Fear Not: Mary

Introduction

Pastor Don

Fear will rob you of the potential that God wants to do through you.

There are many kinds of fears:

Strange Fears:

Nomophobia - The phobia is characterized by feelings of anxiety that arise from being out of a phone’s range of service, not having one’s phone charged, having no credit on one’s phone or misplacing it. It is believed that over 50 percent of cell phone users are affected by nomophobia.

ancraophobia — Fear of wind. People who suffer from ancraophobia tend to become anxious out of doors and near open windows. Anxious feelings can also manifest themselves when passing hand dryers or overhead air vents. It is believed that the fear is triggered by an experience embedded in the person’s subconscious.

Spectrophobia — is a fear of mirrors and one’s own reflection. is a fear of mirrors and one’s own reflection.

Ablutophobia — persistent fear of cleaning, washing or bathing and occurs more in children and women than men. It is not a very common phobia.

Chorophobia — is the fear of dancing. It also manifests itself into a fear of any situation, event or person that is associated with dancing. (Or it can also be considered the fear people have AFTER they see me dance!)

Arachibutyrophobia — Fear of Peanut butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth.

Optophobia — Fear of opening one’s eyes.

NOHOPEOPHOBIA — Totally made that up - fear of having no hope.

Hope (especially in the Christian understanding) is settled expectation that the best is yet to come.

When you have hope you can weather almost anything. Without it, you feel crushed under almost everything.

Illust - USS Indianapolis

When you have hope you can weather almost anything. Without it, you feel crushed under almost everything.

Illust - USS Indianapolis

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Hope is an important thing because without it, you feel like your sinking.

Behind the lights of the Christmas tree, many of our neighbors and family members have a fear of hopelessness:

problem at work, in health, in marriage that seems so permanent.

The divorce or death means that things will definitely look different this year.

The career or job that seemed so stable now isn’t

It leaves you asking “Will I ever be happy again?”

Maybe you, too, understand the fear of hopelessness. Even if one of those scenarios has not happened to you, you carry a fear that one day it will.

(ESV)

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary’s full of hope (like a bride)

Not sure how old Mary was but could marry as young as age 12

Betrothal in the 1st C meant you were essentially married.

Part of 2-step process

1— formal agreement, bride price

2— about a year later the actual marriage happened and the husband took wife home

During that year, husband would prepare home, etc.

Mary like a young bride-to-be planning her wedding, filling up one Pinterest board after another thinking about all of the possibilities she has in front of her.

Might be dreaming of how many children she and Joseph would have and what their names would be.

Gabriel arrives

Not a cute little baby angel

Name means “God is my warrior”

one of two angels named, along with Michael, serve as archangels for God.

When you have hope you can weather almost anything. Without it, you feel crushed under almost everything.

Illust - USS Indianapolis

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Do not be afraid?!

What was she afraid of?

Angel - probably

but is also ‘greatly troubled’ at the saying

“favored” = graced

Unlike what we are told about Zechariah, nothing is said here about Mary’s piety (although we’ll see in her response to the angel that she trusts God)

What God as about to do was solely based on HIS grace toward Mary and not anything Mary would or could do.

(When Jesus breaks into our world it is completely an act of grace)

‘Do not be afraid’ — favored — prophetic for what the angel knew was coming.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

Mary may be young but she’s not dumb — she understands how life works

Hope (as Mary understands) is about to be shattered

How would she / could she explain this?Hope (as Mary understands) is about to be shattered

How would she / could she explain this?

Mary’s response is “How can this be?”

Jesus’ real father was God and his mother was Mary — this is how Jesus can be both human and without original sin.

Original sin through Adam — Jesus had no original sin..

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

How would she / could she explain this?

**Ever feel hopeless?

Four ways to overcome fear of hopelessness:

1. Recognize the favor of God.

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

Think for a minute about the situation Mary is in:

She has just been told she is going to be pregnant with no

husband in a culture where this is not only frowned upon but punishable by death.

The man she loves, Joseph, is probably not going to understand

the situation and will probably leave her.

She is already poor... if Joseph rejects her she’ll be destitute. She might have to beg.

How could Mary rejoice and sing with this news? Because she believed by faith in who this child would be - the Son of God!

She has just been told she is going to be pregnant with no

husband in a culture where this is not only frowned upon but punishable by death.

punishable by death.

The man she loves, Joseph, is probably not going to understand

The man she loves, Joseph, is probably not going to understand

the situation and will probably leave her.

She is already poor... if Joseph rejects her she’ll be destitute. She might have to beg.

She is already poor... if Joseph rejects her she’ll be destitute. She

might have to beg. (If she really had the favor of God, why didn’t the angel just stroke her a check before he left... that’s probably

She has just been told she is going to be pregnant with no

husband in a culture where this is not only frowned upon but

God chose her to give her grace.

punishable by death.

The man she loves, Joseph, is probably not going to understand

the situation and will probably leave her.

She is already poor... if Joseph rejects her she’ll be destitute. She

might have to beg. (If she really had the favor of God, why didn’t the angel just stroke her a check before he left... that’s probably

 it’s not just Mary who was favored —  because Jesus came to earth we are all graced 

 it’s not just Mary who was favored —  because Jesus came to earth we are all graced 

If you are here today, if you can hear my voice then you have the favor of God because the favor of God comes in the person of Jesus. 

The favor of God is not necessarily an easy life, a rich life, a comfortable life 

(Mary was about to have nine months + of difficulty) - so the favor wasn’t material. 

The favor was that, through Mary, the One who commands the angels and sent Gabriel will enter into this world to bring hope. 

How could Mary rejoice and sing with this news? Because she believed by faith in who this child would be - the Son of God!

2. Remember the authority of Jesus.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

whatever hopelessness Mary may feel in her life she was now going to have Jesus with

Mary’s life might be unexpected but she’s about to give birth to God 

How did those mothers meeting s go?

Jesus will be great - John Baptist was ‘greatest born of a woman’ 

Truly Jesus is greater as he is born if God.  

With Jesus in her life, Mary’s life May be different but it is certainly not hopeless!

What problem, relationship, issue, is a match for the Son of God?

Jesus brings and will bring hope

Had Mary been in this same situation and it wasn’t with Jesus — it would be hopeless

Jesus arrives to turn a hopeless situation into a hope-filled life

3. Wrestle with your faith.

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

Even (literally) in the face of an angel, Mary had doubts

There are good doubts and bad doubts in regards to faith.

Good doubts lead to a fuller, deeper faith

Bad doubts lead you away from the faith.

Tim Keller calls it the difference between dishonest doubt and honest doubt. Dishonest doubt, he says, is proud and lazy...

It responds to God’s revelation by saying ‘that’s impossible’ (or in

its more contemporary version, ‘that’s just silly’) and then walks away. Those statements of course, are not arguments, they are just assertions.

Dishonest doubt is close-minded; it refuses to consider the possibility whose purposes and power are far beyond it’s own comprehension.

By contrast, honest doubts, he says, are humble, because they lead you to ask genuine questions, not just put up a defiant wall.

When you ask a real question, you see, it puts you in a position of

humility and vulnerability.

Humility: there’s something you don’t know.

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

contradicts you, shatters your categories, or demands things from

you that you feel like you are not ready to give yet?

36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

[31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and

you shall call his name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called

the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the

throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of

Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

[34] And

Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

Now... Is Mary’s question a question of doubt? Kind of. She says, “I’m a virgin, and virgins don’t generally have babies, God.”

Isn’t this the same kind of question that got Zech in trouble? Gabriel told Zechariah that he and his wife would have a son... the problem of course, was they were both octogenarians, and Zechariah had said, “How can I know this to be true? I am no spring chicken myself and my wife... she’s old.” For that doubt Gabriel put Zechariah into timeout for 9 months. Yet look what happens to Mary:

[35] And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon

you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore

the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. [36] And

behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a

son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

[37] For nothing will be impossible with God.”

• Honest doubts are open to belief.

4. Surrender.

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Seems counterintuitive -

What would have happened if Mary had said no — if she resisted? Praise God abortion was not easily available. 

For example, he tells Mary what Jesus’ name will be. Usually parents get to name their children, right? That’s a very important symbol: It’s your child; you assign a name to it based on what you hope for the child. It’s yours.

o The angel said, “Not this one. God calls the shots with this one.”

o This is a picture for us: If you are going to have the blessing of Jesus in your life, then we have got to surrender fully and let God call the shots, even in our most intimate relationships and our deepest dreams.

Hope is found in knowing you have the favor of God in Christ.

So I don’t know what situation you are in. Maybe you are in a Mary- like situation. I can tell you that if you have opened up your heart to receive Christ, everything the angel said to Mary applies to you.

So believe it! Don’t just give mental assent to it, ponder it:

Ponder it until it completely reshapes all of your thinking: • I heard an example this week: Imagine you get notice that a

relative you didn’t know existed had left you something in his will and that it has been directly deposited in your savings account. You assume, because you never knew this guy, it is a token amount—a couple hundred dollars, and so you don’t even go to check it. You pay no attention to this savings account and keep struggling to make ends meet, until a couple years later you glance at this account and realize he has left you 100 million dollars. All this time, you had it; you just weren’t living with the

6

• I am like that with what I have in Jesus. It’s not that I don’t know it... I just don’t feel it. So, I pray, “God, help me to know what I already know. Until it reshapes my emotions.

o ...Until all the disappointments and pain and injustices of the world get swallowed up in the hope of what I have in you.

o ...Until I willingly take my hands off of all that I have because of what I have in you.

6 Tim Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, ch. 11, pp. 168, 173–75.

“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her

heart.” ()

• Mary’s response: all yours. Let it be to me according to your will and your word.

You can only be in 1 of 2 positions to Jesus: full surrender or rebellion.

You can’t negotiate your way into the favor of God. A lot of

people do that... I’ll be good. I’ll give this. I’ll shape up here. o There was a guy in the Bible, Saul... “To obey is better than

sacrifice.” o ONLY 2 POSTURES

There’s only one deal that God will make: all of Jesus for full and complete control of your life.

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be

to me according to your word.” (1:38)

Servant: I have nothing. It

The outcome of the situation is God’s responsibility, obedience is ours.

Conclusion

What are you hoping FOR this Christmas? OR better question: What are you hoping IN this Christmas?