Why The "Fear-Nots" Of Christmas 12/27/20

Well, good morning and Welcome to our Sunday morning service. And this is the last message in our series and as many of you know, we have been studying the Nativity Story. And the title of the series was a king is coming. And today is our last sermon on the Nativity Story course, it is December 27th today. And today what I want us to do is to look at why the fear Nots of Christmas and the joy of the Nativity found in Luke 1 and 2. So we going to look at three different sections of verses in Luke 1 and 2 today and I we're going to talk about why they were so many so much fear and how the Angels had to tell some of the main players in this Nativity Story to fear not don't be afraid because this was such a fearful time this first Christmas we going to talk about that today before I forget for those of you who are members at Duke First Baptist Church after the sermon today. I'm going to take two or three minutes and kind of talk to you about what IRA. What our plans are going forth as most of you know, we're not meeting in person anymore. So I'm going to talk to you about that. And then of course in the next month or so, I'm going to talk to you about that as well. So hang around at the end of this sermon and that's what we're going to do. So today we want to talk about why the fear Nots Christmas now, we know that God can heal from many people have a paralysis of fear. And God's antidote for Aunt for relieving. Our fears is answering prayers that we had stopped pray and maybe keeping promises that we had stopped remembering and revisiting purposes. We have stopped pondering in our life. And once we kind of embrace this God will replace our fears with his Joy. Overwhelming joy that he loves us and it's a love that we have to share with other. So let me give you some statistics on fears. Now. This was a report out of US News & World Report article 2010 and titled conquering are phobias and it tells the story of a Nation that's feeling more anxious with every passing years, especially this time of year at Christmas time overdue bills and terrorism at that time of course was high on the list. And of course today with this pandemic that we're having a lot of fear. A lot of people are afraid to go out and frayed to be around people maybe who are not wearing masking and it's probably a valid fear with all the sickness hospitalizations and even the death that the bee have experienced because of Info the article written in 2010 stated that the 14.8 million American adults suffer from irrational fears of a particular situation or object or experience and it said over 15% of All American adults are afflicted with anxiety disorders and you may have an anxiety disorder. I'm sure if you don't you probably know someone that does and the annual cost of anxiety disorders is 42.3 billion dollars a year just in the United States. So let me give you some of the irrational fears that really may cause an anxiety disorder but these fears are more irrational but yet they're prevalent in our culture Napoleon Bonaparte who conquered Europe of course. Was crippled throughout his life by the fear of cats otherwise known as Allura phobia Queen Elizabeth Scherer acid with anthophobia that is a fear of roses. So she was afraid of a flower a rose Sigmund Freud. He suffered from something called agoraphobia. That is a fear of the marketplace. He he he just didn't want to go out anywhere to shop or the grocery store or anywhere like that courses many people like that today because of the pandemic Edgar Allan Poe was claustrophobic even Donald Trump at one time had something called chirophobia and that is that you are afraid of shaking hands with someone. Howard Hughes, he was victimized by mysophobia that is a dread of germs. You just think everything you touch or anything that you're going to get a germ some of you remember the tennis player Andre Agassi. He had what was called Arachnophobia that is a fear of spiders and I know a lot of you remember John Madden who used to call the football games on TV. He was a v o phobic in other words, he was afraid of flying so when he had to go from coast to coast to call a game each week, he always took a train because he was afraid of flying so the world is full of fear. We know that but it also seems that these fears and stress. They reach a peak during the Christmas season. But what I wanted you to know today is that did you know that fear was present at the very first Christmas because Three different occasions the words fear not or do not be afraid. We're used to calm the Fright of certain people in this Nativity Story. And for instance when the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias, the Bible says that he was troubled and fear fell upon him when Gabriel appeared to Mary if you remember that it says that she was unsettled by his words and wondered what manner of greeting this while she was troubled by his words, which means that she was afraid and then the shepherd's the Bible says we're greatly afraid when the angel of the Lord stood before them. You see because of that first Christmas when God sent his son to Earth We no longer need to fear and matter fact. What I want to do today is I want to give you three truths to remember when you feel the sense of fear creeping into your life. And so the number one is simply this. Always remember when you feel fear creeping in your life that God still answers prayer. God still answers prayer. Now, what I want you to do is take your Bible. I don't have the verses on the screen today. So I want everyone to take the Rival we going to be in Luke chapter 1 and 2 and we're going to read Luke chapter 1 verse 5 through 14 in this is the story when the angel appeared to Zacharias and I remember Zacharias and Elizabeth was wanted a child, but they had gotten beyond the years of childbearing and they still did not have a child and so the angel appears to him. So I'm going to pick it up and Luke chapter 1 and we're going to read verses five through 14. There was in the days of Herod the King of Judea a certain priest name Zachariah. So the division of abijah Or a badger his wife was of the daughters of Erin and her name was Elizabeth and they were both righteous before God walking in all the Commandments in ordinances of the Lord blameless, but they had no child because Elizabeth was Barren and they were both well advanced in years. So it kind of makes you think about Abraham and Sarah remember when she was around a hundred years old when she gave birth and when she found out that the that she was going to give birth it she laughed so so it was that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division. So he was in the temple according to the custom of the priesthood his light failed to burn incense when he went into the Temple of the Lord and the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense then an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing on the right side of the altar of incense and when Zachariah saw him, Now here's a phrase. He was troubled and fear fell upon him. But the angel said him do not be afraid Zacharias for your prayer is heard in your wife Elizabeth with bear you assign and you shall call his name John course. This was John the Baptist and you will have joy and gladness and many Will Rejoice at his birth. So we see the first fear here is when the angel appeared to Zacharias and said even though that you're past childbearing you will have a son and you going to call his name John and he's going to bring joy and gladness and many Will Rejoice at his birth. Well, certainly Zacharias and Elizabeth have been praying for a child for many years, but yet they were bearing and let me ask you this this morning. Have you been praying about something and it seems that God is not listening matter fact, maybe you've been up praying about something for so long whether it could be, you know, economic reasons. It could be relationships vocational job oriented, but maybe that you use your so discouraged because you haven't gotten an answer to your prayer that you just quit praying about it that you no longer pray about it anymore. But look at this Zacharias and Elizabeth have been praying and if God answered their persistent prayer then God in his timing and in his way, he will answer your prayer to you. Say God knows your heart. He knows your hurts and he sees the tears that you cry when you're alone and see God he takes great Delight when you pour out your heart to him. God is always listening to his children and you see this time of year with all the stress with the pandemic but the loss of jobs with the loneliness many people in and I know here in the last month, I know several people family friends acquaintances that have lost loved ones. And this is just a very difficult time of year. Anyway, so you may find yourself home alone, or you may have lost a friend or spouse or family member and this can be such a lonely time and many times you get to thinking that one. No one cares about me. I've been praying. I don't have an answer God isn't listening to me anymore. God has forsaken me or friends. You have to understand by reading this here Zach rise in a liver have been praying for years and years and years and never had a child and then the angel appears to them. You see God honors persistent prayer and he wants you to pour your heart out to him and he wants you to tell him how you feel. Although he already knows how he wants to hear it from you and he will comfort you and he will answer your prayer in his own way and in his timing you see he's listening and I want you to allow. These words here to comfort your heart. They come from Hebrews 4 14 through 16 and look at this CNN that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin and so we see here Jesus was tempted just as we are he suffer just as we'd yet. He did it without sin and then the verse 16 let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need. You see Jesus knows exactly what you're going through and you should come to him boldly during your time of loneliness or loss just so that you can obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need. I heard one Pastor say this he said every evening I turn my worries over to God and I do that because he's going to be up all night. Anyway, you see our Lord never Slumbers or sleeps and instead of us staying up all night worrying about our problems. Let's turn them over to him and he will take care of us. So the first thing we need to remember today when fear starts to grip our hearts is that God still answers prayer. Well number to not only does God still answer prayer. But number to God still keeps his promises. And now we see that and Luke chapter 1 let's just move up a few verses Luke chapter 1 verses 26 through 31. So we see that God still answers prayer from Elizabeth and Zacharias. Give her say God still keeps his promises and let's read verses 26 through 31 together. Now in the 6-month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee name Nazareth to a virgin but row to a man whose name was Jodha so we know this to be Mary of the House of David. The Virgins name was Mary and having come in the angel said to her Rejoice highly favored one. The Lord is with you blessed. Are you among women but watch her response, but when she saw him speaking of the Angel she was trouble at his saying another word other words that were trouble means that she was frightened. She was trouble that is say it and consider what manner of greeting this was. So she pondered it what in the world is going on. I watch what the angel said to her. Do not be afraid Mary for you have found favor with God and behold you will conceive in your room and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. You see God still keeps his promises. You see 700 years earlier through the prophet Isaiah. Almighty, God gave a promise that had never been fulfilled until the angel announced to Mary that she was going to Bear the Messiah. Matter fact. We see this in Matthew's gospel. We see how this all comes together in the person of Mary. So let's look at Matthew chapter 1 verses 21 through 23. I look what the Bible says. And she will bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the Prophet. This is the prophet Isaiah 700 years before Jesus was born and look what Isaiah said behold the Virgin shall be with child and bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel which is translated God With Us you see in the same way. God has not forgotten. The promise is that he's made to us. You see friends God cannot lie and he will not lie and what he has said he will do I think about this the prophet Isaiah said he got the word that a virgin shall be with child and bear a son and I will call his name Immanuel that's exactly what happened. But it happened 700 years after that prophecy. You see many people think if something doesn't happen, you know in the next week or month or year, then you can't believe it the friends look just as we know the first coming of Christ just as we believe that we also know that Christ is coming again and many people today. So yeah, you keep saying about the second coming and all will it's been thousands of years. He's never going to come friends. Listen. If God said it God will do it. And God did say it in his word and God will come back the first time he came as a baby in a crib the second time he's coming as king of kings and Lord of lords. So he will do that friend. God still keeps his promises and when fear grips your heart you need to keep in mind that God still answers prayer, even those prayers that we've forgotten or don't even pray anymore. He still answers prayer and God still keeps his promises. Well number three and this will be the last one. God still answers prayer. God still keeps his promises and lastly God still has a purpose and it looks look at this in Luke Chapter 2 8 through 16. So we've already seen Zacharias. He was fearful when the angel showed up. We see Mary she was afraid when the angel showed up. So all this is part of the Nativity Story and so often we miss this point that everything about the birth of Christ is joy and good and hope and that's true. But we need to understand that fear was present at that first Christmas. So God still has a purpose. Let's look at it. Luke Chapter 2 Verse 18 through 16. Now there were in the same country Shepherds living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night and behold and Angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord Shone around them and they were greatly afraid then the angel said to them do not be afraid for behold. I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people for there is born to you this day in the city of David a savior. Who is Christ the Lord in this will be the sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace Goodwill toward men. So it was when the Angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherd said to one another let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass which the Lord has made known to us and they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a Manger you see God still has a purpose. What is the purpose of What is his mission statement with hears God's purpose in a nutshell his purpose for you and me is that we would accept Christ that we would love God with all of our heart mind and soul and we would love others as we love our self. His purpose is that we would everything that we do and say would bring him glory and that we would enjoy him forever and that is because a savior has come into the world you ever thought about what the world needs many people think, you know, the world needs this or that what the world needed was a Saviour you see if our greatest need had been information. God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need have been technology or God would have sent us a scientist. Well, if our greatest need was money, well God would have sent us a banker and if our greatest need had been pleasure. God would have sent us an Entertainer befriend God knew that our greatest need was forgiveness. And so God sent us a savior on that first Christmas. You see we need to relax in the knowledge that God loves us and his purpose has never changed since the gospel was first announced to the Shepherds, even though they were scared to death when they heard it. He replace their fears with his joy and it was a joy that was impossible to keep to themselves. You see Christ will cast out any fear that grip sauce and he will replace that with love and joy, you say well, how would I know if I have this Luv enjoy? Well, here's how you know it do you go around and tell other people about cry. And what he's done in your life, you see if you're that. Joyful. It's impossible for you to keep this information to yourself. And if you go back and you look at Mary and Zacharias in the shepherd's I just just listen to these verses hear what happened when Zakaria speech returned to him after the birth of John. He praised God publicly and Mary to she couldn't contain the joy in her heart. This is what she said. She said my soul magnifies the Lord. She says my spirit has rejoiced in God my savior for he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name. And when the Shepherds returned from seeing Christ, they glorified the Bible says they glorified and praise God for all the things that they had seen and heard you see how fear have been cast out and all of us or all of a sudden joy and proclaiming and praising and thanking God had overtaken them. You see we don't associate fear with the birth of Christ. We wish sociate Bethlehem with joy and singing and and and a savior being born in all that is true. I mean just think of all of our Christmas hymns that we sing their there. They're some of the Gladys Tim's to be found in all Christian music I'm an even desolate people lonely people are conscious of this in word warrant at Christmas time. But yet the shepherd's out on the hillside they were terrified and when the lane the angel of the Lord appeared to them they were just terribly afraid and even know they trusted in Garden of the god of Abraham and Isaac just this awful dreaded Came Upon them. Mary was terrified when the angel came to Zacharias. He was it says he was sorely afraid now. We see how the Shepherds were afraid now. Let's just put them over to a side a minute and let's kind of go visit another occasion when an angel appeared to someone. Now, let's go to the grave of Jesus. Where the angel came to visit Mary Magdalene? Remember Mary Magdalene Jesus he had cast out seven demons from her. But when you see Mary at the tomb there's not a trace of fear. And yet Fierce truck at the shepherd's Hearts, will you would think that she it would even be more intense for her? They were men that worked outside. They were courageous men, and she she was a delicate like a kind of a shrinking like woman the Shepherds were together. They were out there in the fields together. So, you know, they had you know the companionship but each other so they they could strengthen each other. But Mary was all by herself in the dim light at dawn they were out in the fields and she was in a graveyard yet. There's not a single trace of Mary ever feeling or expressing any fear when the angel confronted her. She didn't run. She didn't faint. She didn't cower down matter fact when the angel spoke to Mary. She she answered him like she was talking to a friend from the village that she lived in. Well, but you can't imagine the Shepherds doing that because they were terrified. So what made the difference between Mary Magdalene and the Shepherds but here's the difference the difference lies in Mary's love for Jesus. I love that the Shepherds did not know about. You say we all know kind of how to banish fear Apostle John tells us that there's no fear in love. And the love of Jesus had so captivated Mary. That she had no fear whatsoever. You see it would have been a fearful thing to be out early in the morning at dark in a graveyard near a bunch of Roman soldiers and it was been a fearful thing to be within the tomb and to be confronted with angels. But just as a mother's love will drive out fear if your if your baby is In Harm's Way, so the love of Jesus drove out fear from Mary you see the difference between Mary and the shepherd's was that Mary knew Jesus and the Shepherds didn't And to have known him and to have loved him and to have been certain of his love for her it just cast out all the fear in Mary's life a woman with a woman's heart. She was stronger than these Hardy Shepherds if you will because Christ had come into her life. You see we all moved through this world and we all have fears that maybe you have some of these irrational fears for your caps or roses or something like that or maybe your fears are valid. Maybe someone is stalking you maybe you fear the pandemic all this is valid, but friend there's one thing that we know. In the Bible says that neither height nor depth nor life nor death can separate us from the love of Christ friend it is that love that Christ has given us and that love that we return to others that is what will dismiss thousands of fears. That is the antidote for fear. Fear it now look at what John said the Apostle John look what he said in his epistle 1st John 4:18. He said this There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear. You see what what casts out fear is a perfect loveseat. We often think that the opposite of fear is courage, but that's not true. The opposite of fear is love if we're fearful we need to love more. If not more. We don't need more courage. We don't need more wisdom. We don't need positive thinking perfect. Love cast out fear. So allow yourself this Christmas to get caught up in the Majesty of the Savior and when the fingers of fear start to grip your heart remember these three things God still answers prayer. God still keeps his promises and God still has a purpose and friends. What is his purpose for you? Well, God's purpose is wrapped up in the greatest Christmas verse of all and it is John 3:16, and it says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life friends. That was perfect. Love when God gave his son and perfect love cast out fear, and that's why the fear Nots of Christmas. Well, let's pray father. We do. Thank you and praise you and love you today Lord and Lord. We thank you for this series that we have studied Lord. We thank you for the Nativity Story. We thank you for a savior. That has been born. Lord we thank you for the crib. We thank you for the cross. We thank you Lord that you're coming again one day to receive us to yourself Lord. I pray for those this time of year who are fearful. Some of them could be irrational but some can be valid Lord. I pray that that your love for us and that our love for you and others would cast out the fear this in our life Lord help us to love others as we love ourselves and help us to love you with all of our heart mind and soul force in Christ's name. I do pray. Amen. All right, well glad that you could join us today. And if you're listening to this on Sunday morning, I am recording this is Saturday afternoon when I'm recording this. So I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and you looking forward to a good New Year. And as I said earlier we have decided not to have any more in purse. Church at this time until maybe we can get vaccinated to see what happens or the number start going down. So I just want to kind of give you what we're going to try to do here in the coming weeks. This coming Wednesday will have no service, of course at church and I have a pre-op appointment on Thursday and I have some things I need to do on Wednesday. So we will not have any church this coming Wednesday night. Now tentatively my surgery is scheduled for January 6th. And since we're not having Church in person and course, it would have been hard to probably find someone to come and preach anyway because of the pandemic. So what I think I'm going to do Is I have some sermons that I have done in the past. That's not on face life. I did these before I came to new Grace. So what I think I'll do is I'm going to post some of those sermons the month of January because I figure if I have surgery on the 6th, and it probably take me most of the month though recovering so I can get around. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to post some sermons that I have done elsewhere and you can listen to those on Sunday morning or whenever you like whenever I post them you can listen to him, but we'll use those for Sunday morning and then on Wednesday nights, you know, I can even post some more sermons on Wednesday night or or we may just not have Wednesday night service or if everyone would like to meet on a Wednesday night and you want to do a zoom meeting we could possibly do that. I probably will. Be able to participate in that myself at this time. So I'm just going to post some sermons for Sunday mornings the month of January that I have done elsewhere that I have not preached yet at new gray. So I will post them. If you know I said something about doing the live stream from home like I did before but remember we cancelled that service. I was just thinking about this a couple of days ago after I Wednesday night service. We cancelled that service and I think if we start back back back up it be like a hundred and ten or hundred $20 a month. And I don't know if we would want to pay that. So what I thought I would do is just record the sermons from home and I'll use Proclaim this way you can watch it and you can see the slides and you can see my points. Of course, you can't see me, but that's okay anyway, cuz these are more important than I am. So I think that's what I'll do is I'll roll record. Weights and next Sunday's I record that like I have today but then after that the month of January if I have my surgery, I'll probably just post the audio. It will not be with slides. I'll post the audio to our Facebook page. I'll post it there and to my Facebook page. So after January 3rd, if you want to hear the sermon you'll be able to hear those either on my Facebook page or the church's Facebook page. And when you click on the link, it'll just take you to SoundCloud and and they will be there. So that's what we're going to do right now. If you know of anyone that might not know that we're not having a service that I know Holly sent out a text but if you know someone that maybe don't know about it. Don't get the text. Be sure to make that make them aware that we're not going to be at church tomorrow, but that they can listen to it online. So the Beyond face life and I'll put it on the Facebook page as well. If you have any questions, or you want any concerns, you can contact me, you know how to do that. And if not, I will be back in touch maybe sometime this week with an update of everything. Well, I hope everyone has a great rest of today and we will see you again sometime soon. God bless you.