The Fear of Man
We must forsake the fear of man and prioritize the approval and comfort of God, in order to boldly preach God's truth and help men live right and quit sin.
Byron J. Rees delivers a powerful sermon on the irrationality of fearing man over God, emphasizing the need for courage in addressing sin boldly and without compromise. He calls for ministers to have the boldness to expose sin, regardless of the consequences or fear of losing approval, and to prioritize pleasing God over pleasing people. Rees challenges the ministry to confront all forms of sin, even those considered taboo or unpopular, and to focus on guiding people towards righteous living and salvation.
Text
The Fear of man is one of the most illogical things in the world. Men sell the blood of Jesus and hope of heaven and eternal happiness because of "what people say." Think of it, afraid of a man who will die and be buried under ground before he rots! Frightened at a thing dressed in a long black coat and a tall hat and a frown; a thing which will stop breathing some day and the worms will eat! Shall I tremble when an ecclesiastical Leo utters a roar? Shall I halt and stammer because a top-heavy lad from a theological seminary, hopelessly in love with himself, scowls at the word "sanctification"? The folks we are afraid of, are afraid of us. What a situation! A great regiment of people marching straight down to hell, everyone afraid to break step for fear the others will laugh! That is precisely the condition of nearly every sinner.
The ministry is sadly in need of a blessing which will give it courage to attack sin of all kinds and degrees. We need men who will rip the mask off the face of sin and pronounce God's sentence upon it; who will lift up the trap-door of the cesspools of men's hearts and bid them look within at their own sin; who will "cry aloud and spare not," though the enraged cohorts of demons snarl and shriek. There will be a day when men will curse us because we have not preached more plainly. Brethren in the ministry, let us be less anxious about the technical accuracy of our sermons and be more eager to help men live right and quit sin and go to heaven.
There are many sins which few men have the courage to antagonize in public. Theoretically the pulpit is supposed to bombard all sin of every variety and species, but, alas, it is usually too cowardly. The Spirit-filled man fears no one. It is not that ministers are unaware of the sins within the Church, but they dare not speak openly against them. He knows only too well that if he dares assert his manhood and exercises the prerogative of Christ's minister, the consequences could be swift and terrible, the loss of the approval of men, and maybe even his pastorate. But let us be content with the approval and comfort of God rather than fear men. For the sake of the Church and the lost, GOD HELP US to forsake the fear of man.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Illogical Fear of Man
- A. The fear of man is illogical and unreasonable
- B. Men are afraid of what others think, rather than God
- II. The Ministry's Need for Courage
- A. The ministry needs a blessing to give it courage to attack sin
- B. We need men who will boldly preach God's truth
- III. The Consequences of Fear
- A. The fear of man leads to cowardice in the pulpit
- B. Ministers are afraid to speak out against sin within the Church
- IV. The Approval of God
- A. We should seek the approval and comfort of God, rather than men
- B. We must forsake the fear of man for the sake of the Church and the lost
Key Quotes
“Men sell the blood of Jesus and hope of heaven and eternal happiness because of 'what people say.'” — Byron J. Rees
“The folks we are afraid of, are afraid of us.” — Byron J. Rees
“GOD HELP US to forsake the fear of man.” — Byron J. Rees
Application Points
- We must be willing to forsake the fear of man and prioritize the approval of God in order to boldly preach God's truth.
- We should seek to help men live right and quit sin, rather than being held back by the fear of what others think.
- We must be content with the approval and comfort of God, rather than seeking the approval of men.