-
Question.
-
"Can you explore this
topic of fear of men?"
-
So that's the topic: fear of men.
-
"Now, if a believer
-
is free from sin,
-
how can one feel so dominated
-
by this particular gripping sin?"
-
Now, he writes more,
-
but I'm going to stop right there.
-
I often get questions
that are worded like this.
-
You say, like what?
-
I often get somebody that says to me,
-
"I know I'm a Christian.
-
Please explain to me
how I can be living in sin."
-
That approach is common.
-
I know I've been regenerated.
-
I know I believed.
-
I know I'm a Christian.
-
And yet, would you please explain to me
-
how it is that I can be controlled
-
by this un-Christian conduct?
-
Those are the kind of questions
-
oftentimes that you get.
-
And it's like, ok, there's a fatal flaw
-
in logic there.
-
One of the things is this:
-
We don't want to just
assume we're Christians
-
and then ask the question -
-
it's like, I know I'm a Christian,
-
even though when I look at the Bible,
-
the things that the Bible says
are true about Christians,
-
I don't see are true in my life.
So would you please explain to me?
-
I know I'm a Christian,
-
but how is it that my life can be
-
characterized by un-Christian conduct
-
when I know I'm a Christian?
-
(Incomplete thought)
-
And I would like to turn it around
-
and say I'd rather you explain to me
-
how you can be a Christian
-
when your life is full of
un-Christian conduct.
-
I can't explain that to you,
-
because I think what's happening is
-
is you are basically starting out
-
by a faulty assertion.
-
You've got a faulty presupposition here
-
that is making your logic bad
-
all the way through.
-
You want to turn the thing around.
-
What you really want to do is say,
-
the Bible says that true and legitimate
-
Christianity looks like this;
-
ok, now I'm going to examine my own life
-
in light of what the Bible says
-
true Christianity looks like.
-
If I measure up to the standard,
-
that's a positive thing.
-
If I don't measure up to the standard,
-
that may mean I'm in trouble.
-
That's how you want to reason.
-
But anyway, we'll go on.
-
"As with matters of the soul,
-
a short question is hard
to compress everything.
-
I would like to ask you about
-
this deplorable sin of
fear of man in general.
-
It takes on many words today,
-
i.e. social anxiety, man-pleasing,
-
seeking glory in this world, etc.,
-
but strangely is not
something talked about
-
much in church.
-
Some personal context:
-
I recently discovered that my struggle
-
to communicate freely with people
-
without fear for many years
-
is directly proportionate to my desire
-
to seek God above all things.
-
(And that would make sense.)
-
I hate this sin,
-
yet in my pleading with
God for repentance..."
-
Can we just stop right there?
-
God never tells us to
plead for repentance.
-
God tells us to repent.
-
"I hate this sin, yet in my pleading
-
with God for repentance
-
and looking to Christ, it seems
-
I am only seeking to be
cured from such sin -
-
the burden of anxiety, without wanting
-
more of God.
-
How can this be?"
-
Again, he's asking me questions
-
about how can this be.
-
"I struggle in wondering how can such
-
an odious sin be present
in a believer's life."
-
You see, there's that bad logic again.
-
"How is it true repentance
-
if every day is just a repetitive struggle
-
to turn away from this?"
-
Well, it's not.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
He's asking how can it be true repentance
-
as though the first assumption is
-
it is true repentance.
-
Well, the reality is
-
he's describing that which is not
-
characteristic of true repentance.
-
"In conclusion, it really is exhausting.
-
Never have I felt so
dominated and controlled
-
by any sin as this.
-
It pains me that this is bigger than
-
the God I profess to believe in.
-
Never also have I felt so helpless,
-
like one who does not know Christ.
-
Yes, it makes me question
assurance deeply."
-
And it should.
-
And so in the end, it sounds like
-
his thinking is somewhat
on the right track.
-
"But in all this, thank you and James
-
for reading this."
-
(incomplete thought)
-
So the end is thankfulness.
-
But let's talk about this.
-
Aside from his making certain assumptions
-
which are backwards,
-
(incomplete thought).
-
Let's do a bit of a theology
of the fear of God.
-
Anybody think of any texts
-
that deal with the fear of God?
-
Or, being a man-pleaser?
-
Or, anything of that sort?
-
(from the room) Matthew 10:28
-
Tim: Matthew 10:28
-
Do you have it right there?
-
"And do not fear those who kill the body,
-
but cannot kill the soul.
-
Rather fear Him who can destroy
-
both soul and body in hell."
-
Then He goes on to say,
-
"Fear not, therefore, you are
-
of more value than many sparrows."
-
Tim: Anybody think of any others?
-
(from the room)
-
The beginning of wisdom.
-
Proverbs 1:7?
-
"The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge."
-
Tim: We're talking about the fear of man.
-
(from the room)
-
"Whoever confesses Me before men..."
-
Tim: "Whoever confesses Me before men..."
-
That's an interesting one.
-
Proverbs 29:25
-
That's a big one.
-
Why don't you quote that?
-
"The fear of man lays a snare,
-
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe."
-
Tim: The fear of man lays a snare.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
I often think of a text
-
very close to the beginning of Isaiah.
-
It's in Isaiah 2 that has to do with this.
-
Anybody know the text I'm talking about?
-
(from the room) Verse 22,
-
"Stop regarding man
-
in whose nostrils is breath,
-
for what account is he..."
-
Tim: I remember Paul Washer
-
preaching on that text.
-
Stop regarding man.
-
Another one that jumps to my mind
-
is this one:
-
It's found in John 5.
-
And this is very helpful.
-
Because what Jesus says is,
-
He looks at the leaders there.
-
You remember, He's been seeking
-
to make the case for
Himself being the Christ,
-
and He's putting all this proof;
-
all these witnesses before the people.
-
And He says, "I say these things so that
-
you might be saved."
-
But as He's getting toward
the end of the chapter there,
-
He says this:
-
"How can you believe..." who do what?
-
Seek the glory of men.
-
Receive honor from one another
-
and not the glory or the honor
-
that comes from God.
-
Here's the thing,
-
how can you believe...?
-
you know what?
-
It is an issue of faith.
-
It is an issue of believing,
-
if you really think about the fear of man.
-
How do we overcome the fear of man?
-
Faith.
-
What is it that you believe?
-
(from the room)
-
That you are of more
value than the sparrows.
-
Tim: Well, if you think about Jesus' words
-
that you ought not to fear those
-
who can kill the body only
-
and then there's nothing
more they can do to you,
-
but fear Him who can what?
-
The idea is you're
comparing God and people.
-
Even when you think about Peter
-
before the Sanhedrin.
-
We ought to obey God rather than man.
-
Now man will put pressure
on you to obey him.
-
The issue is this,
-
that you fear him most
-
whose approval you seek most.
-
That's a reality.
-
If you seek the glory of man,
-
then you fear man's disapproval
-
more than anything else.
-
And that's a real issue.
-
And see, what Jesus is doing is
-
He's confronting us with the truth.
-
It really has to come down
with what you believe.
-
You know, I remember situations
-
when I worked as an engineer.
-
I remember having meetings
with my department.
-
I remember being in a meeting
-
and I remember guys telling
-
some bad joke or something,
-
and I remember being in that situation.
-
And right there, it's:
-
Am I going to honor God or am
I going to laugh at these guys?
-
Am I going to make these
guys feel uncomfortable
-
by the way I respond right now,
-
or am I going to seek God's approval?
-
Is it their approval or God's approval?
-
And what happens is the scales come out.
-
Instantaneously, they come out.
-
Whose approval do I seek most?
-
Now a lot of that has to do with
-
do you really believe God is right here?
-
Do you believe He's right with you?
-
Do you believe He's watching?
-
Do you believe that there's an accounting?
-
Do you believe that there's an approval?
-
Do you believe that you can grieve Him?
-
Do you believe that if
you seek man's approval,
-
you're going to grieve the Spirit?
-
(incomplete thought)
-
Do you really believe those things?
-
That doesn't mean there isn't fear.
-
The thing about fearing God more than
-
fearing man doesn't mean
-
that the fear of man goes away,
-
but it means that when
you're confronted by it,
-
God gives you a courage
-
to do the right thing
-
and to believe the right thing
-
and to believe that He is worth
-
having the approval of more than man is.
-
But it really comes down to
-
you have to be convinced;
-
you have to believe that reality
-
when you're confronted with it.
-
Look, I don't know anybody -
-
maybe some of you can raise your
hand and say you know what,
-
I really don't care what any man
-
or any woman or any child thinks of me
-
in any scenario at all.
-
I care not at all.
-
I doubt there's any like that.
-
Why?
-
We're social creatures.
-
We do like the approval of man.
-
You know what the thing is?
-
We like to be liked.
-
And that's one thing that makes it hard
-
about becoming a Christian,
-
because you're thrown into a situation -
-
I'll tell you, this is one
of the tell-tale signs
-
of true Christianity -
-
is when men and women
-
claim they've been saved
-
and you throw them (incomplete thought).
-
This tends to be such a hallmark
-
of the hypocrite.
-
They're man-pleasers.
-
The hypocrite is a man-pleaser.
-
He appears holy in certain situations,
-
because you're watching him.
-
And he wants to appease you.
-
But I'll tell you, you take him
-
and you throw him on a bar stool,
-
and he'll appease the people there.
-
You throw him in the workplace,
-
and you have a guy
tell a dirty joke at work,
-
he'll appease.
-
I remember Craig telling the story
-
about checking out a piece of machinery
-
from a tool crib - a tool of some kind
-
he was checking out.
-
And the guy there used
the Lord's name in vain,
-
and Craig said something to him
-
about not using the name
of the Lord thy God in vain,
-
and the guy went off on him.
-
Craig was shocked how badly the guy
-
went off on him.
-
And that's the thing.
-
Sometimes people will go off on you.
-
Or sometimes you'll just be shunned.
-
Sometimes you'll be the outcast.
-
Sometimes it's just the
smirk on people's faces.
-
Sometimes it's just not
being included anymore.
-
See, it all comes down to,
-
you know what?
-
I want the approval of my Lord
-
more than I want their approval.
-
And that's really the issue.
-
It tests - to the hilt -
-
it tests what we believe.
-
It's powerful.
-
And there in John 5, that's the issue.
-
Jesus said I don't seek the glory of man.
-
And that really needs to be the place
-
we as Christians are.
-
Yes, there's a place to seek approval
-
in the sense that
-
you know, you want to be
a good worker at work.
-
But you know what, when your boss
-
wants you to do something wrong?
-
My brother-in-law Rick,
-
his boss wanted him to cheat
-
on the item list/inventory
-
on these shipments that come in
-
on these pallets,
-
and he resigned.
-
I'm not doing it.
-
His boss told him,
"you are going to do it."
-
There was a time they
had to take inventory
-
on something and his boss had been
-
wrongly inventorying
things for a long time,
-
and he told Rick, you are going to do it.
-
And Rick said I'm not going to do it.
-
This is where we get put to it.
-
How can you believe?
-
See, that's the thing.
-
What's Jesus saying there?
-
Think about those words.
-
How can you believe
-
when you seek the glory of man?
-
(unintelligible)
-
It's like loving God and money.
-
They're conflicting loves.
-
They're conflicting interests.
-
(Incomplete thought)
-
It's like, ok, I'm there in
the engineering meeting,
-
and a guy says something that's wicked,
-
and everybody else is laughing.
-
How am I going to respond?
-
(incomplete thought)
-
Where's my love?
-
What is it that I desire most here?
-
And Jesus talked about it.
-
Eric brought up the text.
-
Before men - what we do before men.
-
How we proclaim Christ.
-
How we testify to Him.
-
How we stand for Him before men.
-
That's a real issue.
-
And it comes down to the truth.
-
It comes down to what you believe.
-
That's really the issue.
-
(from the room)
-
I also think it comes back
-
to the validity of the walk.
-
I was talking about earlier today
-
Luke 22
-
and how Christ commanded Peter to pray,
-
and he slept instead,
-
which led him to follow at a distance,
-
and following after that,
-
he denied the Lord before a servant.
-
And I think it just goes back to
-
our personal walk with the Lord
-
on a daily basis.
-
If we don't have that intact,
-
there's no power going forth
-
in the workplace or at school
-
or at Walmart or wherever we're at.
-
I mean, I've seen significant difference
-
in my own walk when there's days
-
where I've spent little time in the Word,
-
and I go to work
-
and face the same situation
-
where I'm denying the
Lord in a certain way.
-
Versus on another day when I spent
-
quality time with Christ,
-
and then go to work,
-
face the same trials and
the same temptations,
-
but I overcome it.
-
So I think it just comes back to
-
your daily walk with the Lord.
-
Tim: Well, if we think about this
-
being a matter of faith -
-
faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ.
-
There's a reality that when a person
-
is prayerfully in the Word
-
and then he goes off into this world,
-
the Spirit grips people's
minds with truth.
-
That truth is prevalent.
-
It's before your eyes.
-
It's there. It's fresh.
-
The Spirit makes it so.
-
And it tends to be powerful.
-
And it's not like
Christians don't hesitate,
-
but you know, when the Word is fresh
-
and it's there and it's vivid,
-
it's constraining - it's compelling.
-
Yeah, you're not going to do well
-
in this battle if you're not in the Word
-
and your faith isn't being constantly
-
stirred by the Word, by the Spirit of God
-
using the Word in your life.
-
One more before we end.
-
(from the room)
-
(unintelligible) make a distinction
-
for, say a new convert may
get confused on this,
-
but like in Galatians 1:10 it says,
-
if I'm still trying to please man,
-
I would not be a servant of Christ.
-
But then in 1 Corinthians 10,
-
Paul says I try to please everyone
-
in everything I do.
-
Now, he says not seeking my own advantage,
-
but some new Christian,
they read 1 Corinthians 10,
-
and it says I try to please everyone.
-
And then in Galatians 1:10,
-
it says if I'm trying to please man,
-
I'm not a servant of Christ.
-
I think you kind of already hit on this,
-
but what's the big difference there
-
between both of those verses
-
in what Paul's saying?
-
Tim: Well, obviously, there's a time
-
to please God when it offends men.
-
And then there's a time
-
to make sacrifices for the sake of
-
proclaiming the Gospel which pleases God
-
and pleases the men
that you're preaching to.
-
For instance, when you think of Paul
-
addressing the Corinthians,
-
he did things like not accept money
-
to please men -
-
to put men in a place where
-
he wasn't creating a stumbling block.
-
Basically, when he's talking about
-
pleasing man in that case,
-
he's not talking about pleasing them
-
while he's disobeying God.
-
He's talking about pleasing them in a way
-
that pleases God, because it promotes
-
the Gospel.
-
And basically, are we not told
-
that as much as possible we should
-
live at peace with all men?
-
That is a way that God is pleased with
-
as we're seeking to live with man in peace
-
as much as possible.
-
But what happens is we get confronted
-
by situations where the
two are in conflict -
-
pleasing God or pleasing man.
-
They're not consistent.
-
And when they butt heads -
-
when it's pleasing God or pleasing man
-
and you can't do both,
-
that's where Jesus is saying
-
that you need to testify
of Him before men,
-
and you need to proclaim Him before men.
-
You need to stand for
what's right before men.
-
And you need to not fear man.
-
The issue is this:
-
when pleasing God brings
the scowl of a man,
-
or even brings the sword,
-
where they can kill your body.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
You know, in all of it,
-
you want your eyes on the Lord.
-
Ok, what pleases You?
-
Does pleasing You please my parents?
-
I mean, pleasing You is pleasing
my parents right now, Lord?
-
Yes. Ok, I'm going to please my parents.
-
My parents are happy.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
What it means to be a Christian
-
and to obey the Lord is
making my parents happy.
-
But He also said He's bringing a sword.
-
There's times I look to Him and He
says you need to go to the left.
-
And it's like, ok, I look at my parents
-
and they're scowling
because they don't want me
-
to go to the left, but I look at the Lord
-
and He's saying go left.
-
Ok, I go left.
-
Now the sword comes in the family
-
and there's division.
-
But see, all the time
my eyes are on the Lord.
-
That's what Paul's talking about.
-
Paul's talking about, ok,
his eyes are on the Lord,
-
when it has to do with
what's being encountered
-
over there in the Galatian churches,
-
you've got Judaizers who are in opposition
-
to the truth of God and the Gospel of God,
-
and he's going to stand for the Gospel
-
even though it offends
all these other people.
-
Now in another case, with the Corinthians,
-
it's a matter of - to
not make any obstacle
-
for the Gospel, I'm not
going to take any money
-
when I preach the Gospel.
-
And God's pleased with that too.
-
My eyes are on the Lord.
-
And so, when following the Lord
-
is going to put me
in opposition to men,
-
so be it.
-
When following the Lord is going to
put me at peace with all men,
-
so be it.
-
Some seasons are going to be one.
-
There are times He will make our enemies
-
to be at peace with us.
-
And there are other times that
-
even the closest people
will be at war with us.
-
And we just have to keep our
eyes on the Lord all the time.
-
That's another reason we
need to be in His Word.
-
We need that Word.
-
We need to be renewing our minds
-
with that Word all the time.
-
All the time.
-
Because everything about this world -
-
this world is given to man-pleasing.
-
And if you're not
constantly in the Scriptures;
-
constantly in the Word;
-
constantly renewing your mind,
-
you just end up thinking worldly.
-
And the worldly way is to please.
-
It's to dress to please.
-
It's to act to please.
-
It's to put on a show to please.
-
It's to get the applause.
-
It's to get the smile.
-
It's to get the approbation of mankind.
-
That's what the world does.
-
And even more, it's to get the jealousy
-
of other people.
-
It's to get the envy of other people.
-
It's to outdo other people
-
so that they admire you
-
and they want what you have
-
and they covet what you have
-
and they covet your spouse
-
and they covet your house
-
and they covet your vehicle.
-
It's just living with this
mindset all the time
-
of other people, other
people, other people.
-
I mean, even as a preacher,
-
it's like, ok, this thing can hit you
-
at any level.
-
You're going into the pulpit.
-
Is my primary objective:
I want to please the Lord?
-
You look at men.
-
There's lots of preachers that preach
-
the way they do because
-
that guy might not give as much.
-
They might leave the church.
-
At every level, we're confronted by this.