Most of the time Jehovah is followed by

something:

----1. Jehovah Jireh—The Lord is my Provider

----2. Jehovah Shammah—The Lord is Present

----3. Jehovah Shalom—The Lord of Peace

----4. Jehovah Sabboath—The Lord of Hosts

--G. In this verse it just says Jehovah (The Blank

Check Name)

CONCLUSION:

Some today:

--Have not witnessed to others for fear of man

--Have not been to the altar to do business with God for fear of

what others will think

--Are shy to bow their head and thank God for their food in a

restaurant for fear of being mocked

--Have been hindered in doing what God has for their lives because of fearing man

Read Psalm 56:3, 11

Illustration: The Eagle and the Prairie Chicken