DO
NOT FEAR MAN
BREAD
4 The
word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 “Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I
appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 “Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;
I am only a child.” 7 But
the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone
I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do
not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the
LORD. Jeremiah 1:4-8 (NIV)
10 Moses
said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor
since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11 The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who
makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I,
the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what
to say.” 13 But
Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” 14 Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses and he
said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He
is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you.
15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I
will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.” Exodus 4:10-15 (NIV)
6 So
we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can
man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6 (NIV)
31 What,
then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against
us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for
us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who
will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more
than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also
interceding for us. Romans 8:31-34 (NIV)
24 Then
Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your
instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. 25 Now
I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the
LORD.” 26 But
Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of
the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!” 1 Samuel 15:24-26 (NIV)
6 The
LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What
can man do to me? 7 The
LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. Psalms 118:6-7 (NIV)
23 Now
while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous
signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But
Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He
did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. John 2:23-25 (NIV)
7 Do
not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The
one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap
destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap
eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the
proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore,
as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who
belong to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:7-10 (NIV)
25 Fear
of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)
BUTTER
“A great obstacle to serving the Lord,
especially among the young, is the fear of rejection and opposition. All kinds of thoughts enter the mind about
how some people might not like the way we act or speak. People might disagree or be offended. I might
make a mistake and get criticized. The fear of man is a great hindrance to
ministry. So God says, Don’t fear,
because I will be with you and I will deliver you. God’s presence and approval
is more valuable than all the accolades of men. And God says that, in and
through all your troubles, I will deliver you. You will triumph in the end. You
will be more than a conqueror. And the same thing is promised to all of us in
Christ Jesus today.” John Piper
“It
is only the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of man.” John Witherspoon
“For your own soul’s sake, dare to make up your mind what you
believe, and dare to have positive distinct views of truth and error. Never, never
be afraid to hold decided doctrinal opinions. And let no fear of man and no
morbid dread of being thought party-spirited, narrow, or controversial make you
rest contented with a bloodless, boneless, tasteless, colorless, lukewarm,
undogmatic Christianity.”
J.C. Ryle
“It is always a lie from the pit that tells you that your gifts
aren’t good enough to be given. What
will keep too many from doing much good — is caring too much what others
think.” Ann Voskamp
“To be like Jesus is to be
sanctified — set apart for God’s holy use — in the truth of God’s word (John
17:17), which becomes our word (John 17:20). The most Christlike people have
‘the word of Christ’ dwelling in them richly (Colossians 3:16), and they speak
what should be said, and refrain from speaking what should not be said
(Ephesians 4:29). The most Christlike people seek God’s glory more than
anything else, and this pursuit is what governs what they say. The glory we seek has a great deal to do with
what we choose to say or not say. When our primary pursuit is our own glory, we
will hardly ever say anything that might endanger it. What others think of us
will dictate our words (John 5:44). We will speak like everyone else speaks for
the reasons everyone else speaks. What frees our tongues for God is what freed
Jesus’s tongue for God. He sought the Father’s glory and trusted the Father to
glorify him. If our tongue is tied, it very well could be that we value our
glory above God’s. One of the great freedoms
for which ‘Christ has set us free’ (Galatians 5:1) is the freedom from the
tyranny of pursuing our own glory. True freedom is pursuing God’s glory and
trusting the Father, like Jesus did, to glorify us in the most satisfying ways
at the proper time.”
Jon Bloom
“The person who serves selflessly, lovingly, without complaint, and
without seeking recognition is highly regarded in the kingdom of God. The world
will estimate your importance by the number of people serving you. God is more
concerned with the number of people you are serving.” Henry
Blackaby, Richard Blackaby
“The most important thing in life isn’t what we
think about ourselves or what others think about us, but what God thinks about
us. He is the final Judge. When He examines and evaluates our motives, words,
and actions, are we commended, as was Abel, or are we condemned, as was his
brother Cain? ‘The Lord does not look at the things man looks at,’ God told the
prophet Samuel. ‘Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the
heart’ (1 Sam. 16:7). Warren
Wiersbe
“Live your life for an audience of One and you will not be
disappointed.” BHY
“Your life is rooted in the
unshakable, sovereign purposes of God. You have been chosen and consecrated and
formed and appointed for a great purpose.
God’s authority, not your own, is behind your serving and your
speaking. God himself will be with you
to deliver you in all your trials.” John
Piper
“The brilliance of man cannot appreciate
the plan of God (Isaiah 55:8-9). It is not self-confident erudition but self-effacing
faith that allows one to enter the narrow way.” Bible Knowledge Commentary
“God never fails the eyes of them that
look up to Him. His people will never be
ashamed to hope in Him. His name is a
strong tower. Cast your care upon Him.” John Gibbon
“When
you stop caring what others think may be exactly when you start doing what God
wants.” Ann Voskamp
HEART SAVOR
·
We are not to be afraid of what man thinks rather what God thinks.
·
Live
your life for an audience of One. When
we live to please Him, all other relationships fall in proper order under.
·
Seek to bring God glory - not flesh.
