Sermon Central
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Trapped Or Triumphant?
Contributed by A.c. Caincross on Jul 17, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon contrasts the trap of fearing man and the triumph of putting your trust in the Lord.
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:
--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
