Fear of God or Fear of Man?

Fear of God or Fear of Man?

BY C. H. SPURGEON

“Fear not, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will help you, says the LORD, and your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” – Isaiah 41:14.

Make a man afraid—he will flee at his own shadow. Make a man brave and he will stand before an army and overcome them! He will never do much good in the world who is afraid of men. The fear of God brings blessings, but the fear of men brings a snare, and such a snare that many feet have been tripped! No man shall be faithful to God if he is fearful of man. No man shall find his arm sufficient for him and his might equal to his emergencies unless he can confidently believe and quietly wait. We must not fear, for fear is weakening. . .

. . .Doubt not the Lord, O Christian, for in so doing you do lower yourself. The more you believe, the greater you are. But the more you doubt the less you become. It was said of the world’s conqueror, that when he was sick, he cried like a child. “Give me some drink,” cried one, like a sick girl—it was said to his dishonor! And is it not to the dishonor of a Christian who lives in secret on his God and professes to trust alone in Him, that he cannot trust Him? That a little child will overcome his faith? Oh, poor little boat that is upset by a raindrop! O poor puny Christian who is overcome by every straw—that stumbles at every stone! Then, Christian brothers and sisters behave like men and women! It is childish to doubt; it is manhood’s glory to trust. Plant your feet upon the immoveable Rock of Ages; lift your eyes to heaven. Scorn the world—never be a coward. Bend your fist in the world’s face, and bid defiance to it and hell, and you are a man and noble! But crouch and cringe and dread and doubt and you have lost your Christian dignity, and are no longer what you should be. You do not honor God. “Fear not, you worm Jacob. I will help you, says the LORD.” Then why should you fear?

Excerpt from FEAR NOT, NO. 156, DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE MUSIC HALL, ROYAL SURREY GARDENS, ON OCTOBER 4, 1857.