Sermon Tone Analysis
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Can you believe it?
Is it even possible?
How can it be that today we begin our sermon series for the Christmas season?
With Thanksgiving now behind us and Christmas now only 28 days away, we switch gears as we aim to say thank you to God for the greatest gift this world has ever received.
Christmas is my favorite time of the year… not because of the music and decor… but because it marks the arrival of our Lord and Savior.
Jesus came to this earth in the most humble way.
Jesus, the promised Messiah, came to bring victory, not over political or national concerns, but over sin, death and the grave.
Jesus came to fight… and to win the battles we could not overcome on our own!
Jesus came… as the sacrificial Lamb… and He would give His life that all would have the opportunity for redemption and forgiveness.
And as we study the events that surround His birth, we are going to look at something interesting… a phrase that is found in the stories of Christmas that we know and treasure.
It might seem like a crazy topic to focus on for a Christmas season, yet it is there… it is there plain as day and it should be taken to heart.
This series is going to focus on five words that are found within this Christmas stories.
Those words are: Do not be Afraid.
Ever been there?
Ever found yourself in a position of fear?
Have you ever felt that feeling?
It’s not a fun feeling to experience that is for sure.
Yet, everyone in this room and all who are listening online know what it means to be afraid.
Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
It is a powerful emotion as it can cause a person to make rash decisions in the face of fear… decisions that will hopefully steer that person away from the assumed danger.
Interesting point, the science guys, through all their research, tell us that when we are born, we are born with only two fears:
One, the fear of falling.
Two, the fear of loud, unexpected noises.
What this tells us then, is that all the rest are learned fears.
These fears are learned either through experience or through someone’s coaching.
For instance, there was a time when Mason was terrified of dogs.
When he was around 3 years old, we lived in a house and we were neighbors with a family who had a large yellow pit bull in their back yard.
a chain link fence separated the yards but Mason’s hand could easily fit through the fence.
I caught him one day trying to reach through the fence to pet the dog.
I didn’t know the dog and its demeanor so I gave Mason a warning.
“Son, let’s not do that.
We do not know that dog… we don’t know if he is mean or not, and he might bite you.”
In that one moment of coaching… I sewed a fear into my son’s heart.
It took several years to help him not to be afraid of dogs.
So why focus on fear as we draw closer to Christmas?
Because Jesus came to calm all our fears!
In Christ, we have NO REASON TO FEAR, but every reason to rejoice!
It is no coincidence that this theme is seen throughout the Christmas story.
God does NOT want us to be afraid!
And as we are going to see throughout the stories… when the heavenlies make contact with the humans, fear was the initial response.
What we are going to study is how God chose to help them overcome the fear that they faced.
Consider this for a moment: The first mention of fear in the Bible is found where?
In Genesis.
This fear is experienced by Adam and Eve when God is heard walking through the garden.
This took place AFTER they had sinned.
When they heard God, they hid from Him because they were naked and afraid (Genesis 3:10).
This fear wasn’t learned… it came as a wage for their their sin.
Fear wasn’t a thing until sin entered the picture.
And when Adam hid from God, he wasn’t hiding because God spoke… he was hiding because God was present.
His fallen state had broken his fellowship with God.
So, let’s recap and rephrase a bit.
Science would tell us we are born with two fears and the rest are learned.
Yet the Bible would suggest that fear wasn’t learned… but earned as a consequence of our sin.
Humankind chose to step out on their own.
In our rebellion, our fellowship with Almighty God was severed… we walked out from under God’s covering of blessing and protection.
So it should not surprise us when we see the same kind of fear grip the hearts of the main characters throughout the Christmas story.
When the heavenlies make contact with humans in their sin-fallen state, fear was the initial response.
Let’s move to our story for today.
Zechariah was a priest who was very good at upholding the Lord’s commandments.
In fact, Scripture tells us both he and his wife, Elizabeth, were upright in the eyes of God and were blameless in walk with Him.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were God-fearing people.
They were well along in years and had no children.
Elizabeth was barren.
Now this is a hard place to be in yet this situation never caused their faith to waver.
As you read the story, it is clear they longed to have children… but those days had clearly passed.
How do we know of their desire?
Because here in a moment, we will see Scripture stating that their “prayer had been heard.”
Zechariah is doing his thing as priest.
he is carrying out his duties flawlessly.
And one day, after he was chosen to to go into the temple to burn incense, an angel, Gabriel, would appear to him.
Now this would be pretty cool, right?
You’re going about the things of God and a messenger from God appears before you!
But Zechariah feels something else come over him.
Let’s look at the situation in Luke 1:12-13
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zechariah’s prayer had been heard!
A baby would be on the way!
This child will be a delight, many will rejoice because of him!
He will be set apart, filled with the Spirit of God and will make ready the people of God for the arrival of the Son of God! That’s some awesome news!!!
But… Zechariah is having a hard time hearing that news because his fear… leads him to do something that is very crippling to faith.
Zechariah… speaks doubt over the proclamation.
Luke 1:18
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?
I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
Do you see it?
Gabriel spoke of the things of God… but Zechariah… even being a man of God… stepped out on his own instead of stepping into what God was about to do.
“How can this be?
Look at me… look at my wife… look at my situation and circumstance.”
And church… it is in that emotional trap that God’s people often get stuck.
A person becomes more focused on their inability and lose sight of God’s record of doing the impossible!
Zachariah speaks doubt… so the angel… does what is necessary… he silences the doubt.
From this point, dear ole’ dad will not be able to speak, physically speak, until his son, John, is born.
Zechariah’s speech is not restored until his faith overcomes his doubt that was brought on by fear.
In doing this… a powerful lesson can be learned.
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