Trusting In and Fearing Men

Trusting In and Fearing Men I. There is a tendency among people to put too much trust and fear in men. 1. People have a tendency to trust men (governments) to provide for their needs and their safety. 2. People have a tendency to fear wicked men and governments. 3. Sometimes we give wicked men too much credit. A. We credit them with controlling the markets, elections, world events, and even the weather. B. Even if we view what they allegedly do with contempt, we still are in effect having confidence in them to control the world. C. Being so concerned what the wicked are doing will cause us to forget Who is really in control. II. We must only put our trust in God. 1. Trust v.- 1. a. intr. To have faith or confidence; to place reliance; to confide. 2. a. trans. To have faith or confidence in; to rely or depend upon. 2. We must trust in God at all times (Psa 62:8). 3. We may be mocked for trusting in God (2Ki 18:30,33-35). A. Trust in the Lord nevertheless (2Ch 32:7-8). B. God will get the last laugh (2Ki 19:35). 4. God saves those in the midst of the fight when they put their trust in him (1Ch 5:20). 5. Even when it costs, we must put our trust in God (Job 13:15). III. We must not put our trust in men. 1. Those who put their trust in man are cursed (Jer 17:5-7). 2. This means not trusting in the military to save us. A. It's good to be prepared and have a strong national defense (not offense), but safety comes from God (Pro 21:31). B. Many of our fellow citizens trust in the military and our superior weaponry, but we must trust in the Lord (Psa 20:7). C. It is not armies, strength, nor military equipment that save, but rather God saves those who fear Him and hope in His mercy (Psa 33:16-19). D. God pronounces a woe on those who trust in the military for safety (Isa 31:1). 3. This means not trusting in your guns for your protection, but in God (Psa 44:6-7). 4. This means not trusting in men to save us politically or economically. A. Don't trust in princes (or presidents) (Psa 146:3). B. Don't trust in the republican party to save you. C. Don't trust in the democratic party to save you. D. Don't trust in the libertarian party to save you. E. Don't even trust in Ron Paul or Rand Paul to save you. F. Don't trust in the NRA to save you. G. It's far better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes or politicians (Psa 118:8-9). 5. This means not trusting in riches (1Ti 6:17). A. Riches are not forever (Pro 27:24). B. They make themselves wings and fly away (Pro 23:5) (stock market crash of 1929, 1987, 2000, 2008, etc.) C. If you trust in your riches, you will fall (Pro 11:28). D. Even your silver and your gold won't save you in the day of God's wrath (Eze 7:19; Pro 11:4). E. Does the thought of losing everything scare you? If so, you are trusting in riches. 6. There is only one man whom we should put our trust in: the Son of Man (Psa 2:12; Joh 14:1). IV. We must only fear God. 1. Fear v. - II. To feel fear; to regard with fear. 5. trans. To regard with fear, be afraid of (a person or thing as a source of danger, an anticipated event or state of things as painful or evil). 2. God is a consuming fire and worthy of all fear (Heb 12:28-29). 3. None will stand in His sight when He is angry (Psa 76:7). 4. Unlike men who can only kill the body, God can cast you into hell after having killed the body (Luk 12:5). 5. Fearing God and trusting Him go hand-in-hand (Psa 31:19). V. We must not fear men. 1. According to the National Institute of Mental Health: (StatisticBrain.com) A. Percent of things feared that will never take place - 60% B. Percent of things feared that happened in the past and can’t be changed - 30 % C. Percent of things feared that are considered to be insignificant issues - 90 % D. Percent of things feared in relation to health that will not happen - 88 % E. Number of Americans who have a diagnosed phobia - 6.3 Million F. Top phobias of Americans: i. Fear of public speaking – Glossophobia - 74 % ii. Fear of death – Necrophobia - 68 % iii. Fear of spiders – Arachnophobia - 30.5 % iv. Fear of darkness – Achluophobia, Scotophobia or Myctophobia - 11 % v. Fear of heights – Acrophobia - 10 % vi. Fear of people or social situations – Sociophobia - 7.9 % vii. Fear of flying – Aerophobia - 6.5 % viii. Fear of confined spaces – Claustrophobia - 2.5 % ix. Fear of open spaces – Agoraphobia - 2.2 % x. Fear of thunder and lightning – Brontophobia - 2 % 2. All that men can do is kill the body; they can do nothing to the soul and therefore should not be feared (Mat 10:28). A. If they kill you, you gain (Phi 1:21). B. To depart and be with Christ is far better (Phi 1:23). 3. Jesus has given us His peace and therefore we should not be afraid (Joh 14:27). 4. The fear of men brings a snare (Pro 29:25). A. This happened to the king of Judah prior to the Babylonian captivity (Jer 38:19). B. The king would have been safe if he had put his trust in the LORD (Jer 38:20). 5. Never be terrified of your enemies (Psa 27:1-3). 6. Don't fear what man can do to you (Heb 13:5-6). 7. Be not afraid or ashamed of the gospel (2Ti 1:7-8). A. Paul wasn't (Rom 1:16). B. Neither was Jeremiah, even when it meant continued prison time and possibly death (Jer 37:17). 8. If you ever find yourself afraid, trust in God (Psa 56:3). 9. God will save us from wicked men who rise up against us when we put our trust in him (Psa 17:7). VI. God is sovereign and controls all things. 1. God controls the economy (2Ki 6:25 c/w 2Ki 7:1,16). 2. God controls political leaders and determines who is in power (Dan 4:17). 3. God controls world events (Dan 4:35). 4. God controls the weather (Job 37:9-13). VII. Don't put too much confidence in what evil men can do or what you think they are doing. 1. We don't want to be ignorant of the evil that is going on around us (Pro 21:12; Eph 5:15). A. We should be wise as serpents (Mat 10:16). B. We should be prudent and foresee the evil and hide ourselves (Pro 27:12). 2. But on the other hand we don't want to be too knowledgeable about it either. A. We should be simple concerning evil (Rom 16:19). B. We should be harmless as doves (Mat 10:16). 3. Don't believe everything you hear (1Th 5:21; Pro 14:15). A. Some of us hold Boobus Americanus in contempt because he believes everything he hears on CNN and Faux News. B. How many times are we as guilty as Boobus for believing everything we hear in the alternative media? C. Just because something is being promoted in the alternative media or on the Internet doesn't mean it's true. D. Alternative media is not always a pillar of truth. E. They might be duping you and making merchandise of you. F. Just because it's a conspiracy theory doesn't automatically make it true. 4. Be careful what you repeat about what the wicked are allegedly doing. A. Repeating a false accusation is slander, which is an excludable offence (2Ti 3:3; Pro 10:18). B. Slander n. - 1. The utterance or dissemination of false statements or reports concerning a person, or malicious misrepresentation of his actions, in order to defame or injure him; calumny, defamation. C. If you are going to accuse someone of something, you better have hard evidence supported by at least two or three witnesses (Deu 19:15). D. For outrageous claims, you better have video. E. Do you know WHO the "globalists" are who are supposedly controlling every aspect of life on earth? (I'm not saying they don't exist.) F. Do you know, and can you prove, WHO the specific politicians/powerful people are who sodomize with male prostitutes at the Bohemian Grove? (I'm not saying they don't.) G. Do you know, and can you prove, WHO the members of the Illuminati, Bilderberg, Jesuits, etc. are who are supposedly controlling everything from the financial markets to the weather? (I'm not saying they aren't). H. Do you know, and can you prove, WHO the politicians are who are secretly reptilians who shape-shift and eat babies? (I don't buy it.) I. If you don't have hard evidence (video, etc.) and multiple eyewitness accounts, you better be careful about repeating incredible claims about wicked people. VIII. Don't worry about tomorrow. 1. God will provide for His children. A. Those who trust in God will not be desolate (Psa 34:22). B. Seek first the kingdom of God and your earthly needs will be added unto you (Mat 6:31-33). C. Those that fear God will not want (lack) any necessity (Psa 34:9-10; Phi 4:19). D. I have not seen the righteous forsaken by God (Psa 37:25; Pro 10:3). How about you? E. Are you concerned about the future? Cast your burden upon God and He will sustain you (Psa 55:22). 2. Think of all the saints whom God has protected from wicked men and governments who tried to kill them. A. God provided for Moses when the government tried to kill him (as a baby). B. God provided for Elijah when the government tried to kill him. C. God provided for the prophets of the Lord when the government tried to kill them (hid them in a cave). D. God provided for Daniel and his three friends when the government tried to kill them. E. God provided for the apostle Paul when the government tried to kill him. F. If they kill you, you just get to go to heaven sooner (John the Baptist, Stephen, etc.). 3. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, not Washington, D.C. 60 verses