Fear Factor
Notes
Transcript
Fear Factor
Fear Factor
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.
In this passage of scripture, we find a wonderful announcement about what God had done… The Savior has been born and the Angel of the Lord is sharing the good news with these shepherds...
But, in this great announcement, everything was not great...
One, some, or even all of the shepherds were afraid…
Fear preceded the :
good tidings
great joy
personal connection of the Savior - unto you...
This day - the arrival of the awaited Messiah
The Christ
The sign -
The appearance of the Angel and heavenly host
The angelic Praise - Glory to God in the highest
The proclamation - peace & good will to men...
Fear preceded all of these steps...
Fear...
15 times in the NT we find the phrase “fear not”...
9 times, the Lord is saying, “fear not”
the other 6 times, an angel says “fear not”
This phrase is used over and over again, why? Because in our humanity, there is a very real element of fear...
Now fear is revealed in many ways, and some who act as though they have no fears are not being true or honest with themselves or others… Not saying that we should be running around allowing our fears to control us, but fear is a very real emotion that is God given and it is something that we need to deal with.
Though fear is a common factor in life, we do not all fear the same things...
Fear Factor
Fear Factor
Fear...
Some people like to be scared… there is a certain amount of adrenaline that is created -
Halloween time comes around, and the haunted houses, the corn mazes, scary movies all come out...
According to “Henry Ford Livewell” Health institute:
“When you are startled, your body responds by releasing adrenaline, also known as the body’ stress hormone epinephrine. Adrenaline is what allows your body to make those in-the-moment decisions to protect yourself,” says Farvah Fatima, M.D., a family medicine doctor for Henry Ford Health System. “This is called the flight-or-fight response. When you sense a threat, it is your body's natural reaction to physically or mentally fight off the threat or run away from it to protect yourself.”
There are many factors that affect how you might respond to fear:
Your past experiences with fear
your brain remembers what if feels like to be scared, and in anticipation of being scared again, you can become more sensitive, anxious or nervous when certain situations arise...
When a child has a nightmare, or see’s something scary, stresses arise that remind them of that situation...
when I was between 5-7, I remember having recurring nightmares… and there were certain triggers that I had to deal with and finally I was able to get past them...
Personality:
thrill seekers put themselves in situations that will cause that adrenaline rush - Roller coasters, bungie jumping, rock climbing… scary movies
people who are more stress sensitive avoid situations of being scared - they get no rush, no joy, no thrill from being scared...
Piers - people who are around you - can elevate or eliminate the feeling of fear -
When you are with some people, everything is a little more stressful - so in a fearful situation - every fear is heightened...
when you are with people who are calm and assuring - they give you a sense of peace and protection - so fears are lessened, because you just feel that with them, everything will be ok...
Presentation - Types of fear...
illusion - something that is not real - but is supposed to scare you…
reality - a real harmful situation
(our mind is able to differentiate the differences)
In Luke 2, the Angel had to tell the shepherds to “Fear Not”
What are some “Fear Factors?”
Fear of the Unexpected
Gabriel came to Mary in Luke 1 and gave her the news that she was chosen to bear the Christ Child...
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
The Angel spoke to Joseph
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
The Angel came to Zechariah to let them know that Elizabeth would have a child
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Life brings surprises...
Some of the unexpected things in life bring the greatest blessings...
Can you imagine being
The Angel and the shepherds...
Deb hates to be scared… Her dad scared her when she was younger, and she really hates being scared...
haunted houses, scary movies, tense situations - she does not like being scared...
Over the years, I have scared her multiple times… and it doesn’t usually go over very good...
Illustration.
We were newly weds, and I got off work early and went home… we lived in a 1 bedroom apt - the bedroom was on one side, the living room and kitchen on the other - and the entrance alcove right in the middle…
I unlocked the door and stepped in, and all of a sudden, I realized Deb didn’t know I was in the house… She was back in the bedroom area and in just a moment she came walking back to the living room - and as she passed the entrance alcove, there I was… I scared her so bad, she dropped in terror… at once I was very aware that I had crossed a line and I scared her terribly...
The unexpected can bring a lot of fear...
But with all of these unexpected announcements and situations, we find the statement - FEAR NOT...
Why?
The situations may be unexpected to us, but they were not unexpected to God...
The statement has been made, “Has it ever occured to you, that nothing has ever occured to God”
What a great truth...
Fear Factor:
* Fear of the Unexpected
Fear of the Unknown
Joseph
Daniel
3 Hebrew boys - Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego...
Fury of King Nebuchadnezzar -
Fiery furnace
Future -
But Praise be to God, they didn’t allow their fear to conquer their faith!!!
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Their Faith conquered their fear...
Every child
Every teenager
Every lady
Every man
There are unknowns in life… Fear comes because of them… But follow in the footsteps of the faithful… Steps of faith....
Disciples
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Fear of the Unexpected
Fear of the Unknown
Fear of the Unrealized
Fear of what could have been
Fear of what should have been...
Life just hasn’t worked out like the dream you imagined it would be...
Praise God for the blessings of life, but some areas of life just haven’t quite lived up to what we thought life would be like...
Divorce was never in the dream
Child custody courts and issues weren’t in the cards you would have dealt yourself
friendships gone awry
career expectations that have not materialized or have just simply - have been blown to pieces
People who you had faith in have failed…
disappointment -
heartbreak
dreams of children, grandchildren… growing old together
Spouse who has passed away
Parent / child - loved one - who has gone on before...
Friends who have moved away...
WHAT NOW???
The unrealized now is left empty...
The quiet
The un-organized
The unplanned...
fear...
.
I think about the apostles and the disciples during the Lord’s time here on earth...
Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted for approx 3.5 years -
They grew
They matured
They experienced the Son of God - in every sense -
They saw
They heard
They watched
They lived
They committed their lives to Him and his cause...
The week leading to passover - / crucifixion - He came into Jerusalem triumphantly… yet in a few days - he would be crucified
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Conspiracy
Collusion
Corruption
Crowds
Cruelty
Crucifixion
NONE OF THIS WAS EXPECTED...
Fear was their foe…
assembled - fear of the Jews - vs 19
Peace be unto you… vs. 19
Peace be unto you… vs 21
Are their Fear Factor’s in life?
Yes - but these are all opportunities to live by our faith!!!
Fear of the Unexpected
Fear of the Unknown
Fear of the Unrealized