What did that angel say at Christmas again? "Fear Not"

Shh! listen.

When something historic and frightening happens I think about our God who is eternal and all powerful.

Matthew 28:20 CSB

20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

September 11

JFK

Pear harbor

Civil War

Revolution

Mongols invaded Japan and typhoon swept them away

Small Pox, Cholera, Plague

I was asked if it is the “end times” this week.

I always want you to feel free to ask me questions. Please keep the questions coming, especially your heart felt fears or wonders.

Ask each other questions, church should be a place where we can encourage each other.

A friend of mine told me recently about his sermon series, something like, if it’s the end of days what are you afraid of?

Sermon’s not about the end of days, but about the fear.

There is a right fear and a wrong kind of fear right now.

Soon I am going to be getting the Covid-19 vaccine, and our great drummer EJ already has. I'm not a big fan of getting a needle punctured into me, but I do it. Right now every week with my allergist.

I don’t look.

Sometimes we are afraid because we know its going to hurt.

It’s OK to not want to do things that hurt. To fear hurt.

We shouldn’t want to experience an illness, living through a devastating pandemic, wildfires, earthquakes, job loss, it’s OK and smart to not want this.

Fear is not an excuse for irresponsibility

I’m regularly exercising now with my wife, it’s going to hurt, I don’t want to do it because it hurts some

School - learning, will miss out

Chemo

Grief

What do we do with our fear?

As a follower of Jesus, as someone who knows that Jesus is God, I know The Lord has told myself and all who are followers of Jesus that He will be with us.

Even in the midst of my fear, God will be with you.

Psalm 23:4 NRSV

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

Matthew 28:20 CSB

20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This year we have discovered a different kind of fear.

The fear of being controlled

We have an idea and deep desire that it’s all up to me

This year others have told us, we have to do things for each other that will hurt us, but will help other people

The fear of being controlled by the wrong people

what if they are lying

Defense Secretary Rusmsfeld, known knowns

what if they are evil

what if what they want is not what I want

what if they are wrong

who are “they”, do we know “them”

what if there level of risk is different than mine

I have another question we can ask ourselves, What if what God said is true?

Matthew 28:20 CSB

20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

God is still with us, no matter how wrong or maybe purposefully wrong a leader is. Correct?

And what did God tell us to do in response?

1 Timothy 2:1–2 CSB

1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

When Paul wrote this he had been thrown into prison multiple times simply for following and preaching the name of Jesus. The Chinese government today as well as the Roman Government in the times of Pliny the younger who wrote in AD 112 what to do about a group who were very good citizens but wouldn’t worship the gods or the emperor. We are to be amazing citizens who bring beauty and compassion to our communities.

Whether they be ruled by Republican mayors, as is ours, Democratic governors, and those in Washington, no matter their political affiliation we are to pray for them.

1 Peter 2:17 CSB

17 Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

The emperor was not good. not godly.

I could go on and on but mostly I want to hit on this command of Jesus.

Matthew 5:44 CSB

44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

For some want to say, look at the horrible things those awful and fill-in with other words and catch phrases did at the capitol building. See how wrong they are and how right I have been. They are nuts. I tell you nuts.

But how is that loving?

Do you know someone who agrees with the conspiracies?

Out of fear of their craziness do you avoid them? Do you do everything to treat them with kid gloves so they don’t freak out on you or come after you?

Some of you may have even been verbally attacked or worse.

I know I have.

Those on what people call the far-right are not alone. There are those on the far-left. Who advocate for different things but operate in very similar ways.

Some of you may have even been verbally attacked or worse.

You know I have from them as well.

My temptation is to remove all and let me honest, most of the time I have given into temptation.

I have failed to pray for those who I deemed crazy. I failed to earnestly ask the Lord to bless them.

Romans 12:14 CSB

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

I have called others crazy or looked down as less than. I am still struggling to humble myself as the Lord commands.

Romans 12:16–17 CSB

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes.

It is not enough for a follower of Jesus to say sorry. It is not enough to say I struggle with this and keep on doing it. That’s not repentance that is remorse.

We are followers of Jesus, which means we walk with Jesus, we do and go the way Jesus goes.

We will never be as great as Jesus, as always good as Jesus, we will never arrive at perfect love for God and others. But this is what we are seeking.

I went on a hike to a lake that is about 10,000 feet in elevation.

I didn’t make it. I only made it to about 9,000 feet and saw a different lake surrounded by now and with crystal blue water that was so beautiful which I never would have see if I had not been pursuing the 10,000 foot lake.

If we are to pursue love of neighbor, no matter there political belief, or their mental ability. Yes they could actually be mentally unstable.

Our call is to love others.

Love doesn’t mean fix. Love doesn’t mean reckless trust or even a ton of time. But it is way more than a saying of “I love them but I don’t like them.” or “I don’t want to kill them or anything.”

Love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13. Do you treat others in this way?

This is a high calling and the times are very scary. We are dealing with a disease that is killing many of those dear to God’s heart the elderly, the ill, and rarely those who showed no signs of previous other illnesses. We are dealing with massive unemployment. We are dealing with the loss of education. We are also now dealing with a world who saw Christian flags break into the capitol building.

During the time of Isaiah, in ancient times, when the Jews worshipped in the first temple in Jerusalem and still were made up of 12 tribes under 2 kingdoms, a massive threat came to the 2 tribes who remained loyal to the ways of God from the other 10 tribes and another kingdom.

War was horrible in that time as people could expect no food aid, no refugee camps, no unemployment insurance, nothing as is the case for many in war zones today.

The people of God were terrified. There was possible help. The kingdom of the 2 tribes, called the kingdom of Judah could ally with the powerful nation of Egypt or it could trust God at this word.

Deuteronomy 11:22–23 CSB

22 For if you carefully observe every one of these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, and remain faithful to him—23 the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will drive out nations greater and stronger than you are.

But this threat of the other 10 tribes, called Israel and the kingdom of Aram, were definitely a threat to bring war to Judah or worse cause the huge giant nation of Assyria to destroy all of them.

In a time of crises will people turn to God, the ways of God, the calling of God or will they turn to their own ways, what they “know”works, away from God.

It was at this time God spoke to Isaiah

Isaiah 8:11–15 CSB

11 For this is what the Lord said to me with great power, to keep me from going the way of this people: 12 Do not call everything a conspiracy that these people say is a conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified. 13 You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy. Only he should be feared; only he should be held in awe. 14 He will be a sanctuary; but for the two houses of Israel, he will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be snared and captured.

The conspiracy, coming from the Hebrew word Ksh-ure, which could also be translated alliance, would have likely either been with Egypt or Israel-Aram.

The point was to the follower of God Isaiah, don’t desire it, don’t follow the ways of people and what seems right to them, follow God.

Don’t follow the ways of people against the ways of God.

Then their is punishment for the nations because they chose to follow their own way and not God’s way. God would not protect them.

The key though, the key is verse 13. And this reality of verse 13 still applies to you and me. See some of the old testament were promises to the nation of Israel under King David and not necessarily you and I but this promise, this promise is for us Gentiles, adopt children of the Kingdom of God.

Isaiah 8:13 CSB

13 You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy. Only he should be feared; only he should be held in awe.

Fear God and God alone. Yes you can be afraid of exercise but still do it. You can be afraid of hard work but still work. You can be afraid of discomfort or even pain. But the only fear that should control you is the fear of a loving and most Holy God.

A God who loves you so much that He died for you and Rose again so that one day you get to be with Him.

And as you arrive, and he looks at you and asks did you love your enemies, strive so that your answer is YES!