The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

Beware of   practicing your righteousness before other people in order   to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.    “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may   be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have   received their reward.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

Proverbs 29:25, Matthew 6:1-3

Rev. Dan Whang

Fear of man. We often strive for approval and appreciation from others. How often do we check how we look in the mirror? How often do you update your Facebook status or profile picture? Do you suffer from FOMO, fear of missing out? Many of us struggle with this. Do you define yourself by what others think of you? Are you a slave to their opinion of you? Is your identity tied to the approval and acceptance of others?

Addiction to attention or fear of rejection. This sums up what it looks like to be a slave to fear of man. The workaholic looks for validation from his coworkers and superior. Social media addicts look for likes and comments for validation. We might never share or speak up for fear of rejection. We don't want others to judge us or think us stupid or lacking.

Dealing with the fear of man

We can avoid people entirely. But this does not address the issue. We can put on a different attitude, be ourselves and be our own person. But this is ultimately self centered..

How then should we deal with it?

Firstly, we are not the center of the world. No one looks at you that much.

Secondly, there is no judgement. God has taken that away. God rejoices over you. In Christ, we have acceptance and identity.

Fear of man will be replaced by a fear of God. Good tells his prophet, Isaiah, to speak a message that the people will reject. So God dominates his temple with His presence and the prophet is freaked out. God is more fearsome than man. When we are reminded of God's greatness, our other fears are diminished.

The Gospel for the Performance-Driven

11:28-30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Rev. Charles Han

This is the beginning of the series on our motivations outside of Christ. Today, we will address those who feel that success and self accomplishment will fulfill.

Crushing burden

This is not just talking about physical/mental exhaustion. Jesus is talking about spiritual exhaustion. What does this mean? It is the tiredness that comes from getting our identity from success whether it is work, parenting, ministry. God is not saying we should not work hard. It is when what you do becomes what you are. You get significance from success and depressed from failure. You are a success or failure depending on your circumstances. This comes from standards both internal and external. What makes us feel significant? Or insignificant? Do more. Do it now. Spiritual legalism is one form of this. Trying to justify ourselves. We are constantly in need of validation of our identity. Always trying to control everything, but we cannot sustain this. We will break down. This is what idols do, they bring us to death. The standards of perfectionists and performance are higher than how we can live or do.

Invitation to ultimate rest

Jesus invites everyone to come to Him and find rest. This is an everlasting, soul fulfilling rest. This is the end of the need for any justification. He took on all our guilt and shame. And He gives His righteousness, his inheritance, his performance, and his victory. You no longer need to measure up. In Christ, you no longer need to become, but rather you already are. You are completely justified in Him, you have nothing left to prove.

Learning to live under Jesus' easy yoke

So what then now that we know? We are free from the yoke of self justification. But we are not yoke free. He says we should be yoked under Jesus. Like an apprentice, we should learn  from Christ... to live in the reality that Christ has done it all.

Define your identity by what Christ did, not by anything else

Living in full obedience to the one who delights in our progression, not our perfection. He works in our imperfection and brokenness. He is easy to please but hard to satisfy. Like a father watching a baby learning to walk. He wants his child to walk, but he also delights in every bit of progress.

Isaiah 42:3 ESV

a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

Spiritual warfare

6:10-17 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Paul starts to close out his letter. Finally, he speaks of spiritual warfare, this is integral. Here's what Christ has done, here's what you should do, and finally, here is what you should keep in mind.

We who are chasing God, you will be fiercely opposed. We have enemies in this work that God has given us. There are two reactions, complete denial and unhealthy obsession.

Reality of the enemy

Our enemies are not of flesh. They are invisible. He is the devil and one of many fallen angels. There is a question of whether this is referring to rankings of demonic forces or evil governments. It is likely both.

We are called to stand firm. This falling is not losing salvation, but rather seasons of spiritually unfruitfulness and inability to minister. Hurting rather helping the cause of Christ. This a call to wake up and realize that we are in a battlefield. This is a call to arms.

Tactics of the enemy

Before you fight your enemy, you need to learn about him. The enemy is stronger than you. Much stronger than we give him credit. This us why we need God's help. He is very shrewd. He deceived Adam and Eve. He will study your weakness and attack those character flaws and weaknesses, old wounds. He will try to reopen old wounds. He will take a lack of self control to sow division and discord. Times of isolation and idleness draw him to attack.

How to overcome

Allow no points of exposure. The armor should be worn, in it's entirety. The enemy is incessant. We are called to be strong in the Lord.

First, we need to know the truth of God. We need to know God both quantifiably as well as qualitatively.

Secondly, we need faith in God. Knowledge of his work and his promises, that he is dependable.

Thirdly, the helmet of salvation. That our salvation is secure in Christ. That our eternal destination is ours.

Finally, the one offensive weapon in the passage. The gates of hell are being assaulted... by the church. We are called to not just defend ourselves, but to take ground! The spirit pushes onward.

The shoes of the gospel give us the desire to take ground. The knowledge of how much God loves and gives us, winds over our hearts and drives us to advance the kingdom of God.

Everything we need for the fight is already ours in Christ. He has secured all these things for us. All this equipment is firmly within our grasp.